I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace - Chapter 2555: A Conversation About the Tea Party ~ ~ The One with Stomachache ⑩ ~ ~

Inside the gym, where a faint air of restlessness lingered, Eris moved along, visibly shaken. Before long, the one who would arrive here was the Dragon King, Magnawell…… Among the Six Kings, Magnawell had particularly strong ties with the Archlesia Empire, and for Eris, herself a noble of that empire, he was someone to whom she absolutely could not afford to show the slightest disrespect.

If it were possible, she would rather leave without ever meeting him. However, knowing that Magnawell was coming and departing without even offering greetings would be a blatant act of disrespect, an option she could never choose. On the other hand, even if she remained here, she was not in a position that allowed her to speak to him first…… let alone offer greetings of her own accord.

……Yes, if only the World’s Singularity were not present here……

(If I had encountered Dragon King-sama by myself, there would be no need for words, I would simply bow, and he would pass by, and that would be the end of it. But with Kaito-sama here, the situation changes entirely…… I must assume that I’ll be greeting him. I absolutely cannot afford any rudeness…… m- my stomach……)

Clutching at the growing ache in her stomach, Eris approached the entrance of the gym, where Kaito, who had arrived earlier, noticed her and smiled.

[My apologies for keeping you waiting.]

[No, not at all. I just got here myself…… Ah, by the way, I heard from Namir-san, apparently Magnawell-san is coming here for an inspection. What should we do? We didn’t make any plans or anything…… should we head back?]

It was Kaito’s way of being considerate. He figured Eris would feel intimidated meeting Magnawell, so he suggested leaving before that could happen. It was undoubtedly spoken out of kindness and goodwill.

However, if there was one problem…… It was that the only person permitted to make the choice of casually leaving despite knowing Magnawell was coming was Kaito himself.

(That’s a privilege only you have, Kaito-sama!!! If I did that, I’d be condemned by every noble in the Archlesia Empire!)

Putting Kaito aside, Magnawell’s deep connection to the Archlesia Empire made him, much like Lillywood was to the Symphonia Kingdom, one of the most important figures among the Six Kings. That was precisely the issue.

[No, it would be disrespectful to leave knowing Dragon King-sama is coming. If Kaito-sama’s schedule allows it, let us wait.]

[That’s true. Then let’s at least give Magnawell-san a quick greeting before we go.]

The moment it was confirmed that Magnawell would be coming here, Eris had already half given up, but even so, she still had some peace of mind.

After all, given the circumstances, she would merely be introduced as an acquaintance of Kaito. There would be no real point of conversation between her and Magnawell.

She had heard Cornelia’s story, but that had only been possible thanks to their exclusive brushes. Magnawell, who carried himself with the utmost kingly dignity even among the Six Kings, would never engage in a long conversation with a mere noble like Eris…… much less take a particular interest in her.

At most, she expected that, thanks to Kaito, she would be granted a brief greeting and that would be the end of it.

Before long, Magnawell arrived. Namir and the others under the Dragon King’s command bowed deeply in greeting.

[At ease. I have merely come at Nidzveld’s recommendation to observe this new type of facility. I have no intention of interfering, nor of judging the conduct here.]

After addressing his subordinates, making it clear he was only here to observe, Magnawell made his way toward Kaito.

[Good afternoon, Magnawell-san.]

[Umu. You appear well, Miyama Kaito. I heard from Nidzveld that you had come to experience this place, how was it?]

[There were parts similar to the gyms I know, but also unique innovations specific to this world. I liked it. I’ve been a bit short on exercise lately, so once it officially opens, I might start coming regularly.]

[Hahaha, that is good. Whatever one does, the body is the foundation. There is no harm in keeping it well-trained…… fumu.]

After finishing his conversation with Kaito in high spirits, Magnawell cast a brief glance toward Eris. In her expectations, this was where she would be lightly introduced by Kaito, exchange a simple greeting, and that would be the end of it…… Unfortunately, there had been a major miscalculation.

For Cornelia, that assumption would have held true. To Magnawell, she had merely been the daughter of a noble acquainted with Kaito whom he happened to meet by chance. Without Kaito’s introduction, there would have been no reason for any deeper involvement.

However, the premise between Cornelia and Eris was fundamentally different. Unlike Cornelia, Eris had attended Kaito’s birthday party. Not only that, she had stood out to a certain degree, reaching the finals in the first game tournament and achieving good results in the quiz, even if luck had played a part.

[……Your face seems familiar. If I recall, you are a noble of the Archlesia Empire who is close to Miyama Kaito……?]

[ ! ? ]

Yes, because of that, in Magnawell’s eyes, Eris was not just any noble. She was a young noblewoman he had seen at the birthday party, someone particularly close to Kaito, someone worthy of his interest.

Of course, Magnawell remembering her isn’t anything strange. Kaito only began forming connections with more nobles after that birthday party, and at that time, aside from Chris, Eris had been the only noble of the Archlesia Empire close to him. Given Magnawell’s strong ties to the Archlesia Empire, it was only natural that she would catch his attention.

[……Fumu. I permit you to state your name, including your household.]

As a result, rather than being introduced by Kaito, Magnawell himself recognized Eris as a noble of interest and granted her permission to introduce herself, including her family name.

In other words, this implied not only a formal self-introduction but also the expectation of further conversation and even consideration for future relations…… Faced with such an unexpectedly high evaluation, Eris managed to keep a composed expression, but inwardly, her stomach was screaming in agony.

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [Ah, I see…… Come to think of it, Eris did make quite a name for herself at the birthday party. So to the people around Kaito, she’s kind of like Lilia at the ship party, someone they’d want to talk to at least once…… To think that being talented and achieving great results would end up being tied with stomachache, even my Eyes of Seriousness didn’t see that coming……]