People who sold crafts like the shop owner jokingly said they’d become filthy rich if they could sell their items there. Even knowing it was an unrealistic expectation, everyone had dreamed of it at least once.

“Did I just sell items to an angel?”

The shop owner muttered with a dazed face. How else could this luck be explained?

In the not-too-distant future, when the shop owner learned their true identities, she apparently fell over in shock.

* * *

Outside the shop, Adelia hummed a tune.

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

“Of course. I’ve discovered some very good items. Didn’t you think they were pretty too?”

“They were certainly unique. But I don’t think they’ll be trendy for long.”

“I think so too.”

“Because they’re unique. Unique items are good for attracting attention, but their popularity tends to be short-lived.”

Adelia nodded at the unexpected remark.

“It’s perfect for a short-lived trend. Artifacts will be the center of fashion for a while anyway. It’ll be trendy for a few years, maybe even decades. But we still need something to show in between, right?”

“So that’s it.”

“Also, mother-of-pearl decorations are as unique as they are risky. A small shop like that is fine, but it’s too risky for a small merchant guild to try and make it trendy. Shouldn’t a large guild that won’t be shaken by failure attempt it?”

Mother-of-pearl decorations were different from other decorations that had come out so far. The atmosphere and production method were distinctly different.

That’s why success couldn’t be guaranteed. It was perfect for a mediocre guild to mess up.

But it was different for ‘Eileen’, where things sold like hotcakes just by attaching its name. People would agree even if they sold wooden pieces and called it a trend. Of course, they had no intention of selling such things. They didn’t plan to do business carelessly relying on the guild’s reputation.

Only fully developed products that had been researched for various uses and confirmed for marketability could bear Eileen’s name and enter the world.

“If you settle for the ordinary, everything becomes stagnant. We need to try new things for culture to develop.”

Adelia said proudly, shrugging her shoulders.

The Eileen Merchant Guild was like a child that Adelia had personally created and nurtured. It was natural that every part of it was precious and a source of pride.

She walked along the road with lightened steps.

Adelia continued to explore various shops afterwards. There were several shops dealing with mother-of-pearl decorations, but none had decorations as excellent as the first shop they visited. She reluctantly wrote down the shops of skilled craftsmen separately.

“Why don’t you give that piece to others?”

“Do you think that piece is ordinary?”

“Isn’t it just a token?”

“It’s the symbol of the guild master. The content written on it is absolute within the Eileen Merchant Guild.”

Adelia created a special wooden piece symbolizing the guild master instead of living as a faceless guild master. It was mainly used within the guild, only for orders directly given by the guild master.

It was made of visibly high-quality wood with special treatment, and even uncommon magic was engraved on it.

Although it wasn’t as diverse in magic as artifacts, it could at least do tracking and imprinting.

“Then what did you write on it earlier?”

“Just that this shop owner’s skills are excellent, so I want to persuade them to collaborate with the guild. I’ll give separate instructions for the details, but that symbol is needed for people within the guild to believe it.”

Because the guild master’s actions were not ordinary, there were often cases when they doubted her instructions. When they saw this piece, they easily acquiesced.

That’s how absolute this wooden piece was as a symbol of the guild master within the guild.

“That’s a good idea. I didn’t know it had such meaning.”

“Don’t you have one too? I remember sending one during our first transaction.”

“It’s probably in my drawer. I’ve never looked at it closely because I thought it was just a decoration. Did you write something on that one too?”

“Hmm, it’s a secret. If you’re curious, go and find it.”

Adelia smiled mischievously, narrowing her eyes.

[Prioritize orders from the imperial family. We will select and serve only the most expensive and best items.]

It wasn’t particularly important. She was just keeping quiet because it was vexing that only they didn’t know what everyone else in the guild already knew.

Lucian continued to ask, furrowing his brow, but Adelia just grinned and held back her words.

* * *

Adelia, who had been focused on new items as if she was conducting market research, also ate just as enthusiastically.

As a result, evening approached, and they headed to the restaurant they had reserved, intending to have a light dinner.

“Does the dinner suit your taste?”

“It suits me perfectly. The true charm of travel is indeed the delicacies.”

Although they had intended to eat lightly, they ended up finishing the entire course meal because the food was so delicious. Adelia realized anew that she liked seafood.

After leaving the restaurant, they took a carriage to the temple. While Adelia was admiring the sky gradually turning red, she casually started a conversation.

“It’s my first time visiting that temple.”

“Don’t nobles usually attend regular prayer meetings?”

“Do you think my family would have taken me when I hadn’t even had my debutante ball? I just stayed at home.”

Once a year, regular prayer meetings were held at representative temples in each region. Of course, the largest prayer meeting was held at the grand temple in the capital.

Most nobles gathered in the capital rather than their own territories, and the regular prayer meeting marked the beginning of that year’s social season.

There was no way Adelia could have attended the capital’s regular prayer meeting, which had a clearer purpose of socializing than praying.

As Adelia looked outside with a wistful expression, Lucian hesitated to speak. He seemed to be carefully choosing his words, his lips moving slightly.

“Even the regular prayer meeting isn’t anything special. It’s just nobles smiling and building friendships. I only attended when I was young and haven’t gone since.”

“You don’t need to comfort me. Prayer meeting? I gave up praying to God long ago. Even if they told me to go, I probably wouldn’t have wanted to.”

“Do you not believe in God?”

“I’m not an atheist. God certainly exists. I believe that.”

She doesn’t deny the existence of God. Although it didn’t exist in her previous life, this world had holy power and sacred objects. That itself was a trace of God.

Adelia’s existence itself was also a trace of God. Even the fact that she, who had experienced death, was living normally after being reincarnated in a new world was God’s arrangement.

“But I think it’s pointless to pray and ask for miracles.”

Both the Adelia here and in her previous life had prayed to God countless times. She prayed every day to please make her family love her. It wasn’t even asking to resurrect her dead mother or for money.

Just for her family’s love and attention. She begged for that tiny bit, but the world didn’t change. Her family still abused and neglected her.

The young girl stopped believing in God from then on. Because He didn’t answer her prayers and left her wallowing in the mud.

“If God was a being that answered prayers, I wouldn’t have lived such an unhappy life.”

“Well… I’m the same. It’s been quite a while since I stopped praying prayers that aren’t answered anyway.”

“We’re similar in that regard.”

Though the degree of tragedy differed, they had something in common.

God did not save them.

When Lucian lost his mother, he was about the same age as the current prince. The crown prince, who had only been arrogant while watching his mother’s health deteriorate day by day after giving birth to his younger sibling, prayed to God for the first time.

Please let mother get up from her bed in good health. The small boy prayed every day by his mother’s bedside. But God was heartless. Her health did not improve, and He soon took her away.

Seeing his father and young siblings immersed in sorrow, he never prayed to God again. Instead of praying to God, he had to return to reality.

Adelia and Lucian faced each other and smiled bitterly. Adelia threw out a light comment to break the subdued atmosphere.

“Still, I’m a bit excited about the temple. There will be beautiful stained glass, right? I’d like to see the light sparkling in various colors at least once.”

“What is stained glass?”

“Huh? You don’t know about windows made of colored glass?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Temples mostly have white or low-saturation colors. There are many windows inside, but I’ve never seen such windows.”

Lucian tilted his head.