I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace

While Marie was still bewildered, the conversation moved along, and in the end, it was decided that they would purchase both the dress and the brooch. Since Kaito never asked about the price, Marie watched the payment process with a tense expression.

Kaito took out a single platinum coin and placed it on the tray the clerk had prepared. Seeing that, a cold sweat ran down Marie’s back.

(W- White gold coin……! N No, calm down. It’s possible he just doesn’t have smaller change……)

Watching him pay with a white gold coin, Marie realized that the amount Kaito had initially offered was almost certainly not the three silver coins she had desperately hoped for, but rather three gold coins.

But that also meant she could more or less estimate the price of the enormous Crimson Ruby brooch based on the change he received.

Soon enough, the clerk returned with the tray and handed Kaito…… two gold coins.

(……Two gold coins as change…… meaning this brooch costs f- f- five gold coins…… I- I- I- I see…… A- Ahh, thank goodness. Since I’m the fourth daughter of a Barony with no connection to high-society parties, this won’t turn into one of those “How dare a lower noble wear something so pretentious!” situations…… really, what a relief…… A-Ah, wait, this wasn’t even a party dress. The dress was just…… clothes…… and the clothes cost gold coins…… Arehh?)

When faced with immense psychological stress…… stomach-churning levels of it, people’s reactions differ greatly. For example, though she’s now grown accustomed enough to endure it, Lilia used to faint outright in such situations.

Eris, on the other hand, relied on her noble pride and strong willpower, screaming inwardly while maintaining a perfect smile on the outside.

Cornelia, meanwhile, would try to postpone the issue, or bear with it like Eris, using various coping methods to reduce the strain, but if it became unbearable, she would briefly lose consciousness.

And in comparison to those three, Marie, lacking both experience and mental fortitude, responded to the crushing stomachache that assailed her by……

(……Ah, I see…… “This is a dream” huh!)

……escaping from reality.

(Of course it is, there’s no doubt about that…… There’s no way a poor Baron’s fourth daughter like me would ever receive such luxurious clothes and accessories as gifts. Well, I have always admired the elegant, glittering look of high-born ladies in fine dresses, so I suppose that longing has just made me dream something silly like this. Yes, that’s it. This is a dream. Definitely a dream……)

And unlike Cornelia, who would temporarily avert her eyes, Marie’s version was a full-force sprint away from reality itself, a wholehearted, desperate flight.

Of course, it was merely escapism; running away wouldn’t stop reality from catching up eventually. Sooner or later, it would overtake her, and all that accumulated pressure would come crashing down as overwhelming stomachache.

But until that happened, she would run with everything she had…… That was the unconscious decision of Marie Ritch.

(Since it’s a dream anyway…… and one that fulfills a secret wish I’ve held deep inside, I’d be wasting it if I didn’t enjoy it, right?)

And at that moment, a subtle change stirred within her heart.

[Kaito-sama, once again, thank you so very much. For someone like me, the fourth daughter of a Barony, to receive such fine attire is something that could never happen under normal circumstances…… But to be honest, I’ve always longed to wear beautiful dresses and elegant accessories. So even though I’m shamelessly indulging in your kindness, I’m truly happy that my little dream has become reality.]

First of all, it’s important to make clear that Marie hadn’t broken down under mental strain or anything like that. Rather, as a result of turning her eyes completely away from a reality that would otherwise cause her stress, she had entered what could be described as a kind of ultra-optimistic mindset.

At this moment, she was unconsciously protecting herself…… automatically shutting out any thoughts that might lead to stomach-churning anxiety…… In other words, she had entered what could only be called a temporary invincible mode, immune to psychological stress.

Because she had thoroughly purged all potentially stressful factors from her mind, what surfaced instead were only the pure joys, the happiness of receiving the luxurious clothes she had long admired, and the delight of being given such gifts of clothing and accessories by Kaito. With nothing but genuine feeling, she could express her gratitude from the heart.

…………And that, in a sense…… created the worst possible combination.

For example, when Cornelia once went out with Kaito, there came a point where she could no longer keep up her composure. Kaito, sensing that through his Sympathy Magic, had been able to notice her distress and offer gentle consideration and support.

But Marie, in her current state, had automatically shut out all negative emotions. Thanks to her ultra-optimistic thinking, only joy and excitement were visible on the surface.

Kaito’s Sympathy Magic allowed him to read emotions carried through another’s magic power, but not their deeper thoughts.

In other words, there was no way for him to notice that Marie was escaping from reality. So when he saw her apparent delight, it was only natural for him to conclude that “she’s really happy”.

And when someone expresses such pure happiness and gratitude, it’s only human to feel happy in return.

[……Marie-san, if you’d like, how about another dress? It might be good to have a spare or two.]

[That’s a very tempting offer for me, but wouldn’t that be a burden for you, Kaito-sama?]

[Not at all. Honestly, I’ve got more money than I know what to do with……]

[I feel awful for constantly relying on your kindness, but…… if Kaito-sama insists…… actually, among the ones I tried on, there was another outfit that caught my eye……]

Even at this sudden suggestion, Marie, utterly convinced this was a dream and thinking that since it was a dream, she might as well enjoy it to the fullest, accepted Kaito’s generosity after a light exchange between them.

……But one mustn’t forget. She was merely running from reality. Sooner or later, the time would come when she would regain her calm…… when reality would catch up, and she would awaken from the dream.

And when that happened, all the emotional debts she had unconsciously deferred would come crashing down upon her in the form of stomach-wrenching agony…… But for now, unaware of any of that, Marie simply smiled brightly, overjoyed by Kaito’s kindness.

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<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [Oi, you idiot! Wait, Marie! Stop!!! You’re running full speed into danger as a result of escaping from reality!? So that’s what a Charge-type means…… Once the stress exceeds a certain threshold, you enter that so-called invincible mode, a “Fully Automatic Postponement State”, and then all the accumulated stomachache hits you all at once later on……]