Civil Servant in a Romance Fantasy

946 – Guarantee the freedom of creators – 2

The priests changed from unwelcome intruders to guests bearing gifts. Thanks to them, the priests who had previously seemed unpleasant began to feel a little more welcome.

“It is an honor to see the pride of Balcross. Although I am only a servant following the light of the Lord, I always enjoy looking at your work.”

“Hmm. Really? That would be an honor.”

And when a welcome guest says something nice to you, you feel even more relaxed. The fatigue and discomfort that had built up over time melts away in an instant.

I don’t mean to give you five bottles of holy water when you thought you would only get one.

‘There are five people, so does that mean there are five bottles?’

One priest sat across from me. Four priests stood behind the sitting priest. Looking at the five priests in total, I was convinced by myself.

Indeed. Each priest brought one bottle of holy water. If it was a group of guests, it wouldn’t be strange to bring just one gift. As expected, priests are kind and polite people, even if they are a bit annoying.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll bring some tea.”

“Oh, that’s okay. We brought something extra for you, brother.”

“Hmm?”

As I looked at the priest with an awkward posture at those words, one of the priests standing behind me handed me something from his bosom.

It was wine. A wine bottle popped out, transparent yet boasting a soft white color.

‘How dare you keep something like that in your arms.’

You kept a fragile bottle in your bosom. Did you strengthen it with a spell or magic? If so, the bottle itself is a valuable gift, regardless of its contents.

“This is wine made by the Archdiocese of Minden. The grapes were grown directly by the priests of the Archdiocese of Minden, and the Archbishop made it together with the congregation.”

“You have prepared a truly meaningful gift.”

“Haha, isn’t this the moment to meet the pride of Balkros and the pillar of Saleria? If not now, then when would I, a Mindenite, get to meet you, brother? I have prepared everything I can.”

“You came from the Archdiocese of Minden?”

I flinched for a moment at the priest’s words.

Naturally, I thought he was a priest from the Archdiocese of Saleria, but he was actually a guest from the Archdiocese of Minden, the capital. Even with the teleportation magic circle, it was still a long way away.

This guy was suddenly refusing guests from far away one after another. If he had told me from the beginning that he was from the Archdiocese of Minden, I would have at least given him a cold drink every time he came.

“In fact, the compatriots of Saleria wanted to see you, brother, but this immature man, who has not yet completely overcome his greed, insisted. You begged the Cardinal to let me see you.”

“It’s just embarrassing. I don’t have a pretty face that deserves to be seen like that.”

“That’s not true. If you had chosen to be an actor instead of a writer, you would have made many women yearn for you.”

“Oh, right.”

It’s awkward. It was an obvious compliment, but I like it more because of that.

Originally, compliments should be so direct that they make the listener feel embarrassed. If you have to chew on it several times to understand it, it is not a compliment, it is just flattery.

“I have no intention of accepting any interference.”

That’s why I also spoke directly.

I will not tolerate any interference. I will not allow anyone else to touch my masterpiece, which will be my last work.

It may sound rude, but it is better to state your position first for the sake of the priests. Rather than making a fuss as if they will listen or not, a firm attitude is more likely to facilitate conversation.

“Is that so?”

The priest nodded his head slightly as if he understood my feelings.

“I also believe that for a beautiful piece of work, an author must put forth all his love and sincerity. The Bible, which contains the word of God, was also created because the prophets who heard the revelations of God wrote them down without any external pressure. If there had been pressure from those in power during the process, would the Bible exist today?”

“It was probably quite different from the Bible we know.”

“Yes. That’s why we respect writers. We understand all literature and art, and we support freedom of creation.”

At those words, I stared intently at the priest’s face.

I know how strict the church is in censoring anything related to adults. Where did you get such a lie?

“Of course, just as we respect creation, shouldn’t creators also respect faith? If they want to create works based on the religion’s designated saints, they should follow the religion’s rules.”

“That’s right.”

I couldn’t bring myself to refute the priest’s explanation that followed.

If you want to be respected, you have to respect. If you choose a saint as your subject to attract the attention of believers, you have to bow your head to the religious order to which the saint devoted his life – the religious order that gave the saint the honor of being a saint.

If you didn’t like censorship in the first place, then just choose a topic other than adult. If you want to enjoy the sweetness of adulthood and reject the bitterness of the church, then that’s shameless.

But I am different from those shameless people.

‘I’ve been writing since before I became an adult.’

I began writing the Count’s biography before the church could canonize him. I did not do it to rob the dead of their fame, but rather to get permission from the living.

In that case, no matter how much the religious order is, they cannot dare to interfere with me. They cannot interfere with my beautiful masterpiece and the great work that I have devoted my life to.

“But isn’t this work you’re writing a rather unique case?”

‘Oh.’

While I was preparing to return the holy water if necessary, the priest spoke first.

“Originally, when creating works related to adults, the creator would first seek permission from the religious order and agree to the religious order’s censorship before starting to create. However, you, brother, have deviated from that convention from the very beginning.”

It’s also quite direct and easy to understand.

I am satisfied. It was the right choice to express my position as soon as I received the wine. If not, the priest would have been beating around the bush.

“It is truly a complicated matter. Since this is my first time experiencing the process of canonization while I am still alive… the people above are also concerned about how to proceed with this matter.”

“So that’s what I’m saying,” the priest added, leaning his upper body toward me.

“Would you mind lending me your time for a moment?”

“You mean my time?”

“Yes. Since there is no custom, we are having trouble, so let’s just create a new custom. If you, the creator, personally cry out about the injustice, the other brothers and sisters will not be able to bring themselves to demand censorship.”

To put it more bluntly, since priests have no reason to act decisively, they should appeal to emotions to overcome the crisis.

‘That’s true.’

I like it. Appealing to other people’s emotions is a basic quality of old people.

In addition, asking for exceptions from priests who are firm in their faith. When in life do you get to experience something like that? Different experiences tend to give you a broader perspective, and a broader perspective helps you in your writing.

This is also a step towards my final masterpiece. Thinking of it that way, I am not offended by the sudden request to accompany you.

“Good. It’s been a while since I’ve set foot in Minden. I’ll try my best to persuade you.”

“Thank you. If you can give me strength, my brothers and sisters’ worries will be relieved.”

Then the priest responded with a smile.

And it was only after riding the teleportation circle that I learned that the priest was not from the Archdiocese of Minden, but from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Holy See.

‘What the hell.’

Come to think of it, you only told me that you were from Minden. You never said a word that you were from Minden.

I was hit. I thought I only had to convince the Archbishop of Minden, but I ended up crying in front of the Pope and the elders.

***

I thought there wouldn’t be any major fuss until next year’s New Year’s greetings ceremony.

As autumn passes and winter approaches, the attention of Imperial society is focused on the cultural districts of Wiridia. It is unlikely that anything will happen in the next few months that will overturn this fervent interest.

Of course, I can’t let minor incidents go unnoticed, but that’s okay. I’ve reached a point where I can accept minor shocks as a semi-daily routine. I can accept minor commotions as the calm before a storm.

– Long time no see, brother.

But I had forgotten that whenever I promised something, the opposite would inevitably happen.

‘It’s not the calm before the storm, it’s the storm that’s coming…’

A direct line from Tanian.

A direct contact to me, not through my friend Erich, or through the priests of the Archdiocese of Ausen.

No matter how much I turned the happiness circuit, it wasn’t an ordinary thing, so I ended up smiling bitterly. What was waiting for me this time that the next saint was contacting me?

“Yes, it’s been a while. How have you been, brother?”

– Haha, I’m enjoying myself to the point of being more than I deserve. Don’t you know that, brother?

It must mean that he is happy because he gets to spend each day with his son Pietro. It was something he could definitely understand, so his bitter smile naturally turned into a smile.

– And I am glad that I have this opportunity to talk with you, brother.

Of course, it didn’t take long for the road to turn into a bitter smile.

“Me too. But I’m a little surprised. I wonder what’s going on that you contacted me personally.”

– That’s what I’m saying.

Tanian smiled slightly at my question,

– Brother Allen of the Kingdom of Balcross. Do you remember?

An unexpected name came out of Tanian’s mouth.

– A few days ago, Brother Allen came to the Holy Land. It was because we had something to discuss about his life story.

“My life story… you mean?”

It’s confusing. What on earth does my life story have to do with the church, that Allen ended up going to the church?

No, but how did you know that Allen was writing a biography? Allen said he was writing it honestly, revealing only the bare minimum to a few people.

‘The religious order’s information power is also amazing.’

It’s amazing. Not long ago, I was hacked by the Emperor’s intelligence, but this time, I was hacked by the religious order’s intelligence.

– Yes. The works of adults should be subject to censorship by the church. But didn’t Brother Allen begin his writing career before he was canonized?

‘ah.’

Anyway, thanks to Tanian’s comment, I now know why Allen went to the church.

I see. Things got a bit complicated because of his reputation while he was alive.

– So Brother Allen and I have been talking about this and that, and someone will come to you soon.

“yes?”

– I guess there’s nothing more important than the words of an adult. It probably won’t arrive within three days.

“yes…?”

No, you crazy b*stards. Don’t announce something like that unilaterally.