Civil Servant in a Romance Fantasy

950 – Where Did My Freedom Go?

I fiddled with the knife I was holding in my hand for no reason.

For a moment, I felt a surge of desire to pierce my eardrums with this knife. If I gave up my eardrums right now, wouldn’t I be able to treat what I just heard as if it had never happened?

No. Since you’ve already heard it, should you aim for the head instead of the eardrum? If you erase the memory and then immediately blow out the eardrum, it’s a perfect crime. If you can pass on the information through writing, it’s perfect if you give up the eyes.

Anyway, we have Tricky at home. She can treat those eardrums and eyes.

‘Church sale.’

After such a short denial of reality, I slowly closed my eyes and chewed on the words of the growth of the school records.

If I complete my biography, it will not be sold in general, but sold at a church. It is a proposal I could not even imagine, so my head is spinning.

Who would have imagined that a church would propose to sell an ordinary biography exclusively? If the church were selling the Bible exclusively, you would think, “They want to get their hands on all the books related to the church.” However, the Yeomyeong Church only makes the Bible themselves and leaves the sales to general bookstores.

The Bible should be easily accessible to everyone, he said. If the Bible is only accessible in church, those who have not yet encountered the faith will never be able to see the Bible.

‘But why me?’

If you publish so compassionately and openly, why is my biography being sold in the church? Why are you being so strict with me?

This is adult reverse discrimination. There is a former Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the system, so I need to ask if this is a doctrinally correct act.

‘What’s with the lottery?’

And let’s say that the church’s exclusive sales are somehow understandable. However, it’s hard to understand the lottery and the invitation issuance.

No matter how much you try to think about it from the perspective of the church, isn’t this a fan meeting? If you buy an idol’s album, there’s a certain probability that you’ll get the right to participate in a fan meeting or autograph session.

Thanks to that, my teeth chattered. A business model that does not exist in this world came out of a religious group that should be more pious and frugal than anyone else. What on earth is the world going to become?

“In fact, what I told the holy man was a topic of heated debate within the religious order. Although the religious order attempts to censor works related to adults, once a creative work is created by the creator, the sale and distribution are completely left up to the creator. It is not right for the religious order to intervene in that process.”

As my silence grew longer, the growth of the school records cautiously added.

It was even more confusing. It means that the leadership of the church was not collectively crazy, but that there was a voice of self-discipline asking, “Is this right?” And yet, this crazy bill was passed and presented to me.

“I know. I heard that it is a beautiful custom that the creator respects the authority of the church, and the church also respects the creator’s freedom.”

Still, for now, instead of protesting, I showed a ceremonial nod. That way, the growth will continue naturally.

“Nevertheless, I felt the need for the church to take charge of the life of the holy man. After all… aren’t the weights of those who have gone to the Lord’s embrace and those who are on earth different?”

Unfortunately, the words that followed were not very sympathetic.

I admit that the weight is different. The invisible saint in history and the living saint who moves right before our eyes. It is an undeniable fact that the latter is more impressive, but I don’t know what that has to do with church sales.

Perhaps, in order to protect the authority of living adults, and to prevent adults from becoming too familiar figures through the sale of biographies, shouldn’t the publication itself be prohibited? Even if the sales route is limited to churches, once the biographies are released to the public, they will eventually spread throughout the continent, right?

“The life of the Holy One will serve as an example for all believers. Even the author of the life was recently appointed a knight.”

When I was unable to give a proper answer in the midst of my confusion, the growth of the Kyodan Silrokseong sighed very softly.

“A biography of a saint written by a knight himself. A book without controversy written by hearing about the life of a living saint himself. Some have even suggested that this is an object on the level of a holy relic.”

‘ah.’

I was immediately convinced by those words.

The reason why the religious sect gave up on censorship and insisted on exclusive sales, which is more cumbersome. Even though they cannot prevent the result of it spreading across the continent, they want to control the primary distribution.

‘There’s nothing we can do about the holy relics.’

If my biography is classified as a sacred relic, the religious order must be in charge of the primary distribution. If my biography is treated as an exception, there is a possibility that other sacred relics will become exceptions someday. If a situation like ‘The boss is crazy! A cross stained with the blood of a saint, only 9 silver coins today!’ unfolds, it is a bit much.

Of course, such a thing can happen in the second and third rounds of distribution after the first round, but if the religious order takes charge of the first round, they can filter out those who would commit such madness and sell them. Right now, Gyeonggeongong and Hyeonmyeongong are only giving out their carefully collected collections of holy relics to people who have been thoroughly verified.

…

‘Then why the lottery?’

However, what I can understand is that it is an exclusive sale. I absolutely cannot understand the horrible business model of a fan meeting through a random drawing.

And you’re even having a fan meeting at the St. Togra Cathedral, the heart of the Holy Nation and the headquarters of the sect? It feels strange, like I’ve reached the pinnacle of idols. Since when did my job become an idol of the continent, not an imperial noble?

“I understand the meaning of the religious order. If my story becomes a sacred relic, then so be it.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

“But meeting with people who have read my life story is quite an unexpected suggestion.”

That’s why I asked directly. I thought it would be better for me to ask this question myself rather than waiting for Growth to explain it to me.

It is a declaration that the religious order will make money in a secular and unprecedented way. It is a crazy idea to suddenly turn a living adult into the continent’s strongest idol. What kind of growth would speak so easily about the process with their own mouths?

So you should ask me directly. Tell me in a way that I can understand─

“…it was an inevitable choice for the future of the church.”

“yes?”

A rather serious and grave sentence popped out.

What the heck. Why are you talking about the future at this time? Is this a ploy to burden me? Is this a serious matter that affects the future of the church, and is it a pressure to cooperate as an adult?

‘I’m not just saying that.’

When I glanced at the other priests’ faces, I saw a faint worry in one corner of their faces.

This isn’t just a simple bluff. There’s something really wrong within the church. There’s a huge problem that requires adults to be turned into idols.

“That’s it, you know.”

“Let me explain. The growth of the school records also requires meals, but you’re talking too long by yourself.”

“Oh, yes. That’s right.”

I nodded my head, bewildered by the intrusion of the growth of the Holy Spirit.

I’m a little confused by the sudden player change, but I wish someone would put an end to this confusion. What the hell is wrong with the church?

“Councils, pilgrimages to the next saint’s shrines, the conquest of the four kings, canonizations, conclaves.”

?

“These are the things that the church has done in the past few years. Even if just one thing had happened, it would have been overwhelming, and one thing after another.”

I blinked blankly at the bitter voice.

‘ah.’

Eventually, I was able to realize the true meaning of those words.

A series of events that would have been overwhelming even if only one had occurred have occurred. And not in intervals of several decades, but in just the past few years.

Fortunately, everything ended well and the authority and prestige of the church rose vertically.

‘You probably don’t have money.’

If they had to take on all those things, it would naturally be hard to keep their finances up, even for a church that collects donations from all over the continent.

Now that I think about it, it’s a lineup that makes my heart flutter. How can events from the council to the conclave happen in just a few years? I’ve been caught up in all sorts of things, but when I look at the church, I find myself humbled.

Even those incidents only mentioned the big ones. If you include the small ones, it wouldn’t be strange if the church went bankrupt.

“Fortunately, the former Pope and the former Holy Father were frugal, so the treasury of the Order was truly abundant. If it had not been for their devotion, the Order would have even postponed the conclave.”

“But now we’ve reached our limit.”

“I’m embarrassed to say this, but yes, that’s right. If one more incident of the level I mentioned happens in the next two years, the church will be bankrupt.”

A suffocating silence fell over the restaurant at those direct and brutal words.

Thank goodness I had sent the servants away in advance, otherwise the dire state of the church’s finances would have been exposed publicly.

“We cannot raise our heads in front of the holy one, but the Ministry of Finance is trying to overcome this difficulty by promoting the sales of the book through a lottery and increasing the number of visitors to the church.”

“okay.”

At the same time, I envy the servants. If I had gone out like the servants, I wouldn’t have heard such things.

‘It’s brutal…’

Maybe that’s why. The chronicle isn’t even complete yet, so what if you go bankrupt in the meantime? I couldn’t bring myself to say that.

The church will take care of that kind of problem. They can sell the chronicles in advance and collect money in advance, or they can have people come to the church directly to make advance reservations and collect donations as well.

‘I guess I should help.’

He looked at the priests with eyes full of compassion.

To be honest, I can’t deny that they are selling me out because of the crisis in the church. They seem to be trying to somehow extract some benefit by using the unprecedented existence of a living adult.

But this is better than selling things like indulgences to make money. At least if I put up with the hassle, everyone is happy.

Let’s just think of it that way. If the continent’s mainstream religion goes bankrupt, the empire will also be bothered.

***

My stomach hurts.

As soon as I heard the Count’s report, I laughed like crazy, and at some point I felt a sharp pain in my stomach.

Did he tear his abs or something? It was definitely funny.

‘A meeting with readers.’

Another laugh escaped my lips, but was stopped by the pain in my stomach.

I couldn’t even imagine it. I was amazed by the broad perspective and values ​​of the church. How did they come up with such a groundbreaking idea?

‘Why didn’t I think of it sooner?’

At the same time, it is frustrating. In fact, I was able to utilize the religious order’s plan first. Before the count was canonized, I was able to use the count’s reputation as the best swordsman on the continent to declare, “Some of the swordsmen who purchased the count’s biography from the imperial bookstore will be invited to the palace to meet and spar with the count.”

Then the profits would have been enormous. Why didn’t I think of that?

‘Let’s reflect.’

Let us not forget the humiliation of today. The humiliation of the Emperor of the Empire being unable to use the card that was right next to him and having to watch another country take it first.

Let’s consider and mobilize all possibilities to prevent this from happening again.