Product Placement (2)
The three who had once led the revolutionary groups Blue Monster, Red Fox, and Justice. Originally, they each had perfectly fine names of their own. Yes, they really did. In the past, that is. But the moment Kaimu Doyunes—the man they called the "Prophet"—unilaterally renamed them, everything changed.
"Lord Blue, how should we handle this document?"
"...Leave it there. And my name is... No, never mind."
Blue let out a soft sigh and waved his hand. What was the point of correcting them now?
"Lady Pax! I have an urgent report—"
"How many times do I have to tell you! Stop calling me by that name!"
Pax slammed the documents onto her desk. The tone of her voice wasn't anger or resignation; it was pure, unadulterated defeat.
"A request for correction has come in, Lord Justice."
"...Right. Bring up the report."
Justice nodded blankly. He no longer had any emotion left to spare.
'Blue', 'Pax', 'Justice'. Now, those were their names. Their pasts had been erased, leaving only these new identities behind.
"...Pax," Blue blurted out as he carried a stack of papers.
Without lifting her head, Pax shook it. "Are you calling me that too now?"
"Sorry. It just rolls off the tongue."
"Forget it. I've heard it so much I'm used to it. This is my name now, anyway. What is it, Blue?"
Blue stopped sorting the documents and muttered in a low voice, "You feel it too, don't you?"
At his quiet question, Pax let out a brief sigh. "...Yeah."
If anyone felt the kingdom's transformation most directly, it was them. After all, they were the ones processing the raw information pouring in from every corner of the realm. From their perspective, the Elium Kingdom was no longer the tattered, puppet state of the past.
Justice, who had been silently writing next to them, chimed in. "Save the talk for later and keep your hands moving. Unless you want to gorge on tofu porridge again today."
The three of them instantly picked up their pace. Tofu porridge. It was one of the primary reasons they wanted to escape this lifestyle. Seriously, if this went on for just a few more days, their sanity would crumble faster than soft tofu.
Blue smiled bitterly. To think the skills they had honed on the front lines of a revolution were being wasted on administrative paperwork.
"...Justice, wait. This is a conversation that might actually change how we're treated from here on out."
He glanced over at Pax. Pax also let out a short breath and nodded.
"...Yeah. Honestly, it's not like we started our revolutionary groups out of some grand sense of duty."
"I admit it," Pax said without hesitation. "It's the same even now. If we miss this opportunity, we're stuck living a tofu porridge life forever."
The revolution had failed. They accepted that. As long as that man named Doyunes remained in this kingdom, they couldn't envision any scenario where the realm would fall. Thanks to him, their dreams had been shattered into pieces. However, it wasn't completely over. Though their old dreams were broken, their goals had been reshaped into a different form. A new path was opening before them.
Doyunes. The Prophet. If they stayed by that man's side... even if they couldn't be the absolute leader, securing the number two spot didn't seem like a bad deal at all. In their estimation, if this were the stock market, his value was at its absolute rock bottom right now. Which meant? It was time to buy.
They nodded at each other. It was absolutely not because they hated tofu porridge.
"You know what I'm talking about, right?"
"Of course."
"I agree."
The three of them nodded in silence. And the opportunity came to them much faster than they expected.
The Prophet was in his office organizing documents, as he always did. Standing across from his desk were the ordained priests who had rushed over at his summons: Anna, William, and James. Watching them from the side while carrying and organizing papers were Blue, Pax, and Justice, carefully biding their time.
The former revolutionaries versus the early church members. On the surface, it looked peaceful, but beneath the facade, they were hiding daggers. From the perspective of the early members, the former revolutionaries were merely uninvited guests who had barged in. On top of that, they had a record of being captured after rebelling against the Prophet. Conversely, the former revolutionaries felt the same way about the early members. To them, these people held high positions based solely on the title of 'founding members,' without any proper training or achievements to show for it. Naturally, neither side viewed the other favorably.
Just then, Doyunes, who had been focused on his work for some time, set down his documents and spoke casually.
"I assume you are all aware of the rumors currently spreading throughout the capital?"
"Are you referring to the Holy Water, Lord Prophet?" Anna replied immediately with a gentle smile.
"Indeed. The Holy Water mentioned in the novel is no fiction. It is a genuine miracle of our church, crafted through the blessings of Lord Ifrit."
With those words, Doyunes picked up a pencil and, without a moment's hesitation, stabbed it into his own finger.
"Lord Prophet!"
"Such recklessness...!"
A startled Anna and William cried out in panic, but Doyunes remained perfectly calm. He pulled a small glass vial from his robes and let a single drop of red liquid fall onto his finger.
"If one does this..."
The wound on his finger healed rapidly. The bleeding stopped, and the injury vanished without a trace.
"What do you think?"
"..."
Everyone was left utterly speechless.
"Therefore, I intend to begin the sale of the Holy Water. I believe it would be best for someone to oversee the entire operation... Anna? Unless your duties with the press keep you too occupied, I would like you to take charge of this."
*Thud.*
As he closed the folder, the air in the room shifted tangibly. Blue, Pax, and Justice felt their hands tremble slightly. Though they were deeply shaken by the miracle of the Holy Water, they suppressed their emotions as best as they could. Having witnessed the potion's effects firsthand, they could easily foresee the massive waves it would create. If this item hit the market? Achievements, power, and opportunity—it was the chance to obtain everything they had ever wanted.
All three of them realized it at the exact same moment.
'If I can't be number one... I'll become number two.'
'No more tofu porridge!'
'...Will I finally be able to get some rest?'
Their individual motivations differed, but their goal was one and the same.
Gauging the atmosphere, Blue cautiously spoke up. "Lord Prophet, if I may... would it be acceptable to offer a brief word of advice?"
"Speak."
Blue trailed off slightly, casting a subtle glance toward Anna. "While the early members of the church are indeed devout, they lack experience in sales and practical administration. Moreover, they already have their own occupations to attend to."
Justice crossed his arms and added, "Furthermore, distribution is not merely about handing out goods. It involves record-keeping, balancing accounts, and handling disputes. It is a highly complex undertaking."
Their tone was incredibly polite, completely devoid of any overt hostility, yet their underlying intent was crystal clear: This is too big of a task to entrust to incompetent amateurs.
Anna offered a thin smile. She had easily read right through them. Naturally, William and James had as well. There was no way those who had risen to the rank of ordained priests lacked the wits to read the room.
Anna smoothly countered their remarks. "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Blue."
William chimed in next. "Indeed. It is not a task just anyone can handle. Especially since the sale of Holy Water represents the very face of our church. Competence is paramount."
James finished with a smile directed at me. "Which is precisely why we have been assisting the Prophet and managing all affairs up to this point."
Though their words were polite, the subtext was singular: Know your place and back off.
"Hohoho."
"Hahaha."
They laughed as they stared each other down. I quietly looked back and forth between the two factions. The revolutionary group. The early church group. Different backgrounds. Different interests. And yet...
'When did they get so close?'
*Tap, tap.*
I tapped my fingers on the desk and spoke. Well, unity is a good thing.
"Very well. In that case, both of them shall prepare."
At my words, their faces seemed to stiffen for a brief moment, but the tension vanished just as quickly. They cautiously reached out and shook hands with a polite, almost shy demeanor. I guess whatever hostility I thought I saw earlier was just my imagination.
"Thank you so much, Miss Pax. How can we ever repay you? We were more than capable of handling this on our own, but with your help, it will be such a relief. Hoho."
"Oh, not at all! We must help each other in times of need! Besides, having such devout individuals join our work... all my worries have vanished. Hahaha."
Behind Pax, Blue and Justice gritted their teeth, while behind Anna, William and James let their eyes gleam with fierce determination.
The product placement in the newspaper was a massive success, far exceeding expectations. The entire capital could talk of nothing but the Holy Water. Even before seeing the actual product, people already had their wallets wide open.
I divided the Holy Water into three tiers, following standard fantasy clichés: Lower-grade, Medium-grade, and Upper-grade. I adopted this format without a second thought. The names might be slightly different, but the essence was the same. There was no difference in the actual ingredients used; only the concentration varied.
For the Lower-grade Holy Water, I diluted the raw solution to a 1/100 concentration. It could only heal very minor cuts. For the Medium-grade Holy Water, the concentration was set to 1/10. From this tier onward, it could heal light stab wounds. Finally, the Upper-grade Holy Water had a 1/2 concentration. Its performance was comparable to a standard potion found in any fantasy game.
Naturally, I expected this process to take quite some time. However, it was completed far faster than I had anticipated.
"Sorting for two hundred bottles of Lower-grade Holy Water is complete!"
"Medium-grade packaging is finished!"
"Labeling for the Upper-grade is done!"
Stacking documents, moving bottles, applying stickers... a literal human conveyor belt was in full swing. This was no longer mere manual labor; it was practically a factory assembly line.
Once the work was finished, Pax offered a bright smile and a "compliment."
"You really are exceptionally good at physical labor! Thanks to you, we were able to maximize our administrative efficiency!"
Anna smiled back and returned the favor. "Oh, think nothing of it. It's just that sitting around all day makes one look rather idle, you see!"
The former revolutionaries wielded the pens, while the church members moved their hands and feet. A strange division of labor had naturally formed. Thanks to this, all the potions were prepared in record time.
I, too, realized something valuable.
'I can just set this as our average production target from now on.'
I had acquired some excellent data.
And so, in the central plaza of the Elium Kingdom, the doors to the Holy Water dispensary swung wide open.