Free Lunch (2)

The Imperial Church wasn't just sitting there helplessly, taking the blows. They were the exclusive supplier of certain goods within the empire, and as an organization, they had their own sales know-how built up over the years. The problem was... what that know-how actually looked like.

What the hell were these idiots doing? That was the thought that came to mind. Their sales strategy was so pathetic it was almost impressive. Way too religious, if you asked me.

Well, I suppose it made sense for a religious organization to have religious know-how. If I wanted capitalist know-how, I'd be better off looking to the merchants. Of course, I couldn't actually say something like “too religious” out loud. After all, I was a saintess too. I had to be extremely careful with my wording.

So instead, I chose this:

“That seems a bit too fanatical.”

What other word could possibly convey something beyond “religious” in tone? And even in this world, fanaticism was naturally something to be wary of. Even the peasants and serfs—who had extremely limited opportunities for education—knew that fanaticism wasn't a good thing. Maybe it was because a single religion had dominated for far too long? Their perception of religion was strangely secular in subtle ways.

The nobles, at least the ones from the academy, expressed extreme hostility toward statements at that level. This was thanks to the fact that more than a few of them felt they owed me their lives.

“Those loud-mouthed fools.”

“Aren't they just completely insane? I mean, who does the Saintess think she is? Calling her a fake saintess... they shouldn't even be saying things like that.”

Honestly, that part was kind of funny. When I first arrived, the imperial nobles had been the ones leading the charge, calling me a fake saintess and all that. I'd crushed them with words back then, but even so, it hadn't immediately changed every imperial noble's thoughts and attitude. They had simply stayed quiet in front of me. But now? After the incident where they believed they owed me their lives, and after their imperial princess manifested divine power because of me, they were coming out like this on their own.

From the Imperial Church's perspective, it must have been infuriating to see such ungrateful, foolish people. So how did they express that rage?

They really went all out. And it wasn't just that their attitude looked fanatical. The truth was, if I said a few words and the imperial nobles suddenly changed their behavior completely, it would actually backfire. Religious people needed to have at least some backbone when it came to doctrine. But here they were, screaming that they weren't fanatics while spewing exactly the kind of evil deeds that defined fanaticism. No matter how medieval this era was, that was just self-sabotage.

“Do you understand, Yulia? You must never do that.”

“Isn't that just self-defense?”

“It is, but it's truly the worst possible method. The human mind doesn't accept negation very well.”

“Please explain further, Lucia.”

Ah, even though several months had passed since I came here, I still couldn't break the habit of casually dropping anecdotes or knowledge from my original world without any explanation.

“Alright, listen carefully and think about it. Here we go. Do not think about a whale.”

“A whale? Uh, um... ah!”

See? Yulia was incredibly smart. The fact that she could understand the rest on her own after just a small hint like that was no ordinary feat.

“Do you get it now?”

“If you say not to think about it, it just makes me think about it even more. It would be better to just stay silent.”

Correct. Just like Yulia said, simply denying an opponent's public attack was the worst approach. Especially when the content of the attack was based on things you had actually done. In the end, that kind of denial only reinforced the image that the Imperial Church was a group that coveted money, stole others' property, and committed fraud using doctrine.

“Then what should we do in that situation?”

“Staying silent might work if the Imperial Church had a better image than me, but that's difficult. So instead... it would be better to show through actions that it's not true. Or, we could counterattack by saying the existing church is slandering the Imperial Church out of jealousy and envy.”

Wait, was she actually this smart? Since Yulia was already so beautiful, even a slightly clever remark made me want to happily say, “Our Yulia is so smart!” Not that she was saying anything that wasn't already true. But this time, she had really come up with something clever. In an era where education in imperial studies or politics was subtly lacking, and where the media side was particularly behind, her intelligence shone even brighter.

“That's right. If you're morally superior to your opponent, simply ignoring them is fine. But it's even better to naturally present objective evidence or behavior that shows you're not like that, or to break out of the frame they've set and launch a counterattack. Make sure to remember that, Yulia.”

“I will. So, how are you planning to respond, Lucia? The Imperial Church has been saying all sorts of things about you—calling you false, a harlot, and everything else. You won't just ignore it, will you?”

Thanks to her, I could now do what I originally planned with even more enthusiasm. After all, this was me showing my first believer—my apostle—what I had taught her in practice.

“Launching a counterattack consumes quite a bit of your own reputation. Especially since I've spent all this time building up the image of a saintess.”

“Then...?”

“Come with me. We're going to share a free lunch.”

“A free lunch?”

“There's a saying like that. I'll explain later.”

In capitalism, there's a famous phrase. Well, there are plenty of famous phrases, but “there's no such thing as a free lunch” is a bit special. It's probably on the level of the invisible hand. And so, I was on my way to sprinkle some of that free lunch among the people.

It wasn't that I hadn't done similar things before under the name ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of viral marketing, but this time was different.

“S-Saintess!”

“How did the Saintess come all the way here...”

Where there is light in the world, darkness follows. If the academy and its surrounding residential and commercial districts were the light, then naturally there was also a slum—the darkness. In the capitals of the empire or kingdoms, or in major cities, they could at least push the slums outside the city walls by force if they really wanted to. But this was the academy, managed by multiple nations. Mobilizing force here involved an incredibly annoying and difficult process.

And once again, I headed straight for that place.

“Come forward if you have even the slightest pain. I will bestow the miracle of healing upon you. And in preparation for when I'm not here, I'll also give you a certificate and a copper that you can use to receive treatment at the church.”

“Um... what is a copper?”

“You know how the church recently created new gold coins, right? But they're so expensive that poor people can hardly obtain them. These are small coins distributed only by the church for the poor. They serve the same role as gold coins.”

In other words, they were coupons. No, they were coupons. While gold coins could be used as currency in many other ways, the coppers were strictly controlled. They were coupons that only the poor could use, and only when seeking miracles from the church.

“Oh my, what a wonderful thing.”

“Of course. But later, when you have some leeway, please tell others that this was possible thanks to the church.”

When you thought about it, this was an extension of viral marketing. By providing miracles and charity here, I was creating living billboards. And what would these people do? When something happened, they would rely on the church. They would tell the people around them, and even those who were well-off enough to visit the church.

Yes, there was no such thing as a free lunch. Even if it looked free at first glance, the company or organization providing it was reaping equivalent benefits.

“Please come this way. The Saintess has only one body, so we will help you as best we can.”

“Thank you, Your Grace the clergyman.”

“No need for ‘Your Grace.’ You can direct your thanks to the church. Now, let me see.”

Here, we were also gaining the benefit of improving the church's own perception. Ah, so it's not just the Saintess. The church helps us too. If I take this, they'll help me even when the Saintess isn't around. The other clergy members, the church itself. Until now, they had been subtly trying to separate my image from the church's. After all, the church had been pathetically incompetent despite holding divine power and miracles in their hands. But the situation was different now. Since the opponent's attacks had shifted from the church's incompetence to the Imperial Church and the opposing church, we needed allies of equal—or preferably greater—weight on our side. And where could you find a place more suitable ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠than the orthodox church itself?

“If things continue like this...”

“As time passes, people will come to trust and rely on the church. Their trust in the church will rise day by day, and everyone will follow it.”

That was as far as I explained to Yulia. The trust directed toward the church. The belief that the church would help when there was trouble. And further, deepening faith. But the side effect of that was that as this perception spread, the value of the gold coin would rise. No matter how much you talked about intrinsic value or collateral value, the core of a currency's function was trust.

Why had the attempts to introduce currency in the early to mid-Joseon period failed so miserably? Basically, because they only saw currency as a means of profit realization. They used it when buying things but refused to accept it when collecting taxes, completely destroying trust. What we were doing now could be called the perfect counterexample.

And then the finishing blow landed.

What was this? Did they have some kind of intelligence problem? I mean, I understood that clergy had to come at it from a religious angle, but wasn't this a bit much?

“Are you telling me to stop helping these people right now?”

“Helping? You're merely tempting and bewitching foolish sheep! It's no different from the sweet temptation of a devil!”

These people didn't even understand the basics needed to shape public opinion. Even if those basics were measured by 21st-century developed country standards, this was still way too much. How could they keep scoring own goals like this?

“This won't work. There's no point in talking. Holy knights, please make sure they don't interfere.”

“Yes, Saintess.”

In times like this, ignoring them was the answer. Why would I stop them when they were kicking own goals all on their own? I should just let them do as they pleased.

After finishing the initial treatments, distributing actual free lunch to fill their stomachs, and helping in various ways—

Shing! Shiiiing!

From the moment the Imperial Church's holy knights stepped forward in place of their clergy and the standoff began, the sound of swords being drawn echoed from all directions.