I Became a Food Developer in Another World

Chapter 9: This is the real deal (6)

The Church has been in trouble lately because of Thanksgiving.

The people had seen the Third Prince’s behavior at Thanksgiving and had begun to petition the Church.

[The unleavened bread and grain tea are behind the times!]

[The Church should stop discriminating against potatoes immediately!]

The petitions centered around the idea of making Coke and Pringles official “sacraments” of the church, instead of unleavened bread and grain tea.

The Church was receiving hundreds of these petitions a day but it was a difficult subject for the pope.

Grain tea and unleavened bread were a long-standing tradition from the beginning of the Church.

This history and tradition could not be abandoned overnight for the sake of a fad but the volume of petitions was too much to ignore.

“I don’t understand why Prince Leon is doing this.”

“There must be something against the Church.”

It had only been a short time ago that Prince Leon had posted a leak that cola was the product of black magic.

However, he suddenly changed his tune and used Thanksgiving to promote Pringles and Coke.

The cardinals couldn’t understand what the third prince was up to.

“The problem is that there is no point in questioning Prince Leon now.”

The protest was already a shot across the bow.

Nor could they expect the Third Prince to change his mind.

He had spoken in front of tens of thousands of his subjects.

To retract his words would have been to undermine the imperial authority, not to mention the damage to the Third Prince’s personal image.

So there was no way the Third Prince was going to solve the Church’s problems.

“Well, the imperial family isn’t going to step in, and we’re in trouble.”

The cardinals wrapped their heads around the problem of Pringles.

Then, a young cardinal, who had been manning the table, spoke up.

“In any case, it seems clear that we’ll have to create a new sacrament to quell the discontent against the Church.”

“…….”

Everyone looked at each other, but no one spoke up to challenge the young cardinal.

Pope Paul XII, who had remained silent, spoke up with a somber expression.

“…Is it really necessary?”

“Holy Father, the younger priests are turning away.”

“Why?”

“Because the unleavened bread and grain tea are…too tasteless.”

The young cardinal averted his gaze, as if he was sorry to say it.

Grain tea was not so much tea as water and rolled grains.

Even the unleavened bread was just a lump of flour.

It was no wonder the process was so primitive when the food had been handed down from a thousand years ago.

“Cardinal Roan, do you think so too?”

“…I’m sorry, Holy Father.”

“Heh, do we really have to accept the times?”

The Pope rolled his eyes in disbelief.

He never thought he’d have to change the sacrament in his generation.

“Still, I think Coke and Pringles are a bit……too radical. And changing the sacrament is out of the question.”

“Then how about adding to it instead of changing it?”

“When you say add…?”

“Add something to the sacrament that would satisfy the congregation, even if it’s not Pringles and Coke.”

“But aren’t Pringles and Coke what the congregation wants?”

“…….”

There was silence among the cardinals again.

Then, the younger cardinal, the one who had suggested the addition, spoke up.

“Why don’t we ask the wizard of the White Tower who invented Pringles?”

“You mean the developer?”

“Yes. If the developer himself would come forward and say that Coke and Pringles are not sacraments, it would diffuse the situation somewhat, and we could issue a statement that we, the Church, would follow suit and develop a new sacrament.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea. But the question is whether the wizard will do us a favor.”

“We’ll have to pay him what he deserves.”

The worried cardinals’ faces lightened at the prospect of a solution.

“Hehe, the Church will be in debt.”

That’s what they thought, not realizing that it was the Pringles developer who was behind the third prince’s move.

“I’ll contact the White Magic Tower, then, and ask Cardinal Bruno to prepare a statement.”

“Understood, Holy Father.”

After finishing the meeting, the cardinals left the church.

There was no discussion about who would go to the White Tower since the Holy Father was in charge of all important public affairs.

*

“We’re in trouble!”

Aria shouted as she came running in a panic.

“Look, a saint is coming!”

“…Who?”

“A saint!”

Was there a saint besides the one from the Church?

‘No.’

Puzzled, I turned to the side and asked.

“Did you hear anything, my Lady?”

“Uh, nothing! What’s going on!?”

Ranya, who had been lying on the couch reading a newly released folk magic book, jumped up at the sound of the saint’s arrival and pulled on a robe that was hanging from the wall.

“Yuri, how do I look? Is everything okay?”

“Yes, you’re fine.”

White hair, amber eyes and puffy robes, it was Ranya as usual.

Her hair was a little bit up, but hey, she was cute.

I looked at Aria and asked.

“What’s the saint doing in the tower all of a sudden?”

“She has something to say to you.”

“To me?”

“Yes.”

“What to say?”

“I don’t know, I just heard that she said she was coming to visit.”

“Hmm.”

Why on earth would a saint want to visit me?

I was scratching my head, unable to figure out why.

“I’ll explain that to you myself.”

She said in a fine voice.

I didn’t recognize the woman who came through the door but I knew who she was the moment I saw her.

“…Saint?”

The woman with the long silver hair exudes an aura of holiness.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Josephine from the church. I humbly hold the position of saintess.”

“…….”

The third prince went away, and this time a saint came to visit.

Why?

*

“I should have contacted you in advance, but I apologize for this unexpected visit.”

The holy woman bowed her head.

“No, I’m sure something happened.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

“So why did you come to see me?”

“Before I tell you why, may I ask the wizard a question?”

“Yes, please do, as long as it’s not something I’m embarrassed to answer.”

“Thank you.”

The thin-skinned saint asked.

“What do you think of tradition, wizard?”

Tradition.

An esoteric question.

It was open to interpretation, depending on the listener.

As if reading my thoughts, the saint smiled.

“You don’t have to think too hard about it, I just want to know what the wizard thinks.”

Well, if that’s what you mean…….

“I think it’s something that should be respected.”

Tradition was the history of a culture’s identity.

Sure, some traditions may be outdated and difficult to understand.

But I don’t think we need to reject them just because we don’t understand them.

Just because I don’t understand something doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

Apparently pleased with my answer, the saint smiled brightly.

“I’m glad to hear that you feel that way.”

I wondered what she was going to say and why she was taking so long.

“Because the food products you developed appeared during Thanksgiving and the Church has been having trouble with them.”

This was it.

I had a vague idea of the reason for the saint’s visit.

Or maybe not.

“Petitions have been flooding the Church to make Coke and Pringles an official sacrament of the Church, and I’ve come to see if you can help me with that.”

“…….”

“Ah, but that doesn’t mean that the Wizard is at fault; it was the Third Prince who put Coke and Pringles on the Harvest Table.”

At my silence, the saint said, “Don’t take this the wrong way,” but it was a misunderstanding and nothing to sleep on.

After all, the Third Prince ate Pringles on Thanksgiving because I asked him to.

‘I didn’t realize it would turn out this way.’

Of course, I only asked him to eat them, I didn’t ask him to change the Thanksgiving menu to Pringles.

That was the Third Prince acting on his own initiative, though it still pricked my conscience.

Fortunately, the saint didn’t seem to know about it. If she had, she would have demanded accountability and reparations, not help.

So, what’s the problem with that?

It’s a big problem.

The third prince’s actions were as shocking as placing fast food on a traditional ceremonial table in modern times. And he did this in front of all the citizens of the capital.

Processed food is challenging the authority of the Church.

The saint came to me out of a sense of ‘I can’t criticize the third prince, so I need your help.’

“I’m sorry to ask such a difficult favor, but you’re the only one I can turn to.”

“Of course I’ll help you.”

One wrong move and I’d be hauled off for blasphemy.

“Thank you very much, Wizard, you’ll save the Church a lot of trouble.”

The shadowed saint’s face brightened.

“And just in case you misunderstood, I’m in favor of this.”

“…Yes?”

“Grain tea and unleavened bread are actually kind of boring, aren’t they?”

“…….”

“I often just pretend to eat them, too.”

A saint only pretends to eat….

“……Are you sure it’s okay for you to say that to me?”

“No one’s listening, and you’re not going to spread it around, are you?”

“I won’t.”

Saints are human and it was only natural that they would want to eat something delicious. I wondered if I should be so blunt.

“So, by the way, do you think I can get some Pringles?”

“What?”

“You know, Pringles are still banned in the Church.”

“So that’s what you’re here for.”

“I’m counting on you, okay?”

The saint narrowed her eyes.

*

The day after the saint left the Tower with the Pringles, I wrote about the fact that Coke and Pringles are not “sacraments” and published it for the world to see.

In response to my announcement, the Church issued a statement but the statement went in the wrong direction.

“I’ve heard that cola and Pringles are foods even the gods envy.”

“They say that the Lord actually wanted to have Pringles for the sacrament.”

“That’s too bad, because a sacrament isn’t something you can easily change.”

“So we’re eating a snack that even God is jealous of?”

“That’s what they say, haha!”

Word spread among the people that Coke and Pringles are foods that “even God is jealous of,” and the fad spread even further.

“Here comes the money again.”

This time it was from the Church, not the Empire.

“Uh, how much?!”

“Three million gold?”

“Hmph-!”

Ranya’s breathing quickened.

It was not unreasonable since it was six times more than Cola’s first month’s sales.

Or to put it another way, it was enough to remodel the leaning tower six times.

‘The Pope’s got a big barrel.’

I thought to myself, as the amount of money was unbelievable.

I took out the letter that came with the grant and opened it.

It was a long, rambling letter.

[Pardon me for not being able to find you in person to thank you, but I am busy with work.

I wish to express my sincere gratitude for your help in the affairs of the Church.

But I’m afraid I have to ask one more favor of you, Wizard.

The Church has made an important decision regarding this situation……

─omission

……to reorganize the sacraments.

If possible, we would like to seek your advice on this reformulation of the sacrament.

May the blessings of the Lord always be with the White Magic Tower. – Pope Paul XIII]

So……

Is this a request to create a sacrament?