Chapter 34: Habitual Worship (5)

The newly opened cathedral was packed to the brim.

People flooded in from all directions, as if drawn by some irresistible force.

The inside and outside of the building were bustling all day.

At the entrance, a beleaguered follower tasked with guiding people was shouting at the top of her lungs.

“Please, just wait a moment! The inside is full right now! As soon as the first group comes out, we’ll let you in!”

Her voice was almost a scream, reflecting just how overwhelmed they were by the sheer number of people swarming in.

“Is this the place?”

“Wow, they really decorated it nicely inside. Hey, kids, don’t run!”

Some of the crowd seemed genuinely interested in joining the church or had come in desperation, seeking solace from a higher power.

However, most of them weren’t drawn by sincere faith but simple curiosity.

A strange new organization suddenly appeared, handing out free food on the streets, and the locals seemed to have gathered just to see what this odd group was up to.

I was looking down at the scene from the office on the upper floor of the cathedral.

Then I turned to the church leaders and spoke.

“From now on, we should officially halt new member registrations.”

The first to object was, of course, Yoanna.

“What? But Eve, isn’t this the perfect chance to expand our congregation? If all these people become devoted followers of the Church of Radiance…!”

Her emerald eyes once again shone with that characteristic fervor.

But I just shook my head.

“Yoanna, we must not forget the fundamental reason we established this group.”

Helping the needy and spreading the words of faith… were not our ultimate goals but merely means to an end.

‘The true purpose of establishing the church was to prepare for external threats.’

We had only used the guise of religion to win over the local residents and turn them into willing collaborators.

Whether the congregation was large or small didn’t matter if it failed to be useful when true danger arrived.

Therefore, blindly accepting a flood of people without even having established a solid foundation would be the wrong choice.

It was far more aligned with our long-term goals to take the time to carefully nurture each person into a truly devoted follower who genuinely embraced the church’s ideals.

“From now on, instead of bringing in more people, focus on taking care of those who have already joined us.

We need to complete our internal systems first.”

I gave clear instructions to the leaders.

At that time, I truly believed the commotion would soon die down.

I thought that even if they came out of curiosity, after being turned away a few times at the cathedral door, their interest would naturally fade.

If we quietly focused on strengthening our foundations while steadily pursuing our path, I thought we could achieve our goals without much noise.

That was what I believed back then.

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There’s a term you may have heard at least once:

The Streisand Effect.

It originated from an incident in the early 2000s in the United States.

At the time, the California state government was conducting a coastal documentation project, uploading over twelve thousand photos of the coastline to a website.

However, among those photos, one captured the mansion of a famous celebrity, Barbra Streisand, located on the Malibu coast.

Streisand claimed that the photo violated her privacy and demanded its removal from the photographer and the website.

When her request was denied, she filed a lawsuit, demanding $50 million in damages.

But contrary to her intention, the news of the lawsuit led to an unintended consequence.

The photo, which previously had almost no public attention, suddenly received explosive interest from the masses.

Within just a month, it had been viewed hundreds of thousands of times—a complete backfire.

The ironic fact is that before the lawsuit, the photo had only been viewed six times, two of which were by Streisand’s lawyers checking it themselves.

In the end, what was intended to suppress the exposure instead became an enormous promotional incident.

As this example shows, the more something is prohibited, the more it piques people’s curiosity.

It’s a phenomenon often referred to as reverse psychology, or the tendency to do the opposite when told not to—something that might just be a fundamental human trait.

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Contrary to my expectations, once we raised the threshold for joining the church and stopped accepting new members, even more people started flocking in.

When we closed the doors before their curiosity could be satisfied, it only added an air of mystery to the church.

I hadn’t realized that curiosity itself was the best marketing strategy.

As a result, every morning, the church office was bombarded with inquiry calls, and the front of the cathedral was crowded with people trying to catch a glimpse through the windows.

We had inadvertently triggered their insatiable curiosity.

‘Aaah, my head hurts…’

Of course, our original plan was to take control of the area and expand our influence, so having more followers was inherently a good thing.

But not right now.

It was too early.

We weren’t prepared to accommodate and properly manage such a large number of people.

If there was any relief, it was that the overwhelming attention was not negative.

Sensing my complicated thoughts, Yoanna cautiously asked,

“Should we also put a hold on the charity work for now?”

“No… Let’s continue with that.”

People tend to react sensitively to a sense of deprivation.

Even if we’re the ones giving, if we suddenly stop the charity activities just after starting, it could leave a bad impression.

It would be worse than not having done it at all from the beginning.

So, I decided to continue the charity work.

“But make sure to keep it less religious in tone than before.”

Actually, the charity projects we were organizing on the streets went beyond just distributing food.

There were plans to make use of the massive slush funds left by the disbanded gangs and the illegally occupied real estate.

We planned to renovate these properties into affordable housing and rent them out to those who had nowhere to go.

Moreover, for the newly joined followers who were diligent and willing to work, we were planning to help them find jobs within legal businesses.

Although these activities might not generate immediate attention or reactions, they could make a sustainable and meaningful impact on people’s lives.

In the long run, this would be far more effective in expanding our influence in the community.

Therefore, until we could reap the benefits in the future, we needed to carefully manage and control the current overwhelming response.

After discussing the details, Yoanna left, and I leaned back in my chair, sighing deeply.

“Haa…”

Left alone, my mind was once again filled with worries.

Unexpected situations kept piling up, leaving my lips dry.

Instinctively, I grabbed the water glass on the table and took a big gulp.

But I accidentally choked, coughing harshly.

“Pfft, kuh, cough!”

After a moment of pounding on my chest to calm the coughing, I noticed something odd about the taste lingering in my mouth.

‘Ah, really. It turned into wine again…!’

Was it because of the sudden increase in the number of followers?

Or was it the accumulated fatigue from the recent events?

Lately, my abilities had been leaking out here and there, even without my intention.

When I was focused, it was fine, but the moment I let my guard down, any liquid I touched quickly turned into wine.

“…..”

I looked down at the ruby-colored liquid in the glass, lost in thought.

My lips were still dry, and it felt a bit annoying to walk downstairs just to get more water.

‘Eh, whatever!’

So, I just drank the remaining wine in the glass in one go.

It was a somewhat impulsive act, driven by frustration at how nothing was going as planned.

“Ah…”

As soon as I put the empty glass down, a wave of dizziness hit me like a tidal surge.

‘It’s… no, it’s pretty strong.’

I had only taken sips before, but this was the first time I downed a whole glass.

The intoxication hit faster than expected, catching me off guard.

I wasn’t particularly weak to alcohol before, but I was keenly reminded of how different this body was.

My vision started spinning, and a warm, relaxed sensation spread throughout my body.

‘Technically, I could use my healing ability to sober up… but…’

For some reason, I didn’t want to do that today.

Ever since I fell into this world, I hadn’t had a single moment of peace.

I was constantly caught up in unexpected incidents, always on high alert.

Feeling this sense of comfort and relaxation… it was nostalgic and long overdue.

The pleasant warmth spread through my veins, making the world look softer and more beautiful than usual.

I cupped my slightly flushed cheeks with my hands, a lazy smile unconsciously spreading on my face.

“Hehe…”

As I was basking in this warm, mellow mood, there was a knock at the door.

Knock, knock.

ST entered the room.

“Excuse me, Eve. I’ve come to report on the task you assigned this morning…”

I looked up at her with a dazed expression.

Her neatly tied hair, pristine uniform, and calm voice were as composed as always.

But for some reason, seeing her like that today sparked a different impulse within me.

I tried to gather my thoughts, but it felt like the alcohol had unshackled my mind, making control impossible.

Before I knew it, I reached out and lightly touched her cheek.

“ST… Your expression is too stiff again. You know… that scares people.”

Drawing a forced smile on her face with my fingers, I mirrored the smile myself.

“Eve…?”

ST froze in place, staring at me.

For a moment, we just looked at each other, and then, feeling a bit lightheaded, I leaned against her shoulder.

A clean, refined scent tickled my nose.

‘Nice smell…’

Almost whispering, my relaxed voice came out without realizing it.

“Even though you’re usually so cold… you’re always kind to me… ST, you’re really important…”

At that moment, the body that had been supporting me seemed to completely freeze up.

It felt like her breathing, echoing near my ear, was trembling slightly.

‘Huh?’

It was the first time I had seen ST look this flustered.

Finding her reaction amusing, I couldn’t help but giggle softly.

“Hehe…”

When I looked up again, I saw my own reflection in ST’s wavering golden eyes.

Drooping eyelids, flushed cheeks, and a loosely disheveled appearance—an unguarded, slightly intoxicated girl was there.

There was something strangely alluring about the sight.

‘Wow…’

ST remained stiff, supporting my unsteady body, her golden eyes flickering with both confusion and an unfamiliar emotion.