Chapter 43: Churches without Missionaries (8)

Thomas was a common unemployed man in this back alley.

He was one of those who wandered daily looking for day labor, and on days he couldn’t find a spot, he would inevitably go hungry and sleep on the streets.

But after being employed by a Church-affiliated business, his life improved incomparably.

He didn’t know how long it had been since he could eat three proper meals a day.

He, who had never cared about the existence of God in his life, even went to the church every week to offer sincere prayers of thanks.

‘Lord Radiance, thank you for giving us our daily bread today.’

He could assert that the ‘Church’ he belonged to was definitely different from other cults he had seen so far.

They didn’t spout vague nonsense like ‘God helps those who help themselves,’ as other religious fanatics often did.

They did things that genuinely helped others.

They shared food with the hungry, found jobs for people, and provided warm shelter for those with nowhere to go.

And they did so even at their own expense.

They were acting for the people at the very bottom, those whom no one in this back alley properly cared about.

The priests of the Church said that all these things were done according to the ‘Saintess’s’ will.

“Because Lord Radiance loves all of you, He sent His first daughter into this world as proof of His great love.”

According to the priests’ sermons, she was a being who came to this land to share love with everyone on behalf of God.

She was none other than Saintess Evinia of Radiance, the living idol worshipped by everyone in the Church.

Thomas, too, had seen her once, from a great distance.

On the day of a large mass, the girl standing on the altar was truly dazzlingly beautiful.

She exuded such a mysterious and elegant aura that the story of her being God’s daughter was believed naturally, without a hint of exaggeration.

But her visible appearance wasn’t everything.

What truly drew people in was her heart, as beautiful as her outward appearance.

She bestowed boundless compassion, making the phrase ‘God’s love’ seem not at all empty.

Since she showed it not just through plausible words but through all the Church’s endeavors, how could the believers not sincerely admire her?

Thomas was no different.

Although he had only seen her face directly for a single moment, he had always deeply admired the ‘Saintess’ who had changed his life.

If he had the chance, he wanted to express his sincere gratitude to that sacred and beautiful person.

But he knew his place well.

That the Saintess, sent by God, was like a star in the sky.

That she was someone in a place so high and lofty that an ordinary believer could not even dream of forming a connection with her.

Therefore, he might only be able to catch a glimpse of her from afar at major church events held occasionally.

But he wasn’t dissatisfied with that.

Compared to the happiness he now enjoyed, it was just a slight disappointment.

Thomas was happy just not having to survive every meal on cheap calorie crackers alone.

Thanks to his regular salary, he now had enough leeway to occasionally go out and buy his favorite food like this.

Finally, Thomas arrived at the pizza shop that had become his regular spot.

As he familiarly opened the door and entered, the part-timer standing at the counter greeted him cheerfully.

“Welcome, customer!”

But, something… was strange.

Thomas stopped in his tracks without realizing it.

The girl in uniform standing at the counter before him.

That gentle smile… wasn’t that the face of the Saintess he had admired so deeply in his heart?

He rubbed his eyes and looked again, but it was the same.

The very person from his memory, who preached God’s compassion in her immaculate robes.

The living idol, worshipped by everyone in the Church of Radiance.

Thomas couldn’t understand why that Saintess was wearing a part-time uniform and smiling at him.

Therefore, he just stood frozen in place.

‘Is this a dream…?’

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The part-time job was quieter than I expected.

Most orders were handled by drone delivery, so I didn’t have many occasions to face customers directly.

However, there were some customers who came to pick up packaged pizzas or to dine in the store.

And most of the customers who met my eyes in the shop reacted similarly, as if by prior arrangement.

First, they would flinch in surprise.

“…..!”

Then, they would blink their eyes repeatedly, doubting their own sight.

Some would rub their eyes as if washing their face dry and look at me again.

Soon after, they would fall into a deep swamp of confusion.

As if they had suddenly encountered a live zebra in the middle of their usual neighborhood alley.

Their faces showed pure cognitive dissonance, as if they’d witnessed something utterly out of place, their brains completely frozen.

Not a few of them even lightly pinched their cheeks, wondering if they were dreaming some bizarre dream.

I had become quite accustomed to such reactions and deliberately pretended not to notice.

I had learned from past experiences that reacting as if I knew something would only make the situation more awkward.

So, acting as if nothing was wrong, I would simply speak to them like a perfectly ordinary part-timer.

“Customer, would you like to order?”

Then, people would belatedly snap out of it, startled, and remember their purpose.

“Ah, yes! F-for a takeout order… The number is 875….”

“Yes, you reserved a large cheese pizza, right?”

“It’ll be ready soon, so would you please wait inside for a moment?”

The customer would often open and close their mouth a few times, as if wanting to ask something more or to strike up a conversation, but eventually, they would retreat to a table without saying anything.

Yet, I could feel their gaze constantly darting towards me, their expressions showing they were incredibly preoccupied.

When I turned my head, they would hastily avert their eyes to avoid meeting mine, yet they couldn’t seem to suppress their curiosity.

It was a continuous game of glances, as if they had something they absolutely had to say, or a question they desperately wanted to ask, but hesitated to bring it up until the very last moment.

“Your pizza is ready!”

When I finally handed over the pizza that emerged from such a standoff, the customer would accept it, still looking completely bewildered.

“Goodbye!”

Then, eventually, they would leave the store, almost as if being pushed out.

Like this, a considerable number of customers recognized me and reacted awkwardly, like wooden dolls, day after day.

Of course, among them, there were also brave individuals who asked directly.

“Um… by any chance… are you really the Saintess?”

“Saintess, why are you in a place like this…?”

At such times, I would deliver my prepared answer as naturally as possible.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I’m working part-time to earn living expenses.”

It wasn’t a lie.

That was genuinely why I had started in the first place.

However, those who heard my answer invariably looked even more bewildered.

They seemed utterly unable to believe that the leader of the Church, which controlled the nearby district, was working a part-time job just to earn living expenses.

But perhaps even the bravest person found it difficult to question the ‘Saintess’s’ words.

Most of them wouldn’t probe further and would retreat with an awkward smile.

Thus, an untimely farce was frequently unfolding in this small pizza shop in a corner of 13th Street.

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Currently, the Church of Radiance received much support from the local residents, but at the same time, it was also an object of awe and fear.

Having easily swept away the existing violent gangs that had previously ruled the back alleys with terror and taken their place, the Church’s good deeds were always shadowed by its formidable power.

No matter how much they were beings who protected them, feeling fear towards strong military power was, in a way, human instinct.

This was similar to the psychology of feeling inexplicably startled and straightening one’s posture when a police officer is nearby, no matter how kindly they behave.

However, in the past few days, that atmosphere began to change little by little.

“Did you hear?”

“That person is….”

“At a pizza shop?”

“Well, that’s a curious thing.”

The unexpected frugality shown by the ‘Saintess’, the leader of the Church, and her working like any other person to earn a living, was in itself an interesting topic of conversation.

The residents of the back alleys unconsciously felt a sense of kinship in such a sight.

In fact, for a figure representing a group, a so-called ‘commoner image’ plays a more important role than one might think.

Through this, the public forms a sense of familiarity and empathy with the person or group, which directly links to the overall favorability of the entire group.

There’s a reason why politicians visit traditional markets during election season, eating various things and putting on a display of humility.

Of course, if it’s too obvious or poorly imitated, it can backfire.

For example, if a famous wealthy magnate visits a market and shows they don’t even have a basic grasp of prices, it would evoke revulsion rather than familiarity.

But despite such side effects, the effectiveness of the strategy of presenting a friendly image has been well proven through various cases.

It’s not uncommon for even individuals who have committed many misdeeds in the past to experience a sharp rise in public favorability due to a single ridiculously captured photo in an unexpected place.

That’s why the so-called ‘important people’ often make appearances here and there, conscious of public perception.

However, the ‘Church of Radiance’ had now risen to a position where such tricks were unnecessary.

Overwhelming control of the area.

Clearly earned public sentiment.

And an inexhaustible source of capital.

Why would they engage in such acts when they lacked nothing, materially or in terms of power?

Precisely because they were doing something unnecessary, people tended to perceive sincerity.

Now, among the gazes directed at the ‘Church of Radiance’, different sentiments began to emerge.

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At first, most reactions were characterized by a reluctance to face the Church’s living idol on a personal level.

But as they say, humans are creatures of adaptation.

The awkwardness or difficulty was only temporary.

After a few more days, people began to approach me more friendly.

So these days, I felt as if I had become a highly popular celebrity.

Even when I was just walking down the street normally as before, it became a common occurrence for complete strangers to approach me and offer greetings.

“Good day.”

“I’m very lucky to meet the Saintess in a place like this today.”

No sooner had a middle-aged man passed by with a polite greeting, than an older woman approached and clasped her hands together.

“Saintess, thanks to your prayers last time, my child passed the exam.”

“Thank you so much.”

Then, a group of young girls would appear from somewhere, screaming “Kyaa! It’s Eve-nim!” as if they had met a real idol, rush over to ask for a handshake, and then disappear in a flurry of excitement amongst themselves.

I still found these situations awkward and bewildering, so while flustered, I tried my best to smile and accept their greetings.

“Yes, yes…. It’s nice to meet all of you!”

“Have a wonderful day today too….!”

Thanks to this, my commute to work now took several times longer than before.

If the believers’ previous attitude was close to reverence, now it was mixed with familiarity and affection, in addition to that respect.

Especially when passing near the church, yes, I was feeling an almost excessive level of popularity.

‘Wh-what is happening….’

Although I was increasingly besieged by people like this, the fortunate thing was that most of this attention was based on pure goodwill.

It was a bit bewildering and tiring, but not an entirely bad feeling.

“Ah! Saintess! You’ve come at just the right time!”

As I was passing through the shopping district again, a grocery store owner rushed out of his shop and grabbed me.

“We got a very rare limited-edition calorie cracker in today, would you like to take this and try it?”

“It’s mint-chocolate- flavor!”

In his hand was a bag of crackers of a bizarre color just to look at.

“Th-thank you for the thought!”

“I’m running late for work right now!”

Startled, I politely declined his gift and quickly scurried away from the spot.

Indeed, this change was still a bit burdensome.