I became a food developer

The launch of Pringles was a bumpy ride from the start.

The reason is that the main ingredient of Pringles is 'potato'.

Potato = Devil Fruit.

That was the general image that other world people had of potatoes.

The bumpy appearance of the potatoes rising from the ground was difficult to describe in words.

Because of this, it was difficult to find a farm to supply potatoes.

This part was somehow resolved with Count Trion's help, but the problem came next.

The strategy of 'creating a buzz by spreading it among the upper class and then releasing it' based on the success of the cola era did not work.

"Umm, you mean potatoes? Sorry, that would be difficult."

"I don't want to be investigated by the Vatican. Let's pretend this gift never happened."

"Potatoes! Are you bringing me something like this as a gift? Go back now!"

The nobles unanimously refused the gifts simply because Pringles were made from potatoes.

"… the death penalty was rejected again."

"also?"

"Yes, sorry. Haa, I got kicked out at the door."

The green-haired young man sighed.

It was Sion, the second disciple of Lanya, who was in charge of Pringles sales.

Unlike Aria, who called me senior, Zion was a priest who was very careful about honorifics, to the point of always calling me 'sire'.

By the way.

"It's been a long time since I've seen Zion fail like this."

"Haha, I guess I'm not an omnipotent person either."

Zion scratched his head in embarrassment.

In contrast to the somewhat ill-tempered Aria, Sion had an affable personality.

Since he had the talent to quickly become friendly with people he didn't know, Zion was in charge of all the external affairs of the White Tower.

Zion's sociability also played a significant role in the success of Coke's marketing.

That's why I thought that if Zion came forward this time, things would be resolved well.

'I was wrong.'

Even though potatoes had a bad image, I thought that even the nobles would change their minds if they tried Pringles.

But when I actually opened the lid, the stubbornness of the nobles was beyond imagination.

They didn't even try Pringles.

"Well, for these people, saving face is everything."

"I guess so."

In some ways, it was an expected result.

No matter how delicious Pringles were, they weren't as important as social prestige.

If even a rumor spread that he ate potatoes, he could be called a 'son of the devil'.

Potatoes were the devil's fruit that the lower classes would dig up and eat when they were on the verge of starvation because they had nothing else to eat.

There was no way that the nobles, who valued honor more than money or life, would eat such potatoes.

They were afraid that their prestige would be diminished because of the potatoes.

"Sir, I'm going to go wash up now."

"Oh, you must have had a hard time coming here. Go and get some rest."

Even after Zion left, my thoughts about Pringles continued.

Aria seemed to find this sight frustrating and spoke to me.

"Senior, why don't we just release it? I think it'll sell well the way it is."

"no."

I shook my head.

Aria's words weren't entirely wrong, but that didn't mean Pringles could be released without any marketing.

It's not like Pringles were so tasteless that they couldn't have succeeded without marketing.

The taste of Pringles was explosive enough to captivate people from another world.

But taste has meaning when it is tasted.

No matter how delicious a cookie is, if it is not tasted, the taste has no meaning.

Just like Pringles were rejected by the nobility simply because they were 'potatoes'.

In order for Pringles to be enjoyed, the potato's reputation as the "devil fruit" had to be removed first.

And to do that, help from the upper class was essential.

The culture of this world was a vertical structure that flowed from 'top to bottom'.

Here's an example:

What kind of food did such and such count eat? It's said to be a favorite of the duke! And so on.

This was a world where the influence of the nobility was established as culture.

In a world where the Internet does not exist, aristocrats were another word for celebrities.

"Hmm."

When I think of celebrities, there is one person who suddenly comes to mind.

Third Prince Leon, who visited the Magic Tower a while ago.

As I found out later, the national subsidy allocated to our tower was actually a 'sponsorship fund' sent by the Third Prince.

Although he didn't give an exact reason, it was obvious that what the Third Prince wanted was a new 'processed food' product.

Because I even had my luggage come to the rooftop to get Pringles.

And the 3rd Prince is a top star in this world.

The influence of the Third Prince was so great that the items he used without thinking became trendy the next day.

What would happen if the third prince came out to an official event and ate Pringles?

"… … ."

This is it.

"Leah, when was Thanksgiving?"

"It'll probably be a few days later? Why do you ask?"

"Send Pringles as a gift to the Third Prince. He said he received the grant."

"Suddenly?"

Aria, who had been puzzled, soon opened her mouth wide when she heard my plan.

"…Senior, I hate to say this, but are you really crazy?"

"why?"

"You want the Prince to eat Pringles on Thanksgiving? In front of the Pope?"

"Whatever, you can eat it."

Thanksgiving existed in this world too.

But the scale of it was very large.

It is a place where the capital's main square is filled with the people of the empire, and the Pope, the head of the Vatican, and the imperial family attend to pray to God.

The biggest event of the year, which only happens once a year, is Thanksgiving.

The prince eats Pringles at an event watched by all the people of the empire?

This was a real-time live advertisement.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't think of a better marketing idea than this.

"But will the Third Prince listen to me?"

"Write this in the letter."

"What did you say?"

"If you eat it, a new product will be released."

"… … Is this okay?"

Well, I said it can be done, Leah.

Don't doubt it.

Because he is the kind of person who even provides financial support to create new products.

*

On Imperial Thanksgiving Day, tens of thousands of people flock to the capital's squares.

Because there would be no other opportunity to see the Imperial Family, the most noble bloodline in the Empire, and the Pope, the head of the Holy See, in one place, except on Thanksgiving Day.

"Wow, that person is the famous Duke Gertz."

"Huh! It's, it's the prince…!"

Every time a celebrity appeared, the citizens erupted in cheers.

The third prince furrowed his brow without anyone knowing.

If I were to ask him to pick his least favorite day of the year, he would choose today without hesitation.

Because on Thanksgiving, half of the day had to be spent being a spectacle for the citizens.

Events hosted by the Vatican usually went like this.

"Almighty God of heaven, give us our daily bread and the gift of life… … "

As usual, the Pope's speech showed no sign of ending.

This moment was the hardest part of Thanksgiving.

Come to your senses, you should have stood up and applauded at the end of the speech.

But the third prince's heart was more excited than usual.

I am not impressed by the Pope's speech.

[New product launch for Thanksgiving.]

Pringles and a message written inside from the wizard who created 'processed foods'.

'New menu released… …!'

The third prince's eyes sparkled.

Leon could not forget the ecstatic experience of tasting stock at the White Tower.

He couldn't forget the taste of that time, so he even had Donovan bring Pringles from the White Tower.

Even those Pringles tasted ridiculous, and now they're releasing a new product!

─Donovan, you brought the Pringles, right?

─Don't worry, I brought it in secretly, avoiding the priests' eyes.

─Tsk, they're such annoying guys. They even prohibit bringing in food.

The Vatican inspects the belongings of nobles attending the event.

If you have anything to read, it will be taken away, and even food will be confiscated. However, theological books can be brought in.

No member of the royal family would want to attend a religious ceremony that did not follow these standards.

However, since the rule was that 'one member of the royal family must attend', the 3rd prince, who was lower in the hierarchy, was a regular attendee every year.

"… … I once again give thanks to God."

'It's finally over.'

"Next, there will be congratulatory remarks from the distinguished guests who are present here."

"… … ."

─Donovan, wake me up when it's my turn.

─Okay, I understand.

The third prince bowed his head with his hands clasped together as if praying.

After closing my eyes for a while, it was finally the turn of the long-awaited Third Prince.

"There will be a congratulatory speech from Third Prince Leon Hitzhar."

The third prince, having finished his prayer, stood up from his seat and stepped forward in front of the imperial people.

"It's Prince Leon!"

"You are the prince!"

"Please look here-!"

Tens of thousands of pairs of eyes gathered in the square were focused on the Third Prince.

The third prince looked at the table in front of him.

There was a meal on display to pray for a good harvest the following year.

It was a bread with a strong religious connotation, such as coarse grain tea and unleavened bread.

"… … ."

Just looking at it makes my throat get blocked.

The third prince pushed the grain cart and the unleavened bread far to the side.

And I put the cola and Pringles I got from Donovan on top.

"…Your Highness?"

The priest who was hosting the event was embarrassed.

Tens of thousands of imperial citizens gathered in the square were watching the Third Prince's impulsive actions.

"What did the prince put up just now?"

"It's like cola?"

"What's the cylinder next to it?"

"I don't know, is it a water jug?"

While the people of the empire were murmuring about the identity of Pringles, the Third Prince lifted up the cola and Pringles.

"Your Majesty! No-"

" Coke, and Pringles. "

The imperial prince's congratulatory speech, which would later become a legend on Thanksgiving Day, began.