How to Survive in the Roanoke Colony

Lucas Pastor, sitting on the ground, stared blankly up at 'him'.

Then that human... no, whatever it was, whether human or not, met his gaze.

'Its' gaze seemed to pierce through his pupils into his brain. His entire head felt hot, as if a burning spear had been thrust into it.

And his body was frozen cold, unable to move.

All he could do was tremble violently, as if convulsing. He couldn't manage any movement beyond that.

For a moment, Lucas thought that man had put a curse on his body. With the power he had demonstrated so far, couldn't he easily achieve that too?

And a little later, he realized.

What stopped his body was purely his own fear.

The man's mouth opens.

"Do not be afraid."

Immediately, Lucas hears whispers in all the languages he knows. This is like, this is like...

"Why should you and I become bloody here?"

...it was as if the Holy Spirit had descended upon his lips.

"He-heretic..."

Lucas utters words that even he doesn't believe. The man quietly smiles and whispers in his ear.

"You are the commander here."

"..."

How, how did he know that? I wasn't wearing armor, I wasn't dressed more elaborately than others, I just approached him first... but...

The man grips Lucas's shoulders, who couldn't even stand up. And as he lifts him up, Lucas's body, which had been frozen until just now, rises easily as if it had all been a momentary prank.

His eyes widen at the discrepancy. The man whispers in Lucas's ear.

"Surrender."

"..."

"And save everyone."

As Lucas raises his head, the man smiles. No. I must not fall for that smile. I must kill the intruder right now.

"If I had wanted to kill you all, you would already be dead."

"..."

"I did not come here to kill. I came to save."

"Li-liar, lies, here-tic..."

"The Lord hates a man of bloodshed and deceit."

Proverbs 5:6.

At those words, Lucas felt as if all the blood in his body had turned cold. The man continues.

"Why do you speak words you don't even believe yourself?"

If you truly believe I am a heretic, if you are truly afraid and terrified of me, then kill me.

But you know the truth.

What do you think I am?

Did you not just witness all of that?

Must you really kill all your people here?

Why do you deny what you have seen and heard? Why do you deceive your own soul?

Why do you hesitate? How can you wish to see meaningless blood, worthless death? Do you not see me? Do you not fear me as people fear the truth? I am the messenger of truth, the messenger of the righteous One, so rise and listen. Listen. You shall not kill anyone here. I, too, shall kill no one. No one's blood shall flow here today. He will judge between the nations, and will decide concerning many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. You, I, I, we...

"We..."

With unfocused eyes, shedding tears, Lucas spoke.

At the end of his gaze, another gaze was directed toward him.

That gaze says:

Why do you want to fight?

Thus Lucas answers:

I am one who came to fight and a servant of Felipe who received authority from the Lord

The viceroy whom He raised up said to me, Lucas, build a fortress and watch over Virginia land as a guard watches over a prisoner

I merely follow him.

Then that gaze asks again:

Do you prioritize the words of the Spanish man Felipe over those of the Lord?

Do you pursue earthly authority and cast aside heavenly authority?

Have you forgotten the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" that the Hebrew man Moses brought down?

Lucas answers again:

The commandments do not apply during war; if you are your Lord's messenger, how do you not know this?

Do you not know that Joshua struck and killed the Canaanites, Gideon struck and killed the Midianites, and Samson struck and killed the Philistines?

Finally, the gaze says:

So you wish to kill your people.

In vain.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Silence pervades.

Lucas painfully turns his stiffened neck to look around.

He sees everyone's hands and feet trembling. He sees people who are so afraid they look like they might wet themselves and faint at any moment, let alone properly shoot guns or swing swords.

With such people, fight those Englishmen.

Fight the man before him.

Could they win?

"..."

The man bows toward Lucas, bringing their eyes to the same level. Lucas feels reassured seeing that the man's pupils are a deep brown, like the earth.

And the man says:

"...Do not fear doing what is right."

Clang.

Hearing those words, Lucas unknowingly let go of his spear shaft. As if his hands had lost strength and dropped it.

As if that was a signal, the sound of metal falling and clattering on the ground echoed from all directions.

And, the battle ended.

Without anyone dying, without anyone killing.

==

"Are, are you alright?"

As Vicente, who had arrived belatedly, handed over a towel, Kin Issei smiled and wiped his face. He hid the feeling that he might collapse at any moment and showed a bright smile.

"What is there for me to be alright or not?"

"..."

"It's fortunate everything went well for everyone. It's incredibly fortunate there were no casualties."

...In fact, it was a precarious situation even for Kin Issei.

In all the battles the Virginia community had experienced so far, no one had died.

It was like that when Vicente invaded Croatoan Island.

It was like that when they engaged in naval battle with Spanish forces near Trinidad Island.

Similarly, it was like that when Spanish warships fired their cannons during the naval blockade.

All those battles had something in common.

They were all defensive.

When blocking Vicente's attack, they had conducted thorough military training beforehand, and Kin Issei himself had physically blocked the enemies.

During the naval battle, while he confronted the enemies with an electric saw, others were safely positioned behind Lexan shields, merely covering him.

Finally, when the coast was bombarded... the enemies weren't aggressive in the first place, allowing them to pass safely.

But this battle was different.