How to Survive in the Roanoke Colony-Chapter 223: Missionary (5)

Richard quietly sighs and stands before them. And with his back to the cross, he shouted:

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6) The path to salvation is narrow. And we are heading very well along that narrow path...!"

"..."

"..."

"Do not believe the words of others, but only believe the word of the Lord! Soon His glory and authority will come to this land! Deviating from the narrow path is death and eternal punishment. Everyone stay alert."

Richard, intoxicated by his own speech, said:

"’He’... is coming soon."

Yes.

Glory was not far off.

At first, there might be conflict. Those unbelieving merchants would have distorted his deeds in their report.

But if he gradually approaches Him and tells Him what he has done for Him and the Lord’s glory, He will smile and embrace him.

And He will greatly use me. In this land, I will lead thousands and tens of thousands of believers, and this small village will someday become the site of a great chapel...!

Thus he would live in overflowing glory. As the first to spread the gospel in this land, his picture would be hung on the wall of that chapel.

With an ecstatic heart, he came down from the podium again and finished his day’s work with various labors.

And he made plans.

He had thought about raiding their so-called ’sanctuary’ and destroying the idols.

It would be exhilarating. Many prophets of the Old Testament era destroyed and toppled pagan temples and idols, so how could it not be worth emulating?

Also, he had thought about stealing children from the villages of barbarians.

They would not only be hostages to recruit those devil worshippers but also for the children themselves. If they weren’t baptized and made Christians, they would go to hell.

Days passed as he made various plans, grand schemes for the church.

Thousands of people gathered around the village with torches and spears.

"...Come out, Richard! We’ll skin you alive and kill you!"

"I’ll chew your raw flesh...! Return my daughter, my son!"

"Everyone, calm down!

Richard of the Virginia tribe! If you come out now, we’ll give you the least painful death possible! Return the children immediately and apologize before the graves of our ancestors!

Those who follow him, come out! You have been deceived by the threats and deception of that dishonorable person, so if you come out now, we will at least spare your lives..." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three gunshots Richard fired into the air were all the answer. And he quietly said to his followers around him:

"If you go out now, I swear in the Lord’s name that I will shoot you in the back."

"..."

"..."

"Then, you would go to hell. You died having abandoned your faith, and even after hearing my words, you chose death, isn’t that suicide?"

"Choose... now."

"..."

"..."

"..."

With fear in everyone’s eyes, Richard smiled with satisfaction.

"Yes. Good."

And, thus days passed.

Food ran out.

They endured water shortages by catching and drinking rainwater that fell several times.

More days passed.

While Richard nodded off, a few people ran away. The atmosphere in the village became gloomy.

After that day, Richard didn’t sleep.

As time passed, even enemies who had feared the gun gradually tightened their encirclement.

When Richard dozed off slightly, in his dream, he saw his followers skinning him alive and offering it to the enemies.

Then he woke up in fear, trembling, and gave a speech to his followers about how betraying him now was betraying the Lord, and only death awaited those who did so.

More days passed.

Several villagers collapsed from hunger.

Richard saw visions in his drowsiness and hunger.

On one side was the valley of death, and on the other were stairs leading to the hall of heaven, and the confederation warriors surrounding him, the merchants who had abandoned him, and the followers who had betrayed him were falling into the valley...

Up the very narrow narrow narrow stairs to heaven...

Only he and the people he led were happily walking up...

And all of humanity, except for the people he led, were falling into hell.

Richard, looking down at this scene with satisfaction, at some point...

"G-g-get up! Get up!"

He wakes from his vision as someone shakes his shoulder. Urgently picking up his gun and staggering to his feet, Richard glares at the follower who just called him and says:

"Explain why you woke me..."

"Th-the siege, the siege is being lifted!"

What?

As Richard urgently looked beyond the palisade of the village, thousands of men who had surrounded the village in a circle were indeed noisily clearing a path on one side.

Someone was walking through that gap.

A very tall man with an appearance that seemed both Eastern and native.

Richard could tell who he was.

He could tell who He was!

Richard unknowingly shouted with joy and ran out.

"Y-You who have no name! You who are no one before the Lord!"

Oh. Praise Him. He comes to me as if a king is rescuing his subject.

Oh. He, like Alexander who made the kings of the world kneel, with majestic strides...

"Angel!"

He is arriving at the entrance of the village.

Richard unknowingly knelt and prostrated himself before His feet. It was because his strength gave out. He trembled and laughed like a madman.

Haha, ha, hahaha.

I’ve been waiting only for this moment! Only for this moment!

Behold. This glory. My followers, look. He has personally come to congratulate and commend me. You worshippers of Satan, you look too. The just ruler of the community and the head of the holy church is like this to me...

"Lift your head."

"Ah, yes! Yes! I will lift it. I will lift..."

"Now."

...The voice is cold.

It feels ominous somehow, but it’s just a trivial concern. Richard lifts his head.

His face is cold.

As if carved from the ice that has accumulated for thousands of years on that mountain range.

"..."

Richard lost his words in a moment of embarrassment.

And the Nameless One said:

"How... are you walking on the path of destruction."