How to Survive in the Roanoke Colony-Chapter 141: Heretics (2)

In such a situation, it wasn't difficult for the truth to leak out.

And the whole of Virginia was turned upside down.

"Aaaah! N-Nemo...!"

"Nemo is in danger! It must be the Spanish plotting!"

"E-everyone, please calm down! He is a messenger of the almighty Lord! He will never be threatened by any Spanish plot!"

"Can you really guarantee that, Hewett?"

"...Probably."

"..."

"..."

"Aaaaaah! Aaaaaaaaah! Fi-first, grab your weapons!"

"We must save Nemo! We, we must save Nemo...!"

Even Hewett's persuasion had no effect.

It was natural since Hewett himself didn't know exactly what had happened. People quickly noticed the lack of conviction in his tone and fell into an even greater panic.

Seeing the crowd frenzied before the confused Hewett, Eleanor stepped forward this time.

"Everyone! Look! The tablet that He gave us is still shining, isn't it!"

She turned on the flashlight function of the tablet and shone it on the people. The night was dark, so even a small light had a good visual effect.

"If something had happened to Him, could His power still emit light like this? Everyone, come to your senses!"

"...L-logical."

"Right. With the Saint speaking like that..."

Thus, most of the crowd calmed down, but...

"B-but, still, no one knows whether Nemo is in danger or not, right?"

"Shouldn't we at least send someone to check?"

"We could cause more trouble if we move rashly. For now..."

"Let's at least go ourselves! There's a ship right there!"

"Yeaaaah!"

Not everyone was convinced.

Several hundred people, including Spanish and English sailors, Oitotan, and excited followers, gathered and headed north without a plan.

"N-no! Everyone! Stop!"

"Lord White! We will safely rescue Nemo, so please wait here!"

"We're coming, Nemo!"

John White made a final attempt to stop them, but they weren't the kind of people who could be stopped.

They set off on their adventure together, bearing the sacred mission to 'save Nemo.'

...In the process, they broke into the armory to steal weapons, entered the communal storehouse to gather food, and seized a newly dried ship.

This was beyond a simple deviation. From the moment they independently armed themselves, they were essentially rioters or rebels, just not punished yet.

Therefore, they absolutely had to 'save' Nemo.

But it's okay.

Surely Nemo must be captured somewhere by a bad tribe or bad Spanish people.

They would be able to rescue Nemo!

They would be able to save the community in crisis!

With their overflowing devotion!

Believing so...

==

"...And that's how we ended up here."

That was the story of Oitotan and those who followed him.

I rubbed my temples at his words.

...A headache is coming on.

It's my fault. I was too complacent.

This could have happened anytime. It's a situation that arose because I didn't establish countermeasures.

"...Everyone."

At my words, those who had been hanging their heads like scolded schoolchildren looked up at me.

"I understand that you didn't act with ill intentions. In fact, considering your motives alone, I find your hearts admirable and am glad."

"Thank y—"

"However."

I raised a finger and said:

"Why didn't you obey the 'apostles'' orders?"

"W-well, we were worried Nemo might be in danger..."

"..."

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"...We're sorry."

"That'll do."

When I look back at the biggest mistake I made, it's clear.

I neglected to properly establish authority for my close companions... those people call my 'apostles,' merely assigning them tasks without establishing their authority.

This isn't the fault of Hewett, White, or Eleanor.

They were merely administrative officials (good with Excel) and favored aides of a religious leader, not religious leaders themselves.

They were closer to being members of a government leading the Virginia community, with little religious authority. So everyone fell into confusion as soon as I was in danger.

Because there was no authority to control that confusion.

The process of their departure was problematic, but in my view, the situation after they left was even worse.

The apostles couldn't control their 'excessive loyalty' toward Nemo.

They couldn't do anything as these people ravaged the settlement and left.

Moreover, thinking of those who remained, it probably created religious anxiety like "Sh-should we have gone to save Nemo too? Were the apostles wrong?"

By now, the community must still be in chaos.

People must be trembling in fear and continuing their anxious daily lives, doubting the orders of apostles they can no longer trust.

"Do you understand what you've done? Your disobedience is a very serious matter."

"..."

"..."

In any other place, these people would simply be treated as traitors. It means they would be hanged without mercy.

However... it was difficult for me to punish them. After all, they didn't act with ill intentions.

Suppressing a deep sigh, I said:

"Everyone, remember this. When I am absent, the apostles are my representatives. If a problem arises when I'm not around, follow the apostles' words first."

This mess happened because I didn't make this point clear. I took a moment of silence for Eleanor and others who must have suffered.

"Then, should we consider the apostles' words as Nemo's will?"

"That's... no, that's not it."

Whoa, that was close. Right. That's not it.

"However... since they were appointed to convey my intentions, they may be relatively close to my will. Their words deserve respect."

I established a clear hierarchy while appropriately separating the authority of the so-called 'apostles' from myself. They seemed to understand, nodding their heads.

...Good.

"For now... let's return together. I'll decide your punishment later."

At the mention of 'punishment,' everyone's spirits dampened. It seemed they finally realized what they had done wrong.

Well, with this, the situation seems to be mostly resolved.

We began heading south again with the dejected hundred-plus volunteer corps.

After traveling about 200 kilometers more, passing through the territories of the Occohannock and Accomac tribes...

"L-look, the fleet is returning!"

"At the bow! It's Nemo!"

It was Chesapeake Bay.

Ahh... uuugh... it was tough. This tour was several times harder than I had anticipated.

Suddenly having premonitions, the Porter flipping over, experiencing a marathon...

In the middle, the camper attached to the Porter was completely destroyed, causing my quality of life to plummet. I had to bathe in streams and couldn't even cook for myself.

That won't happen anymore. Ugh, I even miss the low-temperature slow-cooked rice. All that's left is to return to my Green Gables and enjoy a peaceful, comfortable life...

"Tr-traitors!"

...or so I thought. My ears perked up at the sudden shout.

People murmured and repeated the word "traitors" among themselves, then...

"N-no! Heretics!"

The word "traitors" was replaced with "heretics."

I hear the word I've feared most during my 12 years since falling here.

Startled, I looked around with wide eyes. Someone was pointing not at me but at the person standing a few spaces away from me.

The finger was pointed at Oitotan.

"Those traitors refused to obey the apostles' orders and ran away, stealing the community's ships, provisions, and weapons! They are traitors to the holy community! They are infidels and heretics!"

The thundering voice instantly drowned out all other sounds at Chesapeake Harbor, and only that angry voice could be heard.

"Disobedience to the apostles is disrespect to Nemo, and disrespect to Nemo is rebellion against God!"

"Right! Right!"

"Looking at them, it seems they went to save Nemo but only received a scolding and returned!"

I... saw this coming.

After messing up the order so badly and making people anxious, this kind of reaction was to be expected.

Oitotan flinched at the last remark as if it had hit home, but I was more concerned about the words that came before it.

'Heretics.'

Hon...estly, since they didn't listen to the apostles and took food, ships, and even weapons, it's hard to say they aren't.

If this goes wrong, it could seriously spin out of control...

"Messenger of the Lord! These people must be expelled from the community!"

"That's right! There is no place for heretics in this community established by the Lord! They must be judged!"

"E-everyone, please calm down! We cannot judge them!"

"What are you saying, Hewett? They must be punished in the name of our community and the Lord! If we don't punish them, how can this community be called the Lord's community?!"

...It's already out of control.

Suddenly, sweat poured down my back like rain. I could feel the blood draining from my face.

"Nemo... are you alright?"

No, I'm not alright.