How to Survive in the Roanoke Colony-Chapter 209 - Elizabeth Unburdened (1)

209: Elizabeth Unburdened (1)

209: Elizabeth Unburdened (1)

A beautiful fable.

A queen who lived her whole life in fear of death meets an angel in her old age and finds salvation and peace.

And soon after, the queen departed from this world, with a peaceful smile that remained on her face in the coffin—that kind of ending.

Through that ending, everyone who reads the fable realizes the beauty of life and can reflect on the grace of the Lord, who shines love like sunshine on everyone regardless of individual good or evil…

“Margaret?

So angels really do exist!

It’s an amusing contradiction that you were sent by an angel.”

“Ah…

yes?

Your Majesty must have been very worried…”

“Hmm, what worry are you talking about?”

“Pardon?”

Of course, there was no such ending.

Within days, the queen’s face, which had been filled with worries about “What will happen after I die?”, brightened.

Margaret was astonished to realize that the queen’s complexion had improved and her skin troubles had actually decreased.

Well, that could be possible.

But wasn’t it close to a miracle that her hunched back straightened, she regained her lost weight, and her muscles reformed?

“I can’t go hunting now because my legs hurt.

Let’s call the Baron of Roanoke and go fishing near Chesapeake Bay!”

“F-fishing?”

“Hmm?

Is there a problem?”

There is no problem.

It’s just that the image of the queen who had recently murmured wistfully with a deathly face, “I’m going to hell…” was still vivid in Margaret’s mind.

But now, the queen is…?

“Ha, hahaha!

My Walter, look!

A great catch!”

“Indeed, impressive, Your Majesty.”

Too lively.

The queen had become much more mobile than before.

Now she didn’t have to be confined to the narrow Roanoke Island.

Now she could go anywhere, whether to Chesapeake Bay or Croatoan Island, as long as she gave advance notice.

Accordingly, she gained easier access to desired resources, and even when visiting Chesapeake Bay, she no longer needed to move under double or triple surveillance.

As a result, the queen began to enjoy various hobbies and leisure activities much more energetically than before.

Fishing, light hunting, gardening, bowling, watching football matches, mansion renovations, and so on…

It was as if the whole world had become her playground.

“Uh…

uh…?”

Crash!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

“You knocked them all down, Your Majesty!

That’s amazing!”

“Hahaha, it’s nothing.

Margaret?

Why is your face so stiff?”

“Uh…

ah, no…

that’s not it…”

A life-changing encounter.

A sinner’s salvation.

…Where did all the penance and pious life that should have followed go?

Margaret was sorting through various stories she had heard since childhood when she came to her senses at Elizabeth’s laughter.

“Good!

Now let’s move to the fishing pond.”

“Your…

Your Majesty!”

“Hmm?

What is it?”

“That, I, perhaps as a Christian, did you have any realizations after meeting Nemo?”

“…Ah, you mean the angel.”

The queen put down her bowling ball and spoke to Margaret with a serious expression.

“Yes.

Meeting him changed me.

He drove away the fear in my heart.”

“Then, finally, repentance…!”

“So I want to live as I have been living.”

“…Pardon?”

“Life is short to begin with.

Wouldn’t it be a pity to die without enjoying it?”

Elizabeth clearly heard various things from him.

Among them, the core was obviously…

“Don’t worry too much about ‘the next’—heaven or hell.”

That was it.

Yes!

Instead of suffering over concerns about hell after death, isn’t it right to enjoy this moment now!

“…What about repentance?”

When Margaret Lawrence asked that, Elizabeth replied:

“Hmm…

I’ll do it someday.”

“Pardon?”

“Right before I die.”

“…Pardon?”

People don’t change so easily.

==

“…”

“…”

“…”

Everyone’s expression changed ominously after hearing the news about Elizabeth from Margaret.

“Uh…

what did you all expect?

Did you think Her Majesty would repent of her past luxury, pleasure, and immorality with tears and live like a nun?”

Except for Raleigh.

At his words, which seemed to hit the mark, the faces of the other apostles hardened.

Hewett, recovering from the shock, finally gathered his wits and countered Raleigh.

“No…

but still, wouldn’t an ordinary person change after meeting an angel?

It’s not just anyone but an ‘angel’!”

Angel.

The Lord’s messenger and His hands and feet on earth.

It is said that righteous humans will become like angels after resurrection, so they could be considered role models for humanity.

After seeing such a being, Queen Elizabeth…

was stubborn.

“…Why is everyone looking at me?

What can I do if that’s how the Queen has always been?”

Raleigh shrugged at the gazes of the other apostles that seemed to say “do something about it.” That concluded the conversation on the topic.

…Well, whatever expectations the other apostles had, I didn’t want Elizabeth to kneel down in tears saying “Oh Angel!” or anything like that.

I was just handling the aftermath after the queen discovered my identity and abilities.

Anyway, the situation was resolved with the best possible conclusion.

Elizabeth neither suddenly declared us heretics and turned hostile, nor did she use my weakness to blackmail us and extort anything.

“Ah!

Nemo, come to think of it, Her Majesty asked if you would like to play bowling with her sometime.”

“…Please tell her I’ll come later.”

“Understood.”

“…”

“…”

Rather, Elizabeth’s intention in moving around freely while still wanting to be involved with me is clear.

It’s a declaration that she won’t become an enemy.

…Hmm.

“Still…

it seems my words left quite an impression on the queen.”

At my words, everyone, including Raleigh this time, tilted their heads.

Anyway.

“Let’s leave the talk about the queen at that.

Now it’s time to deal with other issues, Harriot?”

“Ah…

yes, Nemo.”

“Are the handover preparations going well?”

With those words, our topic shifted elsewhere, and everyone focused on other more important and urgent matters.

John White has left us.

John White was a member of the 6-person council that constituted our administration and one of the few people who could handle Excel programs.

We need to fill that vacant position.

For now, Thomas Harriot, who knows how to use Excel, was urgently placed in the position to fill the administrative gap, but…

this is just a makeshift solution.