- Whoosh, - the strong man breathed heavily, leaning on the walls of the barn that he and other villagers had just completed. He wiped away the sweat and greedily took a sip from the flask of water, quenching his thirst - we were finally done, I thought my hands would fall off!

Around, congratulating each other, several other men sat down to rest, rejoicing at the completion of the work. One of them, a blue-eyed, bright blond man, approached the worker and, taking a flask from him, spoke:

- Hah, that’s right, Jake, but aren’t your little hands used to working as a builder?

- Haha, I'll see how you sing if you're put in a boat! Your shoulders probably won’t last a week from rowing, you’ll lie on the bottom, moaning like a grandfather! – the man retorted.

- And that’s true. I'm sorry that we force you to work in a place other than yours. You understand, we are far from the sea, and you can’t really swim in the river by boat, it’s too stormy.

- I understand and I don’t mind. This way I can somehow repay you for allowing me and my family to stay here. I hate being in debt to someone, and I always try to repay kindness for kindness.

- And evil for evil? – The interlocutor continued the phrase. His name was Ganz, he was the son of the head of the village, part-time, the local blacksmith, the joy and hope of the whole village. Standing behind him, the residents felt safe, because in addition to being reliable, Ganz was also strong. Several years ago, when the priest of Aronis visited the village, he said that the guy had almost the twentieth level, which is incredibly high for civilians in this calm land. The village had an extremely favorable location: on the one hand, there was the Byzantine Empire, containing the most powerful army in the world, and not allowing a single monster to pass through, and on the other, Poland, where some incredibly powerful magician settled, who strictly kept order in his country. Therefore, the villagers were almost not afraid of monsters and did not encounter them. Thieves and looters are another matter, but with a person it was always clear how to fight, and that’s how Ganz raised his levels.

- No, - Jake smiled, - we must also respond to evil with good. - This is what Jesus taught us.

- Oh, this strange sect of yours... I admit, it sounds very kind, but somehow unrealistic. I can’t imagine how I would respond kindly to those who came to rob my house. But I can easily answer them with a pitchfork in the chest. And anyway, why do you believe in him? I have not seen a single paladin of this Jesus of yours. Since he is a god, why doesn’t he give you, for example, a miracle?

- Jesus is not god, he is the son of God.

- A! So is he the son of Aronis? Or Dimoth?

- No, he is the son of God. The highest, true and only. All gods are just his incarnations. God Himself is omnipotent and omniscient. And he loves us, yet worldly trials are needed only to test our faith.

- And even the destruction of your house? Do you worship him even after this?

Jake sighed sadly. Of course, he did not want to leave the lands of his native England... And the fact that God sent hordes of green-skinned monsters to his beloved country greatly upset the man.

- Yes, even after this. Because this means that we deserve it. Perhaps we have somehow angered the Lord and received punishment for it... Or perhaps this is necessary to test whether we will honor and love him after this. I don’t know, the ways of the Lord are mysterious.

- Your story is quite interesting. I don’t understand everything, especially how four gods can be one, and he can have a son... But I would listen. Especially if it's true that God loves everyone as you say, then it's... Amazing. I think many would be interested in learning more about your faith. Maybe you would like to get together with those interested in the evening and talk about it? We still don’t have any church, but this view is new and, it seems, does not greatly contradict other churches...

- With joy. But, I’m afraid, I myself don’t know very much, and I’m not too literate to answer all the questions with interest... But I’ll try.

- Great, then see you in the evening! Say hello to your wife and little one!

Jake said goodbye to Ganz and walked towards the house, thinking about this possibility. He was very worried about whether he could live up to the villagers' expectations. The man himself did not study theology, simply going to church services twice a day, there, in his homeland. In any case, if the people here find his stories at least interesting, he will be very happy. Jake had made his living by fishing all his life, but here in this principality there was no such opportunity, and it was obvious that he would have to invent something and learn new things.

In such thoughts, the man reached the house, where his beautiful wife was waiting for him, embroidering at the window. Seeing her husband, she put her work aside, greeting her beloved:

- Hello, Jake. How was it? Have you completed the barn?

- Yes. For once it was over. If I had known that it would be so difficult, I never would have agreed! – the man laughed.

- You would agree, - the woman who knew her husband too well smiled in response, - that’s the kind of person you are. That's why I loved you. Sit down bye, you're probably hungry after all that work, lunch is already ready, now I'm just running to get your son, again this scoundrel isn't watching after the sun and selflessly runs around with the village children!

- Don’t scold the guy in vain. It's great that he found friends here. After everything that happened, I'm happy that he has someone to play with.

Jake tiredly sat down on a chair, peacefully watching how his sweet wife was busy around the house. Glancing at the icons that he had brought from his homeland, the guy silently offered a prayer of thanks to the Lord. Despite everything, he could live happily. Yes, their home was ruined, but after crossing the sea with sweet Caitlin and their son, they were again able to find a place where they were welcome. And the man swore that this time he would protect his new home, no matter what.

Finally, everyone gathered around the table, and, taking his wife and little son by the hands, Jake, closing his eyes, bowed his head and said a prayer:

- Our Father alone who art in heaven! May your name be glorified, may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I offer this gratitude to you for the bread that we have and the water that we drink. Because everyone is alive and well. Let it continue to be so until you call us to your kingdom. Amen!

From then on, Jake began to gather with other people in the evenings at the elder’s house, and told them about Jesus and the One Lord God. He spoke without anyone interrupting, listening in fascination to the fact that the Father of All was there in heaven, looking at them with a smile, and loving them, no matter what they were. The calm and soulful voice of the Englishman reached through the ears the very hearts of the listeners, and some women even cried with joy.

The villagers understood that this was a sect, which is why very few people went to these meetings. The five churches really did not like those who said something about other gods. However, Christianity, as Jake called his faith, was different. It did not force one to worship demons or otherworldly entities, did not make sacrifices, and did not tell one to reject the five gods. Jake said:

- Faith is what distinguishes us from animals or monsters. And it must come from the heart. Faith should not be something you do out of fear of not getting into the Heavenly Host of Dimoth, or for the miracles that the gods provide for their followers. True faith doesn't have to be selfish, you just have to truly love God. You can worship any of the Five, because by worshiping one of them, you worship the true all-one God. But you should not blaspheme other gods, because by blaspheming them, you are blaspheming the True God.

People always left meetings deeply moved, discussing with each other what they had heard. And so, little by little, there were more and more parishioners until they could no longer fit into the elder’s house. And a month later, a building with a cross on it appeared in the village. People began to gather in it, even when there were no walls, and people stood, pierced by the spring wind, and listened to what their priest was telling them, and their souls became lighter and calmer.

Caitlin also came to her husband's sermons, bringing her son with her. Although, more likely, it was he who brought her. Jake, standing on a dais, kept looking at the boy's burning eyes, barely restraining his father's proud, happy smile. And the boy whispered every word after his father, repeated all his movements. Putting five fingers together, he touched his head, then his upper abdomen, his right shoulder, and finally his left shoulder:

- I praise the Blind Master Aronis for the knowledge and luck bestowed upon him. I praise the Gray Herald Saivas for his ability to distinguish good from evil. I praise the Steel Flame of Dimoth for his strength and unbending will. I praise the Golden Dragon of Largaven for worldly goods and pleasures. And I lift up my heart to the Gates that Count Souls, uniting all incarnations of God, the All-One and the Beloved! Amen!

Over time, Jake unofficially became the deputy head of the village. He helped everyone who needed help, and anyone could turn to the priest for good advice or talk about painful things, knowing that the man would not make them laugh and would not tell anyone about the topic of conversation. At the same time, like everyone else, he worked as best he could. Either in the fields, then patching up a leaky roof, or catching fish. Jake became an integral part of the village, like Ganz, and he, like Ganz, was loved by all the villagers, constantly giving gifts, whoever could - someone would bring a wheel of cheese, someone - a turnip, another - a silver spoon or an old shirt. a growing boy.

One day, a breathless man ran into Jake’s house, shouting from the doorway:

- Holy father! Trouble! Bandits! They came to demand cattle and money! Ganz and the men have already taken their axes and pitchforks; there’s going to be a mess at the entrance!

Jake, as soon as he heard it, rushed to the wall, and then to the entrance to the village. When he arrived, half the village had already gathered here, tensely awaiting what would happen next. Ganz stood in front of everyone, relaxing leaning on a pitchfork, and conducted a dialogue with the leader of the raiders, who stood with an ax in front of his fifteen people. They were armed with what, but among them were three archers and a man with a staff - clearly a magician. Hardly strong, since all the bandits wore cast-offs and looked extremely dirty, but the magician remained an incredible threat in any case.

- So it’s still you – Ganz Forkpiercer. They say you are the strongest in the surrounding villages. - The leader of the robbers spoke. - Join us. What's the point of hanging around in this hole with worthless hillbillies doing menial jobs!? The powerful must take what they want by force. Join us, there is no point in fighting, we from other villages will have so much together! If you want, we can even leave this one if you come with us. Well? What do you say?

- “Worthless hillbillies.” Funny. Are you one of the nobles yourself? I suppose you were one of the villagers yourself, until you were driven out of your native village with sticks. Or even a runaway slave. So why are you speaking so arrogantly? You are trash, and I will never join people like you.

- Then die. Forward!

The attackers immediately, tightly grasping their weapons, ran towards the village men, and they, waving their tools, stood shoulder to shoulder, preparing to repel the onslaught. The archers on both sides put arrows on the bowstring, aiming at the enemy, and the magician began to read the spell, putting his hand forward. However, he was unable to use magic due to the arrow being ahead of everyone else. A wooden projectile with a sharpened stone at the end pierced the sorcerer's shoulder, and he screamed in pain. Grabbing the shaft, the guy pulled the arrow, trying to pull it out of the wound, however, not knowing what to do - the worst possible option, he found himself with the tip in his body and the shaft in his hand.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

At the same moment, the second arrow hit one of the robber archers in the thigh, and the third stuck into the ground in front of another. Everyone finally paid attention to the shooter: Jake, standing on the hill, without particularly aiming, fired one arrow after another, which was completely different from the usual shooting of hunters trying to kill their prey with one well-aimed shot. This was the difference between England and much safer lands: by royal decree, every peasant had to be able to make a bow, arrows, and must train to ensure that the second arrow would fly out while the first was still in the air. Accuracy was not important, because by gathering a large number of such peasants with bows, the lords could simply rain arrows on their enemies, the main thing here was speed.

Seeing this, the bandits slowed down, losing confidence, and Ganz, taking advantage of this, shouted and led the men towards the enemy, engaging in close combat. The fight lasted less than ten minutes, after which the wounded robbers ran in different directions, saving their lives to the joyful cries of the villagers. There were four bodies left on the ground. Two dead bandits and one a man Jake had seen at his sermons since day one. The last one lying down was the archer whose leg the Englishman hit at the beginning of the battle. Unable to walk, he writhed on the ground, trying to close the wound.

Ganz approached him with a pitchfork at the ready, giving orders to the others:

- Wounded people, stop the bleeding and go to my father, he has medicinal herbs! Poor Johan must be buried, and these three bastards must be taken into the forest to be torn apart by animals and birds. So that the future will be discouraged. Die!

- Ganz, stop! – Jake exclaimed, running up to the blond. - It is forbidden. He is wounded and not dangerous.

- Hey, he tried to kill us!

- Yes. That's why we defended ourselves. And I am very sorry that three people have already died. We will not allow more deaths. The Lord teaches us humility and forgiveness. If this person survives, then this is his fate; if he dies, so be it. But he will not die by your hand.

- And what will you do with him, Holy Father? Are you going to cure him?

- Yes.

- What?

Having greatly surprised Ganz and all the residents, the priest actually placed the robber in his home and began to treat him. So he learned that the bandit was also from England. He, like Jake, fled from the invasion of a horde of goblins and arrived here. However, wandering for months, he could not find shelter and was forced to earn money by robbery.

- Poor man... In that case, you can stay here with us.

- Honey, are you sure? – Caitlin asked worriedly. – I agree that the wounded should be treated, but should he be allowed to stay? He tried to kill us! We have already repaid him with good for evil, there is no need to overdo it.

- I understand, honey. But I want to give him a chance. Tell me, what will you do if you stay here?

- R-work, sir! – The prisoner answered readily, desperately grasping the opportunity to settle down. “Then I’ll earn the right to live here with my own blood!” I didn’t want to rob others, I just had no choice...

- Well, fine. However, you have already worked with blood, make sure that no more is shed. Did you hear that, Kate?

- But dear...

- Everything is fine, mom. – The boy inserted himself into the conversation, looking at his father as if he were a hero. - If dad said it’s necessary, then it’s necessary. Everything will be fine, it's dad.

Kate silently submitted to the decision of her husband and son, after which Jake announced it to the rest of the village, and, after a stormy and lengthy discussion, the bandit was allowed to stay only out of respect and faith in their Holy Father.

As time has shown, this was a good decision. The man was an excellent worker, willingly taking on any task to atone for his past. He carried out any assignments, went to all sermons, having converted to Christianity, and did not refuse any request. Soon he was accepted in the village as one of their own, and news of this spread throughout the area. And people began to flock to the village, wanting to see live the young priest, who, according to rumors, single-handedly defeated a gang of robbers, and after the battle, received and left one of them. And seeing him and listening to his speeches, many of the guests decided to stay in the village forever. So time passed, and the village grew, and even started its own militia.

Two years passed and one night a lonely wanderer, wrapped in rags, came to the village gates. He approached two guards with spears in their hands and asked a question in a cheerful voice:

- Hi guys! Tell me, how many children are there in your village?

- What? - The men didn’t understand

- I say, tell me how many children from four to eight years old inclusive live in your village.

- Why do you need children of this age? Who are you anyway?

- Oh, I’m a simple, modest traveler. And children of this age are the most suitable for me.

- Hey, you should get lost with such speeches. – one of the guards pointed a spear at the guest. - Otherwise, it’s so close to ending up in court! We don’t really have one, so we’ll just beat you up if you’re up to something bad!

-Are you refusing to answer?

- Yes, get out of here! There are a lot of dubious characters here...

- It's a pity, I wanted to solve everything diplomatically. Okay, I didn't mean to, just kidding. [Agony]

The guard, whom the wanderer pointed at, fell to the ground without any cry, starting to twitch furiously and foam at the mouth, terribly frightening his comrade.

-Who the hell are you!?

- Hey, put the spear away. If I don't reverse the spell, your friend will die. So, can you tell me how many children you have from two to eight years old?

- T-thirteen! I said stop it!

- Well, thank you. I always keep my word. “The guest canceled the spell, and the guard lying on the ground calmed down. – I canceled the spell, are you satisfied? [Blade]

The man lying on the ground, who had begun to gradually come to his senses, froze again for a second, after which he went limp forever, and his head, cut off by an invisible blade, rolled down the road.

- What?... - the second one was taken aback, but a second later the two halves of his body fell in different directions, cut perfectly in half.

- Well, work again... Thirteen means, yes. Not much. So, cough-cough... - the wanderer cleared his throat, changing his voice, and spoke to himself again: - LET'S FINISH EVERYTHING QUICKLY.

The village was burning. Everything that people, like their ancestors, had created here for decades disappeared in the ashes. Ganz stood holding a spear in his hands. He clenched his teeth and looked with his only remaining eye at the monster that had entered their village. A tall, skeletal figure floated in the air, holding in his hand the head of the village elder, Father Ganz. Almost two dozen bodies of those who tried to stop the lich lay around. Only Ganz and five other men were able to continue fighting.

- SO, WHO'S NEXT?

People, shouting to encourage themselves, rushed at the monster.

- SO THAT'S ALL? LET IT BE SO.

Silently casting spells, a projectile flew out of the wizard's body at each attacker. They passed through the bodies of people, leaving huge holes in them, from which blood gushed incessantly, and five corpses silently fell to the ground. Only Ganz, who used [Fortification], survived, screaming at the top of his lungs in pain and looking at his missing hand, cradling it with the one that remained.

- HO, THE FACT THAT YOU SURVIVED AFTER THE FIRST SPELL WAS NOT LUCK. YOU ARE STRONGER THAN ALL THE PEOPLE HERE. BUT YOU'RE OUT OF LUCK. IF YOU WERE WHERE YOUR TALENT WOULD BE USEFUL, HOW STRONGER YOU WOULD BE... IT'S A PITY TO LOSE SUCH A TALENTED WARRIOR IN SUCH A WILDERNESS, BUT THAT'S FATE, RIGHT?

- Shut up... Monster! – Ganz answered with all his might. He was glad that he could delay this monster at least a little, giving everyone else time to escape. Well, apparently, he shouldn’t be the head of the village, and he shouldn’t marry the first or at least the second beauty in the area... But at least the rest got a chance to live. Here, from the direction of the fire, a quiet, weak voice was heard:

- Our Father... One and existing in heaven... May your name be glorified!

- What?..

- HOO?

Jake walked staggering through the burning buildings. He was the first to meet the lich with arrows. And he was the first to whom the lich sent a clot of fire. Then, apparently, the priest survived, and now he came to his senses and with an unsteady gait in a semi-conscious state, with a prayer on his lips, walked towards the undead, clutching a cross and an icon in his hands, which miraculously did not burn in this flame.

- THIS PRAYER. ARE YOU CHRISTIANS? I THOUGHT THEY WERE EXTINCTION. LET'S CORRECT THIS MISUNDERSTANDING, HAHA.

- Uncle Ganz?..

- What!? What have you forgotten here!? Why don't you run away with the rest of the villagers!? – the blond exclaimed in disbelief, looking at the boy standing a little to the side. Ganz is here trying to die heroically, giving the others the opportunity to escape, and this little guy decided to die here too!?

- I... I can’t...

- What do you mean “I can’t”?!

- There... is a wall. Some kind. Nobody can get out!

- DID YOU, MORTAL, THOUGHT THAT I WOULD AT LEAST SOMEONE LEAVE FROM THIS VILLAGE ALIVE? – The Lich intervened, and Ganz went limp, realizing that this was the end. For all of them. Absolutely everyone. – LET'S FINISH THIS. [FIRE BALL]

The enormous power of the flame burst from the wizard’s fingers and flew towards Jake, who was offering a prayer to the only and all-powerful Lord God. And the Lord God did not answer. The fireball reached its target, burning her down to her bones. And after a second of silence, the charred skeleton collapsed to the ground under the deafening cry of the boy:

- Dad!

- WHAT!? – The Lich became worried, showing emotions for the first time. – BOY, HOW OLD ARE YOU? DON'T CRY, ANSWER! YOU GUY, HOW OLD IS THIS GUY? IF I'M SATISFIED WITH THE ANSWER, HE CAN SURVIVE.

- Eight. – Glen answered carefully, praying that at least one person would remain alive after these events. So that at least one person remembers them all...

- NO! THAT WAS YOUR FATHER!? NO-NO-NO! – The lich grabbed his head in despair. – WHAT HAVE I DONE!? DAMN HE DIED RECENTLY, IT SHOULD WORK! [TEMPORARY RESURRECTION]

Both Glen and the eight-year-old child looked in shock at the miracle that only Jesus could once perform, and even then not so powerfully. The bones floated up, cleared of soot, joined into a solid skeleton, layer after layer of muscles, meat, organs, and skin were layered on top of it. And now, five seconds later, Jake stood in front of the taken aback people, alive again, trying to understand what was happening.

- NOW LET'S DO IT RIGHT. [SHREDDING].

Jake, not having time to get used to his newfound life, suddenly felt like millions of knives were cutting his body into thousands of pieces. The man's entire body turned into many cubes of flesh, blood and bones, and then scattered on the ground. The boy screamed again in despair, and was interrupted by the calm sepulchral voice of the lich:

- [TEMPORARY RESURRECTION]

And the priest stood before his child again, trying to process the fact that he had already died twice.

- [ACID BLOOD]

All the blood inside the man instantly turned into toxic green acid, burning Jake's internal organs, brain, and eyes. Every centimeter of his body began to carry the source of his death, melting the man into a shapeless, stinking slurry.

- [TEMPORARY RESURRECTION]

And again. And again. And again. One spell after another destroyed the resurrected father over and over again in front of his eight-year-old child, who had already stopped screaming. Once again, the lich gave Jake a little time to recover and asked:

- THIS DEATH WILL BE THE LAST. ANY FINAL WORDS?

The priest turned to his son with a tired smile and said:

- Arthur, God loves us.

- I DOUBT. [PARASITE TREE]. OKAY, WE'VE STAYED HERE. DID YOU ENJOY THE VIEW, BABY? DON'T FEAR, THERE ARE MANY, MANY MORE VILLAGES AHEAD.

Having finished off everyone in the square, the monster lifted the weak-willed Arthur into the air and flew in search of the rest of the people. He found them and killed them. When meeting other children, the lich found out their age, and if they were older than eight years old, he finished them off as adults. The rest joined Arthur on his journey. And they watched their acquaintances, relatives and friends die the most painful deaths, and constantly seeing the one who did it, receiving sincere pleasure. Did God love them? Arthur didn't believe it. No more. If God really loved them, then this creature would not exist in the world.

Klein returned to reality, catching his breath. After what he saw, he had only one question:

- For what?..

- M? – The lich asked, dispelling the display of memory. - Why did I do this? Well, you see, I'm old. You can't tell from me, but I'm really old. I don’t know how old I am, but I saw the Roman Empire at its peak. It was a little over a thousand years ago, and then I was no longer young. But I’ll say right away that I didn’t see the apotheosis of Aronis, and I didn’t see the arrival of all the others either. So, it happens that when someone lives for a long time, he goes crazy. Fortunately, this did not happen to me, and I am absolutely 100% completely mentally healthy. Well, in general, to maintain my mental state, I need a goal. And I set myself this goal - to create an ideal enemy. The one who will hate me so much that he will be ready to kill himself just to kill me. And children are best suited for this; they still have their whole lives ahead of them, and these are decades of hatred towards me and self-improvement. That’s when I looked for worthy representatives.

- And it's all?..

- What do you mean, “everything”? Actually, it's hard work and a worthy goal! Once you live like mine, you’ll understand! Well, there is an additional bonus - having created such a strong enemy, I can kill him. And he must have a high level, for which I must finally raise mine. You know, the more levels, the harder it is to get them! This is especially felt after the fiftieth. Well, I promised to tell about Arthur - I did. Now, please, get out of here.

- What?..

- Get out of my house, I say. You've been sitting here too long, and I'm politely hinting to you that it's time to leave. I’ve already wasted a lot of time on you, and I have a meeting of the Lords coming up! We need to prepare. Well, let’s do this: I’m putting a hold on you so that you won’t be able to tell anyone anything about me. And every day when you are in the city, you will come and study!

After some magical manipulations, Askeltak almost pushed the taken aback Klein out the door, and he went to the adventurers guild in a trance, digesting what he had heard and seen. He woke up only after many attempts by his comrades to push the paladin away. And the first thing Klein heard was Leah’s scream:

- What the hell happened to you, and where have you been all this time!?

- I... - Klein felt something tugging at the threads of his soul, preventing him from saying what he wanted, and, smiling doomed, the guy paraphrased the answer: - I was in Hell.