As dawn broke, the Apostle approached and said, “Send the crowds away to the villages and towns to find sustenance, for we are in this desolate place.” Luke replied, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have only two fish, and we cannot provide for all these people.” There were about five hundred men. He instructed the disciples to have the crowd sit down in groups of fifty. After seating them, Luke took the two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed them, and broke them, giving them to the disciples to distribute to the crowd, who all ate and were satisfied.
—
It was during this time that I first wrote “Nyx’s Garden.”
To dismiss an overwhelming force, an angelic performance.
The Dark Elf named Mahomet, who woke from a deeper sleep than expected, made us act more quickly, allowing us to remain hidden until she departed while we secured the relics of the ruins.
“Teacher.”
I regained consciousness from my memories at Simon’s call.
Late at night, most of the people following me were asleep.
I was sitting by the campfire with Simon, Iako, and Mata.
“We’ve run out of the fish we’ve caught, Teacher. Those people are beginning to feel the pangs of hunger. We have about two days left to reach the city of Genesaret. We’ve searched thoroughly but haven’t found a river or lake, not even a small stream, where we could catch fish.”
Simon offered a small basket as he continued, “This is the last of our food. Two fish. If we wait just two more days, we can reach Genesaret, the symbol of abundance of the Nova Empire, but if the ravenous crowd arrives, there may be bloodshed. Unless the lord of Genesaret can provide food, this situation doesn’t look good.”
“Two fish are all that remain?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Just two fish in this basket.”
“…Two fish.”
At least I made sure to catch fish earlier.
Thanks to Simon’s efforts, we had managed to survive so far, but we were nearing our limits.
If we stopped by nearby homes, who knows what the crowd might do?
If the surrounding houses suffered damage, it would ruin the divine image I had earned.
That would definitely affect the divinity I was gaining.
“…How about sending people to the nearby homes? They must have some money to buy food individually.”
Mata looked at the basket and spoke up.
“Instead of sending them away, give them food yourselves.”
“…Huh? Us? There must be more than 500 men among us, isn’t that too little?”
“Uh… Teacher, I don’t mean to doubt, but just two fish seem too little to feed that many people.”
“Don’t worry. Tomorrow, they will all see.”
In my spatial pocket, there are plenty of fish.
If I take them out now, they’ll spoil, so I’ll let them know once the sun rises.
—
The sun rose, and the crowd awoke; the day that the Teacher spoke of had come.
The great God, Lord Deus’s son.
Of course, whether he truly is the Son of God remains uncertain.
But anyone who witnessed the scene in Capernaum would find it hard to doubt.
Healing an entire city with his mere power!
Not just curing sickness, but healing every impairment…
After the moment in Galilee when the fishing boat was filled to the brim, I resolved to follow him.
Initially, I thought he was just a dragon having fun.
But no matter how great a magical dragon might be, creating such miracles would be impossible.
After the events in Capernaum, I began to think.
Could it be that if I joined him, Iako and I could turn this rotten world that tormented us upside down?
Could we take revenge on the corrupt nobles who made our parents suffer that way?
To the procession that followed from Capernaum, the Teacher said,
The kingdom of Deus is near.
Soon, “Chaos” will sweep the world, but Lord Deus will save the believers.
Only those who believe will enter the eternal kingdom of Deus.
I and Iako chose to believe and to follow.
With all the miracles the Teacher has shown us so far,
He would surely do something to change the world.
—
On our journey to Genesaret, the Teacher, like in the Galilee miracle, provided fish.
Thanks to that, we could avoid starvation during our journey so far.
However, catching more fish was no longer an option.
Moreover, we were still a bit away from the first city in Genesaret.
If we continued like this, it felt like some commotion was bound to happen.
And yet, the Teacher did not disperse the crowd to allow them to each handle their meals.
If this large crowd caused a commotion here, the local residents would inevitably suffer.
Surely, that’s why the Teacher refused to disperse the crowd.
But even so, it was inconceivable to me that I should distribute two fish to the multitude.
There were 500 men alone.
Not to mention the elderly, children, and women, two fish were completely inadequate.
…But I chose to believe.
The Son of God who performed miracles in Capernaum.
Surely, he will do something.
I could only follow without doubt.
—
As usual, the Teacher took the highest seat, and the entire crowd gathered around him.
He always gathers everyone for a prayer before starting a meal.
And today was just like any other day, except that there was no food prepared at all.
What was he planning to do?
“Have everyone sit on the grass. Let them sit in groups of five.”
His instruction was to prevent chaos during the seating.
Following his order, the crowd sat orderly, and I returned to him.
“Simon, Iako, Mata, you give them food.”
“Teacher, all we have right now are two fish.”
Surely, the Teacher must be aware of that!
“If that’s the case, bring it here.”
“…Huh? A-Aye, understood.”
I approached with the basket containing the two fish.
The Teacher took the two fish from the basket and lifted them high to heaven.
Then he spoke.
“O Mother in heaven, thank you for providing our daily bread today…”
A prayer of gratitude to Lord Deus before meals.
But a prayer over just two fish?
“…Thank you. Amen.”
“““Amen.”””
The prayer concluded.
Teacher! What now? Please do something quickly!
“Now, distribute it.”
The Teacher handed the basket back to me.
And in the basket… huh?
There were definitely just two fish, wasn’t there?
Why… is the basket full?
“Simon, is there something wrong?”
“N-No! I will go distribute it right away!”
“Iako, Mata, come with the basket too.”
“Yes, O Great One!”
Iako and Mata began distributing the fish to the crowd.
In a state of bewilderment, we passed fish to the crowd.
The murmurs started.
“Weren’t there just two fish?”
“The baskets being held by the three disciples are all full of fish. What’s going on?”
“Hey, isn’t this obvious?”
“Obvious?”
“He’s the Son of Deus! Surely, it’s nothing for him to create food at will!”
“Oh! I see!”
“Seems like these folks have a lack of faith!”
Everyone received a fish yet there were still plenty left over, with several baskets filled.
There were definitely only two…
There were just two, so what could have happened…?
“Wow, Simon! You were doubting our Great One?”
“…Mata?”
After the meal and still in a daze, Mata came and sat beside me.
“It’s what the Great One does! Isn’t it natural to think he would perform miracles like in Capernaum? Can you really call yourself his disciple if you doubt him like that?”
That’s right.
It was obvious.
I had promised myself in the morning to just believe.
But when the moment came, I ended up doubting.
The Teacher is indeed the Son of Lord Deus.
I apologize, Teacher!
I will not doubt anymore.
I will hold my faith firmly.
I will continue to follow your journey.
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