At the back of St. Matthew's Church, Merlin leans back in his chair and listens to the old priest tell stories of the past.

He was originally just looking for peace of mind before the decisive battle.

But after arguing with Father Paul, Merlin learned something.

Of course, it was only a purely spiritual gain, and it did not help much substantially for the war he was about to fight.

But Merlin decided to sit a little longer.

He felt that at this point, it didn't seem to hurt to talk to a wise old man.

Some life experiences, some small talk pastimes, some thoughts are always good for a tired soul.

"I'm sure you've heard old guys like me talk a lot about Pearl Harbor."

Father Paul, with his hands on his lap, said to Merlin:

"All sorts of stories..."

"Yes, I did."

Merlin remembered Steve, who was still missing. Rogers.

When he was chatting with the captain, the young old man liked to tell stories from World War II.

And old Stan likes to talk about it, and these veterans like to tell stories about war.

Merlin smiled and said:

"And it's a story told by veterans from the first perspective."

"Actually, it's all bragging..."

The old priest Paul, who had also lived through that era, waved his hand indifferently and said:

"We are now acting as if we had heard about Pearl Harbor at that moment, and at that moment we all jumped up, rolled up our sleeves, and angrily planned to settle accounts with the Axis powers."

"But actually?"

The priest shook his head, a flash of memory flashed in his eyes, and he whispered:

"Oh, in the words of young people these days, we're scared to pee, really."

"Rumors were flying all over the place, the country didn't even have a decent army at the time, and we lay in bed with a sheet over our heads, thinking that the next second would be the end of the world."

"People were just like you then, Merlin."

The priest patted his heart and said:

"At that time, like you, I was full of fear of an uncertain future."

"Well, it's not the same."

Merlin frowned and explained:

"What do you say about my situation... After all, the whole world is at stake, more than 7 billion people, and if I choose the wrong one, you are all finished..."

"But, well, it's the same."

"Fear is fear, it's no different."

Merlin snapped his fingers, he looked at the priest beside him, and he said:

"And then, how do you do it?"

"And then? Then, in a state of panic, we heard President Roosevelt speak on the radio. ”

The priest breathed a sigh of relief, and he said:

"It was a national speech, and his voice was firm and powerful, like a gust of wind, taking away our fears and turning them into fighting passion."

"He was the one who helped us win that war, really, not the planes, the tanks, the warships... It was a leader who helped us win it. ”

Father Paul looked at Merlin, and the old man said very seriously:

"Call it anger or power, you see, when you conquer fear, it will work for you, and the power that comes from within is so powerful that it can turn the world upside down for you."

"The only way to overcome fear is to face it."

"Hmm."

Merlin nodded, and he said:

"A friend of mine also likes to say these things, he told me that strength is always after fear..."

"No, no, no!"

Father Paul shook his head, and he said to Merlin:

"Power is one thing, Merlin, but I'm not talking about power, it's leadership."

"I've also been following the superheroes that have sprung up over the years, but I don't like them."

The priest frowned, and said to Merlin:

"I feel like they're like a bunch of kids, like you just said, they care a lot about what other people think of them. Maybe it's because I can't keep up with the times, maybe it's because my concept is too old. ”

"But Merlin, in my opinion, to be a hero, it's not enough to run fast or have a lot of strength."

The priest said:

"You must have the ability to be the light that dispels fear when darkness covers the world, like a beacon for people in the darkness to see where to go... Have you ever heard of Captain America? ”

"Believe it or not..."

Merlin's question made Merlin laugh dumbly, and he said to the priest:

"I know him well."

"Really?"

The priest looked at Merlin in astonishment, and said:

"Well, it seems that I still underestimate you, in short, the reason why Captain America became a household name hero in that era is not because of his strength..."

"No matter how strong he is, can he fight the whole Nacui alone? He can't. ”

"But people adore him like crazy, because when everyone will be afraid, he will be the first to rush into battle, and courage, courage will run wild behind him."

"He's the light we need!"

The priest smiled, and he said to Merlin:

"You say you're guilty, or in your parlance, sin, and it seems to me that it means you have an unfinished mission waiting for you to complete."

"If you're faced with such a difficult choice, Merlin, now is the time for you to be that light..."

"Believe in yourself and you too can become light!"

"Well, that sounds weird."

Merlin rubbed his forehead, and he said to Father Paul:

"Last question, you've seen the wanted warrant too, right? Father, those people say I'm a bad guy, they say I killed a good guy cruelly, I don't want to deceive you, I did kill him. ”

Merlin Says:

"But not because I'm cruel, but because he deserves to die!"

"You, believe me?"

"I believe it."

The priest smiled gently, he stood up, patted Merlin on the shoulder, and said:

"Mr. Gideon has also given money to the church, although I have not met him, but I have heard of some of his actions, he is in a position of authority, everyone will say good things about him, but if I have to choose between you and him to believe..."

"Then I choose to believe you."

The priest said:

"It's not just because you're a friend, Merlin."

"And because I've seen you help those children in the orphanage countless times... Even if it's just looking at it from a distance, the gentleness in your eyes can't deceive people. ”

"A person who is so gentle with children cannot be a bad person..."

"As for what they say about you, that's how I can answer you."

Father Paul coughed lightly, and like an ode, he said to Merlin:

"We can't go without eating, we can't go without clothes, we have our own thoughts and worries."

"We also lose our temper occasionally and even do things that make ordinary people feel bad, and when they see this, they say, we are not heroes..."

The priest smiled, and he continued:

"Let me quote Hegel..."

"There is no hero in the eyes of a slave!"

"But that's not that heroes aren't heroes, it's just that slaves are slaves."

"Smack, smack, smack"

Merlin, who was sitting in a chair, stretched out his hand and clapped his palms as if to cheer for the priest.

He also stood up, patted his arm, and said to the priest:

"When a warrior dies, the first thing the flies find is his shortcomings and scars."

"They are buzzing and proud, and they think they are more heroic than the dead warriors. Because they have no scars, no scars, no smudges or blood. ”

Merlin whispered a poem that popped into his mind.

It was like responding to the priest's encouragement to him.

He said:

"But the warriors are dead, and no longer come to wave them away, so the flies cry more cheerfully, and think they are immortal."

"Indeed, no one has ever found the shortcomings of flies..."

"However, a warrior with flaws is a warrior after all, and a perfect fly is just a fly after all..." (PS1)

Merlin smiled, he looked at the priest in front of him, and he said:

"Thank you, Paul."

"When I stepped into this church, I was full of complaints, hatred and myths, but now I can finally step into the battlefield in a calm mood."

"Oh, yes, one last thing."

As if remembering something, Merlin untied a delicate bracelet from his wrist and handed it to the priest.

The latter took it in his hand and found that the bracelet was delicate and peculiar.

It was a chain that looked like a crystal, and in the bracelet was a cross made of red crystal.

Unlike the cross placed in the church, it looked like a miniature of a weapon.

This thing just looks like a work of art.

Merlin said to the priest:

"This is something that a very important friend of mine has stored with me, I can't just take it to the battlefield, so I'm leaving it with you, please keep it for me."

"Yes, you can."

The priest put the bracelet away, and said to Merlin:

"I'll wait for you to come back and get it."

"Maybe you'll be disappointed."

Merlin said very calmly:

"Maybe I'll never be able to come back, but it doesn't matter, someone will always get it."

Merlin glanced at the front of the church, where Sister Maggie, who had been praying in front of the icon, had quietly left.

Merlin shook his head, and he turned around and walked towards the church door.

Just a few steps after he had taken a few steps, Father Paul suddenly called out to him.

"Merlin..."

"Huh?"

Merlin looked back at the priest in surprise.

The priest seemed to want to ask some questions, but when the words came to his lips, his expression changed several times, and finally he didn't ask.

He smiled a little, and said to Merlin:

"I wish you all the best, and I will pray for you in the church."

"Well, thanks."

Merlin took a few steps forward, stopped again, and then turned back to the priest and said:

"I've guessed what you're trying to ask, Priest."

He pointed to the sky, and he said:

"Yes, they all exist, including the One of your faith..."

"And they're probably not as jerks as the gods I've met, they're not quite like those guys."

"Maybe they'll be gentler and more merciful to the world."

A sly smile appeared on Merlin's face, and he said to Father Paul:

"Don't worry, he won't punish you for running to Josie's bar every week to play billiards with others and gamble for money..."

"If he had any sanity, he would have known that you were the best and greatest in the world... Well, shepherd, that's what you call yourself, right? ”

"Don't say these things in church!"

The priest reprimanded with some dissatisfaction:

"Although you have no faith, you should at least remain humble..."

Speaking of which, are you sure you don't need to be baptized for you? The Lord really exists, maybe..."

"No, Father."

Merlin crossed the priest and looked at the icon in front of the church, and he said:

"I want to believe in him, at this moment..."

"But alas, he can't help."

With that, Merlin waved his hand to the priest and took a step forward.

Under the priest's gaze, Merlin's figure swirled in the distorted light, and then disappeared the next.

This magic-like scene made the priest subconsciously make a cross on his chest.

He did realize Merlin's specialness a long time ago, but he never broke it, he didn't really care who Merlin was or what kind of power he had.

As long as it can be confirmed that Merlin is a man of good intentions, that is enough.

Father Paul walked to the icon with the book in his arms, bowed his head, recited the scriptures silently, and began to pray.

After a few minutes, the priest opened his eyes, and as a prayer ended, Amen, he took from his hand the red crystal cross that Merlin had deposited with him.

I don't know if it's an illusion, but under the light of the church lights, Father Paul always felt that the surface of the crystal cross had some fine cuts.

It's as if someone has left some special symbols on the surface of this artwork with great skill.

But the priest didn't care about these details.

He put away the crystal cross, then returned to the icon and began to pray again.

This time, he was praying for Merlin.

He still didn't know what Merlin was going to do, but he could guess.

That should be very dangerous, something that 99% of people in this world would not do.

Whenever disaster strikes, someone's first thought is "I should stand up."

Alas...

May this friend return safely.

Ps1：

This poem was written by Mr. Lu Xun.

That's right, it's the Mr. Lu Xun who "if you don't know who said this, then you can say that I said it".

I have to say that this sentence is really quite incisive to describe some strange phenomena in today's society.

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