episode_0019

“The second half of the Exodus performance begins!”

“All troops, take your seats! Return to your seats and prepare to watch!”

An officer calling the knights together and declaring the resumption of the play.

Watching the troupe members gather in a commotion, one of the audience members, the knight Mark, sat there with his heart pounding with excitement.

Long time no see. It really has been a long time.

I have never felt such vivid interest while appreciating something.

“… … ”

In fact, when we first heard the news that the church was planning a play for the comfort of the students, neither Marc nor his colleagues felt anything special.

Anyway, it won’t be any better than the religious plays that have been consistently shown since ancient times.

You’ll just keep repeating the same old story and trying to force strength into your tired body.

Even before the curtain opened on the stage of , it was something that all the knights gathered here agreed on.

But the play presented this time was definitely different.

‘The basic gist is clearly the story of the shepherd crossing the sea that we have heard so many times that it is ingrained in our ears… … ‘

Several elements inserted by the playwright Phantom to supplement the empty records.

It was as if by magic that it caught his attention and interest.

So, what would be a better way to express it?

It feels so vivid and realistic that it’s almost thrilling to say that I simply filled in the blanks with my imagination.

‘With this level of quality, I would believe you even if you said you dug up all the lost ancient records and wrote a play.’

Religious dramas of the past that only focused on spreading doctrine and carelessly skipped over reinforcing the story.

The one that has an incomparable appeal to them is , which I am currently watching.

But there was another real factor that made the knights increasingly immersed in the play.

‘They look alike.’

It looks so much like us.

Looking at the Hebrews under Egyptian rule, rather than the main character Moses, Marc inadvertently felt a sense of sympathy.

The Hebrews in are also suffering from endless darkness.

Aren’t you praying fervently for light to come into your life one day as you go through your difficult daily life?

Just like they were slowly disintegrating in their bodies and minds in a temple that never seemed to end.

‘… … It’s as if the prophet has really come to embrace us.’

Although it was clearly just an ordinary religious play, Marc and his colleagues found themselves becoming more and more drawn into it.

An elaborate story created by the playwright Phantom in one stroke.

I am increasingly mistaken in thinking that it is a vivid reality.

Little by little, they comfort their tired hearts and add their own situations to the story’s development.

[Pharaoh! Lord of Egypt, king of the heathen! Free my people!]

After returning to Egypt, Moses went to the palace without delay, as God had instructed him.

He asked Pharaoh to grant the Hebrews freedom so that they could worship the true God.

So that we may offer praise to the altar of the one and only God, not to the false pagan gods of Egypt.

[Do you dare to give orders to me, Moses?]

But of course, Pharaoh didn’t even laugh.

Rather, it only doubled the suffering of the Hebrews and mocked Moses’ presumption.

[I will double the amount of labor of the slaves! I will also instruct them to personally procure the mud and rags used in the construction of the pyramids! If they dare ask why, I will firmly inform them that all of this is because of Moses’ foolish tongue!]

Thus, the Hebrews were struck by a terrible bolt from the blue overnight.

Their anger, which was further compounded by the excessive labor, was naturally directed at Moses.

[Damn it! Moses, it’s all that son of a bitch’s fault!]

Moses was discouraged because the results he wanted were not coming out.

The Hebrews complained, pointing their fingers at him.

[Why do you do useless things and make our lives more miserable!]

[That’s right! Since when did the guy who lived in luxury as an Egyptian royal family become our compatriot?]

[When did we ask you to be our leader? When did we ask you to be our judge?]

In the end, Moses was unable to overcome the wall of reality called Pharaoh.

It wasn’t just the Hebrew extras who were deeply disappointed by this.

“… … ”

“… … ”

The knights were secretly looking forward to seeing what kind of wit Moses would show.

They too had frustrated expressions and were staring at the protagonist with pitiful eyes.

What the audience secretly wanted was the thrilling catharsis that came from those in miserable situations being saved.

Even in terms of the established plot, isn’t the ‘shepherd who crossed the sea’ a character who must perform some kind of mysterious miracle and lead the exploited people away from the pagan kingdom?

But, unexpectedly, my expectations were wrong, so it’s understandable that I’m really disappointed.

[Moses, my Moses, do not despair.]

But God comforts Moses and urges him to wait for tomorrow.

It was natural for Pharaoh to ignore Moses’ advice.

[When day breaks, take my people and go out to the Nile.]

[You will all see my miracles striking down Egypt.]

And as time passed and passed, the stage setting changed from night to dawn.

For the first time, the terrible divine punishment of the ten plagues was brought upon Egypt.

And the first disaster to appear was.

Bubbling, bubbling-!!

“, the river?!”

“Blood! Blood! That’s blood!”

“Oh my god! The whole river is covered in blood!”

The long and beautiful Nile River, realized on the set with illusionary magic.

The blue water suddenly boiled and turned into red blood.

When the knights saw this, they all started to panic and murmur.

Even those who had lived their entire lives with faith could not have imagined that God’s wrath would be depicted in such a grotesque and chilling way.

[Do not be afraid, people of the Lord!]

[God has promised that your hard work will bear fruit and that you will be free from all troubles!]

Meanwhile, actor Renoir plays the role of Moses, who reveals the first plague to the world.

He looked around the audience and gave a speech that was essentially aimed at the knights.

[He has promised that He will watch over your suffering without fail and will surely lead you to the path of salvation!]

[Watch from now on, you little lambs of the Lord! What kind of divine punishment will befall the dull unbelievers who dare to hinder the salvation of God’s people!]

“Oh, oh… … !”

“Ahhhh… … !”

The knights are soaking wet with Renoir’s dynamic acting, like clothes getting wet in a drizzle.

Increasingly, they are not consuming as a simple play.

In fact, it vividly reveals that they are overly immersed in and identify with the Hebrews.

Right now was the time for the choirs carefully selected by the church to be active.

[Foolish pagan monarch Pharaoh, listen to the word of the Lord~♬]

The choir’s song begins as the 10 plagues part begins in earnest.

The chorus, which began with a gloomy and cold atmosphere, soon gradually increased in pitch and transformed into a majestic and terrifying requiem.

[Because you dared to refuse to let go of the Lord’s people, God brought disaster upon you~♫]

[He lifted up his hand and struck Egypt to show that there is no other god in heaven and on earth ~♪]

[In return for your arrogance and foolishness, all the people of Egypt will shed tears of blood~♩]

With that requiem as background music, Yahweh’s divine punishment, realized using the latest technology and magic by other world standards, unfolds on stage.

In the original Bible, the ten plagues occur in sequence with a certain amount of time between them.

But I copied the musical part ‘The Plagues’ from the movie Prince of Egypt.

The plot was adapted to make it happen spectacularly, as if everything was pouring out at once.

‘This way, you can be immersed in the story without getting bored.’

Indeed, the knights’ reaction was just as I expected.

“Oh my god!”

“That is the punishment the Lord gives to the dull unbelievers!”

“That is the firm will of God to save the suffering people!”

Amazing special effects that are no exaggeration when compared to today’s CG.

The knights who saw this let out exclamations one after another, their eyes sparkling.

A huge swarm of frogs rose up in front of them and covered the entire land.

Flies and vermin swarmed throughout Egypt, and plagues and boils spread, causing livestock and people to fall one after another.

Lightning and fiery hail fell from the sky, and swarms of hungry locusts appeared and devoured all the crops.

The great authority established by mere humans was literally reduced to ashes in the face of successive disasters.

And it was solely the innocent Egyptian people who had to endure all that suffering.

[Pharaoh! Lord of the heathen!]

The Egyptians cry out in fear and suffering due to successive disasters.

Moses took pity on them and urged Pharaoh to stop being so stubborn.

He stood at the right end of the stage, under the spotlight, and shouted.

[Release the Hebrews! Stop afflicting your people and let my people go, whom God has promised to save!]

But the proud Pharaoh never bends.

[Don’t make me laugh, Moses! You false prophet who has returned from wandering in the wilderness!]

Pharaoh stands tall at the left end of the stage, symbolizing Moses’ antithesis.

He raised his arm and rebuked Moses and the Egyptians.

[I am Pharaoh! I am the incarnation and living embodiment of the sun god! Will I free my slaves by yielding to the tricks of a baseless desert god?]

“I, I’m so cheeky-!!”

“You dare to stand against the great one God, a desert poet-?!”

“Ugh, Pharaoh! How dare you-!!”

The knights were moved by the verbal abuse of the actor playing the Pharaoh.

From their perspective, it was a blasphemous remark, so they were really angry.

I couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat at the sincere anger.

‘… … It’s an expression I often used in the real world.’

Why would a person in his 30s who has no particular faith worship Yahweh?

I inserted it because I remembered my experience using it while communicating, but the reaction was stronger than expected and I was instantly struck by it.

Should I say that it is fortunate that even in the midst of such over-immersion, I do not direct my anger at the playwright or the actors?

[Alas, Pharaoh! You foolish and foolish one!]

The Egyptian monarch who did not give up his stubbornness even when a solar eclipse struck and plunged the entire country into darkness for three days.

Looking at this, Moses declared with a sad expression.

[Then do as you wish! Your arrogance will soon return as a punishment a thousand times heavier!]

Indeed, Moses’ prophecy was accurate.

The last of the ten plagues, the annihilation of the firstborn.

For the angel of death came down from heaven and killed all the firstborn sons in every household throughout Egypt.

… …including the young prince who was the son and successor of the Pharaoh.

When this happened, Pharaoh could no longer endure it.

A stage where the cries of Hebrew parents who had their babies taken away once echoed.

Now, amid the cries of Egyptian parents who had lost their firstborn sons, Pharaoh weakly declared his surrender.

[… … I give you permission to leave Egypt with the Hebrews.]

The emancipation of the Hebrew slaves finally fell from his lips.

Turning his back on Pharaoh in despair, Moses led the Hebrew people out of Egypt.

And the Hebrews, who had finally enjoyed the freedom they had dreamed of, happily followed Moses, regardless of age or gender.

[I will praise the Lord who has triumphed gloriously~♩]

[I will praise the Lord who has triumphed gloriously ~♪]

The beautiful hymns of the choir began to play after that.

Hearing songs praising God’s miracles, the Hebrews take a step toward the promised land flowing with milk and honey.

And the knights in the audience also rejoiced at the liberation of the Hebrews.

[Lord, who in heaven is like you~♬]

[Lord, who is like you, the most holy and majestic?~♬]

[You led the people with your love and gave them the grace of liberation~♫]

“Ah, hallelujah… … !”

“Immanuel! Immanuel… … !”

The knights who watched this whole scene from the audience began to shed hot tears.

The music of the Vatican’s highest choir and the passionate performances of the actors combine to create a performance that is impossible to escape from.

This is probably even more so because they project their own situation onto the appearance of the Hebrews in the play.

The hope that their suffering will one day be rewarded.

In the hope that God is not silent but is watching over them all.

‘But it would be a problem if I were already overcome with emotion.’

What I’m saying is that there’s still one real ‘climax’ left.

The scene changes, and soon Moses and the Hebrew people are resting in front of the Red Sea.

Papaam-!!

From the other side, the sound of a military bugle announcing battle is heard.

[Moses! Moses! Trouble! Pharaoh, Pharaoh has broken his promise!]

Then, a panicked extra came running out of breath and delivered the urgent news.

[He is leading his army and pursuing us Hebrews to kill all of us!]