— Traveler — Now, where was I... I think I was about fifteen when I met Him. — The traveler slowly turned the mug in his hands while watching the beer swirl inside. — Back then, I was starving. Sick with all kinds of diseases and freezing cold. I barely remember it anymore. I only remember spending days lying in an alley, watching people walk by. — The smiles on several faces gradually faded. — Then a royal carriage appeared. Pulled by those gentle yet dangerous beasts. Dozens of knights marched in perfect ranks, and just as many banners headed toward the palace, victorious after the dungeon expedition. I remember thinking: "If the king sees me, maybe he'll save me." —
— Clara — What a naïve kid you were! — she blurted out, shaking her head.
— Yeah. — he replied calmly. — I suppose I was. — He said it with a strange serenity, as though he remembered that boy fondly. — I watched that king ride past on his magnificent steed. For just a few moments, our eyes met. Then a light appeared behind me. I thought they were about to execute me for being insolent... or for still being alive. —
Ruy frowned.
— Ted — Wait... Magic?... To kill you? —
— That's what I thought too. — The traveler slowly raised his gaze. — But when I turned around, I saw a man dressed in white. He had strange wounds on His hands. And that look... The way He looks at you... that way that's so... — The words caught in his throat, and for a moment nobody spoke.
— Clara — And what did He do? — she asked more quietly.
The traveler took a few seconds before answering.
— He smiled at me. He simply smiled at me. —
Alvor exchanged a glance with Saun. The answer was so simple it almost felt disappointing.
— Saun — And that's it? — he asked.
— That's it. — The traveler smiled faintly. — He placed His hand on my head and said: "Follow Me." —
— Fran — Very mysterious. — he muttered.
— It was. —
Tony rested an elbow on the table. For the first time, he began to wonder whether this man was really making all of it up.
— I crossed the street as best I could. The guards beat me and threw me into another alley to get me out of the way. I scraped my knees against the stones. And when I looked up... that man was gone. —
— Ruy — Then you were hallucinating. —
— Maybe. — he said without taking offense. — But I remember perfectly what came next. — He rested both arms on the table. — The man had shown me a simple sign. He told me to wait... so I waited... One day, then another... The days kept passing until a week had gone by. Barely moving... And then a man appeared with his family, his wife, and his two little daughters. I drew that sign on the ground... and the father completed it with his foot. —
Varo slowly stopped drinking.
— Enor — And then? — He spoke for the first time since the traveler had begun his story. Everyone slightly turned their heads toward him.
— Then he took me in, without asking any questions. I was covered in filth. I smelled awful and could barely breathe. And even so, he carried me on his shoulders. —
— Tony — Nobody does that for a stranger. —
— Alvor — No. — he added. — Or at least, nobody normal. —
— Clara — Especially not with two little daughters standing right there. — she continued.
— Fran — I wouldn't either. — he admitted, only because Ted was there.
The fire crackled softly, and the traveler watched the flames for a few moments.
— He did. —
Nobody dared reply.
— They took me to their home. Well... home isn't really the right word. It was more of a shelter. There were other people hiding there. Entire families with their elders and children. Even wounded people. I remember waking up one night and seeing the father of the family breaking bread at a table. He said something like... —
The smile he had worn until then vanished for a moment. Varo lowered his mug halfway before reaching his mouth, waiting for those words, but the traveler lowered his gaze and looked around at all of them.
— And I remember feeling peace for the first time in my life. —
Nobody added anything. Only the crackling of the fire could be heard.
— Clara — And the first man...? — she asked after a few seconds.
— When I asked about the man who saved me, nobody would answer. But after insisting for a few more days, they explained that the man who told me to follow Him was actually a king. — He smiled faintly as he looked at the table.
Varo looked up.
— How rude of me. I completely forgot to introduce myself. — He set his mug on the table and stood up.
— My name is Eutico. "The Fortunate One." —
Tony burst out laughing.
— Tony — Well, you got off to a rough start for someone called fortunate. —
Several laughs spread around the table. Even Eutico laughed.
— Eutico — Maybe. But that man, the one who rescued me, taught me who that king was. And when I grew up... He asked me to look for others who followed Him as well. —
— Ted — And did you find many? —
Eutico rested one hand on the back of his chair.
— Eutico — More than you'd imagine. Merchants, soldiers, slaves, widows, thieves, and even nobles. —
— Fran — That's at least half the city. — he whistled under his breath.
— Eutico — More than one city. —
— Clara — And all of them follow that king? — She tilted her head slightly.
— Eutico — They're still trying to. Although sometimes... we're pretty bad at obeying Him. —
Saun let out a small laugh.
— Ted — Now that sounds a lot more believable. —
Tony tapped the table lightly with the base of his mug.
— Tony — Alright. I've had enough of this. Tell us about this king of yours. —
— Enor — Yes. — he added without taking his eyes off the traveler. — It's about time we met him. —
The side conversations gradually died away. Eutico remained silent, staring into the flames. Then at the mugs. And finally at those gathered around him. After nearly a minute, he nodded.
— Eutico — My King once spoke of a father and his two sons. The younger one demanded his inheritance early and left his home. He spent all his money on drink, gambling, and bad decisions. In the end, he wound up working for a hunter. —
Tony let out a snort.
— Tony — I knew that was going to end badly. —
— Eutico — The hunter used his helpers as bait for monsters. When the beasts showed up... he was always the first to run. —
The smiles vanished from the men's faces. Ruy slowly rested his forearms on the table, and Fran looked away from the fire. They all knew stories like that.
— Eutico — The young man became so hungry that he started thinking about stealing. Even eating raw meat. Then he thought: "My father's servants live better than I do." So he decided to go back. He had prepared an entire speech. He wanted to ask for forgiveness. He wanted to work as a servant until he paid back what he had lost. —
— Ruy — That makes sense. —
— Eutico — But when he returned... his father ran to him and embraced him before even hearing him out. —
— Ruy — What do you mean he embraced him? —
— Eutico — Yes, he embraced him. —
— Ruy — Before he apologized? —
— Eutico — Before. —
— Tony — Then the father was an idiot. —
— Clara — Tony... — she muttered.
— Varo — No. Wait, that doesn't make any sense. The son disappears, wastes his inheritance, and comes back with nothing. And the father runs out to welcome him home? —
— Enor — That's what he said. —
— Tony — Then he was an idiot. —
— Saun — Or maybe he missed him. — he said.
— Eutico — The older brother thought exactly the same thing you do. —
— Tony — Of course he had every right to be angry. —
— Varo — Exactly. I wouldn't throw him a party either. —
— Eutico — I know. — He smiled softly, remembering others who had struggled with the same dilemma. — The older brother got angry just like you did. —
Several laughs spread around the table. Tony, on the other hand, clicked his tongue in protest.
— Eutico — And he was right. —
— Clara — Does it really seem that wrong to you for a father to treat his children well? —
— Tony — If you do something stupid, you pay for it. —
— Clara — And if one of our children... — she asked.
Tony opened his mouth, then shrugged.
— Tony — Them too. — he said reluctantly.
— Clara — Right. — She didn't sound convinced.
— Enor — Come on, you two. Save the married couple arguments for when you're alone. —
Eutico watched the exchange with a small smile.
— Eutico — My King used to say that father was happier to have his son back than angry about everything he had lost. —
— Tony — Once you reach a certain age... some things just don't matter as much anymore, I guess. But it should cost him something. —
— Eutico — Actually, I have another story. It's about some laborers who had worked since dawn and others who had worked barely an hour. Yet they all received exactly the same wage. —
— Tony — That's ridiculous. — he protested immediately.
— Varo — Of course it is... Who'd work from dawn if they're getting paid the same? —
— Ruy — Depends. If the pay's good... —
— Ted — No, it doesn't depend on anything. — he cut in.
The argument erupted around the table. Ruy shifted in his seat several times. One moment he seemed convinced by Tony, and the next he found a reason to disagree with him. Varo wasn't backing down either.
— Clara — What if, in the previous story, the father wasn't rewarding what he did...? What if he was simply happy that he came back alive? —
The table fell silent for a moment. Then they started arguing again. For nearly an hour they went around in circles over that idea. While the others talked, Tony watched Eutico. He was still the only one who hadn't touched a single drop of alcohol.
— Tony — What's wrong? —
Eutico lowered his gaze to the mug.
— Eutico — I shouldn't have drunk that. —
— Tony — Why not? —
— Eutico — I don't have anything to pay for it with. —
— Tony — Don't worry about that. — He got to his feet, as he had so many times before. — Just for today, drinks are on me. I haven't had this much fun with these idiots in a long time. — he said as he poured another mug.
Eutico turned in his chair to follow him with his eyes.
— Eutico — I'm afraid I won't be able to repay you. —
Tony placed the mug in his hands and sat back down.
Every time Tony finished a sentence, Varo nodded. Enor started talking about merchants, contracts, and prices. Saun completely lost track of the discussion and ended up defending a position nobody had suggested in the first place.
Eventually Tony stopped answering and simply ran out of energy, with two clear fronts formed around the table. The pieces of meat served alongside the beer slowly disappeared from the plates. The alcohol was beginning to take effect, but the voices were still there, gradually losing strength.
— Eutico — Curiously enough, my King once told a story where the nobleman didn't help either. The wealthy arrived surrounded by servants. They dropped entire bags of coins into the offering box and made sure everyone saw them doing it. —
— Tony — Like every rich man. — he snorted.
Everyone nodded.
— Eutico — But then an old woman appeared. Very poor. She was trembling so much she almost dropped the coin before giving it away. She gave only one. A single coin. And my King... smiled. —
— Clara — Over one coin? — she asked, raising an eyebrow.
— Eutico — He said that woman had given more than all the rich people put together. —
— Tony — Then he was terrible at counting. —
Fran almost spat out his beer laughing. Even Eutico ended up chuckling a little.
— Alvor — No, wait. — he said to himself. — I think I get it. —
Several heads turned toward him.
— Alvor — If that was the only coin she had, then it was worth more to her than an entire bag of coins was to a noble. —
Saun nodded, surprised.
— Ruy — Yeah. I don't have many either. I think I'd rather lose a hunt than my last coin. —
— Tony — Hey, Ruy, so you'd rather lose an iron bar than a hunt worth a few gold coins? —
— Saun — You own a tavern. —
— Tony — Traitor. Are you telling me I don't know what poverty looks like, you bastard? — he said with a laugh, though there was a hint of seriousness in his voice.
— Eutico — Speaking of traitors, my Lord once told a story. —
Ruy motioned for his brother to be quiet.
— Eutico — About a man who had been robbed and left by the roadside. First a nobleman passed by, then a priest. Neither of them stopped. Neither of them even looked at him. In the end, the one who helped him was a bandit. —
— Tony — That's stupid. —
— Ted — How is that stupid? —
— Varo — Because nobody would act like that. — A brief memory of his former bosses crossed his mind. — Or maybe they would. — he muttered to himself.
Alvor replied that the truly absurd thing was imagining a noble helping someone without expecting anything in return. Fran agreed immediately, and Enor reminded everyone of all the hunters who had turned out to be worse people than some criminals, while Ruy insisted that a hard life didn't necessarily turn someone into a monster.
Five minutes later they were no longer arguing about the man by the roadside. They were arguing about nobles, hunters, criminals, and who was to blame when someone ended up dead. But Saun eventually claimed that he would have helped the wounded man, a statement Tony immediately seized on to mock him. Laughter spread around the table, and Saun spent several minutes trying to defend himself, but the more he talked, the less convinced even he seemed.
— Clara — What's wrong? Don't you like the meat? — she asked, speaking only to Eutico.
— Eutico — It looks great, but that's not it... —
— Clara — The old man bought you beer. — She stretched across the table, picked up the freshly served plate, and slid it toward Eutico. — I'm not buying you meat. Just eat it. —
— Eutico — That's really not necessary... —
— Clara — Quiet. How long has it been since you last ate? —
— Eutico — Several days. —
— Clara — That's what I thought... —
Clara picked up the last three strips and handed them to Eutico.
Clara got up with the empty plates and went to fetch more, as she had done so many times throughout the evening. Eutico waited until she returned and Tony came back from refilling a couple more beers.
— Eutico — You remind me of two women who knew my King. —
— Tony — I hope I'm not one of them. —
A few laughs spread around the table.
— Eutico — No. I'm fairly sure you're a man. —
The laughter rolled around the table again.
— Tony — What do you mean fairly sure? You're not completely sure? —
— Eutico — You do resemble them quite a bit. —
Then Eutico took advantage of a pause between the laughs and told them about the two sisters. One worked tirelessly, while the other remained seated, listening to the King and His companions.
This time, the argument started before everyone had even understood the story. Tony planted both hands on the table.
— Tony — Then what's the other one working for? —
— Clara — Because somebody has to do it. —
This time, neither of them seemed willing to back down. Alvor and Fran ended up siding with Tony. Clara stood her ground. Ruy tried to mediate several times without much success, and Saun jumped in intending to help, achieving exactly the opposite. The discussion kept escalating until several people were talking at once.
— Clara — Because that's not the same thing! Because... —
— Tony — Of course it is! —
— Clara — Let me finish! —
For a few moments, it looked as though the night might end with someone rolling across the floor. But Eutico raised a hand. He didn't need to bang on the table or raise his voice. He simply waited, and little by little the protests died down.
He told them that he shared meals with beggars, orphans, tax collectors, the sick, and women who were despised and loved at the same time.
This time, nobody immediately started arguing. They seemed more confused than annoyed.
— Varo — And why did He do that? —
For a few seconds, Eutico stared into his mug.
— Eutico — Because the healthy don't need a doctor. —
Nobody knew how to respond.
Tony tried to say something clever.
Ruy kept staring at the table, imagining the King surrounded by those people.
Clara, on the other hand, looked irritated.
The silence stretched on for several seconds before someone finally let out a snort.
— Tony — Well, I wouldn't sit next to a tax collector. —
A few laughs appeared around the table, but they faded quickly. Nobody seemed interested in restarting any of the earlier arguments. The mugs were half-empty, and the voices were much quieter now.
Then, sensing that the night was drawing to a close, Eutico told them about the time his King knelt before His own followers and washed their feet.
That story produced something different. This time there were no protests and no questions.
Varo lowered his gaze, and Ruy frowned as though trying to make sense of it.
Enor remained motionless, his mug suspended between his hands.
Even Tony took several seconds to react.
— Tony — Admit it. No king would ever do that. —
Eutico nodded.
— Eutico — No. None that we know of, right? —
Nobody answered.
The noise of the tavern seemed more distant than usual, and even the men who still held mugs in their hands stopped moving altogether.
— Tony — One question, Eutico: where is your lord's kingdom? —
Eutico smiled.
It wasn't a smile of victory or relief.
It was the smile of someone who had been waiting all night for that question.
He looked around the room: the empty mugs, the tired faces, the bloodshot eyes; the people who had spent hours arguing and now sat in silence.
— Eutico — I've spent the whole night talking to you about Him... and you still don't see it. — Some frowned.
— Eutico — His kingdom is here. — Several eyes scanned the room. Tony let out a small laugh.
— Tony — In the back room of my tavern? —
— Eutico — His kingdom is not built with walls — he said, too seriously. — It doesn't conquer cities. It doesn't need armies. It rules wherever a person opens the door to Him. —
The room remained still. Eutico slowly looked at each of them, as if he wanted to remember their faces, as if he knew he might never see them again.
— Eutico — All these arguments... these laughs... these tears... that feeling that started sometime during the night and now you can't quite explain... do you think it came from the wine? From the beer? From my stories? — Nobody answered. — Of course not. It's Him knocking at your door. He's been doing it all night. — His eyes swept across the table one last time. No one seemed to know how to respond.
— Eutico — And if you let Him into your hearts, He will give you a joy you've never known. I assure you, because He does not lie. He told us that where two or more gather in His name, He Himself is present. —
The first light of dawn began to slip through the small window of the back room. Some looked around. Eutico caught it from the corner of his eye and smiled.
— Eutico — I firmly believe He was here tonight. I believe He enjoyed it. He always had a weakness for simple people. He likes listening, speaking, and sitting among ordinary people like us. —
Silence deepened.
— Eutico — He is not an ordinary king — his voice was barely a whisper. — He never was. — The silence became absolute. — He is the King of kings. My God and the only true God. — He picked up his cloak and left without saying anything else.
The silence broke the moment the door closed behind Eutico.
— Tony — What the hell… we've been talking with someone who doesn't follow Tolmas. They're going to arrest us, damn it, we've been tricked. —
— Varo — Lower your voice, idiot… if someone hears you, we'll get arrested right now because of you. —
— Clara — No… wait. — Her tone was lower, tighter. — He didn't force anything on us. He just talked. —
— Fran — Just talked? He's been throwing half a night of… that at us. —
— Ruy — It's not that simple. — He looked at the table, uneasy. — If it's truly forbidden… then anyone who listened is in trouble. —
— Enor — Either nobody is in trouble… or all of us are. —
— Saun — All I know is I want to get out of here before someone decides to ask what we've been listening to. —
Tony slammed the table in anger.
— Tony — He sold us a story and left like it meant nothing. —
— Clara — He didn't sell us anything. — she replied sharply.