Subscriber of the Gods Chapter 353 - Hidden

Those who wish to become the true Desert King, seek the Desert King’s treasure.

But what if someone unrelated to the Desert King finds that treasure?

Should that person be recognized as the Desert King?

Hearing Ethan’s words, Rosir asked back in considerable bewilderment.

“Did you really, really find it?”

Rosir, who was always calm, couldn’t remain so in this situation.

What was the reason his father, the current Desert King, went into seclusion?

Wasn’t it because he failed to find the Desert King’s treasure and ended up like that?

In other words, there are countless dangers lurking inside that temple.

It’s a place where even the Desert King and his guard warriors couldn’t handle and suffered enormous losses.

Moreover, it was currently closed.

It’s said to be closed, but in fact, the fleeing Desert King triggered something that spread magic preventing outsiders from entering.

And he broke through all that, entered the temple, and found the Desert King’s treasure?

It’s unbelievable.

No, originally, she was going to find the Desert King’s treasure herself to sort out the current chaotic situation in Lyubin and oppose the evil god.

If it turns out like this, won’t she be unable to unite the divided Lyubin?

Rosir’s mind became quite complicated.

The complexity in Rosir’s mind was clearly visible on her face.

Kepha, who was standing next to her, was startled by Rosir’s expression.

It was because he had never seen such an expression on her face before.

That’s how shocking Ethan’s words were.

“For your information, I didn’t help.” 

At Shine One’s words, Rosir took a deep breath.

“Could I hear the detailed story… How did you… No, how did you even enter that temple…?”

“Finding the Desert King’s treasure wasn’t such a great feat. And that question is merely an answer to how I knew the evil god was hiding in this Lyubin.”

However, Ethan spoke nonchalantly as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“This isn’t something to be taken lightly! It’s an incredible feat!”

“There are other incredible things.”

Ethan looked at Kepha and asked.

“You’re the Great Shaman, right?”

“…Yes, I am.”

“As the Great Shaman, you must have seen the sky path, right?”

“Yes, I saw it clearly. I saw the Dark Star come alive and the Guardian Star fall. In fact, we were in the middle of a meeting about that until just now. And actually…”

Kepha explained the current situation of Lyubin with embarrassment.

Although he was ashamed after just being praised by Shine One, hiding it wouldn’t do any good.

“…It got worse after the current Desert King returned with severe injuries. In fact, Lyubin’s will is torn into several pieces, and to unite that will, Her Majesty Rosir was trying to find the treasure of the previous Desert King.”

But Ethan had found it. Kepha suddenly thought, could a situation get this tangled?

“But since Shine One is alive, we don’t need to worry about that anymore.”

Kepha was worried about Lyubin’s well-being. Although Rosir’s plan had gone awry, if they focus on Lyubin, it could be seen as an even better outcome.

Because Shine One could become that focal point.

But knowing that it wouldn’t be good in the long term, he couldn’t be entirely happy about it.

The best scenario would be for Rosir, who will lead Lyubin in the future, to unite the chieftains, but… that was something that couldn’t be realized right away.

“But how did Count Ethan Whiskers…”

The things Ethan was saying were things that only someone living in the desert could possibly know.

“There is a god I believe in. Once, she had temples across the entire continent, but now she has become a forgotten god. It’s Moonforce.”

“…Could it be that you’re an apostle of the Moonforce Order…!?”

The Great Shaman asked with a surprised expression.

“No, I am the descendant who has inherited everything from Moonforce.”

“…!”

The Great Shaman’s expression turned to one of shock, as if he finally understood everything.

“You’ve come… to punish us.”

The Great Shaman knew well about the history of the desert.

According to the stories passed down from ancestors, and their ancestors before them, all desert people carry an original sin.

They abandoned the god they believed in.

They acted arrogantly, thinking humans could do anything.

With what face could they believe in Moonforce again and ask for her help?

“No, Lady Moonforce has forgotten everything. Lady Moonforce wants to lead all those who believed in her to the right path.”

Ethan said.

“Everyone makes mistakes. And Lady Moonforce says she can overlook such mistakes several times.”

“…Oh merciful god.”

-The number of Moonforce Order believers has increased!

-Your class is growing!

-All abilities have increased!

-Survival probability has reached its limit. It will not change.

‘Oh.’

The conversion of Great Shaman Kepha provided a significant experience for class growth. However, there was no change in survival probability.

‘I guess someone of the Great Shaman’s stature in Lyubin has a lot of influence.’

Making such a person a believer was efficient in many ways for occupational growth.

“Then, Count Ethan, have you come to help us?”

Rosir asked carefully. It seemed the mental shock hadn’t worn off yet.

“Yes, as the descendant who has inherited everything from Lady Moonforce, I’ve come to fulfill my duty as a descendant.”

“…Thank you so much. But… we may have to show you some embarrassing sides. Actually…”

“I’ll explain that.” 

Rosir said, looking at Ethan.

“It happened due to my lack of capability. This Lyubin is a city formed by uniting the desert tribes. The chieftains representing each tribe and the Desert King lead the city. But… my father, the Desert King, wasn’t recognized by the other young chieftains, and after he suffered an incident at the temple, it got worse. After I became his proxy, it became virtually impossible to control the chieftains.”

“So you’re saying you can’t unite Lyubin.”

“…Yes, in fact, I was trying to obtain the previous Desert King’s treasure to persuade the chieftains.”

“Then why don’t you take that achievement, Lady Rosir?”

“…Pardon?”

For a moment, Rosir asked back in bewilderment.

Ethan had been constantly shaking Rosir since they first met.

Finding the Desert King’s treasure was an incredible achievement. With that achievement alone, one could have a significant influence in this Lyubin. Moreover, it could have a huge influence across the entire continent.

It was such a great achievement. Yet, Ethan’s words about giving up that achievement to Rosir didn’t seem realistic at all.

“What’s important now is the evil god. It will harm the desert tribes, and further, the entire continent.”

“…”

The greater good, and justice.

Rosir couldn’t help but admire Ethan’s attitude of thinking about something bigger than others.

‘Perfect.’

Even Ethan himself thought that right now, he was the very embodiment of a continental hero.

‘It’s much better if she thinks that way.’

If he could definitely draw Rosir to his side, future tasks would become easier.

“I will help you completely, Count Ethan.”

Rosir said, bowing her head.

At those words, Ethan inwardly thought ‘done’ and smiled.

“I appreciate your help.”

“Please raise your head, Lady Rosir. It’s too early for thanks.”

Ethan said.

“The real thing starts now. I’m going to meet the Desert King who’s currently in seclusion.”

“…My father is not in a condition to properly receive guests right now. May I ask why you’re doing this?”

“Perhaps.”

Ethan paused slightly.

“The evil god might be there.”

***

“This way.”

Ethan stood in front of a pitch-black door, following Rosir’s guidance.

This was the separate palace where the current Desert King was in seclusion.

‘I can feel it clearly.’

Shine One seemed to feel the same, frowning.

“I hoped it wasn’t true, but has the situation really turned out like this?”

“It seems the evil god tried to approach things differently, learning from his past failures.”

As they entered the separate palace, they saw the Desert King sleeping as if dead.

Ethan looked at the Desert King with the Eye of Horus.

‘As expected.’

It was exactly as Ethan had predicted.

The evil god had changed his strategy.

He had moved away from indiscriminate slaughter and now harbored ambitions to swallow the continent systematically.

But there was one thing he had overlooked.

The mental strength of the Desert King he had taken as a host.

‘He’s enduring.’

The evil god is inside the Desert King’s body.

He had been stirring up the Desert King to seize control until now, but the Desert King was enduring.

‘That’s amazing.’

Honestly, it was admirable.

If the evil god decided to torment them, ordinary humans wouldn’t be able to hold out for long and would crumble. Yet, the Desert King was withstanding the evil god’s attacks.

‘There’s only one reason he’s enduring. The desert tribes of Lyubin. He must want to protect them in the name of the Desert King.’

That’s why he’s enduring. It’s clear what would happen if he crumbled here.

Ethan made eye contact with Shine One.

It was time to give a proper explanation to Rosir who had come in with them.

“Lady Rosir.”

“Yes.”

“The evil god is currently inside the Desert King’s body.”

“…Is, is that true?”

“Yes, the Desert King is making great efforts for Lyubin. He probably lost all his guard warriors when he was attacked by the evil god at the temple. He must have been possessed by the evil god then.”

Ethan continued to check the condition of the Desert King, who was lying as if dead.

“The Desert King continues to endure for Lyubin. He’s resisting the evil god. To prevent his body from being taken.”

“Ah…”

Rosir’s eyes reddened.

After her father returned from the temple, a trend of disrespecting him spread throughout Lyubin.

Starting with the chieftains, many people in Lyubin pointed fingers at him knowingly or unknowingly.

They said he was an unqualified king and should step down immediately.

It was the moment when that false accusation, that dishonor was lifted.

“What should I do? What can I do, Count Ethan?”

“You should believe.”

Ethan said.

“In Lady Moonforce.”

“I will believe. From now on, until I die, I will dedicate all my faith to Moonforce.”

Ding-!

-The desert queen, Lyubin’s ruler Rosir has become a new believer of Moonforce!

-The goddess Moonforce bestows her blessing upon you!

-You have achieved an achievement!

-You have gained likes for achieving the [Great Believer] achievement.

-You have gained ’13’ likes!

Rosir, the desert empress who will lead Lyubin and this desert in the future, has become a believer of Moonforce. Since it’s like making a king a believer, the like reward was also set quite high.

‘Done.’

“Then, trusting those words.”

Ethan said.

“I will solve the rest from here on.”