Subscriber of the Gods Episode 342
Episode 342. The Temple of the Desert
The Novad Mercenaries have been experiencing amazing things since they entered the desert.
The guiding ability of the rash bed I was introduced to was definitely excellent.
But there was something even more surprising.
That was Ethan’s strength.
It’s already a well-known fact that Ethan is strong.
Because the most rapidly rising new star on the current continent was Ethan Wickers.
There were so many rumors about him that I couldn’t even count them on one hand.
Each and every one of these achievements is so great that it is difficult to describe them in words.
But there are quite a few people in the world who don’t believe what they haven’t seen with their own eyes.
“I, I heard you’re strong… … .”
“I’ve never seen anyone move like that in the desert. Even desert warriors can’t move that fast.”
“A thought suddenly occurred to me… … I feel a little sorry for the students taking classes from Count Ethan… … .”
It was only after seeing it with my own eyes that I realized Ethan’s strength.
“Yes, sir. You mustn’t make a mistake with your words. Okay? If you swear like you usually do… … .”
“… … I know that too. Joe, we have to be careful.”
The mercenaries didn’t even realize that they were stuttering.
Meanwhile, unlike the mercenary group who were terrified, Lashbed was quite happy.
There are many different paths remembered in his head.
But the path in the desert is not fixed.
Monsters that keep moving.
The surrounding circumstances.
The guide’s ability is to synthesize various information to find the way for the day.
Sometimes you take a detour, and sometimes you go straight. Sometimes you have to use a different route depending on the situation.
Because of this, even if you go to the same destination, the route has to be different every day.
But Lashbed was the best guide with a natural sense, so he always wanted to go the shortest route, different from other guides.
“Thanks to Count Ethan, I can go the shortest distance! It’s something I’ve always thought about!”
Thanks to Ethan, I was able to plan out the shortest route perfectly.
The excited Lashbed began to modify the route to make it shorter and faster. He was also quite excited to discover a path he had never known before.
“I will not forget this favor. When you come to the desert, come to me, Count! I will serve you at the lowest price, no, five times free!”
How long did it take like that?
Originally, it should have taken two full days, but we were able to reach our destination in just one and a half days.
“But Count Ethan… … Didn’t I mention something earlier? There are three most dangerous things in the desert. One is the Sand Hell Guardian, and the other is the Desert Shark. And I didn’t mention the last one… … .”
Lashbed said with a deep frown.
He is a guide.
His calling was to find the way and guide his clients to their destination.
That’s why I really didn’t like the situation I was in right now. But it wasn’t something I could force myself to do.
I saw Ethan’s strength with my own two eyes.
But the ones in front were the most dangerous ones in the desert.
“What are you waiting for? Aren’t you here already?”
“They’ve all come this far. But the final checkpoint has been created.”
“The final gate?”
“The Novad mercenaries came to find the Desert King’s treasure, so you must know this story. As you know, the story about the Desert King’s treasure first came out in the desert city of Lubin.”
The desert city of Lubin.
Among Lubin’s ancient documents, there was a passage related to the Desert King’s treasure. The librarian who first found the ancient document immediately reported it to the current Desert King.
“The content is… … The Desert King left a treasure in a huge temple. Whoever possesses that treasure will be able to inherit the true power of the desert. If you want to become the true Desert King, you must find that treasure.”
Lashbed spoke in a theatrical manner.
“The current Desert King is searching for the treasure left behind by the previous Desert King. How symbolic is this? The current Lord of Lubin and the Desert King has stepped forward with great enthusiasm. If he can find the treasure, he will be recognized as the true Desert King. There are many desert warriors in Lubin, and each has a different origin. That is why he was not properly recognized, so it seems that he wanted to find the treasure and clearly assert his legitimacy.”
The desert is huge. Because of that, various races live together, and so various races live together in Lubin.
The previous Desert King was recognized by all desert warriors, but this Desert King was different.
Some desert warriors left Lubin, saying they could never accept it, while others stayed in Lubin and even obstructed the Desert King’s advances.
Because of this, the Desert King himself set out to find the Desert King’s treasure, together with his most trusted desert warriors.
“The results were disastrous. The Desert King returned with one arm missing, and all but three of the Desert Warriors were killed.”
In the face of such dire consequences, the desert warriors of Lubin asked their king:
What on earth happened?
“But the Desert King did not open his mouth. He only issued a decree: that all warriors of Lubin should never come near the temple.”
After the decree, the Desert King kept his mouth shut and mourned the dead.
“That seems to have fueled their desire even more. They may not have been legitimate, but the Desert King and his warriors were extremely strong. But since the Desert King returned with great damage, I thought there must be something inside the temple that even the Desert King could not handle, and if that was the case, the treasure inside must be enormous.”
The treasure of the previous Desert King that even the current Desert King cannot handle.
People thought that the treasure inside the temple must be enormous.
But when the Desert King returned in that state, fear arose along with anticipation.
“But there are people everywhere who are looking to get rich quick.”
There were those who moved quickly after hearing that story.
“The Gaister Bandits, they’re the most dangerous guys in this desert. Well, they call themselves the Warriors of Dawn, but… … they pillage merchants, draw the attention of monsters, and attack travelers… … they’re just bandits.”
Lashbed shook his head.
“I think they’re in the temple area right now. Oh, and don’t worry about the treasure. They can’t get in anyway.”
“You can’t even get in?”
“There’s one thing I didn’t mention. The Desert King sealed the door when he came out. So no one can get in. The bandits are looking for a roundabout way to get in.”
“Wait a minute… … Then we won’t be able to go in either!”
“Boss, I am a guide. Didn’t you ask me to take you here? I faithfully carried out the request. I worked as much as I was paid.”
“No, but still! And the Gaister Bandits? A band of bandits is the most dangerous thing in this desert?”
“That doesn’t make sense! What are these mere thieves doing!”
Monsters can understand.
But aren’t the Gaister Thieves just a bunch of guys after treasure?
“There’s no need to be afraid, right?”
“Count Ethan is here too.”
“They are the ones born in the desert and raised in the desert as their playground. They know how to survive here. Do you have much experience fighting on the sand?”
Lashbed said incredulously.
“There are hundreds of them who can move freely on the sand. They are not just a group of bandits. Can’t you see that they are freely coming and going even though the Desert King has threatened not to approach the temple? They are the ones that even Lubin cannot touch.
In fact, it was virtually impossible to stop them in this desert.
In Lashbed’s opinion, the Gaister Thieves’ power was that strong.
“There are many bloodlines of desert warriors who rebelled against the current desert king. There are also those who inherited the royal bloodline of the desert. I don’t know about other places, but on the sand, the odds of winning are 0 percent. It’s better to avoid the storm.”
“… … .”
“… … .”
Lashbed was a man who knew his cat very well.
‘This kind of person lives a long life.’
Draw a clear line between what you can and cannot do and make a judgment.
That’s why Ethan remembered Lashbed, who was just a guide in the desert.
“Ah, no, then you’re paying that much money to come to a place you can’t even enter… … !”
“If you had told me earlier, I wouldn’t have come!”
However, Lashbed sighed at the mercenary group’s angry and rebellious reaction and said a name.
“Ophémar is the leader of that bandit group.”
“Oh, Ophémar… … ?”
The mercenary group that had been angry was suddenly greatly embarrassed.
“Could it be that Ophémar?”
The desert has a very closed social structure due to its environment.
But there was one man whose notoriety spread far beyond the desert: Ofemard.
“The Finger Collector… … Ophémar?”
“They say he collects ten thousand fingers and wears only the prettiest ones on his belt… … .”
“I heard that the bounty on your head is 50 million gold. I heard that it was placed by Rubin.”
“So that’s why? That’s why you couldn’t touch it in Rubin?”
“I think everyone is convinced, so let’s just wait for now. Those bandits come and go here regularly, and judging by the situation, they’ll be leaving soon.”
“I know there is a dangerous bandit group.”
But the mercenary captain was still angry.
“But that temple is one that even Ophémar can’t open. Shouldn’t you have told me in advance?”
The angry mercenary captain put his hand on his waist.
“stop.”
Ethan stomped his feet hard on the ground.
Then, waves spread out to the surrounding area and a huge pit suddenly appeared in the direction of the temple.
“Huh, huk… … .”
The mercenary captain was so surprised that he started to hiccup.
“Great directions, Lashbed.”
“We haven’t arrived yet… … As I said, there are bandits here, but they won’t stay in this temple for long. They’ll go somewhere else to pillage in about three days, so we’ll take advantage of that opportunity… … .”
“Is this the way to the temple?”
“……yes.”
“You can just guide me.”
Ethan said with a confident expression.
“You don’t have to worry about anything else. I’ll be behind you.”
* * *
“Fuck. Is there really a detour?”
“It seems like you come here more often than my house. Can’t you just tear it all down so you can get in?”
“You crazy bastard, don’t you see the magic unfolding over there? If we make one wrong move, this place will become our grave.”
“No, I said that because I was frustrated.”
A huge temple.
It was broken here and there and covered in moss, as if it had not been touched by human hands for a long time.
Above all, there were many areas that had been weathered by the sandstorms of the desert.
Who would look at this building and think it is a temple?
This place was a complete ruin.
In front of the ruins stood a group of armed bandits. They called themselves the Warriors of Dawn, but no one called them by their name.
“shit.”
“Did you have fun today too?”
While everyone was pouring out complaints.
Boom-!
Suddenly, a loud noise was heard from far away.
“Is that sound coming from the temple?”
“no way!”
On the temple side there was a leader of a bandit group.
The bandits ran towards the place where the noise came from.
“Captain!”
“Hey, did you do it!?”
The area was filled with dust.
Soon, as the desert wind blew away the dust, it became clear what had happened.
“I drilled a hole.”
There was a small but definite hole.
In front of the hole was a man with a huge, towering sword as tall as he was.
A bushy beard and sharp eyes.
He was Ofemar, the leader of this bandit group.
“It is finally time to get your hands on the Desert King’s treasure, my children!”
“Eww!”
“at las!”
Now, if I could widen the hole and go inside, everything would be resolved in no time.
But the joy was short-lived, as several bandits who had been on guard around shouted at Ofemar.
“Captain! Someone is coming here!”
“I think there are about fifty people!”
“I see the mercenary group’s flag!”
“Mercenary group? You fools, bewitched by the treasure of the Desert King. Where the hell do you think you are?”
Ophémar smiled brightly.
“It’s a good thing we’re short on supplies. Let’s try to steal some of the delicious food they have. They probably have some alcohol too, right?”
“I’ll go and take care of everything!”
“Let me go!”
The first step in the sluggish conquest of the temple has been taken.
Because of this, the morale of the Warriors of Dawn was considerably high.
“You idiots. Let’s all go and see each other’s faces.”
Ophemar led his warriors towards the temple.
“What a bunch of idiots, they even came with a flag as if it was nothing!”
“I think the person in front of me is that guide.”
“You said Lashbed? That punk is really good at finding his way. This is the chance to bring him to us. If he refuses to come, just cut off his head.”
“Yes, I understand!”
A force of 800 warriors formed a line and began to walk.
With every step, the sand tried to swallow their feet, but the feet of the warriors, accustomed to the desert, pushed the sand away.
“What the heck, those guys? They’re backing off?”
“Even the guide is stepping back?”
“How about one?”
As the warriors advanced, the mercenary banner bearers and guides began to slowly retreat behind.
But then one of them started walking towards the temple in the opposite direction.
“……what?”
“I wonder if they want to negotiate?”
“Those pathetic guys.”
800 warriors advancing forward.
And one person walking towards those warriors.
What would happen next and the outcome seemed so obvious.
fantasy,
