Diary of Guarding Monster Girls

Chapter 874 - 439: This Is What a Giant Dragon Is Like

Amidst the mountains, a weary sigh suddenly echoed.

"Haah, haah..."

A person, wrapped tightly in a black hood even under the blazing sun—almost as if "suspicious person" were written across their face—halted their steps.

The leader’s fingertips unconsciously rubbed an ancient leather map, whose route, marked in dark red paint, was already blurred and unclear.

Around him, a dozen or so figures dressed similarly appeared one after another from around the mountain path’s corner.

They deliberately maintained distance between each other, their wary eyes glinting from the shadows of their hoods.

Observing their attire and noting the Holy Emblem pinned to their chests, their identity was unmistakable.

Sinful Desire Cultists.

Though the "Holy War" had ended, and the Divine had decreed for believers to continue hiding, this group hadn’t left with the main force.

The Evil God Church never had much control over its non-zealous members.

A group that could betray at any moment couldn’t be so easily bound.

During the previous battles, they’d lingered at the back, slacking off, and as soon as the war ended, they broke away from the main force.

They did this to satisfy their own purposes.

This group’s presence here was no leisurely mountain excursion, but for serious matters!

"Ahem, my lord, it’s not that I doubt you."

One of them halted, turned to the leader, and asked with a disagreeable tone, "It’s been a long time; does the ruin, you claimed to hide precious treasures, really exist?"

The leader hesitated at the questioning, then, like at the start of their journey, forcefully patted his chest, asserting firmly:

"It exists!"

"I swear by my master, the great [Master of Sin and Desire], that not a word I’ve said is false! It’s here, without a doubt! Absolutely no mistake!"

The leader felt helpless.

He couldn’t admit the information he provided was false.

Before joining the church, he had considered himself an outstanding treasure hunter, primarily making a living by excavating ruins everywhere.

Becoming an Evil God Cultist was due to some coincidental events that forced him... Well, that was more than a decade ago.

Over the years, he’s done what needed doing, and also what shouldn’t be done; hardly out of sheer necessity, nor could he claim innocence.

Now, he’s just a small leader in the Evil God Church, leading a group of people on a quest for ancient ruins.

And like him, there are many such people across various Divine Churches.

His family had once exchanged for a vague piece of news, that in some place lay buried a precious relic site from ancient times.

Initially, he hadn’t paid much attention, thinking his ancestors had been deceived once more, but after thorough research, he highly suspected the relic belonged to the mid-era of the Ancient Gods.

Thus, after making up his mind, he applied to the church for a group of people to begin the long search.

The group had been searching this area for years, struggling through myriad locations before finally arriving here.

There had been too many failures before, and the subordinates’ discontent had been growing.

It’s important to know, the Evil God Church isn’t a place where everything can be discussed pleasantly and amicably.

At this point, regardless of whether the information is true or false, it must be true, and it can only be true!

But the situation was worse than the leader anticipated.

Another Evil God Cultist spoke up in dissatisfaction, in another direction, murmuring: "My lord, I trust you, else I wouldn’t have followed you here, but the problem is, it’s been so long... Where is it exactly?"

In these boundless mountains, they couldn’t just search aimlessly forever, could they?

The questioner’s eyes gleamed with an unnatural green light in the shadows, his tongue seemed forked, speaking with a bizarre hissing sound.

The leader knew that this fellow’s emotions were currently very unstable, appearing on the verge of entering a manic state.

The situation was turning dire.

The leader realized that others had blocked all his escape routes unknowingly, trapping him in the middle with no way out.

"I don’t know, but according to what the merchant said, based on the ancient legend passed down through generations, it is said to be the source of the curse... We are bound to find something of interest to my master."

Reluctantly, he could only muster a dry smile, trying to steady everyone’s mood.

"You don’t trust me; do you not trust the wisdom of our master? They have permitted our actions."

"If we were indeed wrong, surely they would stop us, wouldn’t they? Ahahaha..."

Yet the others offered no response to the leader’s sophistry, just silently gazed at him.

Everyone here was a believer; pulling this trick with us?

Divine might have permitted it, but that doesn’t mean they’ve endorsed it.

"Ahahaha, cough... yes."

Feeling the increasingly delicate atmosphere around him, the leader ceased his dry laughter, realizing the matter couldn’t be concealed any longer.

But at this stage, he had no choice but to thicken his skin and laugh dryly twice more, raising his hands in oath: "I know you can’t trust me, so I shall swear in my master’s name."

"If there’s any falsehood in my words, let the Earth crack open, let the Celestial Fire consume me."

"Moreover, if nothing is found, then I shall compensate each of you with a large sum of money."