Chapter 56: Ch 56: Betraying a God

"Caelion, help our new fellow priests adjust to this place and show them how we do things. I am sure you can take charge of this place alone, right?"

Aiden asked, and Caelion nodded to show that he understood.

With his single move, the River family had lost over 10 slaves as well as the respect Ethan River had. But there were 4 more people to deal with as well as almost 90 slaves who still needed to be freed.

But more importantly, time was of the essence. There was no telling when a new god would be born or how strong they would be.

Not that it would matter because Aiden would make sure his goddess came out on top.

Still...

"Goddess Apophis, should we just storm the River family’s main house and free the slaves they are keeping? It would be much better than waiting around here like this."

Murder was not Aiden’s preferred way to resolve conflict, but it was nice when he had the option. Mainly because it seemed as if everything would be resolved with a single action from him.

"Hmp! I always tell you that we should go with violence. You are the one who wants to choose diplomacy over forceful conduct. So do what you want this time as well."

The goddess reminded Aiden, and he calmed down.

She was right, he did take the diplomatic approach because it looked good on paper. So this time as well, he would give the River family one last chance.

He was going to send them a message, asking them to free the slaves and to live an honest life. But if they refused, then Aiden no longer had a reason to exercise restraint against them, right?

It was all in the name of freedom anyway, so he was sure the people would understand.

After all, they liked stories like these where a hero appeared and freed the oppressed people. Now, it was time for his Goddess to form her own legend.

...

"Ethan, what is the meaning of this? How did you lose 10 of our slaves just from this single visit? And not only that, but you were thrown out as well. Just how useless can you be?"

Ethan trembled as he tried his best not to look at his father.

Or rather, he could not look at his father.

There was something terrifying about his presence that told Ethan’s instincts that it was not right for him to look at this man. And for the longest time, he had believed that his father was special and that was why he commanded such authority.

But now he was no longer sure, and it was all because of that Priest named Aiden.

He had exuded a similar authority, and his instincts had told him not to look at Aiden, just like they told him not to look at his father.

But while his father invoked a sense of fear in him, Aiden had invoked awe and respect. Ethan could tell that there was a fundamental difference between his father and Aiden, but he dared not say it.

Instead, he could only beg for his life and freedom.

"Father, it is all my fault! I underestimated that man and his charms. I should have known that anyone who does not fall for Honey’s charms is special—"

"Honey this! Honey that! Forget about your Honey for a moment. She is just another piece of flesh in this world. Instead, focus on the bigger picture. You are about to become the second follower of a god after your mother. You should be focusing on that."

Ethan flinched at his father’s loud words. He knew that his father was upset about him and Honey, but he had not realized just how much until now.

But he was right. Ethan needed to pull himself together and follow his father toward a new world.

"I am aware, father. But how much longer do you need before you become a god?"

Ethan asked, and his father let out a sigh while looking outside. The weather seemed to be getting colder, and rain clouds were starting to form.

Just then, lightning struck the middle of their village and burned the tree that stood there. But his father remained calm, making Ethan realize that it was his doing.

"I shall become a god tomorrow at the earliest...no, I will become a god tomorrow at all costs. And then, I will teach that intruding priest a lesson."

"Father, but what, what if he is stronger than you? Goddess Apophis might be a minor god as well, but she has much more followers compared to you. And now, even our own people left for her—"

"But the one who’s here is not Goddess Apophis, right? It is her priest. And no matter how powerful a priest is, he is nothing compared to a god. Soon, you will see the difference between a god and a priest for real."

Ethan’s father looked certain, but Ethan was not as certain as him.

In fact, he was sure that his father was making a mistake, but he could still not bring himself to back down and abandon him.

After all, his father was his god and the one who had always stood at the center of everything in his family. He was the reason they had risen above the other families and why they had all this comfort.

So Ethan knew he had to trust his father, even if there did not seem to be a way for him to win, even against a priest like Aiden.

That night, Ethan was about to fall asleep when he heard loud noises outside. He decided to ignore them, but he thoroughly regretted it the next morning. Because when he went to visit Honey, he was told that she was gone.

His father had chosen her as his next and last sacrifice for his awakening. And that broke Ethan.

"Hahahaha, father promised he won’t touch her. That’s why I never questioned him or went against him, so why would he—"

But Ethan knew why he did this. His father had always been strict about family lines and blood mixing. So having someone like Honey be involved with him was never an option.

He had just looked the other way to make Ethan lower his guard. And Ethan could not forgive his father because of this. He wanted revenge...but how could he extract it without dying at the hands of a god?

There was only one way—to make someone else do it for him.