Subscriber of the Gods Episode 279
Episode 279. I’ll give it to you.
It was humiliating enough to allow the local nobles to invade the center of the marquisate, but Ethan’s words to kneel down made not only the sons and daughters of Dren but everyone in the marquisate feel humiliated.
The first to step forward was Paris, the eldest son of the Marquis of Dren.
As Paris stepped forward, his men and even his enraged brothers stepped forward as if they were their own representatives.
“What kind of rudeness is this! Kneel down? Don’t you know where you are!?”
“You mere local noble! You should know that if you say those words right now, I will cut off your head and you will have nothing to say!”
The General’s expression hardened as he watched those who were rushing to pour out their emotions to Ethan. He had clearly said that this was not the time to fight.
It wasn’t important at all to decide who was the representative now.
Can’t they see Ethan’s claws?
The worst-case scenarios crossed the General’s mind: the death of Marquis Dren, and Ethan Wickers barging in as if he had planned it all from the beginning.
“… …and push us away.”
The general’s voice trembled. His shoulders and even his fingertips trembled.
“Are you going to become the new Twelve? … ?”
This is nonsense. The positions of the twelve constellations have been fixed and unwavering ever since.
The Holy Empire and the Magic Empire. The twelve stars that have settled in these two empires have never once wavered in their positions.
Of course, there were many who coveted this symbolic position. Many tried to take on the Twelve Stars, but none succeeded.
The reason was simple. When dealing with the Twelve Star Clans, it was not simply dealing with one of the Twelve Star Clans.
There was no way the existing Twelve Star Clans would accept a family without any foundation, so those who wanted to fight the Twelve Stars had to deal with not just one family, but multiple Twelve Star Clans.
It is difficult to deal with just one of the Twelve Clans, so how could you possibly withstand attacks from multiple Clans?
In the Demon Empire, where there are many belligerents, conflicts over the position of the Twelve Stars are frequent, but no family has ever been able to overthrow the Twelve Stars.
“… … !”
But now, it occurred to me that maybe that might happen.
Although it was too early and an absurd prediction, for some reason the feeling of unease did not go away in the director’s mind.
“Rude? Aren’t you the ones being rude? Even if the Dren family is the Twelve Stars, isn’t it a bit much to send an assassin to our Wickers, who are part of the same nation?”
“You… … Everyone knows that you assassinated my father… … the Marquis last night!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve been attacked all night. Look, these are Nightwalkers raised by the Marquis of Dren!”
Ethan shouted loudly. The noise was so loud that everyone in the Marquisate was sure to be aware of what was happening.
Yeerika, who was watching Ethan’s confident appearance from behind, couldn’t hide her smile.
It was quite exhilarating to barge into the middle of the Twelve Star Clans and make a big fuss.
“And you say I assassinated Marquis Dren during the night? Do you have any evidence? Do you have any justification for saying so? I have.”
Ethan led the captured Nightwalkers forward.
“The Nightwalkers who sent the letter of protest are also here. If you want to evade your position, feel free to do so. I have already heard everything from them.”
The Nightwalkers all had blank expressions as if their souls had left them. This was because Ethan had made them honest with his Bone Muscle Control.
Paris Dren, who stepped forward, made a face.
“Yes, I have a reason to say it! I don’t know why, but the Marquis of Dren sent the Nightwalker! Isn’t that why he was assassinated?”
“You’re talking nonsense. This was the first attack by the Marquis of Dren, so there’s no excuse for it.”
Paris’ face turned bright red as Ethan spoke as if he was teaching her.
The successors of the Marquis of Dren were all less capable than the Marquis of Dren. That was also the reason why the fight for succession continued so sluggishly.
“Please step back.”
The second son, unable to stand watching, pushed Paris aside and stepped forward.
“So are you suggesting that we start a war now? Are you here to declare war?”
“What is your name?”
“… … It’s Hite Dren.”
I asked intentionally even though I knew your name. I was trying to give you a hint that it wasn’t a place for you, someone whose name I didn’t even know.
Hite unconsciously clenched his fists in anger.
Ethan glanced at Haidt’s expression and attitude, then glanced at the expressions of the others.
‘This is going to be easier than I thought.’
There wasn’t a single person who was managing their facial expressions properly.
There wasn’t a single person who could properly manage their facial expressions.
Too loose a frame of mind. With such inexperience, he couldn’t possibly be Ethan’s match.
“Yes, Prince Hite. Are you here to fight a war? If you want, you can. But I came today to hear an apology.”
Armed with a wealth of experience, Ethan knew exactly how to lead a conversation and take control.
“Of course, you know that this isn’t something that can be resolved with just an apology, right? You even attempted to take my life. It’s a shame that Marquis Dren passed away, but that’s not something I should be concerned about. Marquis Dren sent an assassin to kill me.”
“Your Majesty… … !”
The general, unable to bear it any longer, quickly stepped forward and bowed his head.
“Speak separately… …speak separately, Prince Ethan Wickers. In order to discuss the situation more clearly, it would be best to speak inside. We will take care of it.”
“Count Ethan Wickers, General.”
Ethan turned around and shouted loudly.
“I’ll go talk to you! Wait!”
“yes!”
The knights answered in a loud voice.
* * *
“Why are we… … we are the victims!”
“Ethan Wickers came in alone, so now is the time! We must capture him, lock him in the dungeon, and make him pay for what he did!”
The Marquis’s office.
Leaving Ethan alone in the conference room, the five candidates for successor and the general manager gathered in the office and talked.
To deal with Ethan Wickers, who had arrived so quickly, a surefire way to resolve the situation was needed.
It was not the time to be talking about the Marquis’ revenge or anything like that.
However, Paris and Haidt, the first and second sons of the Marquis who had previously dealt with Ethan, did not seem to have a proper grasp of the situation.
The governor was quite at a loss as to what to do with these two foolish candidates for successor.
Fortunately, however, the three remaining candidates for succession seemed to be looking at the situation quite coolly.
“We need to negotiate before things get out of hand. The situation is quite unfavorable for us.”
“We need to seek help from the other twelve clans who can help us.”
“But to do that, we need a representative… … .”
“Okay, let’s say it’s temporary. I’ll be the temporary representative for now.”
“What kind of temporary representative are you? If you’re going to be temporary, shouldn’t I be able to do it?”
“Didn’t the General say so! Now is not the time for us to fight among ourselves!”
“If we make the brother who suggested locking Ethan Wickers up in the dungeon our representative, we’re in real trouble.”
The frustrating debate continued.
Then, the youngest, Hera Dren, raised her hand.
“I’m going to get out of this.”
“You’re going to miss it?”
“Hera, you know very well that now is not the time for that.”
“I’m saying that I’ll follow whatever the temporary representative is or whatever. Even if there are too many captains, the boat will end up in the mountains. Please let me know when everything is decided.”
Paris Dren, the first, smiled broadly, perhaps glad that one of his rivals was gone.
“do whatever you want.”
Hera left the room naturally. Her escort followed behind her.
“Hera.”
“You’re all stupid. You don’t even have a clue what’s going on right now. When are you thinking about revenge or something like that?”
It was a situation where I could only sigh. Everyone was so caught up in their emotions that they couldn’t see the situation properly.
“Sending the Night Walkers means that Father was determined to kill Count Ethan Wickers. He was taking a huge risk.”
The Marquis got down to business the very day he returned from Wickers Estate. That meant he felt the need to get things done quickly.
“If you think about it, it’s an opponent that needs to be dealt with quickly enough to be worth the risk.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The escort nodded.
“But the opposite happened to you.”
The Marquis of Dren was not a good father. Of course, I had some affection for him and was quite saddened by his death, but now was not the time to wallow in that sadness.
Ethan Wickers moves fast. If this movement is not properly stopped, the result will be uncontrollable.
“This is a matter of our Dren family’s survival.”
The Marquis of Drenne is a Twelve Star family. Even if the Marquis dies, it is not a family that will easily fall apart.
But that was what people who didn’t know the circumstances inside said.
“The problem is that even though the family has many troops, we can’t use them. We can’t go to war anyway. It’s not a situation where we can do it.”
As the name Twelve Stars suggests, the number of knights and soldiers possessed by the Marquis of Dren is quite large. If you just hit Wickus with them, you can overwhelm Wickus without much trouble.
No matter how strong Ethan is, the difference in numbers is huge.
“Just give the order.”
“Go to Count Ethan Wickers first and tell him that I would like to speak to him privately. Very politely.”
“yes.”
* * *
Even after Hera left, the four brothers continued to bicker.
In the meantime, Paris Dren got angry and stood up, slamming the table.
“We can win. Prepare all the knights and soldiers… … .”
“I can’t hit it.”
The director spoke in a cold tone.
“If that were possible, the late Marquis would have done it first. You must look at the current situation calmly!”
The director continued speaking in a tone that seemed a little frustrated.
“It is natural that you are angry, considering what Count Ethan Wickers did to you. However, if you act in a fit of anger, you will lose all justification. Fighting without justification helps no one. On the other hand, Count Ethan Wickers has a justification, so anyone will help him.”
“… … .”
A vein appeared on Paris Dren’s forehead. It was clear that their power was far greater, but there was nothing they could do.
Since I have never been in a position to take responsibility and lead, I did not think about the responsibility that would follow when I exerted my power.
“But isn’t there still a justification?”
This time the second one spoke.
“Putting everything else aside, my father, a high-ranking noble of the Holy Empire, was assassinated. For that alone, Ethan Wickus deserves to die! Don’t you know? You know it, sir, and I know it too. Ethan Wickus assassinated my father. He came in last night to seek revenge and killed my father’s direct bodyguard, the Dragon Knights! That day… …!”
“We need to prove it. Just like Count Ethan Wickers captured and brought the Nightwalkers in. We need to have solid evidence that the Count assassinated the Marquis. Just because everyone saw it doesn’t mean it’s not proof.”
“We can just create as much evidence as we want! We have the power to do so, Commander!”
Before they knew it, the conversation had shifted to the general manager. In fact, this was something they were used to.
“Behind Count Ethan Wickers are Princess Evangeline and His Holiness the Pope. Those two are people that even Marquis Dren could not handle. That is why I did it yesterday. How can you blame Count Ethan Wickers, who has those two people on his back?”
“… … .”
“… … .”
As soon as the names of the princess and the pope were mentioned, the first and second brothers shut their mouths tightly. The other two younger brothers also held their heads with expressions of frustration.
“Then… … what should I do… … .”
“There are two ways. I’m sure you, my lords, know how to do this.”
“You want me to apologize. Let’s move on from the situation and plan for the future.”
“Yes, that’s right. We are in a very tight spot right now. If we’re not careful, we could end up having to pay a huge amount of compensation, which would immediately raise the status of the Wickus Estate.”
The general said.
“The Wickers Estate is close to the Marquisate of Dren. It’s the estate right next door.”
“… … As Whikus’s status grows, the influence of our Marquisate of Dren is bound to diminish.”
“Yes, and what worries me the most is the price for this apology. I don’t think they’ll back down for just any price.”
The governor couldn’t measure Ethan Wickers’ bowl.
To be honest, even the General couldn’t understand why the raid last night had failed.
“We have no choice but to meet and talk. If we know what he wants, we can negotiate or whatever.”
The rest nodded at Paris Dren’s words.
“If you don’t want to elect a representative, let’s all go together.”
* * *
While the candidates for the successor to the Marquis of Dren were having a meeting.
Ethan was somewhere else than where he was supposed to be.
This was Hera Drenne’s office.
“I have come to negotiate, Count Ethan Whicus.”
Hera entered with her escort.
I thought it would be a pretty stiff atmosphere, but Ethan was smiling with a rather gentle face.
‘I think this will work out well?’
“Okay, negotiation. Let’s talk.”
Ethan motioned for her to sit down.
“This time… … .”
Hera Drenne’s rambling began with a couple of coughs, but Ethan soon raised his hand and cut her off.
“There is only one thing I can give you.”
“……yes?”
“I will save you.”
For a moment, Hera Drenne looked bewildered and blank.
She had great ambitions. However, being born the youngest, she was left behind by her brothers who had been growing in power even before she was born.
I always lived a life of following. I could have fallen into despair as I only saw the backs of the heads of my brothers who had gone ahead of me, but I kept running and running.
That’s why Ethan could be sure that this would work for her.
“Do you know what I hate the most? Doing things half-heartedly.”
Ethan said.
“Let me give you an example. I have never killed Marquis Dren, but let’s say I did. What do you think I would do next, Miss Hera Dren, since I hate doing things half-heartedly?”
“… … .”
Hera couldn’t answer. She just looked at Ethan with a shocked expression.
“Come here and help me. Help the Marquis’ downfall with your own hands.”
Ethan held out his hand.
“Then I will give it to you.”
It was a very unfair negotiation.
But that only applies to the Marquis. For Hera Dren herself, it was a negotiation that allowed her to have what she wanted.
“The right to rule the Drenne region of the County of Wickers.”
fantasy,
