Subscriber of the Gods Episode 323
Episode 323. Preparation
after class.
“Homework is the same as before. Always remember to take your time. Then, let’s disperse.”
Students rushed out of the classroom.
This week’s class was also quite stimulating for the students.
Taking classes also helped me gain a deeper understanding of routines and dives.
Students taking Ethan’s Introduction to Practical Studies class probably won’t miss a single day this semester.
‘If you keep being tense, you’ll eventually get tired. If you stay like that for an entire semester, it’ll probably spread around the time of the exchange program. But for now, that’s the right amount of tension.’
If you are always alert, you can react quickly to any situation that comes your way.
The three apostles would come before the exchange, and it was necessary to maintain a certain level of tension to deal with him and the followers of the moon.
‘You never know when the three apostles will show up. You have to move quickly.’
“teacher.”
Oz stood behind Ethan, who was about to leave.
He had an expression on his face that was hard to describe. I had only attended the class three times, but I felt like things had changed dramatically in many ways.
The biggest thing was attitude.
“Thank you very much. I will work hard.”
Oz’s heartfelt words.
Ethan quickly figured it out.
‘You’re not talking to me.’
It’s like a promise to Oz himself, to himself.
Ethan lightly patted Oz on the shoulder.
“You’re doing well, Oz. Just keep doing what you’re doing now. But don’t be complacent. What did you say was your goal?”
“Cutting down a mountain… … in one breath.”
“Just think about it.”
“……yes!”
* * *
Ethan rubbed his eyes.
“My eyes have definitely improved.”
Teaching 150 people at the same time was a task that even Ethan wasn’t sure was a success.
‘If we were to consider the possibility, it was much closer to impossible.’
But Ethan succeeded. Although the pain in his eye still remained, Ethan’s eye, and by extension his skill, had definitely gotten stronger.
However, the people that Ethan will have to face from now on are the strongest on the continent, acknowledged by all.
‘Only those who really have to fight and clash with each other are left.’
The top three apostles, the dawn lord.
And the twelve constellations of the Magic Empire.
‘And if you count the hidden strongmen, none of them are easy.’
But if you think back to the time when he almost died from a single sneeze, Ethan had grown to a level that was worlds apart.
“Let’s throw away all the miscellaneous thoughts. Just think about the enemy in front of you. Since there are no suspicious movements for now, we can prepare as much as possible in the meantime.”
According to the Rosicrucian report, it seemed as though they would come to attack Ethan at any moment.
‘It’s much more reassuring if there’s no movement. Someone as big as the 3rd Apostle wouldn’t be leaking information.’
If information is leaked, it will be intentional, so it would be better to keep quiet and not make any moves like we are doing now.
‘Because you’ll think I don’t know what’s going on right now.’
This was a very important factor.
As soon as Ethan finished class, he went straight to find someone.
“… … What’s going on?”
The place he arrived was Cloudy’s office.
“I came here because I thought the most trustworthy and most open-mouthed person in Ibeca was Ms. Cloudy.”
“……what?”
Cloudy frowned slightly and shut her mouth tightly. It seemed as if she was asking me to explain right away.
“Do you know about the Moon Followers?”
“Know.”
“They are coming.”
“… …Does that mean you’re coming to Ibeca, Mr. Ethan?”
This was something that only a very few people should have known about.
‘According to the original story, Oliveira Sacred was supposed to surface at this timing.’
If it were a normal route, field training would take place and an accident would occur as it should have according to the original story.
But now the future has changed.
Besides, Oliveira Sacred had already dropped out.
‘I never thought you would drop out.’
Nevertheless, the quest’s compulsion was quite great, as it led to a future that Ethan knew.
‘What I need to do is share information with only the bare minimum number of people and deal with this situation.’
There was a high possibility that hundreds of Moon followers would invade this vast academy.
They will do whatever it takes to remove or weaken the Academy’s mana restrictions.
After that, he will thoroughly devastate Iveca and leisurely come to kill Ethan.
‘This is something I’m doing without worrying about what other people think.’
To the followers of the Moon, Ethan is a thorn in their side, having killed several apostles and repeatedly disrupting the work of the council.
Moreover, for the Dawn Society, which had driven out the Rosicrucian Order, which was its root, under the pretext of extinctionism, Ethan was also clear evidence that they were wrong.
‘From the Dawn Society’s perspective, they have become a target that must be killed as quickly and reliably as possible.’
How could anyone care about outside opinions when a person who should be killed as soon as possible is still alive?
I could be sure because Ethan was a member of the Dawn Society.
‘You have to give up the assumption that they’re going to do it secretly. They’re going to come at you openly. They’re going to come at you like a storm and sweep everything away.’
That’s why Ethan sought out Cloudy first.
“Yes, they will come.”
“I think I should tell you the most important thing first.”
“They are coming to kill me.”
Cloudy frowned at Ethan’s words.
“Why?”
“You know that I was briefly an instructor at the Inquisition, right?”
“I heard that the Inquisition was able to breathe a sigh of relief thanks to Professor Ethan.”
“At that time, I went on an operation with the newly initiated Inquisitors. I had to make them do the work of one person for a short period of time, so I went with them to observe the actual battle.”
Ethan mixed lies with the truth.
“That’s when I met them. They were said to be the highest ranking executives among the followers of the moon.”
“… … !”
Cloudy was of Hyde blood, so she knew a lot about the Moon’s followers who were running amok here and there.
The followers of the moon continued to approach the high-ranking nobles or the nobles below them.
There were many instances where they tried to make them their assistants by offering them various sweet offers.
Given the circumstances, the children of noble families and talented people have no choice but to receive extensive education to never fall into their clutches.
“Do you know those who are called apostles?”
“I know. Does that mean you met the apostle while leading the newly commissioned interrogators?”
“Yes, they were a great help. Even though they were new recruits, they had received my training and they all had a tremendous hostility towards the followers of the Moon. Thanks to them, I was able to defeat the Apostle and rescue the other inquisitors who had been kidnapped.”
“So you found out about that. From the Moon Followers side.”
“yes.”
“How did Mr. Ethan find out about that?”
“I got a call from the Inquisition. The killing of the Apostle was a serious matter. While we were secretly communicating, I learned that they were after me.”
“… … .”
Cloudy remained silent for a moment, lost in thought.
Ethan never thought he would cower and back down.
He doesn’t show it on the outside, but he loves the Academy very much.
He cherishes the students he has raised, and the students at the academy who are just beginning to develop their talents.
Of course, the problem was that the interest and affection was limited to those who deserved it.
Anyway, I thought Cloudy would say something like that.
“This is the only way.”
“No, there is one more. It would have been the first thing you thought of, but you didn’t mention it.”
“Is that really a choice?”
“It is my choice to leave the Academy.”
Cloudy shook her head in denial at Ethan’s words.
“The reason they came was to kill Mr. Ethan. If that’s true, Mr. Ethan’s first thought would have been to leave Ibeka. But he didn’t choose it. There must be a reason for that. Isn’t that enough?”
It was trust.
Trust that Ethan’s choice will be the best choice.
And then he snickered.
“Mr. Ethan is not the type of person to use his students as a shield or put them in danger. That’s why I didn’t say anything.”
Ethan couldn’t help but laugh at her attitude, which seemed to ask why she was saying something so obvious.
* * *
A luxurious room.
It was a space with quite a lot of books, considering it was a living room.
The door opened and a nobleman came in.
“Two of Ibeka’s greatest teachers have come to see me.”
The Marquis of Ronde, the greatest benefactor of the Ibeka Academy and a descendant of the first president who founded the Academy, welcomed Ethan and Cloudy.
“Shall I hear why the two teachers came to see me? They said it was quite urgent.”
Ethan relayed to the Marquis of Rond exactly what he had told Claudia.
The Marquis of Ronde looked at Ethan with a surprised expression, then turned his head to Cloudy.
Although Ethan is a renowned teacher, he is still a new teacher. That is why I wanted to confirm it once more through Cloudy.
As Cloudy nodded at that gaze, the Marquis of Ronde groaned.
“A follower of the moon… … This doesn’t seem like it’ll end as just Iveca’s problem. It’ll have a big impact on our territory as well.”
“I haven’t told the principal yet because I’m worried that the information might leak out.”
“Well done, well done. There are probably quite a few followers of the Moon within Iveca. If it had been passed on directly to the principal, there would have been a high chance of being caught. You found it well. I will inform the principal separately.”
The Marquis of Ronde said with a serious expression.
“If they were coming after you, they could have gone somewhere else instead of Ibeca.”
“No, if they find out I’m not here, they’ll lure me here. They’ll destroy Iveca Academy. Then they’ll go to our territory. They’ll stop at nothing to kill me.”
“Ugh… … .”
The Marquis of Ronde sighed.
I never imagined that something like this would happen to me, since I’ve lived a fairly upright life so far.
If Ethan runs away, instead of chasing him, lure him away.
With human life.
“Then… isn’t your territory also in danger?”
“Yes, I have instructed the territory to take defensive measures in case of an emergency. However, the problem is this Ibeka.”
Ethan explained the situation in a little more detail.
There was talk that if the Three Apostles made up their minds and led their troops, not only Ibeka Academy but also the Marquisate of Rondo would suffer significant damage.
“… … This is a situation where we must consider our territory to be invaded and do our best to stop it.”
“I’m really sorry, but… … yes, I think that’s what I’ll have to do.”
Ethan is the culprit behind everything. If I brought it up like that, I would naturally hear words of resentment.
But the Marquis did not blame Ethan.
“You say you’re sorry, but you don’t really look like you’re blaming yourself. Well, someone your age can easily hide their expressions. Let me just say this. Don’t blame yourself. You just did what you thought was right. Something happened that was too much for you to handle alone, but don’t suppress the righteous indignation in your heart.”
Ethan nodded at the Marquis of Rondo’s words.
“Yes, that will never happen. Thank you for your help, Marquis.”
* * *
midday.
A fairly young woman was loitering at the entrance to the Ibeka Academy.
“Well, it’s just the right size. There’s also a mana restriction on the inside. It’s perfect for hiding your body.”
She was a woman of quite beautiful appearance.
She was wearing a blue robe, with a crescent moon design on the slightly exposed nape of her neck.
“How did you get here?”
“I walked here on two legs.”
The corners of her mouth curved gently.
“I came to kill Ethan Wickes.”
fantasy,
