CHAPTER 271: I'M THE ONE WHO

Ethan had earlier received news that Marquis Dren was heading towards Whiskers territory.

“That’s fast. It must have really bothered him.”

He didn’t expect them to move this quickly. Those with power typically move slowly.

It seemed Ethan’s provocation had worked perfectly.

Ethan immediately prepared to move to Whiskers territory.

As he did so, Yerica spoke up.

“Lord Ethan, what kind of revenge do you have in mind?”

To be honest, when Yerica heard Ethan talk about starting revenge, she thought of war.

She wouldn’t be satisfied without destroying House Marquis Dren, one of the families that had done that to her grandfather.

Moreover, given how much Ethan had prepared, it didn’t seem like this would end mildly.

“Revenge isn’t just about smashing things.”

Ethan said.

“House Marquis Dren is the biggest obstacle to Whiskers’ development. Of course, the same is true for House Marquis Dren. Originally, a small house like Whiskers wouldn’t have even been a threat.”

The current Whiskers was no longer a small house.

And.

“They’ve never been cornered like this before.”

Ethan showed her a map.

“W-what is this?”

Yerica was surprised. Next to her, Schudlen also looked shocked upon seeing the map.

“When did this happen?”

Schudlen, a knight belonging to Count Whiskers, doubted whether the map he was looking at was real.

The map showed the power dynamics of the region where House Whiskers was located.

Several noble houses were positioned around House Whiskers, with Marquis Dren’s territory isolated near the center.

“Did we… absorb all of this?”

Ethan nodded at Schudlen’s words.

“Count Yurahan’s territory and all the surrounding territories have come under Whiskers’ control. Not just that. We’ve swallowed up all the businesses in this area. As a result, we’ve come to border Marquis Dren’s territory, and we’re in direct conflict over various business matters.”

“…Then Marquis Dren will come at us first? House Whiskers was small until recently. They’ll be uncomfortable with a small house suddenly growing in power.”

Ethan nodded at Yerica’s words.

“That’s the pretext. Originally, no house could stand against the Twelve Families. Whether openly or behind the scenes, opposing the Twelve Families is difficult.”

Only the Twelve Families themselves or those above them could oppose the Twelve Families. But originally, they had no reason to oppose each other.

“But I’ve created a counterforce.”

He had drawn in those above the Twelve Families to their side.

“If we step forward with Hecate’s revenge as our justification, they can bring allies. However.”

Ethan grinned.

“We were attacked first. If we use revenge for that as our justification, who could say anything if we crush House Marquis Dren?”

Yerica looked at Ethan.

“Did you plan this from the start?”

“I painted the big picture.”

“It’s drawn too well?”

“Better than expected.”

As Ethan laughed, Yerica laughed along. Schudlen also joined in with a hearty laugh.

“Did you laugh because you understood?”

“…I understood too.”

Schudlen shook his head vigorously.

“Anyway, getting hit first is the priority. It seems they’re definitely planning to strike.”

Judging by the recent incident with Tainpro, it appeared House Marquis Dren was full of intent to attack without any provocation or justification.

“Yerica, this is my goal. To pressure the marquis house and devour everything they have. The ultimate goal is to expel House Marquis Dren from the Twelve Families and have our Whiskers take their place.”

Ethan said.

“Tell me your goal.”

“…My goal is.”

Yerica told Ethan all the truths she had learned at the magic tower.

Of course, Ethan already knew all of this, but after hearing Yerica’s story, he said he would help her do exactly what she wanted to do.

When she first learned the truth, she wanted to kill all those who had driven her grandfather to his death.

She was filled with the desire to kill everyone, all of them, anyone involved in this matter.

It was natural, since everything had been shattered because of it.

But the more she thought about it, the more she felt that simply killing wouldn’t complete the revenge.

This feeling grew even stronger after becoming the tower master of the magic tower.

“The revenge I’m thinking of is.”

Yerica said.

“To have grandfather’s exceptional magic recognized again. To have my name spread widely among the countless mages of the continent. To say that I am the granddaughter of Archmage Hecate.”

To spread Hecate’s name again, which had been buried, and restore his honor.

“Of course, I want to deal with the malicious ones in the process.”

Yerica made a gesture of slitting her throat.

“Our ideas of revenge align perfectly.”

Ethan smiled.

“I’ll leave the most malicious Marquis Dren to you, Yerica. I’ll create the opportunity, so slash him as you wish.”

***

Gulp.

The steward of Count Whiskers was extremely nervous.

It was none other than the Twelve Families.

The twelve pillars of the Holy Empire. The most powerful noble families among the imperial nobility.

If he said one wrong word and offended them, things could spiral out of control.

The Twelve Families were those who could easily erase a house like Whiskers.

Of course, Whiskers was now different from before, having grown in scale.

After Ethan regained his health, Whiskers also underwent dramatic changes.

After expanding their territory and solidifying it, Whiskers could no longer be called a small provincial house.

A large territory that had a firm grip on this region.

After forming a cooperative relationship with Count Yurahan, it was fair to say they had virtually unified this region.

And the result of this unification was facing House Marquis Dren of the Twelve Families.

They had become neighboring territories with a Twelve Families house.

It was predictable that Marquis Dren would make contact at some point.

But to come directly leading troops like this.

The steward was quite tense, but managed to calm himself down by observing the relaxed attitude of the Whiskers lord beside him.

However, the one most nervous in this situation was actually the Whiskers lord himself, who was leading all these people.

Though he was pretending to be relaxed, his opponent was none other than Marquis Dren, who held one of the pillars of the Twelve Families.

Just the troops he had brought along seemed strong enough to sweep away the previous Whiskers territory in 30 seconds.

Not only that, but the Dren magic corps was lined up behind them.

This was clearly a show of force and a warning.

Normally, a marquis wouldn’t make a personal visit.

The fact that the marquis had come in person meant that this matter was quite important to the marquis house, and by extension, to Marquis Dren.

However, the Whiskers lord had to endure all this pressure.

He was no longer the lord of a small provincial territory called Whiskers.

He was now the great lord of Whiskers, which had become a large territory.

So he had to act accordingly.

“Do you think I’ve come here to reach an agreement?”

Looking at Marquis Dren, who seemed displeased, the Whiskers lord tried his best to calm his trembling body.

Ethan had said that conflict with Marquis Dren was inevitable and bound to come sooner or later.

Naturally, the Whiskers lord had said they should do everything possible to avoid conflict with the marquis house.

But Ethan shook his head.

He said that while it’s right to avoid a sudden shower, this was rain that would fall forever. So instead of avoiding it, they needed to clear the clouds and make the sun shine brightly.

-I’ll trust you, father.

‘Since you said you’d trust me.’

The only thing to do was to repay that trust as much as possible.

That’s why the Whiskers lord mustered up as much courage as he could.

The courage he had shown once had made the Whiskers lord grow significantly.

The first time was difficult, but the second time was easier.

Clang clang clang-!

Of course, the situation had taken a turn for the worst.

“Ethan!”

That’s why Ethan’s return looked radiant in the Whiskers lord’s eyes.

If Ethan hadn’t appeared, there might have really been bloodshed right here.

“It’s nice to meet you, Marquis Dren. Instead of doing this here, let’s go inside and talk. I think you must have many questions for me and the lord.”

Ethan, who had returned to the territory, instantly took control of the atmosphere.

The knights of the marquis house, who looked like they might draw their swords at any moment, now seemed overwhelmed by the aura Ethan was emitting.

Only Marquis Dren looked at Ethan with a surprised expression.

“You’re full of spirit. Very well, let’s talk inside. Lead the way.”

***

As soon as Yerica saw Marquis Dren, the target of her revenge, she felt anger welling up. But she was quickly able to calm herself down.

Yerica was no longer someone who would ruin things by obsessing over revenge.

She had learned from watching Ethan. Revenge should be carried out coldly. If you can’t control your emotions, you’re the only one who loses.

The reception room of Count Whiskers’ castle.

The count’s castle had also become huge after various construction projects, and accordingly, the reception room had grown quite large as well.

As it was the place to receive visitors coming to meet the count, particular attention was paid to it.

Since it was possible to pressure the other party according to its size, this reception room was made as grand and large as possible.

Guided by Ethan, the marquis entered the count’s reception room. Behind him followed the marquis’s personal guards.

The marquis’s personal guards were known as the Dragon Knights.

Only those who had been commanders of the 1st Knight Division, composed of the strongest knights in the marquis house, could become Dragon Knights.

As their name suggested, they wore helmets with horns and armor reminiscent of dragon scales.

Since they were all former knight commanders, their presence was indeed extraordinary. Although they didn’t seem to be actively emitting an aura, just facing them was enough to make one’s breath catch.

Schudlen tensed his entire body to break free from their pressure, and Yerica also overcame the pressure by lightly circulating her mana.

Ethan, too, was a noble with the rank of count, so his guards also had to show as much dignity and strength as those of Marquis Dren.

Marquis Dren, who had plopped down in his seat, smirked.

“It’s quite large. Not a reception room befitting a count house.”

As Marquis Dren spoke as if appraising, the Whiskers lord smiled naturally.

“We’re no longer an ordinary count house. In terms of scale, the Whiskers territory has now grown large enough to be called a great territory. We’re putting effort into matching that. We’ll have many guests from now on.”

The count smiled.

“This reception room is the face of Whiskers territory that we’ll show to our guests. The bigger and more splendid, the better, don’t you think?”

At those words, Marquis Dren looked at the Whiskers lord with a cold expression.

“Count Whiskers, do you think your capacity has grown along with your expanded land?”

“Of course not. I’ve lived quite a few years, Marquis. I’m past the age of rejoicing over a bit of land expansion or a small tailwind for the territory.”

The count’s words were quite barbed. Marquis Dren knew that the Whiskers lord was subtly attacking him, but he didn’t show anger like before.

Ethan observed such a Marquis Dren closely.

As expected, he was skilled at putting on a show. He had shown anger because the territory’s people were watching.

His negotiation style was likely to intimidate the other party and clearly establish the hierarchy by displaying anger.

Ethan glanced slightly at his father, Count Whiskers.

He had said he would trust him, but he didn’t know he could use his tongue so well in front of Marquis Dren.

Ethan secretly gave a thumbs up to Count Whiskers.

Count Whiskers immediately passed a note to Ethan upon seeing the thumbs up.

-It’s hard, son.

As Marquis Dren said, he hadn’t yet developed the composure to be at ease in such a situation.

Ethan chuckled as he carefully folded the note.

“Count Whiskers is very busy with territorial matters. You can discuss practical matters with me, Marquis Dren.”

“Ethan Whiskers, it’s not your turn to step forward. The lords of the territories are talking right now.”

“Then why don’t you step back, Marquis Dren, and I’ll talk with the steward who came with you.”

At Ethan’s words, the marquis’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

“You seem to have something to rely on. Your head should have rolled several times by now. Know that you’re alive now solely by my mercy.”

“Marquis.”

Ethan put strength into his voice.

“Please understand that I, too, am holding back for the sake of your honor.”

Ethan no longer had any intention of beating around the bush or maintaining courtesy.

If he had decided to leave House Marquis Dren alone, he would have worn a friendly mask and hidden a knife behind his smile.

‘I’m going to swallow it all anyway.’

If that was the case, there was no reason to take a submissive stance.

“You sent knights to our territory.”

Ethan said.

“Should we take this as a declaration of war?”

Author's Thoughts

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