CHAPTER 272: IT WILL BECOME JUSTIFICATION

The air in the reception room froze for a moment at Ethan’s words.

It was a statement that well deserved the word “daring”. Yet Ethan’s words carried definite weight.

Marquis Dren suddenly realized how much time had passed as he looked at Ethan.

He wasn’t speaking out of emotion. Nor was he speaking out of arrogance.

“You truly think that way.”

“No matter how remote an area of our territory it may be, this is clearly an invasion. Forces from another noble have attacked and invaded our territory without reason. This can only be interpreted as a declaration of war.”

Ethan said.

“Or are you saying that all of this is something we should endure?”

Everyone from Whiskers’ side carefully held their breath.

They were all frozen by Ethan’s words.

If only the lord of Whiskers had been here, he could have mediated somehow.

Even the steward couldn’t move carelessly in this situation.

In this place, only Ethan was at ease.

“I heard that you gave the order directly, Marquis.”

“Yes, I gave the order directly. What’s the problem with that? How amusing that you dare to mention war. War is something that can only be established when there’s a proper level. I wonder if you’re even of the caliber to wage war against me.”

The Marquis asked instead.

“And the problem with this incident lies with Whiskers, doesn’t it? Whiskers infringed on the business rights I had. I was robbed of what was mine. I was just trying to reclaim what was taken from me, what’s wrong with that?”

It was an absurd statement.

But it was also something that could be said because it was one of the Twelve Families.

“Look here, Ethan Whiskers. Aren’t you misunderstanding something right now? This is a place where you should be asking me for negotiations and favors.”

Marquis Dren said.

“When wild beasts bare their teeth and pounce, the only option is to beat them to death.”

At these humiliating words, Schudlen and Yerica prepared to pounce at any moment. Of course, the Marquis’ Dragon Knights also maintained their senses accordingly.

“But you’re not a wild beast, are you?”

“Marquis Dren.”

At that moment, Ethan smirked.

“How much have you flaunted that halo until now?”

“…What?”

“How many nobles do you think we’ve seen who flaunted only their prestige, like you, until Whiskers, once a small territory, reached this point? How many do you think there were who tried to take what we had by flaunting that prestige?”

Ethan opened his eyes wide.

Ethan’s eyes were originally clear. When just a little madness frosted those eyes, the pressure was considerable.

Even Marquis Dren, who had dealt with all sorts of people, couldn’t manage his expression for a moment.

“How do you think I’ve grown Whiskers by dealing with such people?”

“You rascal, do you know what meaning your words carry right now?”

“I know. I know all too well.”

Ethan leaned back comfortably in his chair. He was exceptionally comfortable facing the Marquis of one of the Twelve Families.

“Have you ever had this experience? Ah, you wouldn’t have. You were born with everything in your grasp and wielded it as you pleased.”

Ethan clicked his tongue as he said this.

“Listen to the end, Marquis Dren. Show your petty emotions later.”

It was completely Ethan’s pace. Doing this to such an extent rather confused the two guards.

Ethan had clearly said that simply crushing wasn’t the only way.

But at this rate, the Marquis Dren’s side would completely treat them as enemies.

It seemed the provocation might be too much, but Ethan was consistently at ease.

He showed anger when he showed anger and composure when he showed composure.

He was pressuring and mocking Marquis Dren while perfectly controlling his own emotions.

“There’s no value in listening further.”

Marquis Dren stood up in anger. At this point, Marquis Dren’s side had gained a clear justification.

If he provoked appropriately and they fell for it, it would be a gain, and even if not, he planned to put a leash on Whiskers by proposing various conditions.

“Young blood is so good. Hahaha.”

Despite the humiliation, Marquis Dren didn’t mind.

This made it certain.

“Because of your loose tongue, the Whiskers territory will cease to exist. I’ve never let anyone who bares their teeth at me live.”

“I suppose that can be taken as a declaration of war, Marquis Dren. Since things have come to this, I’ll need to get clear certification from my patron, Princess Evangeline, and the Pope of Holylight. And from the Emperor as well. They should know why this war is happening.”

Marquis Dren, who was about to leave, stopped abruptly at Ethan’s words.

“There’s a reason you came in person, right, Marquis?”

Marquis Dren, with his back turned, could tell.

Ethan Whiskers was smiling.

“I told you, didn’t I? That I’ve protected this Whiskers territory from numerous jackal-like nobles. What do you think I was thinking while doing that?”

Marquis Dren slowly turned his head. His expression was cracked like a piece of broken glass.

“To protect the territory from people like you. It’s about maintaining good relationships with great people.”

“……”

Marquis Dren knew well what meaning was contained in Ethan’s words.

“The reason you came in person is obvious, Marquis Dren. You wanted to confirm with your own eyes, right? Whether I really received the approval of Princess Evangeline, the Pope, and the Emperor. Whether those people recognize and protect this Whiskers territory.”

That was exactly right.

Marquis Dren had come to confirm.

Whether this shabby territory was really under the protection of those above him.

If that was true, he wanted to confirm who was leading this territory.

The lord of Whiskers seemed to have some guts, but that was about it. He could be the owner of a large territory, but he seemed insufficient to grip and shake things, let alone aim for something bigger.

The real deal was the man in front of him.

Ethan Whiskers.

Marquis Dren’s instincts were whispering to him.

He, who had lived looking down on everyone except for a handful that could be counted on one hand under the sky.

Against such a Marquis Dren, Ethan Whiskers showed an incredible presence.

It wasn’t a talent that could be hidden even if he tried to hide it.

Ethan took out a piece of parchment with Princess Evangeline’s seal from his bosom and unfolded it.

Normally, he would have immediately checked whether it was real or fake, but now there was no need to check.

It must be real.

If so, now was not the time to think about other things.

Bang-!

Marquis Dren struck the table hard. It was a gesture suggesting that no further conversation was necessary.

“Ethan Whiskers, you’ll regret what happened today. When that time comes, it will be after everything is over.”

Ethan smiled at Marquis Dren, who was glaring with a terrifying expression.

“I hope so.”

***

“Marquis Dren seemed quite angry. Is this really okay, Ethan?”

After Marquis Dren’s party had withdrawn.

Those holding important positions in the Whiskers family, including the lord of Whiskers, gathered in the conference room.

Ethan was at the center of this meeting.

“The Marquis is cold. Infinitely so.”

“It seemed quite far from coldness to me.”

The steward had seen the Marquis turn back and leave in anger.

He couldn’t even see his face properly because of the aura emanating in all directions. That’s how angry the Marquis seemed. He was clearly showing how strong he was.

Others nodded at the steward’s words.

“I saw it too, young master. Marquis Dren is not in a cold state right now.”

“He might lead troops here without considering the consequences.”

“That.”

Several people were about to speak but swallowed their words.

They wanted to say that Ethan’s words were too harsh.

“You all.”

The lord of Whiskers looked at them with an angry expression.

But Ethan gestured that it was okay.

“That could be. Marquis Dren is one of the Twelve Families, after all.”

On the other hand, while Whiskers had grown in size, the process had been so rapid that they still hadn’t adapted to the change.

They still couldn’t grasp their position.

It was natural to be intimidated by the warning from one of the Twelve Families.

“Let me be clear here. You should no longer think of this Whiskers territory as a small territory. You shouldn’t think of it as an ambiguous large territory either.”

Ethan said.

“The place where you’re working now is the land of the Whiskers family, which will become one of the Twelve Families in the future.”

Everyone’s expression hardened at Ethan’s declaration.

“W-what do you mean by that?”

“The Twelve Families…!”

“But we’re still…”

“Everyone.”

It was too sudden. They couldn’t help but be surprised. After all, this plan of Ethan’s was a fact known only to the lord of Whiskers and the steward.

“If you only think of it as a sky you can’t reach, you’ll forever just be looking up. Look at what you’ve achieved.”

Ethan spread out a map to show them.

“Until just recently, our land was just this place. Just one place.”

Then Ethan pointed to the land above it.

“Now it’s here too, and here, and here as well.”

The places Ethan pointed to were lands that weren’t originally part of Whiskers’ territory.

Lands that were each ruled by different lords. But now they were lands incorporated into Count Whiskers’ domain.

The once tiny Whiskers territory had grown so large as to fill the map, so it could no longer be said that the land was small.

“You and I have created this. This is the result that the Lord of Whiskers here has achieved together with you all.”

Saying that they would become one of the Twelve Families in the future, so maintain appropriate dignity, would actually be meaningless.

What was important was for them to have a sense of ownership.

‘While the actual owner is the lord, the lord doesn’t run the territory alone.’

It was possible to instill a sense of ownership in them.

Everyone fell into thought at Ethan’s words.

Certainly, the Whiskers territory they had worked hard to build had grown so large that it could no longer be considered a small territory.

But unlike the changes in the territory, they had continued to think and act as if they were running a small territory.

“Act accordingly. You all are qualified. Who grew the Whiskers territory to this point?”

At Ethan’s words, the Lord of Whiskers banged on the table.

“Isn’t it you all and me!”

For a moment, the expressions of the subordinates looking at the Lord of Whiskers became strange. They had been with the Lord of Whiskers for a long time. It seemed that the Lord of Whiskers speaking felt much more sincere than Ethan speaking.

‘This is why I don’t need to do it directly.’

The bonds of long years create thick trust.

Ethan grinned and stepped back slightly.

“The foundation has been laid. Now it’s time to step on that foundation and climb up. Of course, there will be many difficult things in that process. I can’t even imagine how many trials and errors there will be.”

The Lord of Whiskers said.

“We’ll fail, fail, and fail again. We’ll fail so much that our successes so far will seem meaningless. We’ll fall into despair and hit walls.”

The lord’s voice contained the emotions of resignation he once felt.

“But isn’t that what we’ve done the most until now?”

Suddenly, the lord’s expression changed. That grinning expression was very similar to Ethan’s.

“Aren’t we professionals at failing? That means we can do it better than anyone else.”

It was a very paradoxical statement, but somehow it resonated with the hearts of the subordinates.

Schudlen, who was now Ethan’s guard but was once part of Count Whiskers’ knighthood, was listening to the story with an overwhelmed face.

“It’s already unbelievable that our Whiskers has grown this much, so let’s try not believing a little more. Let’s be fooled.”

“…Yes.”

“Yes…! Yes, my lord!”

The Lord of Whiskers slowly turned around to look at Ethan. Ethan grinned and gave a thumbs up.

As expected, experience couldn’t be ignored.

Ethan then stepped forward again.

“Unlike what you think, the very cold Marquis Dren won’t want an all-out war. Instead, he’ll plot behind the scenes.”

This was the war Ethan had in mind from now on.

“Isn’t that more troublesome?”

At the Lord of Whiskers’ words, Ethan shook his head.

“No.”

Ethan spoke with conviction.

“From now on, everything Marquis Dren does will become our justification.”

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