Subscriber of the Gods-Chapter 233: Evaluation

Hecate’s death occurred when Rohai was quite young. Because of this, Rohai knew nothing about that incident.

However, after becoming Felix’s successor, he officially gained access to a wealth of information within the family, and in the process learned about the details of the Archmage Hecate incident.

Archmage Hecate, who once commanded the continent, was a very upright person but also a naive one.

He believed in his own strength and acted according to his own sense of justice and beliefs.

The Twelve Families of the Holy Empire and the high noble families of the Demon Empire tried to recruit him, impressed by his abilities, but Hecate rejected all those offers.

His reason was that he wanted to act as he pleased.

Hecate wandered the continent, doing good deeds according to his beliefs.

That was the big problem.

The unjust incidents he encountered were all connected to the Twelve Families.

The Twelve Families told him to stop interfering and back off, but Hecate, with his strong convictions, did not back down.

He believed it was the right thing to do.

That was the beginning of the nightmare.

At the same time, there was also the Sword Saint who, like Hecate, lived as he pleased and caused various troubles, but his case was different from Hecate’s.

The Sword Saint had the great shield of the Ramsdale family, but Hecate had nothing.

In the end, the Twelve Families gained a solid justification, and Hecate became prey for the massive power.

An opportunity to recruit him through threats if possible, and even if things went wrong, to eliminate a troublesome individual.

The Twelve Families wouldn’t miss such an opportunity.

Not only to deal with Hecate but also to seize the magic he possessed. If they could raise magicians based on that magic, it would be like adding another weapon to the family.

Three families of the Twelve Families whose interests aligned plotted Hecate’s assassination.

The other Twelve Families did not stop the three families.

They had no reason to support, but also no reason to stop them.

Tacit consent.

If he had built good relationships with other families, there might have been a family that would have stood up for him.

But no family moved for him who insisted on standing alone like a pine tree.

In the end, Hecate was murdered by the hands of the three families.

“I didn’t know that Hecate’s granddaughter would still be alive.”

As soon as the three families began to move in earnest, the Magic Association immediately expelled Hecate.

Afterward, the Twelve Families relentlessly pursued Hecate, who had become a fugitive, and in the process, Hecate’s daughter and granddaughter also became targets for elimination.

“She survived alone. As the only bloodline of Hecate, it’s enough justification to strike at the Marquis Dren family. It can also serve as a warning. Of course, they will resist this warning, but we can use that resistance as well.”

“……”

Rohai lowered his head.

It was a shameful blemish. The twelve families with unparalleled power had persecuted one person. Even if interests were involved, it was a beastly act.

Of course, the other families who stood by were no better. The families known as the twelve stars supporting the Holy Empire should not have allowed such a thing to happen.

“Before proceeding with this matter, I’d like to offer my apologies first.”

“……I will convey that.”

Ethan smiled slightly while looking at Rohai.

The assassination of Hecate was something that the current and previous heads of the family had tacitly allowed. Rohai had no fault in it at all.

Nevertheless, Rohai felt a great sense of responsibility.

‘I understand even more why Kai was in a situation where he couldn’t do this or that.’

Kai’s talent is an overwhelming talent for martial arts.

On the other hand, what Rohai possessed was the talent to reign over people and lead them.

‘When Rohai becomes the new head of the family, Felix will be able to rise to the top.’

Choosing him as a partner seemed to be a very good decision.

“Justification and shield… As you say, Mr. Ethan, we can certainly strike at the Marquis Dren family. The Marquis Dren family was the core family in that Hecate assassination incident. As far as I know, the Marquis Dren family is said to possess several core magic spells from Hecate. It’s a secret that everyone is trying to keep hidden.”

Having heard Ethan’s plan, Rohai seemed to have gained confidence and handed over the parchment he was holding.

“These are the plans I intend to carry out after I become the head of the family. They are plans to elevate Felix to a unique position within the Twelve Families.”

Ethan unfolded the parchment he received.

“If Whiskers becomes one of the Twelve Families, I’d like to collaborate on these plans.”

‘Impressive. He’s grasped everything perfectly.’

The plans written on the parchment were incidents that Ethan knew very well. Who would have thought that Rohai Felix was behind all these incidents?

‘All of these are successful endeavors. The plans that led to the leap of the Felix family were already planned at this time.’

“I look forward to working with you, Lord Rohai.”

Then there was no reason to refuse.

***

After talking with Rohai, Ethan immediately had a private audience with Duke Felix.

As a reward for saving Rohai Felix and Kai Felix, he had gifted an artifact from the ancient relic warehouse.

But the duke had no intention of ending it there.

And neither did Ethan.

“I heard you took a rusty sword.”

“Yes, it was what I wanted.”

“Hmm, it might be usable if polished. Probably a magic sword. Well, let’s set that aside and get to the main point. First, about the Magic Association. You knew that the Magic Association was under our Felix’s protection, right?”

“Yes, I knew.”

This was now business.

‘His attitude has completely changed.’

Probably while Ethan was in the underground treasure vault, the duke had conducted various investigations.

‘Hansen must have told him various things as well.’

So the duke had already made his judgment.

That Ethan was not a promising talent for the future, but a completed individual.

Since he had led the groundbreaking progress of the Whiskers territory, Ethan could be considered the de facto representative of the Whiskers family.

This changes the level of conversation they need to have.

“Yet you installed a new Association President. And your guard at that. There are some unsettling rumors about that guard, do you know?”

‘He already knows.’

Yerica, Hecate’s granddaughter, had been pursued by those aiming for Hecate’s magic since long ago.

It was the same even after she became Ethan’s guard.

Of course, after sweeping away the pursuers once, the number of enemies coming decreased. Nevertheless, the fact that Hecate’s granddaughter was alive became a well-known fact to those who needed to know.

‘He must know. He left it alone knowing it. Because Hecate’s granddaughter is no longer useful.’

Yerica was under a curse. If she couldn’t break that powerful curse, she would die even if left alone.

Then who cast that curse?

‘It must be one of the Twelve Families. That’s why they’re leaving her alone without worry. No matter how much she struggles, she’ll die from the curse anyway.’

“Yes, I know. As you said, Duke, the current Association President is Hecate’s granddaughter.”

When Ethan readily admitted it, Duke Felix’s expression hardened.

“Hecate is a continental criminal. You make the bloodline of a continental criminal your guard? And you put her in the seat of the Association President of the Magic Association? If it weren’t for the debt I owe you, I would have ordered to deal with it myself.”

“Duke.”

At Ethan’s voice, Duke Felix stopped speaking and looked at him intently. He seemed quite interested in what Ethan would say.

“I have quite a few businesses running. There are more than four profitable ventures under the Ethan Workshop alone.”

“……”

“I’m thinking of opening branch offices. The larger the territory, the more profits will be maximized, and the floating population visiting the territory will increase. In short, it will be a huge plus factor for the territory.”

However, what came out of Ethan’s mouth was completely unrelated to Yerica.

The fact that Archmage Hecate was a continental criminal was all a false accusation.

The duke must have thought such a story would come out.

‘That’s something the duke knows all too well. After all, it was the Twelve Families who made him a continental criminal. The duke knows better than anyone that the content is absurdly false.’

Shouting for justice had no meaning.

‘That’s not what the duke wants to hear.’

What the duke was curious about was why Ethan had made Hecate’s granddaughter his guard.

Duke Felix had long since stopped caring about Hecate and Yerica.

Setting things right for justice?

For the duke, things like justice or truth weren’t that important.

What he’s interested in is the power and future of the family, so he wants to use this incident as an excuse to put a leash on Ethan.

‘So there’s no point in talking about unnecessary justice.’

Duke Felix will thoroughly empower those who will bring benefits to the family.

In other words, reinterpreting the duke’s words, it goes like this:

I know you have the granddaughter of the continental criminal Hecate with you.

My choice will be determined by your answer.

‘So I should give him the constructive answer he wants.’

The duke’s question was tricky in many ways.

‘If this is the right answer, he’ll continue the conversation in that direction, and if it’s wrong, he’ll judge that I’m only worth that much.’

If Ethan doesn’t meet his expectations, Duke Felix will be ready to turn his back on him at any time.

‘That won’t do.’

Duke Felix probably thinks he has caught Ethan in his net.

It was actually the opposite.

The Felix family had entered the vast net that Ethan had spread.

“I have plans to open branch offices in Felix territory. I’d like to discuss only that, Duke.”

At those words, the duke’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“I will help Felix make an even greater leap.”

It was a very challenging statement.

Duke Felix was silent for a moment, then smiled heartily.

“A brand once stamped doesn’t disappear. But if you overlay a new picture on top of that brand, who would know?”

The brand of being the granddaughter of a continental criminal can be changed with just a word from the powerful.

“If we overlay it with the name of Felix, no one will recognize it. Truth changes depending on the perspective, doesn’t it?”

As Ethan nodded, the duke took out a parchment on the spot and began writing in rough handwriting.

It was an appointment letter naming Yerica as the new Association President of the Magic Association.

Thump-.

The duke stamped Felix’s seal.

With this, a new Association President of the Magic Association under Felix family’s protection was born.

At the same time, that appointment letter became an important proof.

It was proof that Felix would allow Hecate’s granddaughter, Yerica, to resurface.

Now Yerica no longer needed to live in hiding.

Also, in public positions, no one would be able to challenge her.

Because doing so would be disrespecting Felix’s authority.

“Discuss the details of the business with the steward. It was quite a constructive conversation, Ethan Whiskers.”

***

“Duke.”

Felix’s Archmage Hansen, and Andar, Felix’s advisor and known as the duke’s sharpest sword, knelt before the duke.

“We had a talk.”

“How was it?”

The Ethan Whiskers that Andar had investigated was close to superhuman.

To put it simply, he was young, passionate, and righteous.

Born into a local noble family, he became the top instructor at Ivecar Academy. After that, he was active in various places including the Inquisition.

Such a person had taken in Hecate’s granddaughter. He must have heard something from Hecate’s granddaughter.

Andar thought that his action of putting Yerica in the position of Association President showed his sense of justice.

It was an expression of the idea that wrongs should be righted justly.

So he wanted to probe that point. He was curious about how Ethan would react if that point was pressed.

Hansen strongly recommended Ethan, but Andar, as an advisor, wanted to gauge Ethan more definitively.

“He talked about business.”

“…Pardon?”

“I was surprised too, Andar.”

Justice, what a nice word.

But in any era, powerless justice was incompetence and recklessness. When speaking of justice, one had to be able to handle the aftermath that would follow.

Justice and truth were only created by the strong.

Based on the collected information, Ethan was a person full of youthful passion and conviction.

Such people generally think that when they see something wrong, they should cry out for justice and set it right.

Andar naturally thought Ethan would be the same.

He expected him to cry out for justice.

But the result was surprising.

“He seemed to understand completely what I meant by those words. He knows exactly how the situation is unfolding and where his position is. Without that, this kind of response doesn’t make sense.”

It meant he knew what weapons he had.

“To think he would seek practical benefits there… According to the information, he should be straightforward, unwilling to compromise even if it means breaking.”

“Didn’t I tell you? He’s a talent that might appear once in a thousand years, Duke. He’s different from those who have just played hero and perished.”

The duke nodded at Hansen’s words.

“He is certainly different. Didn’t he come first in this training session hosted by the Sword Saint? Moreover, I heard some interesting conversations took place.”

“Yes, there’s information that the Sword Saint will open a separate swordsmanship school in Whiskers territory.”

“That alone tells me enough. And……”

For a moment, the duke closed his mouth.

In fact, there was something the duke hadn’t told them.

It was Ethan’s gaze and tone.

That indescribable gaze seemed to be warning the duke.

It felt as if he was looking at the duke evaluating him, as if saying he would let it slide this time.

The duke glanced at his own hands.

Beads of sweat had formed on his palms.

It was clearly a place where he was testing and evaluating Ethan.

Why did he feel like Ethan was testing his capabilities instead?

“Andar, cooperate as Ethan Whiskers wishes. This might be an opportunity that won’t come to Felix again.”

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