Subscriber of the Gods Chapter 323 - Preparation

After class ended.

“The homework is the same as before. Always remember to take it easy. Class dismissed.”

Students rushed out of the lecture hall.

This week’s class was quite stimulating for the students.

Listening to the lecture and gradually understanding more about routines and dives also played a part.

Perhaps the students taking Ethan’s Introduction to Practical Studies class this semester won’t rest for a single day.

‘If you’re constantly tense, you’ll eventually get tired. If you keep that up all semester, you’ll be burned out by the time of the exchange festival. But in the current situation, that level is actually appropriate.’

Being in a constant state of tension allows you to respond quickly to any situation that arises.

The 3rd Apostle would come before the exchange festival, and to counter him and the followers of the Moon, it was necessary to maintain a certain level of tension.

‘We don’t know when the 3rd Apostle will strike. We need to move quickly.’

“Teacher.”

Oz stood behind Ethan as he was about to leave.

He wore an expression that was difficult to describe. Although he had only attended three classes, he felt greatly changed in many ways.

The biggest change was his mindset.

“Thank you so much. I’ll work hard.”

Oz’s words were filled with sincerity.

Ethan quickly understood.

‘He’s not saying this to me.’

It was more like a promise to himself, to Oz himself.

Ethan lightly patted Oz’s shoulder.

“You’re doing well, Oz. Just keep doing what you’re doing. But don’t be satisfied. What did you say your goal was?”

“To… cut a mountain. To cut a huge mountain in one go.”

“Just keep that in mind.”

“…Yes!”

***

Ethan rubbed his eyes.

“My eyes have definitely improved.”

Teaching 150 people simultaneously was something even Ethan couldn’t be certain of succeeding at.

‘If we’re talking about possibilities, it was much closer to impossible.’

However, Ethan succeeded. There was still some pain in his eyes, but Ethan’s eyes, and by extension his skills, had definitely strengthened.

But those Ethan had to face from now on were universally acknowledged as the continent’s strongest.

‘If I’m going to fight, I’ll have to face only those who are truly formidable opponents.’

The top 3 Apostles, the Dawn Council.

And the Twelve Families of the Demon Empire.

‘And if we count the hidden strong ones, none of them have any easy aspects.’

Still, compared to the time when he almost died from a single sneeze, Ethan had now grown to a level that was worlds apart.

“Let’s put aside unnecessary thoughts. Just focus on the enemy in front of you. For now, there’s no suspicious movement, so prepare as much as possible in the meantime.”

According to the Rosicrucian Order’s report, it seemed like they could come to attack Ethan at any moment.

‘It’s much more reassuring when there’s no movement. Someone of the 3rd Apostle’s caliber wouldn’t move around leaking information.’

If information were to leak, it would be intentional, so it was better to have no noticeable movement like now.

‘They’ll think I don’t know about the current situation.’

This was a very important factor.

Ethan immediately sought out one person after finishing his class.

“…What’s the matter?”

The place he arrived at was Claudie’s office.

“I thought Teacher Claudie was the most trustworthy and tight-lipped person in Ivecar, so I came to see you.”

“…What?”

Claudie slightly frowned and tightly closed his mouth. His expression seemed to demand an immediate explanation.

“You know about the followers of the Moon, right?”

“I do.”

“They’re coming.”

“…Do you mean they’re coming to Ivecar, Teacher Ethan?”

This matter needed to be known by only a select few.

‘According to the original story, Oliveira Sacred was supposed to surface at this timing.’

In the normal route, field training would proceed, and the accident that was supposed to happen according to the original story would occur.

But now the future had changed.

Moreover, Oliveira Sacred had already dropped out.

‘I didn’t expect her to drop out.’

Nevertheless, things were progressing towards the future Ethan knew, so the quest’s coercive force was quite remarkable.

‘What I need to do is share information with the minimum number of people and deal with this situation.’

There was a high possibility that hundreds or more followers of the Moon would invade this vast academy.

They would use whatever means necessary to remove or weaken the academy’s mana restrictions.

After that, they would thoroughly devastate Ivecar and then leisurely come to kill Ethan.

‘This time, they’re not concerned about outside views.’

To the followers of the Moon, Ethan was nothing more than a thorn in their side who had killed several apostles and repeatedly interfered with the council’s affairs.

Moreover, for the Dawn Council, which had rejected the Rosicrucian Order, its original root, under the pretext of Extinction, Ethan was clear evidence that they were wrong.

‘From the Dawn Council’s perspective, I’ve become a target that needs to be killed as quickly and surely as possible.’

Would they have time to care about external views when someone who should be killed as soon as possible was living openly?

As someone who had belonged to the Dawn Council, Ethan could be certain.

‘We should abandon the assumption that they’ll do this secretly. They’ll come openly. They’ll sweep through like a storm and wipe everything out.’

That’s why Ethan sought out Claudie first.

“Yes, they’re coming.”

“It seems you should tell me the most important fact first.”

“They’re coming to kill me.”

Claudie frowned at Ethan’s words and asked.

“Why?”

“You know that I was briefly an instructor for the Inquisition, right?”

“I heard that the Inquisition got some breathing room thanks to Teacher Ethan.”

“At that time, I went on a mission with newly initiated inquisitors. I had to make them capable of doing their share in a short period, so I went along to observe their actual performance.”

Ethan mixed lies with the truth.

“That’s when I met them. Those who were said to be the highest-ranking officials among the followers of the Moon.”

“…!”

Claudie, being of the Hyde lineage, knew a lot about the followers of the Moon who were involved in various fraudulent activities here and there.

The followers of the Moon had been constantly approaching high-ranking nobles or the nobles beneath them.

They made various sweet proposals to them and tried to turn them into their helpers on many occasions.

Given the situation, the children and talents of noble families couldn’t help but receive a lot of education about never falling into their clutches.

“You know about those called Apostles, right?”

“I do. Are you saying that you met those Apostles while leading the newly appointed inquisitors?”

“Yes, their help was significant. Even though they had just been appointed, they had received my training and all had tremendous hostility towards the followers of the Moon. Thanks to that, we were able to defeat the Apostle and rescue other captured inquisitors.”

“And they found out about that. The followers of the Moon side.”

“Yes.”

“How did you find out about this fact, Teacher Ethan?”

“The Inquisition contacted me. Killing an Apostle was really a big deal. While secretly communicating back and forth, I learned that they were targeting me.”

“……”

Claudie fell silent for a moment, lost in thought.

Ethan never thought he would be frightened and back down.

He loves the academy very much, even if he doesn’t show it outwardly.

The disciples he has nurtured. Furthermore, he cherishes the academy students who are just about to bloom their talents.

Of course, the problem was that his interest and affection were limited to those who would become something.

Anyway, Ethan thought that such a Claudie would speak.

“This is the only way.”

“No, there is one more. It’s probably the first thing you thought of, but you’re not mentioning it.”

“Is there really such an option?”

“The option of me leaving the academy.”

Claudie shook his head in denial at Ethan’s words.

“You said they’re coming to kill you, Teacher Ethan. Then you must have thought of it first too. The option of leaving Ivecar. But you didn’t choose it. There must be a reason for that. Isn’t that enough?”

It was trust.

Trust that Ethan’s choice would be the optimal choice.

Then he smirked.

“Teacher Ethan, you aren’t the type to use students as shields or put them in danger. That’s why I didn’t mention it.”

Ethan couldn’t help but smile at his attitude, which seemed to ask why he was stating the obvious.

***

An elegant room.

It was a space with quite a lot of books to be considered a reception room.

The door opened and a noble entered.

“The two most excellent teachers of Ivecar have come to see me.”

Marquis Rond, the biggest sponsor of Ivecar Academy and a descendant of the founding dean who established the academy, greeted Ethan and Claudie.

“Shall I hear why the two teachers have come to see me? I heard it was quite an urgent matter.”

Ethan relayed to Marquis Rond exactly what he had told Claudie.

Marquis Rond looked at Ethan with a surprised expression for a moment, then immediately turned his head to Claudie.

Although Ethan was a renowned teacher, he was still a new teacher. Therefore, he tried to confirm once more through Claudie.

When Claudie nodded at that gaze, Marquis Rond let out a groan.

“The followers of the Moon… This doesn’t seem like it will end as just Ivecar’s problem. It will greatly affect our territory as well.”

“Thinking that information might unavoidably leak, we haven’t informed the principal yet.”

“Well done, well done. There are probably quite a few agents of the followers of the Moon within Ivecar as well. If it had been directly conveyed to the principal, the chances of it being discovered would have been high. You did well to come here. I’ll inform the principal separately.”

Marquis Rond said with a serious expression.

“If they’re coming for you, couldn’t you go somewhere else instead of Ivecar?”

“No, if they know I’m not here, they’ll lure me here. By destroying Ivecar Academy. Then they’ll go to our territory. They won’t hesitate to do anything to kill me.”

“Huh……”

Marquis Rond sighed.

He had lived quite righteously until now, so he never imagined he would experience something like this.

If Ethan runs away, they won’t chase the fleeing Ethan but lure him.

With people’s lives.

“Then… isn’t your territory in danger too?”

“Yes, I’ve instructed them to take defensive measures in the territory just in case. But the problem is this Ivecar.”

Ethan explained the situation in more detail.

If the 3rd Apostle deliberately leads troops, not only Ivecar Academy but also Marquis Rond’s territory would suffer considerable damage.

“…This is a situation where we need to do our best to block it, thinking that our territory has been invaded.”

“I’m really sorry, but… yes, that seems to be the case.”

Ethan is the root cause of all this. If he had brought it up like this, he could have naturally heard words of resentment.

But the marquis didn’t resent Ethan.

“You say you’re sorry, but your expression doesn’t look self-reproachful. Well, someone of your caliber can hide their expressions as much as they want. Let me just say one thing. Don’t blame yourself. You only did what you believed was right. Something happened that’s difficult for you to handle alone, but still, don’t suppress the indignation you hold in your heart.”

Ethan nodded at the Rond marquis’s words.

“Yes, that will never happen. Thank you for responding to my request for help, Marquis.”

***

Daytime.

A fairly young woman was lingering at the entrance of Ivecar Academy.

“Hmm, just the right size. There’s also mana restriction inside. Perfect for hiding.”

She was a woman of quite beautiful appearance.

She was wearing a blue robe, and on her slightly exposed nape was a Crescent Moon symbol.

“How did you come?”

“I walked on my two legs.”

The corners of her mouth curved gently.

“I came to kill Ethan Whiskers.”