Subscriber of the Gods-Chapter 282: Miasma Mine

The territory Ethan received was called the Rimu territory.

“The Rimu territory is currently ruled by the Hendan baronial family.”

Hera began to explain.

The Hendan baronial family had been working for the Marquis Dren family for quite a long time.

From the previous head of the family to the current one, they had managed the territory so reliably that they gained great trust from both the marquis and the territory’s residents.

Because of this, the Hendan baronial family’s influence in the Rimu territory was considerably greater than that of the Marquis Dren family.

“And just because you receive land doesn’t mean it automatically becomes part of the Whiskers territory.”

Hera said.

“The Hendan baronial family has managed the Rimu territory quite well. That’s probably why they gained my father’s trust. My father was the type to cast aside anyone who made even the slightest mistake, no matter how hard they worked for the marquis family.”

Because of this, the nobles managing the Marquis Dren family’s territories were replaced very quickly.

But the Rimu territory was different.

“However, Baron Hendan has ruled the Rimu territory consistently from the previous family head to the current one. That means he’s a very capable person. The residents’ sentiment towards him is also quite good.”

It would be impossible for the territory to function properly if they were to remove him and put in one of Ethan’s people.

“You’ll need to win over the residents’ hearts, and that won’t be easy. How long do you think it will take to wrap up this matter? In my opinion, it would take at least a year.”

It would take about that long to fully incorporate the Rimu territory into the Whiskers territory.

“A year?”

But Ethan stared at Hera as if she had said something nonsensical.

“I’ll wrap this up within a week.”

“A, a week? That’s impossible! Even if you can force Baron Hendan to step down, the residents will never accept it. Plus, there’s the issue of miasma in the underground mine. If you strongly pressure the current lord and residents while the territory is in such an abnormal state…” (+)[1]TLN: Previously, I think I translated this as a “poison gas” but I think it should be “miasma” instead. My bad.

Hera stopped speaking as Ethan shook his head.

“Hera, isn’t what you’re expecting a quick stabilization of this miasma-filled territory and its complete incorporation into the Whiskers territory?”

“Yes, that’s right. But the process… won’t be easy.”

“Hera, you do what you need to do.”

Ethan declared.

“Don’t worry about this side.”

***

Rimu territory.

“My lord.”

“Ha, what kind of situation is this? The miasma from the mine is now spreading to neighboring territories, and they just handed over the territory? They say they can’t help anymore because it’s no longer part of the marquis’s domain?”

Baron Hendan was filled with anger as he held the letter.

It was a letter from Haight Dren saying that this Rimu territory had been incorporated into Count Whiskers’ domain without any consultation with him.

He had anticipated that the Marquis Dren’s domain would be shaken after the marquis’s death. But he hadn’t thought they would stupidly hand over the land.

“Haight Dren, you fool! Why, why on earth did you hand over the land?”

From what he heard, the current marquis’s household was in quite a difficult situation internally. It seemed they had handed over Rimu, which contained the mine, in order to deal with their internal problems first.

“Damn it.”

He couldn’t just let it be taken away like this.

What kind of land was this?

“What should we do, my lord…?”

The chief administrator of the Rimu territory looked at Baron Hendan with an anxious expression.

“To think this is the result of our loyalty. Giving this land to Whiskers, does this mean they’re telling me to step down from this position?”

Baron Hendan gritted his teeth.

To think this was the result of generations of loyalty. His anger wouldn’t subside easily.

“Don’t worry. Count Ethan Whiskers won’t be able to easily dismiss us. To rule this territory, he’ll need to win the hearts of the residents, and they won’t welcome another noble to the Rimu territory that the Hendan family has ruled for so long.”

The residents are very satisfied with Baron Hendan’s management of the territory. So they won’t easily accept a new lord other than Baron Hendan.

Of course, Baron Hendan had no intention of easily giving up the territory.

“I absolutely can’t give up my territory. This is the land my father cultivated for his entire life. It’s the land we’ve been preparing to maintain for decades, no, for over a hundred years.”

Baron Hendan continued to discuss with the chief administrator about how to deal with this situation. But not long after, a subordinate came in.

“My lord! Count Ethan Whiskers has arrived!”

“First… prepare to welcome him.”

The Rimu territory was now officially incorporated into Count Whiskers’ domain. In this situation, they couldn’t forcibly drive him away or treat him poorly.

“The only option is to somehow persuade him and maintain my position.”

***

“…Pardon?”

“Baron Hendan, continue to manage the territory as you have been. Due to various circumstances, the situation has come to this, but welcome to Count Whiskers’ domain.”

In the reception room of the Rimu lord’s castle.

Given the situation, they couldn’t welcome Ethan and his party lavishly. But Baron Hendan greeted him as kindly as possible, intending to make a good impression on Ethan.

Although he was angry because of Haight Dren, it was something he couldn’t do anything about on his own.

And according to rumors, this person called Ethan Whiskers was an extraordinary individual despite his young age.

Wasn’t it said that the Whiskers territory, whose name he hadn’t even known before, was able to grow to its current size because of Ethan Whiskers?

Baron Hendan too had often heard stories about him after the Whiskers territory expanded its size to near the Marquis Dren family’s vicinity.

There were many stories, but he especially heard that his business acumen was tremendous.

Baron Hendan himself had experienced the lightweight magic at the lightweight workshop through his subordinate. He had also seen quite a few subordinates who had changed the color of their clothes using dyeing magic.

This point was a major source of anxiety for the baron. If he had a strong business orientation, he would approach this territory from a business perspective as well, and if so, the possibility of him ousting the baron and installing his own person as the lord would increase.

But the words Ethan spoke as soon as he sat down were shocking.

“I, I’m completely confused right now. I’m sorry to ask, but could you please repeat what you just said?”

“You seem surprised. I did some research on the Rimu territory. You’ve managed it very well. I heard you’ve been continuing the good work that the late Baron Hendan started.”

For a moment, Baron Hendan’s expression became choked up.

“There’s no need to install a new lord in such a land. The Rimu territory has just been incorporated into Count Whiskers’ domain. I won’t be making significant changes to the territory, Baron Hendan.”

Not making changes? He never expected to hear that as soon as he arrived.

In other words, he was saying he would recognize his authority as it is now.

“Are you surprised?”

“Ah, no… that’s not it…”

Ethan smiled as he looked at Baron Hendan.

Various emotions swirled in Baron Hendan’s chest.

His head had been full of things to say to Ethan, but now that Ethan was recognizing him, those words disappeared.

If Ethan had said he would appoint a new lord and asked him to leave, he had thought of every way to refute that.

But now that Ethan was saying he would continue to entrust the territory’s management to him, Baron Hendan’s worries became meaningless.

Continue to manage the territory.

He never dreamed he would hear such praise for the territory management that had been cultivated since his father’s generation from such a young count.

Baron Hendan looked at Ethan with a moved expression.

The chief administrator standing beside him could only blink his eyes and stare at Ethan’s face, as the situation had turned out so much better than they had thought.

“More importantly, you must have concerns? I heard the mine problem is serious.”

“…Ah, yes. As you know, half of the territory’s residents are currently evacuated due to the miasma from the mine. The miasma has come up to the surface and is now trying to spread beyond the territory’s borders.”

“I’ve come to solve that.”

“…Pardon?”

“This is now part of our Count Whiskers’ domain. Of course we should solve the territory’s problems.”

“You’re saying you’ll solve it?”

This too was unexpected.

The territory’s problems were ultimately Baron Hendan’s responsibility to solve.

Although this territory had been incorporated into Count Whiskers’ domain, the current lord was Baron Hendan, so he should be responsible for solving it.

Baron Hendan had expected that if he couldn’t solve this problem, Ethan would use it as an excuse to threaten him to step down.

But nothing matched his expectations.

Ethan was not only preserving his position but also saying he would solve this problem.

“Is it not needed? Well, a veteran like you might have already finished preparations.”

“Ah, no! It was really a difficult situation. Thank you so much for offering to help, Count Ethan!”

Any hostility towards him had already disappeared.

“Please help us! We gratefully accept your help!”

Rather, a strong sense of loyalty was building up inside Baron Hendan.

“Please tell me about the situation in detail.”

***

“The most urgent matter would be evacuating the residents before the miasma spreads further.”

After hearing about the situation, Ethan decided to deploy troops to block the miasma first.

“Given the current situation, an archbishop from another territory is on his way here. Once the archbishop arrives, we should be able to control the miasma that has spread to the surface immediately.”

“But we don’t know when he’ll arrive, do we? The miasma keeps spreading. Hmm, I can see it from here too. At this rate, the miasma will reach the lord’s castle in a few days.”

Beyond the huge window of the lord’s castle, the miasma could be seen creeping over.

The dark red miasma crawled along the ground, advancing like a living creature. It looked almost like a snake.

Although temporary defense lines had been set up, they seemed insufficient to block the miasma.

The miasma spread through gaps here and there, coloring the ground and corroding buildings.

“…Count Ethan, is the Marquis Dren family taking this matter seriously? This is a really serious situation.”

Baron Hendan closed his eyes as he watched the miasma continue to spread.

“They are taking it seriously. That’s why they handed this land over to me.”

“…Pardon?”

“It seems they’re planning to use the miasma as an excuse to take it back. It looks like both Baron Hendan and I are not expected to be able to stop this miasma.”

“That means… they’re just going to watch until the damage gets worse. Using us…”

“They want to gain maximum benefit from their deal with me. It means the lives of the residents and the various buildings in this territory are not that important to them. They probably don’t even consider it a loss.” 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

“Human lives…”

Baron Hendan’s hands trembled.

Those guys, raised in greenhouses, believe that human lives have different values.

They think it’s fine if a few residents die if they can score a point against Ethan with it.

It was an enormous sense of disconnect.

It felt like their very standards of thinking were different from his own.

Baron Hendan completely abandoned his loyalty to the marquis family.

At least Marquis Dren wouldn’t have shown such an attitude. Although Marquis Dren wasn’t exactly a good person, he had his own standards.

Unlike the marquis who pursued rational choices based on experience, all of those who claimed to be his successors now were incomprehensible.

“The fact that a successor hasn’t been decided yet means that the other candidates didn’t refuse this matter either, right?”

Ethan didn’t bother to answer.

“Damn it… Damn it all!”

Baron Hendan let out a sigh. Then he bowed his head to Ethan.

“I apologize. I showed an unsightly side of myself. But I’ve made up my mind for certain.”

“I’ll hear about that resolve after this matter is over, Baron Hendan.”

Ethan cut off Baron Hendan before he could say anything more.

“I won’t force you. Watch and evaluate.”

Ethan intended to make any territory belonging to Count Whiskers’ domain a good place to live.

Winning the hearts of the residents.

‘That’s exactly how to maximize the power of a territory.’

***

“Sob sob, Mom!”

“Hurry! Come here quickly!”

“But at home… my younger sibling is at home…”

“Evacuate quickly, please!”

“Sir Knight, right now in our house, the youngest…”

“Evacuate first! We’ll rescue them, hurry!”

It was chaos. As the miasma continued to spread, the residents were frantically abandoning everything they had and evacuating.

But even that wasn’t possible for everyone.

The speed at which the miasma was spreading was just too fast.

The residents who had been going about their daily lives, unaware that the miasma was rising from the underground mine to the surface, were now frantically trying to escape, and in the process, some were unable to gather their family members.

In such cases, the help of knights was needed, but they were limited in number and couldn’t be everywhere at once.

“The miasma is too… fierce.”

“Damn it. We can’t save everyone.”

It was urgent enough just helping with the evacuation, let alone dealing with the continuously spreading miasma.

At that moment, someone approached from behind the knights.

“Schudlen.”

“Yes!”

Schudlen’s figure disappeared for a moment. Then, in an instant, he entered the area full of miasma and rescued a child, moving so fast that he seemed unaffected by the miasma at all.

“This is… stronger than I thought. It’s dizzying.”

The knights wore surprised expressions at the sight of Schudlen rescuing the child in an instant.

The knights knew well how strong that miasma was. That’s why they understood how amazing it was that Schudlen was able to withstand it unscathed.

“Sob, thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Don’t worry. We’ve come to solve this problem.”

“Wh-who might you be…”

“This is the new master of our Rimu territory.”

Baron Hendan appeared with reinforcement troops.

“My lord!”

“N-new master, you say?”

“As of today, our Rimu territory is no longer part of Marquis Dren’s domain, but belongs to Count Whiskers’ domain. I know you’re all confused, but I’ll explain the details after this matter is resolved.”

Baron Hendan said.

“From now on, Count Ethan Whiskers here will solve the underground mine problem! Everyone, put your worries aside and evacuate!”

Ethan looked at Baron Hendan.

“I’ll be back soon after finishing this, so please do your best to prevent the miasma from spreading further.”

“Yes, Count.”

Baron Hendan nodded at Ethan with eyes full of trust.

***

“The miasma is incredible! What on earth is the identity of this miasma?”

“Count, please get on my back. I can’t let you step directly on this miasma. I’ll carry you on my back and run to the underground mine!”

Yerica and Schudlen were quite enthusiastic.

Especially Schudlen, who seemed quite excited since rescuing the child earlier.

“They say there’s an evil spirit.”

“An evil spirit?”

“…”

Suddenly, Schudlen’s expression hardened.

“Sir Schudlen, are you afraid of evil spirits?”

“Let me ask you one thing, Lady Yerica. Are there people who aren’t afraid of evil spirits?”

In response, Yerica pointed to herself.

“Me.”

And then she pointed to Ethan.

“And I think Lord Ethan isn’t either?”

“No, I’m afraid of evil spirits too. Evil spirits launch mental attacks. Then you two would be entranced by the evil spirit.”

“Then it seems there’s no reason for you to be afraid…”

Yerica shrugged her shoulders.

“Then I should take the lead.”

Naturally, Yerica took the front, Schudlen stood behind her, and Ethan ended up standing behind Schudlen.

‘An evil spirit, huh.’

The difficulty of exorcising evil spirits varies depending on their level.

‘With this level of miasma, it must be a quite high-level evil spirit.’

The speed at which the miasma was spreading.

And the power that swallowed a bishop of the Holylight Order in an instant.

‘I’ll need a definite exorcism method.’

Ethan immediately turned on his New World system.

Perhaps because it had been a while since he last activated it, there were many messages piled up and new notifications as well.

But Ethan first searched for a keyword.

-[Evil Spirit Exorcism]

It was a very simple keyword.

“Oh.”

As soon as he searched for the keyword, the algorithm immediately recommended a god.

-Nine-tailed Fox Spirit [Difficulty: Medium]

A god that was immediately recognizable just from the description.

“Gumiho.”

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