Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 105

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

A former Knight Commander, an archer, and an assassin.

‘I could create a Daily Combat Unit just like how they have recreational sports.’

If a Daily Combat Unit appeared alongside the Skeleton Aerial Squadron, how dumbfounded would the enemies be?
I was equally dumbfounded, but my lips gradually curved upward into a smile.

“Their skill level is around intermediate?”
“Yes. All three of them are at the level of Vice-Captain Hilsman.”

-Human, why are you smiling so much? Is something amusing? Teach me too!

Raon asked, but I didn’t answer. Instead, I looked at Ron. Choi Han was always dull when it came to such matters anyway.
The moment our eyes met, Ron put on a benevolent smile.

“Young master, isn’t this territory far more pleasant to live in than you expected?”
“Indeed.”

Count Derth had been conducting city wall construction ever since I informed him of the Northern Three Kingdom Alliance. It was a massive project based on Mueller’s blueprints.
Moreover, my father was increasing his military forces and improving their quality. Of course, he wasn’t squeezing the territory residents. If he were, would there be residents coming to enjoy the festival like this now?

Count Derth was spending money generously. Yet he still said it wasn’t enough.

“This is quite nice.”

I buried myself in the plush sofa reserved for VIPs. It was an arrogant posture that naturally exuded conceit, yet somehow this nouveau riche-like attitude suited me perfectly.

“Yes. First, that person is an archer.”

Currently, a painting competition was underway. Though truthfully, it was more of an event than a competition.
The paintings had been submitted before the festival period, underwent a first round of judging, and winners were determined through a second round. Now, the first-round finalists were participating in an event format, beautifully painting Stone Mountain and the Quarry behind Heniatus Territory Castle.
This event also had prize winners.

I turned my gaze toward the archer-cum-painter that Choi Han was pointing at.
A long-haired man with a beard suddenly stood up and was violently swinging his brush in an X pattern across the easel.

“This isn’t it! Why am I so talentless? How dare I call this garbage a painting! This hand of mine has gone mad!”

Paint splattered everywhere. The man tore at his hair with both hands.

“I’m garbage! This isn’t what art is supposed to be!”

I observed the painting thoughtfully.

‘He painted it remarkably well, though.’

I glanced at Choi Han. He averted his gaze before speaking.

“He’s quite sensitive, apparently. He’s been here for three months—the shortest tenure among all the residents. He built his home next to the white tree at the very top of the Slums. He calls it the source of his inspiration.”

Source of inspiration? What did that mean?
I looked down below. On and Hong were meowing and grinning mischievously.
‘The Unbreakable Shield.’ The place where I first obtained an ancient power. The man-eating tree in the Slums. Thanks to me, that tree had turned white and now perpetually bore blue leaves.

“No, no, this isn’t it! I can’t show this garbage to people!”

I spoke to Ron.

“Let’s skip this one for now.”

The white tree in the Slums. That tree had reacted to me because I was the owner of the Unbreakable Shield. If I went to find his house to see him, and the tree vibrated and reacted to me…

‘I have a bad feeling he might become the source of inspiration.’

An ominous premonition washed over me.

“What about the sculptor? Does he advance to the finals tomorrow?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“He was eliminated in the preliminaries.”

Hmm. Choi Han paused briefly before continuing.

“He came in last place. Apparently, he lacks talent.”
“Though he does have talent for murder.”

Ron interjected and asked me a question.

“Young master, shall I make a reservation at the restaurant?”
“Yes.”

I wanted to go see the chef first.
I watched the painting competition at leisure. Of course, it was a bonus that I sighed upon seeing the painter and archer who had shouted that he was garbage and rushed out.

* * *

“Brother.”

Lily’s eyes wavered. I brushed past it without concern and entered the restaurant called Warmth Remains Space.

“Welcome.”

The lord’s son had arrived. Naturally, the head chef came out and bowed respectfully.
An elderly man in his seventies. Though he possessed a fairly robust build, time had proven unstoppable—he had gradually become smaller. I knew about this elderly man and was surprised, but his existence didn’t feel strange to me.

“I shall guide you to your reserved room.”

The restaurant in front of the Lord’s Castle kept separate rooms prepared for those who occasionally came to entertain guests. My eyes met with the elderly man who was about to guide me. The head chef could see the light in my eyes as I faced him without a word. Lily watched the head chef and me alternately, her entire body tense.
Finally, I extended my hand to him.
Finally, Kale Heniatus extended his hand to him.

“Pardon?”
“Yes?”

Lily was startled and looked at the chef. Then she cried out.

“Master is my mother’s teacher, sir!”

It was supposed to be a secret from the family! She’d been caught!
My family didn’t know about it! I’ve been caught!

But contrary to Lily’s expectations, the Countess Viollan had known about it all along.

“And I wanted to see my younger brother, who is also my teacher, so I came to visit.”

At Kale’s words, the cook said nothing and simply stared at him. Then soon after, he let out a hearty laugh.

“The Countess’s teacher? That is an unbecoming statement.”

A chef and former captain of the Knights Order. Edro.
Kale recalled Ron’s report about Edro.

‘Those who have lived in this territory for over ten years know his identity. He came with the Countess.’

Viollan, from a fallen noble family. She operated a merchant guild and traded in luxury goods, which eventually brought her to the Heniatus Territory.
At that time, Edro served as a bodyguard protecting her merchant guild’s entourage.
As the former captain of the Knights Order from Viollan’s fallen family, when she declared her intention to venture into the fierce world of commerce, he abandoned his life as a knight and turned to mercenary work to guard the merchant guild.

‘It is said he was the Countess’s sword instructor during her childhood.’

The Heniatus Family was fundamentally a martial clan. Count Derth and his second son Basen both knew how to handle a sword as a basic skill. And the Countess Viollan also possessed the fundamentals.

‘After the Countess married, her dream became cooking, and she established herself here.’

It was a story from over fifteen years ago, so neither I nor Lily nor Basen knew of it. It was said that Count Derth had built this restaurant building for her.

“I heard the food here is quite delicious. I came with great anticipation.”

I spoke with a gentle smile, and Edro’s expression upon hearing those words was peculiar.

‘I’ve never seen such a reckless fool.’

Watching him drink and cause trouble, he had always thought such men needed mental discipline—to be rolled on the ground a few times. He could not tolerate a corrupted state of mind.

“It should be satisfactory.”

Edro answered calmly and guided me to a room.

-Human, eat well with your sister.

Kale and Lily shared the same room while the rest of the group stayed in different rooms. This was so that Raon, On, and Hong could eat comfortably.

“Allow me to attend to you.”

Ron followed me. Ron’s and Edro’s gazes met. Edro had heard from the Countess that Ron was an assassin. How shocked he had been. At the same time, he was astonished by his unfathomable strength.

“What a cunning fellow.”
“Ha, aren’t you the same, sir?”

Ron answered with a disarming smile, his tone smooth and ingratiating. Edro regarded him with displeasure before turning his attention to Kale Heniatus and Lily, who were already seated in the designated room. He closed the door slowly. He needed to prepare the meal. Ron, who was attending to them, followed in his wake.
Through the narrowing gap of the closing door, Edro caught the words Kale Heniatus was offering to Lily.

“He is an excellent man. Learn from him properly.”

Edro glanced at Ron.

“Our young master has grown well.”

Before Edro could fully close the door, Ron caught sight of Kale Heniatus watching him over Edro’s shoulder. Grown well. Very cunningly indeed.

With a soft click, the door shut completely, and Ron spoke the words he had prepared.

“The young master wanted to see you, not only regarding Miss Lily, but also because he wished to see the one who served the Countess. He came here in secret without informing the Countess, so I ask for your discretion, sir.”

Ron added one more thing.

“The young master said he now wishes to understand his mother’s life.”

Edro—a man in his seventies who had sacrificed without reservation for his lord and student—felt his eyes deepen. Beyond the door, the voices of the siblings reached his ears.

“Lily, I believe you will become an excellent swordmaster.”
“Yes, brother. I will become a guardian knight protecting this territory!”

Edro cleared his throat softly and headed toward the kitchen. Following behind him, Ron recalled the command Kale Heniatus had given.

‘Make Edro feel the desire to step forward when the territory faces danger later. His age makes it difficult to take the front lines, but when such a person does, it touches hearts, doesn’t it?’

He had grown very, very clever and cunning. Of course, Ron preferred it that way.
One person had already been set up as groundwork.

And now came the second.
Setting aside the painter, it was practically the last.

-Human! There are so many people even at night! It’s so bright!
“It is beautiful. Unlike the underground, the things that shine in the darkness here make my heart race.”

Kale Heniatus wore a brown robe. Beside him walked Merry in her black robe, the invisible Raon, and Choi Han carrying On and Hong in his arms.
The vibrant and bustling Night Market sprawled before them. Countless figures moved between oddly-shaped stone lanterns, and I passed through their midst quietly, my robe drawn up around me.

-It smells delicious! I have 10 silver! Buy me those skewered chickens! I’ll pay!

I sighed and turned around. My butler Hans was following behind, a step too late.

“Hans.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Add three more skewers of chicken.”
“Yes, yes! I’ll bring back chicken skewers for our beloved ones!”

Hans was already laden with food—all of it to be taken back to the mansion. Watching his excited figure, I shook my head with a wry smile and pressed forward without hesitation.

My steps halted at one of the many vendor stalls.

“Oh, welcome!”

A woman hurriedly stood up to greet me.

‘This is serious.’

I found myself at a loss for words, confronted by the peculiar quality of an unidentifiable fragment. I studied the woman before me.

A sculptor, presumed to be an assassin.

‘She is indeed skilled. The reason is that I cannot precisely determine her identity. Young master, an assassin—a true killer—is already halfway to success if they know how to conceal who they are.’

I pointed to one of the sculptures.

“Is this a demon?”

The woman in her forties had a warm, approachable appearance and ample frame that made her look like a kindly neighbor—nothing like an assassin at all.
Yet her sculptures were unmistakably extraordinary.

Gravely enigmatic, they were all suffused with an eerie, unsettling quality. They evoked demons, blades, abstract darkness.

“Oh my, it’s a flower. A forsythia.”

…Forsythia?

-How shocking, human. This is not forsythia.

This too was a talent. I genuinely believed that as I picked up the sculpture. I had thought it was a demon baring its teeth.

“Right, forsythia it is. I’d like to buy this one.”
“Really, truly?”
“Yes. I want to give it as a gift to someone precious.”

I spoke whatever came to mind. The process of building that person’s favor was exhausting.

-Ahem! Human, if you truly wish to give it, I can accept even that shocking thing!

“Here, is this—is this a tiger?”
“A lovely rabbit, sir!”
“…Yes, I’ll take the rabbit too.”

It was a rabbit that looked like a demon’s sentinel.

“Thank you so much!”
“No, it’s a magnificent sculpture.”

I held the two sculptures and treated the sculptor with gentleness until the very end.

“It suits my taste perfectly.”
“I… I’ve never heard such words before. How moving!”

Waves of emotion rippled across the middle-aged woman’s eyes. Watching her, I could reach one certainty.

‘She really is an excellent actress.’

Anyone observing would have seen her as a truly untalented but passionate artist, moved by her own fervor.
Ron’s words came to mind.

‘It’s remarkable that you’ve gone unnoticed until now.’
‘The author is one of two things.’
‘Either an assassin or a spy.’

The investigation revealed that she was not a spy.
For reasons unknown, she was an assassin disguised as a sculptor who had remained in the territory for three years. Ron said he hadn’t seen this sculptor during that time and was unaware of her existence. He only learned her true identity when he encountered her, as Choi Han pointed out her strength.

I accepted the demon rabbit and demon forsythia that the woman offered. I pulled out money from my pocket and handed it to her.

“Oh dear, I don’t have any change.”

A gold coin fell into her palm. The impoverished sculptor didn’t know what to do. I spoke to her.

“This is my appreciation for your efforts.”
“…This is the first time anyone has recognized my work and dedication as a sculptor.”

Watching the moved middle-aged woman, I slightly lifted my hood. Kale Heniatus—the face of this territory’s lord’s son was revealed.

“Ah! Y-Young Master!”

The sculptor was startled as if she might faint, immediately attempting to bow.
She truly was an excellent actress. I approached her and whispered.

“This is my appreciation for your efforts in fleeing and hiding.”
“Pardon?”
“It must be difficult, hiding like that?”

The middle-aged woman’s eyes grew cold. At that moment, a figure appeared behind me. Silently, without warning, he was suddenly there.

“Ron, handle what comes next as you see fit.”
“Yes, Young Master.”

I spoke to the sculptor and assassin whose face still showed confusion but whose eyes had turned cold.

“One gold coin should be enough for you to close up shop for the day. You’ll have plenty of time to talk with Ron.”

The sculptor and assassin, the fugitive Frigia, had no idea Ron would appear. He was someone who knew how to move with footsteps that deceived even an assassin’s senses. Frigia watched Ron warily.
I smiled gently and spoke to the fugitive Frigia.

“Isn’t fleeing difficult?”

The second person had fallen into the trap as planned.

“Young master, I shall handle matters here.”

A conversation with an assassin was best left to an assassin. I entrusted the rest to Ron.

Ron asked if I needed information. Of course I did. I had survived thus far on information alone. In the future, I would need it even more desperately. I had at most one to two years ahead of me.

‘The debt of the arm and the life you saved. I shall repay that debt.’

Even when I said it wasn’t necessary, Ron insisted on repaying it.

Meow.
Meow.

On and Hong instinctively recognized that the sculptor was of the same ilk as themselves. The cats had discerned precisely that this person, should their reasons for fleeing prove acceptable, might become Ron’s disciple and subordinate.

-Human, even if you gave me both, I would gladly accept them.

The sculptures that even On and Hong detested were carefully enshrined in Raon’s treasure vault, the pocket dimension.
And on the final day when the festival ended, I signed a single document.

“Frigia.”
“Yes, young master.”
“I’m delighted to sponsor such a promising sculptor as yourself.”

Frigia, a woman of impressive stature, clasped her hands together with humble and grateful expression.

“Young master, though I’ve only been a sculptor for three years, I shall surely become one who brings honor to the sculptural arts!”

Not even remotely amusing.
I smiled, as did Ron and Frigia.

‘She killed the leader.’
‘Why?’
‘Apparently, the original principle of the Assassination Unit was to handle only assassinations among nobles. However, the new leader accepted a commission from a noble to kidnap children. When she learned he intended to carry out that task, she killed him as a madman and fled.’
‘Is the Assassination Unit pursuing her?’
‘No. She tried to kill the noble as well.’

It turned out this sculptor operated on quite a grand scale.

‘Who is this nobleman?’
‘He’s said to be a vassal family of the Southwest Region’s leader.’

Quite the stroke of fortune had rolled in.
While the Southeast Region bordered the Wipper Kingdom, the Southwest Region bordered the Empire. This was information I could put to use.

“Frigia, I’ll be counting on you to bring me more pieces in the future.”
“Yes. I’ll make sure to find pieces that will satisfy you.”

Pieces, my foot. That’s what Ron had said.

‘His former comrades who followed him are also on the run, I hear.’

I naturally responded.

‘Tell them to come.’

If I was going to establish the Daily Combat Unit, I might as well do it properly, no?
I sent Frigia and Ron out, then gazed at the calendar hanging in the Study. My eyes were fixed on three weeks from now.

‘It’ll be here soon enough.’

* * *

Just as I’d anticipated, three weeks passed in a flash.

“S-sister. Sob, sniff.”
“Sigh.”

Rosalind let out a sigh. The Fourth Prince was clinging to Rosalind’s hand, tears streaming down his face.

“How could you stay in such a shabby, backward place? Our sister! The greatest in the world! Why are you living in this stone-forsaken, rocky wasteland? Sob, sniff, in the Count’s Mansion of all places! How could this happen! Waaah!”

As I listened to the Fourth Prince’s words, I leisurely picked up a cookie.
I observed.
A spherical water orb had formed in Rosalind’s hand. This was the first time I’d seen her make such an angry expression.

-This whiny brat—who is he anyway? Our estate is wonderful because there are so many stones. What a stupid crybaby.

Raon’s voice turned cold.
Who else?
Just as Rosalind said—an immature, whining prince. But that prince couldn’t even bring himself to look at me.

-Human, you look about as strong as my toes today.

I draped myself in a dominating aura—something I hadn’t done in ages—and turned my gaze toward the Fourth Prince.

‘How dare a mere Count’s son with no title or position serve our sister?’

Those were the first words I heard when I went to greet Fourth Prince Pen. The moment he spat them out upon seeing me, I began treating him with my dominating aura.

Crunch.
The sound of me chewing a cookie echoed through the air. The Fourth Prince avoided my gaze even more desperately.
Crunch, crunch.
I chewed the cookie slowly, my expression serene.

For the record, I absolutely despised the whining, immature type.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————