Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 120

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“Human, be careful! If you fall, you’ll plummet to your death!”

Raon’s nagging never reached Kale Heniatus. He walked toward the collapsed ground that Vicross had indicated.

“What’s the matter?”
“Please, take a look.”

Vicross pointed into the darkness beneath the collapsed ground, and I directed my gaze downward.
Below, in the shadows, I could make out scattered broken crates scattered about.
In that moment, I uttered four words that sounded like a sigh.

“This can’t be!”

Vicross nodded at my exclamation.

‘As expected, the young master’s acting is flawless.’

When I looked at him urgently, he straightened his posture. Then I asked him.

“How far down is that location?”

It seemed to be deeper than Underground 3rd Floor. Choi Han was supposed to say that.

“It. Se. Ems—”

But Vicross blocked the approaching Choi Han with his left arm and spoke rapidly.

“It seems to be deeper than Underground 3rd Floor.”
“…Is that so?”

Rustle, rustle. I heard footsteps drawing closer behind me and spoke with a grave expression.

“Is there an Underground 4th Floor? No, wait. Wasn’t it said that the Magic Tower only has Underground 3rd Floor?”
“Th. At. Is. Wh. At. I. Am. Say. Ing.”

For the first time, I completely ignored Choi Han. I didn’t even glance at him and met the gaze of the approaching group. The Mage Rosalind opened her mouth with a serious expression.

“Young Master, I’ve actually heard rumors that you conducted secret research while at the Magic Tower. Oh!”

She gasped and covered her mouth with both hands. Her eyes darted nervously behind me, as if she’d just said something that shouldn’t have been heard by the person standing there.

‘Excellent performance.’

I applauded Rosalind’s acting skills silently and turned around slowly.

“…Strategist.”

Herrol Codian. He was regarding Rosalind with an enigmatic expression. At my call, he gradually shifted his gaze toward me. His eyes burned with an inexplicable fervor that bordered on madness, and I met that gaze as I spoke.

“It seems something unexpected has occurred. Wouldn’t you agree, Strategist?”
“…It would appear so.”

Herrol answered calmly, though he couldn’t entirely conceal the avarice beneath his words.

“What’s going on? Why is everyone gathered at this ruined Magic Tower?”

Tunka and his subordinates arrived next, followed by the other strategists converging on our location. I placed a hand on Herrol’s shoulder.

“Tunka.”
“…What is it?”

Confusion crossed Tunka’s transparent face. I had never called him with such gravity and gentleness before.

“It appears a hidden chamber within the Magic Tower has been discovered.”
“So what? Is it less destroyed?”

…This ignorant fool.
I wanted to strike Tunka on the head but restrained myself, issuing orders to my followers instead.

“Find out what’s in the underground levels. And Herrol.”
“Yes, Young Master.”

I turned to Herrol and asked him directly.

“You’ll help, won’t you?”
“Of course, Young Master. How could I refuse?”

Since it was my responsibility to help, Kale found that greedy expression of his amusing, yet he issued instructions with utmost seriousness, more committed to his role than ever.

“Everyone, let’s begin.”

Everyone nodded with grave expressions, as if confronted by an unexpected crisis. At that moment, Choi Han approached Kale’s side and spoke casually. For the first time, he executed his act with natural ease.

“Lord Kale, it’s dangerous with the blast aftermath, so please remain here while we handle it.”
-That’s right, human. You’re weak, so sit quietly in the shade!

Why state the obvious?
Kale found himself speechless at such an obvious remark. Why would he venture into that dangerous place?
However, Kale offered no counterargument.

“Indeed. Our soldiers and warriors will accompany us, so please don’t worry.”
“Is that so, Chief Strategist?”
“Yes.”

Herrol Codian grew impatient, attempting to find some way to enter alongside them. Kale nodded with a leisurely expression and cautioned him.

“Of course, everything inside belongs to me. You understand that, yes?”

Herrol Codian smiled.

“Naturally. But if it’s unnecessary, you’ll dispose of it, won’t you?”
“Exactly. Why do you think you need to follow along and watch to make sure I don’t hide things immediately?”
“There is that as well.”

Herrol Codian made no attempt to conceal his true intentions. He was filled with concern that Kale’s group might hide the items, and equally consumed by the desire to see everything within that underground laboratory.

“I see. Herrol, I don’t wish to leave such deceptions between us, so come along.”

-Weak human, you’re lying again! You’re truly excellent at it! It’s your talent!

Kale realized he had discovered a talent—the talent for deception.

“Yes. Thank you for your consideration. I’ll assist diligently.”
“Good, good. Don’t get hurt.”

At Kale Heniatus’s final words, Vicross barely suppressed a snort. Patting his son’s shoulder, Ron led the group toward the collapsed underground.
Naturally, Herrol Codian attempted to follow the group with his other subordinates.

Kale leisurely withdrew from the scene and observed the situation.

-Human, what a shame.

What could Raon possibly find shameful about this?

-Yesterday we set up traps so thoroughly on Underground 4th Floor and destroyed everything inside.

Kale recalled what he had said to Herrol Codian.

‘Don’t get hurt.’

Don’t get hurt? It was Kale himself who had ordered traps to be installed throughout, and it was also Kale who had taught Ron the trap locations while instructing Herrol Codian’s group to cleverly advance past those very spots.
Didn’t he know that information obtained through hardship and minor injuries would be all the more valuable?

-Human, you’re grinning wickedly! And I want gold coins! I worked!

Grinning wickedly? What nonsense.
Kale casually adjusted his expression by smoothing the corners of his mouth with his fingers.

“Tunka.”

Kale approached Tunka while Herrol Codian and the other strategists were occupied elsewhere. Behind Tunka stood two subordinates who served as his left and right arms.
Kale asked Tunka subtly.

“You told the Crown Prince that I’m your close friend, didn’t you?”
“Ahem!”

Tunka was rarely caught off guard. Kale seized the moment and continued.

“I suspect research materials from the mages will be found in that hidden space. If any of those materials could benefit you, I’ll hand them over to you.”
“…What?”

Kale met the bewildered expression with utmost seriousness.

“And if there’s something that could harm you…”

Something that causes harm.
Tunka’s expression grew grave. Even someone like him, who rarely thought deeply about such matters, couldn’t help but acknowledge that the mages had likely created something capable of harming his people.
As worry gradually settled across Tunka’s face at that thought.

“Of course I’ll hand it over to you.”

Of course. Those words echoed in Tunka’s ears.
He recalled the image of Kale Heniatus procuring a ship for him and seeing him off.

“…Can you really say that so easily? Shouldn’t valuable things be kept ambiguous—neither given nor withheld—to fetch a higher price?”

Kale’s expression turned serious.

“Tunka, do I seem like that kind of person to you?”
“No, you’re not that kind of person.”

That was right. Kale Heniatus was not someone so petty. As Tunka nodded in agreement, Kale’s words continued.

“You called me a friend, didn’t you? I believe that equal relationships are founded on fair dealings. You don’t strike me as someone who would shortchange me.”

Kale spoke with a touch of playfulness.

“You’re not as petty as those mage fellows, after all.”

The corners of Tunka’s mouth gradually lifted. A smile bloomed across his face, which had been heavy with worry, and soon he burst into hearty laughter.

“That’s right! That’s it, kehehe! I’m not that kind of person! Hahahaha!”

Tunka laughed for a long while.
Yet his gaze remained fixed on Kale. He had never encountered a nobleman like this before. This was a different breed entirely from those nobles in the Wipper Kingdom who were always watching the mages’ faces.
No one—truly no one—had ever supported the path he and his subordinates walked. But now, a supporter had appeared.

A friend.
He had been surprised at himself for uttering those words to the Crown Prince of the Roan Kingdom without even realizing it. But now, he felt he had spoken truly.

“You are indeed weak, yet magnificent.”

For the first time, Tunka acknowledged weakness as a virtue.

“Don’t state the obvious.”

I accepted this naturally and reflected on it.

‘Now Herrol Codian won’t be able to play tricks.’

I subtly brought it up once more to Tunka.

“A fair trade. Agreed?”
“Of course I agree! I am not a coward! Neither are you, right?”

Tunka’s two subordinates—his left and right hands, so to speak—nodded with trustworthy expressions.

“Yes, General.”
“That’s right. It must be fair.”

There was nothing wrong with my words. Conducting a fair trade between equals—it was the right thing to say. I believed it myself.
I truly did.

So I waited patiently for the results, and when they came, I informed everyone of what we had found.

In the Magic Tower’s hidden Underground 4th Floor, we discovered a damaged box.
Inside that box, several documents remained intact. The documents contained two things.

A mana storage device utilizing ancient power principles.
The reason magical resistance develops.

Information that would both benefit and harm the Wipper Kingdom.

* * *

“The Wipper Kingdom would understand the value of these documents better than anyone else, wouldn’t they?”

No one answered my question.
In the Strategists’ Tent, Tunka, Herrol Codian, and all the other commanders had gathered to face me. My companions stood beside me as if guarding me.

“…Yes. We understand well.”

I suppressed my laughter as I watched Herrol Codian answer slowly.

A mana storage device utilizing the principles of ancient power.

Herrol Codian—a tragic soul who could sense mana but could not store it in his body, thus unable to become a mage.
And so he despised magic.
Before such a man, a mana storage device and some of its research materials had been discovered.

An opportunity had appeared before his eyes—a chance for him to wield magic at last.

‘He must desire it, this magic he both loves and hates.’

I fingered a small cloth pouch.

“So this is the mana storage device you mentioned?”

At my words, Herrol Codian’s eyes gleamed with intensity.

—Correct, human. I cultivated it.

A year ago, the seed I had handed to Raon was a mana storage device being developed at the Magic Tower.
And what now rested in my hand was the result of that device sprouting from the seed, growing into a sapling, and eventually bearing fruit.

One of those fruits, harvested.
Of course, it was not a proper seed.

“Rosalind, is this immediately usable?”
“No, sir. It is in seed form, but currently withered and unusable. If we were to conduct new research based on this seed and the research materials… but…”

Rosalind trailed off, glancing cautiously at Herrol Codian.
I too observed his reaction. Herrol Codian made no effort to conceal his greed for this seed and the research materials—even damaged, they were invaluable clues.

Confirming this, I broached another subject.

“The reason magical resistance develops. This is remarkable material.”

This time, Tunka and the tribal warrior leaders flinched.
Their ability to overcome mages owed much to magical resistance. Yet here was research material that explained the very reason for it—something they needed yet could never allow to fall into anyone else’s hands.

I looked toward Tunka.
A thin, unconvincing smile crossed Tunka’s face. I turned away from it and addressed the Wipper delegation.

“Well, since it’s only a portion, it probably isn’t that important. We could just discard it, right?”

The desk clattered. Someone, startled, had struck it with their knee.

“-was a joke.”

A sigh escaped from someone.

“Even as a fragment, it’s an object of tremendous value.”

As I spoke, I recalled what Rosalind and Raon had said.

‘Young master, with just these materials alone, it would take at least ten years of research to understand everything. And that’s only if we have skilled mages.’
‘Human, one must be capable of wielding magic to even research that.’

I focused on those words.

An object that required mages to research.
Herrol Codian would absolutely insist on continuing that research.
Which meant mages would be necessary.

Rosalind had pinpointed that weakness precisely.

‘Young master, if we play this right, we might even seize a weakness of the Wipper Kingdom?’
‘As expected, Rosalind, your thoughts align with mine quite often.’

The leadership of a kingdom whose goal was to eliminate magic was using mages to conduct magical research.
Without question, such a situation would unfold, and I merely needed to obtain evidence of it through my informants.

As Rosalind and I were smiling at the thought of the moment we would seize that weakness, Raon surveyed the contents within the box and delivered his assessment.

‘This is nothing but scraps.’

The true essence lay entirely in Rosalind’s laboratory—the place where Raon occasionally visited.

“Tunka.”
“Y-yes.”
“I’m entrusting this to you.”

Tunka’s expression shifted.

“Is that… truly the case?”

I nodded toward Herrol Codian.

“It is indeed.”

I tapped the table with the cloth pouch in my hand. Tap, tap. The withered seeds clattered together with a dull thud. Each time, the representatives from the Wipper Kingdom flinched.
Regardless of their reaction, I said what I had to say.

“I purchased the Magic Tower for ten billion without gaining any profit myself. And I intend to sell every last benefit that comes from it to you. Tunka, what would you do in my position?”
“…I would try to receive as much as possible.”
“Exactly.”

Deep furrows carved themselves across Strategist Herrol Codian’s brow. If he knew me—and if he were in my position—he would certainly attempt to extract the maximum possible gain.
Especially now that the Magic Tower itself had vanished.

‘But our financial situation is dire.’

War preparations against the Empire left little room for excess. Yet Herrol Codian desperately wanted to seize those two things in my hands.

‘And I cannot afford to fight.’

My military strength was formidable. A conflict would delay the war against the Empire. Further delays would damage morale.

‘Since I paid ten billion, I would certainly demand more than that.’

If the magical resistance data were offered to the Empire, they would likely pay ten billion for it. Both Herrol Codian and Tunka understood this.

“I’m thinking roughly this much.”

I opened my left hand.

“Ah.”

Herrol Codian exhaled sharply.
Five fingers.

“Oh, five billion?”

Tunka cried out in shock. Herrol Codian quickly suppressed his sigh and curved a smile across his lips.

‘If the opening bid is five billion, I can negotiate down from here.’

In any negotiation, one always started with the highest figure. Herrol Codian opened his mouth to establish a proper price. But Kale Heniatus was faster.

“Five billion? No. Five hundred million.”
“Pardon?”

Herrol Codian asked in astonishment.
Truly?

“Did you truly mean five hundred million?”

Kale Heniatus wore an affectionate and innocent smile. His warm gaze swept across the assembled leaders.

“Yes. Five hundred million.”

I’ve already agreed to sell the remaining documents to the Crown Prince for several times that amount.
Why not let the mages of the Roan Kingdom devour the weakened Wipper Kingdom after it’s been touched by the Empire?

A conversation I’d had with the Crown Prince last winter unfolded in my mind.

‘Kale, they’re pitiful fellows—sell it to them for five hundred million. Besides, the Magic Tower’s hundred million didn’t come from my coffers anyway.’
‘I was planning to sell for a hundred million, but since Your Highness has spoken, I shall gladly obey.’
‘Good. Wouldn’t it be nice if you became their benefactor? That’s what you were aiming for, isn’t it?’
‘Of course.’
‘What a wicked fellow.’

The Crown Prince cursed me while laughing, and I laughed along with him.

“After all, the Wipper Kingdom is struggling now, isn’t it? I believe this is a fair transaction befitting those in hardship.”
“You, you are! Really, a noble like you, I—!”

Tunka stared at me with trembling eyes, unable to form proper words. I found those eyes distasteful, but I maintained my smile.
Tunka finally rose from his chair and shouted.

“Thank you! I truly appreciate it!”

I had never encountered a human who purchased worthless scraps for five hundred million and expressed gratitude before. Yet I acknowledged his thanks.

“Glad you understand.”

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