Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 123

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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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And everyone was shocked.

“…Die?”
Meow?

Ron, who had been quietly hiding in the shadows, and Hong, who had been dozing heavily, both startled and looked toward Erhafen.

“None of you knew?”

But Erhafen’s reaction was composed. Kale Heniatus found himself at a loss for words at that composure.
It was information he was hearing for the first time. And it was saying that he might die.

Erhafen clicked his tongue at Kale Heniatus’s gaze and opened his mouth.

“Typically, the power of ancient times is said to be such a precious power that one can only obtain it if fortune smiles upon them. Setting aside its strength. You know that much, don’t you?”
“I do! So hurry up and explain. Golden Dragon!”

Thud!
Raon’s front paw mercilessly struck the golden table. The table split open in that exact shape.

“How ignorant. A dragon asking for an explanation without even knowing this much.”

Erhafen gazed at him without hiding his scorn, staring intently at Raon. He waited for Raon’s reaction that would follow.

“I’m not ignorant. Just tell me already!”

Rather than growing angry at his own sarcasm, Erhafen continued his explanation with a faint smile, looking at Raon’s round, eager eyes.

“Countless historical records and ancient legends have documented humans possessing the power of ancient times. But here’s the thing.”

Unease. Kale Heniatus felt uneasy.

“Until now, only those possessing a single power have been recorded. Why do you think that is?”

Erhafen posed the question to Kale Heniatus. Kale Heniatus felt as though he already knew the answer.

‘Those who possessed multiple powers all died and were never recorded?’

Now that I think about it, in the ‘Birth of a Hero,’ there was no one who possessed two ancient powers. Kale had never questioned that point.
Erhafen watched as Kale’s eyes deepened, recognizing that he had deduced the answer. His mouth opened again.

“Anyone with two or more powers dies. That’s why it was never recorded. Of course, if fortune smiles and you obtain multiple ancient powers of the same attribute, you can survive. But if your attributes differ, like yours.”

Erhafen spread his straight, pale white fingers wide open.

“Just as these fingers spread open, the human body bursts apart. Torn to shreds, completely destroyed. Not even a trace remains.”
“This can’t be!”

Raon cried out with despair etched across his face. Now he turned to look at Kale and began pounding the golden table with his front paws.

“Weak human! Why do you keep picking up useless things? Huh?”

Raon’s short neck flushed with indignation.

“After all that suffering! Picking things up and coughing blood! I find your way of thinking fascinating! Ugh, don’t cover your mouth!”

Kale gently stroked Raon’s face. At that rough touch, Raon finally closed his mouth. Kale met the worried gazes of the other companions one by one, then looked at Erhafen and opened his mouth.

“But I’m still alive.”

I haven’t died. I’m alive.
Just the ancient powers I currently possess—including the water governed by the Seeping Necklace—totaled six.
Erhafen nodded readily at Kale’s words.

“That’s right. You are alive.”

Raon interjected into the conversation once more.

“Will you die soon?”

Ha. What a grim thing to say.
Kale stroked Raon’s face and head indiscriminately, and Raon remained still with soft murmurs. Erhafen watched the scene with curiosity, then let out a scoff and opened his mouth.

“Die? No. The fact that he doesn’t die is what makes that creature remarkable and extraordinary.”

The Gold Dragon pointed with his finger at Kale’s necklace.

“The necklace contains water, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.”

Water that permeated and dominated within the necklace.
Erhafen shook his head with an expression of utter disbelief, his gaze fixed upon me. The reptilian pupils, vertically slit in characteristic fashion, scrutinized me with meticulous precision.

“There’s the power of wood. The power of wind. The power of fire.”

An unbreakable shield of wood.
Wind’s Sound of wind.
Destructive flame of fire.

“And there’s one power unique to humans.”

A power unique to humans. At those words, one thing came to mind.
‘Vitality of the Heart’.
Our gazes collided.
Erhafen spoke of one more ancient power belonging to this peculiar human.

“Regeneration.”

I answered to that word.

“Thanks to that power, I’m alive.”
“Yes. The potent life force possessed by ancient humans. That regenerative power harmonizes and blends all the elemental forces while controlling them perfectly.”

Vitality of the Heart.
I suddenly recalled how the Vitality of the Heart, which I had obtained to strengthen the unbreakable shield, had also influenced Wind’s Sound.
Was it fusion rather than reinforcement?

“You probably obtained that power for the first or second time.”
“That’s correct. I obtained it the second time.”
“That’s why you survived.”

Erhafen gazed at my body as if observing a fascinating specimen.

“The regenerative power took root first before the other two elemental forces could collide, preventing them from clashing and exploding.”

Erhafen recalled the name of the human before him.
Kale Heniatus, was it?

To the Gold Dragon, neither Choi Han nor Rosalind held much intrigue. Rather, his gaze fell upon the pure-blooded Wolf Tribe child and the feline children—pure-blooded yet seemingly mutated.

‘But this human is far more fascinating than any of them.’

Fortune enough to possess six ancient powers. This was no mere luck. It bordered on divine revelation. Yet only the power of the death oath resonated within him—no divine touch could be sensed.

‘A madman, truly.’

A madman intoxicated by fortune itself.
Watching the human speak while meeting his gaze directly, Erhafen felt something he hadn’t experienced in ages—curiosity rather than rage.

“Then there’s nothing to worry about.”

Kale’s composed expression only deepened Erhafen’s fascination. Had he obtained a different power first, he would be dead. Yet he showed no surprise whatsoever.

But contrary to Erhafen’s observations, Kale’s heart thundered wildly within his chest.

‘I nearly greeted the underworld because I happened to gain a different power first.’

A chill ran down Kale’s spine. Then Erhafen continued.

“For now, you’re safe, at least.”
“For now?”
“Yes. Your body is a time bomb right now. If your regenerative power falters even slightly, you’ll detonate.”

Thud!
Raon’s front paw struck the golden table once more. Erhafen found the dragon’s despair over the human amusing, yet the lethal glint in the small dragon’s eyes made him speak.

“But there is a way.”

Somehow, Kale sensed he already knew what that method was.

‘…Earth?’

Why did that terrifying rock come to mind now?
Erhafen’s words continued.

“The power of water within the necklace is already bound to you, so if you obtain the power of earth as well, they’ll complement each other perfectly. When you gather all the attributes, they’ll naturally support one another.”

So I really did need to obtain that stone.
Kale Heniatus recalled that ancient power with its ominous name, then glanced down at the small front paw resting on his shoulder.

“Human, let’s find the power of earth right now.”

Erhafen let out a scoff. No matter how fortunate this madman was to have obtained six ancient powers, gathering all five natural attributes was sheer insanity.

“Little one, you need heavenly fortune to align.”
“Such trivial fortune can be created by a great dragon! Do you not understand the greatness of dragons, you gold dragon!”

Erhafen looked at Kale Heniatus and asked.

“Why has this one grown so large?”

Indeed, I wondered the same thing.
I couldn’t fathom why Raon had become so enormous.

-Human, let’s use that book the Elf Chieftain gave you to find the power of earth. I’ll definitely find it for you, so don’t worry! You’re destined for a long life!

I swallowed a sigh at Raon’s clamorous voice filling my mind, then exhaled it anyway. It was because of Erhafen.

“You said your name was Kale, didn’t you? Is your family perhaps the one that hunted dragons?”
“…What kind of—”

Such a terrifying and absurd question.
I barely managed to swallow the rest of my words. The dragon lacked such dignity that I’d nearly spoken to him as casually as I would to the Crown Prince.

“Is that not so?”
“Of course not, sir.”

I laughed and waved my hand dismissively at Erhafen’s words. But when the dragon stared at me with an expressionless face, an inexplicable chill ran down my spine, and I found myself glancing toward my companions.

“Ron, our family is just a small noble house, isn’t it?”
“…That is correct.”

Ron answered after a long pause, avoiding the dragon’s gaze.

‘Avoiding eye contact makes things awkward.’

My brow furrowed. Why was that old assassin acting this way? I shifted my target of inquiry to Choi Han.

“Choi Han, isn’t our family’s military strength rather weak?”

Erhafen’s gaze also turned toward Choi Han. Choi Han and the Gold Dragon’s eyes met. Fortunately, Choi Han answered more comfortably than Ron had.

“…Yes. We are weak.”

I was satisfied with that answer and looked at Erhafen.
The Heniatus Family was a rural fiefdom with considerable wealth but only moderate strength.
Erhafen asked in a rather affectionate tone, as if finding my confident demeanor endearing.

“Wasn’t your family the one that slew dragons?”
“No, sir. And could there truly be a human capable of slaying a dragon?”
“Why not?”

So there is one?

“There was, long ago. The Dragon Slayer Clan.”

Erhafen rested his chin upon his interlaced fingers and continued speaking gently.

“A mad family, they were. One that possessed the strength to stand unflinching against dragon fear, to face it boldly. That strength was passed down through generations to only the family’s heir.”

The Gold Dragon found it amusing how Kale Heniatus had been staring directly at him this entire time.

An ancient dragon possessed a natural aura of dominion that required no need to emanate dragon fear. Erhafen had adjusted the atmosphere as lightly as possible for the sake of the Elf Fendrick, but the humans—save for the beastfolk—struggled to endure meeting an ancient dragon for the first time.

It was no coincidence that Ron and Choi Han’s answers had been slow, nor that the group had remained silent except when Kale was said to be dying—there was a reason for everything.
Thus, the gazes the group directed at Kale had grown all the more profound.

Erhafen continued speaking to Kale, who seemed oblivious to all of this.

“But the last heir of that family went missing, and that power was severed.”

I felt an inexplicable unease at hearing that the last heir had vanished. Yet with Erhafen’s next words, all my anxiety dissipated.

“That power is brimming with courage.”

Courage.
At that word, I broke into a radiant smile.
It was a power utterly unrelated to me.
I had nothing to do with such pretentious, domineering aura—a power easy to deceive with mere bluster.

“I see. In any case, that is not me.”

At my resolute answer, Erhafen nodded in agreement.

‘He still doesn’t know.’

Seeing that I remained unaware, he chose not to elaborate further.
Countless beings who had challenged the Dragon had tucked their tails between their legs before a creature spanning tens of meters.
Yet there was one human who alone never diminished his momentum and charged forward—the greatest Dragon Slayer.
In ages past, Dragons had both innately loved and despised the aura of the greatest and only Dragon Slayer. It was a power that stood as an equal to Dragons themselves.

“Well, if that’s what you believe, then so be it.”

Erhafen answered warmly with a smile, choosing not to say more.
That smile brought a strange unease over me, but I quickly brushed away the concern. I possessed no such courageous power.

“But listen.”

Again.
As Erhafen opened his mouth to speak of something new, I swallowed a sigh.
A time bomb, a Dragon Slayer—what would come next?

“Little one.”

I felt relieved. This time it was Raon, not me.

“What is it, old man?”
“Hah!”

At Raon’s bright response, Erhafen let out a sigh.

-Did I do well?

That’s right, you shouldn’t have to endure that. I reached over and stroked Raon’s head.
Erhafen shook his head side to side and tossed out his words dismissively.

“You haven’t even completed your first growth phase yet.”
“Still, I am strong.”

Erhafen stared intently at Raon. There was a reason he was more favorably disposed toward dragons than others.

“True. You have the potential to become quite strong. But if you encounter other dragons, you’ll be utterly crushed and flattened.”
“What? Crushed? Flattened? That’s impossible!”

Raon vehemently denied it.
Yet Raon quietly averted his gaze from Erhafen and looked up at the ceiling of Rare. Witnessing this, Erhafen spoke.

“How unbecoming of a dragon—you’re actually quite adorable.”

Raon immediately refuted Erhafen.

“What? I’m not adorable!”
“I will help you.”

Huh?
Raon tilted his head in confusion for a moment. His expression seemed to ask, “What did I just hear?” as he looked toward me. I wore a similarly bewildered expression.

At that moment, Erhafen’s voice reached both the human and the dragon.
Before death claimed him, the ancient dragon wished to pass everything he possessed to someone, leaving his mark upon this world.

“Dwell in my Rare.”

Erhafen was aware that he was dying.
Five years at most.
Time was running out.

The reason he was favorably inclined toward dragons was that only a dragon could inherit everything he possessed. Among them, he had encountered a dragon who, despite being a dragon, was quite virtuous and possessed a compassionate heart.

“I will pass all that I have to you.”

Most dragons would recoil in horror and refuse. They had no desire to inherit from another dragon.
Yet he could make this offer because he believed this dragon would be different.

‘Even so, he’s a dragon, so he might refuse.’

But this little one was also a dragon. I was slightly worried he might decline.

“Of course, if you don’t wish to, you’re free to refuse. I’m magnanimous enough not to seek revenge like other dragons. So please, speak freely—”

Erhafen trailed off, glancing subtly between Kale Heniatus and Raon.
Kale Heniatus’s expression was strange.
Raon’s expression was also strange.
The former looked reluctant, while the latter looked delighted.

‘Delighted?’

As Erhafen felt puzzled, Raon was speaking directly into Kale Heniatus’s mind.

-Human, it’s free! He said he’d give it all to me!

Just as Kale Heniatus had smiled after selling items to the Crown Prince, Raon began laughing brightly and excitedly.

“Gold Dragon!”
“Yes. Well, you’re free to refuse if you wish, but if you just learn for about three months—”
“Is room and board free too?”

For a moment, Erhafen wondered if he’d heard correctly, staring intently at Raon. Raon was grinning.
After a long pause, Erhafen asked again.

“…What?”
“If learning is free, then room and board is free too, isn’t it?”
“…I suppose so?”

Raon pointed to Kale Heniatus and the rest of the group as he spoke.

“Is room and board free for all of us?”
“…I suppose so?”

Bang!
Raon struck the golden table heartily and shouted.

“Then I’ll do it! I’m in!”

Raon’s voice echoed inside Kale Heniatus’s mind.

-Then I’ll grow even stronger! If I get that Gold Dragon, I’ll become twice as powerful!
-And that’s free!

Kale watched as Erhafen, unable to grasp Raon’s logic, looked at him with confusion, and he laughed awkwardly.

“Haha—”

Yes, that was a good outcome.
Kale stroked Raon’s head once more.
He felt an inexplicable sense of pride and warmth toward Raon.

The boy certainly had a firm grasp of economics.

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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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