Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 14

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

To reach the end of that day’s journey, I had no choice but to make camp. There were no settlements worthy of the name until we reached the village near the Black Dragon Breeding Ground.

Meow.

Hong, the red-furred feline beastkin child who had followed me out of the carriage, twitched his nose with delight and swished his tail. The campsite was filled with the aroma of delicious food.

Perhaps a day’s fulfillment comes not from grand accomplishments, but from a satisfying evening meal. That’s what I thought. A warm meal that ended a grueling, exhausting day and heralded the beginning of a peaceful night.

Tonight’s main course was rabbit soup.

“Damn it.”

It wasn’t Ron’s doing. I turned my gaze to the side. Choi Han, the one responsible for bringing back several rabbits, was eating the soup with relish.

Meow.

Tap, tap. The feline beastkin On and Hong tapped my leg as if to say they didn’t want to eat what they had. Hans approached the two children with a goofy grin, moving carefully.

“Our esteemed feline lords and ladies, would you care for some jerky I’ve prepared? It contains no salt, no seasonings—truly wholesome fare.”

Naturally, On and Hong ignored Hans. The sub-butler, unaware they were feline beastkin, marveled at their aloof demeanor from the sidelines.

Unlike their first battle, the scene was leisurely and peaceful. However, the atmosphere among the knights was strange. They kept glancing at Choi Han, who was eating soup next to Cale. The Vice-Captain appeared to be full of anguish.

I clicked my tongue.

My group and I had faced dozens of bandits today. Among us, Choi Han had naturally been the most active. He hadn’t killed the bandits, but he had inflicted deep wounds or severed limbs—at a terrifying speed.

“Young master, the battle has concluded.”

The Vice-Captain reported to me with a shocked expression, the battle having ended far too quickly.

But they had the misfortune of attacking the carriage where Choi Han was.
The bandits were those who had been pushed out from nearby territories in a power struggle. The ones I had thought were foolish were now driven to desperation after hitting a wall, and since they outnumbered the five knights and soldiers combined by roughly three times, they seemed to attack with confidence.
The reason the Vice-Captain’s face had gone pale wasn’t because of the bandits’ strength. Choi Han approached and stood beside the Vice-Captain, adding his words to mine.

The Vice-Captain’s face had gone pale not because of the bandits’ martial prowess. Choi Han approached and stood beside the Vice-Captain, adding to what he said to Kale.

“It was a light skirmish. Quite easy, actually.”

At that moment, I caught sight of the Vice-Captain’s pupils wavering briefly. I also saw Choi Han smirking at the sight of him.

So he wasn’t the type to simply endure. The man who struck down a Count’s son wasn’t foolish enough to passively accept everything—he was no saint.

“Is the food not to your taste, sir?”

As Ron approached with a benevolent smile, I adopted a sullen expression. Alternating my gaze between Ron and the rabbit meat soup, I became certain: this old man enjoyed teasing me.

“No, it’s not that.”

Choi Han reacted to my words.

“Are you feeling unwell, sir?”
“No, it’s nothing like that.”

I’d eat everything if it weren’t for the rabbit you caught. I waved my hand dismissively at Choi Han, signaling him to drop it.
Yet Choi Han fixed me with a serious gaze.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“…Was that your first battle, sir?”

Watching Choi Han ask with a grave expression, I spoke without emotion.

“What battle? You mean the bandits today?”
“Yes.”
“It was my first. I’ve never seen so many bandits before.”
“I see.”

Choi Han nodded and added, almost to himself.

“…Then this must be your first time experiencing a moment where lives hung in the balance.”

A soldier nearby exhaled a heavy sigh.
And I too let out an exasperated breath.

‘My first time experiencing lives hanging in the balance? Because of you, my heart has been in my throat all this time.’

That wasn’t even the half of it. There was Ron’s laughter upon seeing the rabbit Choi Han had caught, Vicross sharpening his kitchen knife, and through it all, I found myself perpetually anxious. I retraced every moment of unease I’d carried since leaving the estate until now.

‘My appetite is getting worse.’

My appetite vanished entirely. Clang. The spoon in my hand lost its grip and fell carelessly onto the soup plate. Because of this, I remained oblivious to the soldiers’ understanding gazes, and to Choi Han’s distant expression as he reminisced about the past.

“Sir Kale.”
“What?”

I had been feeling satisfied with myself—having survived without serious injury and even gained the shield’s power—thinking I could finally stop worrying. But at Choi Han’s call, I turned to look at him. Why did he keep trying to talk to me?

“The beginning is always difficult to endure.”
“What are you talking about?”

I responded curtly, but Choi Han offered a serene smile before his expression hardened as he asked. His eyes held unmistakable seriousness.

“Sir Kale, do you not practice martial arts?”
“I don’t need to.”
“Shouldn’t you have the strength to protect yourself?”

Concern seeped through his seriousness. I wondered why Choi Han was suddenly being so earnest, but I answered nonetheless.

“I have plenty.”

I turned my gaze from Choi Han and surveyed my surroundings. Fifteen soldiers stronger than myself, five knights who were never lacking in any situation. Beyond that, though my retinue was small, Ron, Vicross, and even the cat-like beastkin and my vice-captain Hans possessed far greater combat prowess than I did.

I exchanged glances with each member of my party watching me, and finally looked at Choi Han as I asked.

“Can you see it too?”

This is what it means to have a wealthy count’s son under protection. My lips curved upward involuntarily. They will all protect me. Of course, I’m not entirely sure about Ron and Vicross, but at the very least, they won’t let me die at someone else’s hands.

‘And they’re not even the end of it.’

I decided to answer Choi Han, who was watching me with pursed lips, with a bit more honesty. I tapped my chest lightly as I spoke.

“I trust my heart. I will live.”

Of course. An unbreakable shield wrapped around my heart will protect me. Though naturally, that assumes I avoid those like Choi Han.
Choi Han gazed at me with wavering eyes.

Meow.
Meow.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

On and Hong approached and pressed their small paws against my legs. The kneading hurt, so I grimaced, but the feline siblings abandoned their food and rubbed their faces against me instead.
Clack. Choi Han set down his empty soup bowl and abruptly rose from his seat.

“…I should go sword training.”
“Right after eating?”
“I seem to need to grow stronger.”

…A terrifying fellow. Will he grow so strong he eventually destroys this entire planet? I turned my head away in exasperation. Vicross approached him and offered a new plate.

“Please enjoy.”
“Oh! Thank you.”

I placed a plate of premium spices and premium beef steak on my personal table and smiled.

“My palate favors tart foods like lemonade.”

Ron handed me lemonade for the first time since the tea shop. I ignored it, captivated by the steak—why not take the good thing offered?

“Once everyone finishes eating, we’ll begin evening training shortly.”

The Vice-Captain’s resonant voice rang out. I thought to myself.

‘The Vice-Captain must have been quite stimulated by Choi Han.’

Watching the passionate knights and soldiers, I savored not only the steak but also the rabbit meat soup—it was quite delicious once I actually tasted it. Of course, I firmly rejected the jerky the cats offered. It was so under-seasoned that I wouldn’t eat it even if they insisted.

* * *

‘Three days.’

I calculated as I entered the village.

‘In three days, the Black Dragon will trigger a mana rampage.’

This territory belonged to a Viscount whose lands lay directly adjacent to the Heniatus Earl Territory. Curiously, just a few years ago, a villa owned by the Viscount had been constructed at the base of the mountain located to the right of this village.

Naturally, while the villa appeared to belong to the Viscount on the surface, it was in reality the property of Marquis Sten’s House—the very force that had created the Black Dragon. The Viscount of this territory was nothing more than a lapdog to the Marquis’s House.

‘And our black dragon resides in a cave behind the villa’s Back Mountain.’

The Black Dragon would trigger a mana rampage and obliterate both the cave and the mountain itself. I gazed upon the Back Mountain, situated to the right of the mountain I had crossed, and clicked my tongue in displeasure.

Benion of Marquis Sten’s House. The Marquis’s second son came to mind. A deranged psychopath who had crippled his own brother and seized the position of heir. That psychopath would occasionally visit the villa and torture the Black Dragon for amusement.

“Tsk.”

Startled by the sound of my tongue clicking, Hans quickly brought Choi Han forward and spoke.

“Young Master, Choi Han and I shall go at once to scout for an inn and return promptly. Please wait a moment.”

The carriage currently stood idle at the village entrance.

“Very well.”
“We shall return with haste.”

I nodded at Hans’s words while observing Choi Han. His eyes were suffused with nostalgia. Why had he fought against a being that triggered mana rampage? Because he could not abandon this small, quiet village.

Harris Village. That village, which had taught Choi Han affection, vengeance, and everything in between, bore a striking resemblance to this one. It was precisely for this reason that Choi Han had moved to save the lives of these villagers, strangers though they were to him.
I furrowed my brow and called out to Choi Han.

“Choi Han.”
“…Yes?”
“Go quickly and return.”

Ah. A soft exclamation escaped Choi Han’s lips. Despite having lived for decades, the seventeen-year-old boy’s mouth curved into a pure, innocent smile, and he nodded.

“Yes, I shall return shortly.”

I waved my hand dismissively, but Choi Han bowed respectfully before quickening his pace into the village alongside Hans. I found his brisk demeanor far more pleasing than his earlier vacant expression, and as I watched him intently, my brow suddenly furrowed.

A carriage was approaching from the distance at tremendous speed.

‘Why does something feel off?’

I felt as though someone had handed me a poisoned apple with sweat-drenched hands. It was an utterly unsettling sensation. Soon enough, I would witness the true nature of that premonition unfold before my eyes.

“Tch—”

I exhaled a curse.

An elderly man lay sprawled on the ground, unable to dodge a carriage barreling recklessly down the street. In the next instant, I saw Choi Han rushing toward the old man, and the carriage showed no signs of stopping.

‘What a cliché!’

A flag fluttered atop the carriage—a crimson serpent, the emblem of Marquis Sten’s House. My eye twitched involuntarily. It was happening. The incident was unfolding.

Crash!
Choi Han hurled himself forward and rescued the elderly man, but unable to withstand the carriage’s momentum, he collided violently with a building wall. The black carriage bearing Marquis Sten’s crest came to an abrupt halt.

“Sigh.”

I exhaled deeply and opened the carriage door. It seemed I would have to witness this clichéd scene firsthand.

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