Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 149

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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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Dawn broke across the sky.
With the storm subsided, the sea lay serene. I gazed at the dawn sky where the colossal storm clouds that had engulfed half of Hice Island had vanished, then lowered my head.

And a single thought crossed my mind.

‘…Terrifying creatures.’

I was taken aback.

Everything was destroyed.
Of the dozens of ships, all except those that had reached the island were half-sunken from the whirlpools and the whale’s assault, drifting upon the water’s surface.
Scattered throughout were what appeared to be corpses, dark specks against the waves.

“Human… are you shocked?”

I looked toward the Black Dragon Raon.

“Human, were you truly so startled? It cannot be helped.”

The Black Dragon shook his head solemnly, speaking gravely of the ways of the world.

“There come times when one side must live while the other dies or suffers grievous wounds. You must steel your fragile heart to endure the chaos that lies ahead. The Golden Dragon Grandfather was the same. He said there was no human as unfortunate as you.”
“Raon.”
“Yes, I understand your misfortune well. So trust in this magnificent me—”
“Let’s go down.”
“…Understood.”

I let Raon’s words go in one ear and out the other as I descended.

From sunset to sunrise.
After an entire night of battle, victory naturally belonged to my side.

It was a battle that could not be lost.
The Whale Tribe, the Tiger Tribe, and my companions—who would ever imagine such formidable forces gathering to fight as one?

Thud.
My feet touched the sandy beach.

Hice Island 6.
The island where Sword Master Hana had fought the previous night.

“You’ve made quite a mess of it.”

My gaze drifted downward along the diagonal slope. I could see Hana sitting carelessly on the sandy beach, her black sword embedded in the sand, both she and it drenched in blood.
Hana lifted her head in response to my words and opened her mouth.

“Doesn’t it look good?”

She was absolutely covered in blood.
Looking at Hana, whose blonde hair and even black scars were obscured beneath the crimson coating, I felt a wave of disgust wash over me.
It wasn’t because she was stained with the blood of someone she had killed.

I pulled a potion from my pocket and tossed it to her.

“Check your own condition and be satisfied with it. The Saint will overlook it.”

Hana caught the potion and laughed, her shoulders trembling. I turned away from her, even as blood continued to seep from the wounds left by arrows and blades across her body.

‘She’s truly not in her right mind.’

The Saint was the same way—these twins were both fundamentally unstable.
Ignoring her, I watched as my companions arrived one by one at Hice Island 6 with the rising sun.

“Hey, Kale Heniatus.”
“What?”

I answered without turning around. Her voice, now devoid of madness, spoke quietly.

“I still need more blood.”
“…I know.”

I know well enough by now that you’re obsessed with blood.
And because of that, I had my own expectations for her.

“Young master!”

Witira rushed quickly toward the coastline. With her cry came Hana’s small voice.

“…Thank you. For keeping your promise.”

The promise to spare her life, the promise to grant her a chance at revenge—Kale had kept them both. Hana pretended not to hear and opened a potion bottle as she watched Kale approach Witira.

Then Kale faced Witira.

“Young master, there are no humans alive on the sea.”

Kale merely nodded at Witira’s words, delivered with a bright smile as she reported that she had killed them all. Rather than joy, her demeanor was grave, and she continued speaking, thinking to herself that this was indeed typical of Kale.

“We’ve already dealt with all members of Group One. Currently, we’re eliminating the remaining stragglers hiding in various places—coastal cliffs, caves, and the like. We should be able to finish by this afternoon.”

She recalled the grueling night just past, when despite her overwhelming power, she had struggled against the numerical disadvantage.

“We’ll handle the disposal of all the bodies ourselves. The wreckage of the destroyed ships as well.”

Kale, who had been silent, finally opened his mouth.

“What about the ships that weren’t destroyed?”

At his question, Witira glanced toward the ship lodged at Hice Island 6.
Among the vessels anchored at various points on Hice Island, quite a few remained in excellent condition.

“Well, I’m not sure what to do with them. We don’t have any use for them, so perhaps we should give them to another kingdom…”

Kale’s voice reached Witira as her words trailed off.

“May I take them?”
“Pardon?”

Kale made his request calmly.

“I’d like to take the intact ships with me. Would that be acceptable?”

Witira recalled the effort Kale had expended in creating those countless whirlpools. As she observed him quietly, she noticed traces of exhaustion in his serious expression.

“Of course. We have no use for them anyway, and I’d much rather they go to you than to other kingdoms.”
“Very well.”

I forced down the smile threatening to break across my face.

The ships that would sail alongside the golden turtle vessel came rolling in like vines.
It seemed like quite the sight to receive the Northern 3 Nations’ ships while aboard a Secret Organization vessel.

Raon’s voice echoed in my mind. He spoke without even becoming invisible.

-Human, you did it! We got a free ship!

Raon’s perceptiveness had certainly improved.
I absently stroked the dragon’s head as he gazed up at me with gleaming eyes. Then, as Rosalind, Merry, and another figure approaching us—Ron—came into view, I opened my mouth.

“How did it go?”
“We finished quietly, sir.”
“Good work.”

Ron withdrew quietly with a benevolent smile.
I lifted my head as I saw Choi Han arrive.

Caw, caw.
The cry of a raven pierced the air.

Ooooooo—
Simultaneously, the roars of beasts echoed across various points of the island in the quiet sea.
It was the cry of tigers who had lost their kin and brethren—a sound mingled with jubilation, sorrow, and rage. I opened my mouth as I saw the raven Gashan had sent as a signal that it was finished.

“Head to Hice Island 9.”

Hice Island 9.
That was where all the personnel from last night’s battle had agreed to gather.

* * *

I had been careless.
I realized the extent of my own complacency.

Twenty members of the Tiger Tribe.
Upon arriving at Hice Island 9, the Tiger Tribe gathered around Gashan at the front, their eyes fixed on me with an intensity of goodwill that seemed far too excessive.

Young and old, men and women alike.
Even the children and elderly among the massive Tiger Tribe members flashed the brightest smiles they could muster as they gazed upon me.

Gashan approached with his eyes closed, a benevolent smile playing across his face.

Unfortunately, all the men and women, save for the very young and very old, were drenched in blood. Every drop belonged to the Secret Organization Dark.
Gashan opened his mouth carefully toward me.

“Young master.”
“No.”

The Dark Forest was out of the question.
I cut him off immediately.

“That’s not what I meant. Thank you.”

I regarded Gashan with a skeptical gaze. The shaman spoke gently, his voice carrying the weight of years—as warm and tender as a grandfather reading from a storybook.

It was just difficult to take seriously when he spoke through lips caked with blood.

“Thanks to your strength, young master, we were able to achieve true vengeance for our bloodline. It’s been so long since we’ve had a proper hunt.”

A young Tiger Tribe member—a child not yet grown to full stature—bowed with bright, eager eyes.

“Young master, thank you so much!”

Gashan lowered his head toward the child, continuing with a bittersweet smile.

“If we remain on the Eastern Continent, we’ll keep clashing with Dark. We need to move to the Western Continent. If there were even a small plot of land where we could settle, it would be a blessing. These children need a safe place to grow into adulthood at least, and we ourselves have not yet completed our bloodline’s vengeance.”

My brow furrowed. Then Gashan spoke.

“We’ve also brought treasures to offer as payment for the land we’ll be indebted to.”

Treasures?
I looked at Gashan.
Gashan quietly produced a jewel from his breast and showed it to me.

“The Tiger Tribe is a people who understand honor. As each family left their respective mountains, they brought every precious herb and valuable item they possessed.”

My lips twitched upward before falling back into place.

“Ahem, ahem.”

I cleared my throat. The young Tiger Tribe member cried out.

“I brought something too!”

The Tiger Tribe child pulled a small bottle from the wide sleeves of his robe-like garment.

“These are two-hundred-year-old serpent scales from a cave in our mountain! They say they can make incredibly powerful arrowheads!”

…The Tiger Tribe seemed like quite a decent race after all.
I silently revised my perception of them. Raon spoke in my mind.

-Human, those guys seem kind.

Right?
I considered the probability of becoming more deeply entangled with the Secret Organization if I brought the Tiger Tribe to the Dark Forest. Simultaneously, another thought crossed my mind.

‘When have I ever managed to avoid getting involved?’

Having attended the Four Kingdoms and One Tribe Conference, I could not escape the Secret Organization.
I looked at Gashan. Staring into the shaman’s keen eyes, I opened my mouth.

“There are conditions.”

That was when it happened.

“Ugh, uuugh—!”

I froze.
What’s wrong with that old man?

“Ugh, ugh!”

Suddenly, Gashan’s eyes snapped wide open.
His eyes, flooded with whites, dilated enormously. Trembling violently, he pointed his wooden staff-bearing hand toward the sky. His massive frame shook uncontrollably.

…I’m terrified.
Without realizing it, I stumbled backward. That was the moment.

“N-nature herself speaks, yes!”

Gashan cried out, trembling violently.

‘Good grief.’

I was left speechless by the sight. What in the world was this?
Yet Gashan’s next words made me reconsider.

“N-nature says that next spring, our Tiger Tribe will face the cold blade in battle on the Western Continent!”

Remarkable.
I marveled at it.

What a spiritually gifted shaman this was.

Chills ran down my spine.
How did he know the Tiger Tribe would end up fighting the Northern 3 Nations Knights Order?
I stared intently at Gashan, who gradually stopped trembling and composed himself. Once calm, Gashan fixed his whites upon me. I opened my mouth.

“If you walk this path with me, such a future will come. Are you still willing?”

Without even consulting his own kin, Gashan answered without hesitation.

“Our Tiger Tribe has lived too quietly all this time. If it concerns our revenge, we shall gladly rampage.”

I nodded.

“Then you are most welcome.”

I extended my hand, and the shaman grasped it.

The Dark Forest is vast.
There was ample space for twenty tigers to dwell.

“This is truly fortunate.”

Witira offered a satisfied smile and spoke a word. Now she could finally understand why Young Master Kale had been unable to accept the Tiger Tribe until now.

‘He didn’t want the Tiger Tribe to fight against the Northern 3 Nations.’

It wasn’t as though Kale lacked money or had been tempted by the Tiger Tribe’s medicinal herbs and wealth.
Witira had heard that Kale was the young master of a wealthy and distinguished family. He was not one to covet material possessions.
Would a man consumed by greed throw his own body—his greatest asset—into a venture that offered no benefit?

Witira spoke to Kale.

“We will assist with the Tiger Tribe and the ship’s movement.”

It was a gesture of gratitude toward Kale for willingly helping with this endeavor that offered no gain. Kale naturally accepted that gratitude.

“I appreciate that.”
“Yes. And we should also discuss the maritime route issue.”

The maritime route heading toward the Eastern Continent.
The rights to use the path controlled by the whales in the north belonged to Kale. He opened his mouth to address that matter.

“Human, human!”

Raon emerged from the subspace and approached Kale with a communication orb.

The communication orb glowed red, signaling an incoming transmission.
Raon spoke to Kale, whose brow had furrowed.

“It’s the Crown Prince! Red means the Crown Prince!”

It was a call from Crown Prince Albert.

“Should I connect it?”

Kale exhaled and opened his mouth in response to Raon’s question.

“Let’s connect from inside the wooden building. Witira, Gashan—I’d prefer to discuss other matters later.”
“Of course. Please take the Crown Prince’s call first.”

Witira agreed readily, and Gashan nodded as well. Kale immediately entered the wooden building and asked Raon to connect the communication orb.

I settled into a wooden chair across from the communication device.
Unlike the soft sofa I usually sat in, the chair’s hard surface was unmistakable, but I paid it no mind.

Crown Prince Albert Crossman had told me to rest as I saw fit.
Yet he suddenly reached out to me.

An unsettling feeling washed over me.

I faced Crown Prince Albert’s image floating above the communication device. He ignored my bitter expression and opened his mouth.
No setup—just a straight jab.

-You don’t know what the Crown Prince looks like, do you?

The Crown Prince.
The heir to the throne of the Mogol Empire.

I was at a loss for words.
This felt ominous.

I answered hesitantly.

“Well, I should at least know his eye color and hair color. I mean, I’d recognize him if I saw him, wouldn’t I?”
-Recognize him? You’re saying you’ve never actually seen him before.

The Crown Prince spoke to me as if he could read my every thought, watching as I averted my gaze.

-They say if you know your enemy and know yourself, you’ll win a hundred battles. Go and come back.

I opened my mouth.

“…Your Highness, I’m not sure if my hearing is failing me, but I think I heard something strange at the end there.”

Go and come back?
To the Empire?
Why would I?
I couldn’t understand why the Crown Prince, who knew my nature well, would say such a thing.

-Ah, I misspoke. Let me correct that.

Crown Prince Albert raised his hand, readily acknowledging his slip of the tongue.

-Let me rephrase that.

A larger wave of tension rolled in. The Crown Prince made a proposal to Kale.

-Come with me for a bit.

Go somewhere with the Crown Prince?

-To handle something.

…Handle what? Something?
Only then did the Crown Prince, grinning wickedly, come into Kale’s view. The furrow in Kale’s brow smoothed away.

Kale leaned back comfortably against the wooden chair and opened his mouth.

“I’m listening.”

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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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