Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 152

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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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But regardless of the chill creeping down Kale’s neck, things proceeded smoothly.

-Human, even staying still is entertaining.

At Raon’s words, Kale nodded slightly.

‘Indeed. Staying still is the best.’

A mountain is a mountain, water is water. I followed the procession of the diplomatic envoy centered around the Crown Prince with leisurely ease, drifting along like a leaf on a river.

Naturally, my fellow knights assigned to guard me moved silently in step.
Then a low-ranking official approached their vicinity.

“Young Master Kale, we will be moving to the teleportation circle shortly.”

Why bother coming to tell me this?
Kale found it odd that the official had sought him out to convey information he didn’t necessarily need to know, but he offered a smooth expression of gratitude.

“Yes, thank you for letting me know.”
“Yes, and so His Highness the Crown Prince requests that you come forward at once.”
“…Pardon?”
“…Pardon?”

Kale repeated the question, and the official did the same. The official continued, watching Kale blink in confusion.

“Did you not hear about this from His Highness the Crown Prince?”
“…Hear about what, exactly?”

The flustered official glanced toward the front of the procession, and Kale’s gaze followed suit.
The Knights Order escorting the diplomatic envoy. Behind them, naturally, stood the protagonist—the Crown Prince. Their eyes met.

Alberu broke into a radiant smile.
Kale froze.

“Come along, Young Master Kale!”

Alberu gestured for me to hurry over, and the official exhaled in relief, realizing his guidance had been correct after all, as he looked toward Kale.

“…Let’s go for now.”

I left my escort knights behind and approached Alberu with an unhurried gait.
Despite having summoned me, and despite being surrounded by high-ranking officials from the diplomatic delegation, Alberu smiled as he watched me walk toward him with such composure.

“…Your Highness, you called for me?”
“Yes. I’d like you to come with me to the location of the teleportation circle.”

I suppressed my sense of foreboding at the Crown Prince’s seemingly kind demeanor and asked a question.

“Do you mean the teleportation circle within the Royal Palace?”
“No. This time we’ll use the teleportation circle near the City Wall. I wish to show our diplomatic procession to the people.”

Ah, seriously.
I could see right through Alberu’s intentions.

The Crown Prince who wouldn’t relinquish his grip on the investigation into the terrorist incident. Moreover, he demonstrated exceptional results in every administrative task he participated in.
Such a capable individual was also righteous.

That righteous Crown Prince was now departing at the Empire’s invitation.
To uncover the truth.

And at his side stood Kale Heniatus, the hero of the terrorist incident. From the Royal Court’s perspective, it was an event that would capture the people’s hearts.

Irritation was already welling up inside me.
But Alberu, feigning ignorance of my feelings, opened his mouth.

“After so long, I’ll finally see the kingdom’s people seeking the Silver Prince! Hahahaha!”

The Silver Prince. The Shield Prince.
I truly despised those titles.
But regardless of my dislike, I believed the kingdom’s judgment in this matter was sound, so I responded to the Crown Prince.

“Surely it is not only Your Highness, the star of our kingdom, is it not?”

I looked toward the other officials and asked politely, and they nodded in agreement.

“Indeed. As Prince Kale says, Your Highness is truly the star of our kingdom!”
“A star! What a wonderful way to put it!”

Half of the delegation accompanying the Crown Prince consisted of nobles loyal to him, while the other half was a mixture of minor nobles who had previously followed other princes and bureaucrats from neutral noble families.

As the Crown Prince’s influence grew, the minor and neutral nobles had no choice but to watch Alberu’s expression carefully, each adding a word of flattery to the Crown Prince.

Kale Heniatus observed the Crown Prince’s forced smile trembling slightly at the corners of his mouth and allowed himself a satisfied grin.
In that moment, a bureaucrat’s voice reached his ears.

“It seems Lord Kale is quite a talented individual whom His Highness the Crown Prince values greatly.”

With those words came probing gazes directed at him.
Kale Heniatus—the talented individual discovered by the ever-expanding Crown Prince. He was a nobleman favored by the people.

The bureaucrats’ eyes held different intentions as they regarded this young noble whose future connections remained uncertain.
Kale simply smiled and let his thoughts wander.

‘What was it they said was delicious in the Imperial Capital?’

Kale had no intention of making this journey arduous—he would accomplish what needed doing and enjoy himself along the way.
The Crown Prince issued orders to the delegation.

“Then let’s depart.”

The delegation began to move.

* * *

Kale arrived at the Gyer Territory through a teleportation circle.

“Phew, ahem, *cough*.”

The Crown Prince standing before him hastily stifled his laughter with a cough, but Kale pretended not to notice. Raon’s voice echoed in his mind.

-Human, that child carrying a shield that mimics yours seems like he’ll grow up quite well! That child will succeed!

Kale’s brow furrowed slightly before relaxing.
The cheers directed at the delegation and the Crown Prince were tremendous. Among them, he could faintly hear voices calling out “the silver-haired prince.”

‘They haven’t forgotten, have they?’

The highlight came when a child said, “I want to become someone as wonderful as you, sir!”
Held high in his father’s arms, the child’s eyes met mine as I sat atop my horse.
At the child’s words, I found myself blurting out without thinking.

‘Becoming like me won’t make you wonderful at all.’

The child’s pupils wavered, I immediately regretted it, the Crown Prince stifled a laugh, and the child’s father looked flustered.
Looking at the father, I spoke whatever came to mind.

‘Become like your father instead. Only your parents are wonderful enough to lift and hold you like that.’

The moved father and the delighted child who thought his dad was wonderful.
Daltaro, the chief diplomat of the envoy, looked pleased.

After that, I kept my mouth firmly shut and teleported along with the procession.

‘…That was exhausting.’

Strangely, acting without purpose didn’t suit my nature.

But now there was a purpose.
My expression shifted to that of a well-mannered young nobleman from a noble house.

A group bowed their heads toward the Crown Prince and the envoy.

“It is an honor to meet Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

At the front of the group stood an elderly woman.
Her white hair was pinned up without a single strand out of place, reminiscent of Countess Viollan.

The foundation leading the Geyler Duchy Family. Sonata Gyer, known as the Iron-Blooded Woman and the Woman of Misfortune.
She, approaching eighty, was the head of the duchy.

‘Her husband and her only late-born son and his wife were all assassinated.’

The previous Duke of Geyler lived a long life.
Because of this, succession was never designated even when the eldest son and daughter reached their fifties, resulting in various incidents over the succession, much like what happened in the Sten Marquis House.

As a result, Sonata Gyer’s husband and son—the youngest of the siblings—perished in a carriage accident. Only Sonata Gyer and her grandson Antonio Geyler, who had been spending time elsewhere, survived.
Antonio Geyler had not yet reached his first birthday at that time, and from then on, Sonata Gyer transformed into a woman of iron will.

‘In the end, only Sonata Gyer remained as the successor.’

Among her siblings, only Sonata Gyer lived.
As the sole direct heir of the next generation, she ascended to the Duchy, and unlike the Sten Marquis House, she embraced all remaining blood relatives.

And she raised Antonio Geyler as the designated next Duke.

“It has been a long time, Duchess Geyler.”
“Yes, it is our first meeting since your visit to the Empire last year.”

Crown Prince Albert nodded at Sonata Gyer’s words and regarded Antonio Geyler.

Impeccable.
Antonio Geyler was the very embodiment of that word. He bowed slightly to Albert.

“It is an honor to meet you again, Your Highness.”
“Indeed, Prince Antonio.”

Sonata Gyer gestured toward Antonio Geyler.

“I intend to guide you for now, but after that, until you depart tomorrow, Antonio will be responsible for attending to Your Highness and the diplomatic delegation.”

Albert asked bluntly.

“It seems Prince Antonio will soon inherit the family.”

The white-haired woman smiled.

“Of course it should be so.”

The Geyler Duchy Family, which supported the Second Prince. The next heir of such a family would serve the First Prince Albert. It was a calculated move to entrust him with considerable responsibility while also strengthening ties with the Crown Prince. Yet the Geyler Duchy Family had not relinquished their support for the Second Prince.
However, the Geyler Duchy Family had not yet withdrawn their support for the Second Prince.

That’s just how life goes.

Kale understood such actions from the Geyler Duchy Family. Kale turned his gaze away from the Crown Prince and Sonata Duke, and looked at Antonio.

‘Hmm?’

But my eyes met Antonio Geyler’s.

‘Why is he staring?’

I couldn’t discern the reason. Yet I offered Antonio Geyler a smile brimming with genuine warmth. He hesitated for a moment before breaking into a grin.

-Human, why do you smile like that again?

You always ask even though you know.
I brushed off Raon’s remark lightly and observed the Crown Prince moving under Sonata Gyer’s guidance.
I too began preparing to step out of the teleportation circle and move toward Gyer Castle.

Antonio Geyler took charge of the diplomatic envoy aside from the Crown Prince whom the Duke was escorting.
He exchanged greetings with the key officials of the diplomatic mission who had been standing directly beside the Crown Prince. And naturally, since I had been positioned directly behind the Crown Prince during the procession, I found myself among those officials.

“Lord Kale Heniatus, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Antonio Geyler. After exchanging greetings with the envoy officials, he extended his hand toward me.
The original version of himself would not have initiated a greeting with someone from a lower-ranking family.

Antonio. He was the type to judge people by his own standards and act accordingly.

‘In that respect, Kale Heniatus passes his test.’

Contrary to the rumors of him being a reckless fool, when I saw him in the Capital last year, he proved to be quite the nobleman.
Moreover, he possessed both ancient power and renown.

‘Most importantly, he’s a talent the Crown Prince cherishes.’

If the cunning First Prince valued someone, they surely possessed ability. Antonio had heard endlessly from his grandmother, Duke Sonata Gyer, that the First Prince was sinister unlike his benevolent smile.

‘The First Prince is no pushover, Antonio. If you underestimate him, you’ll pay the price. Do you understand your grandmother’s words?’

Because of this, Antonio had anticipated meeting Kale with considerable interest.
Whether Kale sensed his expectations or not, he displayed a demeanor quite satisfactory to Antonio’s mind.

With confident yet courteous bearing, Kale Heniatus grasped Antonio Geyler’s hand.

“Antonio Geyler, it is an honor to meet you. I am truly delighted to meet the family that guards the southwestern border of the kingdom.”
“The pleasure is mine to meet the Heniatus Family, who protects the kingdom from the Dark Forest.”

The eldest son of the Heniatus Count Family—the strongest house in the Northeast Region, which lacked a leader.
The heir to the Geyler Duchy Family, the unwavering pillar of the southwest.

Covert glances drifted toward the two of them, but the three knights surrounding Kale prevented those nearby from overhearing their conversation.

Kale whispered with utmost discretion.

“I would be delighted if we could find time to share a drink and conversation with you someday, Antonio.”
“…Conversation, you say?”

A flicker of intrigue crossed Antonio’s eyes. His gaze turned toward Kale.
Kale answered with a bright smile.

“Yes, a pleasant conversation.”

Pleasant for him, certainly.
For Kale alone.

Cale noticed that the way Antonio looked at him had changed slightly.

“Prince Cale is a little different from what I heard.”
“You are somewhat different from what I have heard, Kale.”

Antonio shrugged his shoulders and did not respond to Cale’s words. But he thought as he looked at Cale.

‘They say he is just and kind, but it seems he also covets power.’

In the end, they were all of similar tribe.
In the end, they were all of the same ilk.

‘Antonio, all the nobles I have seen are similar. In the end, I act for my own comfort and greed. And I think that’s human instinct before nobility.’

Antonio only half agreed with that. He answered Cale in a whisper.

“Conversation is always good.”

With those words, Antonio let go of Cale’s hand. Cale also backed away cleanly, and the two ended their short conversation.

Cale thought as he watched Antonio walking away.

‘During our next pleasant conversation, we can just pretend to be a just and kingdom-minded noble, right?’

‘Birth of a hero’.
‘The Birth of a Hero’.
In that book, Antonio Geyler had been introduced in an ambiguous position—unlike Marquis Sten’s household, which was portrayed as an antagonist, he was neither ally nor comrade.

【Antonio Guiller was quite authoritative and valued external perspectives.】

There was one more line there.

【But it all came from pride in nobility.】

Antonio was a complex yet very easy person.
Antonio was a man both complex and remarkably simple.

The crown prince dragged the knights out of the room. Of course, his henchmen were in hiding. They were transformed dark elves.

“Why are you smiling like that?”
“Why are you smiling like that?”
“Your Highness.”

Cale spoke softly to the uncomfortable crown prince.

“Sir, wouldn’t it be nice to have more loyal subjects?”

The crown prince stared at Cale quietly and then opened his mouth.

“Who is it?”
“Who?”

Albert looked at Cale and said as if throwing something.

“Take care of yourself. You can just sell my name.”
“Do what you think is best. You can even use my name freely.”

Albert nodded with a sigh.

“If you were the owner of this house, it wouldn’t be a waste of money. But anyway.”
“If you’re the master of this house, that much isn’t even a waste. But you know…”
“Yes.”

Cale nodded calmly.

“Yes, the Silver Confucius. And you will know him as the guy who set the jungle on fire.”

It was Kale Henitus who openly put out the fire in Zone 1 of the jungle.
It was Kale Heniatus who had openly extinguished the fire in Jungle Zone 1.

“Don’t you think the crown prince welcomes you more than me?”
“Doesn’t the Crown Prince welcome you more than me?”

Albert laughed at Cale’s answer. The response was that they did not agree at all.

However, a few days later, when Cale arrived at the capital of the Mogor Empire.
However, a few days later, when Kale arrived at the Mogur Empire Capital.

And unfortunately, kale was next.

“Oh! I heard about you. You’re the young hero who stopped the bombing!”

A large, light-hearted man who reminds me of a large dog.
A hearty, well-built man who brought to mind a large hound.

“Nice to meet you, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”

Nice to meet you, bitch.
Delightful, my foot.

The sociopath in front of me considers himself the second worst person among this group of reapers, next to the crown prince. I was sure.

-Human, that guy is smiling, but it feels cheap.

therefore.
So.

“No, you’re a hero. I just did the obvious thing.”

Cale, who pretends to be just, first appeared in the imperial capital.

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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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