Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 156

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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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I turn the Spire Tower.
I strip the Spire Tower bare.

By this point, even Choi Han had resigned himself to this behavior with a weary acceptance.

‘He phrases it so crudely, but I’m sure he’ll use it for something righteous in the end.’

Throughout all this time, Kale Heniatus had consistently helped others or moved toward better outcomes, regardless of his methods. Choi Han trusted him for that reason.
And so he answered.

“I’ll prepare myself.”
“Yeah. We’ll go in fake robes.”

At the mention of donning those crude Secret Organization robes once more, Choi Han hesitated for a moment before nodding silently in agreement.

* * *

I turned my thoughts to the Sun God Church and the Papal See.

The Sun God Church had existed as a religion across the Continent for a long time.
Then, several hundred years ago, the Papal See was established in the Mogur Empire, making it a considerably powerful religion across the Continent, and about one hundred fifty years ago, it was adopted as the state religion, further expanding its influence.

‘And this Spire Tower was built when the Papal See was established, or so I’ve heard.’

With my arms crossed, I ran my hand along the Spire Tower.

The depths of winter, in the dead of night.
The walls of the Spire Tower were bitterly cold.

Thump. Thump. Thump.
And the Wind’s Sound howled wildly.

-Human, why do you smile so terrifyingly?

Raon’s voice echoed through my mind. Dismissing it cleanly, I opened my mouth. My voice was soft and low.

“It’s new.”

Choi Han responded to those words.

“It appears to be newly installed by the Empire.”
“Right. The original lock was destroyed, and since there was nothing left, they must have installed a new one.”

Kale Heniatus pointed to the new lock.

“Destroy it.”

A soft whisper.
Black aura bloomed faintly, and the lock shattered silently.

The door leading to the top of the Spire Tower opened without a sound. Raon flew through the gap.

-No people, no magical devices. Human, this place is truly abandoned!

Kale Heniatus nodded at Raon’s report and stepped inside.
The 15th floor at the very top. A space with no windows except for a single small opening.

A soft glow.
A small sphere of light appeared before Kale Heniatus.
Choi Han, who followed behind, closed the entrance door and left only the smallest of gaps as he spoke.

“I will remain here.”

Kale Heniatus nodded and began climbing slowly.

At this very moment, Erhafen was sleeping peacefully in the Imperial Palace with his hair dyed to match Kale Heniatus’s color, his blanket pulled up to his face.
The informant hiding in Kale Heniatus’s bedroom would be watching the real Hilsman guarding in front of the door in the corridor and the illusory Choi Han standing at the entrance inside the bedroom, maintaining his vigil.
Erhafen would believe he had been relieved of duty and gone to his lodging to sleep.

-Human, let’s hurry up!

Kale Heniatus did not answer Raon’s urging and climbed the tower at a leisurely pace.
Tap. Tap.
The soft sound of footsteps echoed as he ascended the circular stairs along the wall, one step at a time.

‘All the guards were concentrated in the East Annex.’

The number of permanent guards was highest at the East Annex, followed by the West Administrative Building, then the Central Building. Of course, the Garden had no permanent guards at all.
From the air, Kale observed the patrol routes for quite some time and determined that the Garden had roughly an hour between patrols.

‘They might as well be advertising the secret room in the East Annex.’

Knowing the truth, I found their carelessness amusing.
I recalled what Sword Master Hana had told me.

‘The patrol patterns will differ between when the Religious Order conducted them and now under the Empire, but it should still be helpful, so I’ll explain them to you.’

The fake Saint had explained the patrol patterns to me.

‘The Garden is barely patrolled.’
‘Ah, Hana. But didn’t the Pope frequently visit the Garden?’

Jack’s question prompted Hana to add with a slight laugh.

‘That’s right. Like a sleepless old man, he wandered the Garden at all hours. When he took his garden strolls, he wouldn’t let anyone else enter. Ridiculous fellow. As if the Garden were his alone.’

Now I finally understood the Pope’s behavior.

‘The Pope must have known about this Spire Tower.’

About the existence of the divine artifact, that is.

‘Though I can’t fathom why he didn’t give it to the Saint.’

Even half a Saint, Jack could have used the divine artifact. If he had, the faithful would have been even more fervent and devoted in their worship.

Of course, the Pope might have hidden the artifact’s existence, fearing that giving it to the Saint would make him difficult to control.

-Human, why do you keep climbing the stairs with that smile? Hurry up and get what’s ours!

I quickened my pace slightly.

Whoooosh—
The sound of wind swirled around my feet. I ascended the stairs swiftly without effort.
And finally, I reached the 15th Floor.

“Human, I’ll break the lock!”

Raon decided he didn’t need to be cautious about noise and spoke directly aloud.
The Black Dragon shattered the pristine-looking lock on the small, dilapidated iron door and pushed it open to the side.

“Human, let’s crawl in!”

The door was less than half my height.
Raon folded his wings and crawled inside awkwardly. The Black Dragon disappeared through the iron door, then soon poked his head back out.

“Human, why aren’t you coming in?”

Sigh.
I exhaled wearily and crawled through the doorway.

15th Floor. The moment I entered the cramped room at the top, I stood up.

“…Human, there’s really nothing here at all.”

There truly was nothing.
An old iron bed, a table that looked ready to crumble with age, an iron chair. Nothing else existed.

“Human, now I understand why the Empire simply abandoned this place.”

There was genuinely nothing here.
It was simply an abandoned Prison, nothing more.

Raon suddenly recalled the dark Cave where he had been confined. It was just as desolate as that place.

“…Human, strangely, I sense a desolate and frightening aura here.”

The Black Dragon suddenly felt something was amiss. I had said nothing.
Then, a faint sound reached Raon’s ears.

Whiiiii—

It was the sound of wind. Raon turned his head. And he could say nothing.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The uneven stone slabs that formed the prison floor.
Kale Heniatus crouched down, tapping the stone slab while staring intently at Raon. The Black Dragon met the human’s gaze. The human’s mouth opened.

“Here.”

Whirlwinds swirled around Kale.

Clang. Clang.
An old iron bed and chair rattled softly. Compared to the swirling whirlwinds, the prison remained quiet. Raon had never witnessed wind power condensed so intensely before.

The moment Kale entered the prison, he activated Wind’s Sound.
Then he immediately felt the emotion contained within the ‘ancient power.’
This was the first time.

‘Exultation.’

The ancient power ‘Wind’s Sound’ was exulting.
Kale looked at Raon. The Black Dragon nodded, then used magic to lift the stone slab Kale had tapped. The slab, which had endured that spot for hundreds of years, was raised with considerable effort.
The stone slab, which had held its place for several hundred years, was lifted up with considerable effort.

Wind naturally rushed in and swept away the soil.
The wind naturally gathered in that spot and swept away the dirt.

“…I found it.”

It was a box fitted with a lock so old it wouldn’t open even if turned with a key. It was also quite small.
It was a box filled with locks that looked like they wouldn’t open even if turned with a key due to age. It was also small in size.

Kale Heniatus immediately brushed off the surface of the box buried in the ground.

As he brushed the soil from the box, his heart pounded wildly.
I felt my heart pounding wildly as he shook the dirt off the box.

It would soon be in my hands.
It comes into her hand.

Raon, who had been approaching Kale, couldn’t get any closer due to the whirlwinds and instead shattered the lock.
Raon, who was approaching Kale, broke the lock without being able to get any closer to Kale’s side because of the whirlwind.

Crack.
The lock shattered weakly.
Kale slowly opened the box.

Creak, thud.

For the first time in several hundred years, the contents of the box were revealed to the world.

“…What is this?”

And I was bewildered.

Whiiiish—
The whirlwinds gradually subsided as if finally at ease. Only then could Raon hurry over to my side and peer into the box.

“Huh? Human, this is very scary and desolate!”

I couldn’t respond to Raon’s words.
I slowly reached into the box and pulled out the object.

It was a book.
A white book existed as if brand new. I read the title.

【An Easy Way to Die】

…How chilling.
This doesn’t seem to be the Sun God’s Judgment after all.
That was the moment.

-Are you planning to sacrifice yourself?

The Stone Owner’s voice reached me. I flinched and looked at Raon.

“Raon, is there a curse spell on this?”
“No! There’s just a desolate and terrifying aura!”

My expression grew bitter. Raon had been saying it was desolate and scary since earlier.
Was it because of this book? Judging by how the terrifying Stone Owner spoke again, it really does seem to be something frightening.

Kale Heniatus quietly set the book down.

“Huh? Human, isn’t this ours?”
“…No. This one is a bit different.”

Whiiiiish—
A sudden wind appeared. Kale sensed the silent fury emanating from Wind’s Sound as it cried out within the gale.

“Sigh.”

Kale picked up the white book.
The wind ceased.

‘They say it’s a sacred text, not a curse.’

As I stared intently at the book, something felt off.

‘…Why is it in Roan Kingdom language?’

The text I saw in the book was written in Roan Kingdom language.

“Raon, this title is in Roan Kingdom language, right?”
“Human, it’s in Runic language, though?”
“…What?”

Raon said the book’s title appeared in Runic language to him. My expression changed. Without hesitation, I opened the book.
I turned the first page of the white book.

【All existence in this world becomes beautiful only in death.】

I turned the next page.

【Do you wish to die?】
【Follow me!】
【On the easiest ways to meet death!】

Beside me, Raon stretched his neck to peer at the contents, tilting his head repeatedly in confusion. Something was strange. Then I heard my own voice.

“Raon.”
“What is it, human?”
“Kaige is from the Death God Sect, right?”

Crazy Priestess Kaige.
Raon stared at me with a puzzled expression.

“…Yes?”
“It’s been quite a while since there were any Saints or Saintesses there, hasn’t it?”
“…Yes?”

Confusion flickered in the Black Dragon’s eyes as if questioning why I was asking something so obvious, but I silently turned the pages before returning to the book’s cover.
I saw the author’s name.

【Author: Tender-Hearted Death】

Seriously.
I was dumbfounded.
This seems to be—

‘A sacred artifact of the Death God.’

Finding a sacred artifact wasn’t surprising. What puzzled me was something else.

‘Why is this here?’

Why would a sacred artifact of the Death God be in the Last Saint’s prison?
I felt as though I were trapped in murky fog, unable to piece the puzzle together.

I placed the white book back into the box.
Then I pulled the box out from the soil.

“…What is this now?”

Beneath it lay another book covered on both sides with iron plates. I pulled it out in surprise, iron plates and all.
Thud. The book fell from the iron plates onto the ground.
The worn, tattered book hit the floor and fell open.

On pages so faded they were barely legible, a few characters were visible.

“Human, this is written in the Empire’s language!”

The characters were inscribed in the Empire’s tongue.
Having learned the basics of the Empire’s language during this visit to the Empire, Kale Heniatus could make out several characters.

【These damn bastards!】

Curses.
Kale had memorized every curse word.

【Drop dead, you wretches!】

Curses.
Most of the remaining characters were nothing but profanities.

“Human, doesn’t this seem like it wasn’t written by the room’s owner?”

Kale carefully opened the first page of the book.
The Empire’s language was written on the first page of the diary.

“Raon, read it for me.”
“Understood. The great me knows all the languages of the Continent!”

Raon read the visible portion written on the page.

“Pope, you son of a bitch. Locking me up like this? You worthless wretch who can’t even bask in the light of the Sun God.”

Kale looked at Raon. Raon stared back at Kale with a serious expression.

“That’s what it says.”
“…I see.”

Kale listened intently to Raon’s continued translation.

“To think they’d confine someone of my stature to such a cramped prison! Even a thousand nights of nightmares wouldn’t be enough punishment for them! I’ll never forgive them! Wicked creatures! I was a fool to trust them! Absolute idiots!”

…Yes. Anyone would be furious if locked away.
Kale understood the Saint’s feelings. This diary was unmistakably left behind by the Saint.
Raon turned the pages of the diary and continued translating.

“You’re locking away my power alongside the Death God’s Sacred Relic? Just you wait! I’ll leave this here beneath the Sacred Relic and make sure future generations know about it! Huh?”
“Huh?”

Kale Heniatus and Raon, who had been listening to the curses and laments in bewilderment, exchanged glances. Raon pointed at the white book.

“Human, this-”
“Yeah, yeah. Just read it first.”
“Understood!”

Raon’s lips twitched as he watched Kale smile again, then he began reading through the diary. And he paused.

“Fools. Do you not even know where the Sun God’s Sacred Relic is? To dare confine me here when I dream of becoming Emperor— Human, something’s strange about this.”
“…Let’s just keep reading.”
“Understood.”

Raon gazed at the diary written in the Imperial language.

I never imagined I would end up like this, I who was called the next Emperor. Who could have foreseen such a vile conspiracy between the Second Prince and the Pope?
Why did I ever suggest to Father that we bring the Sun God into the Empire? Was it not because I am a Saint?
I said that man must never become Pope, that he was unfit! Yet I fell for that hideous mask! How unjust this is!

Those words were transmitted clearly to Kale as well. Raon continued reading.

“Fearing the Death God Sect, they steal their Sacred Relic? How can this possibly be the will of the noble Sun God! These wretches deserve to be struck down!”

The puzzle pieces began to fall into place for Kale.

Several hundred years ago, the Last Saint had been a powerful contender for the throne.

‘The Second Prince was likely the next strongest successor.’

It appeared the Second Prince and the Pope of that time had conspired to imprison the Saint in this place.
They had also buried the Death God’s Sacred Relic alongside her, something fundamentally opposed to her nature.

‘So that’s why the Pope walked here so often.’

The Pope’s walks were not due to the Sun God’s condemnation.
It was because of a far darker secret—a scandal and a time bomb that only he could know, that only he must keep hidden.

I understand.

The Sun God Cult was one of the most renowned religions across the Continent.
In comparison, the Death God Sect was far weaker in influence.
Yet death was stronger than the sun. It was certainly worth being cautious about.

At that moment, Raon’s voice—translating something—reached my ears.

“You idiots! You locked me away and burned down my entire palace? And then you mocked me for laughing, calling me mad and a heretic? Do you know why I laughed?”

Raon inhaled sharply and spoke rapidly.
Raon took a breath and spoke quickly.

“Idiots. They don’t even know there’s condemnation in it.”

What?

“Beneath that burned and collapsed palace lies the divine treasure you’ve all been searching for!”

Kale looked at Raon. Raon read one more sentence from the diary.

“That’s funny.”

I looked at Raon. Seeing me laugh, Raon spoke.
Kale Heniatus looked at Raon. Raon spoke as he watched Kale Heniatus smile.

“Human, did the Imperial Palace collapse too?”

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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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