Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 16

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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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“Young Master, this is the finest room in the inn.”
“It’s adequate enough.”

The elderly man led Kale and his companions to his inn. Though it bore the same modest appearance as the village itself, it lacked nothing—likely because merchant guilds passing through the Heniatus Territory occasionally stayed here.

“It’s my first time hosting nobility, so please forgive any shortcomings. Think of this as a humble place where we lack many things.”

Kale studied the elderly man carefully. He seemed more at ease than when dealing with Benion Sten, yet he still appeared frightened at the prospect of housing a nobleman in his inn.
It was pleasant that he showed appropriate deference to his noble status, but excessive fawning was equally uncomfortable.

‘This won’t do.’

Kale patted the elderly man’s shoulder gently to ease his tension.

“Old man, relax. And I don’t care for excessive self-deprecation. This is where people traveling through our territory stay. There’s no reason it should be lacking.”

The elderly man’s pupils trembled. He moistened his lips with his tongue for a moment, then hesitantly opened his mouth.

“Young Master, are there many people as kind as you in the Heniatus Territory?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m the worst scoundrel in our territory. Nearly everyone else has better character than I do.”

Ah. An exclamation escaped the elderly man’s lips. On the sofa ahead of Kale, the Fog Tribe members On and Hong meowed and shook their heads in sympathetic dismay, though no one could understand them.

“Go on and get back to work.”

At Kale’s dismissal, the elderly man bowed deeply and left the room. Kale found the old man’s inability to understand his reassurance tiresome and simply ignored him.

Knock, knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door the elderly man had just exited through.

“Come in.”

The door opened and Hans, the vice-steward, entered carrying a small box.

“Young Master, you asked me to bring only this luggage, correct?”
“Yes. Hand it over.”

Vice-Captain Hans transferred the box to my hands, his curiosity evident. It was the only piece of luggage I had carried myself. Had it been an ordinary box, I would have assumed it contained alcohol or food, but this was no ordinary box.

It was a premium magical chest inscribed with enchanted locks. The emblem authenticating the magical box belonged to the Flynn Merchant Guild—one of the three major merchant houses maintaining an inseparable bond with the Heniatus Count Family.

I let out a remark as I watched Hans staring intently at the box.

“Shouldn’t a butler refrain from displaying his emotions on his face? Especially curiosity.”
“Revealing everything to one’s master is one of a butler’s proper virtues, sir.”
“You’re amusing.”
“I do try.”

If not for the cats, this fellow who had been reluctant about going to the Capital was becoming far too brazen. I had always thought him more human-like than the other butler candidates, appearing more relaxed than they were. As always, I spoke to Hans, who was growing increasingly comfortable in my presence.

“Leave.”
“Yes, sir.”

And as always, Hans departed immediately. Instead, as he closed the door, he briefly inquired about the upcoming schedule.

“Will we be resting here for three days?”
“Yes. Handle everything yourself.”
“Understood.”

Hans answered readily and closed the door. Currently, he was handling all matters except those under the Vice-Captain’s purview regarding the group’s security. Yet he showed no signs of strain, managing everything smoothly.

“He’s quite a capable butler.”

On, the silver cat, approached with her comment, and I nodded. Hong, the red cat, drew near and spoke.

“He doesn’t seem to find it difficult either.”

I agreed with that assessment as well. Setting aside Ron the attendant, among the rest, Hans was the one who found me least intimidating. He was fearful but not daunted—a bold one. I waved away the approaching cats dismissively and opened the box. The method for opening a magically locked chest was simple: my fingerprint alone was the key to this box. I pressed my index finger against the center of the magical pattern inscribed on the chest.
Kale swatted away the approaching cats with annoyance and opened the box. Opening the magically locked box was simple. Kale’s fingerprint was the only key that could unlock it. He pressed his index finger against the center of the magical pattern carved into the box.

The box opened of its own accord.
The box opened by itself with a soft sound.

Inside the box were the items I had prepared over the four days before leaving the Heniatus Territory for the Capital.

“I’m really curious what this is.”
“Curious.”

I ignored the two pairs of golden eyes fixed upon me and answered casually.

“Things to save a pitiful creature, teach a rude bastard a lesson, and keep myself from getting hurt.”

On and Hong looked up at me with peculiar expressions, but I contentedly ran my fingers over the items in the box. I recalled the conversation I’d had with Bilos, the illegitimate son of the Flynn Merchant Guild, back in the territory.

‘Young Master, where on earth do you intend to use these items?’
‘I don’t see why I need to explain that to you.’
‘…I see. But purchasing all of this would require an astronomical sum.’
‘…What about renting instead?’
‘Of course, Young Master, you may.’

Most of the items in the box were magical artifacts. I’d anticipated they wouldn’t be cheap, but the rental price was equally staggering. As a result, I had to spend all the allowance I’d received in the territory. Moreover, I would need to meet Bilos in the Capital and return the items to him. How bothersome.
I didn’t want to get entangled in the Capital, but there was no helping it.

‘These two items cannot be rented to ordinary people. So I rented them under my name. Please be sure to meet me in the Capital and return them directly.’
‘Very well.’

I was quite grateful that Bilos had used his own name to rent the items for me, so I thought I’d buy him a hearty drink when we met in the Capital.

I picked up one of the items from the box. It was a round black sphere with various patterns engraved on its surface. Hong, the red cat, placed her small front paw on my knee and asked.

“I’m curious what this is.”
“A mana circuit disruption device. Worth hundreds of millions of gelons.”

On and Hong both gasped.

“I spent twenty million gelons just on the rental.”

Hong quietly withdrew the front paw she’d placed on my knee and retreated to the corner of the bed with her sister On, putting as much distance as possible between herself and the black sphere.
I recalled the description of that sphere. Bilos had procured exactly what I wanted.

‘It disrupts the mana trajectories within a certain range, preventing magical devices related to it from functioning properly. And its durability is exceptionally strong—it won’t break even if a mountain is blown away.’
‘Then it would instantly destroy something like a video recording device?’
‘Of course. However, it must be installed twenty-seven hours in advance. I designed it so that artificial mana seeps gradually into the mana trajectory without alerting the mage, then causes a simultaneous disruption.’
‘How long does it last?’
‘The duration is forty minutes. Quite impressive, isn’t it? Of course, if a mage is present at that location, they could stabilize it easily within five to ten minutes.’
‘I’ll remember that.’

The corners of my mouth gradually curved upward. It was the most expensive item I’d borrowed from Bilos, but I’d find countless uses for it throughout our journey ahead.

‘Most of all, I’m pleased with its durability.’

The Flynn Merchant Guild was truly a useful place. Satisfied, I tossed the small black sphere—no larger than a child’s fist—toward the cats huddled in the corner.

“Gasp!”
“Meowwww!”

One inhaled sharply while the other let out a cat’s cry, both dodging the black sphere, but soon they found themselves sitting obediently before me with the black sphere right in front of their eyes.

“You can read a map, right?”

At my question, On tapped her tail against the ground as if it were obvious.

“Of course I can. We were successors of the Fog Tribe, after all.”
“That’s right. Sister’s correct.”

I unfolded the map from the box—one of the other essential items. It wasn’t intricately detailed with terrain, just the standard map used by most merchant guilds traveling through the Heniatus Territory.

“We’re currently in this village here.”

My finger pointed to the mountain located to the right of the village.

“And this mountain. Do you see it?”
“I see it.”
“I can see it clearly.”

Bilos spoke.

‘Ah, and the mana range is similar to its durability.’

One mountain.

“If you head east from the village, you’ll see a villa in the distance beyond that mountain. There’s a cave behind it too.”

Among those currently staying near the black dragon, there were no mages. The tower mages who revered dragons, the supreme magical race, had no desire to abuse or breed them. They considered it nothing short of an insult to magic itself.
Near the cave and villa were trustworthy knights and soldiers from the Marquis Household, along with those who primarily handled the Marquis Household’s dirty work.

“Never go near that area. You can’t be discovered.”

I had heard about these children’s circumstances. So I knew I could handle this task with ease, but I offered a warning nonetheless. They mustn’t wander around out of curiosity.

“There’s a creature being abused there. I’m going to get them out, so you need to be careful.”
“A creature?”
“Yeah. Hong is younger than you.”
“…A younger sibling than me?”
“Yeah, four years younger.”

Of course, if I removed the mana control orb, On and Hong would be strong enough to simply blow away anyone in their path.

“We’re rescuing them?”

Determination gleamed in On and Hong’s eyes as they pressed their front paws firmly against the bedding.

“Rescuing is a strong word. Just go as cats and secretly bury the orb somewhere on the mountain, then come back.”

In cat form, the chances of being discovered would be virtually nonexistent. I placed a black orb in a small pouch and hung it around the neck of the silver cat On like a necklace.

“Where should we bury it?”
“Anywhere on the mountain.”
“Really anywhere?”
“Yeah.”

The siblings looked at each other and nodded.

“That’s easy.”
“We’ve escaped while evading the eyes of the Fog Tribe elders.”

I agreed with them.

“It will be easy for you. You have more than enough ability for this. I wouldn’t ask someone incapable of such a task in the first place.”

The two young kittens’ golden eyes fixed on Kale. Their tails swished back and forth—these siblings who had nearly died at the hands of the tribe members for lacking ability, despite never having been given a proper chance to learn—and they twitched their noses for no particular reason.
Kale, sensing what was in the hearts of the siblings staring at him, spoke with resolve.

“When you return, I’ll give you as much beef as you want to eat.”

The two siblings immediately leaped through the window and made their way toward the mountain with stealth and speed.

Naturally, the siblings proved their worth exactly as Kale had anticipated, and they were able to claim an entire ten-tier beef steak for themselves. The next day, Kale sipped the lemonade he had grown accustomed to by now and asked Choi Han.

“Have you ever seen a dragon?”

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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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