Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 165

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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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Chapter 37. Surely Not

Click.
As I opened the carriage door, a far sharper stimulus than the cold air greeted me.

“Y-Young Master!”

Someone came rushing toward me with arms spread wide, radiating unmistakable joy.

Mueller, the dwarf-rat hybrid. He charged toward me with tears threatening to spill, his coat barely fastened.

“…What’s wrong with him?”

I glanced at Choi Han. But he merely shrugged, equally bewildered. In that moment, Mueller reached me, gasping for breath.

“Y-Young Master.”
“What is it?”

Normally, Mueller would shrink back in my presence. But his unusually bold behavior caught me off guard.
And in that moment of hesitation, Mueller’s hands seized my trouser leg.

“Young Master, please take me with you!”

…What is this?
Seeing Mueller’s desperate expression, I shook my leg to pry him off.

‘Something’s wrong.’

From the City Wall modifications to the ship shaped like a golden turtle—Mueller’s value had skyrocketed. So why was someone who should be more confident than ever trembling in fear?

“Following you would be better than this, this!”

I gestured to Choi Han to handle Mueller’s muttering, then stepped into Harris Village.

Harris Village currently had no territorial forces stationed there.
The soldiers who had been on guard duty before and the remaining knights had all returned to the Lord’s Castle.
Since my relocation of the Tiger Tribe to Harris Village was a secret, that was part of the reason. But more importantly, the Tiger Tribe didn’t need soldiers to defend the village.

So that knight and those soldiers were currently undergoing winter training at the Lord’s Castle under the command of the Knights Order commander.

Kale Heniatus examined the village palisade that Mueller appeared to have worked on, then passed through the entrance to Harris Village. Beyond the white snowfield, the village came into view.

-This is going to be fun!

Raon’s voice rang out.
Along with it, Kale’s expression became subtle.

“Mm.”

Young tigers and wolves rolling through the snowfield came into view, along with two cats.

-I’m playing too!
“Go ahead.”

Raon materialized in mid-air, and the Black Dragon flew toward the young ones rolling in the snow.

“Gasp!”

Kale heard a strangled gasp from behind him. It was Mueller. The half-dwarf, startled at the sight of Raon, approached Kale and grabbed his pant leg again.

This time, Kale didn’t brush him away. He spoke with a pitying tone to the boyish-looking thirty-year-old man gazing up at him.

“Tigers are felines too.”

Mueller nodded so vigorously his jaw nearly unhinged.
Kale didn’t mind Mueller hiding behind him, seeing as the cats and tigers were charging toward them.

“Wow! It’s been so long!”
“You finally came!”

On and Hong rushed toward Kale first. Choi Han stood beside Kale and let out a soft chuckle.
Because Kale’s lips were twitching upward.

“I missed you!”

The red cat Hong, dressed in warm clothing, rubbed against Kale’s legs. Mueller quietly slipped behind Choi Han.

“I heard you were injured.”

On, the silver cat, had grown to twelve years old now, her frame slightly larger as she circled around Kale.
But twelve years old was still childhood, so Kale answered the worried child.

“Yeah, I coughed up blood.”

On and Hong, the young tiger nearby, and likewise the young wolves—their expressions all turned grave. Raon’s expression darkened in turn.

Regardless, Kale swallowed hard as he watched the approaching figure from afar.

“Welcome, Young Master.”
“Ah. It’s been a while.”

Unlike Kale, bundled tight against the deep winter cold, the sorcerer Gashan approached with a single robe fluttering behind him, unchanged as ever. Gashan smiled with his eyes closed.

“Hans told me what you accomplished in the Empire, Young Master.”

What I accomplished in the Empire.
Because of that, I had been receiving contact from all sorts of places.
Suddenly, invitations to banquets arrived not only from every noble house in the Northeast Region but from all corners of the kingdom. Of course, Eric among the Northeast nobles had sent a lengthy letter filled with concern.

Since Kale had heard this topic many times before, I answered casually.

“Is that so? Does Nature have nothing else to say?”

Hmm.
Kale froze at the sound that escaped Gashan’s lips.
I had carelessly mentioned Nature. Kale regretted it.

“Nature said that this winter, warm air has been lingering in the North.”

“Nature… I heard that this winter, warm air is lingering in the North.”

Kale let out an internal exclamation. But Gashan, paying little attention to my expressionless face, continued.
Kale Heniatus let out a sigh internally. However, Gashan paid no mind to his expressionless face on the surface and continued speaking.

“Don’t worry about it.”
Don’t worry about it.

At Kale’s firm voice, the warriors who had come with Gashan turned their gaze toward him.
Kale offered a gentle smile.

“We just need to do our part. Things will go as we intend.”
“…I see. There’s no need to worry about what hasn’t happened yet.”

The shaman Gashan nodded, and Kale found himself thinking.

‘Quite perceptive.’

Tap, tap. When I turned at the touch of a hand on my shoulder, I saw the Black Dragon with a startled expression. The six-year-old was gazing at Gashan with wide, curious eyes.

Raon’s voice echoed in my mind.

-Human! That tiger shaman has no idea about our ‘Dragon’s Wrath’! Isn’t that fascinating!

Dragon’s Wrath.
An improved version of the pillar of fire that Erhafen had created.

I simply offered Raon a smile.

“There’s that smile again!”

Raon shook his head vigorously and flew off to where On and Hong were. The children, now averaging nine years old, whispered conspiratorially among themselves, but I paid them no mind and took a step forward.

“Let’s head home.”
“Yes.”

Home.
At my words, Choi Han followed. And Gashan subtly trailed along as well. Of course, Mueller kept his distance from Gashan and clung to Choi Han’s pant leg as he followed.

* * *

Home was, naturally, the Jjangdol Mansion.

From the cave entrance leading to the Jjangdol Mansion, I could already see those who had come out to greet us. The moment I saw them, the corners of my mouth lifted.

“That’s sinister!”
“Something bad is about to happen.”
“Right. That smile again!”

Hong, On, and Raon spilled their concerns one after another, but I dismissed them lightly and fixed my gaze on those emerging from the cave entrance.

Under normal circumstances, I would have expected the wolf boy Rak, Hans, and Rosalind to come greet me. And if anyone came to greet me now, it would be them.

But the people standing before the cave entrance were entirely unexpected.

“You’re here?”

It was Sword Master Hana. She leaned against the cave entrance with her arms crossed. I brushed off her curt greeting and turned my attention to the two people who had brought Sword Master Hana here.

Tap, tap, tap.
Crazy Priestess Kage stood on one leg, bouncing the other while biting her nails, lost in her own thoughts and unaware that I had arrived.

“That insane god! Why does he keep appearing in my dreams, pestering me?! Telling me to grab the hem of Prince Kale’s pants—I can’t even understand what he’s babbling about!”

Kage hadn’t slept properly in weeks.
The voice of the Death God echoed in her dreams every night. She sniffled and whimpered pathetically.

How could a god behave so pathetically?
And he muttered constantly.

‘Finally, finally! Kale—that man is exactly as I thought! Now I can spread beautiful death throughout the world!’

That part was bearable.
But what came next left her speechless.

‘Want to become a Saint?’

Each time, Kage would jolt awake and cry out.

‘That’s nonsense! Am I crazy?!’

But today, when she shouted those words, a splitting headache struck her, and the voice of the Death God rang out.

‘Do as you wish. That is your path.’

He told me to do as I pleased.
That made it even more unsettling.

“K-Kage…”

Saint Jack’s trembling voice reached my ears.
Saint Jack. Lately, he’d been complaining of insomnia, heart palpitations, and headaches. He hadn’t heard the voice of a god, yet something felt wrong to him.

As Kage turned to look at Jack in response to his call, I shuddered.

A chill seized my entire body.

“Damn it!”

I spat out a curse and turned my head toward the source of that eerie sensation.

This chilling feeling.
It resembled the presence that had brushed past me when I first took the collective oath before the Death God alongside the others to become a Priest.

No—it was deeper than that.
This aura was a secret I alone had sensed among all those inexperienced Priests.

“Cursing the moment you see me? How warm a greeting.”

Standing where I’d turned was Kale Heniatus.

I caught my breath. I’d heard of the great deeds Kale had accomplished in the Empire. I’d considered opening with words about that, but instead, words spilled from my lips unbidden.

“Young Master, what have you brought with you?”

The moment I spoke, my mind became crystal clear.

“What kind of aura are you carrying?”

This chilling presence.
The Death God Sect tries to wrap death in warmth, but I know better.

Nothing is as impartial yet cruel as death itself.

Whether one possesses little wealth or great riches, whether power abounds or wanes, death inevitably comes for all living beings.
In that, it is fair.

Yet death is also profoundly unfair—it takes the breath from innocent children while allowing corrupt men of power to live until old age.

Kage sensed that Kale Heniatus had brought something with him. At that moment, Saint Jack’s voice reached her ears.

“…Huh?”

Saint Jack stared at Kale Heniatus with a bewildered expression, as if he couldn’t comprehend what was happening. He tapped his chest repeatedly, utterly confused.

Kale Heniatus’s smile deepened at the sight.

‘As expected.’

The Crazy Priestess Kage was indeed a remarkable person.
She was the real deal compared to Saint Jack.

From the Empire to this place.
On his journey, Kale Heniatus had not been stopped by any priests from either the Death God Sect or the Sun God Cult.

Yet now Saint Jack approached him hesitantly with a strange expression, unable to draw near, while Kage strode toward Kale Heniatus with purpose.
And she spoke to him.

“Young Master, why do you carry such a dangerous aura about you? It’s not good for your health!”

She gazed at Kale Heniatus with concern, as if urging him to explain himself at once.

“Kage, and Saint Jack.”

Kale Heniatus gestured leisurely toward the cave entrance.

“Let us go inside and discuss this.”

Kale Heniatus led the way toward the underground chamber within the cave.

Shortly after, a teacup was placed before Kale Heniatus. Hans, the butler, set down refreshments as well before quietly withdrawing from his room.
Kale Heniatus reclined leisurely on the sofa in his room on the 5th Floor of the Mansion, a place he hadn’t visited in some time, and opened his mouth to speak.

“First, drink it while it’s still cold.”

Crazy Priestess Kage and Saint Jack stared at Kale Heniatus before slowly reaching for their teacups and taking a sip. As the warmth spread through her, Kage felt her mind ease slightly.

Then, two objects were placed upon the table.

An old, worn compact mirror.
And.

“Pfft!”

The tea in Kage’s mouth sprayed out.

A book.
Author: A Tender-Hearted Death.

Drip. Drip. The tea that escaped her lips traced down her chin and fell to the floor. But neither Kage nor Kale Heniatus paid it any mind.

Kale Heniatus swallowed hard and opened his mouth.
Divine artifacts.
He knew precious little about them.

“Well?”

But instead of answering, Crazy Priestess Kage reached toward the book. Kale Heniatus spoke to her as she hesitated.

“Look at it.”

At those words, she immediately grasped the book without hesitation.
That was the moment.

Ssshhh—

With an eerie sound, the white book darkened to black.

Tap tap.
Kale Heniatus turned his head at the sound of tapping against the 5th Floor window.

“Human! What are you doing? This is a terrifying aura!”

Raon’s face was pressed against the glass window like a bun, shouting. He had been playing outside with On and Hong, but he had flown over in an instant.
At that incredible speed, Kale heard the voice of the Crazy Priestess Kage.

“…This….”

Kale turned his head to look at her.
My heart raced with anticipation.
How extraordinary could it be?

I could see Kage swallowing hard.
Her mouth opened.

“…This is a single-use item.”

Huh?
I was momentarily taken aback.

“I’m sorry? Kage, what did you say?”

Did I mishear?
I stared at Kage again.
She recalled the Death God’s whimpering words and opened her mouth.
I watched her lips part and began to anticipate once more. Her words continued.

“I don’t know either.”
“…What?”

It was true.
Kage had no way of knowing.

But she spoke honestly.

“To me, this book appears to be covered entirely in a single sentence.”

At her words, I recalled the contents of the book I had seen.

“All beings in this world are beautiful only in death.”
“Do you wish to die?”
“Follow me!”
“On the easiest way to meet death!”

Those bizarre passages came flooding back to me.
Yet to Kaige, they were all just a single sentence?

Kale Heniatus regarded her with an expression unlike before. She gazed back at him, recalling a phrase the Death God had uttered while weeping over these past weeks—one that had drifted past last night like a fleeting whisper.

“A hero is an existence even gods cannot comprehend. Now is the time for a hero to be born.”

The birth of a hero.
The Crazy Priestess Kaige buried that thought and spoke a single sentence she had seen in a book.

“Are you curious about the way to kill death itself?”

Hundreds of pages in that tome were plastered with this single line.

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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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