Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 167

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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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With a deafening explosion, the house crumbled and bodies flew through the air.
Yet all remained eerily calm.

Kale thought it strange enough to warrant concern.

“Hmm.”

But there was something heavier on my mind.
I lowered my gaze slightly, and Raon—whose eyes had met mine—quickly averted his own.
Now standing nearly four feet eight inches tall, he had grown five inches since last year, making him considerably heavier as well.

“Achoo!”

As Raon coughed and turned away, I caught the corners of his mouth twitching upward. I gazed exasperatedly toward the distant mansion, utterly at a loss.

Then Witira’s voice reached us.

“The one who flew just now was a Sperm Whale.”

Ah.
An exclamation escaped my lips.
A Sperm Whale—true to its name, it was the largest terrestrial creature aside from monsters and dragons.

Witira offered a gentle smile as she explained.

“The largest of the Whale Tribe. And formidable, too.”

Following her gaze, my eyes turned toward where the Sperm Whale had been sent flying.

“Cough, cough!”

A figure rose to his feet, coughing. He stood perfectly fine, brushing ice crystals from his clothes. My expression grew peculiar.

“That whale is laughing!”

Indeed.
I turned my gaze from the laughing Sperm Whale, just as Raon had said. When Witira’s eyes met mine, she offered a subtle smile.

“It’s a bit unusual.”
“…I see.”

I simply accepted it and changed the subject.

“It’s quite quiet.”

The Whale Tribe Village was remarkably quiet.
The houses made of ice sparkled beautifully in the sunlight, yet their appearance was modest and their sizes ordinary.
I heard Witira’s serene voice.

“Yes. It’s because we’re on the sea.”

Right.
I glanced around.

A vast expanse of sea, crowned by an enormous glacier.
Houses were built atop that massive sheet of ice.
I spotted whales and penguins circling the glacier.

“Witira, are there penguins here too?”

I asked on a whim.

“How did you know? They possess remarkable financial acumen—truly the finest butler material. They all prefer black formal wear and walk with a distinctive gait. Would you like me to introduce you?”

Raon, On, and Hong reacted.

“Penguins sound interesting!”
“I’m curious too.”
“I want to be friends with them.”

But I was resolute.

“No. I have absolutely no desire to meet them.”

I had no wish to learn about any more animals.
I firmly declined and turned my gaze toward the sea.

Across the distant sea, the land of the Paern Kingdom appeared faintly.
The Paern Kingdom, the northernmost realm of the Western Continent.
Beyond even Paern, among the colossal glaciers that existed in the sea, lay a portion of the Whale Tribe’s territory.

Kale’s mouth opened.

“I don’t see any wyverns?”

Since October of last year, the wyvern pilots from the Paern Kingdom had been coming this way once or twice a week and returning.

That was why, last November, when the Whale Tribe moved to deal with Dark’s combat unit one, Witira had to come in secret.

Of course, the Whale Tribe was currently tolerating the surveillance of these wyvern pilots.
They were allowing it.

Kale could see Witira smiling coolly at his question.

“They won’t show up for a few days.”

Her tone was full of certainty.

“Really?”
“Yes. Before heading to Ubar Territory, I saw a wyvern pilot. Looking down from the sky, our eyes met, or so it felt.”
“Felt?”
“I destroyed a small glacier next to me.”

Witira seemed to be in good spirits.

“After that, they fled. I doubt they’ll come back for a few days, probably out of shock.”

Kale was at a loss for words.

She destroyed a glacier.
True, if a humpback whale swung its tail, small chunks of ice would shatter.
But Kale had no idea what her definition of “small glacier” was. He held Raon tightly in his arms.

“If the prince hadn’t told me to spare them, I think I or Archie would have already visited the Paern Kingdom.”

At Witira’s refreshingly candid remark, Kale held Raon even tighter.

‘Fierce as whales, the lot of them.’

Whales were indeed authoritarian creatures.
Humpback whales were known for their benevolence, but ultimately, that compassion only existed because they reigned supreme in the sea.
How absurd and bothersome must humans appear to them, flitting about with wyverns, lighthouses, and ships in their petty surveillance?

Since last year, the Northern 3 Nations had closely monitored the Whale Tribe due to the Dark encroaching from the Eastern Continent, but before that, there had been scarcely any surveillance worth mentioning.

Of course, centuries ago, the northern kingdoms had been vigilant toward the Whale Tribe. But as time passed, that wariness had dulled.

‘They’ve forgotten the Whale Tribe’s power.’

The Whale Tribe had long refrained from displaying their strength across the continent. There were disputes with the Mermaid Tribe to contend with, and they simply held little interest in continental affairs.

Yet humans, ignorant of this reality, could hardly maintain eternal vigilance over a power merely rumored to be formidable but never witnessed firsthand.

Witira had touched upon this very point.

“Perhaps we’ve been too quiet.”

Kale responded to her with playful levity.

“Isn’t that precisely why we’re being quiet now?”

The Whale Tribe had learned that the Dark maintained cooperative relations with both the Empire and the Northern 3 Nations. The Whale Tribe needed to suppress the Northern 3 Nations and desired to eliminate the Dark.

“Exactly. That’s why we remain quiet.”

The Whale Tribe conducted themselves ordinarily, permitting the Paern Kingdom’s observation.
Though only on the surface.

Internally, they were busier than ever before.

“It’s been a while.”
“It is an honor to meet the Whale King once more.”

Kale grasped the Whale King Siceller’s hand.
Despite the considerable time since their last meeting, there was little awkwardness between them.

“These are the materials you requested.”

Siceller gestured, and a penguin waddling with splayed feet approached, extending a stack of documents. I accepted them and handed them to Rosalind.

“Your Majesty, thank you.”

Of course, I didn’t forget to express my gratitude.

“Don’t mention it. It’s nothing I did.”

Despite his words, I could see Siceller smiling pleasantly.

The documents Siceller had provided.
They were brimming with information about the ships the Northern 3 Nations had constructed along the unfrozen coastline.

The Northern 3 Nations had been wary of surveillance from the continent, but they had failed to guard against observation from the sea.

For a king’s residence, it was surprisingly modest.
Siceller leaned back against the sofa and spoke at a leisurely pace.

“It’s been a while since I’ve engaged in a fight like this.”
“What sort of fight is that, Your Majesty?”

I was about to take a sip of tea when the scent of seaweed gave me pause, and I posed the question. Siceller met my gaze and opened his mouth.

“A free-for-all.”

A smile played at the corners of my mouth as I set down the teacup.
Siceller made no attempt to hide his interest.
Another matter had brought me here after suppressing the troublesome Mermaid Tribe. Yet this affair was proving quite enjoyable.

“You see, we Whale Tribe—or rather, I—simply prefer to charge in and fight head-on. I’ve never had a taste for deception and petty squabbles.”
“Ahem, well. Your Majesty.”

Orca Arch let out a stifled cough at the Whale King’s casual language, but Siceller paid him no mind. After all, it wasn’t the sort of thing that would diminish his royal dignity.
Siceller shared a brief impression with me.

“But now that I find myself in a position to strike from behind, it’s quite exhilarating.”

Kale asked.

“They’re the ones who tried to stab Your Majesty in the back, aren’t they?”
“Haha! Exactly! I can’t forgive anyone who tried to touch us using the Mermaid Tribe.”

That’s why Siceller found these days so entertaining.

“The Northern 3 Nations have no idea that we Whale Tribe are cooperating with other kingdoms. More importantly, neither Dark nor the Northern 3 Nations know that we’re aware of their existence and their connection to each other.”
“So they’ll face complete chaos, won’t they?”

Siceller nodded at Kale’s composed tone.

“This should be quite enjoyable.”

Kale didn’t stop Siceller, who was growing excited, or the Whale Tribe members who agreed with him.

The stronger ones who stepped forward with enthusiasm were how the weaker ones learned to survive.

And Kale had something to gain from their excitement.

“What about the maritime routes?”

The reason Kale had come here was because of the maritime routes.

“We’ve already made the preparations. I’ve selected Whale Tribe members to accompany your people all the way to the Eastern Continent. Paseton is in charge of everything.”

Paseton, who had been standing quietly, subtly raised his hand.

“However, you’ll need to prepare the ships on your end.”

Kale nodded and handed over the documents.

“These are the documents prepared by our Territory.”

Kale had participated today as the Territory Lord’s proxy.
He was the most suitable choice given the need for secrecy and his rapport with the Whale Tribe.

Siceller reviewed the contents, which specified the departure date, personnel, vessels, and various other details, then stamped the documents.

The maritime route began in Ubar Territory, following the Whale Tribe’s guidance northward toward the Eastern Continent.

Kale had heard everything from Siceller and conducted a brief meeting. When the meeting concluded, Siceller asked him a question.

“Where will you go now?”

There was a reason Siceller had seized Kale upon his arrival today and immediately begun the meeting.
It was at Kale’s request. His schedule was too tight to do otherwise. And the Whale King, having heard what Kale needed to accomplish in the north, readily accepted.

Kale mentioned the place he would visit early tomorrow morning.

“I intend to start with the Lake of Despair.”
“What?”

Siceller’s eyes widened. The secretary penguin, who had been listening, shuddered.

The Lake of Despair.
A lake shrouded in white blizzards that the people of Paern Kingdom avoided at all costs.

A blizzard that carried poison, no less.

Siceller found himself asking without thinking.

“Are you planning to set the lake on fire?”

Witira spoke urgently in response.
Paseton, who was guiding them through the Northern 3 Nations, chimed in.

“My lord! Don’t you know the World Tree is there?”
“Setting fire to the World Tree?! That would be catastrophic! No matter how bold you are, my lord, this is a disaster!”

What are they talking about?
Kale stared blankly at the Whale Tribe siblings before opening his mouth.

“No. I’m planning to set fire to the Capital Lake.”
“What?”

Siceller jumped to his feet in even greater shock.

The Capital Lake of the Paern Kingdom.
Though called a lake, there was a legend about that place—where not a single drop of water remained.

A lake created from the tears of a god.
When those tears dried up, the god abandoned the Paern Kingdom.
Since then, it had been a lake waiting for the god’s tears to fall once more.

Kale spoke to the humpback whale family staring blankly ahead.

“What if we delivered the god’s wrath instead of the god’s tears? Wouldn’t that be surprising?”
“Exactly, human! They would be shocked!”

Raon sniffled and agreed with Kale’s words.
Siceller asked blankly.

“…The Lake of Despair?”
“An errand.”

The World Tree, the spirits beside it, and even the Elf Village there.

“…Who?”

Siceller asked Kale who had sent him on this errand.
Kale answered as if it were nothing special.

“Erhaben, sir. The Gold Dragon ordered me to do it.”

The Whale King glanced at the Black Dragon Raon before settling back into his seat.
After a long pause, he opened his mouth.

“…Hmph. Yes, if it’s you, you could even set the Capital Lake ablaze.”

A sigh of understanding escaped his lips.
Kale wiped Raon’s sniffling nose with a handkerchief as he spoke.

“What of the elves at the Lake of Despair?”

The Whale King answered immediately.

“Arrogant and utterly tactless.”

Kale answered immediately.

“Excellent.”

Huh? Excellent?
Siceller and the penguin exchanged bewildered glances at Kale. In contrast, Kale’s companions, Orca Arch, and the Whale Tribe siblings remained unmoved.

Kale stroked Raon’s round head as he mused.

‘After all, I have two dragons at my back.’

Whether the Elf was arrogant or not was no concern of mine.

* * *

Thus, several days later, my pace was leisurely as I infiltrated the northern coastline of the Paern Kingdom in secret.
The coastline located at the far northwestern edge of the Paern Kingdom.

There was no one here.
It could not be otherwise—a massive blizzard swirled beyond the coastline.

“It is there.”

Orca Arch pointed toward the blizzard.
The Whale King Siceller, finding it amusing, paired Orca Arch with Paseton.

‘For those tactless Elves, pairing them with Arch—who lacks not only tact but also sense—is perfect.’

Pleased with this excellent judgment, I readily decided to proceed with Arch. Of course, Arch wore a miserable expression.

“Let us go.”

I headed toward the largest lake in the Northern Region, frozen solid for all 365 days of the year.

Meow.
“This is thrilling! I’m growing stronger!”

After a long time, On and Hong delighted in Kale’s embrace. Hong especially wagged his tail, recalling the white poison said to be indistinguishable from a blizzard.
On’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at the snow storm.

“I wish mist could do something like that too!”

A blizzard imbued with poison.
Kale’s expression brimmed with anticipation, much like Hong, the red cat whose specialty was poison.

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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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