Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 174

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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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In that instant, silence fell over the group.

Orca Arch and the half-breed whale Paseton looked speechless, while Rosalind and Choi Han wore expressions of contemplation.

The silver cat On turned away from Kale’s face with an expression that said, “Well, of course.”

But Kale had no time to pay attention to this silence. His mind was too loud.

-Human! You really are one of us! You mustn’t get hurt during the fireworks!

The voice was quite excited. Who knew such a bloodthirsty six-year-old existed? Kale shook his head while staring at Choi Han and Rosalind.
Choi Han observed Kale quietly before opening his mouth.

“What would you have me do?”

Choi Han had certainly heard what Kale said.

‘People mustn’t get hurt.’

Because Kale harbored such thoughts even while orchestrating villainous schemes, Choi Han had no hesitation.

“Let’s do it together later.”

And at Kale’s response, Choi Han smiled. Together. Those words never grew old, no matter how many times he heard them—words that had sustained him through decades of solitary survival.

Kale’s gaze met Rosalind’s last. She was smiling.

“A most effective plan and impeccable timing.”
“I expected nothing less from you, Rosalind.”

The two Whale Tribe members looked even more at a loss for words, but Kale paid them no mind and issued instructions to Paseton.

“Paseton, let’s secure lodging first.”
“Yes, of course!”
“After that, we’ll visit the lake.”

Lake of God’s Tears.
At those words, Paseton swallowed hard and guided Kale’s group into the Paerne Capital.
People cast glances at them as they passed.

The group wore plain traveler’s robes that obscured their faces well. They didn’t appear particularly unusual.
But there was one person they surrounded protectively.
People stole glances at the white-haired Priest.

I felt their gazes and smiled.

-There he goes smiling again! And he’s not even talking to the Crown Prince!

I let Raon’s words pass lightly.

* * *

Crunch, crunch.
The sound of footsteps on snow was subdued. I looked around.

Few people were visible. Those passing by spoke in hushed voices, yet their expressions were bright.
The atmosphere was reverent but not solemn.

I walked leisurely, feeling as though I’d entered a quiet park. Then Raon’s voice reached my mind.

-Human, besides the guards at the entrance, there are soldiers patrolling throughout the area!

Well, now he does well without being told. Impressive.
I felt pleased watching Raon perform his duties so diligently, as if he’d aged a year. Choi Han approached my side and whispered.

“The northern region of the lake is inaccessible due to preparations for the ritual sacrifice during the festival. However, it should be penetrable from any direction.”

Choi Han too had grown skilled at reporting without prompting.
A sense of pride washed over me watching Raon and Choi Han’s growth.

The Black Dragon who once brought me wild boar and the one who followed whenever I offered food had grown remarkably. I felt satisfied as I continued observing ahead.

Tap. Tap.
Hong tapped my arm. When I looked at Hong, he pointed ahead with his front paw. Hong’s expression was alarmed.

Meow, meow, meow!

Unable to speak here, Hong cried out while questioning me with her eyes.

‘I heard you’re going to set fire to this place?’

Kale immediately grasped the meaning in those eyes.

“Yes, right here.”

Rosalind, who had been watching the cat and Kale, found herself speechless. She turned her head. The two members of the Whale Tribe, who had been silent since earlier, came into view.

She understood their feelings all too well.

‘…It’s far too vast.’

The Lake of God’s Tears spread before my eyes.
The parched lake, devoid of a single drop of water, revealed its cracked and sunken bottom. She quietly approached Kale.

North of the Paerne Capital.
Following the grand avenue that connected to the Plaza, a colossal lake appeared at the northern edge of the capital.
This lake, utterly devoid of water, brought people to a halt the moment they beheld its tremendous expanse.

Rosalind carefully posed a question to Kale.

“Young master, isn’t this roughly one-third the area of Bagosh?”
“I suppose so. It’s smaller than I expected.”

Smaller?
Rosalind faltered, but Kale paid it no mind as he set down On and Hong, then walked along the perimeter of the colossal lake.

“Let’s scatter and explore for a while, then reconvene shortly.”

With those words, Kale distanced himself from the group. Only the invisible Raon remained at his side.

Lake of God’s Tears.
I had conducted considerable research on this lake.

To the north of this lake stood an altar alongside a Temple. During festivals the area was restricted, but entry was freely permitted elsewhere.

Kale headed toward a place where there were fewer people, and he stopped in front of a signpost he spotted.

Lake of God’s Tears
A legend remains about this lake. The God, saddened by the eternally frozen land of Paern, created a lake that would never freeze.
Humans initially rejoiced at the unfrozen lake. However, humans grew increasingly greedy, and eventually coveted what should never be coveted. Thus, the God wept and took away the lake’s waters.

Kale stood quietly and read the contents of the signpost.

Humans then recognized the greed they had wrought and preserved this lake. And they continue to hope that one day, by the God’s blessing, water will fill this lake once more.

Having read the familiar content once more, Kale brought forth a question that had lingered in my mind.

Who is this God?
Which God is it?

I had always wondered whenever I read this.

When the water fills again. That will be the moment the God who departed to the South returns.

“The South, then.”

Kale lifted my head, focusing on the word “South.” And I was startled.

-Human, why are you so surprised?

Raon called out to Kale in response to my reaction, but I hurriedly turned my gaze in another direction and fell into contemplation.

‘Why is that bastard here?’

Kale hastily recalled the contents of “The Birth of a Hero.”

Clophe Seka gazed upon the white hair passed down through generations of his family and resolved to turn legend into reality once more.

A white-haired man gazing at the barren lake bed. Kale stole a glance to confirm it was him. Simultaneously, the contents of “The Birth of a Hero” came to mind again.

The Wyvern Knights. He would turn that legend into reality. Clophe Seka, the heir of the Guardian Knight of Paern Kingdom, made that resolve.

Clophe Seka.
Guardian Knight of Paern Kingdom.
Commander of the Wyvern Knights.
And the central pillar of the Northern 3 Nations.

“…Wow.”

I let out a soft exclamation of admiration.
I never expected to encounter the Guardian Knight Clophe here.
I hadn’t anticipated this.

But this was fortunate.

-Human, were you startled by that man? Well, he’s certainly quite strong.

Quite strong?
I paused at Raon’s assessment.

Clophe. In “The Birth of a Hero,” he appeared far less frequently than Crown Prince Adin. That’s why my information on him was scarce.

There was only one useful piece of information, and aside from that, I knew nothing.

-He’s as strong as Necromancer Mary.

As strong as Necromancer Mary?
Merry stood between Choi Han and Rosalind in terms of power. If that was the case, then the Guardian Knight Clophe was certainly quite formidable.

-Human, Choi Han is coming!

I turned my gaze.
Choi Han was approaching with a hardened expression. It seemed he didn’t know who Clophe was, but he had sensed that strength and was coming toward us.

I raised my hand, and Choi Han stopped in his tracks. I gestured for him to wait, then slowly began walking forward.

Naturally, toward Clophe.

-Human! There are two or three knights near that white-haired swordsman.

As I listened to Raon’s helpful warning—he could detect most dangers—I recalled one piece of information from “The Birth of a Hero.”

Clophe Seka was a believer in legends. He had always been inclined to trust in legends, folklore, and superstitions.

The corners of Kale’s mouth twitched slightly.

Why else would he have come with white hair and priestly robes?
Why would he have deliberately created pillars of flame at Lake of God’s Tears, calling it the wrath of God?

-…Human, you smile too kindly. No, our human is kind, but still!

Listening to Raon’s bewildered voice as background noise, Kale gazed down at the lake with a serene smile.

Saaaa—

Clophe Seka brushed his hair back with a soft yet chilling winter breeze, turning his gaze to the side.
He had sensed a presence nearby.

‘A citizen of the kingdom, perhaps.’

He turned his head, thinking it was likely a kingdom citizen who had come sightseeing.
Clophe had deliberately kept himself hidden until now.
His appearance would coincide with the emergence of the Wyvern Knights to the world. And when that time came, Paern Kingdom would advance toward the unfrozen harbor and lands.

However, he had not hidden his white hair. It was the symbol of the proud Guardian Knight of Paern Kingdom, the Seka Family.
Because of this, kingdom citizens occasionally approached him with hopeful gazes.

To the kingdom’s people, the Guardian Knight family was both a reliable shield and spear.

God withdrew the waters of the lake but let fall a single drop.
That drop touched one person, and their hair turned white. That person became a knight and protected the land at the northern edge from darkness, or so the legend goes.

One who inherited God’s will.
He had no doubt that this was none other than Clophe himself.

Therefore, the moment Clophe turned his head to confirm the identity of the presence, his eyes widened.

White hair came into view.

Along with it, priestly robes as white as the snow falling gently now. Though there was no mark on the robes indicating which god they served, the subtle aura emanating from the figure made it clear this was someone beyond approach.

Whiiiish—
The wind swept past the white-haired Priest.

The Priest, seemingly unaware of Clophe Seka’s gaze, muttered while looking toward the lakeside.

“Will I be able to meet them if I go south?”

Clophe Seka faltered.

Those words pierced straight through my heart.

‘When the water fills again. That will be the moment the god who departed south returns.’

The inscription written in the Temple came to mind, along with the words on the signpost.
Was this Priest now recalling the god who had departed south?

The Guardian Knight of Paern Kingdom, Clophe Seka. He would soon descend southward.

So he wished to possess lands and seas and rivers that never froze, like the lake the ancient god had once bestowed, and transform the current Paern Kingdom into legend.

‘…Who are you?’

Who was this extraordinary being?

Clophe Seka’s footsteps slowly turned toward the white-haired Priest.

Kale could hear rustling sounds and the voice of one person.

“You will be able to meet them if you go south.”

Caught.
Kale controlled the corners of my mouth and slowly turned my head.

Clophe Seka felt oddly unsettled by how Kale’s eyes had grown even more composed and relaxed despite having seen my white hair and sword.
There was definitely an oppressive aura that one could not easily sense from someone who was not strong.

The Priest’s mouth opened.

“That person merely took back what they had given to human greed and departed. Without even expressing anger, with tears in their eyes—what was that heart—”

The Priest paused for a moment.
But soon his gaze turned toward the lake with a sorrowful expression.

“I wonder what that heart must have felt. How deeply it must have grieved.”
“…Do you serve a god?”

Clophe Seka’s solemn gaze fixed upon Kale.
He was a white-haired knight of striking beauty—the very archetype of a Northern knight one might find in a fantasy novel, his eyes brimming with melancholy.

‘This is maddening.’

But Kale cared nothing for such things.

Whoooosh—
The wind swept between Kale and Clophe Seka, weaving an ethereal atmosphere.
Yet Kale felt a tremor of alarm as he sensed the Wind’s Sound—the very force that had made him pause moments before.

‘…Why is it acting up at the sight of this bastard?’

The Wind’s Sound. The Thief who had stolen the sacred relic began to stir at the sight of the Guardian Knight of Paern Kingdom.

‘Does this bastard possess the Lake of God’s Tears?’

Or perhaps his family does?
…Should I rob him?

As Kale contemplated this, Clophe Seka’s question came again.

“Is it that you cannot discern which god is served?”

But Kale, faced with the Wind’s Sound growing more restless than usual, and—

-Is it seeking to sacrifice?

—the terrifying collaboration with Jjangdol, decided to calm the ancient power and speak whatever came to mind.

Clophe Seka involuntarily stiffened at the Priest’s suddenly hardened gaze. Then the Priest’s lips parted.

“In time, all things shall be revealed to your eyes.”

Kale’s lips moved with automatic reflexes.

Flutter, flutter.
The wind blew strong enough to make the Priest’s wide sleeves billow. Clophe Seka watched the lakeside trees sway in the intensifying breeze, sensing something mystical in the gale.

“I hope the lake fills again soon.”

Clophe Seka could see the Priest’s eyes.
Despite the words of hope, his expression was filled with certainty.

Thump. Thump.
Clophe Seka’s heart raced.

The lake would fill again.

It was an auspicious sign.
An auspicious sign that the legend was beginning anew.

Of course, Kale would fill the lake not with water, but with a pillar of fire.

Clophe Seka felt as though this moment could not be delayed any longer and opened his mouth.

“Who are you?”

I needed to know the identity of this person.
In that moment, Clophe Seka could see the Priest pointing toward the parched lake bed.

‘Could it be?’

Clophe Seka was seized by an inexplicable feeling.
A person with charisma that could not be seen even in the King—he passed by Clophe Seka with a faint smile and spoke.

“Just a wanderer passing through.”

To anyone’s eyes, he was no wanderer, yet Kale said so and walked away.
Clophe Seka stared blankly after him.

-Human, that guy is looking at you.

Kale listened to Raon’s report while thinking.

The groundwork had been laid.

He spoke in a low voice that only Raon could hear.

“Raon, tell the others not to come near me.”
-Understood. But I will stay by your side.
“And ask Paseton where the Seka Family estate is.”

Raon’s innocent voice echoed in my mind.

-Human, are you going to blow it up this time too?

Indeed, his perceptiveness had grown.
I nodded with satisfaction and answered.

“Just report for now.”

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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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