Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 18

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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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The location where On and Hong had planted the black orb was beyond Cale’s expectations.
The Dragon Breeding Cave, thirty meters away from the Baron’s Estate. On and Hong had buried the black orb fifty meters from that cave, in a spot overgrown with trees and brush.

“You two are impressive.”
“This much is simple.”

Though she claimed it was simple, I could see On’s nose twitching slightly.
Cale, Choi Han, On, and Hong crouched near the black orb—the mana orbit disruption device—and kept their eyes fixed on the cave entrance fifty meters away and the Baron’s Estate beyond it.

“You remember the plan roughly, right?”

I had explained the plan on the way here. In truth, there was hardly a plan to speak of.

“At this hour, there are exactly six guards on duty.”

I recalled what I had read in “The Birth of a Hero.” The Black Dragon was clever, as dragons should be. Those four years had not been wasted—he possessed considerable information, and there was a reason he had chosen to attempt his escape at this hour two days from now.

Approximately thirty people resided in the mansion. When the dragon was first brought here, nearly a hundred armed personnel had been stationed. But as four years passed without any outside interference, the numbers were gradually reduced.
Thirty was indeed a small number, yet among them were three Vice-Captain-class senior knights and seven intermediate knights. With soldiers, a torturer, and various laborers, it might seem manageable, but the Marquis Household had invested considerable effort into maintaining this level of force.

But we have Choi Han. This man, who casually crushes the Duke—called the strongest in the Roan Kingdom—in merely ten moves, fights on our side.

“To reiterate: one senior knight at the cave entrance, two intermediate knights, two soldiers. And inside, one senior knight, and one torturer at the very end.”

Choi Han’s body stiffened at the mention of the torturer, but I paid it no mind. Whatever compassionate thoughts unfolded in Choi Han’s mind were not my concern. What mattered was that the black orb would activate soon, and we needed to move swiftly accordingly.

“Thanks to the black orb we planted, every surveillance device installed on this mountain—from the cave entrance to the Baron’s Estate—will be inoperative for forty minutes. Alarm systems, magical traps, everything will cease to function.”

The Sten Marquis House had to rear a dragon, the supreme magical race, but without the aid of a mage, they had instead carpeted this place with magical artifacts. The reduced number of guards reflected their confidence in the secretly embedded magical devices scattered throughout.
Thus, the dragon attempting to escape had no choice but to trigger a mana rampage.

‘An eye for an eye, money for money.’

Since the Marquis Household had spent money, I spent money as well. I adjusted the large-capacity magical pouch hanging from my waist. It contained all manner of magical artifacts and various items.

“So we just need to deal with the guards, correct?”

Of course, Choi Han would handle the actual combat. With such a strong fighter at my side, there was no reason to unnecessarily throw myself into battle. I was even bothered by paper cuts—the thought of getting slashed by a sword sounded far too painful.

“Yes. You’re the only one I can trust to watch my back.”

Here and now, at least. I fixed Choi Han with a serious gaze, and he nodded solemnly in response.

“I will not fail you.”
“Right. Like I said—just knock them unconscious. Show off our clothes. Don’t reveal your swordsmanship. You remember the rest?”

Choi Han’s distinctive aura—that transparent black color—would remain hidden if used carefully in the darkness of night. I’d gone over this several times already, so he should understand.

“Yes, I remember everything.”
“Good. I trust you.”

I patted Choi Han’s shoulder and handed him the voice modulator. The last thing I needed was for him to speak and give us away during the fight.

“It’s expensive, so don’t break it.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.”

I turned my attention to the cats. Seeing their tails swish as if they were hoping for something, I offered them a reward.

“I’ll give you meat once it’s all done.”

But that apparently wasn’t the right answer. The cats snorted dismissively and turned their heads away. I let it slide and checked my watch for the time.

Five minutes left. The sky had already darkened into night.
I recalled my conversation with Bilos.

‘Magical devices affected by the mana orbit disruption apparatus will become inoperable in an instant. To prevent explosions, they typically shut down safely. However, high-grade devices have a malfunction alarm. It’s not a magical alarm—more like a clock alarm.’
‘Loud, then?’
‘I’m not sure what you intend to use it for, but it will be loud enough for enemies to hear.’

Bilos had grinned wickedly as he spoke.

‘However, if you’ve planted magical devices in many locations, they’ll all sound off at once, creating absolute chaos.’

Chaos was exactly what I needed.

“Get ready.”

The cats also smeared black soot across their fur to conceal their coloring, then slipped away from my side into the darkness, vanishing from sight. Neither would reveal themselves before the enemy today. Yet I knew they would follow according to the operation, remaining close by.
Choi Han carefully folded the handkerchief he’d been using to clean his sword and tucked it into his inner pocket.

Once all preparations were complete, I rose from my position.

Hummmmm.

From directly beneath where I’d been crouching, faint vibrations began to emanate. The black orb had started to activate.
Tick, tick. The second hand of my watch crept steadily closer to the scheduled moment.
And finally, tick.

“Let’s go.”

At my single word, Choi Han burst forward at high speed according to the plan, while On emerged from the darkness and began to spread her mist. The fog coalesced around me, obscuring my form from view.
At that very moment.

Whiiiiing—

The black orb activated.

“Seems not all of them are top-grade.”

In several locations, the magical devices began to wail loudly as they malfunctioned. Wrapped in On’s mist, I followed Choi Han’s lead and sprinted toward the cave. From this point on, it was a race against time.
The cave entrance was already where Choi Han clashed with the knights.
Choi Han was already fighting with the knights in front of the cave.

“That scary guy.”

In the meantime, the soldiers lay unconscious, their arms and legs deeply slashed.

“Who are you? How dare you come here without knowing where this is!”

Choi Han casually deflected the sword of the advancing high-ranking knight with a shout. Then, stepping forward, he deeply slashed the knight’s side. Ignoring the blood gushing from the wound, Choi Han struck the knight’s back with his elbow, then struck the back of his neck to knock him unconscious.

“Damn it! What the hell is going on?”

A high-ranking knight who had been inside the cave soon revealed himself.

“Poison.”

Cale’s voice-modulated words hung in the air. The mist enveloping him expanded widely, and Hong moved stealthily through the night’s darkness, beginning to scatter paralytic poison into the fog. Those who had fallen unconscious would remain incapacitated for quite some time, even if they regained awareness.

In that moment, Cale’s eyes met those of the advanced-rank knight. Cale uttered a single word.

“Cover me.”

Choi Han immediately positioned himself in front of Cale and began sprinting toward the cave entrance. Cale followed in his wake.

“Stop them!”

At the advanced-rank knight’s cry, two intermediate-rank knights’ swords came crashing down toward Choi Han in unison. Their blades shimmered with aura smoke. Yet they lost their power and were cleaved in two.
Clang, clang. Two sword blades fell to the ground.

“No… could you be a Sword Master?!”

Horror and despair seeped into the advanced-rank knight’s voice. Only a Sword Master’s aura blade could cut through a sword wreathed in aura smoke. In a single fluid motion, Choi Han severed his opponent’s blade, concealed his aura’s color in the night’s darkness, and drove both his sword and scabbard into an intermediate-rank knight’s throat and solar plexus.

“Gack!”
“Ugh!”

…One strike is all it takes. I couldn’t help but admire Choi Han’s prowess as I moved behind him, keeping my body as low as possible. Just then, a commotion erupted from far behind.

“Intruders!”

The shout came from the direction of the Mansion. I turned my gaze forward once more.
The intermediate-rank knights staggered and collapsed. Our eyes met. The paralytic poison had taken effect.

“P-poison…!”
“An assassin!”

Choi Han rendered them unconscious again, then rushed toward the charging advanced-rank knight with even greater speed, his blade flashing. I seized the opportunity to dash toward the cave entrance. Even as I ran, I made certain to display six stars clearly before the intermediate-rank knight’s eyes closed in unconsciousness, ensuring he would see me as an assassin wielding poison.

“Tch! Where do these bastards keep coming from!”
“Quiet.”

Choi Han lightly deflected the advanced-rank knight’s mana-laden blade. He was deliberately prolonging the engagement.
While Choi Han drew all attention to the battle, I followed the cat tribe children who had already slipped covertly into the cave, reaching the cave entrance. The moment Choi Han confirmed my entry, he immediately repositioned himself to the cave entrance.
And he spoke to the advanced-rank knight.

“Come.”

Of course, the command extended far beyond the upper-ranked knights—it encompassed every enemy advancing toward this place, torches held high.

“I’m counting on you.”

Choi Han caught the faintest smile at the sound of Cale’s voice behind him—voice-modulated yet still brimming with composure. But he erased it, releasing a portion of his power. Black Aura. Within it, the essence of Void enveloped him.

“No one passes through here.”

He was a man who kept his word absolutely.

Meanwhile, there was another who guarded in a different manner—the Torturer. The one who kept the Dragon Breeding Cave. By the time Cale arrived, he was already consumed by panic.

“Why, why! The crystal isn’t working!”

The magical crystal that only the Torturer possessed. It was one of Benion’s contingency measures.

“No, don’t come! Do you know what’s kept here?!”

The Torturer trembled violently at the sight of Cale. He had no choice. If his body received external attacks beyond a certain threshold, it would explode.
One of Benion’s arrangements. The force of that explosion would shatter both the prison key in the Torturer’s possession and the prison itself. The Torturer knew this.

“Just try coming! You’ll all die!”

Tsk. I raised my hand, observing the trembling Torturer. In that instant, mist materialized from thin air and surged toward him. On, the mist’s master, remained hidden within the cave’s shadows, invisible.

“Ugh, argh! G-get away!”

The sound of battle echoed from the cave entrance. The approaching mist. And naturally, the mist carried poison within it. Paralytic venom-laced mist swiftly engulfed the Torturer’s body.

“What is this, gack, p-poison…!”

With a strangled sound, the Torturer’s body convulsed and collapsed to the ground. Paralyzed by the venom, unable to speak properly, his eyes twitching uncontrollably—he looked pitiful.
I approached the Torturer and searched through his belongings.

If external attacks beyond a certain threshold couldn’t be used, then poison was a simple solution. Alternatively, negotiation could force him to surrender the key willingly. But I had no desire to employ the latter method.

‘There it is.’

I closed the Torturer’s eyes as the paralytic toxin pulled him toward unconsciousness, though I wondered if I’d concentrated the poison a bit too heavily.

‘He probably won’t die, but if he does, there’s nothing I can do about it.’

I snapped my index and thumb together. At that same moment, two black bundles dropped from the ceiling—On and Hong. As they descended into the torchlight where I stood, the children’s forms finally became visible.

I confirmed that On and Hong were unharmed, then made my way to the far end of the cave, to its deepest corner.
There, beyond the magical iron bars—now rendered useless—I saw a crouched black form. A dragon. But what struck me even more than the dragon itself was the blood that covered the Black Dragon and the metallic scent of gore that hung in the air.

I approached the prison.
The creature with its eyes closed sensed my approach but did not open them. The dragon must be confused right now.

I inserted the key into the prison’s lock and turned it.
Click. The lock gave way with a light sound. I slowly pushed open the iron door and stepped inside the prison.

The space was too vast to be called a mere prison—whips and various torture instruments lay scattered about, along with the luxury sofa where Benion had sat to watch. I headed toward the corner of the prison.

A small form, barely a meter in size, lay atop a pile of straw in the corner. The dragon’s eyelashes trembled slightly even with its eyes closed. Shackles bound its limbs, and a collar fitted with a mana-suppression device hung loosely around its neck, its body limp and powerless.

“Hey.”

I crouched down in front of the dragon. Despite my call, it didn’t open its eyes. I checked my watch. I needed to leave soon.
I spoke to the dragon.

“Let’s go.”

I unlocked the shackles using the key I’d taken from the Torturer’s possession.
In that instant, the dragon’s eyes opened. When I saw those eyes, I smiled.

They burned with defiance. It was still alive.
Not the dying gaze that Choi Han had witnessed, but eyes that still yearned to live and dreamed of freedom—eyes filled with caution, hostility, and rebellion.

The eyes of a dragon.

“Good eyes.”

I scooped the dragon up roughly, cradling it in my arms as if it were nothing more than a bundle of supplies.

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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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