Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 192

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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 42. Breaking It!

Albert Crossman.
Beyond the communication crystal, his appearance was far from presentable.
He who always dressed immaculately and radiated princely grace now sat slumped in his office chair with disheveled hair.

“Seeing Your Highness in such a state truly grieves my heart.”
-Indeed.

The Crown Prince had intended to rebuke Kale Heniatus for his casual tone, but noticing his own appearance was equally poor, he refrained from further comment.
Albert proceeded directly to the matter at hand.

-We’ve confirmed that Paern’s knights are entering Norland.

Paern, Norland, Ascosan.
The names of the Northern 3 Nations.

Among them, Norland was the northern kingdom beyond the Dark Forest. Had the Dark Forest not existed, it would have bordered the Roan Kingdom directly.

-And after delivering this information, the informant destroyed the communication crystal.

The informant dispatched to Norland was a Dark Elf—the Crown Prince’s trusted agent.

-Since the informant’s spirit hasn’t returned yet, it seems they haven’t been killed.
“They will return alive.”

At Kale’s response, Albert chuckled softly before returning to the main topic.

-We’re currently coordinating with the Breck Kingdom to confirm whether Paern’s knights have also gone to Ascosan.

Ascosan was the kingdom closest to the Breck Kingdom, separated by the Canyon of Death.

“It’s highly likely that Paern’s knights have gone to Ascosan as well.”
-Precisely.

According to the information the agent provided, the number of knights reached at least several dozen.
Paern, the northern land of knights—even for a nation with abundant knights, dispatching several dozen to another country was no trivial matter.

-Something’s off.

That was why Crown Prince Albert found it strange.

-It’s too early to cross the sea. What could they be thinking?

The Roan Kingdom and Breck Kingdom hadn’t prepared for spring without reason. Ascosan and Norland were at the northern frontier, but they were definitely further north than the Roan Kingdom, which occupied the Northeast Region.

That coastline would still be frozen solid.
Especially now, in early February—one of the coldest months of the year?

‘If the knights move, the soldiers will follow.’

Had the Roan Kingdom been ignorant of the Northern 3 Nations’ ambitions, it might have dismissed this as mere military training.

-It’s premature to cross the sea. Certainly, by mid-February, some coastlines will thaw. But it’s wasteful. The loss of manpower would be severe.

Why move now?
Are the Northern 3 Nations truly so desperate to wage war?

Albert bit his lip.
The Northern 3 Nations’ choice was far more aggressive than he’d anticipated. Paern’s decision to dispatch dozens of knights to both kingdoms couldn’t escape the notice of other nations.
Yet to take such action meant they possessed the resolve to see it through.

He envisioned the coastline of the Northeast Rowan Kingdom. Naval Base construction. This fact had already spread. They’d maintained maximum secrecy, but there were limits to such measures.

Yet most people believed the Naval Base was still in its early stages.

But that assumption was wrong.
Dozens of ships had been completed and were preparing for war under the protection of mages.

‘And I have him to thank for that.’

Albert’s gaze fixed on Kale Heniatus.
His subordinate—a rat-tribe hybrid dwarf. Though he’d since returned to the Heniatus Territory, he’d remained at the Ubar Coastline to refine the blueprints.
Thanks to him, ship construction had proceeded far faster than anticipated.

Yet the plans prepared for spring had fallen apart.
An informant had been exposed.

‘What am I missing?’

One thing.
I realized I was overlooking something I couldn’t quite grasp.
Without understanding it, I couldn’t see any way to untangle this frustratingly muddled mind.
Alberu loosened the necktie that was choking him with its tightness.

-Kale, what do you see?

Alberu asked in an exasperated tone.
He was the only one who would show such frustration, and I thought his composed demeanor might bring me some reassurance, so I reached out to him.
Then I let out a hollow laugh.

-No, what would you possibly see?
“Wyverns.”

Alberu’s laughter ceased.
Through the video communication device, I could see the Crown Prince staring at me with piercing intensity.

“The Wyvern Knights have been resurrected.”

Alberu’s pupils dilated.

The legendary guardian knights of Paern that still existed to this day—the Wyvern Knights he once commanded in the past.
In that instant, Alberu’s mind became crystal clear.

-It’s the sky.

It wasn’t the sea.
No, the sea would come too. But the sky came first, and the sea came after.

But how was one supposed to deal with the sky?

The Crown Prince’s keen eyes turned toward Kale.

-…When did you find out?
“When Paern Lake caught fire, Your Highness.”
-You?
“Yes. I realized it then. But I forgot to report it.”
-You damn- ha.

Kale Heniatus shrugged with perfect composure.
At that gesture, Alberu’s eyes, which had been sighing, took on a peculiar gleam. Kale appeared far more serene than expected.

-…Our brilliant young lord Kale. If you were to ascend to the heavens and fly over the Dark Forest, would the Heniatus Count Family be alright?

Alberu could see the corners of Kale’s mouth twitching.

Kale had waited a very long time.

At first, he had been flustered when reality diverged from the book’s contents, but by now that world had become as good as nonexistent. So he had prepared, and prepared again, for the days ahead.

Now there was no need to wait any longer.

“Your Highness.”
-Yes.
“Please prepare military command authority over the Northeast Region.”

Ha.
Laughter spilled from Alberu’s lips.
He was making such a grand demand with perfect nonchalance.

Yes, this was right.
This was how Kale Heniatus should be.

Kale’s requests continued to reach Alberu’s ears.

“And please keep the Knights Order and Your Highness’s Mage Battalion 1st Company on constant standby.”

Kale smiled.

“And wait.”

Alberu wiped his eyes with his hand.

This madman.
Wait? That’s just another way of saying he’d handle it himself.

He asked Kale Heniatus with a smile.

-What have you been doing all this time?

Kale Heniatus shrugged instead of answering.

-Cheeky bastard.

Despite his rough words, Crown Prince Albert was smiling brightly. He brushed back his disheveled hair as if tidying it.
At the same time, he understood what he needed to do.

-So there was a reason you called the Necromancer back under you. Do as you see fit. I’ll handle the cleanup.
“Just maintain your authority, Your Highness.”
-Don’t worry. When war breaks out, everything will be in my hands.

Now that Alberu had returned to his usual self, his sharp mind began plotting how to accelerate his plans as much as possible. At that moment, lost in thought, Alberu didn’t notice my body flinch slightly.

Raon’s voice echoed in my mind.

-They’re planning to destroy our home riding on mere Wyverns? Seriously?

I felt a chill run down my spine at his remarkably serious tone. It was the earnest voice of a six-year-old, but I chose to ignore it.

-Anyway, I’ll do my part, so you do yours as you please.

Click.
The video communication cut off without warning.
I leaned back against the sofa and stared at the darkened communication device.

My workload had just increased.

The next day, I set out for my territory with the traces of the Wolf King in hand.

* * *

“Father.”
“Yes.”

It had been some time since father and son last met, yet the atmosphere between them felt heavy.
Count Derth sipped warm tea to settle his nerves. He had already heard the details from his son Kale through video communication.

“The knights from Paern have gone to Norland?”
“Yes.”
“And it seems they’ll be coming over on wyverns?”
“Yes.”
“And from Breck Kingdom and the Northwest Rowan, they’ll be crossing over Ascosan?”
“That’s right.”

Click.
The teacup settled onto the table.
Count Derth gazed at the territorial map hanging in his study.

The golden turtle—the symbol of the family—came into view.
He offered his son a single word.

“I understand.”

That word was enough.

“Heniatus has always been a martial family, the bulwark of Northeast Rowan.”

Though Derth was no longer a warrior, he wielded the blade and had never forgotten the way of martial strength. Otherwise, why would he have invested so much effort into the Knights Order in this remote fiefdom?

The golden turtle.
To live in peace for a long time, one must prepare thoroughly.

He gazed at his son—the only one in the family with red hair, inherited from his mother rather than himself.

“Managing the territory is my duty, and supporting my son is also my duty.”

He recalled the requests Kale had made through the video communication device.
Count Derth extended his hand toward his son.

“Let’s give it a try.”

A word Kale Heniatus had once spoken to him.

“Father, let us try once.”

His father had not forgotten those words.
From late autumn last year until now, he had devoted himself to expanding the territory’s military forces, and after hearing his son’s words, he had filled the fiefdom’s storage sheds to bursting with provisions.
He had also paid careful attention to the city walls and to the defense and communication networks across all the territory’s lands.

I grasped Count Derth’s hand.

“Discreetly, I ask of you, Father.”

I heard his answer in the firm grip of Count Derth’s hand. That was sufficient.
There was nothing more I needed to tell Count Derth.

Thus, I immediately departed the Lord’s Castle and headed toward the Dark Forest.
I stood at the place where the Black Swamp had once been, gazing down at the parched earth that bore only its traces.

“It has been quite some time since I was here. How wonderful. I have missed it.”

Necromancer Mary, draped in a black robe, spoke ceaselessly at my side. Beneath her mechanical voice, hints of joy flickered through.

“Is that so, Mary? I too am delighted to see the weak human and you! Indeed, our territory is the finest.”

The Black Dragon beside her flapped his wings in agreement with Mary’s words, yet both the black robe and the Black Dragon cast furtive glances toward me.

The movement of the Paern Knights.
Since learning of this news, I had been unusually silent. Raon recalled this fact and wrinkled his nose. Raon’s mouth opened.

“Human, do not worry. No one was hurt-”
“Kale Heniatus!”

But Raon’s words were cut short by another.
Choi Han, the tiger shaman Gashan, and the wolf boy Rak entered the Black Swamp.

They were those I had summoned.
Their expressions were dark as they had been informed of the general situation. Of course, in Gashan’s case, a hint of anticipation lingered.

They approached me, who stood with my back turned, gazing only at the Black Swamp. Yet I said nothing and did not turn around.

“My lord—”

Gashan called out to me. I turned around.

Choi Han, composed as ever. Gashan, the tiger radiating combative spirit. And Rak, the wolf tribe member approaching hesitantly.

“Choi Han, Gashan.”
“Yes, Kale Heniatus.”
“Speak your orders, my lord.”

My gaze turned westward.

“We’re heading to the Canyon of Death. Prepare yourselves.”

I shifted my attention to Rak’s eyes.
He hesitated when our gazes met, but held my stare with greater confidence than before. It was evident he was nervous—it had been a while since he’d moved alongside me in earnest.

The strength he’d gained through training with Choi Han was visible even to my eyes.

Yet it remained insufficient.

The wolf tribe valued collective bonds, family.
But the wolf tribe grew strongest when they stood alone.

Loss. Anguish. These emotions—felt only in solitude—were necessary. Only through such feelings could one awaken to another truth.
An emotion that was, for the wolf tribe, as fundamental as law itself.

I recalled the object in my possession.

The legacy of the Wolf King.

It was a diary.
A diary inscribed in blood.

I spoke to Rak, who awaited my command.

“Rak, you’re coming too. Prepare yourself.”
“Yes, yes!”

The Wolf King must reclaim his name in this world once more.

“Merry.”
“Yes?”

The black robe stirred as she turned toward Kale Heniatus.
But at the sound that followed, her gaze shifted toward the Black Swamp.

Boom—

An object emerged from the spatial pocket in Kale Heniatus’s hand.
It was a spatial pocket that Raon had specially crafted.

“Mm.”

Rak of the Wolf Tribe hesitated and took a step back. The boy’s eyes could not tear away from the center of the Black Swamp.
To his ears came the sigh of the shaman Gashan.

“A Dragon…”

The corpse of a Dragon lay in the center of the swamp—white bones bleached and barren.
Even as mere skeletal remains, the ancient Dragon’s carcass exuded an overwhelming pressure.

It was the Dragon’s corpse he had discovered two years ago in the place where Kale Heniatus had obtained the ‘Dominating Aura’.

“…Ah.”

An exclamation escaped Merry’s lips. She turned her gaze toward Kale Heniatus. By then, he was already watching her.
His mouth opened.

“Control it.”

He issued the command to Necromancer Merry. After a few seconds of silence, a firm voice emerged from within the black robe.

“I can do it. No—I will.”
“Good.”

At Kale Heniatus’s matter-of-fact response, Merry clenched her fists beneath the black robe.

I looked up at the sky.

The Dragon would devour the Wyvern and dominate the eastern sky.

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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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