Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 21

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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 golden tortoise carriage of Heniatus Territory passed lightly through the Pursulsi City Gate and headed toward its lodgings, following the guidance of the deputy butler Hans.

“It’s smaller than Western City.”
“That’s right. It is small.”

I nodded at On and Hong’s words and gazed out of the carriage window.

‘Will it follow us into the city?’

According to Choi Han’s account, the Black Dragon followed from quite a distance away before abandoning its pursuit at dawn, leaving behind food.

“Isn’t it adorable? Truly, like a precious child who has not lost its innocence despite that arduous existence.”
“…Tsk.”

Choi Han spoke with a pleased expression, but his words brought me no joy whatsoever. I would need to witness the Dragon level an entire mountain for such sentiments to cease escaping my lips.
It despises humans, yet it persists in such behavior. I found this deeply troubling. The situation was unfolding contrary to my expectations.

Initially, I had assumed that while still young, it would avoid the Marquis Household, establish its own lair, and cultivate its strength. Thus, after growing powerful, when war erupted, I had hoped to preemptively obliterate the Marquis Household that would gnaw away at this kingdom. Surely that would bring greater peace to Heniatus Territory.

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue, and the cats, who had been eagerly peering out the carriage window, flinched before approaching me. They stared intently out the window, seeming to have become curious about something.

“Every house has a stone tower.”
“That’s strange.”

I answered indifferently.

“It’s the City of Stone Towers.”

While Pursulsi was renowned for the Stone Tower Ruins where countless stone towers gathered, what equally distinguished this city was the small stone towers stacked on every household.
The people of this city constructed small shelves outside their windows and stacked tiny stone towers atop them. Since these were towers of ten stones or fewer, calling them “stone towers” was somewhat imprecise, yet each tower took on various shapes according to the personality of the household members.

The Luxury Inn where I arrived also had stone towers stacked within it.

“Are we staying here?”

Hans answered Cale’s question quickly as he followed the innkeeper’s guidance. He was delighted, cradling the cat siblings in his arms.

“Yes, I’ve reserved two days for Choi Han, and for the rest, we’ve arranged to pay later according to the duration.”

Ron, who had been behind Hans, hesitated briefly at his words, then followed along while holding the magic box. Hans continued speaking to Cale.

“Since we arrived during the off-season just before the Stone Tower Festival, the room rates haven’t gotten expensive yet.”

The Stone Tower Festival. Pursulsi was bustling with preparations for the Stone Tower Festival happening next week. Cale casually blurted out what had just occurred to him.

“It’s not even a place with many stones, yet the Stone Tower is quite peculiar. That’s strange.”
“I happen to know the reason for that.”

What? Cale glanced at Hans, who had responded to his offhand musing.

“There’s a very sorrowful yet instructive tale passed down from ancient times.”
“If it’s a long story, just skip it.”

Since I didn’t particularly want to hear it, I said so, but Hans seemed to judge it wasn’t lengthy and continued. The group, now inside Cale’s room, had to listen to Hans’s words as they watched the inn staff member leave.

“This tale—or rather, this legend—hails from the ancient times.”
“Ancient times?”

Click. The door closed behind the departing staff member, leaving only the group. Cale reacted to the word “ancient.”

“Yes, ancient times.”
“Go ahead.”

The cat siblings in Hans’s arms wagged their tails with interest, looking up at him. Ron silently poured lemonade from a bottle he’d brought along with the magic box and handed it to Cale.
Cale sat on the sofa with the lemonade in one hand, crossed his legs, and gestured to Hans with his chin—a signal to speak.

“Ahem, this city was said to have once been forsaken by the gods.”

Forsaken by the gods? This was a story I had no knowledge of.

“I’ve never heard of it.”
“You haven’t studied history, sir.”
“…Are you getting cocky with me? Keep going like that and see what happens, huh?”

Hans turned his gaze away from me ever so slightly.

“It is only natural that one of a butler’s finest qualities is to inform his master of things he does not know.”

Hans began to recount an ancient tale.

“I cannot say why this city was forsaken by the gods. However, it is said that the people of this city formed small groups and began constructing multiple stone towers. It is said this was an act of prayer imbued with a certain wish.”
“So that wish came true?”

Hans answered my question with unwavering certainty.

“No.”

The gods did not grant their wishes.

“Not a single prayer was answered. That is why there is not a single temple in Pursulsi.”
“If the gods abandoned me, why should I serve them? Is that it?”
“Precisely correct. As expected, our young master is clever and requires no further education.”
“…Are you trying to be a nuisance?”

Hans turned his gaze away from me and looked toward the distant mountains as he continued.

“Ahem, in any case, there are stone towers in place of temples. These towers became a promise thereafter. A promise between humans, and also a promise each person made with themselves.”
“What kind of promise?”

Hans spoke of a peculiar custom passed down through Pursulsi.

“A person who fulfills their wish tears down their own stone tower.”

The corners of my mouth lifted.

“This is an interesting city.”
“Indeed. Since they were abandoned by the gods, they must ultimately achieve their wishes through their own strength. Tearing down the stone tower represents a kind of ‘overcoming.'”

I found the act of destroying the stone towers quite appealing. And I recalled the small stone towers stacked at each house, their countless numbers beyond counting.

“These are not stone towers built in reliance upon the gods.”
“No, they are pledges to oneself.”

Even without toppling it, the Stone Tower Ruins held sufficient value.

“So the gods don’t actually grant wishes after all.”
“Yes, that’s correct. In a way, being abandoned is sorrowful, but it’s also quite a hopeful tale, wouldn’t you say?”

I spoke curtly to Hans, who was nodding along in agreement.

“Look down.”
“Pardon?”

Hans looked confused, so I pointed my finger at his arms.

“The cats seem angry.”
“Pardon?”

Hans lowered his head and gasped, his eyes widening. The cats were baring their teeth in fury. Their golden eyes fixed on him were quite fierce.

“Oh my, why are our noble cats upset? Shall I fetch some jerky?”

Hans set the cats down and grinned sheepishly. He still didn’t know they were felines, so he assumed they were simply hungry. But that wasn’t why they were angry. I recalled what the siblings had said.

‘Hans told us.’
‘Hans said so.’
‘If you go to the Stone Tower Ruins and make a wish, it comes true.’
‘The Stone Tower Ruins are beautiful.’

Tap. Tap. On struck the ground with her front paws in anger, while Hong lashed the floor with his tail. It was an expression of fury at being lied to about the Stone Tower Ruins, but Hans misread the signal entirely.

“Oh, our noble cats. I’ll bring delicious treats! Is it alright if I go, sir?”
“You can stay out as long as you need.”
“I’ll be back shortly!”

Hans said he’d return quickly, but first he carefully organized the luggage he’d brought. Once finished, he left my room at remarkable speed.

“Ron, you should go rest as well.”

Ron remained in the room. He looked at me and offered a benevolent smile.

Ominous. I truly disliked that old man’s smile. He was more unsettling when he smiled. Ron approached the sofa where I sat and opened his mouth.

“Is Choi Han leaving in two days?”
“That’s right.”

I answered absently, then a sudden thought crossed my mind and I smiled faintly before asking.

“Why? Don’t want to see him go? Do you want to go with him too, Ron?”

Ron’s benevolent smile deepened.

“How could I abandon you, young master? I find comfort in your presence.”

A chill ran down my spine.

“It’s simply that I feel regret at not being able to accompany Choi Han. Before that happens, we should have many more conversations. Vicross will surely miss him greatly.”

But at Ron’s next words, my expression brightened somewhat. I’d been neglecting to pay attention due to annoyance, yet it seemed a certain affection had developed between Ron, Vicross, and Choi Han over time.
Choi Han had been reluctant, but if he truly disliked them, he wouldn’t have conversed with them at all. Recalling my plans, I spoke with an enigmatic smile.

“Well, from the Capital onward, you three will see each other frequently anyway. You’ll be traveling together.”

The three of you will leave this kingdom and head to Rosalind’s Kingdom. How’s that? Sounds good, doesn’t it?
I swallowed the rest of my words and smiled wickedly, while Ron responded with an even more benevolent smile.

“I look forward to spending time with everyone, including Choi Han, in the Capital. This old man’s wish is that you all arrive safely.”

I didn’t believe his words at face value. Looking forward to it, wishing for safe arrival—these were not emotions that would resonate with such an old man.
The cats seemed to agree, snorting as they looked at Ron. On and Hong were annoyed with Ron, who tried to teach them assassination techniques they already knew whenever he had the chance, all behind my back.

“…Get out.”

I sent Ron out, his kind smile never wavering.

“Hans is a liar!”
“We trusted the butler!”

Only then did I ignore the cat siblings as they poured out their words and burst into anger, gazing out the window instead.

‘Vitality of the Heart’. I stared toward the cave outside Pursulsi, where that incomplete Stone Tower would be. There would be a small house in that cave.

‘Did he say he lived to be 150 years old?’

The power left behind by an ancient human who had died of old age, his lifespan naturally exhausted. The dead man had believed his own power to be a curse.
I rose from my seat. I hastily straightened my clothes and pushed the door open.

“Oh my!”

Hans happened to be standing right in front of the door. The deputy butler came rushing over with an armful of dried meat, and I spoke to him indifferently.

“Let’s go see the Stone Tower Ruins.”

The cats’ ears perked up. Watching the feline siblings come bounding over as if I hadn’t been angry at all, I chuckled inwardly and decided on the group that would accompany me.

“It’ll be just Choi Han and us. Oh, and bring On and Hong too.”

The human who had lived to 150 and died wanted to build a stone tower in a cave where the wind gathered.

‘Last time it was trees, this time it’s wind?’

In the very center where fierce whirlwinds converged from all directions—in a place like the eye of a typhoon—the Elderly Man had spent over 100 years trying to build a stone tower. But he failed. Or rather, he always destroyed the tower just as success was within reach. After repeating this cycle, he died one day while building the intermediate section.
No, always when success was within reach, the Elderly Man would destroy the stone tower. After repeating this, he dies one day while building at the midpoint.

It wasn’t really my concern. I simply intended to observe one thing carefully while visiting the stone tower.
It wasn’t really Kale’s concern. He simply planned to observe one particular thing carefully while going to see the stone tower.

“Since I’m going to build it anyway, I might as well build it nicely.”

Since I had to do it anyway tomorrow, I thought I might as well build the stone tower nicely. And just in case, there were people I needed to scout out in advance at the Stone Tower Ruins.

A short while later, Cale arrived at the entrance of the Stone Tower Ruins with two cats, Choi Han, and Hans. They hadn’t brought the carriage either. Cale was wearing a hat, saying he disliked the sunlight.

“As expected, I’m still here.”

From the entrance of the ruins, he could see some of the people who were one of the reasons he came to this place. Cale quietly hid his body behind Choi Han and Hans.

Quite far away, there was a man and a woman in ordinary clothes. However, the man was in a wheelchair. The woman was pushing the wheelchair from behind as they were exiting through the entrance and exit of the ruins.

Unaware of Kale’s furtive gaze, they leisurely left the ruins. The man turned his head slightly back and asked the woman.

“What made you want to come here?”
“I don’t know what divine will or nonsense it is, but for days now I’ve been having restless dreams every night, so I came to see. The god says our future benefactor will appear here, and that I should visit this place. They also said they’re a human whose actions they can’t predict except for today.”
“There are humans even a god cannot predict?”
“Who knows. Half of what the god says is complete nonsense anyway. Nonsense.”

The woman with short brown hair grumbled with an expression full of exasperation.

“Nonsense? Those are the god’s words. And wasn’t the ability to hear those words supposed to be a secret?”

The man responding was Taylor Sten, the abandoned eldest son of the Sten Marquis House.

“There aren’t even any priestesses in Pursulsi anyway. And divine words—does a god put food on the table? A benefactor for people in our situation? That makes no sense. I’m hungry. Let’s go eat.”

The exasperated woman was Kaige, Taylor’s close friend and the one who would later be called the Mad Priestess. Taylor answered his friend’s words with a serious expression.

“Kaige, I suddenly have a serious craving for beer.”
“Damn, I’m craving smoked pork.”

With serious expressions, they looked at each other. Taylor pointed ahead with his finger and spoke solemnly to Kaige.

“A splendid combination. Let’s go. Come on. My treat.”
“Oh my, you’re treating? This priestess will serve you with utmost sincerity and kindness.”

The two walked forward together, laughing.

Cale was too far away to hear their conversation, but he carefully etched the faces of the two people laughing pleasantly despite their desperate situation into his memory.

‘I’ve memorized their faces.’

Now I just needed to avoid them. Since they didn’t know me, all I had to do was stay out of their way.

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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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