Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 210

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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 46. Do You Understand Now?

The day after my conversation with the Crown Prince, I gathered everyone in the Commander’s office. I opened the closed door.

Click.
The door swung open with a soft sound, and I took in the sight before me.

“Welcome, Commander.”

Around the long oval table in the Commander’s office, everyone rose in unison to greet me.

Lord of Ubar, Royal First Knight Commander, Mage Commander Tasha, Amir who handled communications and records, and all the key personnel of the Northeastern Naval Base were present.

Their expressions were grim. As I made my way to the head of the table, exchanging nods with each of them, they opened their mouths.

“Have you eaten, Commander?”
“Commander, you’ve had your meal, haven’t you?”

What is this?
I found their serious greetings oddly strange.

‘Why are they so concerned about whether I’ve eaten?’

Was this some new fashion in greetings? I simply nodded and took my seat at the head of the table. The moment I sat, Lord of Ubar spoke.

“Commander, will you be heading to the Capital?”

The atmosphere of the meeting immediately grew heavy.
This morning, an official document from Central had arrived at the Naval Base. It demanded my attendance at the upcoming Grand Nobility Council.

The Naval Base had been in turmoil since morning because of it.

“Yes, I will go.”

At my calm response, everyone fell silent.
Commander Kale Heniatus—I was hardly an unintelligent man. Faced with such a decision, no one knew how to object.

Tasha, the Mage Commander and Dark Elf, hid her irritated expression beneath her robe.

‘These blasted nobles-‘

The thought hadn’t even finished forming.

“These blasted nobles all do the same things.”

A sharp breath.
Tasha inhaled sharply. Then she turned her head to the side.

The Royal First Knight Commander.
That taciturn man sat motionless with his taciturn expression, as if questioning when he had opened his mouth. He responded curtly to the gazes of those gathered around the table.

“Ah, of course, normal nobles are excluded. I’m referring to the nobles who engage in factional games.”

Impressive.
Tasha marveled at the remark that rolled off his tongue so smoothly. The fact that the Royal First Knight Commander had spoken such crude words without hesitation meant he recognized the people in this place—especially Kale Heniatus—as his allies.

The Knight Commander closed his mouth as if he had said nothing from the start. But once he broke the ice, words poured out from all directions.

“The war hasn’t even ended, and the Northeastern Naval Base is still swamped with cleanup, yet they summon our commander at will—it’s absolutely unreasonable!”
“Those who don’t even know how cruel and terrifying war is are ordering him around!”
“This is clearly an attempt to suppress our commander!”

One of them spoke angrily.

“And they only summon the commander? Don’t they also summon Choi Han and the Necromancer? What is this—”

A soft tap.
Kale Heniatus’s palm lightly tapped the table. The one who had been speaking looked at him and fell silent.

A slow voice blanketed the table.

“That’s why I’m going.”

The mouths of those seated around the table closed. Kale Heniatus displayed neither anger nor irritation, nor anything else. Yet because he revealed nothing, those at the Naval Base could perceive his emotions with perfect clarity.
Kale Heniatus spoke to those looking at him.

“There won’t be any more summons for our Naval Base personnel.”

Amir, who was in charge of keeping records, paused before her hand resumed its hurried movements.

Our Northeastern Naval Base personnel.
She now understood why Kale Heniatus was going to the Capital without complaint. It wasn’t anger at the nobles’ actions, nor fear of their pressure.

Amir and the others realized that the nobles could summon the Naval Base personnel again in the future. No—they anticipated that starting with this incident, the number of people being called around would only increase.

The Northeast Region nobles were fine, but those with lower ranks or no titles would obviously be summoned back and forth. Under the pretext of military service, they had a high probability of becoming bait in the power struggle.
That’s why they were worried.

But the Commander shattered that worry with a calm voice.

“Of course, I’ll make sure you all receive proper recognition and compensation.”

Amir gripped her pen tighter.
As expected, this man always stays one step ahead and moves people’s hearts.

She took a deep breath and moved her pen again.
Then Kale’s voice sounded once more, and she lifted her head to look at him.

“I gathered everyone here not only to inform you that I’m going to the Capital, but for one more reason.”

Kale Heniatus had a specific reason for summoning people to the Commander’s office. With teleportation available, moving between the Capital and the Naval Base would be easy, but it would be difficult to always remain attached to the Naval Base.

“During my absence.”

He met the eyes of those watching him one by one before speaking.

“I trust that the waters of the Roan Kingdom will remain safe.”

The Commander’s office fell silent. The one who had been speaking alone now posed a question to the others.

“What do you think?”

At his question, Amir opened her mouth. But someone was faster than her.
The Royal First Knight Commander spoke first.

“You can trust us, sir.”
“Good.”

Only then did Kale Heniatus offer a gentle smile.

‘With this level of military strength, they’ll manage on their own. I can move about freely now.’

The thought of having shed a burden brought a natural smile to Kale Heniatus’s face. However, the others could not smile in return, each steeling their resolve in their own way.

Until our commander returns, we will hold the line.

That determination filled the commander’s office.
Of course, Kale Heniatus had no idea it would be this intense.

“Well then, let’s wrap this up. There wasn’t much of substance anyway—I feel like I called you all for nothing.”

Kale Heniatus concluded the unremarkable meeting. Yet for those in the commander’s office, it would be a meeting worth remembering.

Kale Heniatus watched as the people bowed deeply in silence and departed, then settled onto the sofa in the commander’s office.
And he waited for those who would arrive next.

Creak.

After all the Naval Base personnel had filtered out, the commander’s office door opened cautiously, and two figures entered.
Choi Han and Merry.

“Sit.”

Kale Heniatus gestured to the sofa across from him.
Since these two would be accompanying him, he had summoned them to give them advance notice.

“Have you eaten, Kale Heniatus?”

It seems that’s become a common greeting lately.
Kale Heniatus answered Choi Han’s greeting as he always did.

“No, not yet.”

At that moment, a mechanical voice poured out in rapid succession.

“Young master, you must eat to maintain your health. The only case where one doesn’t need to eat is when one is dead.”

Why are you saying something so brutal?
Kale Heniatus nodded vaguely at the black robe with a reluctant expression. Only then did Merry, who had been speaking urgently, sit quietly on the sofa.

There was a story heating up the Naval Base.
It was the incident of Kale’s “soldier’s meal” that a loose-tongued Communication Mage had been spreading around with great emotion.

Kale had no way of knowing this. So he set aside the trending greeting and tried to deliver the news that they would all be going to the Capital together.
But Choi Han was slightly faster.

“I heard you’re going to the Capital. Merry and I are going as well.”

Choi Han swallowed as Kale nodded. Through Amir and the Royal First Knight Commander, he had come to understand what this trip to the Capital meant.
The Royal First Knight Commander, who had become somewhat acquainted through swordplay, had spoken with a serious expression.

‘Those noble bastards will definitely gather at the Grand Conference Hall and try to set the Commander up under the Central authority, then manipulate him however they please.’
‘Those bastards have nothing but their status to begin with, and they enjoy ganging up on one person. They tried to train me that way when I reported to the Knights Order at year’s end too.’

In the minds of Choi Han and Merry, who heard those words together, an image formed of Kale surrounded by nobles, being interrogated with probing questions. Furthermore, the Knight Commander had said:

‘I heard that you, Choi Han, and you, Merry, are going as well. You’ll experience that process together. It will be difficult, but it’ll be easier if you listen with one ear and let it pass through the other.’

Choi Han opened his mouth, recalling the Knight Commander’s advice.

“Will we also be subjected to the nobles? What should we do in such a situation?”

Merry also stared at Kale with her fists clenched tightly within her robe. The two waited for his answer, and Kale replied.

“Why?”
“…Pardon?”

Kale looked at Choi Han as if asking what he meant, and Choi Han answered blankly at that expression.
Kale frowned as he saw that blank expression.

‘Having these two around will only make things more inconvenient.’

I was planning to have it out with the Crown Prince.
Why would I take Choi Han, who can’t even act, and innocent Merry to such a place?
It would be different with Vicross or Ron, but bringing these two would only complicate matters.

“You don’t need to go there. I’m enough.”

Right, absolutely.
With the Crown Prince present, we have more than enough—we’re overflowing with capability. And there are plenty of useful people there as well.
Kale Heniatus continued, addressing the two silent figures.

“Of course, there may come a time later when you’ll stand in parades or before the kingdom’s people. You need only appear in those moments.”

They would become heroes, after all.
I intended to present them properly before the kingdom’s citizens, transforming them into true heroes in my stead. As I contemplated fading from people’s memories, a smile naturally crossed my face.
In that instant, Choi Han’s voice reached me.

“…Are you saying we should stand in a place filled with cheers?”
“Well, yes. The cheers might be a bit excessive, so keep that in mind.”

Choi Han’s face contorted miserably. Merry gripped the hem of her robe tightly. After hesitating several times, Choi Han opened his mouth.

“…We would like to accompany you to the Grand Conference Hall.”
“I want to go too.”

Merry spoke next. Yet even as they said this, neither harbored great expectations.
The Kale Heniatus they knew had always been a man of unwavering resolve.

“No.”

He was a man who kept his word once spoken, and who never reversed a decision once he had committed to sacrifice.
Choi Han opened his mouth.

“Then we will wait at the entrance of the conference hall.”
“I’d like to do that too.”

Kale Heniatus nodded absently.
The entrance should be fine—it wouldn’t affect anything inside the Grand Conference Hall.

-Weak human, I will follow you inside.

The invisible Dragon seemed acceptable as well.
Kale Heniatus opened his mouth to respond to everything.

“As you wish.”

The eyes of three beings widened.
However, Kale Heniatus, who paid them no mind, finished his preparations to depart for the Capital and immediately set out with only Choi Han, Merry, and Raon.

* * *

The only wooden structure within the Roan Royal Palace.
The Grand Noble Assembly Hall.

The circular arrangement of seats held more nobles than it had in recent years.

The circular seating was subtly divided into five sections.
Four of these sections were clustered around the leaders of each faction.

The Orsena Duchy Family in the Central region.
The Sten Marquis House in the Northwest.
The Aylan Marquis Family in the Southeast.
The Geyler Duchy Family in the Southwest.

Sand Aylan, the patriarch of the Aylan Marquis Family, renowned as the greatest martial house in the Roan Kingdom, gazed quietly at the circular assembly hall.

“My Lord.”

A noble approached him and spoke. His expression carried a hint of mockery.

“So the Geyler Duchy Family has finally made their move.”

The noble glanced toward the Southwest faction gathered in one corner, at its center Duchess Sonata. The seasoned duchess sat in her chair with her lips firmly sealed. She was supposed to have yielded her seat to her grandson, yet it seemed she had not.

“They say that the moment their slave trafficking was exposed, they locked the doors and relinquished power. Yet here they are, appearing before profit.”

This was the reason for the scorn in the noble’s eyes.

Though whispered, the slave trading of the Geyler Duchy Family’s vassal houses was known among the upper echelons of nobility. When the duchy had announced they were locking their doors, everyone had mocked them for their hypocrisy. Yet now, the Geyler Duchy Family had reappeared in the central political arena.
But now, the Geyler Duchy Family has revealed itself once again in Central politics.

Another nobleman interjected into the conversation between Sand Aylan Marquis and the nobleman.

“Would you wish to miss an opportunity to gain new power? They cannot remain idle, knowing this war will become a stage for new authority.”

The noble continued.

“Has not the new head of the previously quiet Sten Marquis House also failed to appear at the Grand Nobility Council?”

A man with a gentle and weak demeanor.
Though he had been cast aside as the eldest son, Taylor Sten now commanded the current Sten Marquis House, seated with the Northwestern nobles on one side.

“The Central faction nobles have all gathered. It has been quite some time since everyone assembled like this.”

The noble, whose face brimmed with avarice, whispered to the Aylan Marquis.

“It seems we must seize the Northeast this time. Especially, we must suppress the commander. We must do so before he grows any stronger.”

The noble spoke thus while gauging the complexion of Sand Aylan Marquis.
His face remained expressionless as always. Seeing this, the noble felt reassured.

Then the Marquis opened his mouth.

“Not a single Northeast noble has appeared.”

The gathering was organized by faction.
Among the seats arranged in a circle, there was one space conspicuously vacant.

That seat belonged to the Northeast nobles who had yet to arrive.
Not a single Northeast noble had shown their face at the Grand Conference Hall.

Yet the noble was not greatly troubled by this sight.

“Do not worry. Until this morning, we maintained contact with the Northeast nobles belonging to our faction. They all still wish to remain part of our faction.”

The corners of the noble’s mouth twitched upward.

“They will all appear soon. And they will stand with us. After all, they too desire power.”

In the end, nobles exist for power.

“If they wish to live comfortably for a long time even after the war, they will choose our side. I am certain of it.”
“Of course. No matter how strong House Heniatus appears now, they are ultimately nothing more than a castle built on sand. They have only just risen, so they lack a proper foundation. How could anyone possibly align with such a faction?”

The nobles murmured amongst themselves.
At that moment, Marquis Sand Aylan’s gaze turned toward the nobles of his own faction for the first time. His indifferent eyes posed a question.

“Are you certain?”
“…Pardon?”

That was the moment.

Creak!

The doors of the Grand Conference Hall opened.

“What?”

The eyes of the noble who had been watching the Marquis widened as he looked toward the entrance.

Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of multiple footsteps echoed through the Grand Conference Hall.

Several people entered the Grand Conference Hall with solemn expressions.
They walked following the back of one man.

That man was Derth Heniatus.
The current patriarch of House Heniatus.
All the Northeast Region nobles with the right to participate in the conference followed his back.

“No, that person!”
“What is this!”

Several nobles from the Southeast and Central factions stared at them in shock. Were these not the very ones who had bowed their heads to them just this morning?

Yet now, those same people looked neither at other factions nor at the nobles. They walked forward with their eyes fixed ahead.

And in the last remaining space.
They filled the one empty seat left among the four other factions.

“…Sigh.”

A noble exhaled deeply.
And then he understood.

A faction had formed in the Northeast Region.
The center of that faction was the Heniatus Count Family.

But there was something they had misunderstood.

The Heniatus Count Family had not created a faction. Derth Heniatus had no desire to become the head of one.
They had all gathered at the behest—no, the command—of a single person. They simply kept their eyes forward and their mouths sealed.

The nobles from other factions grew restless at this situation.
But a voice rang out to end their agitation.

The knight at the entrance, who had remained silent regardless of which noble entered, finally spoke.

“Crown Prince Albert Crossman is entering!”

The nobles froze at his announcement.
A noble standing beside Marquis Aylan unknowingly opened his mouth.

“Kale Heniatus hasn’t arrived yet?”

No noble had ever entered after the Crown Prince. That was a breach of protocol.

“Ha! He formed a faction in the Northeast Region and now he’s grown arrogant—!”
“No.”
“…Marquis?”

The noble who had raised his voice turned to look at his leader, Marquis Sand Aylan. The Marquis opened his mouth with a hardened expression.

“That’s not it.”

What wasn’t it?
The moment the noble expressed his confusion.
The Marquis’s gaze turned toward the closed entrance.

Creak—

The door opened slowly.
The murmuring ceased, and every noble rose to their feet.

Yet the Grand Conference Hall erupted in whispers once more.
Crown Prince Albert Crossman entered the hall in more resplendent attire than ever before, and he turned to the knight at the entrance with a question.

“Why is there no introduction for my cherished friend?”

The knight straightened and announced once more.

“His Highness Crown Prince Albert Crossman, and Kale Heniatus, Commander of the Northeastern Military Forces, are entering!”

Tap, tap.
The footsteps of two men echoed through the Grand Conference Hall.
Crown Prince Albert Crossman with his radiant countenance, and beside him, Kale Heniatus.
Kale Heniatus, dressed in the black uniform of the Roan Northeastern Navy, entered the hall with an expressionless face.

Kale and Crown Prince Albert walked side by side from the same position.
This spoke volumes about Kale’s standing.

A man who could stand as an equal to the next king of Roan.
That man was Kale Heniatus.

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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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