Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 231

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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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To maintain this promising momentum, I moved immediately.
I stepped out of the small courtyard in front of the inn’s entrance. An elderly neighbor passing by looked at me and the weathered inn with curious eyes.

“Did you buy this inn?”
“Yes, ma’am.”

The elderly woman gazed at the red-haired young man with his handsome face and kind smile, her eyes reflecting a mixture of warmth and concern.

“The location is good, but it’s quite worn down. And you haven’t heard the story? The owner ran off with the money after gambling it away.”
“I’ve heard.”

The young man, who had hesitated for a moment, spoke again with renewed determination.

“But won’t hard work make a difference? I have people working with me too. We’re all committed to putting in the effort with the mindset of starting fresh lives together. So I appreciate your support.”
“My, you certainly have a way with words.”

Charmed by his earnest manner, the elderly woman smiled and nodded naturally.

“Yes, welcome to the neighborhood. I’ll be counting on you too. My husband runs the Bread Shop in the alley over there. Come by our place if you need bread.”
“Thank you so much.”

The elderly woman accepted my greeting with a warm smile, two cats cradled in my arms, and headed toward the alley where her Bread Shop was located.

‘What a kind young man has moved in.’

It was a welcome development.
Once the elderly woman was out of sight, I straightened up from my bow.
At that moment, the door creaked open slightly and a voice spilled out.

“Our ‘Inn of Hope and Adventure’ aims to provide warm meals and comfortable rooms to all travelers at affordable prices. Understood?”
“Understood!”
“Yes!”

Others responded vigorously to someone’s declaration.

“And our ‘Inn of Hope and Adventure’ takes pride in fleecing the wicked, and we embark on the adventure of striking them from behind. Understand?”
“…I understand with every fiber of my being!”
“Yes, yes! Absolutely yes!”

Kale Heniatus’s expression twisted. The Bandit Leader, who had just opened the door to leave, flinched and trembled.

“Tell everyone to work quietly. Rumors spread like wildfire, you know?”
“Ah, yes!”

The Bandit Leader hurried out and shut the inn door behind him.
As the inn door closed, the voices inside grew fainter and fainter.

“Hey, clean those windows properly!”
“Not a speck of dust! One speck of dust means one white glove!”

The spirited voices of the bandits faded into the distance.
Before arriving at Lieben City, the bandits had rolled on the ground day and night for three days straight. As a result, Kale brought along five who could actually be put to use.

Ironically, those five were the very bandits who had been trying to create statues, and now they worked with desperate fervor at every command from Vicross and Kale.

The five bandits who had been selected first to become employees of the ‘Inn of Hope and Adventure’ were now the workers who would lead a proper and righteous inn into the future.

Kale Heniatus left the work to his laborers and began his own tasks.

* * *

Kale stood atop a building overlooking Lieben City and gazed down at the sprawl below.

“The Mercenary Guild and Merchant Guild hold the most power in Lieben City?”
“That’s correct!”

The Bandit Leader answered vigorously and opened his mouth.

“It’s safe to say that the Mercenary Guild and Merchant Guild control the day in Lieben City, while the Underworld controls the night.”

Even as he answered earnestly, he kept glancing nervously around.
A high rooftop. He couldn’t fathom why they were conversing here of all places, but there was Kale munching on snacks, two Cat-Human Race members in feline form, and what turned out to be the most terrifying Elderly Man, plus a platinum-haired man of unknown identity who received respectful speech from Kale.

The Bandit Leader simply emptied his mind and spilled out everything he knew.

“Looking at the history of Lieben City, it’s inevitable that mercenaries and merchants hold considerable power here.”
“History?”
“Yes.”

At Kale’s expectant gaze, Chae Ju cleared his throat and continued.

“In the past, this region was infested with monsters. This area, including Lieben City and Lib Mountain, was overrun with them.”

Kale’s eyes shifted toward Erhafen. Erhafen was already observing Chae Ju intently.

Monsters.
That was why the massive stone pillars had been erected.

“So it is said that no kingdom power or nobility could reach this area.”
“So no kingdom’s power or noble influence could reach this region.”

Chaeju nodded to Cale’s rebuttal.

“Yes. As mercenaries gathered, merchants naturally gathered. Adventurers also gathered. Then, at some point, this free city was created. After that, the number of monsters gradually decreased.”
“Exactly. As mercenaries gathered, merchants followed naturally. Adventurers came as well. And at some point, this free city was born. After that, the monsters gradually diminished.”
“…The monsters diminished?”

Monsters have decreased.
The monsters had diminished.

Kale Heniatus’s gaze turned toward Ron.

“I knew Lieben was a free city, but I had no idea of the circumstances behind it.”
It would be difficult to even know the circumstances of the small free city in the northwestern part of the Eastern Continent.

It would be difficult for him to know the details of a small free city in the Northwest Region of the Eastern Continent.

I know.
-Human, human! Why did the monsters disappear? I’m curious!
Erhaven seemed to have the same thought.

I was curious about how the monsters that had once infested this region of Lieben City—so much so that Jjangdol had to erect stone pillars to hold them back—had vanished.

Erhafen seemed to share the same thought.

But at the same time, another thought crossed my mind.
A formal organization was needed to govern this free city.

“Ah, the market has been run by the mercenary guild and merchant guild for generations.”
Market Master.
An official organization was needed to govern this free city.
“…Really? There are no ordinary citizens?”

“Is that so?”
“Yes. That’s why there’s considerable discontent among those who don’t belong to either organization. But what can be done? The Underworld types are already in cahoots with the Mercenary Guild and Merchant Guild, playing around together. Ordinary citizens simply lack the power to stand against them, don’t they?”

The moment Chaeju’s head turned slightly, his back felt scary and he opened his mouth automatically and reflexively.

It was because of the peculiar smile playing at the corners of Kale Heniatus’s mouth.
“Well, you just can’t beat shrimp.”

Chaeju and Cale’s gaze collided.

“Well, an ordinary shrimp certainly couldn’t win.”
“…Master, I don’t want to be a shrimp.”
Chae Ju and Kale Heniatus’s gazes collided.

“But then again, there could be a shrimp that does win. Wouldn’t you say, Ron?”
“…Young Master, I have no desire to become a shrimp.”

However, Cale, who did not know this, thought about this in his head and asked Chaeju.

Since Kale always acted on a grand scale once he set his mind to something, the looks directed at him were quite uncomfortable.
“That’s why it’s also called a city of entertainment and lawlessness. We live in mutual support.”
Unaware of this, I pondered the matter in my mind before asking Chae Ju.
“Well, in the city of Rivén, the power of two organizations is strong.”

“That’s why it’s called a city of entertainment and lawlessness. They help each other out and coexist.”
“Then who holds the advantage in the Underworld?”

“One is an organization that has been powerful in this city of Riveen since the beginning. It is an organization headed by a person named Mostu, and it is quite close to the mercenary guild.”
Chae Ju subtly withdrew a map from his breast and handed it over. I unfolded the map.
It was a map centered on the eastern side of Lieben City, and that eastern region was divided in two.
“What about the merchant guild?”
“One of them is an organization that has wielded power in Lieben City from the start. It’s led by a man named Mostyu, and they’re quite close with the Mercenary Guild.”

“That’s correct. It’s them. They have poor relations with the Mercenary Guild.”
“What about the Merchant Guild?”

“What are these circles?”
Kale Heniatus stared at the map depicting Lieben City’s Underworld.
Though divided into two halves, independent territories marked with circles dotted the map in various places.

“What are these circles?”

“…I see.”
“Before?”
Chae Ju trembled slightly as he watched Kale Heniatus smile wickedly once more.

“The Elderly Man who supplies me with stolen goods has carved out his own independent territory in the black market trade. I received this map from him some time ago.”
“Some time ago?”

“You need a solid foundation to control the underworld. Don’t you, former creditor?”
Tap. Tap.
Kale Heniatus’s fingers drummed across the map.

“To control the Underworld, you need a solid foundation. Wouldn’t you agree, Former Bandit Leader?”

“What if, hypothetically…”
“It will be their minions. The mercenary guild and the merchant guild.”

Cale looked at the map and was lost in thought.
“Dark took control of Lieben City’s Underworld? What would become of the city?”

“…Market…Mercenary…Merchant…Mostu…There are still places left…Market….”

Several words spilled repeatedly from his lips.
Erhaven kept shaking his head as he looked at Chaeju’s white face and Ron’s shocked expression.

At that moment, Cale’s mouth opened.

Erhafen continued shaking his head as he observed Chae Ju’s face growing pale and Ron’s expression turning sour.
“That’s it.”
In that instant, Kale Heniatus’s mouth opened.

“How often does the Market Master change?”

“Mm.”
“…Hoo.”

Cale’s small exclamation and sparkling eyes.
“Strangely enough, there’s about three months left now, hahaha!”

His mind was busy.

Chae Ju felt frustration at his own unnecessary nervousness and averted his gaze from Kale. Of course, Kale wasn’t looking at him anyway.

My mind was racing with calculations.

‘To capture Dark, I need to shake the roots starting from the Eastern Continent. The starting point is crucial. I can’t just dismantle things on the Western Continent alone.’
Because it was a free city, it was a place of great benefit to Kale in many ways.
That was why I had crossed over to the Eastern Continent.

Lieben City.

A place where I didn’t need to be bound by status or convention.
“yes?”
Tap, tap. My fingers drummed against the map with increasing determination. Chae Ju watched anxiously, and our eyes met.
“Oh, yes!”

“Sir?”

“Yes, of course!”

Chae Ju, still dressed in the neat formal attire I had provided, bowed at a ninety-degree angle and scrambled down from the rooftop with surprising agility for someone of his massive frame.
“I need to learn about the history of the city of Rivén.”

Cale looked at Erhaven, who mentioned the itchy area first without needing to say anything more.

“I need to learn about the history of Lieben City.”

I watched Erhafen, who had already mentioned what I needed before I could even ask—always scratching where it itched.
It was even more difficult to find the truth rather than just superficially recorded history.
“How could we possibly uncover history? Learning about the history from Jjangdol’s time would require delving into ancient records.”

Searching for ancient history from scratch was no simple task.
And when it came to uncovering the truth rather than merely recorded accounts, the difficulty multiplied tenfold.

what? dragon?
“Just ask a dragon.”

“Golden dragon! Are there any more dragons?”
What? A dragon?
The moment confusion seized Kale Heniatus, a presence materialized in the empty air.
“no.”

“Of course there are, you little runt. There are at least ten dragons on the Eastern Continent.”

“Absolutely not.”

Erhafen spoke with rare seriousness.
Cale didn’t bother to say anything out loud.

“Then how do you know the golden dragon? The golden dragon has a good personality!”

Kale Heniatus chose not to voice the thought aloud.

“Then how do you know the Gold Dragon? The Gold Dragon has a good temperament!”

At Raon’s question, the corners of Erhafen’s mouth twitched. Yet the Gold Dragon refused to smile outright, instead responding with a slight cough.

“Ahem, I know them because I have a good temperament too.”
“…Protection?”
Erhafen continued speaking, his brow furrowed as if recalling that dragon.

“I protected that one during its first growth phase.”

“Gold Dragon, why would you need to protect it while it was growing?”
“You did it, right?”

Kale recalled the time when Raon learned magic and other knowledge from Erhaven.

“You did, sir.”

Kale Heniatus recalled the time when Raon had learned various forms of knowledge, including magic, from Erhafen.
Afterwards, during the second and third stages of growth, the body rapidly increases in size and strength.

“And every time, you experience growing pains. Not all dragons have the same strength. There are superiority and inferiority in dragon strength, and the stronger the dragon grows, the more it suffers from growing pains.”

After that, during the second and third growth stages, the body rapidly increases in size and strength.
This was knowledge that Cale did not know.
“And with each stage comes growth pains. Not all dragon power is equal. Dragons have hierarchies of strength, and the stronger a dragon becomes, the more it suffers during growth pains.”
But when I thought about it, I thought it was natural.
I hadn’t known that.

I only knew that dragons underwent three growth stages. The Birth of Heroes didn’t cover dragon growth.
But thinking about it now, it made perfect sense.
If dragons simply grew gradually, it might be different, but when they explosively grow at certain points and even have a name for that growth period, it would have been strange if the body experienced no backlash.

“I naturally assumed you’d know, but it seems you didn’t.”

“The little one has become quite peculiar.”
“I know that too! I’m not worried!”

Raon’s shoulders shrugged and he glanced at the group without them noticing. Of course, Erhaven noticed this and laughed.
“So young dragons usually struggle greatly when facing their first growth alone, but you won’t have to.”

Although it was not like a dragon, it grew like one.

This little dragon had grown quite well. Properly, at that.

It had grown in a way that was both undragon-like and yet perfectly dragon-like.

Erhafen’s eyes met those of the Black Dragon.
Even though he knew that his life was short, he acted like he didn’t know and it was quite cute. Erhaven for no reason knocked the black dragon’s head harder.

“This is a busy body, kid.”

He found it quite endearing how this little one acted spoiled, knowing full well his time was running short yet pretending otherwise. Erhafen patted the Black Dragon’s head a bit harder.
But Raon’s expression became strange.

“…human being!”
Normally, I would have grumbled in response. Erhafen had expected such a reaction from the little one.

Cale’s expression became subtle as he sat on the top of the roof and looked at Raon.
“…Human!”

Beep-Beep-

His face slowly contorted, and his gaze fixed upon Raon’s plump front paw. A small video communication device materialized from the paw.

Beep beep— beep—

An urgent call.
He was a guy who had no idea what he was going to say.

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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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