Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 249

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

“But even if we have the coordinates, wouldn’t the Royal Palace have defenses against unauthorized magical intrusion?”

Rosalind voiced a concern about Kale’s plan.

Even in places like Ascosan and Norland where magic was less developed, the Royal Palace would certainly have basic magical security measures in place.

“Moreover, teleportation requires permission from the Royal Palace’s Mages, doesn’t it?”

Excluding the teleportation circles used secretly within the Royal Palace, most publicly available teleportation circles were designed with security as the priority, requiring authorization from the palace mages for any transfer.

Kale didn’t answer Rosalind’s question directly, instead turning his gaze to Clophe, who responded calmly.

“We’ve bought them off.”
“What, how could—”

Rosalind’s words caught in her throat as she closed her mouth. Clophe continued speaking.

“Among the mages remaining in the Royal Palace who didn’t go to war, some stayed to defend the Capital, but many others simply chose not to participate. Bribing one of them isn’t particularly difficult.”

Clophe smiled serenely, emanating the atmosphere of a Northern Guardian Knight steeped in melancholy.

“There are always those willing to betray. And there are plenty who love money.”

Yet not a trace of melancholy showed in the words he spoke—not even a hint.

“And the teleportation circle we’re heading to doesn’t lead directly into the Royal Palace.”

But didn’t he say the Royal Palace coordinates?
When Rosalind’s face showed renewed confusion at Clophe’s words, he answered gently.

“When the Indomitable Alliance was formed, Paern purchased a mansion near the Royal Palaces of both kingdoms. It was the estate of a fallen noble, purchased under the guise of a wealthy merchant.”

Ah.
I let out a slight exclamation of admiration.

In the early days of the Indomitable Alliance, when trust and cooperation were paramount.
Paern had laid the groundwork for betrayal from the very beginning.

‘Are they going to do the same to us?’

My gaze drifted toward Alberu, and Crown Prince Albert answered with a subtle nod. Then he spoke to Clophe as if it were nothing.

“They must have installed a teleportation magic circle inside that mansion.”
“Indeed, Your Highness.”
“Then we should move swiftly now. It’s a race against time.”

I agreed with the Crown Prince’s assessment.

We had to move with minimal numbers. If the opposing camp discovered our movement and attempted an attack, it would be disastrous.
Of course, even with a few of us absent, including myself, the remaining force would not be easily overwhelmed by the enemy.

I fixed my gaze on the source of that confidence. Alberu, meeting my eyes, shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ll take command for now.”

Even with Rosalind and me gone, there was someone to lead.
Albert Crossman.
Though not exceptional, he was known to possess skills beyond that of an intermediate knight, which gave the knights confidence in his authority. And as the commander of the Mage Battalion, he was capable of directing the mages as well.

“Then let us move immediately.”

The various leaders within the tent began moving for their respective tasks. I approached Alberu while watching Rosalind and Clophe prepare.

“Your Highness.”

Crown Prince Albert would soon remain alone here to monitor the enemy’s movements. I had approached to offer him a proper farewell.
But my expression grew bitter at the words that spilled from the Crown Prince’s bright face.

“You’re absolutely drenched in blood. What’s the point of carrying potions if you don’t use them? Is collecting potions your hobby?”

Alberu’s gaze passed over my black uniform with dried blood and settled on the bundle wrapped in a blanket I held in my arms. It was strange how I trembled slightly while clutching it.

“But what exactly is inside that blanket bundle of yours?”

A gentle smile crossed my face, and Crown Prince Albert faltered at the sight.

“Are you curious, Your Highness?”

A calm and gentle question. The Crown Prince, wearing a bright smile, answered without hesitation.

“No, not at all. Seeing your face makes my doubts disappear, and I find myself not wanting to look at what’s inside that bundle. I’d rather not get involved.”
“…You certainly say a lot at once.”

Faced with such a sincere refusal, I stared at Alberu with a deflated expression. I had been planning to tell him about the Dragon when the time came, but as expected of the Crown Prince, he had ghosted past the topic like a master of avoidance.

The Crown Prince shrugged his shoulders and spoke gently to me as I prepared to leave.

“Safe travels. Don’t worry about things here. I may be weaker than the strong ones here, but my position is the highest, so I’ll make good use of the command authority I’ve reluctantly taken on temporarily.”

Alberu stopped after speaking.
It was because of my gaze, staring at him intently without saying anything.

I recalled something Raon had once said. At the gathering of noble heirs held in the Roan Kingdom Capital. When I first met Crown Prince Alberu there. At that time, Raon had told me one thing.

‘Hmm? This human isn’t weak. A weak human—be especially careful. You’ll die.’

Albert Crossman, known to possess ordinary martial prowess and swordsmanship skills.
But had he truly revealed all his strength while living with his Dark Elf heritage hidden?

If Raon said he wasn’t weak, then he was quite strong indeed.

Crown Prince Alberu felt a chill run down the back of his neck at the smile slowly blooming at the corners of my mouth.

“I do trust you.”
“…You’ve caught me.”

The Crown Prince’s expression, acknowledging it cleanly, was quite bitter.
Regardless, I moved to depart for my next destination.

As I left the tent where the tribal leaders gathered, my expression was quite grim.

‘…Why isn’t he contacting me?’

The Gold Dragon Erhafen. I haven’t received any contact from him.
I had even left a message, so what could have happened to him?

Crunch, crunch.

Raon was a problem, and Erhaben was a problem too.
And without these two, I couldn’t reach the Eastern Continent. Rosalind couldn’t manage a teleportation circle of that distance.

Ron, Vicross, On, and Hong—if those four made a mistake, they’d end up settling on the Eastern Continent for good.

‘Damn it.’

As frustration consumed me, I recalled what little consolation remained.
The amount of water I controlled had plummeted drastically. Yet my body remained intact.
After composing myself, I decided to vent the mounting irritation thoroughly.

And the result manifested moments later, before the teleportation circle.

* * *

“Young master, is it truly acceptable to send only such a small number?”

Beneath Archie’s casual tone lay genuine concern. His eyes swept across the tent housing the hastily constructed secret teleportation circle.

“Why not? It’s plenty.”

I surveyed my surroundings, puzzled by Archie’s question.

Choi Han, Rak, Rosalind.
And Archie, myself, and Raon in the sling.

Six of us would move forward. Beyond that, several others remained in the tent, including Witira.

I sensed Merry standing behind Clophe’s wheelchair, her desire to follow evident beneath the black robe, but I feigned ignorance.
To Clophe, Merry—who had crafted those explosive limbs for him—was far more terrifying than I could ever be.

‘If that lunatic tries anything foolish, I’ll leave it to Merry to handle.’

Just as I was satisfied with the safeguard I’d established, Archie remained unconvinced.

“Well, it’s a bit much to destroy a palace with just this…”

Archie dismissed Choi Han as abnormal and moved on, but Rosalind and Rak appeared perfectly ordinary, making him wonder if they could swiftly accomplish the task of razing the palace.

However, when Rosalind’s eyes met Archie’s, she drew a subtle smile.

“Don’t worry, Archie. The three of us have destroyed one before.”

In the past, Rosalind, Choi Han, and Rak had gone to the Breck Kingdom as a trio and caused absolute mayhem before returning. They had destroyed the Grand Duke’s family who had tried to assassinate her, and they had even demolished the royal palace to renounce their royal rights and responsibilities.
Rosalind continued to smile at Archie, who was at a loss for words.

“It’s quite a refreshing and entertaining experience, really.”

Even the impassive Choi Han and Rak. Archie muttered as he observed the three of them.

“You speak as if destroying an island is as simple as breaking a single one.”

I paused. For this Whale Tribe member Archie, was destroying an island truly such an easy task?
I didn’t particularly want to ask. So I decided to simply state what I needed to say.

“We go to Norland first, then Ascosan next. You all remember the plan, yes?”

Everyone nodded in agreement.
I fixed my gaze on Rosalind, and she immediately activated the teleportation circle.

Whoooooosh—

The teleportation circle began to emit a sound, and Witira, Merry, and Clophe saw them off. Crown Prince Albert was currently occupied with stabilizing the military camp as he took over command.

“Come back safely.”
“We will. Witira, keep an eye on that hybrid bastard.”
“Yes, don’t wor—”

Beep beep beep— Beep beep—

“…Don’t worry.”

Witira paused briefly as the sound interrupted her, then finished her sentence. Her gaze turned toward a single location.

Beep beep beep— Beep beep—

Kale Heniatus.
A loud, piercing sound enveloped him.
Kale handed the swaddled bundle to the wolf boy Rak and frantically searched through his belongings.

Beep beep— beep—

Then a red object came into view.
A video communication device.

Not the video communication device in Raon’s subspace, but the one he had received from Rosalind during the war and had been using.
Therefore, there was only one being who could contact him with such urgency right now.

Erhaben.
The Gold Dragon, no one else.

The message Rosalind had left for him was simple.

【Raon is in pain. Dragon Hybrid sighted.】

And Rosalind had left one more thing at the end of that sentence. It was the best action she could request of Erhaben, whom she had thought of as a lifeline.

Coordinates.

She had left the coordinates of where the battle was unfolding in this Canyon of Death.
Moreover, she had left them in the optimal location, thought through in that moment, hidden from the eyes of others.

Both Rosalind and Kale knew that location.
Only the two of them knew it.

“Rosalind.”

The moment Kale called her name, she immediately spoke.

“Your Highness, we’ll go and return just the two of us.”

Rak placed Raon back into Kale’s arms and quietly pushed him out of the teleportation circle.
Choi Han glanced at Clophe once, then spoke calmly.

“Kale, I’m counting on you.”

I’m entrusting Raon to you.
Though I swallowed those words, I understood them well enough. Archie glanced around nervously at the sight before him, then casually threw out a comment.

“Well, the young master doesn’t seem to have the strength to smash things anyway. Choi Han and I will handle all the destruction. It’s my specialty, after all.”

No one bothered to look at Archie as he proudly straightened his shoulders.
I glanced at Raon, the video communication device, and my companions before speaking calmly.

“I’ll see you off.”

Rosalind smiled and reactivated the teleportation circle that had paused momentarily, and soon the group vanished from the tent.

After confirming that they had left, Kale Heniatus unhesitatingly left the Tent where Merry, Clophe, and Witira were.

* * *

Beep beep— beep—

Following the urgent alarm sound from my pocket, I moved forward without hesitation, and quickly at that.
And finally, I arrived at a location.

It was the tent where I had been staying.

The private tent of the Roan Kingdom’s Northeast Region Commander.
Rosalind had left the coordinates there.

I entered the tent.

“You look a mess.”

Along with a familiar clicking of the tongue, a beautiful man with platinum-blonde hair greeted me.
I covered the tent entrance with cloth and directed a question at the Gold Dragon instead of a greeting.

“What happened?”

I had lost contact with the Gold Dragon Erhafen.
He had gone to the Eastern Continent to learn about Rib Mountain and the stone pillars, meeting with a dragon I had protected long ago during my first growth period. I wondered what had happened, so I asked as I laid Raon on the bed.

Whoosh.
As Raon slowly revealed himself from within the blanket wrapping, Kale heard a small laugh.

The Gold Dragon was laughing. But Kale could see the frost of rage crystallizing in his eyes.

“The fake Dragon Slayer. Is that bastard still alive?”

Dragon Slayer Sirem.
Why was he bringing up that creature?
Before Kale could voice his confusion, he heard Erhafen’s response first.

“Dead.”

What?

“The dragon I went to meet was already dead.”

Erhafen had only ever told Raon about this before.
Dragon Slayers.
They grow by devouring dragons. He had shared that knowledge only with the young dragon.

‘This unlucky creature doesn’t know that fact.’

Erhafen recalled the empty Rare and the ancient corpse that seemed to have been partially consumed by something, and spoke slowly.

“It was killed by someone.”

Kale slowly turned his head.
Gasp, gasp.
He saw Raon, still unable to regain consciousness.

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————