Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 260

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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 55. Tear It Apart

The border of the Valley of Death, Breck Kingdom.
Inside a silent and dark tent.
Light existed only upon a desk placed at one corner of the tent.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The fingers drumming against the table soon ceased their movement.
Those fingers then brushed near eyes reddened with exhaustion.

Crown Prince Albert Crossman of the Roan Kingdom.
He lay sleepless within a tent near the border of the Valley of Death in Breck Kingdom, far from the Roan Kingdom Royal Court.

‘Your Highness, were you aware of Prince Kale Heniatus’s condition?’

An hour ago, when I received contact from Rosalind, she was composed. Yet her underlying emotions were not entirely cold.
Crown Prince Albert acknowledged this and admitted it readily.

‘I was aware, Rosalind.’
‘…I see.’

Rosalind did not ask the foolish question of why I hadn’t told her.
Our positions were such that we understood these circumstances well. During war, someone falling ill could happen at any moment.

‘However, it seems Your Highness does not know everything either.’
‘Is there something more, Rosalind?’

I shouldn’t have asked.
I should not have posed that question to Rosalind.
Rosalind answered my question. She told me everything she had witnessed and everything Ron had told her.

The greater cause mattered, but that did not make sacrifice right.
Because I held such thoughts, I uttered harsh words.

“This insane bastard.”
“Are you referring to him?”

Hm?
It was a familiar voice.

Whoosh.
The fabric at the tent entrance was drawn back.

Late into the night.
Outside the tent stood Kale Heniatus, his expression slack and disinterested, leaning against the frame at an odd angle.

What was this bastard doing here now?
Alberu couldn’t conceal his bewilderment, and the words spilled from his lips unbidden.

“Why are you here?”

Kale Heniatus was taken aback by Crown Prince Alberu’s blunt question.
Why did he come?

“I came to destroy the Empire.”

Pfft.
Alberu rose from his seat and reached for the wine his subordinate had brought, insisting he get some proper rest. His movements were utterly unrestrained as he grasped the bottle.
Just how unrestrained—he simply wrenched the cork out with the raw force of his grip, no finesse whatsoever.

“Why?”
“Aren’t you hiding your strength?”
“It’s my choice.”
“As expected of the future Sun of the Roan Kingdom—truly without restraint.”

Kale, his face wearing a languid smile, settled casually onto the sofa across from him. He lifted a wine glass.

“I have returned.”

This bastard really does get under my skin.
Alberu furrowed his brow and sat on the opposite sofa.

“Irreverent bastard.”

Glug glug glug.
The wine glass filled with deep red wine.

“You must be the only noble who has ever received wine from the Crown Prince.”
“It is an honor, Sun of Roan.”
“How much oil do you slather on that tongue of yours?”

Kale Heniatus’s expression grew displeased.

“Surely not as much as Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince’s expression darkened as well. That was the moment.
The fruit basket brought alongside the wine—pop, pop—the berries within began to float upward into the air and vanish.

Crunch, crunch.
The sound of someone eating fruit echoed through empty space.
Alberu looked from Kale toward the empty air where the sound originated. Then he opened his mouth.

“It is an honor to meet you, Dragon.”

Shimmer—
The magic dissolved.
A six-year-old Dragon stood before them, fruit clutched in its front claws, juice smeared across its muzzle, waving its paws.

“Greetings, Crown Prince! I am the great Raon Mir!”
“Yes, yes. How impressive.”

Kale Heniatus faltered.
Setting aside his Dark Elf heritage, Alberu—that silver-tongued master of flattery—was far too composed for someone greeting a Dragon.

“Crown Prince, aren’t you surprised?”

Raon Mir asked, curious, and Alberu gestured before him with a bright smile.

“That one is far more surprising.”

Kale Heniatus’s face contorted as Alberu’s finger pointed toward me. Raon Mir, meanwhile, nodded approvingly.

“Indeed, Crown Prince. You are quite clever.”
“You are too kind, great Raon Mir.”
“No, you truly are clever!”
“Thank you. Your brilliance shines with the wisdom of this night, Raon Mir.”

At Alberu’s praise, Raon’s lips curled upward and his wings fluttered with delight.

In that moment, my eyes met Alberu’s.

‘Will this do?’

That was exactly what Crown Prince Alberu’s gaze conveyed.

A well-oiled tongue indeed.
That casual demeanor—not even bothering to praise a dragon, much less treat it with reverence.

We truly understand each other.
I nodded impassively and extended my palm. No words were necessary. Alberu immediately handed me the topmost document from the table.
I unfolded the papers, and the Crown Prince began to speak.

“It seems Prince Valentino of Caro Kingdom is quite hungry.”

Before reading the first page, I paused and recalled Prince Valentino of Caro Kingdom.

Before reading the first chapter, Kale Heniatus paused for a moment, recalling Prince Valentino of the Caro Kingdom.
I remembered a meal we had shared.

‘When you’re hungry, you can devour anything. And desperation takes hold. Commander Kale, I’d like to maintain close contact with Crown Prince Alberu.’

“When you’re hungry, you can eat anything. And you become desperate. Commander Kale, I want to maintain close contact with Albert Crown Prince.”
Caro Kingdom—Prince Valentino—had realized they had been played between the Indomitable Alliance and the Empire. And they made no effort to hide their rage at this fact.

“Your Highness, how did Caro Kingdom learn that the Empire was targeting Wipper Kingdom?”

“Your Highness, how did the Caro Kingdom come to know about the information that the Empire was targeting the Wipper Kingdom?”
Crown Prince Alberu took a sip of wine before continuing.

“Someone from Caro Kingdom discovered contact between the Light Attribute Sect in Caro Kingdom and an official from the Empire’s side.”

Caro Kingdom harbored resentment toward those sects—the ones who had only tried to flee during the Battle of Leona Fortress and offered no assistance whatsoever.

The Caro Kingdom was grinding its teeth at the Religious Orders, which had only tried to flee during the previous battle at Leona Fortress and had not provided any help at all.

However, I did not reveal this openly.
Instead, Prince Valentino outwardly made gestures to reconcile with the Religious Order for post-war reconstruction efforts, while secretly intensifying surveillance of the Religious Order.

As a result, Caro Kingdom confirmed several Religious Orders making contact with the Empire.

The moment Kale Heniatus heard this fact, he could recall one thing.

“The Empire would be contacting the Religious Order to secure healing Priests.”
“Exactly. And during the war, Priests with healing-related divine power were the most necessary.”

Kale Heniatus understood both the Empire and the Religious Order.
Particularly, the Sun God Church, the largest among the Light Attribute Sects, would certainly take the Empire’s hand—of that I was certain.

No matter how atrocious the Sun God Church had committed within the Empire, there were still the most Sun God believers there.
The Bishop of Sun God Sect in Caro Kingdom would want to seize that place. Only then could he become Pope.

How furious must Caro Kingdom be, having discovered all of this?
All manner of schemes were unfolding secretly within their own backyard.
Kale Heniatus understood Prince Valentino’s anger. But Crown Prince Albert had not yet revealed everything.

“Furthermore, the Empire approached Caro Kingdom.”
“To form an alliance together?”
“Precisely.”

Unbelievable.
I was astounded.

“…Prince Valentino must be grinding his teeth.”
“The Mogur Empire did not merely underestimate Caro Kingdom—they took them for fools.”

The Mogur Empire, which had sent military forces to Caro Kingdom while aiding the Indomitable Alliance.
Now they were targeting healing Priests, the most vital resource within the Religious Order, while proposing an alliance to Caro Kingdom.

“The Mogur Empire said they wish to expand their influence alongside Caro Kingdom—a nation as tightly bonded as brothers—by exploiting this chaos. They asked to join forces.”

Remarkable.
I voiced my honest impression.

“What garbage.”
“Well, that’s how war and politics work.”
“True enough.”

Crown Prince Albert found it somewhat unexpected to see Kale Heniatus nodding with an exasperated expression.
Kale seemed almost innocent in his shock and anger at such matters.

‘He’s still only twenty, after all.’

The moment that thought crossed his mind, he saw Kale wearing a crooked smile.

“Tell the Caro Kingdom to form an alliance with the Empire.”

Crown Prince Albert studied Kale Heniatus.

“The Empire may have wanted to become like the Paern Kingdom of the Indomitable Alliance, but shouldn’t we make the Caro Kingdom become like the Paern Kingdom instead?”

The Paern Kingdom, which had betrayed the Indomitable Alliance.
The Empire too would ultimately choose betrayal in its alliance with the Caro Kingdom. But in reality, it would be the Caro Kingdom that commits the betrayal.

“…I was mistaken.”
“Pardon? Did you have a different thought?”
“No.”

I was the fool for thinking you were innocent.
Crown Prince Albert’s lips curled upward just like Kale’s. His thoughts aligned perfectly with Kale’s.

“I already proposed exactly that.”

As expected.
Kale Heniatus clapped his hands. Raon, who had been eating fruit, joined in the applause.

“Prince Valentino accepted the proposal as well.”
“Ah, truly our Roan Kingdom’s sun always accomplishes great things.”

At the applause from human and dragon alike, Albert’s expression showed no joy whatsoever. It sounded like applause meant to say he had worked hard, and to encourage him to work even harder.
So he raised his hand to stop the clapping and opened his mouth.

“Father, that’s enough—”
“Let us reduce the Empire’s territory.”

Crown Prince Albert’s gaze locked with mine.

“Wasn’t that your intention?”

I knew of Crown Prince Albert’s cunning—how he had spirited away the mages hidden in Wipper Kingdom during its civil war.
The three northern kingdoms of the Indomitable Alliance were geographically inconvenient for Roan Kingdom to covet due to the Canyon of Death and the Dark Forest.

But the Empire had no such obstacles.

Crown Prince Albert knew that I had Sir Rex the Cat Tribe Knight, an Alchemist, and the Sun God twins at my command.
Would such a person simply let this opportunity slip away?
Rather, he would be eyeing it.
Even if one favors justice and peace, blood runs true—he was born a ruler, a king.

‘Then it’s better that I speak first, holding the weapon.’

From my perspective, Roan Kingdom’s strength would only benefit me. That way, the future of myself and those within my domain would be far safer, and I would have fewer concerns.
As a bonus, ending the war swiftly and bringing peace would be good for the suffering people of the Western Continent.

Since I was already moving, I wanted to sweep everything up at once and resolve it all, then live peacefully in seclusion from my late twenties onward, lounging at home.
I hadn’t abandoned my carefree life yet.

I reaffirmed that resolve and took a sip of wine. Alberu stroked his chin and spoke with casual flatness.

“If I consume it all, I’ll get indigestion.”

Consuming the entire Empire would cause indigestion.
And I had to consider the eyes of my other allies. Moreover, I couldn’t inadvertently strengthen my allies’ power.
Additionally, Crown Prince Albert desired peace.

Therefore.

“Just a little, enough not to cause indigestion?”

I was thinking of consuming just a small portion of the Empire’s territory.

“If things proceed according to your plan—our plan—the Empire will have a new ruler.”

The Empire would have a new ruler.
Only then would its roots change, and with that transformation, the seeds of war across the Continent would wither away.
Crown Prince Albert had moved toward that peace, but he harbored a hidden agenda beneath the surface—one that Kale Heniatus surely already understood.

“Lord Kale, when that time comes, whether the new ruler becomes a king or an emperor—even we cannot know.”
“Indeed. Whether the Mogur Empire remains an empire or becomes a kingdom—no one can predict such things.”
“And what becomes of Roan is equally unknowable.”

Crown Prince Albert extended a wine glass toward Kale, and Kale clinked his own against it.

Clink!

With the bright chime of crystal, a new plan for Kale, Albert, and the Roan Kingdom was set in motion.
To commemorate the moment, I drained the wine in one long draught.

Thunk!

The empty glass was set upon the table.
The Crown Prince watched as I rose to my feet.

“You have somewhere to be?”
“Yes.”
“Go.”

With a gesture of dismissal, Albert waved me away without hesitation, and I departed the tent without further words.
Raon followed silently in invisibility at my heels.
I made my way toward my own tent.

Erhafen awaited there.
I had somewhere to go with the ancient dragon who would be waiting for me.

* * *

Whoosh—
Within an underground tunnel carved by human hands, torchlight flickered and illuminated the passage.
I walked through the tunnel under the guidance of Witira, the Whale Tribe’s successor.

“He’s in the deepest prison at the far end of the underground tunnel.”

Witira guided the way while surveying the surroundings.

The ancient dragon Erhafen, Raon, and finally Kale Heniatus.
The three of them walked through the underground tunnel created by the Breck Kingdom Army.

The three were silent.
Yet they remained composed.

Witira ceased her deeper contemplation. Instead, upon arriving at the end of the tunnel—the deepest prison—she stepped back slightly.

“You may enter.”

Crack.
Witira watched as the mages’ locking spell shattered lightly.
The lock spell was easily broken by Raon’s black mana.

‘He has grown.’

Sensing Raon’s growth, Witira chose silence now.
One figure brushed past her and stepped into the prison.

Kale Heniatus entered the prison first.

A figure lay trembling violently, corpse-like.
Eyes and mouth covered, entire body bound.

Neither human nor dragon, but a twisted reptilian creature covered in warped scales—a Dragon Hybrid.

Kale Heniatus sat beside the Dragon Hybrid. Raon stood directly beside Kale. I felt Raon’s vigilance, but Kale spoke not a word as he removed the restraints covering the Dragon Hybrid’s eyes and mouth.

One week.
Kale Heniatus had given the Dragon Hybrid time to choose: death immediately, or a life with six months to live. Kale Heniatus had come to find the Dragon Hybrid slightly earlier than that deadline.

The Dragon Hybrid’s black eyes took in Kale Heniatus.
That was the moment.

“…You are human.”

Outside the prison.
One who had never set foot within.
The ancient dragon Erhafen’s voice reached my ears.
Erhafen’s voice, mingled with fury and lamentation, reached my ears.

“I consumed the heart of a dragon.”

The Dragon Hybrid heard Erhafen’s voice but had to look upon me.
Eyes and expression devoid of even a shred of compassion or anger—cold, slate-gray eyes turned toward the Dragon Hybrid, posing a question. Those frigid irises demanded an answer.

“Who are you?”

The Dragon Hybrid’s mouth, parched from torment endured, produced a hoarse, murky sound. The corners of the Dragon Hybrid’s lips twisted upward.

“Do you know what the word ‘chimera’ means?”

A creature born from the fusion of different species.
A lion’s head upon a horse’s legs. A term for a being of mingled nature.
A chimera.

The Dragon Hybrid spoke, gazing upon a complete human and two complete dragons.

“I am a monster that was created.”

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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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