Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 263

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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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Boom. Boom.

The drums continued their rhythmic pounding, yet the visual spectacle was so overwhelming that the soldiers could barely hear the sound.

Guardian Clophe Seka.
The soldiers and knights of the Indomitable Alliance who beheld him could not hide their astonishment.

“…The Guardian Knight—”

A soldier from Norland gripped his spear shaft tightly, his eyes fixed upon Clophe standing majestically in the sky.

Clophe Seka.
Who was this man?

I could answer that question quite easily.

‘A Guardian Knight.’

The ‘Guardian’ known to all in the Paern Kingdom and the Northern Region alike. Beyond that, he was a Sword Master, the founder of the Indomitable Alliance, and a man who emanated an air of noble dignity.

In short, he was a ‘hero’—or perhaps a ‘hero of the future.’

Everyone knew that such a man had fallen in defeat during the battle at Heniatus Territory. That he had crashed from the sky.
Yet now he had returned.

‘And in quite the spectacular and radiant fashion, at that.’

I smiled at the solid sensation beneath my feet.

-Human! I have become even greater!

Raon’s voice echoed in my mind. To the eyes of others, it might appear as though I had arrived riding upon a raven, but the truth was that both Clophe and I remained suspended in the air solely through Raon’s power.

‘And this shameless fellow is standing because of Merry.’

Clophe leaned upon his staff, yet he stood firm upon both feet. His magnificent attire and the white cloak that hung from his shoulder guard, billowing in the wind, seemed to proclaim that his noble spirit remained unbroken.

Of course, Kale Heniatus could knock them down with a single tap—those limbs were that fragile.
Even with aura reinforcing them, the limbs were in such poor condition that they were barely functional; he could do little more than stand.

Yet merely standing there sowed chaos throughout the Indomitable Alliance.

‘Blast it!’

The Bear Tribe representative’s eyes widened in alarm as he surveyed his surroundings.
Clophe Seka. He appeared unscathed—and bore no mark of defeat.
The Bear Tribe representative’s gaze fixed upon the figure standing beside Clophe Seka.

Kale Heniatus.
A name invoked wherever one turned in this war. The man who stood at the heart of the enemy forces. And beside him stood the Northern Region’s greatest knight as an equal.

Boom—boom—

Only then did the Bear Tribe representative understand why Paern Kingdom had positioned itself foremost among the enemy ranks.
Paern, standing alongside the Guardian Knight. That name had transcended mere traitor—it now carried a weight that pressed differently upon common soldiers and knights alike.

Murmurs rippled through the ranks.
Soldiers who had been moving with sharp precision now faltered in confusion.

‘This won’t do!’

The Bear Tribe representative gestured to an approaching Mage, who immediately cast an amplification spell for him. The Bear Tribe representative roared skyward.

“How dare a traitor show his face here!”

His voice, thick with fury, echoed through the Canyon of Death.
The Bear Tribe representative feigned rage as he strode forward without hesitation.
The Bear Tribe’s warriors, along with the Norland Representative and the Askoshan Representative and their retinues, followed in his wake.

The Bear Tribe representative cut through the assembled soldiers, advancing toward the cliff.

“We have braved these bitter winds and journeyed south for the sake of unfrozen lands!”

The Bear Tribe representative’s steps halted. The cliff edge came into view.
Beyond it, he saw the Paern Kingdom forces and the combined armies of Breck and Roan.
And spanning the chasm between them was a bridge, constructed midway across the cliff face.

The bridge was narrow.
Consequently, the actual area where they would clash was also limited.

The enemy mages would be blocked by our soldiers, and the Paern Knights and soldiers crossing over would be countered by the Norland and Askoshan forces.
Thus, the Bear Tribe spoke like a Grand General.

“Our objective in marching south carries a noble spirit that cannot be shattered by betrayal and shallow conspiracy!”

The Bear Tribe shouted toward the sky.

“It is the spirit of victory that traitors could never comprehend!”

The Bear Tribe’s eyes met with one person.
The white-haired Knight, Clophe Seka, was looking down at the Bear Tribe.
Slowly, Clophe’s lips parted. His voice was already amplified by Raon’s magic.

“How could the Bear Tribe possibly understand the suffering of those born in the coldest place on the continent?”

His emotionless voice resonated across the battlefield.

“Biting cold that cuts through flesh is our daily reality. We must constantly struggle to farm in barren lands. When winter approaches, the seas and lakes freeze over, making even water difficult to obtain.”

The expressions of the Indomitable Alliance soldiers shifted slightly.
As their initial shock subsided, Clophe’s calm voice flowed into their ears.

“How dare the Bear Tribe presume to speak of the spirit of we Northern people who have endured such hardship?”

The Bear Tribe could not suppress a scoff.

“Ha! Clophe Seka, do you truly believe you have the right to speak such words?”

A flash of joy crossed Clophe’s eyes in that instant.
He recalled the conversation he had shared with Kale Heniatus.

‘Do you still dream of becoming a legend?’
‘Lord Kale Heniatus.’
‘I shall give you that opportunity.’

Last night, Kale Heniatus met Clophe’s gaze as he sat in the wheelchair and spoke gently. But Clophe knew that Kale was coldest when he spoke softly.
Yet Kale uttered the very words Clophe had longed to hear.

‘Stand up.’

In that moment, Merry manipulated dead mana to transform Clophe’s limbs.
Clophe slowly descended from the wheelchair. He stumbled, but as he grasped the cane Kale offered, he soon stood upright.
To him, Kale spoke as if he were that white-haired, blue-eyed Priest from long ago.

‘From this moment on, you become a legend of the Northern Region.’

Legend.
At that word, Clophe smiled broadly.
My heart raced.

Of course, Kale Heniatus spoke coldly to him then.

‘But do not forget—your life rests in my grasp.’
‘I shall remember, Kale Heniatus.’

My prediction had been correct.
By following in the footsteps of a true legend, one finds a path to survival, and simultaneously, one’s name is carved into that very legacy.

Clophe opened his mouth as he regarded the Bear Tribe questioning his qualifications.
His limbs could not channel aura, his aura circulation was severed and he possessed no strength whatsoever.
Yet he was a man who had become a Sword Master through bone-grinding effort to become a legend.

That spirit—his aura had not vanished.
Rather, an aura inscribed with even firmer conviction now held a complete certainty unlike before.

A voice as merciless as the Northern wind echoed across the sky.

Do I have the qualifications?
The answer to that question was simple.

“I do.”

The soldiers and knights of Paern Kingdom, and the soldiers and knights of Norland and Askoshan, gazed up at one who had once been their idol.
The idol looked down upon them and spoke.

“I am the Guardian of Paern and the Protector Knight of the Northern Region.”

The weight of that title was immense.
Kale Heniatus sketched a faint smile before erasing it, recalling the conversation he had shared with Crown Prince Albert.

‘Kale.’
‘Yes, Your Highness.’
‘You’ll put Clophe forward, won’t you?’
‘Of course. If someone we can control becomes the center of the Northern Region, wouldn’t that make things more convenient for us going forward?’
‘True enough. His life rests in your hands, after all—quite manageable.’

There was no reason for the Roan Kingdom and Breck Kingdom to invade and seize the three Northern kingdoms.
Even if their territory expanded, the land would not yield proportional efficiency.
It was land they had no need to possess.

Yet for the people of the North, it was their homeland—a place where their lives took root. Its value could not be diminished.

After the war, the Roan Kingdom offered grain trade to those who would despair at the prospect of surviving again in that barren land.
A path forward was opened, one where they need not seize unfrozen territory to survive.
And in this very moment, they offered something more.

It was pride in the Northern Region itself.
Dignity.
Though this land is harsh, the pride of knowing it is where we live.

This was why Kale Heniatus put forward one whose leash he held in his grasp.
Clophe Seka, whose lifeline rested in Kale Heniatus’s hands, spoke.

“I am the Protector Knight of the Northern Region. Forever, I will not abandon that name.”

Not a tool to pressure the leadership of the three Northern kingdoms, but pride to be planted in the hearts of the soldiers and knights standing here now.
The soldiers and knights gazed upon Clophe with expressions all their own. Though their faces differed, every person of the North beheld him.
To them, the Protector Knight spoke with quiet resolve.

“Not the Indomitable Alliance, but the Northern Region—that is the place where I shall exist eternally.”

The Bear Tribe representative felt a chill run down his spine at the cold gleam in Clophe’s eyes as he gazed upon him.

Kale Heniatus had deliberate reasons for instilling pride in them.
So that the Northern people would not covet Southern lands, nor harbor hatred toward Southern folk.
And to forge a common enemy.

The Guardian declared a new adversary.

“The Bear Tribe, the Dwarves, the Dark. We cannot allow them to steal our North, the very reason for my existence.”

The expressions of soldiers and knights shifted.
The Bear Tribe furrowed their brows. Though the situation remained chaotic, they sensed the changing atmosphere.
Then Clophe prepared the finale.

“This is why I have returned.”

Afterward, Clophe gazed at Kale Heniatus, and the moment Kale Heniatus gave a subtle nod unseen by others.
He unleashed what Kale Heniatus had commanded.

“Tear the banners apart!”

A voice brimming with martial spirit cut across the battlefield.

Boom— thud—

The war drums began to sound once more.
The Bear Tribe fell into a state of unease.
Clophe’s absurd declaration, the shifted atmosphere, the sudden command, and the drums resuming their rhythm.
They could not fathom how the situation was unfolding.

‘Tear them apart? What kind of attack signal is this?’

They recalled the attacks the enemy had unleashed. A massive magical formation? Those spells led by Commander Rosalind had been devastating.

Or perhaps the Whale Tribe?
Or the Tiger Tribe?

The enemy possessed far too many powerful warriors.
The Bear Tribe representative made an immediate decision in this moment.

The Bear Tribe withdraws.

He turned his gaze toward the Askoshan Representative and Norland Representative, issuing direct orders to the two behind him.

“It seems the enemies will begin their attack soon, so let us prepare our assault immediately. We can overwhelm them with our superior numbers.”

The Norland Representative, receiving the Bear Tribe’s gaze, opened his mouth.

“Do you remember?”
“…What are you saying at such a critical moment?”

The Bear Tribe grew irritated, wondering why the Norland Representative would spout such idle words at such a pressing time, but he held back and waited for the representative’s words.
The Norland Representative and commander did not drag out his words and spoke directly.

“‘To disregard the means and methods and absolutely execute it. That is what determines victory and defeat in war,’ is what you said.”
“Of course I remember. I said something similar myself.”

Perhaps he needed encouragement. Or perhaps he was anxious about Clophe’s words.
The Bear Tribe smiled and placed a hand on the Norland Representative’s shoulder. His massive hand settled easily upon the representative’s shoulder.

“Do not worry. We will be victorious. There is no need to heed the words of that traitor Clophe. Are not the Bear Tribe and you all part of the same alliance?”
“That is correct. We will be victorious.”

Only then did the Norland Representative smile and nod his head.
And with dimmed eyes, he spoke to the Bear Tribe.

“We have decided to disregard the means and methods.”

That was the moment.

Clang—

The Bear Tribe flinched at the sound of steel and immediately moved the hand he had placed on the Norland Representative.

Crash!

A blade and fist collided with a tremendous sound.
It was the sword of the Askoshan Representative commander. The blade that struck the Bear Tribe shattered pathetically.
In that moment, the voice of the Norland Representative reached the Bear Tribe’s ears.

“Tear apart the flags!”

What?
The Askoshan Representative’s voice followed immediately after.

“Tear apart the flags!”

Shreeeak—
Shreeak— Shreeak.

The Bear Tribe representative lifted his head.

The flags were being torn to shreds.

The alliance banners interspersed among the stationed soldiers and knights—symbols of the Indomitable Alliance—were ripped away.
And those tearing down the alliance flags were the soldiers of Norland and Askoshan, unified for their advance.

“Raise the flags!”

A voice that echoed not from the heavens, but from the earth itself.
It began with Rosalind. But soon, voices calling to raise the flags erupted from all directions.
And at last, the Bear Tribe representative saw flags rising skyward before his very eyes.

Paern, Norland, Askoshan.
And even Breck and Roan.

The banners of each kingdom soared toward the heavens.

“…What is this—”

The two Northern kingdoms that had torn apart the alliance flag now raised their kingdom banners.
Fury began to crystallize in the Bear Tribe representative’s eyes.

‘We decided to stop at nothing, by any means necessary.’

Now he understood what the Norland Representative Commander had meant.
The Bear Tribe had never been part of that ‘we.’

The Bear Tribe representative recalled the words the Norland Representative had spoken.

‘I fear becoming a victor who grasps nothing. A victor in name only.’

Now I could understand the meaning of those words.
Not wanting to become a hollow victor, they abandoned the Allied Forces and attached themselves beneath the enemy. They chose to cling to the feet of a true victor and gain whatever small benefits they could.

Betrayal.
It wasn’t the Bear Tribe or Dark who had betrayed them—they had struck first with their treachery.

“Th-this-”

The Bear Tribe representative’s body began to seethe with rage. Without realizing it, he raised his fists. He needed to release the fury that was consuming him.
His body moved to act. In that instant.

Clang—

The sound of a sword being drawn rang out.
Simultaneously, two soldiers who had been guarding the central tent where the commanders and leadership gathered appeared.

‘…Exhausting, truly exhausting. There’s no chance for the flames to die down.’
‘Stay quiet. Focus on the work.’

These two had been conversing quietly, waiting for dawn.
One soldier removed his helmet, and the other cast off the cloth that had been wrapping his head.

“…This can’t be.”

The Bear Tribe representative’s fist, filled with rage, instantly lost its force.

Clang.

The tip of the sword stopped just before his throat. And a fist stopped just before the back of his neck.
The Bear Tribe representative heard the voice of the one who had stopped their fist behind his back.

“Infiltration was easy, wasn’t it?”

Orca Arch was grinning widely as he spoke brightly, as if he were about to break the Bear Tribe representative’s neck. And the soldier who had removed his hood—no, the swordsman Choi Han—aimed his blade at the Bear Tribe representative.

“This time, escaping will be difficult.”

The Bear Tribe representative and middle manager.
He was the one who had fled from Choi Han in the sky before. But now there was nowhere left to escape. Front and back, sky. All directions were blocked.

The Bear Tribe’s face contorted as the moment arrived.
Kale Heniatus’s voice reached their ears.

“Capture the enemy.”

The Bear Tribe squeezed their eyes shut.
Tens of thousands of soldiers—excluding the Bear Tribe and the Dwarves—those who had once been allies now sought the Bear Tribe’s life.

The Bear Tribe opened their eyes again and gazed toward the sky.
The red-haired man was smiling with ease.

A man who would stop at nothing to achieve his ends.
The Bear Tribe realized that their true commander was not themselves, but the man commanding from the heavens above.

Kale Heniatus watched the sun rising between the dawn sky and deepened his smile. His lips parted slowly.

“It’s over.”

The end of the first war had arrived.
Beneath his feet, the name Indomitable Alliance vanished, and the symbols of each kingdom that had survived for countless ages across the Western Continent now fluttered as flags.

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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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