Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 265

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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 56. My Friend!

Yet the expressions of the nobles listening to Kale Heniatus and the Crown Prince’s conversation grew grave, each reflecting a different shade of concern.
The meaning behind their exchange was singular.

They aimed for the Empire.

Sand Ailan, the head of the Aylan Marquis Family—the leading house among the Southeast Region nobility of the Roan Kingdom—stood with his back to the terrace curtains, swallowing hard as he watched shadows cross Crown Prince Alberu’s face.

‘…He’s serious.’

The Crown Prince truly aimed for the Empire.
And now, he had revealed his intentions only to the highest-ranking nobles within the kingdom.

‘No, that’s not quite right. He didn’t summon only us.’

Sand Ailan’s gaze shifted to the space between himself and the Crown Prince. Kale Heniatus stood there, appearing as though he had already concluded all discussions with the Crown Prince.

‘This is grave.’

At a moment when war had only just ended.
The fact that Crown Prince Alberu was preparing for yet another war made it difficult for Sand Ailan to gauge how the political landscape and continental affairs would unfold.

Moreover, wasn’t the Crown Prince one who cherished his people dearly?
Moments ago, he had addressed the kingdom’s people, announcing the end of war and urging them to welcome spring. This implied that a war with the Empire would proceed in an entirely different form than the conflict with the Indomitable Alliance.

‘But those considerations aren’t the real problem.’

The reason Sand Ailan deemed this grave—the very reason his mouth had gone dry.

‘The Roan Kingdom is not weak.’

It was grave precisely because a war with the Empire was not an absurd notion.

The Mage Battalion and the Navy, their growth coupled with an overall qualitative enhancement of military strength, and the momentum of the knights—all of it pointed to one truth: the Roan Kingdom had already risen as a formidable power on the Western Continent.

Furthermore, there were many powerhouses, such as Sword Masters, who served as crucial pillars of a strong nation.
Though it remained unknown to many of the kingdom’s people and even some nobles due to its secrecy, hadn’t the Crown Prince been gradually laying groundwork, pressuring the temples while drawing Necromancers and Dark Elves into the kingdom?

Crown Prince Albert Crossman demonstrated perfectly the power of survivors that he himself had mentioned.

He had survived without the King’s favor and without powerful in-laws, proving his own strength.
And the greatest source of his power had been the Northeast Region nobles, led by House Heniatus, who were the core of this war.

Sand Ailan Marquis had been sidelined in this war and gained nothing. Rather, the power of the Southeast Region nobles had diminished, leaving him in a politically unfavorable situation.

‘But no matter how strong the Roan Kingdom becomes, a war with the Empire is a different matter.’

Touching a place that had ruled the Western Continent for so long carried different implications.
Sand Ailan Marquis’s mind grew complicated.

No, his heart was even more turbulent.

‘The problem is that it seems possible.’

Even if he had maneuvered through the political arena, he was ultimately the head of Roan Kingdom’s orthodox martial family. What warrior, what swordsman would want to suppress their strength before a great war?

Blocking the Indomitable Alliance and attacking the Empire were different matters.
His heart stirred at the fact that Roan had reached a position where it could ‘go on the offensive.’

‘And opportunities have emerged for the various faction nobles.’

Sand Ailan Marquis glanced sideways at Duke Orsena, who represented the Capital’s center.

The Aylan Marquis Family and the Orsena Duchy Family, currently not on the Crown Prince’s side but considered neutral—their influence was shrinking as the Roan Kingdom’s reputation grew.
In such circumstances, achieving merit in a war against the Empire was a shortcut to expanding their power once more.

Ailan Marquis offered a bitter smile as he gazed at Crown Prince Albert Crossman.

‘The Crown Prince must have summoned us here with all of this in mind.’

The Crown Prince’s scheming was terrifying.
But that bitter smile soon faded.
Albert Crossman’s mouth opened.

“Do you know of the tales regarding the Crossman Royal Family?”

The Crossman Royal Family—the sole royal lineage that had endured since the founding of the Roan Kingdom.
There was a tale associated with that royal house.

‘The rulers of Crossman have always possessed radiant golden hair.’

The symbol of the royal family was hair that gleamed with brilliant gold. Not every member of the royal bloodline throughout history possessed golden locks, yet at minimum, the king and his heir apparent bore that lustrous crown.

This was because the Crossman Royal Family was said to have received the protection of the Sun God.

Yet the nobility could not speak of this matter carelessly.
The reason flowed forth alongside Alberu’s enigmatic smile.

“Though it is said the Crossman Royal Family receives the Sun God’s protection, we have been unable to discuss this freely because of the Empire. It is the sorrow of a kingdom caught between worlds.”

The Mogur Empire—the greatest and most powerful seat of the Sun God Church on the continent. And the imperial family of Mogur, who had revered the Sun God across generations.
Because of this, from some point onward, the Crossman Royal Family of Roan could not speak freely of their roots.

The Empire had neither hinted nor imposed sanctions, yet Roan had silenced itself. Being weak, they wished to avoid unnecessary conflict.

Beyond that, regardless of receiving the Sun God’s protection, the Roan Kingdom had no state religion. The Roan Royal Family had not actively promoted the Sun God Church, and had long been averse to allowing religion to become deeply entangled with royal authority.

Alberu observed the nobles whose anguish deepened at his words, then shifted his gaze toward Kale Heniatus.
To any observer, his expression appeared grave, yet the way his eyes gazed into empty space made it abundantly clear he was thinking of nothing whatsoever.

‘How did I end up working with such a man.’

The problem was that such a man was also the most trustworthy.
Crown Prince Alberu swallowed a sigh and spoke as though it were nothing of consequence.

“His Majesty originally intended to pass the throne to me once this war concluded.”

What did he just say?
Kale’s gaze, which had been fixed in vacant contemplation, turned toward Alberu.
Was this Crown Prince truly speaking of such momentous matters as casually as an elderly neighbor passing by?

Kale furrowed his brow, staring at Alberu, who had just dropped such a bombshell. Yet he was not as shocked as the other nobles appeared to be.

“That… such a thing! I see. Was there such an arrangement?”

Duke Orsena, the head of the Capital’s central faction, displayed his surprise before composing himself and responding with deliberate composure.
Yet at Alberu’s following words, he could not help but let out a small exclamation.

Alberu spoke to the astonished nobles.

“But I refused.”

Refusing the King’s words.
That single word—refusal—made abundantly clear to whom the kingdom’s power had completely shifted.
Sand Ailan Marquis finally opened his mouth to ask a question.

“Your Highness, if I may be so bold, might I inquire the reason behind your decision?”

Crown Prince Alberu regarded Sand Ailan Marquis, who had posed the question, with a steady gaze.
Brilliant golden hair and azure eyes. Any observer would recognize him as a true heir of the Crossman lineage.
He flashed a smile at the Marquis, who did not avert his eyes, then turned away. He walked toward the terrace.

Whoosh—

The curtains that had been drawn were pulled back.
Simultaneously, the sun’s brilliant light flooded into the chamber.
Crown Prince Alberu, silhouetted against that radiance, opened his mouth.

“I will become the ruler of Roan when Roan shines most brilliantly.”

In Alberu’s mind, the moment when Roan would shine most brilliantly was when the kingdom unfurled all the wings it had kept folded.
Then, Albert Crossman would become the new King of the Roan Kingdom.

“I wish to become the most radiant existence upon the vast lands of Roan.”

The reason for postponing the coronation.
His true intention—to become the king of a Roan Kingdom grown even mightier by consuming the Empire’s territories—was conveyed vividly to the four leaders of the noble houses.

They beheld Albert Crossman smiling radiantly.
Though shadows fell across his face as he stood with his back to the sun, his smile and the gleam in his eyes were clearer than ever. Alberu’s composed voice resonated through the cool chamber.

“You will take me there, will you not?”

Silence descended.
Through that silence, Alberu’s voice spread like mist once more.

“Of course, I have no desire to see our kingdom’s blood spilled on the path to that destination.”

Impressive.
I couldn’t help but admire it inwardly.

He was pressuring the nobles with remarkable precision.

Indeed, he was someone who had dealt with Choi Han.
Cherishing the people of the Roan Kingdom, valuing the greater cause, yet—

He made no attempt to hide his ambition.

‘That is instinct. The instinct of a king.’

If Rosalind possessed the ambition to abandon the throne and unhesitatingly choose another path,
then Albert Crossman possessed the ambition to conceal his Dark Elf quarter and, without external support, seize the throne not merely as a successor but as the king of a strengthened Roan.

Perhaps within ‘The Birth of a Hero,’ Choi Han had recognized not only Alberu’s silver tongue but also this facet of him as a ‘ruler,’ and thus granted his requests.

‘Indeed, after Volume 5, Albert Crossman must have become one of the heroes.’

In the first five volumes that I—that Kim Rok-soo—had read, Alberu was merely someone who assigned tasks to Choi Han, bearing no aspect of a hero.

But when the winds of war stirred at the end of Volume 5, if a new hero and powerhouse appeared alongside Choi Han, Rak, and Rosalind, I was certain it would be Albert Crossman.

‘Albert Crossman is not the type to lose to Crown Prince Adin.’

Thus, despite my ambitions, I had no choice but to lend my strength to Crown Prince Alberu, who worried for his people first.

Yet unlike me, who briefly smiled before erasing it, the nobles felt a chill as if even the sun had vanished.

Sand Ailan Marquis closed his eyes. Countless thoughts raced through his mind. But soon he opened them again. In less than five seconds, he made his decision.

‘I’ll gamble.’

Now is the time to wager what we have.
But there was someone whose decision came faster than theirs.
A single voice rang out following Alberu’s words.

“Your Highness.”

Kale Heniatus.
He was the first to answer Alberu’s question.
Kale spoke while bowing slightly at the waist.

“Your Highness will begin a new chapter for Roan, for the Crossman Royal Family.”

Amusing fellow.
Alberu stifled a laugh within himself.

The Crossman Royal Family had always crowned only those with golden hair as king.
Though he considered it a rotten tradition, Alberu too had been forced to choose golden hair. It wasn’t merely his own concern—he believed the kingdom’s people would struggle to accept him, who had deceived them all this time, and his Dark Elf heritage. Moreover, his true appearance would become a weakness in the kingdom’s politics and diplomacy.

That was why Alberu grasped the true meaning behind Kale’s words.

A man of few words had spoken of “a new chapter for the Crossman Royal Family.”

This surely pointed to himself—not golden-haired—becoming king.

‘I quite like this.’

Alberu looked at those other than Kale. They too bowed their heads and soon expressed their agreement.

“We shall forge the path Your Highness desires.”

Among the bowing nobles, Kale was the first to raise his head.
His grin appeared quite sinister.

-Human! The Crown Prince smiles like you do!

Yet Alberu wore an equally sinister smile.

“Raise your heads.”

At Alberu’s command, the nobles lifted their heads. To those nobles, Alberu issued another order.

“From now on, I shall show you all the path you must take.”

Of course, that plan had been devised together with Kale Heniatus.

Beyond the terrace, brilliant sunlight bathed the earth, and the kingdom’s people celebrated in festival. Yet at the heart of the Roan Royal Palace, another future was being prepared.

* * *

Kale Heniatus returned to the Heniatus Mansion in the Capital and gazed at the clock.

Tick, tick.
The sound of the second hand moving reached my ears.

“Human, they’re coming soon!”

And Raon’s voice followed. I shifted my gaze.

Whoooosh—

Brilliant light seized my vision. The empty room adjacent to my bedroom. The magic circle inscribed there blazed with radiant luminescence.
And when that light faded.

“Nice place.”

I could see the ancient dragon Erhafen surveying the room. And three figures clad in pristine white priestly robes without insignia.

Erhafen had gone to the Jjangdol Mansion and brought these three. Naturally, they were the ones I had been awaiting.
The Crazy Priestess Kage, the half-Saint Jack, and the blood-crazed Sword Master and Fake Saint Hana.
They had come to meet me after a long time.

“It has been a while. The Death God seems to be doing quite well.”
“Long time.”
“Young Master, I have heard much of your righteous justice.”

The Crazy Priestess Kage carefully withdrew a goblet engraved with a shield from her voluminous sleeves, while Hana offered a casual greeting and adjusted her sword scabbard. And Saint Jack smiled with an expression that had grown even more virtuous.
To these three, each expressing their own joy, I offered the gentlest smile I could muster and spoke a single word.

“I need to go spread the faith.”

Silence descended after Kale Heniatus uttered those words the moment we met.
He still wore a smile as he asked the Crazy Priestess Kage, who stared at me intently.

“Kage, did I look holy?”

The Crazy Priestess Kage parted her lips with a peculiar expression.

“…You look evil, Young Master.”

The Crazy Priestess Kage could not tell a lie.
Kale Heniatus’s expression grew visibly displeased.

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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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