Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 280

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

Naturally, the King of Wiper could not contain his rage, his entire body trembling with fury.

“How dare you speak such nonsense to me—!”

Yet the King could only glare at General Tunka.
His own power was pathetically inadequate, and he could not command the Knights to strike down General Tunka in this situation.

The Wipper Kingdom existed in an abnormal state.

The King held only the title of sovereignty, while all administrative authority over the kingdom’s finances and governance had shifted entirely to the military.

And at the center of that military, commanding both the Tribal Warriors and soldiers, stood General Tunka. Because of this, even the Knights sworn to protect the King could not rashly charge at him.

They served the Royal Family faction to preserve their own lives and maintain their interests—loyalty alone would not compel them to draw steel against General Tunka.

“…!”

The King understood this reality all too well.
And so he could only glare at General Tunka with seething anger, while General Tunka met his gaze with eyes burning with even greater madness. General Tunka’s lips parted once more.
General Tunka spoke again.

“I am.”

General Tunka understood himself quite well.

“I’m a man with neither superiors nor inferiors.”

That was why he could lead from the front anywhere.

“And my hobby is killing the strong.”

I have slaughtered the mightiest warriors who stood at the forefront, those who reeked of strength. Of course, there were times when those powerful foes defeated me. But in the end, my enemies always avoided me.

Whether from fear or disgust, they all evaded me.
That fact was what mattered.

Tunka looked down at the King, who was contemplating submission to survive. The King felt like hunted prey. He had already experienced fleeing from Tunka before.
He had avoided Tunka by dismissing him as a brutish tribesman with nothing but crude strength, but the truth was he feared him.
The King’s gaze shifted slightly away from Tunka, dropping downward.

Then Tunka’s voice pierced through to him.

“If you wish to live, think only of how we shall achieve victory.”

If you wish to live.
The King swallowed hard at those words.
Rage and fear mingled within him, his entire body trembling. At that moment, one of the Royal Family faction’s Knights, who had been observing the situation, spoke up.
He bore the title of Knight Commander.

“Your Majesty, if you have finished conveying your message, would it not be wise to relocate?”

The Knight Commander faltered as Tunka’s gaze turned toward his face.
He had not become Knight Commander through martial prowess.
In the past, Wipper Kingdom, where magic had developed abnormally and dominated the realm, had relatively weak Knights. The mages had obstructed the growth of exceptional Knights for power, and as a result, most of those with solid standing as Knights now were opportunists excelling more in politics and flattery than in martial ability.

“Ahem, would it not be better for the Grand General to attend to his other duties in comfort?”

Tunka glanced between the Knight Commander and the King, then turned his body and approached Herrol Codian, his Chief Advisor.

It was an act of disregard toward the King and Knight Commander for all to see.

“These insolent—”
“Your Majesty.”

But the Knight Commander placated the King’s rising fury. With a glance, he urged retreat, and the King, breathing heavily, turned his back to where Tunka stood and headed toward the entrance.

Even so, the King’s gaze remained fixed on the Imperial letter held in Herrol’s hand. If he could seize it, he would comply with the Empire’s demands alone, but all critical documents remained within Tunka’s grasp.

“…Sacrilegious wretches! To not even recognize the path to survival I have granted them!”

In the end, the King burst forth with an angry cry and exited the War Room.

“Hmm.”

Kale watched the King and his Knights depart without sparing him a glance, and let out a quiet sigh. The reason was simple.

-Human! That king fellow, something about him just rubs me the wrong way!

Raon’s grumbling was making my head noisy.

-A hundred thousand soldiers? With that many, we could win a war against the Empire! But eighty years to gather a hundred thousand? That king can’t do math! He’s clearly inferior to my greatness!

Honestly, it was getting loud.
Raon was being unusually critical of the king.

Meanwhile, I thought to myself, “You find people like that everywhere.”

‘That’s just how the world works.’

Back in Korea—no, on Earth—when the world turned upside down and everything fell apart, there were plenty of people far more ruthless than this king, willing to do anything to preserve their own lives and wealth.

And was it only the powerful who acted this way?
No, not at all. In fact, most people were like that at first.

The year after I—or rather, Kim Rok-soo—took the college entrance exam and worked part-time at a restaurant. That’s when the upheaval came, sudden and without warning.
Back then, people turned a blind eye to each other’s suffering just to survive.

Yet somehow, the world gathered its strength and endured faster than anyone expected.
Because there were people who chose to support each other’s lives rather than trample over them to survive.

Some said that when the end came, hell would unfold.
But everyone hated hell. So they struggled to escape it, and eventually they realized something.

You can’t do it alone.
You have to do it together.

So the world came together again, and created a world worth enduring in, however barely.

My gaze shifted to General Tunka and Herrol Codian.

Looking at the King of Wipper, I thought the answer was simply to ignore trash like that. But that didn’t mean I sympathized with the king’s mindset.

Like when I was Kim Rok-soo, I wanted to make this world into a place worth enduring in. In hell itself, even solitary happiness becomes suffering.

‘Yeah, that’s the happiest life—being a carefree unemployed person throwing money around.’

In that sense, Kale Heniatus regarded Herrol Codian and General Tunka with fresh eyes.

Tunka, simple and straightforward.
Herrol, driven mad beyond even Clophe, possessed by a strange madness.
These two men now had bloodshot eyes as they struggled to uphold the world called Wipper Kingdom. This fact felt both remarkably new and strangely familiar to Kale.
Then, Raon’s voice reached him.

-Human! Let’s raid that king bastard’s vault! Strip it clean!

“Hmm.”

Kale let out a dry chuckle at the reckless yet tempting words of the six-year-old Dragon.
And others were watching this moment.

Chief Advisor Herrol’s eyes grew clouded.

Kale Heniatus.
He had shown an unfavorable side to the person who had come secretly to aid Wipper Kingdom in the guise of a Priest.
No—it was far worse than merely unfavorable; he had revealed his worst self.

Herrol and the other Staff Officers in the War Room could not bring themselves to speak, uncertain of what to do.

Then General Tunka approached Kale. He remembered what Kale had said.

‘We are behind you.’

Recalling those words, Tunka spoke to Kale.

“When the Empire made us an offer—”
“Wait.”

Kale raised his hand to stop Tunka’s words. Just as the Staff Officers’ expressions darkened with a sense of ‘as expected,’ Kale’s voice rang out.

“If we break down doors, won’t this become a secret conversation? Isn’t there somewhere quieter?”

Ah.
Only then did everyone look at the door Tunka had destroyed. Near the door through which the King and his attendants had left, bewildered guards stood at a loss.

“I shall guide you to another location.”

Chief Advisor Herrol stepped forward, and Kale nodded in acknowledgment.

“I would prefer to speak only with you and the Grand General.”
“Very well.”

Tunka agreed immediately, and soon Kale was able to move to a quieter space.

* * *

Kale handed a teacup to Choi Han, who stood motionless, and after picking up his own cup, he asked Tunka a question.

“Does the Empire want the Wipper Kingdom to accept that proposal?”

It was Herrol, not Tunka, who answered.

“No, sir. It seems they sent the letter knowing full well that we would refuse such a proposal.”

Indeed, who would surrender by offering up a hundred thousand slaves and hostages?
The Empire knew well Tunka’s bellicose nature.

Herrol’s gaze grew cold and sinister.

“It appears the Empire wants us in Wipper to grow even more enraged and charge forward recklessly.”

Herrol looked at Tunka, and Tunka nodded. Only then did Chief Advisor Herrol pose his question to Kale.

“The Empire doesn’t want Maple Castle—they want the Wipper Kingdom itself, don’t they?”

Kale took a sip of tea. His white hair and blue eyes, dyed by magic, reflected on the surface of the cup. He spoke with perfect composure.

“Of course they do.”

Clink.
Kale set down his teacup, and Herrol’s expression grew clouded.

The Wipper Kingdom’s staff officers hailed from the Non-Mage Alliance, and most were young scholars versed in disciplines beyond magic, so their minds were quite sharp. The conclusion they had reached flowed from Herrol’s lips.

“The Roan Kingdom cannot openly aid the Wipper Kingdom, can it?”

Then we would be making an enemy of the Empire.
Currently, Roan Kingdom was pretending to be friendly with the Mogur Empire while planning to destroy their Alchemy Tower. The allied Wipper Kingdom, who couldn’t possibly be unaware of this, nonetheless posed the question once more.
Because they needed the strength of Roan Kingdom.

Kale Heniatus answered calmly.

“Yes. In this war, none of Roan’s soldiers will reveal their true identities on the battlefield.”
“…Does that include Choi Han and the Necromancer?”
“Yes.”

Herrol Codian closed his eyes.
But Kale remained resolute.

‘For Roan Kingdom to become the new supporter of the Mogur Empire, we cannot make enemies of the Empire’s people now.’

The ignorant citizens of the Empire would despise Roan if they helped Wipper in this war.
The goodwill built through the magical bomb terrorism incident and Kale’s imperial medal affair was merely shallow sentiment that could vanish with a single war.

That’s why in this war, those from Roan Kingdom without justification would not participate in their true forms on the battlefield.

Herrol opened his eyes again and spoke, looking at Kale’s cold expression.

“The Jungle Kingdom will act independently rather than fight at Maple Castle?”
“Yes. The Jungle Kingdom will strike the Empire separately.”

Both Roan and the Jungle Kingdom, bordering Wipper Kingdom, could not assist in the battle at Maple Castle. Of course, the Four Kingdoms One Race Alliance had agreed to provide supplies including food.

‘We lack strong warriors. Our combat forces are insufficient.’

Herrol Codian, having once again confirmed this reality, gazed at Kale Heniatus, who had sought them out despite such circumstances.

Kale had not come as a commander.
He had simply participated in a personal capacity.
He had come to help.

That’s why the staff officers hadn’t yet confirmed this aspect.

“…In this war, we won’t be able to see Commander Kale’s shield, the water column from the Canyon of Death, or the stone spear, will we?”

Kale Heniatus’s ancient power, which had become famous through battles with the Indomitable Alliance.
It was the “Unbreakable Shield” that had been useful throughout the war, and the “Dominating Water”—a column of water that had surged toward the Dragon Hybrid.
And stories about the unbelievable stone spear were also spreading.

So when word came that Kale was coming, there was no choice but to welcome him. However, Herrol Codian had to ask him something.

Rather than asking “Will you be able to see?” he had asked “You won’t be able to see, will you?”

“That’s right. I can’t be seen. I have to hide my identity too.”
“…As expected.”

If Roan remained hidden, then I had to hide as well.
I was no different from Roan’s rising hero.

Herrol Codian swallowed a sigh. Then Tunka opened his mouth.

“Your coming is enough! Kale, and Choi Han.”

Choi Han, standing behind Kale, paused and looked at Tunka. Tunka, whom Choi Han had once swept away like dust on a rainy day, now gazed at him with gratitude.

“Chief Advisor Herrol! Our Tribal Warriors and soldiers are enough! We’ll receive more than enough potions and supplies!”

Tunka spoke to Herrol Codian again in his hearty voice. Herrol Codian regarded the Grand General, who had matured and learned to comfort others, with a peculiar gaze.

At first, I had chosen and served Tunka simply as someone who would satisfy my old revenge and madness—someone who would destroy the Magic Tower.
But now, whether it was because we had a past of fighting together, or because we shared the goal of saving Wipper, I wanted to make him shine as a Grand General.

“Yes, Grand General. Like last time, we will achieve victory—”
“But you know what.”

Herrol Codian’s response was cut off.
Kale Heniatus opened his mouth toward Herrol Codian and Tunka. He asked with a puzzled expression.

But you know what.

“Why don’t you ask about the pillar of fire I created in the Canyon of Death?”

The pillar of fire had made the greatest contribution to stopping the massive army of the Indomitable Alliance that was trying to destroy and cross the canyon. I stared at Herrol Codian, who did not ask about it.

Herrol answered with an enigmatic expression.

“Because I cannot be certain whether it was the work of Breck Kingdom or Roan Kingdom.”

The pillar of fire.
Foreign nations held divided opinions about it.

Everyone was certain it was not Kale Heniatus’s power. However, since both Breck Kingdom and Roan Kingdom kept their silence, no one could determine exactly who had created such a force.

Yet whispers were subtly suggesting it might have been Breck Kingdom.

The reason was that the final attack launched against the Dwarves’ magical bomb barrage had been Rosalind’s magic.
And since Breck Kingdom’s magical prowess had proven quite formidable in this revelation, such speculation gained credence.

“…We are currently speculating that it might be a force created by Rosalind and the mages of Breck Kingdom.”

Herrol’s expression became indescribable.
Wipper Kingdom, which had rejected mages and toppled the Magic Tower.

“Therefore, no matter how much Breck Kingdom is our ally, it is difficult for us to broach the subject of the pillar of fire.”

Difficult.
It was difficult to even request aid from Breck Kingdom’s mages.
It was difficult to openly request mages from a foreign nation before a Wipper Kingdom populace that still harbored hatred toward mages—this went far beyond the level of secretly writing magical scrolls or using magic.

This was the true predicament facing Wipper Kingdom.
The rejection of a single thing created obstacles that constrained Wipper’s freedom of action.

Though this was no time to be choosy, it was difficult to openly move against the anti-magic sentiment that currently sustained Wipper.
That too was a consequence of yet another war.

Yet Herrol asked Kale Heniatus with cautious deliberation.

“Do you think it might be possible to request mages from Breck Kingdom?”

One hundred thousand people. Eighty years. That number weighed upon Herrol.
A madman who had despised mages developed something to fear, and thus sought magic.

It was then.

“What are the coordinates here?”
“…Pardon?”

Kale Heniatus posed the sudden question.

“The coordinates, I mean.”
“Ah.”

Though Herrol Codian had no idea what he was asking about, he recited the coordinates.
In that instant, Raon’s voice resonated in Kale’s mind.

-Received! I’ll guide you to those coordinates! I’m coming soon!

Coming soon.
Kale rose from his seat at those words. He then addressed General Tunka and Herrol Codian.

“General Tunka, and Chief Advisor. The mages of Breck Kingdom will not intervene.”

Herrol Codian’s expression grew clouded.
Then Kale’s voice continued.

“Do you remember the mages who didn’t belong to the Mage Alliance of Wipper Kingdom?”

The conversation’s direction was difficult to predict.

“I’m not sure.”

Yet General Tunka answered Kale’s question faithfully. After the Magic Tower collapsed, he had ceased paying attention to the mages within the kingdom.

But Herrol Codian had not. He gazed at Kale with a peculiar expression and opened his mouth.

“There are quite a few mages who didn’t join the Mage Alliance and went into hiding or concealment. And after the Magic Tower fell, most of them fled beyond the borders of Wipper Kingdom, making them impossible to capture.”

Kale uttered to Herrol Codian, who was watching him, one of the things he had discussed with Crown Prince Alberu.

“Many of them came to Rowan.”

In truth, Crown Prince Alberu had summoned them to Rowan, but Kale spoke as though they had fled there of their own accord.

“And Roan accepted them as citizens of the Roan Kingdom.”

Herrol Codian pressed his lips firmly shut.
He had already assumed that the mages who fled would be scattered across the Continent. Yet he couldn’t blame Roan for this matter.
The Roan Kingdom had helped Wipper considerably.
Moreover, the one conveying this message was none other than Kale Heniatus.

“…Prince Kale, let’s set that matter aside for now.”

So Herrol Codian decided to shelve the issue for the moment.
He had no desire to fight Roan while already battling the Empire. But Kale Heniatus had other plans.

“Troublesome as it may be, I cannot simply set it aside.”
“Pardon?”

That was when it happened.

A deep, resonant hum filled the air.

Vibrations began to ripple through the room.
Herrol Codian’s expression, half-mage that he was, hardened as his gaze fixed upon one point.

In that moment, Kale Heniatus’s voice reached his ears.

“I’ve invited someone who wishes to help Wipper.”

A brilliant flash of light erupted.

Radiant luminescence engulfed the space, and a figure materialized before them.
Herrol Codian’s chair scraped backward with a screech.
He rose from his seat, speechless.

Before him stood a woman with a fresh, radiant smile.

“It’s been a long time.”

Rosalind.
She had come alone.
Kale Heniatus stood beside her, addressing the dumbfounded Herrol Codian and General Tunka.

“I heard that Rosalind, who was cast out from the Breck Royal Court and became a free agent, wishes to be hired as a mercenary by the Wipper Kingdom.”

The story of Rosalind’s expulsion from the Royal Court was well-known.
Herrol let out an exclamation of surprise.

Rosalind shrugged her shoulders and revealed her reason for participating.

“All of my colleagues are going to the Wipper Kingdom. Since I’m their superior, I decided to go as well.”
“…Colleagues…? Your superior?”

When Herrol inadvertently repeated those words, Kale opened his mouth.

“The mages who have now become citizens of the Roan Kingdom wish to participate in the Wipper War, I hear.”

Mages who were now people of Roan. Herrol and Tunka could immediately discern who they were.

Mages who had remained in seclusion without joining the Mage Alliance, and those who had fled beyond the kingdom’s borders to survive while evading the Non-Mage Alliance.

Mages who now belonged to the Roan Kingdom Mage Corps.

Kale shrugged his shoulders and spoke.

“Our Crown Prince graciously granted them leave.”

Roan was not participating in this war.
But there were many ways to support from behind the scenes.

“So those mages all said they would take leave to return to their homeland.”

Of course, not all mages from the Wipper Kingdom wished to return. However, since they were those who had not joined the Mage Alliance and had avoided it, most understood the sentiments of the Non-Mage Alliance and the kingdom’s people.

And they wished to help their homeland.

“Roan will provide those mages with mana stones as leave support funds.”

Roan had decided to provide mana stones to the mages in order to support the Maple Castle War.
Furthermore, Rosalind, whom the mages followed, had agreed to lend them her strength.
For she was the freest and yet the strongest among all of them—in status, in position, in everything.

Chief Advisor Herrol’s face contorted. His eyes wavered with emotion.

Mages who once hailed from Wipper Kingdom were coming to save it. Coming to rescue a nation with nowhere left to turn, no allies to call upon. Despite knowing they would receive no gratitude from Wipper’s people, they were risking everything to arrive.

Herrol felt his insides twist. His heart became a tangled knot far more complex than his thoughts.

Then Kale Heniatus flashed a mischievous smile and spoke to both Herrol and Tunka.

“And about that pillar of flame. You thought it was Breck Kingdom’s work, didn’t you?”

Could it be? Was it created by Roan Kingdom?
Herrol’s eyes widened at the sudden realization. Kale Heniatus pointed to himself with his finger.

“It’s mine.”
“…It belongs to you, Prince Kale, not Roan Kingdom?”
“Yeah. And just so you know, it’s not magic—it’s alchemy.”

Chief Advisor Herrol was left speechless. His eyes could only reflect the white-haired Kale Heniatus smiling before him.
That was when Herrol turned his head to the side.

“Krkr—”

A suppressed laugh echoed out.
It was Tunka.
His shoulders trembled as he let out a restrained chuckle. But soon he leaned back and burst into uncontrollable laughter.

“Kahahahahaha!”

Tunka could not contain his laughter.
He spoke while looking at Kale Heniatus.

“I’m not afraid. This war doesn’t frighten me!”

Kale Heniatus’s smile deepened.
This was Tunka as he truly was. A warrior consumed by battle, one who saw nothing but the fight ahead. A man who delivered the madness of terror to his enemies.

With eyes gleaming brilliantly, he declared to Kale Heniatus with absolute certainty.

“I’ll chew up the Empire and spit it out.”

Kale spoke calmly to Tunka.

“Go easy on him.”

Hahahaha!
Tunka burst into even louder laughter at Kale’s bewildered expression, as if asking what was so funny.

-Human! Tunka laughs as if he’s become himself again!

That’s true.
Unlike Tunka, Kale offered a soft smile to Herrol Codian, whose soul seemed to have left his body, his expression complicated.

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