Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 295

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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 64. Backstab

“I’ll do my best.”

Commander Kale Heniatus answered Crown Prince Adin and turned his head.
The nobles could see the deep blue flames of fire consuming the amber-brown of Kale’s eyes. Several of them exchanged glances.

‘Can he really do it? With a face that pale?’
‘Exactly. He’s lost muscle mass since receiving that medal last time.’

His skin appeared more withered and his frame more wasted than when he received the Mogor Medal last year.
Adin observed this and thought to himself.

‘He’s approaching his limit.’

Death from the collision of ancient powers. I could sense the approaching end—a terminal condition drawing near.

‘How amusing.’

It fascinated him.
He was clearly not merely stubborn, and his mind seemed quite sharp. So why did he always insist on doing what was righteous and good?

The Crown Prince, finding this entertaining, approached Kale with an urgent expression.

“How much of the water’s power can you use? I’m sorry, but I’d appreciate it if you could use as much as possible!”

I was curious to see how quickly he would die.
Unaware of Adin’s true feelings, Kale’s gaze shifted from the deep blue flames to meet his eyes.

“To be honest, I’ve faced those flames before during the battle with the Breck Kingdom.”
“I know. The matter of Breck… we anticipated it.”

Kale’s expression grew somber.

“…The flames now are stronger than they were then.”

Ah.
Those nearby let out sighs of despair.

“Use water-attribute magic!”
“Deploy wind magic! Do everything you can to stop its advance!”

The Empire’s mages moved with urgency.
The wind managed to hold back the flames to some degree, but the fire refused to be extinguished even by water-attribute magic.

“The flames are rising even higher!”

Instead, the wind currents from both the Empire and Wipper collided with each other, causing the flames to spiral violently like a whirlpool, creating an even more massive inferno.
In the midst of this chaos, Kale Heniatus’s expression grew somber. Those nearby understood the implication.

‘We can’t extinguish it completely!’
‘…If we can’t put it out, what do we do?’

Fire that magic cannot touch.
Panic deepened. Yet despite his grim expression, Kale’s eyes moved subtly.

‘…It seems some nobles don’t know the details.’

Fire that magic cannot touch. It appeared that some were unaware the Empire possessed such a thing as well.
Of course, the Alchemy Tower must have created it, but the Crown Prince had used it effectively in the Jungle and at Maple Castle.

‘The Sub-Tower Master.’

Thus, Kale’s gaze turned toward Sub-Tower Master Metelona. She surely maintained frequent contact with the Tower Master of the Alchemy Tower.

‘…Who is that beside her?’

Kale’s eyes shifted to the man beside the Crown Prince. As their eyes met, the man gave a slight bow in greeting.

“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am honored to lay eyes upon a hero. I am Honth, a disciple of the Tower Master.”

Ah, so it was him.
The miraculous alchemist who rose from the Slums.
Perhaps one of the few who survived the Slums.

‘Not bad.’

I’ve discovered another human to pull into the Alchemy Tower destruction project.
Kale Heniatus gave a slight nod.

“We can exchange pleasantries later. Right now—”

The resolute hero spoke.

“Right now we must extinguish the fire first.”

That’s when it happened.
Raon’s voice suddenly reached me.

-Something’s wrong, human. That Honth… he seems dead.

…What?
The words hit me like a sudden blow.

-How is a dead person walking around?

What are you saying?
Kale Heniatus’s pupils trembled for a moment.

-…It’s strange, human. He smells similar to Merry, but there’s no life force.

No life force?

-I don’t know what that is.

Good heavens.
Kale Heniatus was genuinely flustered.

No life force? Dead?
Kale Heniatus’s gaze turned toward the Crown Prince. Naturally, the Sub-Tower Master and the Tower Master’s disciple Honth came into view. Honth was smiling at Kale Heniatus, yet his eyes held concern for the fire and the Empire.
Even so, those eyes reflected worry about the flames and the Empire.

‘Is that thing dead?’

A zombie?
…What in the world is going on?

Kale Heniatus watched Honth’s gaze directed toward himself and Vice-Captain Hilsman. Then, the Crown Prince approached.

“…You don’t need to carry such a heavy resolve.”
“Your Highness—”

Adin’s face grew even paler as he observed Kale’s wandering eyes, realizing just how solemnly determined he was to save the Empire.

‘Is he trying to make an enemy of Rosalind?’

Another suspicion bloomed, but there was something more pressing than that.

“I trust you.”

The words of the Western Continent’s sole Empire Crown Prince carried weight.
That weight was considerable. The nobles felt Kale’s eyes stabilize. Seeing Kale trust the Crown Prince anew, pride in the Empire welled up within them.

‘Trust? I’d rather freeze to death.’

Contrary to the nobles’ thoughts, Kale rapidly regained his composure at the Crown Prince’s detestable appearance.

“Phew.”

He exhaled deeply and approached the center of the earthen wall.
With the Imperial Army and nobles all watching, Kale walked silently toward the railing of the earthen wall.

Vice-Captain Hilsman followed behind with a sorrowful expression.
The solemnity of a knight following his lord who had resolved to sacrifice himself emanated from him.

—Human, you said you’d go easy! You promised me! If you don’t, I, the great one, will destroy everything!

Ah, I can’t set the mood like this.
At the whining voice of a six-year-old, Kale sighed heavily and wiped his eyes.

“…You seem afraid.”

The nobles interpreted his appearance differently.

“Commander!”

Kale turned his head at the familiar voice.
Prince Valentino of the Caro Kingdom. He had appeared atop the earthen wall once more. His expression was melancholic.

‘…I cannot fathom what Commander Kale’s heart must be bearing.’

Kale Heniatus, who shook this entire board while consuming his own body—Valentino felt the weight he carried, and suddenly Kale appeared breathtakingly immense.
Yet Valentino could only smile as he watched Kale extend his hand toward the battlefield, toward the towering inferno.

Whiiiiing—

Magic and White Bone Bird. Their respective winds collided.
The dragon’s fury—blue-tinged yet above all else, scorching—burned my body with searing heat as it met me.

‘This place is nearly all enemies.’

Hilsman, Raon, Valentino.
Excluding them, only enemies remained in this space.
So I made my decision.

‘Moderate it—just enough to cough up a little blood.’

With Raon present, there would be no true danger.
But if I exerted myself too much and lost consciousness, this war would truly become a cauldron of chaos.

I closed my eyes.

-Are you looking for me?

Yes. I found you.
Sky-Devouring Water.
Her crystalline voice reached me.

Following my will, the water began to move.

Saaaaa—

Wind blew.
The Crown Prince’s gaze turned toward me.

‘This is the first time I’ve seen the power of an ancient force used after the Shield.’

I had heard many stories through the eyes and ears of others.
But I had never directly witnessed Kale Heniatus wielding the power of ‘water’ before.

“…What?”

A nobleman inadvertently let out a word.

It gleamed.
No—it was a ripple.
A translucent blue wave wrapped around Kale Heniatus’s waist, forming a perfect circle.

“…Oh, Young Master.”

Vice-Captain Hilsman gazed upon the scene with evident admiration.

A single human facing an immense inferno.
A luminous wave enveloping that human.
Humble in appearance, yet beautiful.

Of course, Kale Heniatus, with his eyes closed, was unaware of this sight.
He was in the midst of negotiating.

-Are you trying to devour the sky like that XXX?

No.
I summoned the power of water, calling forth my desired intention.
A crystalline voice resonated within my mind.

-Aha! That fire vortex is blocking your freedom. Should I smash it to pieces and make it XX and then XXX it?

This insane water.
I sent my will forward.
Just extinguish that vortex carefully and moderately.

-Understood. I’ll suppress that vortex according to your intention. Only enough to make it collapse or lose consciousness.

Now I gradually felt the power of water moving in accordance with my will.

It was different from the water I controlled.
Rather, it was gentle.

Like spring rain seeping slowly through the earth, like a fine drizzle barely dampening my cheeks.
As I wielded the ancient power for the first time, I found myself thinking this.

‘Quiet.’

I felt the power rippling as silently as a lake.
Though I had worried about attempting it for the first time, I found reassurance in the sensation.

Then, after a long silence, Jjangdol’s voice reached me.

-A beast approaches in stealth and silence, seizing its prey’s throat before consuming it.

What?

-The water that devours. Do not forget the meaning of its name.

Could it be…?
The moment I hesitated, my closed eyes furrowed.
When they did, a mage from the Empire cried out.

“An immense, truly immense power is being felt!”

It was the beginning.

“Something is flowing beneath the ground, beneath the earth!”
“It’s converging! Energies from underground are gathering toward a single point, creating a tremendous force!”

Beneath the earth.
Water flows there.
The small underground streams began converging toward a single location.

Only the mages—and specifically the high-ranking ones who would stand beside the Crown Prince—felt that power. Their pupils trembled as they turned toward me.

A force different from mana.
It was nature itself.

A tremendous power was gathering beneath the earth.
And when that colossal force crouched down, ceasing to expand any further.
I opened my eyes.
At that same moment, the people of the Empire witnessed it.

Crack—

The ground splits open.
The sound of earth tearing apart echoed across the battlefield.

And water surged upward.
No—a razor-sharp spear materialized.

A colossal, dark-blue vortex of flame born from colliding winds.
That infernal maelstrom seemed poised to devour an entire city.

Boom—

A spear pierced through the chaos.
A spear forged from azure water tore through the heart of the dark-blue inferno from the ground upward.

Crash! Crash!

The deafening roar and explosions momentarily overwhelmed the senses of all who witnessed it.

Water consumed the dark-blue flame.
The spear piercing through the vortex greedily collided with the heart of the maelstrom, tearing it asunder.

“…This… this cannot be—”

Every eye of the Imperial Army fixed upon a single point.
The infernal flames were dissipating.
Simultaneously, the spear of water ascended skyward, gradually fading away.

Yet one figure remained.
Their gaze turned toward the back of a single man.

Kale Heniatus, Commander and Hero of Rowan.
In that moment, they truly grasped what it meant to be a “hero” and the miracle that Rowan had wrought. Goosebumps rose across their skin.

And Kale Heniatus felt a chill run down his spine.

‘…What is this?’

The flames had been extinguished entirely.
No, not just extinguished—obliterated without a trace. Maple Castle stood alone in the darkness.

‘That fire was created by the ancient dragon Erhafen. How could it be snuffed out so easily?’

And it seemed like the water had barely exerted any effort.
The Sky-Devouring Water had consumed the ‘Dragon’s Wrath’ in an instant, far more decisively than the water it commanded.

-Whatever it may be, I can devour even the heavens themselves.

The crystalline voice of the water echoed in his mind.
Kale slowly lowered his gaze to his trembling hands. They wouldn’t stop shaking. Watching them, a single question arose.
But that wasn’t all.

-…Human, aren’t you coughing up blood? You used that much power and you’re fine!

My thoughts exactly.
It was the moment when Raon and Kale Heniatus’s doubts aligned.
Jjangdol’s voice rang out.

-Water moves in silence and stillness, then strikes with devastating force in a single blow.

Kale Heniatus froze.

-Calm one moment, then it crashes down upon you the next.

Kale Heniatus’s face contorted. His hands trembled even more violently now.
Could it be?
Was it really?

-Water naturally has a powerful backlash. Stay strong.

Finally unable to contain his frustration, Kale Heniatus’s mouth opened.

“Damn it, cough!”

At that moment.
In the space where both the dark blue flames and azure waters had vanished, crimson blood seized the vision of all who witnessed it.
The body of the sacrificed hero slowly collapsed.

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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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