Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 310

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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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Kale heard Tasha’s voice cutting through the water. Her tone was urgent and strained.

“…This is serious. At this scale, we—we can’t handle this.”

Between Ritana and Choi Han, who looked bewildered, Tasha surveyed her subordinates.
Though a few remained in Zone 8, those at her side now were undoubtedly the Dark Elf Underground City’s finest warriors.

Their expressions had all turned rigid.
Tasha bit her lip.

‘…Extraordinary.’

The moment we passed beneath the river into Sector 7, a scent reached us—sweet yet simultaneously bitter. To the Dark Elves, it signified dead mana, the very source of their strength.

At first, it was welcome.
But as we ascended further against the current, my breath grew shallow.
The dead mana we sensed was far too abundant for us to process. How many deaths were contained within this overwhelming presence?

Tasha found herself looking toward Merry.
Her father, the current Market Master of the Dark Elf Underground City, had spoken briefly upon the emergence of dark magic.

‘Protect Merry.’
‘Pardon? Father?’
‘That is my command as Market Master. Merry may perhaps—’

The Dark Elf Market Master, who had lived for over five hundred years, closed his eyes before opening them again to speak.

‘Yes, perhaps this is all natural order. The moment has come to inherit the will of the Sage of Death.’

The Sage of Death?
Who was that?
Tasha felt confusion, but the Market Master was resolute.

‘Take the greatest warriors with you. I will send more later. But you must protect Merry at all costs. Our only Necromancer must be safeguarded.’

Tasha had already resolved to protect Merry regardless of what the Market Master said.
If Alberu was connected to her by blood as a niece, then Merry was the child bound to her by something equally profound. She had not forgotten the moment she saved Merry when the girl was ten years old.

“This is grave.”

Tasha hesitated, turning her gaze toward Erhafen. Unlike the other Dark Elves, she knew the identity of this ancient dragon. The others were likely still uncertain about the situation.

Tasha squeezed her eyes shut at the words pouring from the petrified dragon’s mouth.

“The Empire’s purpose was to destroy the Jungle from the start.”

In that moment, silence fell, then an urgent voice pierced through the water.

“What? What are you talking about?”

Ritana, the ruler of the Jungle, reacted strongly. To her, Tasha slowly began explaining the power lurking throughout all of Sector 7.
Not only Ritana, but Choi Han’s eyes wavered as well.

“So, in other words. Dead mana bombs currently exist throughout all of Sector 7, and when they detonate, the Dark Elves might be able to absorb it later, but at the moment of detonation, everyone will be unable to handle it?”

Ritana’s voice trembled as she organized Tasha’s words with a dazed expression.

“So not everyone can be saved. And Sector 7 could be partially destroyed?”

As if answering her own words, she heard the low, grave voice of the mysterious Grand Mage.

“They intend to create hell.”

Hell.
The moment Erhafen uttered that word, a chill ran down Ritana’s spine.
Her grip tightened on the spear in her hand. Simultaneously, her gaze fixed on one place.

Kale Heniatus.
Without realizing it, my eyes turned toward him. Not that he could provide any answers.

‘No one could have anticipated this situation.’

I knew the Empire would covet Sector 7, but who could have foreseen their intention to destroy it?

‘Should I have told them to flee, to resist?’

Ritana recalled her past self commanding the Jungle people not to resist, to remain still. And she also remembered her own choice to stay in Zone 8 rather than rush forward immediately.

‘Damn it!’

As anger bloomed in her eyes, Kale Heniatus entered her field of vision.

“…Your Highness?”

And without thinking, I called out to him.

Because he was smiling.

I couldn’t help it.
One of the ancient powers within Kale Heniatus’s mind kept trying to speak to him.

-I’m hungry. I can keep eating, truly endlessly.

The Glutton Goddess’s words about having no limits.

-The Wind did it that way, didn’t it? Use me to escape, and use Jjangdol to protect your home. Use me.

The Glutton Goddess was serious.

-I am the only one among them who ‘grows’.

Fire, water, wind, earth.
Those were things that had always existed.
But trees were different.

-Trees are beings who ‘live’ like ‘humans’.

Born, growing, dying. Life itself.

-And I am an ‘unbreakable’ tree.

Trees break.
But the Glutton Goddess, she was a being that could not break.
Because of this, she could grow endlessly, continue to develop, and simultaneously embrace.

Rooted in the earth, consuming sunlight, air, water, and warmth—growing by devouring everything and more.
I could not survive alone, but with just a little help, with a foundation beneath me, I could reach anywhere.
And a foundation had been created for Meokbo.
Within the vessel called Kale Heniatus existed everything she needed.

-Do you know why I died in that rocky land?

Meokbo asked Kale Heniatus with a smile.
And soon provided the answer herself.

-Because there were few trees there. Only rocks.

Kale Heniatus let out a low chuckle.
It was inevitable.

-I was born in the Jungle.

Laughter escaped me at Meokbo’s words.

-Back then, the Jungle was dark. Because the trees were black. That’s why this place was also called the Dark Forest.

I recalled the conversation from the moment I first gained ancient power upon arriving at the Heniatus Territory. The owner of the unbreakable shield had spoken.

‘There were no such flavors in ancient times. Those who served gods—those Dark Forest bastards—only ever gave me tasteless things.’
‘Of course, I was driven out. For having too much appetite. Ridiculous nonsense. Of course, I came out with my comrades back then. We intended to set the world right.’

I had thought she was referring to the Dark Forest where Choi Han came from, but I was mistaken.
There had been another Dark Forest in ancient times.

-You remember what I said, don’t you?

I nodded at Meokbo’s question.
Of course I remembered. It was the moment I first gained power.

When the shield was inscribed upon my chest, the Glutton Goddess had spoken.

‘I will protect you.’

After that, the shield protected Kale every single time.
This time would be no different.

Kale spoke to those watching him.

“We proceed with the operation as planned.”

Simultaneously, he recalled the appearance of Sector 7.
Sector 7 as he had seen it when he went there before during the Sun God Cult incident.
Every building and person, including the Royal Palace, existed alongside the trees. The buildings were constructed between and atop the trees, making the entire city one vast forest.

“Your Highness, if that happens, the Imperial Army could detonate dead mana bombs and destroy Sector 7!”

Tasha voiced her concerns urgently, and Kale nodded before responding.

“Do not worry about the explosion.”
“…Pardon?”

When Ritana questioned him, Kale spoke the shield’s words with gentle certainty.

“I will consume it all so that no one is harmed.”

He prepared to rise above the water.

“The dead mana will not harm the people or the forest. Trust me.”

Kale’s words reached the ears of his companions.

“And opportunities are scarce. We cannot know what lies ahead. This is not the time to look back.”
“…Your Highness.”

Ritana bit her lip, lost in thought. She trusted Kale, but countless lives hung in the balance.
That was when it happened.

“Kale.”

Choi Han, who had been silent, stepped forward.

“Are you using the power of the ancients?”

Ancient power. At those words, Ritana faltered. Through Rosalind and Choi Han before Kale’s arrival, she had learned how critical his condition had become, and yet how he continued to push himself relentlessly forward.

Suddenly, the image of Kale extinguishing the flames in Jungle Zone 1 and stumbling, about to collapse, flashed through her mind.
She looked at Kale, and he, thinking once again how sharp Choi Han truly was, opened his mouth.

“Yes.”

Ritana bit her lip at that simple, almost composed answer.
Here in Jungle Zone 7, countless lives existed.
And one person had wagered his life to save them.

‘…I cannot predict how the Empire will move now.’

Even if the Jungle remained still, the Empire, cornered by the declarations of multiple kingdoms, might detonate Jungle Zone 7 and flee.
At least if that happened, the Jungle would be unable to join the war while tending to itself, or its involvement would be delayed. The Empire might be aiming for precisely that.

Ritana’s expression grew composed.

“Let’s go.”

The moment the leader made her decision, Kale heard Raon’s voice.

‘There’s no patrol at this point right now!’

Kale pushed off the riverbed and surged upward.

Splash—

Golden dust swirled around him and his companions as they cut through the water’s surface.
Erhafen cast invisibility once more.

The water parted, but the figure that emerged from it remained unseen.

“Hah.”

The moment I broke the surface, I exhaled a low breath.

Raon was right, as always.

Hundreds of cylindrical water tank-like structures stood scattered throughout Sector 7.

Beep— beep beep—

They existed quietly, each crowned with a beautifully luminous crystal sphere at its top. Yet from those radiant crystal spheres came an eerie signal sound.

Tap.

With a soft sound, Kale descended to the riverbank and heard Ritana’s voice tinged with despair. Yet he could say nothing in response.

It was bright.

The countless houses in Jungle Sector 7 were now shrouded in complete darkness. The jungle people would be huddled inside those homes, holding their breath.

Sector 7 blazed brighter than ever—illuminated by hundreds of beautiful crystal spheres, the light from the Royal Palace seized by the Empire, and the radiance pouring down from the airship hovering above the palace.
It was beautiful, as if one had arrived in a magnificent city.

Kale issued his command immediately upon witnessing the sight.

“Everyone, move to your positions.”

He could not see them, but he felt the shift in atmosphere.
Kale glanced toward the four cardinal directions and the center, then spoke.

“And destroy them.”

No response was necessary.

Tap.
The moment footsteps sounded, the group split apart and began moving in all four cardinal directions.

—Human! Everyone is moving quickly! It looks like they’ll all reach their positions soon!

To the east: Ritana, ruler of the jungle, and Dark Elves.
To the west: Tasha, a Dark Elf warrior, and Dark Elves.
To the south: Merry and Dark Elves.
To the north: Choi Han and Dark Elves.

A voice reached Kale from behind.

“I’ll go too. The kid and I will do our best together.”

The final presence.
The ancient dragon Erhafen began to slowly rise upward.
He headed toward the center.
The airship.
Erhafen took charge of it.

Kale spread both hands wide. The moment the attack began, the invisibility shrouding the group would shatter. And everyone would reveal themselves before the enemy.
When all eyes converged on that moment, another operation would commence.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

My heart pounded.
Simultaneously, I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath.

Whoooosh—

I heard a sound.
The rustling of leaves swaying in the wind.

I felt it.
I felt that this was a forest, a jungle, that countless trees existed here.

A very faint sound reached Kale’s ears.

Whisper—
It was the sound of leaves.
But it was slightly different from before.

Whisper—
Whisper whisper whisper—
Whisper—

The trees of Sector 7, located where the brilliant light of the Empire could not reach.
The leaves and branches of the trees touching the building where the hushed jungle people waited began to move gradually in one direction.

That was when it happened.

Boom!

My eyes opened.
The north was immediately visible.

-Human! It has begun!

A black-haired swordsman soared above the golem. Black aura was destroying the golem.
It was Choi Han who started it.

Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!

Sounds followed from the east, west, and south.
I lowered my head.
My invisibility had been dispelled, and my figure was now revealed.

Weeee— Wee—

Warning alarms began blaring from the Sector 7 airship.
The quiet of night shattered.
I gazed at the airship with a smile.

“I shall create hell for them.”

Tonight would become a nightmare for the Imperial Army.

Whoosh—
The trees began to stir the wind.

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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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