Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 336

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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 noticed wounds on Erhafen beyond the trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.

Erhafen’s upper garment hung in tatters, caught in the blast.
Through the tears, scars were visible across his back, chest, abdomen—everywhere.
They were old wounds.

‘…A dragon bears scars?’

Kale’s thoughts drifted to Choi Han and Witira, the Whale Tribe’s successor. They too carried countless scars, large and small.
Beings lauded as the strong. Yet all of them bore scars.
The reason was simple.

They grew.
One could not be complete from the beginning. As they grew gradually, their bodies accumulated scars for countless reasons.
Just as Kim Rok-soo’s entire frame was hideously covered in scars.

“Golden dragon! Squeak!”

Kale wrapped his hand around Raon’s head as the young dragon thrashed in his arms, muffling his voice.

“Does this little one really want to call out like that even now?”

Sigh.
Kale saw Erhafen’s shoulders rise with a sigh. The dragon’s voice was serene, as if the fury had never existed, and Kale spoke bluntly.

“Sir Erhafen, when did I become your child?”
“Golden dragon! I am not a child, I am the great Raon Mi, squeak!”

Kale simply clamped Raon’s mouth shut and lifted the increasingly plump, heavier body. The apple pie seemed to go straight to the dragon’s waistline every time Kale bought it—it had become quite heavy.

“…Alas, such is my fate.”

The devastatingly beautiful face turned slightly toward Kale and Raon, who had just deactivated his transparency, before shifting into the visage of an elderly man as a lament escaped his lips. Then he turned his gaze forward once more and spoke flatly.

“Step back.”

Erhafen’s emotionless eyes fixed upon the White Star before him. His gaze was drawn especially to the sword held in the White Star’s hand.

A blade imbued with the properties of fire and the power of natural calamity.
That was likely the true Calamity Sword of the Dragon Slayer Family.

“It has been a while.”

It had been ages since I let my guard down and took a hit. And as I was struck, I understood.
No—I realized it the moment I silently and effortlessly blocked dozens of light arrows I had unleashed with a curtain of water.

That one is mine to face.

Uuuuung—
Around Erhafen, platinum-bright particles more brilliant than ever before began to manifest. Enormous mana centered on Erhafen silently began to dominate the surroundings, causing the very air to vibrate.

This situation too had been a long time coming.
For the first time in ages, Erhafen revealed his full power.

‘Erhafen, you are far too arrogant. I am arrogant as well, but you seem to surpass even me.’

The voice of Olien, now a dead dragon, drifted like mist through my ears.

‘You live entirely on the taste of your own excellence, don’t you?’

True.
I am an arrogant dragon who lives on the taste of my own excellence.
Like most dragons, I was arrogant, and arrogant still.
Yet I believed there existed reason for my arrogance to be justified.

‘Erhafen, weren’t you called a born fighter in your youth?’

After aging, I quietly aided the Elves and World Tree, and occasionally assisted young dragons through their first growth, living a tranquil life—but I was a fighter. That was how I was called among dragons in the past.
Yet in truth, I was not ‘completely born’ to it.

When I obtained the attribute of dust or powder and was ridiculed for it, I believed in the strength of my attribute and practiced, striving relentlessly.
Through such practice and development, I stood before other dragons with my refined power.

Erhafen spoke calmly, still sensing the presence behind him.

“Step back.”
“Erhafen.”

Kale’s voice reached me. Erhafen shook his head slightly and let out an indifferent response.

“I’ll do it.”
“Golden Dragon Grandpa!”

Raon’s voice followed.
After Kale came Raon. Erhafen sighed. What kind of hardship was this in his twilight years?
Yet at the prospect of a proper battle after so long, Erhafen could feel the surging power coursing through his body.

With that, he stepped forward and spoke.

“Kale, make sure you take proper care of things.”

What needed to be taken care of was clear without explanation.
Kale unfurled his silver shield once more and retreated backward. Then, feeling the sensation beneath his feet, he released Voice of Wind.

“…Hey.”
“What?”

Kale, mounted atop Merry’s skeletal dragon and cradling a young dragon roughly 1 meter 20 centimeters in size in his arms, responded with a sullen expression to Hana’s call. Hana gazed at Kale for a moment, then turned her head away.

She looked up at the sky.

Screeeee—
The black clouds persisted.
Hana lowered her gaze to look at Kale.

“Will it be alright?”

Will those black clouds and that White Star both be alright?
Hana could still see Kale’s expressionless face. Kale held the struggling Raon more firmly in his arms and spoke.

“What would I do if it wasn’t alright?”

Kale’s gaze passed over the black clouds and fixed on Erhafen.
Kale had experienced countless situations that were not alright. Each time, there was only one thing he needed to think about.
If the situation wasn’t alright.

“Then I’ll make it alright. Without fail.”

Then that would work.
No matter what, there was always room for circumstances to change.

Through Erhafen’s shoulder, Kale could see the White Star wiping away blood that dripped from the corner of his mouth like an ancient dragon. His shoulders looked utterly exhausted.

“Is it because he’s lived the longest among dragons currently in existence? He’s quite formidable.”

Yet despite appearing worn, his expression was quite cheerful. He spoke while watching the platinum-colored dust gathering around Erhafen.

“I’ve always been curious about something.”
“What were you curious about?”

Erhafen replied with equal indifference.
Even so, Kale received a glance from Erhafen and immediately sent a hand signal downward.

The Dark Elf Tasha descended below and, together with the other Dark Elves, led the remaining people away from the Alchemy Tower.
Meanwhile, Rosalind on the airship also ordered it to move beyond the black clouds.

The ancient dragon was buying them time to escape.
The battle about to unfold could injure anyone merely by being nearby.

“Should we go too?”

Kale shook his head at Hana’s question.

“Not yet.”

Kale looked down below. Past Choi Han, Merry was moving black threads to gather the Tower Master Bernhard—or rather, the remaining black bones.
Saint Jack and Sir Rex beside her were also visible. Kale gestured to Sir Rex. At that signal, Rex nodded in acknowledgment.
They would also escape. Or they would find a way to defend themselves.

Kale knew this, Erhafen knew this, and the White Star knew this too.
Yet the White Star remained unhurried. As if those fleeing were of no concern to him. He slung the Destructive Fire across his shoulder and opened his mouth.

“What I was curious about was this.”

The White Star recalled a time long past.
From very long ago, since the time he lived his first life, this was something he had wondered about.

“Dragons live for a thousand years.”

Erhafen shimmered brilliantly within bright brown eyes.

“Dragons born strong from the moment of their birth live for a thousand years. The longest-lived of all creatures in this world.”

Born the strongest, and simultaneously destined to live the longest.

“Then how powerful would they become?”

What an unfair distribution of power and time this was.
The White Star—a young man born and raised within the Dragon Slayer Family—could not comprehend this reality.

“Dragon Slayers. Those who hunt dragons possess human lifespans. At best, they live around a hundred years.”

Dragon Slayers were born as humans, not inherently strong from the beginning. And their lifespans were shorter than those of other beast-folk, dragons, Elves, or Dwarves.

“Yet such beings grow beneath the constraints of brief lifespans and weak foundations, eventually becoming powerful enough to hunt dragons. Is that not remarkable?”

A twisted smile formed at the corners of the White Star’s mouth.

“And yet, for all our strength, we could not conquer all dragons.”

The Dragon Slayers grew at an astonishing rate.
Only one head of the Dragon Slayer Family per generation—a single human in each era capable of matching a dragon.
That human could not conquer the dragons.

“Why?”

The answer was simple.
The White Star questioned himself and answered himself.

“Because our lifespans are short.”

Humans possessed limited time to grow stronger, constrained by the brevity of their existence—a finite window for development and advancement.
How profoundly unjust.

It was not merely my body that grew stronger.
The wisdom of long years. The experience and mastery of power that time itself had forged.
The Dragon Slayer Family could never match the experience of a dragon who had lived a thousand years.

“That’s why I was curious.”

No—I had chosen.
The White Star smiled brightly at the ancient dragon gazing down at me and spoke.

“If the Dragon Slayer Family could exist for as long as a dragon’s lifespan. Then would they truly grow stronger?”

From that small question—or perhaps from defiance itself—stemmed my dissatisfaction with my own existence. That discontent accumulated and accumulated, and from it, the White Star chose reincarnation. Called a rebel against nature, yet by power alone, I should have been the rightful ruler—the Dragon Slayer Family. The White Star wanted to shatter my own destiny.
Of course, that process was never easy. It was an opportunity gained by sacrificing countless things I would rather not remember.
White Star wanted to shatter his own destiny.
“So I chose a way to live as long as dragons do, and living that life, I killed them one by one, step by step.”

The White Star’s smile deepened.

“The dragons.”

From the weak to the strong.

Each time I was reborn, I gained a young body anew, and through memories that would not fade, experience and wisdom continued to accumulate.
Who could defeat such a being?
No—even if defeated, the newly reborn me simply killed them instead.
Who could possibly defeat him like that?
In that process, the Dragon Hybrid and the false Dragon Slayer Sirem were created. As a thousand years of time flashed through the White Star’s mind, Erhaben’s voice reached me.

“So has your question been answered?”

The White Star shook my head.

White Star shook his head.
“Well, it was a question I had as a child, so I’m not sure if it will ever be resolved?”

Erhaben—the only dragon on the Continent who had lived a thousand years. He gazed at the sword of fire aimed at me and asked.

The Dragon Erhafen, the only one on the Continent to have lived a thousand years. He asked me as he gazed upon the flaming sword pointed at me.

“What if my doubts were resolved?”

The White Star spoke as though the mere thought delighted him. He answered while recalling the two endeavors he had spent a thousand years preparing for.

“Then I would simply need to make Kale into a Dragon Slayer. And obtain what I have always desired.”

As he spoke, flames erupted from the White Star’s blade.
Fire like molten lava forged an enormous sword edge.

Whiiiiish—
Simultaneously, wind converged upon that blade. It was as though a tempest and magma had intertwined. Natural calamities—those aggressive forces of nature itself—were coalescing.

“What is it that you desire?”

In contrast, the space around Erhafen, who posed the question, had become enshrouded in light and fallen silent. There was no sound—only existence itself.

“What do I desire?”

The smile faded from the White Star’s lips, replaced by the visage of exhaustion. His mouth opened with a voice brimming with yearning.

“To become a ruler, not a traitor.”

A ruler.
At that word, Kale’s grip tightened involuntarily.

thud. thud.
Thump. Thump.
My heart suddenly raced.
Atop the skeletal dragon, I felt my body’s surging power raise the hair on my skin.

-The power of the Dragon Slayer is a beautiful power.

The dragon, who was ready to fight the white star, wanted to tell Kayle one thing.

-Dragon Slayer was called a traitor. At the same time, in the past, dragons had separate names.

The dragons hated dragon-slaying, but they also liked it.
The dragons despised the Dragon Slayer, and yet they cherished them.

-One who overcomes himself.

The corners of Erhaven’s mouth rose.

-It refers to beautiful people.

Cale could hear Erhaven’s words in his head and the words he spoke out of his mouth.

“How do you get a ruler?”

Platinum-colored powder slowly began to scatter in all directions.
Platinum-colored dust began to scatter slowly in all directions.

Erhaven, standing in the center of the powder, aimed his spear forward. A flaming sword was aimed at the spear, and the white star answered.
Standing at the center of that dust, Erhafen leveled his spear forward. A sword of fire met it in opposition, and the White Star answered.
How the Ruler would come to be.

“To become heaven.”

At that moment, Cale crouched down.

“Huh.”

I took a deep breath.
He drew in a sharp breath.

“Human, are you sick?”

Cale shook his head at Raon’s urgent voice whispering.
At Raon’s urgent whisper, I shook my head.

“Is it hard, human?”

It’s not that hard.
It wasn’t struggle either.
I shook my head. My insides simply churned. My entire body convulsed as though caught in a rapid current, shaken violently.

-There you are.

Ancient power.
Ancient Powers.

-That bastard had the power of heaven.

A clear voice spoke harsh words.
A crystalline voice uttered those crude words.

The power to run wild as if it couldn’t hold back its anger. The owner of that power spoke as if crying.

-The power of the guy who killed everyone has appeared again!

Killed everyone?
Slaughtered everyone?

-me.

A scary Jjangdol voice was heard.

-A glutton, a thief, and a scoundrel.

Shield, wind, firestorm.

-It is the force that forced us to die.

The force that caused those four to die?
The power that killed those four?
Kale lifted his head and gazed toward the sky.

Kiiiiii-
Screeeeeee—
Yet there was no dawn, only black clouds stretching endlessly.

It is an ancient power with sky attributes.
An Ancient Power of the sky attribute, then.

-sky. It is the power that looks down on everything. A power with the damned idea that everything exists under the sky. That damn power that shouldn’t have appeared in the world has appeared again.

However, just by Jjangdol’s serious voice, one could guess how much power he had. The desperate voice of the water devouring the sky rang out.

-This time, I and we can catch it! It might be possible this time!

A voice filled with desperation and a little hope.

-Now, as my name suggests, I will eat the sky!

The water that eats up the sky continues to shout.
Sky-Devouring Water continued to cry out.

-Run away.

It was my first time.
It was the first time.

-Not yet.

Not yet.
Not yet.

-You are still weak. We need to grow a little more, a little more.

Suddenly, Cale remembered what White Star had said.

‘really. ‘Kale, you don’t even know how to use ancient power properly.’

That word came to mind along with the word weak that Jjangdol said.
Those words echoed alongside Jjangdol’s assertion of weakness.
Weak?
Me, wielding power that astonishes everyone?
Yet that power is something I cannot properly control?

-Do not sacrifice.

It was Jjangdol’s calm voice.

-Your side still lacks strength.

Cale thought of his companions.
Kale recalled his companions.
Erhaben, Raon, Choi Han, Merry. There were so many of them. And yet that wasn’t enough?

-And don’t make yourself a victim by ignoring me like I did.

Don’t make yourself a victim.
Don’t let them become sacrifices.

“Run away!”

Choi Han, Mary, Jack, Hana. Everyone looked at him.
Choi Han, Merry, Jack, Hana. Everyone turned to look at him.

“Run away!”

Cale shouted, the blood in his neck rising.

“…Kale?”

The person who was most surprised by that action was Erhaven. Because it was different from the kale I knew.
The one most shocked by his outburst was Erhaben. This was not the Kale I knew.

“Is it because you have a lot of ancient power?”

White Star said with a smile.

“Does it feel good?”

Wooooow-
Uuuuuung—
A vibration resonated through the air.

“…That’s-”

The sky was shaking.
The sky itself was vibrating.

Cale saw a white star reaching towards the sky. The white star spoke as it looked at the sky reacting to itself.

“Bernard, my faithful servant.”

A black cloud spread from the Lich’s heart orb.

“I will destroy it with your power.”

black clouds.
Black clouds.

“The imperial capital is abandoned.”

The moment the white star said that, black clouds stirred.
The moment the White Star spoke those words, the black clouds rippled.

-Heaven has not yet won, but there is something we can do.

What Kayle and the Ancient Forces can do right now.

“…purification.”
“…Purification.”

What is there to purify?
What needed purification?
It was clear without words.

-There are many means of purification by your side.

Cale thought of the means by his side. There was a strange look in his eyes.

“one.”
“Hana.”

Cale quickly asked Hana, who was staring blankly at the fluctuating clouds in the sky.

“Can you remove the black cloud with this white sword?”
“Can you dispel the black clouds with this white sword?”

Hana paused for a moment and quickly answered, recalling Cale’s bloodshot eyes and the voice that shouted with bloodshot eyes.

“I don’t know. I just say it needs to be destroyed.”
“I don’t know. But something keeps telling me I have to destroy it.”
“Give it to me.”

Hana asked back blankly, but Cale immediately looked at the white sword and stretched out his hand.

“Do you have any use for it?”
“Do you have a use for it?”

Hana hesitated and handed the white sword to Cale, who said he had some use for it. He then tried to pull out his sword from his side. I intended to follow.
Hana hesitated for a moment before handing the white sword to Kale, who claimed he had a use for it. She then moved to draw her own blade from her side, intending to follow him into battle.

“ruler.”
“Here.”

Hana opened her eyes wide as she looked at the being handed over to her.
Hana’s eyes widened as she looked at what had been placed in her arms.

“What? Human?”
“What is this? A human?”

Instead of answering Hana and Raon, who asked with a puzzled expression what he was doing, Kale floated upwards with the sound of the wind in his feet. And he spoke firmly to the two.

“Run away.”

At that moment, Jjangdol’s voice full of sighs was heard.

-They say don’t sacrifice.

And Cale felt a strong force surrounding his entire body.
And Kale felt a solid, protective force envelop his entire body.

Pajik, pajik.
Crackle, crackle.

Erhaven, who saw Cale’s appearance, created a huge platinum wind and shot towards the white star.

-Kale, step back. I am enough, no, I can do it.

I do it.
I will make it happen.
Kale Heniatus was not one to miss the weight behind those words.
Jjangdol had said that the Sky attribute could not surpass the Dragon, that it was insufficient.

“You should live long.”

Kayle briefly responded to the ancient dragon’s words and soared toward the sky and toward the black clouds.

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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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