Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 342

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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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How should I approach the Mercenary King?
The Crown Prince’s information proved invaluable to Kale, who had been wrestling with that very problem.

Yet he could discern the subtle shifts in Alberu’s expression. To him, whose reckless instincts had stirred after so long, Albert Crossman offered a single reaction.

“…Reckless?”

He repeated the word slowly.

“Pfft—!”

Then he laughed.

“You sound like every passing ruffian clutching their bellies and rolling on the ground in laughter.”

Kale reflected.
That honeyed tongue of his, so practiced in flattery, seemed to grow increasingly caustic toward Kale with each passing day.

Tap. Tap.
Alberu patted Kale’s shoulder.

“Just take it easy for now.”

Unable to voice his distaste for idleness, Kale clamped his mouth shut. At his silence, Alberu shook his head with a wry smile and spoke.

“I hear you need to meet the fake Dragon Slayer?”

The Crown Prince’s gaze turned toward Erhafen. When Kale had lost consciousness, it was the only request Erhafen had made of the Crown Prince.
Kale nodded readily.

“Yes, we must meet them.”

The White Star.
The final Dragon Slayer. To gather detailed intelligence on them, I would first need to meet with Sirem, the fake Dragon Slayer, and the Dragon Hybrid.
Of course, the priority before that was securing healing power for Erhafen.

My gaze shifted back to Erhafen. At that look, Erhafen shrugged and opened his mouth.

“May I answer your questions now?”

Questions about the Dragon Slayer Family and the destruction of souls.
Kale and his companions looked toward the Ancient Dragon, ready to listen. Alberto, who had returned midway, seemed to catch on quickly and sat down on the bed. Only then did the Ancient Dragon open his mouth.

Dragon Slayers.
A tale about them.

“The Dragon Slayer Family is a peculiar place.”

Erhafen recounted an ancient story he had once heard from another Ancient Dragon in the past.

“From some point in time unknown, strong humans from across the continent began gathering to form a single village.”

The location remained a mystery.
But somewhere on the Western Continent, a small village had supposedly come into being.

“Those strong ones were peculiar individuals. They pursued both spiritual cultivation and physical strength simultaneously.”

In simpler terms, they were akin to martial artists.

“They were especially fond of sparring, it’s said. Perhaps people with such competitive inclinations gathered to seek equally matched opponents, which led to the village’s formation—but more than that.”

More than that?
Kale waited for what would come next, and after a brief pause, Erhafen spoke.

“It was because there existed a human as strong as a dragon in that place. A being who easily defeated the Whale Tribe, the Lion Tribe, other beast-kin, Elves, and Dwarves.”

Kale’s mouth fell open.

“Was that Dragon Slayer the one you speak of?”
“Yes.”

Erhafen added further.

“And that person was the first Dragon Slayer.”
“…The first?”
“Yes.”

The Ancient Dragon stroked the Young Dragon’s head, whose eyes gleamed with a fierce light, and continued speaking.

“That Dragon Slayer said this: ‘I am the one who created the power to slay dragons.'”

He added one more thing.

“And that first Dragon Slayer spoke to those who formed the village.”

That was where it all began.

“I shall pass my power to the strongest among you.”

Erhafen closed his eyes and spoke in a measured, almost chanting tone.

“After that, as much time passed, several families emerged in that village.”

A collection of people connected by blood was called a family.
However, the first Dragon Slayer had no blood relatives at all.
Instead, the strongest warriors of that village became his sworn brothers, his subordinates, his companions—forming what seemed like a single community, which transformed into families as time flowed onward.

“And all those families together are called the Dragon Slayer Family.”

Kale’s mouth opened.

“Then the strongest of the Dragon Slayer Family and that village would be the family head and Dragon Slayer, correct?”
“Indeed.”

Kale’s expression shifted subtly.
The White Star, who had said he killed everyone of the Dragon Slayer Family.

‘I am the family head of the Dragon Slayer Family. And I am the one who annihilated the Dragon Slayer Family.’
‘I left not a single soul alive except myself.’

In essence, he had wiped out an entire village.
And he had done it alone—a place where there were many powerful warriors.

What could his reason have been?
Kale recalled what the White Star had desired.

‘I’ll make Kale a Dragon Slayer. And once I obtain what I desire, that will be enough.’

The words spoken by the White Star, whose face was worn with exhaustion yet burning with desire.

‘Not a traitor, but a ruler.’

Erhafen spoke to Kale, who was lost in thought, with a sigh.

“I made a mistake when I saw you. It was so long ago that I thought you were someone from that family—the only one remaining.”

Kale asked him in response.

“Then what does ‘traitor’ mean?”

The Dragon Slayer who wished to become a ruler, not a traitor.
I was curious about the meaning behind it. Was it something significant enough to warrant repeated reincarnations?

I could see the bitterness settling into Erhafen’s expression.

“Nature decreed the Dragon Slayer a traitor.”

Traitor. The word had an unpleasant ring to it depending on how you heard it.

“A being capable of slaying the Dragon, the strongest life form in the world, and…”

Erhafen paused to consider before continuing.

“When I return from the Eastern Continent, I’ll need to visit the World Tree. Since I only heard about this secondhand, I might not have all the details correct. The World Tree would know everything properly.”

The World Tree, situated in the Northern Western Continent.
I would need to meet it once.

“In any case, Dragon Slayers are those who transcended the limits of lifespan, physical talent, and innate gifts to become the strong.”

And he added further.

“Moreover, it is a power that only humans can possess.”

I organized my thoughts about the power of the Dragon Slayer.

A human who had overcome and conquered himself had finally grasped it—a power so immense that it could slay even the Dragon, who possessed the world’s greatest strength, and overturn everything.

‘…This is a headache.’

I had to bring down someone who had wielded that power for a thousand years.
A headache was already beginning to form. In the midst of this, Erhafen opened his mouth as if to shift the heavy atmosphere that had settled.

“Ah, and I’ve heard that the Dragon Lord’s only friend has long been the Dragon Slayer Family.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. Of course, they say the two of them fight, striking and countering each other, swearing they’ll kill one another.”

The Dragon Lord—the leader or commander of the Dragons.
And the Dragon Slayer Family—those who could kill Dragons.
The two of them being friends was a relationship that seemed understandable yet strangely peculiar.

“Well. It’s been quite some time since the Dragon Lord disappeared, so I can’t say for certain either.”

Erhafen shrugged his shoulders. At the same time, his gaze drifted slightly toward Raon.
In that moment, another question reached his ears.

“What does it mean to shatter a soul?”

Erhafen stared intently at Choi Han, who had posed the question, before opening his mouth.

“It means the soul—the existence itself—disappears.”

There was nothing more to explain.
Silence descended for a moment.

But that silence was soon broken. Kale pushed aside the steak plate in his hand and rose from the bed.

“Let’s go.”

Shouldn’t I meet with that lunatic Mercenary King first?
Whatever the case, if I took it one step at a time, I would eventually reach my destination someday.

* * *

Whoooosh—
I blinked at the brilliant light of the teleportation magic.

The Inn of Hope and Adventure.
The familiar walls of the inn room came into view. As the bright light faded and my vision gradually returned, I found myself thinking.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve been here—’

But my thought couldn’t continue.

“Oof!”

I gasped involuntarily as something charged straight at me and collided with my legs.

Meowwww.
I lowered my head.

Meowwww. Meow.
The red cat leaped onto my legs, rubbing its face against them while patting my feet repeatedly with its front paws.

“….”

The silver cat approached silently and stopped a step ahead of me, staring up at me intently.
With an expressionless face, I picked up the red cat, Hong.
Though still a kitten, it had grown quite chubby and was surprisingly heavy.

When I opened my remaining arm to On, it eagerly leaped into the space. In that instant, Hong’s voice reached me.

“You’re an idiot!”
“That’s right. Our brother said something true.”
“As expected, you’re smart! Weak humans can be idiots sometimes!”

Sigh.
For the first time in a while, I found myself simply swallowing a sigh as the nine-year-olds spoke simultaneously. But the moment I looked straight ahead, I froze.

“…Young Master.”

Ron, the servant, was smiling with a benevolent expression.
While fidgeting with a dagger.

‘What happened to this old man while I was away? He’s become even more intimidating.’

My eyes wavered. For some reason, Servant Ron always managed to unsettle people.

“I heard you’ve had a difficult week.”

My gaze shifted away from Ron to somewhere else.
From the looks of the current situation, it seemed Ron, On, and Hong had all learned that I’d been unconscious this past week.
It didn’t matter if Ron found out, but who on earth told those children, On and Hong, such unnecessary information?
My face twisted as my gaze turned toward my companions who had come with me.

“Ahem, ahem! I know nothing!”

Raon’s front paws fidgeted, and his large, round eyes rolled away from my gaze.
A raccoon indeed.
I let out a sigh.
He must have contacted On and Hong, who were like family to him, out of frustration in his own way.

“Sigh.”

The moment I exhaled, the inn room door burst open roughly.

“You’ve arrived?”

Vicross, dressed as a chef, shouted as he opened the door, and in that instant, our eyes met. I paused at the sight of Vicross holding a kitchen knife.
Vicross looked at me, Raon, and Erhafen once each, then his gaze landed on Choi Han as he spoke curtly.

“You all look gaunt.”

With those words, he closed the door again and said,

“Come eat or don’t, as you wish.”

…What kind of tone was that?
I was bewildered. I looked around my surroundings. Raon was now plump, and while I could overlook myself and Erhafen, that aside.

“…Choi Han, you’ve lost weight too?”
“No, sir.”

Kale’s expression shifted to one of clear displeasure. Raon shouted through the tension.

“Choi Han, ever since you fought the White Star four times around, your appetite seems to have diminished!”

Kale stared at him intently. Choi Han then quietly averted his gaze.

“I will eat well.”
“I trust you.”

For a moment, Choi Han’s body flinched, but Kale had already turned his attention to Ron. Ron spoke to Kale with gentle kindness.

“Since you’ve traveled such a long distance, shall we have a meal first?”
“Yes.”

Click.
The door opened and Raon deployed his invisibility magic.
The inn had three floors total. As Kale stepped into the hallway, he sensed something amiss.

“…There are no guests on the third floor?”

I had thought the inn was thriving, yet the third-floor corridor was desolate. Just as my own spirits began to deflate at this emptiness, Ron spoke matter-of-factly.

“We’ve kept the third floor vacant for a week since hearing of your arrival, sir.”

…I need to earn money. There’s no need for them to go out of their way for me like this.
Yet Kale swallowed his true thoughts, recognizing their consideration. Ron guided him forward and spoke.

“You’ve come to meet the Mercenary King, I hear?”
“Yes. Can you determine where the Mercenary King is currently located?”

I needed to meet the Mercenary King as soon as possible. Kale glanced briefly at Erhafen’s still-pallid complexion before fixing his gaze on Ron.

“Sir.”

A subtle smile played at the corners of Ron’s mouth.

“Currently, Mercenary Guild branches across the Eastern Continent are under attack. These are believed to be the work of Dark.”

Kale nodded at the fact he already knew.
Hadn’t the White Star targeted the Mercenary Guild? Then naturally, they would have attacked it.

“So currently, the Mercenary Guild is said to be investigating the attacked locations and preparing for war against Dark.”

A clash between the organization that dominated the Underworld and the Mercenary Guild.
Just hearing about it suggested the scale would be enormous. Kale’s expression grew serious. He was worried he might get dragged into something massive if he wasn’t careful.

It was then that Ron brought up an unexpected topic.

“So the Mercenary King is leading an investigation team and visiting the guild branches that were attacked. And apparently, information circulated a few days ago that he will soon visit the first attack site.”

Oh.
That was useful information.

“Where was the first attack site?”

The first location where Dark had launched a full-scale assault on the Mercenary Guild. Where could that be?

Kale posed the question, but an odd feeling seized him.
Ron’s lips were twitching. His benevolent smile had vanished.

“Young master, surely you would know? The incident that occurred early this year—the first time Dark openly attacked the Mercenary Guild.”

…No way.
A memory flashed through Kale’s mind.

“…That one?”

The free city of Riben where the inn was located.
The Mercenary Guild there had been destroyed and attacked.

“…The one I did?”

Kale recalled the memory of when he had posed as Dark and smashed the Mercenary Guild.

-Human! You even looted the vault of our guild master!

That’s right.
We also cleaned out the vault there.

“…Could it be?”

Kale watched Ron’s lips twist into a smile. Yet his voice remained gentle.

“Young Master, it seems your suspicion is correct. There are rumors that an investigation team is coming to Ribensi.”

…Ah …yes.
Kale fell silent for a moment before speaking.

“That works out well.”

So they’ll discover I took over the Mercenary Guild instead of suspecting Dark? I could live with that.
Kale decided to put his mind at ease.

“Indeed. It has become quite convenient.”

Ron displayed his gentle smile brightly. Kale felt an inexplicable unease creeping over him. Yet he couldn’t afford to dwell on this matter.

“For now, Vicross has prepared food, so let’s eat and think things through.”

Vicross’s cooking was delicious, after all.
Kale watched Erhafen nod and headed toward the first floor of the inn.

“Mm.”

As Kale descended, his smile grew increasingly brighter.

“Mm.”

The Ancient Dragon also let out a brief exclamation of admiration.

-Human! Aren’t we becoming rich! There are so many guests! We’re going to make so much money!

The second floor of the inn had no vacant rooms, and as Kale descended to the first floor, there were an enormous number of guests. A bright smile graced Kale’s lips for the first time in a while.

I could feel the money, the money piling up.

That was when it happened.
Kale, without realizing it, had been surveying the first floor when he suddenly stopped.
The moment his eyes landed on a particular table, an odd sensation washed over him.

A person dressed in robes with their head covered. And across from them sat a man.
Kale’s expression grew peculiar as he observed the man.

“…Ron.”

Even as Kale called out to Ron, his gaze remained fixed on the man.

The first floor of the inn.
At a corner table, a strikingly handsome man with refreshing features had been drinking combatively since broad daylight, as though consuming alcohol were his life’s greatest calling.

“Young Master.”

When I turned my head, Ron was smiling.

“They’ve come to investigate.”

Ron smiled with the expression of someone who already knew everything.

“They’re guests who arrived yesterday.”

Ah.
Could that man with the blue hair possibly be—

“Raon.”

I called upon the dragon specialist in identification with a quiet voice. As expected, Raon responded enthusiastically, pouring out information.

-Human! The robes in front of that drunkard are top-tier mage quality!

However, that was not information about the one drinking so combatively.
But unexpectedly, Choi Han approached and whispered softly.

“Kale.”
“Hmm?”

Choi Han’s gaze turned toward the blue-haired man. Kale’s eyes followed suit.

“That man is a Sword Master.”

…The Mercenary King, then.
What a coincidence. Kale heard Ron’s voice, as if he’d read my thoughts. He whispered low.

“A large-scale inn that appeared in Ribensi within the past year. And from the day it opened, the Ribensi underworld began to turn upside down. That would be more than sufficient reason to investigate the inn, wouldn’t it?”

That was the moment.
The drunkard’s head snapped around.

‘Hmm!’

Kale’s eyes met his.
Caught off guard, I flinched involuntarily. Because I needed to build a good relationship with the Mercenary King. Only then could I receive his healing power on favorable terms, could I not?

Then the blue-haired man’s mouth opened.

“Huh?”

He tilted his head in confusion, then shot to his feet. He strode forward in great strides.
Toward Kale.

‘What?’

Kale was bewildered.
He was definitely coming toward me. He kept staring at me intently as he approached.

And the moment Kale faced the man, he spread both arms wide with great warmth.

“My friend!”

What?
Kale found himself embracing him before he could help it. The blue-haired man, the Mercenary King Burd Illis, spoke in a delighted voice.

“Good to see you!”

…Well, I’m not sure what it is, but am I already friends with this guy?
In that moment, Kale watched as the Mercenary King’s face crumpled rapidly after releasing him from the embrace.

“Huh?”

What now?
As Kale stared in bewilderment, the Mercenary King fumbled around in his pocket before pulling out a pair of glasses. He put them on, looked at Kale, and tossed out his words casually.
His voice was cheerful.

“Not friends, then?”

…This bastard….
Kale felt an inexplicable irritation welling up inside him. But the Mercenary King, Burd Illis, grinned widely and spoke.

“But you smell.”

What smell?
Kale’s expression, which had been pleasant as he tried his best to build a good relationship, grew increasingly sour.

First Tunka, then Chae Ju from Riben. Why does everyone keep saying I smell? Is it some kind of strong odor?
As Kale’s irritation reached its peak, the Mercenary King spoke to him.

“You smell like a drunk!”

…Sigh.
Regardless of Kale’s response as he let out a sigh, the man who reeked of alcohol yet maintained a perfectly composed appearance spoke cheerfully.

“Anyway.”

An outstretched hand appeared before Kale.
The Mercenary King was offering a handshake. And he spoke brightly.

“Nice to meet you, friend!”

…This guy really is crazy, isn’t he?
Kale couldn’t help but marvel at Crown Prince Alberu’s accurate information.

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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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