Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 353

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

Drip. Drip.
Black liquid continued to fall from the Temple ceiling.

Crackle. Crackle.
In contrast, Destructive Fire gathered increasingly in my hand, beginning to condense its power.

-…A sea of fire!

I heard the voice of my power, brimming with heat.
Simultaneously, the voices of the Wind Spirits reached my ears.

‘Dead mana is leaking out more and more! Soon it’ll go pop! Pop! And burst!’
‘We’ve reached our limit! Holding on for a week was already the best we could manage!’
‘This is bad! This is really bad!’

The dead mana that had been falling drop by drop was now increasing in frequency, transforming into a steady stream.

I found myself opening my mouth.

“…This is far noisier than I expected.”

‘Wow! He can really hear us! He says we’re noisy!’
‘We are pretty loud! Aren’t we? Sorry. They’re just like this normally.’
‘Kahahaha! Let’s get even louder! A human who can hear our voices—it’s been ages!’
‘… voice… can hear… friend… friend… listens to… friend’s voice….’

A sigh.
My face contorted.

But my eyes were rapidly scanning my surroundings.
The location where the Altar had been, and the passage connected to the exit.
That passage was already more than half submerged in dead mana liquid.

Thud. Thud.
Black marble fragments crumbled and fell.

‘It’s breaking! Everything will shatter. Sob, how tragic! We’re all going to die, what do I do!’
‘All those island people reeking of alcohol next to us will die. The fish too! The seaweed as well! Kehehehe! Poor fish! Waaahhhhh!’

“…This is driving me insane.”

Several of the Wind Spirits had begun to weep.
The noise was absolutely unbearable.

Kale Heniatus stared at the spinning top paddle he held in his hand.
Had I picked up something useless?
Rather than a powerful ally, it seemed I’d only acquired dead weight.

Kale’s expression gradually shifted back to his usual sullen demeanor.
Just then, the urgent voice of The Thief reached him.

-…Ahem, cough! If you release the spinning top paddle from your hand, you won’t be able to hear the Wind Spirits’ voices!

The Thief spoke awkwardly.

-Don’t destroy it!

Hmm.
Kale gazed down at the spinning top paddle in his hand.
His mouth opened.

“Should I destroy it?”

‘Gasp!’
‘Oh no! D-destroy it!’
‘We must have been too loud!’
‘Children, didn’t I tell you to be quiet?’
‘D-don’t destroy it! I want to talk with the human!’

Hmm.
The corners of Kale’s mouth twisted upward into a crooked smile.
Strangely, these Wind Spirits seemed desperate to prevent any situation where Kale couldn’t communicate with them.
Though I couldn’t fathom why.

-Kale, these spirits will become your steadfast allies!

Allies.
My lips curved upward. I wore a rather affectionate expression.

“You Wind Spirits have been taking care of me here for a week, haven’t you? Thank you.”

A radiant smile—much like the one Albert Crossman wore when addressing nobles—graced my lips.

‘…No, what! It wasn’t even difficult! Well, it happens, doesn’t it!’
‘Wow! He’s thanking us! He thanked us!’
‘Thank goodness… looks like he won’t break the spinning top after all. Anyway, keep it down!’

That was the moment.

Crack.
Crack, crack!

A massive fissure split across the Temple ceiling.

‘Gasp! The ceiling’s cracking!’

The Spirit’s cry reached my ears.
Simultaneously, I could hear an ominous sound.

Uuuuung— uuung—
The Temple was trembling. From the tremendous vibration, I felt the space quivering finely. That certainty crystallized within me.

It will collapse soon.
Black Mountain will erupt now.
This dead mana reservoir will explode.

Clear omens signifying that fact shook the Temple like a countdown. The Wind Spirits grew increasingly frantic.

‘What do we do! We don’t know how to purify dead mana!’
‘…It’s sad. Sob.’

Then several Spirits fell silent and began to focus their attention on one human.

The only human alive on this Wind Island.
Kale Heniatus.
He stared intently at the gaping ceiling.

“…this.”

The temple ceiling with marble shattered and fallen away.
What lay revealed above was transparent glass.

I could see what lay beyond that glass.

Dead mana rippled. An endless lake of dead mana. From its depths, it felt as though I were gazing upward toward the surface of the lake.

“Where exactly is this location?”

I posed the question.

‘This is the heart of Black Mountain!’
‘It’s the central management facility of the mana reservoir. The very bottom and center of Black Mountain that you’ve seen.’

My lips parted.

“Excellent.”

I remembered what The Thief had once said. With perfect clarity.
What she told me when I strengthened Destructive Fire last time.

‘The fire must find its original power before I can wield my true strength.’
‘Free wind is not merely movement and whirlpools. Wind exists everywhere.’
‘That’s why it’s most beautiful when shared with someone rather than standing alone.’

Wind and fire.
My lips opened.

“From this moment forward, I will purify this dead mana.”

Whoooosh—
Wind continued to swirl around me. I extended my right hand toward the ceiling.

“A spirit to accompany me?”

Within the temple’s silence, wind began to blow softly.
Yet for me, this space was anything but quiet.

‘Me, me!’
‘I want to! I want to do good deeds!’
‘If we purify this place, we’ll finally be free, free!’
‘Yes! Finally I don’t have to worry anymore!’

One spirit cried out loudly.

‘Boom! Crash!’

In that moment, I laughed and channeled the power surging through my entire body into a single point.
Crackle, snap.
The flames filling my body gradually flowed toward my hands.

“Bring the wind to me.”

I spoke gently to the Wind Spirits, as if making a request.

The Wind Spirits had guarded this place, but they were also beings that mercilessly slew living creatures with wind blades.
They were not purely good and innocent entities.
Being nature itself, they possessed a crueler aspect as well.

“Wind blade.”

That which had made this Wind Island a place of terror.

“Pierce this mountain with it.”

I gently asked them to cut through this mountain.
And at the same time, my body, wrapped in a protective barrier of wind, began to surge upward toward the ceiling.

Crackle!

In response, wind transformed into a blade and began to cut through the darkness before me, slashing at the dead mana beyond the glass that blocked my path.

Crash!

Glass shattered into pieces.
Dead mana liquid poured down.
In that moment, I opened my mouth.

“Rise up.”

Whoosh—
A very faint sound of wind could be heard.
And soon the entire space turned pitch black.
A massive golden spear pierced through that darkness, shooting upward.

* * *

Seven days had passed since Kale Heniatus entered Wind Island.
Night had faded, and the sun now hung high in the sky.

“…Damn it.”

Vicross Mollan pulled on white gloves, fitting them over both hands. He drew a greatsword from the scabbard strapped to his back.

“Burd Illis, has anything like this ever happened before?”

The Mercenary King Burd paused at Ron Mollan’s gaze and opened his mouth.

“…There is no record of it, nor do I remember such a thing.”

A ship had been stationed in the waters before Wind Island for a week.
Burd Illis’s expression on the ship’s deck was grim. His gaze remained fixed on Wind Island, one of the three forbidden places of the Eastern Continent.

Tap.
At that moment, someone climbed onto the deck railing.
It was Choi Han.

“The sound of wind has become very faint.”

Current time: 10 a.m.
Two hours earlier than the planned time to enter Wind Island to search for Kale Heniatus.

Over the course of a week, the winds of Wind Island gradually diminished.
And approximately ten minutes ago, the whirlwinds that had enveloped Wind Island began to vanish rapidly.

“…So this is Wind Island.”

Gren, a mage and friend of Burd who was also a survivor of the Puff Family, stared at Wind Island at ten in the morning with a dazed expression.

“Dreadful.”

As the winds surrounding the island faded, a black island began to reveal itself.
That appearance truly befitted a forbidden land.
Yet he had no time to dwell on it.
A figure descended rapidly before the Mercenary King Burd Illis.

‘…A dragon.’

The mage Gren saw the Ancient Dragon Erhafen, whose gaze pierced sharply toward Burd. Eyes that had already transformed into reptilian pupils fixed upon him with a keen intensity.

“Burd Illis, you’re saying that place is merely land infected with dead mana?”
“…What?”

Erhafen’s face contorted at the sight of Burd’s dazed response.

“Erhafen?”

Ron approached the Ancient Dragon cautiously. That was the moment.

“Raon!”

Choi Han called out to Raon. Immediately, a small black speck in the sky descended at tremendous speed, growing larger with each passing moment. Raon cried out upon seeing Choi Han.

“I know too!”

At that response, Choi Han struck the ship’s railing.
Simultaneously, flight magic unfolded across his body.
Ron, who had been watching this scene, heard a strange sound.

Uuuuuu—

It was not the Voice of Wind.
Most of the wind that had enveloped Wind Island had already vanished somewhere, leaving the air eerily calm.

Yet a strange sound echoed through the silence.

Uuuuu— Uuuung—

Ron’s gaze turned toward the black island slowly revealing itself.
The island was trembling.

“It’s crying!”

Ron looked at Raon.
He could see Raon gradually wrapping black mana around himself.

“Something inside that island is crying!”

Crying? What was? Kale?
The Ancient Dragon’s low voice reached Ron, who was filled with questions.

“That island is not merely infected with dead mana.”

They hadn’t known because the wind had wrapped everything so tightly.
Both outside and inside the island—everything had been so thoroughly shrouded by the raging wind that they could sense nothing.

But as the wind dissipated, Erhafen felt an aura growing increasingly dense.

Only three had truly sensed it: Raon, Choi Han, and Erhafen.
The Ancient Dragon’s finger pointed toward Black Mountain.

“That Black Mountain. I sense an enormous amount of dead mana emanating from within it.”

Ron’s expression shifted as he listened.

“And now that island—no, that mountain—is trembling. Like a volcano. Do you understand what this means?”

Vicross, who had been silent, finally spoke.

“Did you not say that the young master is in the temple beneath that Black Mountain?”

However, no one answered his question.

“Damn it.”

The Mercenary King Burd stomped across the deck, and Gren immediately cast a flight spell on him. Then, casting a flight spell on himself as well, he shot upward.

Erhafen was faster than him.
Erhafen rushed toward Black Mountain at high speed.
But there were those even faster than him.

“Raon.”
“I know! Going fast now!”

Raon was charging toward Black Mountain, wrapped in a silver shield along with Choi Han, On, and Hong.

Uuuuuu—
As they entered the island, the tremors grew even more intense.
It felt as though the ground might collapse and something might spill out at any moment. In that situation, Choi Han bit his lip, and Raon’s voice reached his ears.

“I know, human! The human definitely couldn’t come out because he’s trying to purify the dead mana on that mountain! I’m certain! The human is good!”

Choi Han recalled the sight of Kale purifying the golems and Black Despair during the war between Wipper and the Empire.

Kale possessed the ability to purify that dead mana.
But what happened to Kale afterward?

Choi Han clearly remembered that time.
After purifying, Kale had collapsed.

“Plus, the human probably starved because he ran out of food!”
“…You’re really being foolish!”
“This is frustrating!”

The average nine-year-old raised his voice earnestly.
However, they could barely hear each other’s voices.

Uuuuung— Uuuu—

The sound of the island vibrating was deafening.
It was as if I could hear the cries of those who had lost their lives, transformed into black despair.

Choi Han bit his lip.
That was the moment.

“Step back.”

Choi Han and the average nine-year-old froze.
Beside them, who had been rushing faster than anyone toward the Temple entrance beneath Black Mountain, a figure appeared.
It was Erhafen.

Erhafen, wielding dozens—no, hundreds—of platinum spheres, blocked their path.
Choi Han opened his mouth as he gazed at Erhafen’s pallid face and the hundreds of platinum spheres crackling with terrifying electricity.

“Gold Dragon!”

But Raon was faster.

“I’ll do it! Grandpa, rest!”

Raon continued urgently.

“I’ll save the human and destroy this too! I’ll cast a shield and block everything! Don’t worry! I’m great!”

Choi Han nodded as well.
But in that moment, they could see Erhafen scoffing.
Erhafen spoke quietly.

“You don’t feel it?”
“Pardon?”

Choi Han asked in return, and Erhafen spoke to Raon.

“Step back. And deploy your shield.”

Raon tried to respond to those words.
Because right now, they needed to save Kale Heniatus, so stepping back was impossible.
But soon Raon’s round eyes grew even wider, becoming perfectly circular.

Whoooosh— Whoooosh—

The island trembled.
At its center, the mountain.
Raon’s eyes widened as he gazed upon that mountain.
And soon, the corners of his mouth began to rise steadily.
His small front paws clapped together of their own accord, striking against each other.

Whoooosh— Whoooosh—
The vibrations grew more and more intense.
And the whirlwind that had enveloped Wind Island was now nowhere to be seen.

Yet the small dragon cried out.

“…Human!”

Black Mountain.
Beneath that mountain.

Thump. Thump. Thump.
A sound struck rhythmically, like a heartbeat.

Thump. Thump. Thump!
The sound grew louder and louder.
Raon felt it.

That mountain filled with dead mana.
From deep beneath it, a scorching aura emanated.
It was familiar.
Because it was the power of the one who always stayed by my side and watched over me.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
The roar grew even louder.
And then it appeared before the nine-year-olds.

Cracks formed across Black Mountain.
The black stones of the mountain shattered, and its earth split open.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
The thunderous sound continued upward, growing louder.
Raon felt it.
The faint scorching energy grew increasingly intense, surging upward from beneath the mountain.
Without thinking, the young dragon pressed his small front paws together and cried out.

“Human!”

It’s human!
This is the power of fire that humans possess!
The power that erased the black despair!

Though I knew Kale was safe, the thought that he might still be in danger drove me toward him, but the moment I sensed his presence, I could no longer contain the overwhelming surge of emotion.
And finally.

Kwaaaaaaang!

A tremendous explosion erupted from the peak of Black Mountain.
As if a volcano had detonated.
The summit cracked open, and liquid surged upward.
Not volcanic lava, but black liquid—dead mana.

Yet Raon laughed brightly.

“Our human!”

In an instant, it was consumed.
The surging black liquid was swallowed whole by golden flames in the blink of an eye.

The black vanished, and a colossal golden inferno pierced through Black Mountain and soared skyward.
And within that blaze, other presences became visible.

Whiiiish— Whiish—
Wind.

The vanished whirlwind breathed life into the flames. The increasingly fierce fire devoured the dead mana.
The wind stood beside the blaze, supporting it so it could burn wider and more violently.

It was burning.
The black had vanished as if it never existed, and the mountain now blazed crimson, consumed by raging flames.

And piercing through that inferno rose a single spiraling whirlwind.
A figure was enveloped within that wind.

Kale Heniatus.
He gazed down at the base of the mountain, clutching the ancient artifact jar and the spinning top stick in his hands.

Isolation from the world.
There was none of that here. Without thinking, I opened my mouth toward those approaching me.

Thank goodness.
And.

“…I survived.”

I felt it in this moment, in this place—that I, and all of them, were alive.
A smile, a cry, a grimace—some indescribable expression crossed my face.
I didn’t know what expression I should wear.

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