Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 355

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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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“You can lay him down here.”

Bud pointed to a bed, and Choi Han laid down the person he had been carrying onto it.
Then Ron Mollan quickly arranged the person and the bed.

“Hmm.”

The Mercenary King let out a low hum.

They had used teleportation magic to travel swiftly from the Forbidden Wind Island to the Twin Island located right beside it.
The moment Bud returned to his family estate on his homeland island, he had to face his father, the head of the household, with a shocked expression.

‘What is this situation? What happened at Wind Island?’

The massive silver shield that had enveloped the Twin Island had now disappeared.
Because of this, the islanders could clearly see the transformed appearance of the Forbidden Wind Island, and thus the members of Bud’s family, who had long served as guardians of Wind Island, had to feel confusion.
Bud bore the responsibility of providing answers about this.

But he could not go out to face his father, who would be standing outside the closed door.

‘…Kale Heniatus.’

Vivid red hair, bright as blood, was visible on the bed.
Lying quietly on the bed with a pale complexion, he rested with his eyes closed.

Bud’s gaze, which had been fixed on Kale Heniatus, slowly swept across the surroundings.

It was quiet.
Yet within that silence, people moved in different ways.
It was a familiar sight.

“Vicross, bring me a cloth soaked in water.”
“Yes, Father.”

As Ron gave the instruction to Vicross, Vicross approached Gren Puff, the mage and friend of the Mercenary King. Gren hesitated for a moment before quietly leaving the room with Vicross.

Tap. Tap. Tap.
A dragon and two cats quietly settled onto one side of the bed. The three of them huddled together with their bodies curled, silently watching Kale Heniatus.

The Mercenary King’s gaze shifted.
Choi Han, known as the youngest Sword Master. He set down Kale, whom he had been carrying, and wordlessly moved to stand beside the door.
Standing rigidly with his hand gripping the sword hilt, his appearance was befitting of a guardian knight to anyone’s eyes.

And finally.
The Ancient Dragon approached the window, the only other entrance besides the room’s door, and gazed silently out into the night.

It was quiet.
Everything unfolded without any particular conversation between them, simply matter-of-fact.

“Hmm.”

Mercenary King Burd Illis swallowed at this peculiar silence.

There was much to say.
He needed to ascertain exactly what had happened on Wind Island, and they had to discuss the situation ahead.
Yet no words could easily flow from his lips.

It was not because everyone was silent.

‘Bud, here’s a compiled document about Kale Heniatus.’

Gren Puff, an old friend and a top-tier mage who had gone to fetch wet cloths.
Before coming to Wind Island, he had gathered information about Kale Heniatus and delivered it to Burd.

That information contained a brief account of Kale Heniatus’s movements and reputation compiled by someone from the Mercenary Guild on the Western Continent.

Burd recalled that information.

【Kale Heniatus, known as the eldest son of the Heniatus Count Family of the Roan Kingdom, is said to be a hero who does not spare his own body.】
【While he typically demonstrates the demeanor of a staff officer directing operations from the rear, in crisis situations, despite being neither a knight nor a mage, he is reputed to have always stepped forward using the Ancient Powers at his disposal, thereby shifting the tide of war.】

In short, he was someone who never stayed on the sidelines.

【Furthermore, when he personally engages in combat, his appearance is said to be so righteous and noble that it is difficult to approach.】

Fighting with such nobility and grace?
Burd Illis had initially thought of this assessment as ‘surely there are limits to praise. Isn’t this excessive?’ That was his first reaction.

But the moment he witnessed Kale Heniatus purifying Wind Island.
Burd Illis began to think that perhaps this assessment was actually an appropriate description.

It was different from magic or aura.

‘…That spectacle where wind and fire danced together was, truly-‘

Beautiful.
Burd Illis possessed an Ancient Power of wind attribute himself, but he had always used it as a secondary ability.

However, the Ancient Power that Kale Heniatus wielded appeared somewhat different from the power he had been using.

That wondrous sight of purifying Black Mountain and dead mana.
The spectacle created by a force akin to nature was beautiful and simultaneously destructive.

Moreover, witnessing Kale Heniatus create this with merely brief commands and gestures stirred a sense of awe within him.

However, he could no longer simply regard that spectacle as merely wondrous.

‘Noble and graceful,’ indeed.

Pfft.
Burd Illis let out a deflating laugh.

Recalling the scene that unfolded after he had witnessed Kale’s power and the spectacle he created, thinking them noble and wondrous.
The moment he remembered that scene, Burd had no choice but to completely revise his assessment of Kale Heniatus.

‘Human! Eat slowly!’

He recalled the voice of a young dragon—a dragon with a strangely endearing dignity despite being a dragon—scolding Kale.

Burd Illis vividly pictured Kale gulping down apple pie in haste.

‘…Ugh, blegh.’

The way he struggled with a lump in his throat while forcing down apple pie, chewing and swallowing with difficulty.
The way pie crumbs clung to the corners of his mouth as he ate in such haste might have seemed undignified to some, and in a way, it could have looked ridiculous.

But Bud could not find a single thing ridiculous about that sight.

The purified Wind Island.
The architect of that miracle shoved food into his mouth desperately, his face bearing the marks of starvation—how many days had it been since he’d eaten?

He looked desperate.
He ate with such urgency that one could see the will burning within him—the absolute refusal to collapse, the determination to survive at any cost.

Moreover, torn and dust-covered from whatever he had endured, anyone who saw him would have mistaken him for a vagrant who had gone without food for days.

This was the true visage of the one whom others praised as a noble hero.

Then he collapsed.
He lost consciousness.

‘How frustrating.’

Thump.
Bud slowly pressed his palm against his own chest.
His heart felt heavy with unease.

That was when he heard the voice of the Ancient Dragon Erhafen.

“…Exasperating fellow.”

The Mercenary King did not need to ask whom the Ancient Dragon was referring to as he stared intently out the window.

Bud Illis, the Mercenary King, recalled Kale Heniatus’s actions that had unfolded across the Western Continent since last year.

He had prevented a magical bomb attack in the Roan Kingdom Capital.
He had extinguished the flames in Jungle Zone 1.
He had achieved remarkable feats in the wars that erupted across the entire Western Continent in early spring.

And thanks to him, countless people had survived.

Bud gazed at Kale breathing with his eyes closed and found himself lost in thought.

‘…These sights too—’

The desperate way he ate.
This shabby appearance, torn in places and covered in dust.
The way he fainted so frequently.
Did people know of his accomplishments as much as they should?

Bud Illis closed his mouth firmly on his own.
It was frustrating, but there was nothing he could say.

The silence continued.

* * *

Kale Heniatus felt his body was heavy.
A sensation like sinking into a deep swamp enveloped him.

‘Is this another dream?’

Lately, whenever I fainted, I dreamed.
Why was my body so heavy this time? What dream was I about to have?

Was it when I fought a Danger Alert monster and got beaten up?
Or was it when I went to investigate the Monster Swamp created in Korea?
Or was it when I got rammed by Illegal Guilds, beaten, and flew into a wall?

In the past, I’d been beaten so many times that my body felt heavy, so it was hard for me to guess which time this was.

But I could perceive something strange.

“Sniff!”

This was.
This was definitely the sound of sniffling.

Rustle, rustle.
Along with the sound of fabric moving, I felt something small and something larger pressing against both my sides.

‘Ah, so this isn’t a dream?’

Am I not dreaming this time?

“Sniff!”

I heard the sound of sniffling again.
This was definitely Raon Mir.

Kim Rok-soo, and even Kale Heniatus—throughout his entire life, only Raon made that sound.

“Sniff.”

The small sound coming from the opposite side was certainly Hong.
Hong was the one who matched perfectly with Raon.

I felt relief at not dreaming and comfort at lying on a soft bed, so I kept my eyes closed.
There was no need to get up.

Of course, if the average nine-year-olds sniffled once more, I thought I might open my eyes.
The sound of the children sniffling was unbearable to hear.

But I had to open my eyes wide immediately.

“Young master.”

A quiet voice reached my ears.

“I know you are awake.”

Gasp.
I inhaled sharply in surprise.
It was Ron.
This terrifying old man was here.

I opened my eyes wide.

“Mm!”

And I froze.
Ron’s face, smiling benevolently, was right before me.

“So you have indeed awakened.”

At that same moment, my ears became unbearably loud.

“Human! Let’s eat meat!”
“There’s so much delicious food here! We have to eat!”
“That’s right! There’s so much food to eat! We have to eat like big sister and the youngest said!”

Sigh.
As I exhaled and turned my gaze toward the ceiling, my vision filled with the chubby-cheeked Dragon, the plump Red Cat, and the sleek Silver Cat.

That was the moment.

Shing.
I flinched.
It was the sound of a blade being drawn from its sheath. When I turned my gaze, I saw Vicross drawing out a sword—something between a short sword and a long sword in length—and wiping it clean.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

He was staring at me intently.
Then he suddenly rose and headed toward the door.

Creak.
The door opened, and as Vicross walked out without hesitation, he glanced back at me through the slightly ajar door before closing it.
In that menacing expression, I thought how much Vicross resembled Ron.

“…I shall prepare food.”

Vicross left only those blunt words before closing the door and disappearing.

‘Why does he say something as simple as bringing food in such a sinister way?’

I couldn’t understand Vicross. But I had no time to dwell on him as my eyes darted about.

Choi Han, Ron, Erhafen.
Each of them stood in a circle around the bed.
And they all gazed at me quietly.

‘What is this?’

What did I do wrong?
Kale Heniatus felt an inexplicable unease wash over him at something serious, but there was no time to dwell on it.

Boom!

The door burst open.
Kale Heniatus spoke casually, as if tossing the words aside.

“Ah, the smell of alcohol.”

The reek of liquor wafted through the open doorway.
At the same moment, Kale Heniatus saw someone approaching him.

“Ugh! My friend! You’re awake!”

The Mercenary King Burd Illis approached Kale Heniatus, reeking of alcohol. Choi Han naturally blocked him with the hilt of his sword.

Kale Heniatus looked at Burd Illis and spoke.

“Are you drunk?”
“Yes! I’m drunk!”

…Why is he like this again?
Kale Heniatus was exasperated at the sight of Burd Illis acting intoxicated.

‘Drunk, my ass.’

Though Burd Illis proclaimed his drunkenness, his eyes were perfectly clear and sharp. So why was he suddenly pretending to be drunk?
But Burd Illis ignored Kale Heniatus’s bewildered expression and continued.

“I, I! My heart ached, so I drank a bit! My friend!”

What is this?
Kale Heniatus’s expression grew increasingly dumbfounded.

“You were so hungry and struggling so hard to survive, and you went to such lengths, such great lengths to make apple pie!”

But his dumbfounded expression soon turned to bewilderment.

“You were like this, like this!”

Bud suddenly grabbed a bottle of alcohol and reenacted how Kale Heniatus had been devouring the apple pie.

“Eating like you were possessed! My heart was breaking! Friend! I could see how hard you worked through that week. That’s why I felt so sad? *Sniff*, how much must you have suffered to keep eating apple, apple pie even while passing out…!”

No, I had just eaten without thinking much because I didn’t want to pass out.

“How hungry and exhausted you must have been…!”

…I wasn’t really that hungry or exhausted, though.
Kale wanted to refute something, but he had no chance to speak.

The Mercenary King’s eyes were clear.
Just as Kale had said, he was pretending to be drunk.
The Mercenary King, known to be quite clever, the Mercenary King who pursued only practicality in everything except his Mercenary Guild members.

“I thought about it during the three days you were unconscious.”

He had decided to tell Kale the conclusion he had reached while drinking away the suffocating frustration that pressed on his chest for three days.

“…Three days?”

I had been unconscious longer than expected?
Unaware of that resolve, Kale was thinking about how long he had been unconscious.
The Mercenary King shattered that thought with a shout.

“I can’t drink! I’m weak! I’ll definitely lose a drinking contest!”

…What the hell is this guy doing?
Why is he suddenly like this?

“So, White Star.”

Huh?

“Until we eliminate that bastard, I’ll be your secretary.”

Huh?
Kale Heniatus was taken aback.
The drinking bet between Kale and Bud. If Bud lost, he would have to become Kale’s secretary.
Kale was flabbergasted at Bud suddenly bringing this up, but Burd Illis was serious.

“You’re truly the greatest hero I know.”

Ah.
Kale Heniatus felt a chill run down his spine at Bud’s words.
He had heard something dreadful the moment he opened his eyes.

“Use me! My friend!”

The moment the Mercenary King Burd Illis shouted these words toward Kale Heniatus, the tightness in his chest vanished.
Having witnessed the back of a hero unknown to most people, he had resolved to aid this hero.

And Kale Heniatus thought to himself.

‘…As expected, Alberu’s information is accurate.’

He felt it anew.
Albert Crossman’s information was precise.
Burd Illis—this man was a madman.
Kale Heniatus etched it clearly into his mind.

That was the moment.

“Young master.”
“…Yes?”

Ron spoke kindly.

“Please have some.”

Kale Heniatus could see the lemonade being offered to me after so long.
At the same time, an ancient artifact jar placed in one corner of the room came into view.
Kale Heniatus smiled at Erhafen, who was watching him.

Now was the time to use this artifact.

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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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