Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 357

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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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The Ancient Dragon Erhafen, who had been approaching Kale Heniatus with a smile, came to an abrupt halt upon seeing his unusually irritated expression.
Kale Heniatus extended his hand toward Erhafen regardless.

“…What is this?”

What in the world was happening?
Erhafen posed the question to Kale Heniatus, and as if in response, Kale Heniatus’s lips parted.

“You’re going to play innocent, aren’t you?”

Even his tone had become irritable.
Just as the Ancient Dragon’s brow began to furrow at this unusual manner of speech, Kale Heniatus opened his mouth once more.

“Hand over the artifact.”

His tone was oddly irreverent. Yet Erhafen, whose eyes had met Kale Heniatus’s, did not call him out on it.
Instead, he spoke with an unperturbed expression.

“An artifact? Didn’t you hear it shatter just moments ago?”
“Hah.”

A deep sigh escaped him.
Erhafen faltered imperceptibly at that sigh. Then he saw Kale Heniatus’s gaze shift toward the ceiling of the Training Ground before slowly returning to regard him with piercing eyes.

“Erhafen.”

The one who had called his name calmly now spoke with equal composure.

“Do I look like a fool to you right now?”

Kale Heniatus stared back at Erhafen, who gazed at him in silence.

The artifact jar.
The water brimming with life force that flowed from it was said to emerge in the quantity the user desired.
As much as the user needed. But when it could not fulfill that need, it would shatter, or so it was said.
The Mercenary King had told him so.

“I have no intention of questioning why you didn’t use the jar properly.”

Kale Heniatus’s expression grew increasingly composed, while Erhafen’s grew increasingly furrowed.

“Ha, you—”

Erhafen’s mouth opened, but his voice could not continue. Kale Heniatus had spoken over him.

“You said the water that rises from the jar flows out as much as the user desires, didn’t you?”

One step, then another.
Kale Heniatus approached the Ancient Dragon before him.

“In any case, even if I were to place the relic in your hands now, it would be useless.”

A thousand years. An existence that had lived through such a vast expanse of time. Among dragons known for their arrogance and self-righteousness, this one who had lived the longest did not frighten me greatly.

“Because you no longer wish to live, sir.”

One step.
When Kale Heniatus stopped, leaving only that distance between them, Erhafen’s mouth opened.

“That’s right.”

He did not deny Kale Heniatus’s words.

“Even if you placed the relic in my hands again, not a drop of water would rise from that jar.”

Erhafen admitted that he no longer wished to live.
Kale Heniatus watched as Erhafen’s complexion, which had grown pale after the battle with the White Star, returned to its usual state, and opened his mouth to speak.

“Has it been about a year?”

The Wind Spirit had told him.
That he had drunk only a single sip of water.
Kale Heniatus asked how much life force that single sip contained.

“…Yes. It seems I will live for about another year.”

One year.
It was nearly identical to the lifespan he had remaining before exhausting his strength in the battle against the White Star.
Erhafen judged that much to be sufficient.

“I will capture the White Star within that time.”

One year—the Ancient Dragon spoke with such certainty that he would capture the White Star within that span, expressing an unwavering resolve to do exactly that.

“But how did you know?”

Erhafen asked the silent Kale Heniatus how he had discerned that he was using the artifact less frequently.
Certainly, beyond the iron doors of this Training Ground, no magical aura or presence of Ancient Powers had been detected.

“Does that matter?”

Kale Heniatus answered curtly, then continued after a brief pause.

“I gained something by strengthening the wind-attribute Ancient Power.”

Kale Heniatus had mentioned to his companions that he strengthened the wind-attribute Ancient Power, but he offered no further details about what exactly that entailed.
His companions weren’t particularly curious either, and they were too busy ensuring Kale Heniatus rested and ate to give him a chance to elaborate.

“I can now hear the voices of the Wind Spirits whenever I wish.”

Ah.
Erhafen nodded as if understanding.

Hearing the voices of spirits—that was neither magic nor something requiring the activation of Ancient Powers.
It was simply something that occurred naturally.

“The spirits must have taught you.”
“You could say that.”

Watching Kale Heniatus respond as if it were nothing special, Erhafen finally let out a small sigh.

The Ancient Dragon had deliberately tried to change the subject and move past this situation, yet Kale Heniatus’s hand extended toward Erhafen remained exactly as it was.

His posture made it clear he would not withdraw his hand unless the urn was surrendered.
The Ancient Dragon’s mouth opened.

“You’ve faced the White Star yourself, so you know well enough.”

In the end, he decided to speak his true thoughts.

“I’m not sure how it will be received when a dragon says such things, but the White Star is extraordinarily strong.”

You learn after clashing a few times.
How strong your opponent truly is. Whether I can defeat them.

“And there are still many who follow the White Star.”

Dark, the Lion Tribe, the Bear Tribe, and others still willingly served as the White Star’s limbs.
Kale Heniatus and his companions could not simply fight only the White Star.

“In such circumstances, people may be wounded in battle.”

To win against an opponent in war without anyone being hurt?
Erhafen considered such thinking to be nothing but a hollow assumption.

“That’s why I decided it was better to preserve the relics in preparation for such contingencies.”

Erhafen thought of it simply.

“If I use up all these relics, one could say I’m living a bonus life.”

Living longer than the lifespan originally given. That too was truly a good thing.

“But you haven’t even lived out the lifespan originally given to you.”

Kale Heniatus, Raon, and the others—shouldn’t they all live out what was originally allotted to them?
It was truly sorrowful to be robbed of one’s natural lifespan because of war. No matter how noble the spirit contained within it, he believed it remained a sorrowful thing.

With those words, Erhafen took out a jar and handed it to Kale Heniatus, who still had his hand extended toward him.

Kale Heniatus immediately placed the jar into his spatial pocket pouch.
Watching this sight, Erhafen let out a quiet laugh.

Even when Kale Heniatus held the jar in his hand, the water inside did not overflow.

His complexion was still pallid, and he was clearly struggling physically.
Moreover, since he might frequently use the Ancient Powers going forward, he would need a healthier body than anyone else.

Yet despite all this, Kale Heniatus held the jar, and no water emerged from it.
It was because Kale Heniatus did not wish it.

‘And yet he acts so coldly toward me?’

This was the reason Erhafen found it utterly exasperating, and why he could not use it carelessly on himself.

“Erhafen.”

It was at that moment.
Erhafen placed the jar into a subspace and saw Kale Heniatus—now empty-handed—gazing at him.

“Perhaps the day will come when I gift you an artifact again, Erhafen.”

A smile spread across Kale Heniatus’s lips.
A smile played at the corners of Kale Heniatus’s lips.

“By then, the jar will probably be full.”

The jar being full meant that Erhafen desired to live longer.
The sound of the jar filling up meant that Erhafen wanted to live longer.

“…that day will never come.”

But he had to hear Kale Heniatus’s firm voice.

“There is.” / “It exists.” / “Yes, there is.”

Kale Heniatus thought there would be a day like that.

He thought that people most want to live when they are facing death, and that now is truly a happy time.

The moment everything ended.
The moment peace arrived, comfort enveloped everything, and happiness finally began to fill the empty spaces within his heart.
In the moment when peace arrives, comfort wraps around everything, and finally happiness begins to fill the empty space in his heart.

“That day will surely come.”

I was determined to ensure everyone would survive to savor that moment.

“I suppose.”

Erhafen, unable to discern my thoughts, emanated skepticism as he moved toward the entrance.
He needed to present a composed demeanor to those waiting outside the door.

“Erhafen.”

Yet there was one who wished to prolong the conversation.

“Since we’ve come this far, let’s discuss a bit more.”

I wanted to maintain this moment alone with Erhafen a little longer.

“What is there to discuss?”

When Erhafen asked in return, I gestured toward the iron door.

“Just in case, could you cast a soundproofing spell?”
“A soundproofing spell?”
“Yes.”

Only then did Erhafen notice my smile had vanished.
The Ancient Dragon already knew that no one outside the door had cast any magic, but following my intent, he wove a soundproofing spell throughout the Training Ground.

“Now those beyond this space will hear nothing of our conversation.”

At Erhafen’s words, I finally saw my lips begin to move slowly.

“The Dragon—”

I recalled the World Tree.
The words it had spoken to me.

Find the Judging Water.
There exists one who possesses three Ancient Powers.

Looking back, every piece of advice was something I couldn’t simply overlook. So I found myself continuously recalling the one remaining counsel among the three things the World Tree had told me.

‘Find the traces left behind by the Black Dragon’s parents.’

The Black Dragon. Raon Mir.

“How should I find a dragon’s parents—or rather, how does one locate a dragon’s parents?”

I decided that I needed to find Raon’s parents, or at least the traces they had left behind.

“…A dragon’s parents?”
“Yes.”

Erhafen’s expression became peculiar.
It was a topic he had never even considered.

However, my question was not yet finished.
There was one more thing I needed to ask.

“Are you familiar with the Castle of Light?”
“…Are you referring to one of the Three Forbidden Places?”

Erhafen regarded me with an even more peculiar expression as I suddenly brought up the Castle of Light.
In that moment, my lips parted. I had not yet spoken to my companions about the matters of ancient times. But now was the moment to share at least some of that knowledge.

“I heard that the Dragon Slayer Village is called the Castle of Light. Did you know this?”

I could see Erhafen’s pupils dilate.

“…That place is the Dragon Slayer Village? That place?”

Seeing the Ancient Dragon’s expression of genuine shock, I felt an odd chill run down the back of my neck. It was not the reaction of someone merely surprised by an unknown fact.
Based on the information that the fearsome Jjangdol had shared with me, I slowly nodded my head.

“…I’m not certain, but the probability is quite high, according to what I’ve learned.”

Huh.
Erhafen let out a gasp of admiration.
As I watched the Ancient Dragon massage the back of my neck, a chill crept down my spine with each passing moment.
Something about the Ancient Dragon’s reaction felt off.

And as if answering that premonition, the Ancient Dragon’s mouth opened.

“The Castle of Light is.”

The Castle of Light, which now occupied one of the two forbidden zones after Wind Island disappeared.
It was a place that Erhafen knew well.

“That place—humans wouldn’t know, but.”

Humans, Elves, Dwarves—none of the races would know.
But it was a place that held one truth that at least Erhafen understood.
My eyes and Erhafen’s met.

“It is where the tomb of the last Dragon Lord rests.”

What?
My eyes widened.

The Castle of Light.
The place presumed to be where the Dragon Slayer Village would be located.
It was where the tomb of the last Dragon Lord lay.

“The last Dragon Lord was one who experienced both the Ancient Age and the world that came after.”

Erhafen recalled what he had once heard from the Ancient Dragon.

The last Dragon Lord, born at the end of the Ancient Age.
He was a dragon who had experienced both the Ancient Age and the world that followed.

“And after him, the position of Dragon Lord was severed.”

But after that, no being worthy of the title Dragon Lord ever appeared.

“That is why we say the Dragon Lord vanished after the Ancient Age.”

No Dragon Lord has been born in the world since the Ancient Era ended.

Kale Heniatus suddenly recalled something Erhafen had said before.

‘Ah, and he mentioned that the Dragon Lord’s only friend has been the Dragon Slayer since long ago.’

When Kale Heniatus first heard this, he understood it to mean that successive Dragon Lords throughout the ages had been friends with successive Dragon Slayers in the same manner.
But now, looking back, that wasn’t what it meant at all.

Something felt off.

The last Dragon Lord, born at the tail end of the Ancient Era.
And the First Dragon Slayer—the only boy who survived the final battle at the moment the Ancient Era ended.

Ten thousand years ago.
The tail end of the Ancient Era.

Kale Heniatus realized there was a hidden story somewhere.

‘Perhaps.’

What Erhafen had said before.
That the Dragon Lord and the Dragon Slayer had been friends—that statement.

‘It might be the story of only those two.’

The last Dragon Lord and the First Dragon Slayer.
Their story alone might have been distorted as it was passed down through ten thousand years of time.
Ten thousand years was a long time even for a dragon.

Castle of Light.
Kale Heniatus opened his mouth.

“Let’s head to the Castle of Light first.”

And one more thing.

“I’d like us to search for traces of Raon’s parents.”

At that moment, Kale could see Erhafen’s expression shift subtly as he nodded.
It was the look of someone utterly deflated.

“Kale.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t know how dragons are born, do you?”

What?

“You don’t know?”

…How are they born?
Kale met Erhafen’s bewildered gaze with a composed answer.

“From eggs.”

Dragons were born from eggs.
Erhafen sighed before speaking.

“I’ve heard it took fifty years for me to hatch from my egg.”
“What?”

What was he suddenly talking about?
Kale’s expression grew strange.
The sudden remark was odd enough, but fifty years just to hatch from an egg? How was that even possible? No matter how fantastical this world was, could such a thing truly occur?

“You know Olien, right? That one took five years.”

Now another dragon had taken five years to hatch.
Questions bloomed in Kale’s eyes, and seeing them, Erhafen continued.

“You see, dragons all have different incubation periods.”

Some dragons hatched within a single day, while others required a month, a year, or even decades.
Though Erhafen could not claim to know every dragon across the East-West Continent, he was certain of this: each dragon possessed its own unique hatching timeline.

“Of course, there are reasons for such variations. And above all, the longer the incubation period, the stronger the dragon becomes.”

Kale Heniatus recalled what he had said earlier.
Finding traces of Raon’s parents.

“That little one has the makings of a very, very powerful dragon.”

Erhafen spoke matter-of-factly.

“You may need to go back more than a hundred years to find that little one’s parents.”

He added in a rather cold tone.

“And there’s almost no chance they’re still alive. Even the most individualistic dragons cherish their own offspring.”

If even one of Raon’s parents had been alive, he would never have been trapped in that cave.

“So you want to find ‘traces’ of that little one’s parents. But that won’t be easy either.”

When dragons die, they mostly return to nature.
When that happens, finding traces becomes extremely difficult.

Kale Heniatus brushed his hair back with one hand and opened his mouth.

“Let’s try everything first.”

After the Voice of Wind test, my desire for a hundred living beings grew stronger.
The Jjangdol Mansion must be filled with living beings.

“One by one.”

So one by one, step by step.

“Let’s do this carefully. You’ll help me, won’t you?”

Kale Heniatus asked Erhafen bluntly, and Erhafen burst into laughter and answered.

“After a long time, you say something I like, you unlucky fellow. Of course we should do this together.”

At that answer, Kale Heniatus swung his hand.
A whirlwind of wind struck the iron gate.

Creak!

The massive iron gate swung wide open.
The average nine-year-olds rushed toward Kale Heniatus and Erhafen.

“Grandpa! Human!”
“Grandfather, you look well!”
“You seem better! Wow!”

Kale Heniatus passed by the average nine-year-olds, who were approaching the Ancient Dragon with joyful expressions, and strode purposefully beyond the iron gate.

“Huh?”
“Human?”

Raon, On, and Hong watched Kale Heniatus, but he had already placed his hand on the shoulder of a certain being.

“Secretary.”
“…Huh?”

Bud looked at him with an uncomfortable expression at Kale Heniatus’s suddenly gentle demeanor. In that moment, Kale Heniatus smiled brilliantly.

“Grandpa! The human is smiling like the Crown Prince!”

Ignoring Raon’s words, Kale Heniatus spoke in an affectionate voice.

“Hand over the personnel registry.”

Records of the strong ones in the Mercenary Guild. The personnel registry.
And the Castle of Light that would be visited afterward.
The truth about the Ancient, and the White Star. All of it.
I was drawing closer to the moment when I would strike the White Star from behind.

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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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