Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 359

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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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Chapter 80. Or Not

“…You’re going to verify all of this?”

The Mercenary King hurried after Kale Heniatus, who was heading toward the center of a space filled with tens of thousands of records. His expression was flustered.

“I remember what you said when you made that proposal to me, Kale.”

Burd Illis referenced the proposal Kale had made when they first met.

“You asked me to show you the personnel records.”

The personnel records were not something the Mercenary King could easily show anyone, even unilaterally. Yet he had gone so far as to move in secret, bringing Kale to this place.
The reason was simple.

“You said I needed to understand the history of the White Star.”

Kale turned his head to gaze at the Mercenary King.
The Mercenary King flinched for a moment.
The eyes of Kale before him somehow did not appear to be those of a human.

Cold and emotionless. It felt as though he were looking at something inanimate.
However, the moment Kale’s lips parted, such impressions swiftly vanished.

Kale had never spoken to the Mercenary King in detail about the White Star. Now that they were here, it was time to tell him.

“The White Star is a reincarnator who has lived multiple lives over roughly a thousand years.”

That alone was sufficient.
Kale confirmed that the Mercenary King’s expression changed in an instant, then turned his head and approached the countless records once more.

Burd stared blankly at his receding figure.
Tap. Tap. He patted his own shoulder and, watching the Ancient Dragon pass by, finally came to his senses and opened his mouth. The Ancient Dragon was approaching Kale.

“…Erhafen, are you saying the White Star is someone who has continued to be born and die repeatedly?”
“Yes. He continued to reincarnate.”

Erhafen spoke while observing Kale, who had stopped before a bookshelf and was carefully examining his surroundings.

“That’s why I came here to find records about him. If he’s been reincarnating repeatedly, he must have left traces everywhere across the East-West Continent.”

Bud’s mouth fell open.

“…There’s no way there wouldn’t be records of such a powerful being.”

However, Burd Illis hesitated for a moment, his lips moving soundlessly, before speaking again.

“But finding those traces within these tens of thousands of records is nearly impossible.”

As the current Mercenary King, he knew more about these records than anyone else alive today.

“Each record book alone contains information on hundreds of individuals. Examining character information on millions of people is… realistically impossible.”

He glanced at Ron Mollan before continuing.

“Of course, I constantly monitor and track records of powerful beings from the past fifty years. That’s information still being recorded.”

Ron Mollan was a powerful figure from the Eastern Continent whose traces had vanished.
That’s why the Mercenary Guild kept his records in an ongoing status.

“…Simply searching through two hundred years or so would be manageable, but a thousand years is simply—”
“Bud.”

But someone interrupted his words.
It was Kale.

“Where is the very first record book?”

Ha.
Bud sighed as he watched Kale, who was clearly intent on examining the very first record book from over a thousand years ago. He strode toward Kale.

“Kale, are you planning to spend several years in this space? Hm?”

Bud was frustrated.
The man was clearly intelligent, yet he couldn’t understand why he’d chosen this approach.

“Of course, if the White Star is indeed a reincarnator, examining his past would be helpful. But we’re talking about a thousand years of records.”

Bud pulled out one of the record books from the shelf and flipped through its pages.

“Records of a powerful individual’s birth, death, and overall life. Along with documentation of the powers they wielded. And each volume contains hundreds of such records on powerful beings.”

When Bud had entered this place after becoming the Mercenary King, he had been left breathless.
Overwhelmed.
At the same time, I understood why the Mercenary Guild had remained such a formidable force on the Eastern Continent for so long despite owning no territory of their own.

They possessed records that rivaled even land itself.
Perhaps the most terrifying power of all.
The sheer volume of information was that overwhelming.

Bud began to point out the flaws in Kale’s plan one by one.

“Even if you start from the first record book, by the time you’ve read a third of one volume, it won’t be easy to remember who that first powerful being was.”

No matter how good one’s memory, an ordinary person would struggle to retain all the information of thirty individuals even when viewing them in order.
After seeing just three record books, the information would blur together, making it difficult to discern who was who.

“Furthermore, how do you intend to find traces of the White Star? How could you possibly know which powerful being was the White Star’s first life?”

The scent Bud had detected from the White Star was extraordinarily varied.
The Ancient Powers he possessed were intermingled as diversely as Kale’s own, making precise identification difficult.

“And Kale, shouldn’t you be hastening to capture the White Star? What you’re attempting requires at minimum dozens of people working together for months, if not years.”

It was impossible to comprehend these records merely by reading and memorizing them mentally.
Multiple people would need to divide the work and specialize.

Above all, Bud voiced something he couldn’t understand.

“You of all people should know this better than anyone. Why are you doing this?”

Kale picked up the book Bud had produced and turned the pages of the shelf.
Rustle.
The pages, preserved as if new by preservation magic, flipped rapidly.
Watching this, Bud finally opened his mouth again.

“Kale Heniatus, this is—”
“I can do it.”

Burd Illis faltered. But that wasn’t all. The rest of the group, who had been busy surveying and assessing this space, suddenly fixed their attention on Kale Heniatus.
Even as Kale Heniatus remained composed, Burd Illis pressed further.

“…What?”

What did he just say?
Everything I’ve explained so far, you can do it?
How?

…I don’t sense any such ability from him.
Burd Illis lifted his gaze from the book and caught sight of Kale Heniatus looking back at him, his eyes curved with that characteristic expression.

“One week, for now.”

Kale Heniatus had no intention of detaining them for an extended period.

“Within that time, I’ll find the first one.”

The first one, presumed to be the White Star.
Once I discover his birth and death, I can then search for information again based on the point of his death.

Kale Heniatus’s group possessed knowledge of the White Star’s Dragon Slayer power and the Ancient Powers. Of course, Burd Illis didn’t know the details since Kale Heniatus’s group had never told him.
At the very least, Kale Heniatus’s group had grasped a certain level of understanding regarding the White Star’s power.
That was precisely why it was possible to make an educated guess about the first one.

“…How? How will you find that first one?”

Watching Burd Illis’s dazed expression, Kale Heniatus let out a deflating laugh.
It resembled the expression people wore back when Kim Rok-soo had awakened and stepped forward in the past.

Death and killing.
Or life and saving.

Wars between monsters and humans.
Wars between humans and humans.
A world where only destruction existed because of all those conflicts.
Kim Rok-soo, who was praised for possessing a power that could only succeed in a peaceful world devoid of any killing intent.

Yet that power had allowed me to survive and continue living.
I spoke calmly to Burd, who had expressed his doubts.

“Take a look.”

And I asked.

“Where is it?”

Burd remained silent for a long while before finally raising his hand and pointing to a specific location.

“The innermost section. The first book on the left of the bottom shelf of that bookcase.”

Kale Heniatus walked toward where Burd was pointing.

“That book is the first record.”

Hearing Burd’s voice from behind, I pulled the first record from the bookcase. Then I turned the cover and began turning the pages.

Rustle, rustle.
The space filled only with the soft sound of turning pages.
I simply began reading the book.

“…Hm.”

Burd let out a sigh at the sight of me reading indiscriminately. However, he soon made eye contact with Kale Heniatus’s group and approached the inner bookcase where he stood.
He had to help him.
He couldn’t simply stand idle with his hands down, could he?

But the footsteps of the group approaching Kale Heniatus came to a halt.
It was Burd first.
Then Erhafen, and Choi Han, Ron, and Vicross.
Even the children averaging nine years old stopped in their tracks.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.
Only the sound of pages turning could be heard.
That was what seemed strange.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.
The silence around Kale Heniatus was absolute.
He simply continued turning pages without pause, his movements deliberate and quiet.

That was what felt odd.

Finally, Burd Illis opened his mouth.

“…What is that pace?”

Rustle. Rustle.
At first, it had been an ordinary speed.
The pace of turning book pages was typically normal.

‘…It was like the speed of reading a novel.’

Only then did Burd Illis realize something had been strange from the beginning.

Rustle. Rustle. Rustle.

Kale Heniatus’s pace of turning pages was accelerating. It appeared as though he were merely glancing over each page before moving to the next.
In that moment, a thought occurred to Burd Illis.
Was he not carefully examining this first record, not scrutinizing the records of the powerful while committing them to memory.
Was he simply skimming through it all?

Yet the aura emanating from Kale Heniatus suggested otherwise.
This was unmistakably the process of reading.

“Kale Heniatus.”

Kale Heniatus lifted his head at the sound of my voice.
The Ancient Dragon gazed into Kale Heniatus’s eyes with an enigmatic expression. His eyes were as they always were, yet something about them felt chillingly cold.
The Ancient Dragon could not pose many questions. Based on the memories I had accumulated observing Kale Heniatus thus far, I asked.

“You’re remembering it as well, aren’t you?”

You’re not just reading them, but memorizing them as well, aren’t you?
The Ancient Dragon posed the question, and Kale answered.

“Of course.”

With his usual indifferent response, Kale turned his gaze back to the books. The characters from the records reflected in his dark brown eyes.

Rustle.
He turned another page.
The contents of the page were inscribed into his mind. The speed continued to accelerate.

As this continued, Burd Illis could only remain silent and observe Kale.

‘…A terrifying ability.’

He found himself thinking that this ability was truly frightening.
Unlike flashy magic or destructive auras, or the various Ancient Powers—Kale’s ability went unnoticed.
Because it was so quiet, it was difficult to even discern the ability unless one observed carefully.

It was not a power that could kill someone through force, but Burd felt that this ability was truly one that could easily kill or control anyone if he so desired.

Because everything would be recorded in his mind.

Burd could only swallow and watch.
But soon, the sound of footsteps came from beside him.

“Kale.”

Kale lifted his head at the careful call. Choi Han was looking at me.

“What is it?”
“I would like to help as well.”

Choi Han offered an awkward smile to Kale, who was staring intently at me.

“Of course, I read slowly and my memory isn’t very good, but I thought it would still be worthwhile to try.”

Memories from the past surfaced in Kale’s mind.

“Should I help with that too, sir?”
“Aren’t you clocking out?”
“Oh, it’s fine.”
“Fine or not, your kid’s waiting for you at home, isn’t he? Go on.”
“But still—”
“I’m the fastest and most accurate at this. You don’t need to step in.”

I tucked the conversation with my subordinate into the back of my mind and raised my hand.
My fingers pointed toward the second bookshelf.

“I think it would be good to take a look over there.”

Unusually, it wasn’t a direct command telling them what to do.
Yet Choi Han smiled and moved toward the second bookshelf, with Erhafen and Vicross following behind him.
And Ron stood beside me, simply watching.
Under his gaze, I found my mouth opening without my consent, words spilling out.

“…Why? Are you surprised I have this kind of ability?”

I spoke and then clamped my mouth shut. I thought I’d said something unnecessary.
Then Ron’s voice reached me.

“Well, you would have hidden it, young master.”

Ron continued with a benevolent smile.

“After all, you’ve never fully explained how you obtained the Ancient Powers up until now, have you?”

The shield, Destructive Fire, Jjangdol, and so on.
I had never properly told my companions how I’d obtained each of the Ancient Powers. I had simply returned to them one day with another Ancient Power added to my collection.

I suddenly thought that if I had companions like myself, I’d find it quite frustrating. Just as that thought made it even harder to speak, the elderly man said kindly.

“It is not my role to examine the bookshelves like the others.”

Ron continued, looking at me—the twenty-year-old Kale Heniatus—with my mouth firmly closed.

“I am your servant, young master. My duty is to attend to you at your side.”

With those words, Ron quietly took his place beside Kale.
Kale observed this silently before turning his gaze back to the book.

“…Well, that’s your job, after all.”

Only then did Kale finally understand what Ron meant by his task.
Rustle. Rustle.
As he rapidly turned pages, other voices reached his ears.

“I, the great Raon Mir, read fast! I have excellent memory too! I’m smart and great! So I’ll do it as well!”
“…I… still learned letters from Hans and Grandfather Ron! I can do it too!”
“I’m already reading.”
“Sister really is amazing!”

Kale let out a soft chuckle at the noisy chatter of the average nine-year-olds.

But soon the vast Record Library fell silent.
Rustle. Rustle.
Only the sound of turning pages echoed through the space.
Then Vicross’s question reached Kale’s ears.

“What should we search for?”

Kale’s thoughts turned to the White Star.

“Collect all records regarding Dragon Slayer power and those who wield Ancient Powers.”

The answer came from someone else.

“Was that power Dragon Slayer power?”

It was Burd. He too walked toward the second bookshelf while stroking his nose.

“The White Star’s scent had something unusual mixed in besides Ancient Powers. Well then, I should help too.”

Burd turned the pages while recalling the White Star he had sensed through scent.
Even amidst this, a particularly distinctive sound reached his ears.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.
The sound of pages turning at an incredible speed.
Burd imagined Kale becoming a living record himself, and like the others, he too buried himself within the records.

* * *

Hmm.
Ron Mollan swallowed silently.

This was a space where the temperature remained constant at all times.
There was no reason to sweat.

He moved his hand.
The handkerchief in his hand touched someone’s forehead.

‘…Why is there so much sweat?’

In Ron Mollan’s eyes appeared Kale Heniatus, his forehead drenched with sweat.
Kale’s face was flushed red with fever.

Though the Record Archive was cool, Kale alone radiated heat like a man burning with fever.
Yet he did not stop, etching the records into his mind.

Behind him, thousands upon thousands of records—tens of thousands—lay scattered like footprints in his wake.

—————
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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