Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 361

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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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Silence filled the entire Library.
No one could easily open their mouth.

A thousand years.
The mere thought of the chain of events that had unfolded across such an immense span of time left everyone’s minds reeling.

Bud and Kale Heniatus stared at each other.

“Heh.”

A short laugh escaped from Bud’s lips.

“I need a drink.”

He collapsed onto the floor.
His heart and mind felt suffocated.

It was merely a hypothesis.
A hypothesis that the White Star might be the First Mercenary King.
He had to go through a verification process for this hypothesis.

Yet strangely, he felt certain that this hypothesis would prove true.

“…Damn it.”

Bud gripped his own hair with both hands. He struggled to suppress the anger and frustration rising from within his chest.

“Damn it!”

Watching him like that, no one dared to speak.
That was when it happened.

“…Sigh.”

A shallow breath was heard.

“Young master.”

I examined Kale Heniatus’s face as Ron supported him.
His face was flushed red from the fever, and cold sweat drenched his skin as he exhaled with a feverish expression.
Seeing Kale with wet red hair clinging to his face, Ron handed over supporting him to his son Vicross.

I slowly sank to the floor, following Vicross’s guiding hand.
Then I leaned my back against the bookshelf.

“…Human.”
“This won’t do.”

Raon and Hong approached me. On had already moved near my calf and was looking up at me.

I kept my eyes slightly lowered, breathing in and out repeatedly. My entire body felt devoid of strength.

“…This is maddening.”

Bud wiped his face with both hands at the sight.
He hadn’t properly assessed my condition while listening to all these shocking revelations.
Or perhaps he had noticed, but chose to ignore it because the story he was hearing took priority.

Erhafen pulled out a water bucket from his spatial pouch, dampened a towel with it, and handed it to Ron, who carefully wiped the sweat from my forehead.

“…Hah, hah.”

I breathed as I felt the cool, damp towel against my cheeks.
It was so hot.

‘Damn it.’

Grade 1 ability user Kim Rok-soo. The most well-known of my powers: “Record.”
Every time I used that power, my entire body filled with heat starting from my head.
But my mind remained clear.

Compared to other abilities that caused cerebral overload and clouded the mind, the backlash was relatively mild.

I closed my eyes.
I needed to organize the information recorded in my mind.

“…Master Kale, let me escort you outside.”

Choi Han approached Kale, whose eyes remained closed.

“Right, let’s head outside and finish this there.”

Erhafen nodded in agreement with Choi Han’s words. Choi Han attempted to carry Kale, who remained silent with his eyes shut. Vicross assisted by grasping Kale’s shoulder.

“…Damn it.”

Bud, witnessing the scene, scowled repeatedly and uttered a crude curse. There was no helping it—those who must surely be more frustrated than he was moved forward with composed expressions, preparing for what came next.

Eventually, Bud rose to his feet as well.
There was no time to remain idle.
He approached Kale and his companions and spoke.

“It’s fine if we’re discovered—let’s use magic to escape instead.”

While it mattered to use the Record Archive without drawing attention, people came first.

“Then the magnificent me shall cast a teleportation spell! I’ll help too!”

Raon immediately agreed with Bud’s suggestion, extending both front paws forward as if preparing to weave magic.
Bud moved to his side.

“Lord Raon, I shall provide the coordinates.”
“Yes, go ahead! Mercenary King who loves his drink!”
“The coordinates are—”

That was when it happened.

“That’s enough.”

A low voice accompanied by shallow breathing.
It was Kale. Bud’s voice instinctively rose.

“Hey, what do you mean it’s fine—”
“I’m hot.”

Kale ignored Bud and spoke only what he needed to say.
At his subsequent action, Bud’s expression turned bewildered.

“…What are you doing?”

Bud asked, but I thoroughly ignored him. I couldn’t be bothered to answer.
My trembling fingers moved slowly.

I began unfastening my shirt buttons one by one from the top.
I needed to cool my body down quickly.

“Hot.”

My hands moved sluggishly as I muttered about the heat, undoing the buttons in succession.

Beep—beep beep—

At that moment, a sharp alarm pierced through the library. Bud’s gaze shifted away from me.

“Human!”

The Black Dragon, who had been about to cast a teleportation spell, now held a video communication device in his two front paws instead.
It was emitting a red glow.

“Human! It’s the Crown Prince!”

My personal video communication device only glowed red when Crown Prince Albert Crossman contacted me.
Raon glanced at my condition repeatedly as he spoke.

“Human! The Crown Prince is calling! He says to contact him back later?”

Bud also glanced at me before opening his mouth.

“I don’t mind connecting. We were going to use magic anyway. But your condition is, well.”

No matter how I looked at it, I was in no state to take a video call.
Yet I tapped Raon’s head, then On’s and Hong’s heads nearby, one by one with my hand before speaking.

“Connect it.”

I had something to tell the Crown Prince anyway.

“Young Master.”
“I’ll help you.”
“Never mind. I’ve got it.”

I waved dismissively at Ron and Choi Han.

‘Damn it.’

The heat was irritating me relentlessly.
Still, I found myself thinking it was rather fortunate as I unfastened my buttons.
Back when I was Kim Rok-soo, no matter how hot it was or how much I sweated, I could never loosen a single button or roll up my sleeves in front of my subordinates.

The scars covering my body made that impossible.
What would I gain by showing off scars? All it would do was frighten those working alongside me.

I looked down at my exposed skin between the unfastened buttons and reflected.

‘…This is nice.’

A body unmarred by scars.
A body that the heart’s vitality would heal even if scars did form.
That was truly good.

Scars were records too.
Records of the worst kind.

It was better that such things disappeared.
They would only be wounds to those who saw them and to the one bearing them.

“Human, I’ve connected it!”

As I continued unfastening my buttons, Raon’s voice drew my gaze forward.
Before me appeared a video communication device with a screen materializing above it.

A familiar face appeared on the screen.
Naturally, it was Crown Prince Albert Crossman.

Albert, dressed in unusually dignified attire, opened his mouth.

-…What are you doing?

I threw the question at the passing Dragon with a tone of dignity.
My bright expression twisted.

-…Have you been drinking?

My expression conveyed the thought: now you’re even adopting such irreverent behavior?
There was no helping it.
In my entire life, I had never seen the Crown Prince receive a video call while his face was flushed crimson red and he was carelessly removing his shirt.
That was behavior only possible if one were so drunk that all propriety and decorum had been completely abandoned.

-Are you reverting to being a drunken ruffian? Hmm? How much alcohol would you have to drink for your face to turn red like that and for you to be in such a disheveled state, sweating-

My words cut off abruptly.
Immediately, my expression twisted for a different reason.

-…What have you done now?

I could see all of Kale’s companions.
They were fine. Only Kale appeared to be full of heat—now I could see it clearly.

-…Did you use Ancient Powers? And who is that person wearing glasses? The Mercenary King?

Bud’s and my gazes collided through the video communication screen.
From the moment Raon shouted “Your Highness!”, Bud immediately recognized who I was.

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness. Bud Illis. I am the Mercenary King.”

His tone was respectful, but his bearing was quite confident.
Though he ruled no territory, he was still a representative of one of the most recognized and top-tier powers on the Eastern Continent.
The Mercenary King did not easily bow his head even to the kings of the Eastern Continent.

-A pleasure. Albert Crossman.

My introduction was brief.
I judged that simply revealing my name was sufficient.
My name would surely be known to the powers of the East-West Continent.
At that moment, Kale’s voice rang out.

“I’m currently reviewing the Mercenary Guild’s roster.”
-A roster? Why would you need that?

A flicker of realization crossed Alberu’s eyes as he studied my expression. Seeing that Erhafen remained composed, he immediately voiced the reason behind my actions.

-You went to gather information about the White Star, didn’t you?

This was precisely why I found working with Alberu so convenient.
There was no need for lengthy explanations.

“Correct. I examined the roster records.”

With that as my starting point, I recited everything I had discovered in the Record Archive in a measured tone.

“…That concludes what I found.”

The suspicion that the White Star might be the First Mercenary King.
The possibility that the roster was actually a record of the Ancient Powers.
As Alberu absorbed all of this, his expression had grown heavy.

-…Kale Heniatus.

His gaze turned toward my exhausted form.

-So what do you need?

My lips curved upward weakly.
This was why working with the Crown Prince was worthwhile.

“Approximately seven days and 9,889 volumes of rosters.”

I closed my eyes.
My fevered eyelids trembled slightly.

-What does that mean?
“The books I’ve read.”
-…What?

Only then did Alberu see the bookshelf Kale was leaning against, and the countless shelves stretching beyond it.
A cold, emotionless voice reached his ears.

“Out of a total of 45,788 volumes, I have acquired the contents of 9,889.”

Kale still had his eyes closed.
Yet within his mind, countless records unfurled like bookshelves, pages turning rapidly through them.

“Based on the records of 9,889 volumes, I have identified 31 possessors of Ancient Powers. Among them, 29 have confirmed locations of death. Water attribute: 4, Wind attribute: 9, Fire attribute: 6, Wood attribute: 1, Others: 11.”

The Mercenary King Bud unconsciously swallowed.
Kale was the only one speaking in this space.

“The first recorded possessor of Ancient Powers. Archer Liseter. Approximately 962 years ago, from the Northern Continent’s Eastern region. Died at age 61, 901 years ago. His Ancient Power was of the Wind attribute.”

It was hot.
Kale felt the heat. Yet his mouth did not stop.

“Second, Swordmaster Chaar. Approximately 954 years ago, from the Southern Sea Island. Died at age 24, 930 years ago. Her Ancient Power was of the Water attribute. And the third….”

Bud wiped the back of his hand.

“Seventeenth, Spear Master Elsren. Approximately 781 years ago, from the Free City. Died at age 41, 740 years ago. His Ancient Power was of the Fire attribute. Eighteenth….”

Chills ran down his spine.
From Kale’s lips flowed the names of possessors of Ancient Powers from the 9,889 volumes of records he had read.
There was no hesitation, no falsehood in the calm, steady voice with which he spoke.

“Thirty-first, Martial Artist Inkter… Year of death unknown. Ancient Power is of the Water attribute.”

The moment Kale finished reciting the thirty-first and final possessor of Ancient Powers, he looked at Alberu and immediately saw the Crown Prince’s mouth fall open.
The Crown Prince spoke calmly.

-I will gather the records regarding Ancient Powers on the Western Continent for you.

The corners of Kale’s mouth rose once more.

The Crown Prince’s expression was one of astonishment. Yet like Bud, chills were running across his body as well.
Reading 9,889 volumes and reciting their contents from memory?

‘Madman.’

There stood before me someone who had truly lost his mind.
So the Crown Prince spoke without hesitation.

-Why are you smiling like that?

The Crown Prince found it equally convenient to work with him.

-I need to gather information on the Ancient Powers, but it seems your side should be doing the opposite?

At that moment, Bud’s body flinched.
Kale’s gaze turned toward Bud.

“Sigh.”

Bud opened his mouth with a deep exhale.

“It seems…”

If the First Mercenary King was the White Star, then it was possible he had secretly and continuously infiltrated this place.
Because of that, Bud had to make a decision.

“Damn it!”

Alberu paused.
It wasn’t because the Mercenary King had suddenly cursed.
He understood his feelings well enough to accept that much. His pause came from a different reason.

“Damn it! I can’t say this while sober!”

Click!
A bottle opened. The Mercenary King gulped down the alcohol.
Kale received Alberu’s gaze.

‘Where did I find such a man…?’

That was exactly the look in his eyes.

“Kwaaa!”

After chugging an entire bottle of alcohol in one go, Bud opened his mouth.

“Here, here! Yes, right here!”

He shouted to himself.

“We’re going to blow it all up!”

Bud shouted while looking at Kale.

“So the White Star can’t come here! We’ll move only the roster and completely demolish this place! Kahahaha! Then they won’t be able to find any records later, right? Kahahaha!”

He laughed heartily.

“Kahahaha! Blow it up! Destroy everything!”

Kale turned away from Bud with a displeased expression.
What he said wasn’t wrong.
If the White Star was the First Mercenary King, extracting only the roster and demolishing this space would leave no traces and was indeed the best course of action.

“Krhm, it’s absurd that I, the Mercenary King, must destroy the original Mercenary Guild Building and this Record Archive, but krhm, I have to do it.”

Bud spoke to Kale.

“Who else would do it if not me?”

The White Star knew the power that Kale’s group possessed.
Especially the Ancient Powers Kale wielded, and the strength of major powerhouses who had fought in the war like Choi Han and Erhafen. If even the slightest trace of them appeared, the White Star would immediately realize that Kale had come to the Eastern Continent.
That had to be avoided.

Bud was troubled by the fact that he had to destroy part of the Mercenary Guild Building with his own hands, but there was no other choice.
Then it happened.

“I will destroy it.”

Kale flinched.
I saw someone holding out a cold, damp cloth to me and looking at me.
Kale wiped the sweat from his arm with the cloth and opened his mouth.

“…Ron?”

Servant Ron. He had stepped forward to destroy both the original Mercenary Guild Building and this Record Archive.

“Young master.”

He smiled gently.

“I have never stepped into the forefront. Would there be anyone who knows me?”

During the Western Continent war, neither Ron nor Vicross had ever stepped into the forefront.

“And haven’t all the Dark members who discovered that I was a servant already perished?”

The Dark members who had lost Ron’s arm and learned his identity all passed away during the joint battle with the Whale Tribe.
To those who didn’t know Kale well, he was known only as Kale’s servant.

“Young master.”

Ron had not merely been playing during his time on the Eastern Continent.
He had honed himself anew. Not just sharpening his blade, but refining himself like a thin yet lethal hidden dagger that would pierce an enemy’s heart.

“The time seems right.”

And the moment had come.
Finally, the time to step forward openly and aid Kale.
And.

“To announce the revival of the Molan Family.”

The time had come to rekindle the fading resolve that Kale had reignited.

The conflict between Dark and the Mercenary Guild was something most of the Eastern Continent knew about.
So all I needed was to introduce a single variable between them.
I didn’t need many variables.
Just one small, sharp blade that no one had anticipated would suffice.

“Molan Family, Dark, Mercenary Guild.”

With the Molan Family becoming that blade.

“Let’s make it a three-way war.”

I would shake the balance of power across the Eastern Continent.
Ron continued to watch me as he spoke.

“Isn’t that right, my son?”

Vicross answered with an expressionless face.

“Indeed, Father.”

I could see the elderly man smiling with a cold expression, having shed all pretense of kindness.
His eyes gleamed with intensity between the wrinkled face and white hair.

“So it is, young master.”

Yet his voice remained affectionate.
I drew a deep smile.

This old man was ruthless yet brilliant.

I clearly felt that one of Ron’s reasons for stepping forward was for me and my companions.
Now Ron was the one who could stand by my side more than anyone else.

“Ron, wasn’t your duty to remain by my side?”
“That duty is this duty.”

I finally laughed brightly at Ron’s answer.

-People of the same kind had gathered together.

Alberu grumbled.

“Crown Prince, you’re doing it again! That wicked grin! We should show it to the White Star!”

At Raon’s outcry, Alberu quietly let his lips fall back into place.

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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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