Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 374

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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 83. True to Nature

We’ll relocate this White Castle.

At Kale Heniatus’s words, Erhafen fell into a moment of contemplation.
An illusion bound to the castle, Lord Sherit.

‘If we move the castle, then naturally Lord Sherit, who is bound to it, would—’

Come along?
Erhafen unconsciously moistened his lips with his tongue.

Since the White Star knew the location of this castle, they would continue their assault. They would stop at nothing to destroy and obliterate it.
If relocating the castle were possible under such circumstances, it would yield favorable outcomes for both Raon and Sherit.

Yet there remained one paramount problem.
Erhafen swallowed hard.

‘This castle was constructed by the Lord known as the Mage Sovereign, pouring his entire power into it. Can we truly move it so carelessly? Is it even possible?’

Intricate magical formulas were certainly inscribed throughout this castle.
A careless touch would cause it to crumble.
Could we relocate it entirely while avoiding such a catastrophe?

Erhafen’s mind grew increasingly tangled.
The reason was simple.

‘It seems possible, yet it also seems impossible.’

The feasibility remained ambiguous.
That was when it happened.
Kale Heniatus’s voice reached his ears.
Unlike his usual demeanor, he shuffled forward with surprising composure and spoke with casual confidence.

“Raon, the cavern beneath the Jjangdol Mansion is quite spacious, isn’t it? There’s plenty of open ground too. If we just raise the ceiling a bit higher in that cave, I think this castle should fit inside.”

Raon fluttered his wings and stared blankly at Kale Heniatus.
Regardless, Kale Heniatus continued on his way.

Tap.
Kale Heniatus’s palm pressed against the curved wall of the massive dome.
He continued speaking without a hint of concern.

“Or we could move to the Dark Forest instead. No one’s going in there anyway.”

The voices of spirits still echoed from the spinning top that Kale Heniatus held in his hand.
He listened intently to those voices while shrugging his shoulders.
The group watched as Kale Heniatus casually tossed it aside.

“I have plenty of land anyway. I have plenty of money to buy land too. I’m quite wealthy, you know?”

Burd Illis observed every word and action of Kale Heniatus and thought to himself.

‘…Where exactly am I right now?’

The Mercenary King felt as though he had come to some remote retreat and was now listening to some thoughtless rich young master boast about his money.
Yet the actual wealthy young master before his eyes spoke without emotion.

“Tell me what land you want.”

Kale Heniatus spoke casually.

“I’ll move you there.”

Well, with so much money, it’s good to spend it on buying land.
Land is something that keeps accumulating anyway.
Kale Heniatus nodded in satisfaction with his own thoughts, then asked Raon.

“What do you think?”

And he also asked Lord Sherit, who was looking at me.

“What do you think? Raon’s mother. I have quite a bit of land, you see. Since I’m also wealthy, I can simply purchase whatever castle grounds are needed.”
“…Huh?”

Kale Heniatus spoke to Lord Sherit, who was staring blankly in confusion.

“So this castle belongs to Raon as its master? The doors open wide whenever he wishes to enter? It’s enchanted that way, you say?”
“That’s right.”

Kale Heniatus didn’t know much about magic.
Especially magic woven by someone of Dragon Lord caliber—he couldn’t begin to fathom its construction.
Because of this, determining whether the castle could be moved or not presented a magical puzzle beyond his grasp.

Yet there was one thing Kale Heniatus considered.
The master of this castle was now Raon.

“Then if the homeowner wishes to move it, he moves it. Isn’t that how the world works?”

It’s the homeowner’s prerogative. What else could there be?
And Raon’s mother, a sort of tenant herself, seems to want it moved as well, so it’s settled. What more could be the issue?

Kale Heniatus glanced at the group as if asking what the problem was.
The Mercenary King lowered his head and muttered softly.

“…His words are certainly correct, but….”

Kale Heniatus’s words weren’t wrong. In fact, they were right.

“…Still, it’s not quite so simple….”

But soon Bud ceased his deliberation.

“Well, he’s that kind of guy.”

The Bud I knew was someone who had just repelled the White Star’s lightning strike and now casually boasted about his wealth.
To such a man, this castle—no matter how vast or magnificent—would merely be the home of the young dragon traveling alongside him, and relocating a structure layered with such advanced magic wouldn’t seem particularly difficult.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

I’ll stop worrying about it.
Bud had reached what he considered a thoroughly rational decision.
He ceased his contemplation on the matter.
That was the moment.

“Human.”

Raon’s voice reached my ears.

“Why?”
“The greatest genius.”

That should suffice.
Kale Heniatus shrugged lightly.

The Mercenary King, who had been observing the conversation between one human and one dragon, finally could not restrain himself and broke his earlier vow to pay no attention.

“This is hardly the time for such things, is it?”

He pointed beyond the dome.

“The enemies will likely launch their next assault very soon.”

The moment his words ended.

Boom!
A thunderous sound of impact reverberated against the dome.

The group’s gaze turned toward the dome.

Boom! Crash! Boom! Boom!
Sounds of pounding echoed from all sides of the circular dome. It was unmistakably an assault meant to shatter it.
The group’s expressions hardened. Burd spoke urgently.

“Look! The second wave of attacks has already begun! And the White Star—”
“The White Star is coughing up blood.”
“Yeah, that bastard’s coughing up blood! Whatever he spews out— huh?”

Burd stared at Kale Heniatus with a dazed expression. Regardless, Kale Heniatus waved the golden spinning top before the group and opened his mouth.

“According to the Wind Spirits, the White Star is currently coughing up blood after exerting his power.”

A flicker of intrigue crossed Erhafen’s eyes.

“The White Star overextended himself. Has he still not obtained the power of the earth?”
“That would appear to be the case.”

The Ancient Dragon regarded Kale Heniatus with an enigmatic expression as he nodded calmly. His thoughts drifted to the white crown that had vanished into Kale Heniatus’s embrace moments ago.
It was precisely because of that crown that Kale Heniatus had managed to remain standing until now.

“Then let’s go out and fight right now! This is our chance!”

Bud raised his voice. He spoke with an urgency that differed from before, his excitement evident.

“The White Star is coughing up blood, but we’re in relatively good condition, aren’t we? Obviously it’s better to fight now, right? This is our opportunity to eliminate the White Star!”

Even in that moment, the Wind Spirits beside Kale Heniatus chattered away.

‘Right now the Bear Tribe and Lion Tribe are trying to destroy the dome rocks!’
‘Oh! The Mage has activated a teleportation magic circle!’

I processed the countless pieces of information conveyed through the Wind Spirits’ voices and let them spill from my lips.

“Currently, the Mage outside has a teleportation circle prepared and ready to use at any moment.”

Ah.
Bud’s face contorted.
Erhafen’s mouth opened.

“So the White Star can escape whenever he pleases.”
“Precisely. And the Lion Tribe and Bear Tribe are currently attacking to break through this wall.”

Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of impacts against the dome grew increasingly fierce.

Bud bit his lip hard.

The White Star was coughing up blood.
And my companions were in better condition than expected.
By that logic, fighting would be advantageous.
I thought this might be an opportunity.

But if a teleportation magic circle was being prepared, then lowering this dome and venturing outside would inevitably lead to a brutal clash with the Bear Tribe and Lion Tribe, only to watch the White Star slip away.
This dome was both a shield for Kale Heniatus’s group and a signal to their enemies—a warning of when to flee.

‘What a waste.’

Bud found that fact frustrating.
He had managed to block the attack with such difficulty, yet he hadn’t even gained an opportunity to counterattack—it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

‘Still, perhaps this situation might actually be better.’

After all, if they clashed with the White Star again right now, there was no guarantee that his companions would remain unharmed as they were.
A situation could arise where they fought with their lives on the line, pushed to the brink. So it was better to be satisfied that no one was injured now and prepare for the future instead.

‘In any case, I did obtain the information that the White Star has not yet acquired the power of the earth.’

That alone made this battle sufficiently worthwhile. Moreover, by meeting Sherit, I had learned considerable secrets about the White Star, and hadn’t the situation even become one where I could learn more?
Bud’s furrowed expression eased slightly.

Even in that moment, Kale Heniatus calmly relayed the situation outside.

“Furthermore, it seems the White Star is simply watching over this castle without doing anything.”

The group removed their hands from the wall and could see Kale Heniatus looking at them.

“Do you know why the White Star can simply stand watch like that?”

Kale Heniatus opened his mouth with an amused smile.

“Because he doesn’t know there’s another exit here. Isn’t that right, Lord Sherit?”

Lord Sherit had told Kale Heniatus that there was a secret passage known only to the first Dragon Slayer and Sherit in this place.
The White Star, unaware of it, would be waiting for Kale Heniatus’s group to emerge while keeping them able to escape at any moment.
Or perhaps he was attempting a second attack by having the Bear Tribe and Lion Tribe break the dome.

“Regardless of what direction the White Star desires, in the end, he will think of us as rats trapped in a poison.”

The only exit he knew of was breaking this dome.
Lord Sherit’s mouth opened as she listened to Kale Heniatus’s words.

“But we are not rats trapped in poison.”

Her gaze and Kale Heniatus’s met.
Sherit continued speaking.

“If we take the secret passage, it should lead us to the Dragon Slayer Village. Once we’re there, we’ll definitely be able to find the White Star’s weakness.”

Erhafen picked up where she left off.

“Then let’s send some people to the Dragon Slayer Village right away. And the rest of us will stay here to defend this castle.”
“That should be sufficient with just me, who cannot leave the castle—”
“I will go as well, Lord.”

Erhafen cut off Lord Sherit’s words and expressed his intention to join her. With the two of them present, they could at least prepare for additional attacks in multiple ways.
And the Ancient Dragon needed to find a way to relocate the castle.

Erhafen turned his head and spoke to Kale.

“Lord Sherit and I will defend the castle here, so in the meantime, you take the rest of the group and visit the village. From what you’ve said, it seems the White Star can no longer step forward directly.”

Erhafen considered this.
Once Kale found the White Star’s weakness and they all relocated this castle to another location together.
He would gain considerable advantage from this battle, just as Bud had.
And with this advantage, he believed he could secure the upper hand in future battles against the White Star.

“Understood.”

Kale nodded readily.

“I’ll go with Choi Han, Raon, On, Hong, and Bud. Ron and Vicross will stay here to assist Lord Sherit and Erhafen.”

The group heading to the Dragon Slayer Village was immediately decided.
No one had objections. They were simply filled with the resolve to fulfill their assigned roles well.
Among them, Kale’s voice rang out as he posed a question to Lord Sherit.

“Ah, Lord Sherit.”
“What is it?”

Kale asked matter-of-factly.

“The Dragon Slayer Village must have its own original exit, right? Not this secret passage.”
“…Of course it does?”
“And that exit connects to this land?”
“Right?”
“Excellent.”

Kale Heniatus nodded with a satisfied expression.
Then he spoke to the group that had decided to remain in the castle.

“If the White Star doesn’t intervene, the two Dragons will easily repel the Lion Tribe and Bear Tribe attacks, but don’t do that.”

…What? Don’t easily repel them?
Erhafen stared at Kale Heniatus.
Something felt off about this.
In the meantime, Kale Heniatus spoke seriously.

“Pretend to defend with great effort, barely managing to hold on. That way, the White Star won’t flee anywhere and will keep watching, thinking the dome will shatter soon, right?”

The group’s expressions grew strange.

“The White Star will think we’re barely holding on like we did during the Alchemy Tower battle, believing everyone is in dire straits. So let’s act that way.”

Erhafen asked blankly.

“…And then?”

What’s the point of acting that way?
Kale Heniatus answered lightly.

“Then we’ll escape this castle through the Dragon Slayer Village’s original exit and return here.”

The group imagined themselves leaving the castle through a method the White Star would never anticipate and returning to this place.

The corners of Erhafen’s mouth began to rise.
The corners of Burd Illis’s mouth similarly twitched upward.
Regardless, Kale Heniatus calmly outlined the next phase of the operation.

“Once we return like that.”

Kale, Choi Han, the average nine-year-old, and the Mercenary King had secretly returned here without the White Star’s knowledge.

“I’ll strike from behind.”

I would attack the White Star from behind.

The Mercenary King Bud licked his lips and asked. His voice was cautious, yet brimming with anticipation.

“…You’re going to fight the White Star?”

A blunt response came back.

“So we’re just going to let them go? We’ve only been getting beaten down this whole time?”

Bud suddenly felt a refreshing sense of satisfaction wash over him.
His head nodded involuntarily at Kale’s words.
That’s right. We’ve only been getting beaten down—we can’t just let them leave.

Even as he spoke, Kale was listening to the information the Wind Spirit conveyed to him.

“Well, we won’t be able to defeat the White Star outright right now.”

No matter how much blood the White Star had coughed up, if they clashed directly, the odds of Kale’s group being in danger were high.
They weren’t fully prepared, and they couldn’t stake everything on a fight that wasn’t part of the plan.
Besides, if Kale struck from behind in a surprise attack, the White Star would naturally flee.
Either way.

“In any case, shouldn’t we at least land one blow to the back of their head?”

Kale was a reckless one who needed to do something to feel satisfied.
The corners of his mouth gradually rose.

“We’ll turn them into rats trapped in a poison jar.”

The White Star would think that we were the rats trapped in the poison jar.

“Let’s make the White Star panic and flee.”

A leisurely escape for the White Star?
That was not a picture Kale Heniatus had any intention of creating.

As Kale Heniatus’s smile deepened, Raon’s voice reached his ears.

“…Hey, human, you’re excited right now!”

That was true.
I was a bit excited.
Kale Heniatus admitted it.

—————
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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