Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 378

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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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“Sigh.”

I exhaled softly.

Mercenary King Burd stepped back from me, observing my form.

Just as I had done with the Mercenary Guild’s roster, I would soon commit every detail within this book to memory in an instant.
Burd noticed one of my neck buttons had come undone.

‘So I’ve already been using my ability.’

A flicker of intrigue crossed Burd Illis’s eyes before vanishing.
There were several reasons for this, but the greatest was Choi Han.

‘Something’s off.’

Choi Han appeared similar to usual, yet different. The Choi Han that Burd had observed thus far had always been composed. At times, he seemed even colder than I was.

‘For such a man to break into a cold sweat?’

The temperature of this Underground Village was perfectly pleasant for people to move about in.
In such conditions, Burd noticed beads of cold sweat forming on Choi Han’s forehead.

Of course, Choi Han had quickly wiped away the perspiration without drawing attention, so others wouldn’t have noticed. But Burd possessed the observational acuity to catch even that.

‘…Suspicious.’

Choi Han.
Even his name carried an unfamiliar form. Since the Continent was a place where so many races mingled, appearance mattered little. But the absence of any record regarding his past—that was suspicious.

Of course, he couldn’t hastily voice his suspicions about Choi Han.

Because Kale Heniatus, who was essentially the leader of this group, placed complete trust in Choi Han. It wasn’t overtly apparent, but Burd, being a leader of an organization himself, understood it.

Entrusting one’s back and front to another.
That was an action impossible without profound trust.

That’s why Burd harbored questions about Choi Han, but he swallowed them down. At the very least, Choi Han was ‘on our side.’

‘It’s certainly entertaining.’

Burd followed Kale Heniatus’s movements for two reasons: the objective of eliminating the White Star, and curiosity about Kale Heniatus’s actions.
Yet he was someone who clearly recognized that he himself was the head of the Mercenary Guild.

Because of this, Burd Illis observed these people—who would reshape the landscape of the East-West Continent—quite carefully. He pulled out a bottle and drank.
There was nothing better than alcohol to hide the act of observing.

And there was someone who, unlike usual, failed to notice those observing eyes, too preoccupied with concealing their own emotions.

It was Choi Han.

‘…Korean.’

Korean.
The moment Choi Han saw sentences written in Korean, his breath caught in his throat.
It felt as though reality was slipping away.

But at the same time, reality crashed back in.

‘…Choi Jung-gun.’

The moment he saw that name, Choi Han could pull forth a single memory from decades—no, more than that—of years past.

Choi Han’s father had said he had a youngest brother who had gone missing.
To Choi Han, he was his youngest uncle.

When his father was in his early twenties, that youngest brother had gone out to a valley with friends and simply vanished.
At that time, the youngest brother was fifteen years old.

According to the youngest brother’s friends at the time, he had definitely been with them, but disappeared in the blink of an eye. No matter how much they searched the area, they couldn’t find him.
After that, the entire family and villagers searched for the youngest brother, but ultimately found not even the slightest trace.

That youngest brother. To Choi Han, his youngest uncle’s name was Choi Jung-gun.

The reason Choi Han remembered his uncle’s face, whom he had never seen before, was entirely because of his father.
One day when he visited his grandmother’s house in the countryside, he accidentally overheard his father drinking and talking with his aunt late into the night on his way to the bathroom. It was a story he heard only once, but it was shocking enough for a first-year middle school student that he couldn’t forget it.
After that, he also saw his youngest uncle’s face in an album inside his grandmother’s dresser. In the black-and-white photograph, his uncle appeared to be not much older than Choi Han in first year, awkwardly smiling while grooming his closely cropped hair.

‘…Could he really be my youngest uncle?’

Choi Han deliberately tensed his hand.
He needed to hide his trembling fingertips.

His mind swirled with countless thoughts.

‘I wasn’t alone.’

The fact that there was another person besides him who had to live a life suddenly dropped into a different world filled Choi Han with complex emotions that were difficult to articulate.
At the same time, an urgency that transcended mere curiosity enveloped him.

He wanted to see that record book immediately.

He wanted to read through every word written in Korean without missing a single thing, to learn the reason why he had come to this world, and whether he could return.

He simply wanted to know the story of someone like himself.
Because it might be the story of someone who shared his bloodline. That made him even more curious.

Tap.

That was the moment.
Choi Han lifted his head.

The Silver Cat’s front paw tapped against Choi Han’s leg.
And Hong looked up at Choi Han and spoke.

“I’m not sure if you’re okay.”

Raon was already standing beside On and Hong, alternating his gaze between Choi Han and Kale Heniatus.
Raon’s and Choi Han’s eyes met.

“Choi Han! Are you angry?”
“…What?”
“Your face looks stiff! You look like Vicross when he’s angry about not getting something delicious!”

Choi Han let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.
He lifted his hand and touched his own face.
His fingertips no longer trembled.

He recalled one of the thoughts he’d just entertained.

The part of himself that had been curious about whether he could return.

A peculiar smile bloomed at the corners of Choi Han’s lips.

The truth was.
To speak the absolute truth—his family’s faces remained vivid in his memory.
He had recalled them tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of times.

But the faces of his friends, his teachers, those who had built Choi Han’s world in Korea—he could no longer remember any of them.

Of course, if he met them again, he felt he might suddenly remember. Yet at the same time, he suspected he wouldn’t recognize them even if they met again.
Too much time had passed.

“Choi Han! Don’t worry!”
“Hm?”

Raon flew toward Choi Han’s shoulder and patted it with his front paw.

“The weak human has a sharp mind, so he’ll memorize the book quickly! Then we can hurry to save our family! So you don’t need to worry! Just trust the great Raon Mir!”

The corners of Choi Han’s mouth curved into a smile.
He remembered why he had held himself back from looking at that book, despite wanting to, because of Kale’s words.
The faces of his comrades waiting for him and the others here to return soon filled his mind.

‘Our family.’

Raon’s words echoed in Choi Han’s mouth.

“Choi Han! Why are you smiling now? Will you become like the Crown Prince!”

Raon found it strange that Choi Han was suddenly grinning. Regardless, Choi Han stroked the back of Raon’s head while gazing forward.

Rustle. Rustle.
Kale Heniatus flipped through the thick record at a rapid pace, committing it to memory.

‘Yes. I’ll wait.’

Choi Han put his mind at ease.

When he was in the Dark Forest, there was nothing to wait for and no one to wait for him.
Compared to those days, now was nothing short of paradise.

Choi Han simply waited for Kale Heniatus to finish reading the book.

Rustle. Rustle rustle.
Kale Heniatus’s face remained expressionless as he turned the pages rapidly.

Yet his mind was flooded with two streams of information, spinning with confusion and complexity unlike ever before.

Half of every page in the record was written in Eastern Continent language, and the other half was in Korean.

Choi Jung-gun’s memoirs.
And records of the Ancient White Star.
Both were being inscribed into Kale Heniatus’s eyes simultaneously.

Records written in Eastern Continent language.

【The one who called himself the White Star possessed the five great natural attributes, and furthermore, even wielded the ancient power of the sky attribute.】
【The water power he wielded was like a veil. Virtually no attack could penetrate that water veil. Next, the fire power he used was….】

Kale Heniatus recalled the water attribute ancient power that the current White Star used.
It too took the form of a veil.
It was remarkably similar to the power the Ancient White Star had wielded.

Kale Heniatus heard Jjangdol’s voice in his mind.

-As expected, that bastard is merely imitating the Ancient White Star.

Kale didn’t answer Jjangdol’s question, flipping through the pages with increasing speed.
Rustle. Rustle rustle.
The papers turned rapidly.
Yet every single word was being recorded in Kale’s mind.

Rustle rustle.
Then the movement stopped.
One page captured Kale’s attention.

【White Star believed he could become a god. He said that if he unified the power of the five natural attributes and the sky attribute into one, that moment would be when he truly became a god.】
【He proclaimed that he would not only place all races—humans, Dragons, Elves, Dwarves—beneath his feet, but also nature itself, becoming the ‘Ruler’ who wielded all things.】

Suddenly, Kale recalled what the current White Star had said.
During the battle at the Mogur Empire and the Alchemy Tower. When he first encountered White Star, the being had answered Kale’s question about his purpose.

‘What is it that you desire?’
‘What do I desire?’

He had answered with a weary face. But his voice had been filled with longing—or rather, now that Kale thought about it, with madness.

‘To become a Ruler, not a rebel.’

The Dragon Slayer, called the rebel against nature.
The current White Star was that final Dragon Slayer.

Kale realized that what he desired was to become the ‘Ruler’ that the Ancient White Star had sought to achieve.

My enemy seeks dominion—to place all humans, all living things, and nature itself beneath his feet.

Rustle rustle.
After pausing briefly, Kale resumed turning the pages.
A bitter smile played at the corners of his mouth.

Rustle rustle rustle.
He continued recording the book’s contents without pause.

【…For decades, battles unfolded across the Continent to destroy White Star and the Dark Forest organization.】
【The number of those battles was beyond counting, and the lives lost were countless. That era was like hell itself.】

Rustle.
The pages turned at an extraordinarily rapid pace.

【…Powerful warriors gathered from across the East-West Continent to slay the White Star. It was the final battle. The one who orchestrated this was the Guardian of Stone…】

And finally, I reached the last page.

【…After the final battle, only one survivor remained—the possessor of the weakest power.】

A peculiar smile formed at the corner of my lips.

The First Dragon Slayer, possessor of the weakest power.
Yet in the history that has been passed down to the present day, he was the strongest being among humans.

In that moment, Jjangdol’s voice echoed.

-I protected that boy because he was the weakest.

During the final battle, Jjangdol had hidden the weakest one behind himself.

-The Calamity Sword, was it? That boy possessed no such power while I still drew breath.

The formidable power known as the Calamity Sword, wielded by Dragon Slayers, was a strength left behind when the First Dragon Slayer Choi Jung-gun died.

My smile deepened further.
Jjangdol continued speaking.

-He possessed only a power good for bluffing.

A power good for bluffing.

-A power truly excellent for deceiving people, for appearing strong before others.

A power good for deception.
I possessed that same power.

Dominating Aura.
A power with no offensive or defensive capability whatsoever, existing only in appearance.
Simultaneously, it was one of the powers possessed by Dragon Slayers.

Then how did the First Dragon Slayer become the strongest among humans?

Kale Heniatus had no need to ponder this question.
The answer already existed in Choi Jung-gun’s memoir, readable only by those who knew Korean.

Having already read the answer, Kale laughed.

Rustle.
His fingers slowly turned the final page.
At last, the last page appeared.

The final page written in Eastern Continent language came into view.

【The one who sought to become a god is dead.】
【And all the heroes have perished.】

The smile faded from Kale’s lips.
His gaze traced over another language’s record written on the final page.

Choi Jung-gun’s final record, written in Korean.

【Yet in the moment of crisis, a hero shall be born anew.】
【A hero will surely arise.】

Kale burst into laughter.

At that sound, the party’s gazes converged on him. Kale’s face had flushed slightly as he smiled brightly.
His cheerful voice reached the companions who had hesitated at his laughter.

“A hero will freeze to death.”

Burd Illis approached Kale before stopping short.
Though smiling brightly, his face was unmistakably angry to anyone watching. The Mercenary King observed Kale and asked.

“Did you remember it all?”
“Yeah.”
“…Did you find it?”

There was no need to ask what he had found.

I had come to this place to find the White Star’s weaknesses.

Snap!
The open pages slammed shut.
The book was placed back upon the altar.
A thick protective barrier enveloped it.

Kale Heniatus turned away from the altar and answered Burd’s question.

“Perhaps.”

One corner of Burd’s mouth lifted.

Perhaps.
An uncertain answer, but at least it meant I had found a thread to follow.

Kale Heniatus issued orders to his party.

“Head for the exit.”

Kale Heniatus organized the information in his mind and channeled the Voice of Wind through his feet.
Whoooosh. Wind wrapped around Kale Heniatus’s body. He spoke to his companions who had finished preparing to head for the exit.

Head for the exit.

“And we strike at the White Star’s rear immediately after.”

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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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