Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 388

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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 86. In One Strike

I surveyed those who had come with me.

Raon was covered in dust from who knows where, looking thoroughly grimy.
Burd was drenched in fake blood on his back and looked somehow, somehow the most disheveled of all.
Choi Han looked the most presentable by comparison.

‘…This bastard didn’t roll around at all, did he?’

Choi Han was the one who had fought directly against the White Star. Of course, the minor wounds etched across his hand and arm that had gripped the wind whip had all been cleanly healed by potions, but he should have been the filthiest by all rights.

Yet he was immaculate. Just slightly disheveled?

I lowered my head to look at my own appearance.
Then I simply raised my head again.

Crown Prince Adin’s Palace.
Even at night, curtains hung so thickly that not a trace of moonlight seeped through.
But the room was quite bright with magical lamps burning.

To the world, this Crown Prince Palace was a dark, uninhabited place. Yet my entire group was staying here.

Raon passed by me and approached those inside the room.

“Good Mary! Rosalind! Hana! It’s been so long!”

I could see Hana sprawled across the sofa in front of me, and Rosalind and Mary standing before me to greet the group.

Hana, once a Fake Saint and now a Sword Master.
Necromancer Mary, Mage Rosalind.

When Rosalind’s and my eyes met, her mouth opened.

“Since we received the urgent message so suddenly, not everyone could gather. Sir Rex is currently occupied with duties, and Saint Jack is also busy with work at the Papal See.”

Cat Tribe Knight Sir Rex and Saint Jack were busy with their duties despite the late hour of the night.

“And Tasha and Frigia are currently on assignment within the Capital.”

Alberu had returned to the Roan Kingdom, but the Dark Elf Tasha and several other Dark Elves remained to support Sir Rex. Additionally, Frigia, who belonged to Kale Heniatus’s information network, and her subordinates were equally occupied with their duties.

“Everyone is quite busy, it seems.”

Kale Heniatus headed toward the sofa.
Before him, Necromancer Mary spoke matter-of-factly.

“You must bathe, eat, and work. The only time you don’t eat is when you’re dead.”

His footsteps, which had been directed toward the sofa, were redirected to the Crown Prince Palace’s bathroom. It was then that an awkward voice came from behind Kale Heniatus.

“Um, what about my introduction…?”

Hearing the Mercenary King Burd’s voice, Kale Heniatus turned back and spoke to Rosalind and Necromancer Mary.

“He’s my servant.”
“I, I—!”

Burd’s lament echoed, but Kale Heniatus ignored it and headed to the bathroom.

* * *

Kale Heniatus placed a piece of steak into his mouth.

“Human! You can eat more!”

Kale Heniatus could see a large chunk of meat being placed on his steak plate. It was a piece of meat given by Raon.
He could see Rosalind smiling as she watched Raon. When their eyes met, she quietly held up four fingers.
At that sight, memories of the past flooded back to Kale Heniatus.

The first time the three of them—Rosalind, Kale Heniatus, and Raon—had eaten together in the Roan Kingdom Capital.
Kale Heniatus had held up four fingers to Rosalind to show her that Raon was four years old.

‘You eat yours. This is mine.’

Back then, Raon had clutched a bowl of homemade sausages to his chest, unwilling to share with anyone.
Since then, two years had passed.

Kale Heniatus felt a peculiar emotion stir within him, and he savored it as he placed a piece of steak into his mouth.

“Ahh! This wine tastes excellent! The Western Continent spirits are quite good too!”

Of course, no one was paying any attention to Burd Illis. Choi Han maintained an impeccable posture, yet was rapidly emptying his third plate of steak.

“Young Master Kale, you mentioned needing to stop by the Merchant Guild? Are you going right away?”

Chewing thoughtfully.
Kale Heniatus swallowed the piece of beef and opened his mouth.

“Yes, I believe I’ll take care of my business quickly and depart. However, I will return soon.”

Return?
Confusion flickered across Burd Illis’s face as he listened.
Kale Heniatus tossed the question casually toward Rosalind.

“Do you see any signs of rebellion breaking out?”

Clatter.
The fork in Burd Illis’s hand fell onto the table with a sharp sound. He rubbed his ears.

“…Sigh, I can’t even enjoy my meal in peace.”

He paused mid-mutter.

“Fifty-fifty.”

It was because of Rosalind’s answer.
She, Merry, and Hana were seated at the table, but they were not eating. They had already finished their evening meal.
Clink.
Rosalind’s teacup was placed on the table.

“Young Master, may I unfold a map?”

At that moment, Rosalind’s fingers moved.
A hum. Red mana swirled around her hand. Kale Heniatus nodded while holding a cream and potato dish in his mouth.
From the moment he had visited this place again after hearing about the Mogur Empire’s situation from the Crown Prince, discussing this topic had become the natural course of action.

Red mana shot forth from Rosalind’s hands.

Whoooosh!

The bedding on Crown Prince Adin’s bed—which Kale Heniatus had found surprisingly ornate—stirred in the air.
The blanket unfurled fully above them.

Rosalind swept her hand once more.
Red mana traced patterns across the fabric.

“Hmm.”

Bud let out a low whistle.

“…The Mogur Empire.”

A map of the Mogur Empire, rendered in red mana, materialized before his eyes.

“As expected of the Mercenary King—you know the Western Continent’s geography well.”

Rosalind flashed a knowing smile at Bud. He returned an awkward smile in kind.
Information about the three women present flooded through his mind.

‘I cannot fathom why Kale Heniatus brought me here.’

He could not begin to guess why someone from the Eastern Continent like himself had been brought to the Mogur Empire. So instead, he recalled what he had learned about those around Kale Heniatus during his investigation.

First, Rosalind.
She had abandoned her position as heir to the Breck Kingdom and now worked in various places.
She was particularly renowned for her exceptional magical prowess.

‘…I’ve heard whispers that she’s a candidate for the next Tower Master.’

After civil unrest erupted in the Wipper Kingdom and Tunka killed the Tower Master, the central figure of Western Continental magic vanished.
Rosalind had risen rapidly as his successor.

The reason was her magical prowess demonstrated across various locations, including the Canyon of Death.
At her age, such skill was rare to find.
Rosalind’s abilities surpassed even those of Gren Puff, Bud’s close friend.

‘Of course, there is one person superior to her.’

The Mage I encountered this time.
The Mage who appeared to be a loyal subordinate of the White Star.
He was young, but his magical prowess was considerable.

Burd Illis deliberated over the magical abilities of both Rosalind and the White Star’s subordinate Mage.

‘Should I take a scent?’

Burd Illis, who possessed the wind-attribute Ancient Power capable of discerning the strength and abilities of others through scent.
He had taken the scent of the Mage under the White Star’s command.
Because they were enemies.

‘…No.’

But he had not taken the scent of Kale Heniatus’s group, whom he had newly encountered.
When he first met Kale Heniatus, it was before he knew his identity, so he had taken his scent then, but now that they were on the same boat, using his power at their first meeting would be problematic if discovered.

Burd Illis quietly turned his gaze away from Rosalind. He saw Merry and Sword Master Hana. In a sense, those two were currently more famous than Rosalind.
But he could not continue his thoughts about those two.

“I shall explain using a map.”

Rosalind sent her crimson mana toward the map.

Thud.
With a small collision sound, a crimson dot was inscribed at the center of the lower portion of the red map.

“It is the capital at the heart of the Mogur Empire.”

Where Rosalind and her group currently were.
She turned her gaze and looked toward Kale Heniatus, opening her mouth.

“After the Alchemy Tower incident, the Mogur Empire fell into considerable chaos.”

It was only natural.
The Alchemy Tower, the pride of the Empire, had been the center of black magic, and the Emperor and Crown Prince Adin had participated in it, committing countless massacres.

“Well, as you all know, several administrative issues arose after the Alchemy Tower battle, and we have been resolving them step by step.”

Kale Heniatus opened his mouth.

“But the imperial throne sits empty.”
“That’s right.”

A seat that commanded everyone’s attention, yet no one dared speak of it lightly.

“Crown Prince Adin and the Emperor remain imprisoned, but realistically, they cannot govern the nation again. Their crimes are too grave. Their execution will take place soon.”

Though that execution had been postponed for months.

“So those who desire the vacant throne will emerge?”

Burd spoke as he uncapped a bottle of liquor.
Rosalind nodded and opened her mouth.

“The Empire has always held bloodline in high regard. But there are certainly imperial family members besides the Crown Prince and Emperor.”

The Emperor, Adin’s father, was the same, as was the previous Emperor. The Mogur Imperial Family had always been physically frail across generations. Moreover, their bloodline was precious.
Yet imperial family members did exist in considerable numbers.
Among them, there were those with some semblance of legitimacy.

“At first, those imperial family members held their breath. But Sir Rex showed no particular reaction and proceeded only with work to stabilize the Empire, while the Sun God Church also showed no particular comment and appeared busy with reorganization.”
“Then the imperial family members will gradually crawl out?”

Burd asked, and Rosalind answered.

“Precisely.”

Sir Rex and the Sun God Church.
With both remaining silent and quiet, the imperial family members could naturally begin to show interest in the throne.
Rosalind’s hand swept through the air.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Four cardinal directions across the Empire.
Red dots were inscribed upon the map.

“The Empire has four Alchemy Towers besides the Alchemy Tower in the Capital. You could call them branch locations.”

While none of them possessed the exceptional skill of the Alchemy Tower in the Capital, they were nonetheless establishments of considerable renown.

“They too conducted black magic experiments, but after the Capital incident, they fell silent as death. They locked their doors and remained utterly quiet, doing absolutely nothing.”

Following Kale Heniatus’s orders, the Drunken Alchemist Ray Stecker gathered alchemists who had either secluded themselves without succumbing to black magic or fled from it.
He himself was one who had fled in shock after witnessing a black magic experiment conducted at one of those regional Alchemy Towers.

Burd, who had been listening quietly, suddenly found himself troubled by a question.

‘Why did they leave those places untouched?’

Regardless of anything else, shouldn’t locations connected to black magic be thoroughly investigated?
According to the information he had received, many people from the Western Continent had died in those black magic experiments.

Yet he soon grasped the answer to his question. A flicker of understanding crossed his eyes.
He saw Rosalind’s gleaming gaze.

“And we remained silent as well.”

Rosalind, who spoke of leaving those four Alchemy Towers untouched and maintaining silence, radiated vitality despite her words.

They waited.
Those gathered here had waited.
In particular, Rosalind, who among Kale Heniatus’s group was most involved in Imperial affairs, had quietly bided her time.

“Because surely some of those Imperial family members will inevitably collude with the Alchemy Tower factions.”

To capture them all at once.

“Moreover, the nobles, wealthy merchants, and powerful figures who support the existing Mogur Imperial Family and Crown Prince Adin’s methods will likely attempt to join that group.”

Burd’s expression twisted.
These were places that had conducted black magic.
No matter how much power one possessed, colluding with such places was fundamentally wrong.

‘But if we allow such factions to form like this—’

The answer to her continued thoughts flowed from Rosalind’s lips.

“Instead, doing it this way makes it easier to identify nobles, merchants, and powerful figures who have no connection to dark magic.”

Her voice grew increasingly firm.

“We don’t have time. And we must shed as little blood as possible. The longer the chaos persists, the more those who suffer are innocent people simply trying to live their lives.”

Rosalind paused for a moment.
But Burd sensed the unspoken words that followed.

So we need a way to understand and resolve everything at once.

If we could grasp everything in one sweep, we could then conduct our investigation targeting only the masterminds.
That would make it far easier to identify the remnants of dark magic and their allied forces.

Burd opened his mouth without even bringing his drink to his lips. His posture gradually straightened without him realizing it.

“Then there would be four factions in total? Those red dots?”
“Yes.”

Rosalind spoke while gazing at the map.

“Four factions have formed in the north, south, east, and west, with the southern faction forming the most powerful force.”

Burd pondered.

When factions form.
Especially if they include the imperial family.

“Then it looks like a rebellion would definitely occur. So why did you say the odds were fifty-fifty earlier?”

Burd glanced around the table. He could see Kale Heniatus contentedly eating his steak. Yet Kale’s eyes were fixed on Rosalind’s map.

“Because the Capital is a fortress.”

Rosalind’s answer came.

North, south, east, and west. Those four factions each coveted the imperial throne.
And they prioritized their own safety.
Because of this, those who had not even formed alliances eyed the Capital but could not move easily.

“Soldiers who were abandoned by Crown Prince Adin during the war between the Mogur Empire and the Wipper Kingdom.”

The battle in the Wipper Kingdom, covered in golems and black despair.
Back then, Crown Prince Adin abandoned his soldiers and fled. And he did so while forcing dead mana bombs upon them.

Yet those soldiers survived.
And.

“They are currently residing in this Capital.”

All of them were elite troops.
It was not merely common infantry. Knights, archers, many others were among them.

Rosalind drew a smile.
At that smile, Burd swallowed involuntarily.

Soldiers who returned alive and now dwelt in the Capital.
That immense military force.

“Quietly.”

So long as they remained silent and hidden, those four factions could not move easily.
Burd licked his lips and opened his mouth.

“…In any case, we will need to deal with those four locations, won’t we?”
“That is correct.”
“Hmm, this is troublesome.”

Burd’s expression revealed his difficulty.

Those four factions centered around the Alchemy Towers in the four directions must be eliminated.
But if we dealt with one location, the remaining factions could march upon the Capital.

“This will be difficult.”

That was the moment.

“No, it’s simple.”

Burd Illis turned his head.
I could see Kale Heniatus elegantly wiping his mouth with a napkin.

“Four locations.”

He pointed at the map as he spoke.

“Strike them all simultaneously.”

North, south, east, and west.
Attack all four locations at once, striking first.
Burd Illis reflexively voiced his thoughts.

“…No matter how many troops are in the capital, there wouldn’t be enough to spread across all four locations, would there? If even one position is held, it becomes problematic.”

Striking first at four locations.
It was ideal.
But that was only if they won.
If even a single location was breached, it would be catastrophic.

But Burd Illis soon closed his mouth.

“Hehe.”

Sword Master Hana, who had cast aside the Saint’s position, began to laugh. At that laughter, Burd Illis finally grasped the atmosphere around him.
And he realized their thoughts aligned with Kale Heniatus’s.

Kale Heniatus opened his mouth.

“The north is Hana.”
“Excellent. Very excellent!”

Hana, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, her eyes blazing with fervent intensity.
Kale Heniatus gazed into those eyes once before continuing.

“The East is Saint Jack.”

The East belonged to Jack, a Saint who would become Pope.

“The West is Ray Stecker.”

The half-baked alchemist once called the Drunken Alchemist. He now represented the alchemists unaffiliated with dark magic.

My gaze shifted southward on the map.
The Southern Alchemy Tower, which had formed the largest faction.

“The final South will be handled by Sir Rex.”

My gaze moved beyond the map’s borders.
Bud caught where my eyes were directed.

“Raon and Bud will serve as liaisons between these four directions.”

Bud finally understood why I had brought him here.
Raon, capable of teleportation and video communication, and Bud, who would become the liaison with Raon’s assistance.

“And we dispatch advisors to each. Their existence must remain completely hidden.”

I picked up my wine glass and spoke.

“North is Rosalind.”

Rosalind smiled.

“East is Merry.”

Merry nodded quietly.

“West is Choi Han.”

Choi Han gazed at me in silence.
I looked back at the map.

The hand not holding the wine glass unfastened the topmost button at his neck.
The map of the Mogur Empire was etched into my mind with absolute precision.

“And in the south, I am Sir Rex’s right hand.”

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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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