Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 418

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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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A branch snapped with a sharp crack.

“…What in the—!”

Yet the one who had broken the branch displayed panic and fear across their own face instead.
The Dark Mage gazed downward and gasped in shock.

“How is this just a branch!”

A massive branch coiled around the golem’s leg, advancing toward its torso.

Whoosh—
At the sound of rustling leaves, the Dark Mage flinched and lifted their head.

“…This can’t be….”

Countless branches stretched toward the golem, toward the control chamber.
Beneath the night sky, the trees—the quietest presence in this place yet occupying the most space—the forest itself descended upon the golems.

Creak, creak—
The golem’s feet could not advance.
It was ensnared in silence.

Crash! Bang! Bang!
Axes, swords, spears, fists.
Golems attacked the branches from all directions.

“Please, stop!”

Those stationed in the control chamber shifted from composed expressions to increasingly desperate ones, and finally wore looks of exasperation.

“When will this end!”

Crash!
The branch fell limp beneath the descending axe.
Yet in that same instant, a new wooden tendril sprouted to replace it.

No matter how many times I shattered them.
This fragile existence stubbornly held back the golems.

“…What is—”

The allied soldier who had come with Saint Jack couldn’t find his words at the sight before him. It was as if the trees themselves had become monsters, descending upon the golems.
The forest felt as though it had transformed into a single swamp.

“What are you doing! Retreat to the rear at once!”

But the soldier quickly snapped to attention at his superior’s urging and moved toward the rear.
After Saint Jack and the Knights ordered everyone to fall back, all the soldiers were withdrawing.

Whoosh—whoosh—
As the soldier fled in the opposite direction from the tower, a massive wooden tendril swept past his body, flooding him with both terror and relief.

Crash!
Because he had witnessed the wooden tendril blocking the golem directly behind him, wrapping around its form.

The soldier glanced back once more.

At the heart of the forest.
Where the Northern Alchemy Tower stood, beyond the writhing forest, there existed a pillar of flame supporting a dark curtain.

The Lion King Dorf burst into laughter at the sight of those flames.

“Ha, haha—”

His gaze was fixed precisely on the center of the flame pillar.

Kale Heniatus.
He too was smiling as he looked at Dorf. I could see the light in Dorf’s eyes as he gazed down upon me.

“You’re quite the jester.”

Kale spoke to Dorf with amusement.

“You’ve done plenty of wicked deeds, yet you speak of fairness? Does that work on a battlefield?”

Kale Heniatus slowly raised the two hands he had lowered.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
His heart pounded fiercely.

-I’m hungry, so hungry, starving.

The Glutton Goddess’s murmur reached him.
Of course she would be hungry.
He understood completely.

-Don’t overexert yourself.

Jjangdol’s voice came through.
Right, he had no intention of overexerting himself.
And so Kale Heniatus opened his mouth.

“Rise.”

Whoosh—whoosh—
The wooden vines not holding the golem stirred to life.
They surged upward.

Boom, crash.
They collided with one another.
And became intertwined.

All allied soldiers retreated to the rear.
From the tower’s center, from a height above the forest itself, Kale Heniatus’s gaze took in the forest’s new form.

“…Us.”

Dorf’s eyes beheld the forest.

“Is he trying to imprison us?”

The forest had created a massive circular barrier.
This was not meant to protect the interior from external dangers.
It was a trap designed to prevent those within from escaping.
Dorf saw Kale Heniatus tilting his head in confusion.

“Who knows?”

With those words, my body plummeted downward.
At the same moment, Dorf’s face contorted.

“What on earth—!”

The pillar of fire vanished.
It extinguished in an instant.
I answered with a faint smile playing at my lips.

“I can’t afford to overexert myself, you see.”

The Destructive Fire and the unbreakable shield.
The colossal pillar of flame and the growing forest trees.
Using both simultaneously would certainly strain me beyond my limits.

“Catch him!”

The moment Dorf shouted, I saw the Dark Mages and Mages unleashing their attacks toward me as I fell into the Dead Mana Lake—that vast expanse of black liquid.

“Merry.”

And I called out to one person.

“Tasha.”

I called out to another Dark Elf.
A robed figure among the Dark Elf Warriors rushed toward the Dead Mana Lake.

Whoooosh—
Wind erupted.
The hood of the robe was torn away, revealing Tasha’s face.
Simultaneously, dark magic and magical attacks came hurtling toward me.

Boom!
A deafening roar echoed as a massive explosion erupted directly above the Dead Mana Lake.
A cloud of dust rose up, obscuring my vision.

“Master, you seem to have lost even more weight?”

But Tasha burst through the dust cloud of the explosion, tucking Kale Heniatus under her arm as she escaped.

“…Ah… but still, dangling like this isn’t exactly ideal, is it?”

Kale Heniatus sighed while hanging from Tasha’s grip.
Normally I would have used Voice of Wind, but exerting myself further now risked losing consciousness entirely. And if that happened, I might actually become gochujang.

That was when it happened.
The voices of the Black Mages atop the tower reached Kale Heniatus’s ears.

“Now! Secure the Dead Mana!”

The Black Mages began descending using flight magic.
Simultaneously, a voice like a navigation system echoed out.
A calm voice flowed past Tasha and Kale Heniatus as they fled the tower.

“Bon appétit.”

From beneath the black robe worn over the speaker’s head, two hands covered entirely in black spider-web-like scars emerged.

“Me too!”
“Hell yeah!”

And the Dark Elves followed in pursuit.

“No!”
“Stop them!”

The Black Mages were horrified.
Screech, screech.
The mages occupying the golem’s control chamber, trapped by branches and unable to move, felt the same.
Watching this spectacle, the Dark Elves grinned with satisfaction.

“It really does feel different when a cake just disappears versus when someone else snatches it away.”
“You said it, Am. That’s why we should be the ones taking it!”

Kale Heniatus laughed wickedly as he watched several Dark Elves leaping into the Dead Mana Lake and other Dark Elves blocking the Mages descending from the Tower.
He looked delighted.

“Hehe, we look just like villains, don’t we?”

Tasha laughed at the sight of the Black Mages rushing toward her with such aggrieved expressions. But her smile soon faded.

-Human! Something’s wrong!

Kale heard Raon’s voice and saw a rippling black curtain wavering in his field of vision.

“What is that?”

Uuuuu—
Emitting an eerie cry, the black curtain began to undulate like waves.

-It’s spreading! The black curtain isn’t targeting the Tower anymore—it’s aiming for something else, human!

The black curtain spread sideways.
It traced an expanding circle outward, as if to engulf the Forest.
Dorf appeared in Kale Heniatus’s eyes.

In that instant, Tasha’s sharp gaze turned toward the black curtain.

“It’s the power of a spirit, but which spirit is it?”

Her face twisted.
Within the transparent black curtain, something was undulating. The moment her gaze shifted toward Dorf.

“Tasha.”

Kale Heniatus’s quiet voice reached her.

“Put me down.”

Ah.
Tasha set down Kale Heniatus, who had been dangling at her side. It was beside Clophe.

“Lord Kale Heniatus, it has been quite some time since I’ve seen you in person. Today I witnessed a legendary page unfold—those magnificent pillars of fire and the sight of trees sprouting forth. It was not merely moving; it was awe-inspiring and wondrous.”

Kale Heniatus ignored Clophe’s words and spoke to Tasha.

“Do as you see fit.”
“Shall I?”

Tasha didn’t even ask what Kale Heniatus meant by doing as she pleased. She simply grinned wickedly, turned around, and headed toward the battlefield. She moved forward without a single glance back.

Boom!
A tremendous crash echoed through the air.
Choi Han’s blade swung toward Dorf.

“As expected.”

Choi Han’s expression turned cold and sharp.
A hand appeared.
A hand gripping the sword and its aura became visible.
It was not the hand of an ordinary human, but the massive hand of a berserk beast-kin.

“So he wasn’t using his berserk state after all.”

Choi Han stared at Dorf, the owner of the hand wielding the sword infused with his true aura.

“Haha, this much is just the basics.”

Dorf laughed, having berserk-transformed only his right arm that held the sword.
Rip!
The fabric covering his right arm tore from the berserk transformation.
From just his right arm alone, Choi Han could discern the truth.

“With just the berserk transformation, he’d be the strongest among the Lion Tribe.”
“Of course.”

It was questionable whether partial berserk transformation was even possible, but from that single transformed right arm, Choi Han realized that this lean Lion Tribe member, Dorf, possessed the physique, strength, and ferocity that would allow him to easily surpass the Tiger Tribe, ordinary Lion Tribe members, and the Bear Tribe.

Choi Han’s feet moved.

Crash!

Dorf easily deflected the attack and released the sword from his grip.
Then he spoke.

“Behold this darkness.”

Uuuuuu—
The strange cry ended.
A black curtain descended over the entire forest.

Roooaaar!
In that moment, Choi Han heard the golems’ roar for the first time.

‘The golems!’

The golems gazed up at that black curtain.
And they roared.

Crack.
The tree trunks shattered easily.
Black smoke began to rise from the golems’ bodies.

“What is this—”

It was as though the golems had gone berserk.
The moment Choi Han’s gaze turned toward Dorf.

“The world cannot survive alone; we must overcome together, yes?”

Dorf spoke gently with an unassuming expression.

“Is that not so?”

The moment he posed the question.

Boom!
Choi Han heard another sound.
It was the earth trembling. He lowered his head.

“Tsk. This is why the Dark Elves must be eliminated.”

As Dorf sighed, Choi Han saw a whirlpool surging up from the center of the Dead Mana Lake.
Entities burst through that thick, black liquid vortex.

Tasha and the Dark Elf Warriors.
Especially those who wielded spirit magic headed toward Dorf.

-Choi Han! The Dark Elves are coming! I’m going back to the human for a moment!

Ignoring Raon’s words, Tasha appeared, her entire form cloaked in darkness.
She ran her tongue across her lips. Dead Mana liquid entered her mouth.

Whiiiing— Whiiing—
Wind began swirling around Tasha. It was a Wind Spirit.
The Dark Elves began wielding the power of fire and water around it.

“What spirit is this?”

With the question, Tasha’s body rushed toward Dorf without the slightest gap.
Choi Han followed behind her in support.

“Damn!”

Dismay crossed Dorf’s face.
That was when it happened.

“Why is there no answer even when I ask?”

The moment Dorf spoke those words, doubt appeared across Choi Han’s face.
He recalled what Dorf had just said.

‘The world cannot be lived alone, and we must overcome it together, no? Is that not so?’

Was he asking why there was no answer because I hadn’t responded to that question?
Choi Han let out a scoff.

It sounded contradictory for a subordinate of the White Star to say the world cannot be lived alone and that we must overcome it together.
Were they not the ones who cared for nothing but themselves above all else?

-This is bad!

At that moment, Raon’s voice rang out.

-How could the great me fail to notice!

Simultaneously, I turned my head toward the massive surge of power.
And I saw light.

“What!”

My body rushed toward where Kale Heniatus stood.
It was a colossal spear of light.

That dazzling brilliance was incomparably more intense and sacred than Saint Jack’s, and beautiful.
And it looked ferocious.
It was like a sun that would incinerate everything in its path.
The spear of light burst forth from the forest and hurtled toward where Kale Heniatus was.

“Lord Kale Heniatus!”

My body rushed forward at tremendous speed.

Boom!

But the explosion came first.
A deafening roar erupted.

“Ah.”

Then I saw a shield with silver wings spread wide open.

“Damn it!”

Kale Heniatus stood before Clophe, his expression twisted in pain.

“Lord Kale Heniatus, this shield truly is legendary.”

Kale Heniatus ignored Clophe’s words.
He turned his head to the side. Erhafen was there.

Crack.
The platinum-silver shield was slowly fracturing before the silver barrier.

Clophe, Ron, Kale, and Erhafen’s eyes turned toward the shield.
Crack. Shatter!
The platinum-silver shield shattered in an instant.

Though hastily cast, the dragon’s shield had been destroyed in one blow.

“…Light….”

Shock flashed across Jack’s face.
What had been attacking Kale was a spear of brilliant light.

From the darkness of the forest.
A figure stumbled forward from beneath it.

“Does that answer your question?”

At those words, I turned to look at Dorf. Somehow, Dorf had already descended to the surface just as I had.

The one Dorf had been questioning from the start was not me.
It was directed at this being who had just appeared.
Or perhaps they hadn’t just appeared. Perhaps they had been here all along.

My hardened gaze met Dorf’s, and he opened his mouth.

“My ally has arrived.”

He smiled.

“The Bear Tribe King.”

The Bear Tribe King.
The Bear Tribe—a major force alongside the Dark faction and the Lion Tribe, followers of the White Star. Yet among the White Star’s subordinates, the Bear Tribe had suffered the greatest losses in every war thus far.

A voice reached Kale’s ear—the Wind Spirit’s voice.

-Kale, Kale! I just heard what Dorf said! The Bear Tribe King! That guy is the Bear Tribe King!

An existence that no one could have known about—not even the Ancient Dragon or Raon could sense its presence.
The figure who appeared, stepping onto the grass around the tower after leaving the forest, looked frail.

In that moment, Kale Heniatus heard the terrifying voice of Jjangdol.

-Most of those who possessed power in ancient times walked with us. However, there were a select few who followed the White Star.

The previously silent Sky-Devouring Water spoke.

-The sky is an entity that changes. Every single day, every single moment, it transforms. Yet it remains the same.

The sky was different every moment, but it never changed.

-That is because darkness and light exist.

Jjangdol continued.

-Darkness and light. Among the select few who followed the sky, the Ancient White Star, they were the most powerful and important forces.

The veil of darkness created by Dorf.
The spear of light created by the Bear Tribe King that had just struck Kale Heniatus.

At this very moment, Kale Heniatus was flustered.

“Cough, cough!”

No, that Bear Tribe King—or rather, this…

“Cough, cough, hack!”

The moment the figure whose presence I couldn’t detect appeared, my expression crumpled.
Raon’s voice rang out.

-Human! That guy’s nose is bleeding! He’s bleeding from his nose like a human! Blood is pouring from his mouth like a human too!

The Bear Tribe King was letting out a sigh, his handkerchief pressed against his nose as blood dripped from it.

“How irritating.”

The Bear Tribe King muttered under his breath, his expression quite exasperated.

-Human! Won’t that one collapse soon like humans do?

Right?
Look at the state he’s in—practically dead on his feet.
Kale Heniatus found the current situation oddly peculiar.

-Let’s knock him out with one hit right now! Strike the back of his head!

Raon spoke excitedly.
Kale Heniatus gazed down at his own palm. Strike the back of his head with this?

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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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