Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 426

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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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But Kale couldn’t bring himself to meet Hana’s murderous gaze.

‘Pathetic as I am, but to call me pathetic to my face!’

The people here simply had such robust physiques that it seemed that way, but Kale himself had a naturally excellent frame aside from his complexion and musculature.
His limbs were long and lean, his shoulders broad—had he trained properly, he would have held his own well enough.
Of course, Kale had chosen a future of idleness over grueling training.

“Hey.”

Then Hana spoke again.

“What?”

His automatic, sullen response came out, and she tossed her words at him carelessly.

“If you’re going to see Clophe Seka, I’m coming too.”
“Huh?”

Why was Clophe Seka suddenly mentioned?
As Kale genuinely wondered, Hana’s expression grew troubled.

Hana, who had come straight from the training ground upon hearing from Rosalind that Kale had awakened, immediately thought of Clophe Seka when she heard he was heading north.

‘It is a legend.’
‘A legend cannot be wielded without sacrifice.’
‘It’s a shame I cannot witness that magnificent battle in its entirety.’

Clophe’s words echoed in her mind.
He had watched Kale heading off to fight with an intensity that seemed almost strange, his eyes burning with fervor, yet his pupils held a peculiar coldness.
It was hot, yet it felt chilling.

‘Something doesn’t sit right with me.’

She herself was hardly a good person to Kale Heniatus or his companions.
The beginning had been the worst, and there had been no moment in between where genuine camaraderie could have blossomed. So this action of hers might be overstepping, but unease demanded to be resolved.

After deliberating for a moment, she finally opened her mouth.

“Clophe Seka. That guy is very strange.”
“I know.”

At the immediate response, Hana’s eyes widened.

“Hey. That’s not what I mean by strange—not like he’s lost his mind or anything!”
“I know.”

You know?
Hana caught sight of Kale’s lips curling upward ever so slightly.

“He’s lost his mind, but his intellect remains intact.”

Isn’t that dangerous, then?
Hana felt her true thoughts about to spill out.
But as Kale’s smile deepened, the words caught in her throat. He spoke to her in a whisper, still smiling.

“Do you know why that fool calls me a legend?”
“…Because he’s lost his mind?”

Heh.
Kale’s grin widened as he opened his mouth.

“Because I’m above him.”

His current position, his physical state.
Kale held everything about Clophe Seka in the palm of his hand.

The man who had once sought to destroy the Heniatus Territory while Kale remained still was now caught by Kale instead.
Afterward, he sided with Kale and the Roan Kingdom, and as a result, despite his diminished military power, he now wielded greater influence in the Northern Region than before.

The current Clophe could never reach Kale. That is why this intelligent man, who had once plotted the destruction of the Heniatus Territory, called Kale a legend.

“I understand that too.”

And so he became a madman who speaks of legends that shouldn’t exist.
Kale calmly explained to Hana, who seemed to have misunderstood something.

“Hana, I’m not a good person.”

Kale Heniatus believed himself to be selfish and wicked.
Clophe Seka was no different.

And this time, he intended to pull off a con with that brilliantly deranged fool.

“Head north immediately.”

Kale rose from the bed.
On, Hong, and Raon approached him.

The rest of the group was in chaos—preparing the teleportation magic circle, packing supplies, and sending messages.
Kale gently pulled the nine-year-olds close, particularly On and Hong.
Their tails drooped slightly in a peculiar way.
He whispered so only they could hear.

“I’ll tell you both later. Of course, it’s a secret.”

The moment his indifferent voice reached them, On and Hong’s tails swished with delight, and Raon fluttered his wings.
At their reaction, Kale sighed and shook his head slowly.

-Ah! Human! I made plans with Choi Han to make gochujang and doenjang next time! He said those are the most essential basic sauces! Vicross showed great interest! Grandfather Ron also expressed interest at the inn, saying new menu items were needed!

Kale’s pupils trembled.
Raon grinned as he spoke.

-I didn’t mention your involvement! Don’t worry! I just said they were Choi Han’s hometown dishes! Since Grandfather Ron and the skilled cook Vicross are working on it, they’ll finish soon!

Damn it.
As Kale’s face contorted, Ron approached and spoke.

“Young master, you should prepare to depart.”
“…Right.”

A future materialized before him—one where lemon tea would be replaced by gochujang stew, and lemonade by plain water mixed with gochujang. Yet for the sake of his future unemployed life, Kale swallowed his tears and headed north.

* * *

Tap. Tap. Tap.
Each time the callus-covered index finger struck the table, it left marks and gradually crumbled the wood.

“Hmm.”

The one watching this scene with anxious eyes nudged the arm of another beside him.
Paseton of the Whale Tribe, sitting next to him, glanced sideways at Archie, who had poked him, and Archie’s mouth twitched awkwardly.

‘Is he going to destroy the whole thing?’

Paseton’s face twisted as he simply ignored Archie.
At that response, Archie’s expression grew frustrated, but—

Thud. Thud. Thud.
As the index finger began gouging deeper into the table, he clamped his mouth shut.
If he spoke carelessly now and ended up sparring with Witira, it would be his loss.

“Right now.”

The silence deepened.
Witira, the Whale Tribe’s heir, opened her mouth.

“Should I beat you all to death?”

Gasp.
Archie inhaled sharply.
That toneless voice carried no emotion—only cold, clinical precision.

“It’s irritating.”

Crack.
Splinters of the shattered table shot into the air.
Archie finally closed his eyes and let his true feelings spill out.

“Should I demolish it for you instead? I’m quite good at destroying things.”

Sigh.
Witira exhaled heavily and pretended not to hear Archie’s words. Instead, she looked at those gathered around the circular table.
The first person whose eyes met hers opened his mouth.

“Well, the ancient document is roughly complete.”

Taylor Sten, a man of power in the Northwestern Region of Roan Kingdom, gazed down at the worn parchment inside a transparent glass case.
Beside him stood Kaige, who had once served as a Priest of the God of Death.

“I’ve forged the ancient document as Prince Kale Heniatus requested, but I’ve left blank the spaces where locations and other critical terms should go.”

He caressed the glass case containing the object I had created, his expression heavy with concern.

After communicating with Kale Heniatus, Taylor had arrived at the Mogur Capital with Kaige—specifically at the Imperial Palace itself.
There he had met Tasha, who had come from the Caro Kingdom, and had also caught sight of Clophe Seka.

The two of them had soon departed to meet Kale Heniatus, but Taylor and Kaige remained in the capital. They focused on determining how to create the ancient document and how to secretly procure the materials.

Then, shortly after, a battle erupted in the capital, and Kale Heniatus lost consciousness.

How much had I agonized over that moment?
Surely Prince Kale Heniatus would have summoned them if something had changed, yet I had not yet heard the detailed circumstances.

However, the presence of Clophe Seka and Tasha had served as a hint.
Drawing someone from the Caro Kingdom into northern affairs.
The two of them judged there must be purpose in that as well, so they postponed forging the critical passages, including the locations.

Three weeks passed in this manner, and he now resided in a secret residence on the Northern Coastal Area of Paern Kingdom that Clophe had arranged.

He asked Witira cautiously.

“…Are you still sensing the gaze of the Black Mages these days?”

The Whale Tribe heir closed her eyes with a cold gaze, then opened them.

An irritating presence.
One she wished to strike dead.

“It’s getting worse. The gazes secretly monitoring the areas around the glaciers where the Whale Tribe dwells have increased. It seems not just the Black Mages, but other factions have joined in as well.”

She bit her lip.

“When Kale Heniatus fell, that side seemed chaotic for several days. Now it’s worse.”

Witira had a headache.
She already had something to discuss with Kale Heniatus, so she had been ignoring the gazes of the Black Mages searching the area for their operation.

But the Whale Tribe was not a people accustomed to being watched.
Since they disliked both watching others and being watched themselves, internal discontent grew fiercer.

“What do you think about this?”

Witira’s gaze turned toward another person.

“Clophe, I’m curious what you’re thinking—you’ve been silent since earlier.”

Clophe offered a smile at Witira’s words.
It was a smile that appeared both noble and tinged with melancholy.

“You see, Witira, legends are…”

Ah, not this again.
At the word “legend,” Archie’s face crumpled. He looked ready to clamp his hand over Clophe’s mouth at any moment.
Yet even so, Clophe continued with an aloof expression.

“There is always a protagonist.”
“…I see.”

Witira nodded in agreement.

‘What does that even mean?’

Archie stared at the back of Witira’s head with exasperation.
As if in response, Witira spoke with a troubled tone.

“Still… I don’t like leaving the Black Mages’ search ongoing.”

That was the moment.

Creak.
The door opened.

“If it bothers you, why not just give them a taste of your power?”

Archie turned to look back.
The study at the heart of the Secret Residence—a figure entered through its doors, gripping a golden rod.

“Young Master.”

The moment Witira called out to him, Kale Heniatus strode into the study.
His entourage followed in his wake.
But Kale Heniatus paid them no mind.
Instead, his gaze fixed upon the center of the circular table where Witira sat.
He gazed down at it and opened his mouth.

“Quite an impressive map.”

A map marking the northernmost reaches of Paern Kingdom and the Whale Tribe Land.

“Our operation is simple.”

Though Kale Heniatus’s complexion was paler than before, Witira’s eyes were drawn only to those blazing pupils that burned with intensity.

“The White Star seeks some treasure of importance to him in the Whale Tribe Land. I intended to exploit that. The forgery of the ancient documents by Marquis Taylor was part of that scheme.”

Clophe Seka’s lips parted from their silence.

“What sort of treasure is it?”
“Why do you covet it?”
“I do covet it.”

Kale Heniatus regarded Clophe Seka with calm eyes—this man whose life mattered most to me. To Clophe Seka, who gazed upon me like a hero, I answered with playful intent.

“I don’t know either. Neither do you, nor do any of us need to know that part.”
“Understood.”

As Clophe Seka closed his mouth without further word, Kale Heniatus raised his hand.

“Choi Han.”
“Yes.”

Choi Han stepped forward and spread the cloth wide across the table.
Whoosh.
A map drawn on the cloth appeared.

“…A map of the Western Continent.”

The moment Taylor spoke, my finger danced across the map.

“The White Star discovers a forged ancient document in the Whale Tribe Land. And based on what’s written there.”

Tap. My finger stopped in the western region of the Western Continent.

“He’s led toward the Land of Death in the Caro Kingdom.”

And.
I silently recited another major flow of the operation I wouldn’t reveal to them.

‘And I head to Roan to seize the power of another land.’

Then, Taylor’s voice reached my ears.

“Young Master, should we write the Land of Death in the blank space of the ancient document?”
“No.”

I shook my head.

“The Land of Death is a mysterious region that came into existence after ancient times.”
“Then what should we write?”

A smile spread across my face.

“I’ll tell you that separately.”

The First Dragon Slayer, Choi Jung-gun.
He had left behind a description of the area near the Land of Death. If I use that exactly, the White Star will be deceived.

I continued speaking as I looked at those who would carry out the operation with me.

“The key here is making the White Star believe that ancient document is genuine. So, Witira.”
“Yes.”
“Attack the Dark Mages.”

When Witira hesitated, I continued speaking.

“Do you know why the White Star’s side has been conducting their search more and more brazenly these past three weeks? Not discreetly, but letting the Whale Tribe catch wind of it?”

The reason the White Star’s faction kept escalating their search intensity.

“It’s suspicious. Normally, the Whale Tribe should have captured and killed them immediately. Relations are already strained because of the Mermaid Tribe, after all.”

But the Whale Tribe remained silent.
Wouldn’t that seem strange?
The Dark Mages assigned to the search must have prowled near the Whale Tribe’s territory with the resolve to die.

Yet with no response, they must have thought something was amiss.

“Ah!”

Witira let out an exclamation before opening her mouth with a hardened expression.

“…Then they might have realized what we’re trying to deceive them with?”
“I don’t know.”

I couldn’t know that either.
How could I possibly understand their thoughts?

“That’s why we set a trap.”

My gaze turned toward Clophe once more.

“The first trap. That’s you.”

The corners of Clophe’s mouth began to rise.

Hmm.
Witira swallowed hard.
A smile brimming with greed and yearning—utterly at odds with any semblance of nobility or excellence—consumed Clophe’s face.
In that same moment, she could see Kale Heniatus wearing an equally intense smile, one saturated with the same hunger.
In this instant, the two of them were mirrors of each other.

Kale Heniatus stepped toward Clophe.
Thump.
He placed a hand upon the man’s shoulder and whispered softly.

“Guardian Knight Clophe, lead the Wyvern Knights once more.”

Clophe’s shoulders trembled slightly.
It was a tremor born of anticipation and longing. Clophe turned slightly and looked up. His gaze met Kale Heniatus’s.

“You will resurrect the legend of the North.”

In Clophe’s eyes, alight with exhilaration, dwelt the gentle smile of Kale Heniatus.

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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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