Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 44

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Boom—
Boom—
Explosions of incomparable magnitude thundered across the Plaza in rapid succession. Everyone crouched down, shielding their heads with both hands.

“Ahhhhh!”
“Cough. M-my arm!”
“Gah!”

The sounds of people dying reached my ears. The sounds of people being wounded. And then.

Whoooosh—
A wind that seemed like rain itself swept across the people. They slowly lifted their heads, dusted with dirt from the Plaza floor, while those near the Fountain found themselves drenched in its waters.

Then their eyes turned northward first. Mages had erected shields for the Royal Family, so the King and his sons were unharmed, but those nearby were wounded.
Commoners who had arrived earliest to see the King, servants, low-ranking officials, knights still lacking in strength, mages who hadn’t had time to raise their shields.
All of them were injured and dead.
Black smoke obscured every trace of the Royal Family’s brilliant golden hair.

The survivors soon lifted their heads. They gazed skyward toward where the noble youths and ordinary citizens of the kingdom stood nearby.

Shatter—

A silver shield shattering like glass, silver wings crumbling, and black smoke pouring through the gaps—all visible at once. There had clearly been a person there, yet no blood, no fragment of flesh, nothing remained visible.
Chills ran down everyone’s spines. The bomb’s destructive power became viscerally real.

Their gazes naturally converged on one point. The end of the silver line.

“Prince Kale Heniatus!”

Rosalind rushed to support Kale Heniatus. One of his knees buckled weakly. Rosalind’s eyes darted between the disintegrating silver shield and Kale Heniatus, then toward the Royal Family. The explosive force had been tremendous.
Of course, she knew the Black Dragon had absorbed most of the blast’s power, but it remained undeniable that Kale Heniatus’s silver shield had accomplished something extraordinary.
If so, the recoil would be equally devastating.

Rosalind grasped Kale Heniatus’s arm and supported him, calling out to him.

“Prince Kale Heniatus, are you alright? Prince Kale Heniatus!”

And Kale thought to himself.

‘Ah, it stings.’

At the last moment, thanks to the Black Dragon, I had reduced the power poured into the silver shield. That’s why the recoil was minimal. Still, my palms stung painfully. I, Kim Rok-soo, was terribly sensitive to pain.
Even a little hurt was hurt. I tried to lift my lowered head.

“Kale Heniatus!”
“Young Master!”

I could feel the voices calling out to me drawing closer. And the moment I lifted my head.

“Kale Heniatus, are you alright?”
“I’m fine, cough!”
“Blood, blood…!”

Eric Wheelsman’s face had gone deathly pale as he approached, and I nearly staggered backward.
At that same moment, as I coughed up a small amount of blood, I felt relieved.

‘As expected, the Vitality of the Heart.’

The burden on my body vanished, and my body rapidly stabilized. Rather, as the power of the ‘Vitality of the Heart’ became more active, my body became healthier than ever before. It was like that refreshing sensation I felt when I woke up after Ron had gone on vacation—that invigorating clarity enveloped me. I slowly closed my eyes and felt my own body.
A refreshing and invigorating feeling, like waking up after a good sleep while Ron was away on vacation, enveloped Kale Heniatus. He slowly closed his eyes. And he felt his own body.

My limbs are attached. My palms stung a bit earlier, but it didn’t hurt as much as a paper cut. After coughing once, my body feels the best it has in recent times.

A faint smile bloomed at the corner of my lips in satisfaction.
A faint smile formed at the corners of Kale Heniatus’s mouth, satisfied.

And the surroundings became a mess.

“Are you laughing right now? Don’t laugh!”

Kale opened his eyes slightly at Taylor’s voice, which seemed to carry both reproach and sadness. His eyes had opened feeling refreshed after checking his body. But the sunlight was so bright that he squinted slightly.

“Please don’t bother opening your eyes!”

Why is he like this? Kale looked at Taylor with a puzzled expression as he was supported by Rosalind and flopped down into his seat. It wasn’t proper for a nobleman’s dignity, but given the circumstances, this much should be acceptable. Kale slouched down carelessly.

The Black Dragon’s voice continued to echo in his ears.

-Weak human, you cannot die! You are far too fragile! If you die, I will slaughter them all! Every last one of them. I will erase all trace of your corpse, scatter it to the winds, and then I will die as well!

It sounded like concern, though the delivery was rather menacing. Kale Heniatus furrowed his brow, his head throbbing from the Dragon’s voice.

“Young master, I’ll fetch the Priest!”
“I’ll go as well!”

Amir and Gilbert spoke thus to Kale Heniatus before rushing toward the Priest entering through the doorway, heedless of their disheveled dresses and formal wear. Watching them dash away, Kale Heniatus could not bring himself to say he had not a single injury.

‘Well, it’s good to have a checkup anyway. And I should appear hurt.’

It would be fortunate when the Priest arrived. Eric Wheelsman took his place beside Kale Heniatus, his sharp gaze warning the murmuring Northeast Region nobles and aristocratic youths to keep their distance.
Kale Heniatus turned his attention toward a scene that promised to be even more menacing than the current one.

“…Step aside.”
“That is not permitted. Civilians are not allowed to enter here.”
“…Civilians? Who established such a definition?”

Choi Han stood in confrontation with the soldier guarding the Noble Seating Area, his expression cold. Kale Heniatus had explicitly told him not to step forward. He frowned sharply at Choi Han for his disobedience and waved his hand dismissively.
At that gesture, Choi Han bit his lip, then lowered his head.

“My apologies.”

There was no need for an apology, though he had been told not to interfere. Behind Choi Han stood Rak, with On and Hong clinging to the shoulders of the two. Kale Heniatus flashed a rare smile as a signal that he was perfectly fine, then turned his gaze toward those staring blankly at him.

“…Young master, are you alright?”

Kale Heniatus nodded at Rosalind’s question and wiped away the blood smeared slightly at the corner of his mouth.

“Yes, I am quite well.”

The manner in which Kale Heniatus wiped away blood as red as his own hair was indifferent and detached. Yet Rosalind had witnessed what Kale Heniatus had just done. Could she, a member of the Royal Court, have accomplished such a thing? She murmured softly.

“…You are truly incomprehensible.”

But when Kale Heniatus turned his gaze toward her, Rosalind fell silent and simply looked at him. His expression had grown grave. She realized he was not looking at her, but beyond her. She turned her head to follow his gaze.

“Ah.”

The blood-drinking mage stood in the sky rather than atop the Bell Tower, gazing down at the scene below.

“I truly never expected this. How delightfully entertaining.”

Redica, the mage intoxicated by blood, spoke thus while turning his gaze toward the royal family. The mages unleashed their flight magic once more, and now soldiers guarding the Capital approached, drawing their arrows toward him.
Redica shifted his attention.

In that instant, my eyes met Redica’s. His gaze then drifted to Rosalind beside me. Even though she had dyed her hair brown now, he would recognize her from the Blue Wolf Tribe Village. A voice like scraping metal echoed through the Plaza.

“My, what a variety of blood colors I adore?”

Countless offensive spells poured toward his position.

“Attack!”

Though his mask concealed it, the corners of Redica’s eyes curved like crescents.

“I’d like to place them in a display case.”

My expression grew bitter. Without thinking, I let my true thoughts slip out.

“He’s insane.”

Normally, such unhinged characters met short ends. I thought this while glancing at Choi Han. Choi Han nodded and promptly vanished.
Of course, he was moving to capture and kill that mage. But Choi Han’s direction was not toward Redica.

Just before the barrage of magical attacks struck, Redica looked down at the King and spoke.

“Then until next time!”

And he vanished. Not alone either—he disappeared with all the personnel who had appeared alongside him. It was his specialty: teleportation magic. Those attacking had no idea where they had gone. But in “The Birth of a Hero,” the location where he arrived was revealed.
Choi Han went there with On, Hong, and Rak.
If Redica and the Secret Organization had teleported to that location, they would likely fall by Choi Han’s hand.

‘I’m worried Choi Han might lose control.’

That was why Kale Heniatus sent On, Hong, and Rak along with Choi Han. With them present, Choi Han would hold onto his reason. After all, Choi Han had a weakness for those who were young and vulnerable.
Kale Heniatus rose from his seat.

The King was ascending the platform once more. The Plaza began to stir with murmurs again. The villains had vanished, leaving only the devastation in their wake. The King was moving to stabilize the situation.

“I shall do my utmost to restore this tragic incident. Therefore, I ask all of you to follow the Royal Court’s guidance and do your best to maintain stability. The festival will be postponed.”

Kale Heniatus turned his gaze away from the King’s words and looked toward Rosalind. Originally, she had planned to remain as hidden as possible in this place. Yet she had revealed herself for me.

‘Perhaps because she couldn’t reveal the Black Dragon, she stepped forward herself.’

When Rosalind’s eyes met mine, she drew a subtle smile. And with the shape of her lips, she answered to the light in my eyes.

‘A secret.’

Kale Heniatus offered a faint smile in return. She was indeed someone I could communicate with.
Today, I had laid out several directives to six beings before proceeding with this matter.

First, the Dragon and the heteromorphic races must not reveal their identities.
This was the highest priority.

And second, Choi Han and Rosalind were to claim they happened to be here by coincidence, should their existence be discovered. The Royal Court would have no way of knowing about the hidden magical bombs in each location, and it was anticipated they wouldn’t be able to pinpoint exactly who had dealt with the magical bombs that shot into the sky. This made it possible.

Third, cause no harm to one another.

Kale Heniatus and Rosalind could understand the direction each needed to take with a single glance. Thus, I brushed the dust from my clothes and adjusted my appearance.
And I offered a smile to the one approaching.

“Young Master, are you alright?”

The Priest was dragged along by Amir and Gilbert, gasping for breath as he asked. Rosalind stepped back, and Kale Heniatus extended his hand toward the Priest.

“I’m in considerable pain. I would appreciate an examination.”

Kale Heniatus saw the Crown Prince approaching him. The Crown Prince would certainly recognize Rosalind and would have witnessed her dual magic. And he would be curious about the relationship between me and her.

In such moments, it was better to exploit the situation and extract everything of value. Thus, I spoke in a flat tone, ensuring the Priest and the noble youths around us could hear.

“Indeed, the duty of protection is a difficult burden.”

Since I’ve already revealed one of my cards, since I’ve used the power of ancient times, shouldn’t I extract every last advantage I can?
To make sacrifices and receive nothing in return, gaining only honor? That wasn’t Kale Heniatus’s style. Money over honor, and a wealthy merchant over a hero any day.

“Ah, yes, yes indeed. I witnessed your silver shield, young master. You’ve accomplished something remarkable.”

The Priest swallowed hard, grasping Kale Heniatus’s hand to conduct an examination. At the Priest’s words, the noble youths surrounding Kale Heniatus stared at him, their eyes brimming with doubt and curiosity.

Kale Heniatus, known as a reckless fool. The power he had unleashed. It delivered a visual shock greater than any other force present. And the manner of his actions—blocking the explosion with his shield, collapsing and coughing blood, yet standing upright with an unbothered expression. That composure.

The noble youths etched that image into their minds. With the King having vacated his seat, many of the kingdom’s citizens turned their gazes toward this scene. They could not forget that silver light.

Kale Heniatus casually surveyed the faces of the curious noble youths. Each time, they displayed their own reactions—some openly revealing their curiosity, others turning away, still others offering smiles.
Kale Heniatus observed it all, then turned back to the Priest and responded to his words. His voice remained indifferent and serene.

“It seems you’re witnessing the power of ancient times for the first time.”

Ah. An exclamation escaped the Priest’s lips.
The power of ancient times. A legacy of the past that could be obtained by chance. The might and characteristics of such power were said to vary infinitely.

“Indeed.”

Kale Heniatus felt a familiar voice from behind and a hand settling upon his shoulder. He realized what he had anticipated was now arriving.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

Kale Heniatus turned around, and his eyes met those of Crown Prince Albert Crossman. In that moment, he felt a resemblance to a scene he had read in the novel.

Choi Han, the hero who saved the Plaza from the terror attack. Choi Han, who had been made a scapegoat to deflect criticism of security and condemnation of the royal family and nobles who had attempted to flee. The one who created Choi Han was none other than Crown Prince Albert before his eyes.

The moment Kale Heniatus saw the light in Crown Prince Albert’s eyes, he realized the moment he had already anticipated had arrived. It was the moment he had foreseen from the instant he used the power of ancient times, and so he had modified his plan. From now on, Kale Heniatus intended to thoroughly exploit this situation.

And the Crown Prince had recognized Kale Heniatus as well. That they were of the same ilk.

“…Kale Heniatus.”

With an expression of profound emotion and moved sincerity, the Crown Prince embraced Kale Heniatus warmly.

“Thank you. How admirable.”

To anyone watching, the Crown Prince’s emotional expression transcended social hierarchy—a display of genuine sentiment.
In that moment, Kale could hear Crown Prince Albert’s whisper, audible only to him.

“Prince Kale, you and I are of the same ilk, are we not?”

Then we are of the same ilk.
Crown Prince Albert’s voice was laden with reluctance regarding that kinship.

“I shall ensure there are no troublesome matters, and the compensation will be thorough. How does that suit you?”

In that case.
Kale raised both arms and, wearing a benevolent smile, embraced Crown Prince Albert. Then he spoke.

“No, Your Highness. I was merely fulfilling my duty.”

The voice of the young dragon reached Kale’s mind.

-…Something feels off.

The Black Dragon, who had witnessed all of this, was young but possessed remarkably accurate judgment.
Kale ended the false embrace of sentiment and had to head to the Royal Palace. While the pretext was treatment and investigation of the truth, now that things had come to this, Kale accompanied the Crown Prince with the intention of extracting at least one pillar from the Crown Prince’s residence.
Naturally, the Crown Prince’s expression remained reluctant.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————