Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 447

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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 99. A Human, After All

When Choi Han returned to that first day he fell into the Dark Forest, he felt nothing.

“It’s an illusion, but it feels so real.”

The sensation of leaves crunching beneath his feet, the wind brushing against his cheek and the forest’s scent carried within it—all of it felt genuine.

The scent of the forest.
Beneath this word that might seem beautiful at first glance lay the stench of blood and decay.
The Dark Forest’s aroma—a mingling of freshness and something thick and toxic.
In this place where weak beasts and monsters could die at any moment, the wind always carried the metallic tang of blood.

The Choi Han who first arrived here had not known the source of this scent, but the aged Choi Han now understood it all too well.
He had walked through countless deaths.

And so it did not trouble him.
I lowered my head and gazed at the photograph still clutched in the wallet in my hand.

“…This is.”

Yet now, with my family’s faces no longer coming to mind, the past I had grown numb to pierced me anew with its sting.

“It troubles me a little.”

The passage of time grieved me more than the illusion itself. I had reached a point where I could speak of it calmly, but that did not mean I could hide what lay in my heart.

‘I have aged, truly.’

Witnessing myself yearning for the past, I felt acutely how much I had grown old.

‘But I am grateful.’

I believed the word ‘grateful’ captured what my heart wished to express.
Fortunately, within Choi Jung-soo’s memories, I had glimpsed the faces of my bloodline as time had weathered them. My own memories of family were hazy, and I had seen only the aged visages of a few relatives, yet I was truly grateful for even that.

My grip on the wallet loosened.

“…I told you to carry a wallet with you.”

I couldn’t remember my mother’s face, but I remembered her voice.
When my mother said that, my father gave me pocket money as I quickly grabbed my wallet. But then.

Choi Han carefully placed the family photo inside the wallet, then gently tucked it into his inner pocket. And he moved forward.

‘I need to escape this illusion quickly.’

I could vividly picture how bewildered Kale Heniatus would be if left alone like this. Of course, if Raon returned quickly, the situation might be different.

‘Still.’

Choi Han now considered Kim Rok-soo and Kale Heniatus as family.
I had always thought of them as family-like, but after witnessing Choi Jung-soo’s memories, Kale Heniatus became true family.

‘Ah, seriously! Why do you and I share the same birthday?’
‘I’m already annoyed that we were born on the same day, so just shut up.’
‘…Wow, ouch. Kim Rok-soo, you’re really cold with your words.’
‘Shut it.’

Choi Jung-soo and Kim Rok-soo shared the same birthday.

‘Hey, hey, Rok-soo.’
‘Don’t call me like that, it’s creepy.’
‘Ah, the more I think about it, the more I regret it. If Kim Rok-soo had been born later than me, I would’ve made him my junior.’
‘Stop spouting nonsense and talk to the wall by yourself.’
‘Wow, Team Leader! Did you hear what Kim Rok-soo just said to his only peer? He’s way too cold!’
‘Drop dead.’

The emotion that Choi Jung-soo held in that memory was fraternal affection. He regarded Kim Rok-soo as his younger brother, as his older brother.
Having witnessed all those memories, Choi Han felt both Choi Jung-soo and Kim Rok-soo as true nephews and brothers.

‘Choi Jung-soo and I are different.’

It wasn’t merely that I had seen Choi Jung-soo’s memories—I had truly become him and experienced them—yet Choi Han did not confuse Choi Jung-soo with himself.
Instead, I accepted what needed to be accepted.
One of those things was the ability that Choi Jung-soo possessed.

Rustle.
Choi Han lifted his head at the faint sound.

Deep within the forest where trees stood sentinel, hidden in the shadows beneath their canopy, I caught the glint of an enemy’s gaze fixed upon me.

‘The past version of me could never have done this.’

That earlier self had wandered through the forest in such a panic that I couldn’t even perceive that predatory stare, ultimately becoming prey for the beast.

‘I ran and ran without ceasing.’

Fleeing from that savage creature, I sprinted relentlessly—branches tearing at my skin, my school uniform’s pant legs shredding, yet I never stopped.
My breath came in ragged gasps that reached the base of my throat, and I didn’t even notice the sweat streaming down my face.
I simply ran.

Then I fell.
As I tumbled and rolled, the wallet I’d carelessly stuffed into my inner pocket fell away, but I didn’t pause—I kept running.

‘That memory from back then—’

The moment that memory engulfed Choi Han’s mind.

“Ah.”

My vision inverted.
The scene shifted in an instant.

“Grrrrr—”

The memory I’d been recalling materialized before my eyes.
In my vision, sprawled on the ground, I saw the beast approaching with unhurried leisure.

The monster drew near slowly, as if savoring the final moments of its frail prey.
I stared blankly at that scene.

The past version of me had wept at this moment.

‘Sob… sob…’

I didn’t have the courage to get back up and flee.

‘…Dad, Mom….’

The fall hurt terribly, and that approaching monster terrified me beyond measure.
No matter how much ancient martial arts I’d learned and physical strength I’d built since childhood, this moment was far too cruel for a mere boy like me.
I wanted to give up on everything.

But the past version of me couldn’t let go.
I had to get back up.

That moment when I had to rise again unfolded before me once more.

Crunch.
My wallet was crushed beneath the beast’s massive paw. In that instant, the past me recalled the family photo inside it, and my family’s faces came to mind one after another.
Then a powerful desire surged within my heart.

‘I must survive! I absolutely must survive!’

So I fumbled around, picked up a stone nearby, and hurled it at the beast—and by fortune, the stone struck the creature’s eye.
Thanks to that, I was able to flee again.

Days later, I tried to retrieve my wallet, but it was trampled beyond recovery and lost forever.
I saw my wallet crushed beneath the beast’s paw once more.

“…This won’t do.”

Knowing it was an illusion—or perhaps because it was an illusion—I picked up a stone and threw it at the beast.
The stone I threw struck the creature’s eye, just as I remembered.

“Roooaaarrr!”

The beast shook its head, unable to open one eye.
Watching this, I got to my feet and quickly moved forward. Unlike the past, I advanced ahead.
I didn’t turn back to evade the beast—I charged toward it.

That wallet wasn’t something that should be trampled like this. This time, I would save it. Having acknowledged the decades that had already passed, I refused to tread upon those past memories again.

“Ah.”

A sigh escaped his lips.
He stepped forward.
But his feet did not advance. He merely treaded in place. Though he thrust his legs forward with all his strength, they continued to circle the same spot.

Even in an illusion, the past cannot be changed.

Thud. Thud.
No matter how forcefully he stamped his feet, his steps could not reach the beast.
Choi Han’s face contorted further. Yet his legs refused to obey his will. Each time the monster that had seized his eyes moved violently, the wallet was trampled again and again.
The photograph inside would be crumpled and torn as well.

‘…Father, Mother….’

The sound of his younger self’s weeping echoed in Choi Han’s ears. His gaze was fixed solely on the wallet. The forest surrounding him grew progressively darker.
That was the moment.

Whoosh—
Crimson chains suddenly coiled around his legs as they relentlessly tried to advance toward the beast. The scarlet chains, swift yet subtle, bound both of Choi Han’s legs.

“Ah.”

And they dragged him backward.
Like his memory, like the young Choi Han fleeing from the beast, his body was pulled further and further away from it.

“Damn it!”

Choi Han thrashed his legs, attempting to tear away the crimson chains. But it was futile. He stretched both hands to seize the chains and pull.

Whoosh—
Yet his hands too were soon captured by crimson chains that emerged from the darkness. Choi Han saw the scarlet chains binding his legs, hands, arms, shoulders, and torso.
Like the past, he was pulled further and further from the beast, watching the world grow ever darker.
This darkness felt strangely similar to that first night in the Dark Forest, when he barely escaped the beast and faced the encroaching gloom. That night when he trembled in terror, fearing something else might appear to kill him, barely enduring. That night when he wept, thinking of his family photograph. That night when he could not sleep, sobbing between gasps as he called out his family’s names.

Awaiting Choi Han, now distant from the beast and the trampled wallet, was that same darkness from that night.

“…Ha, haha—”

Choi Han’s laughter burst forth.

“Hahaha—”

He couldn’t help but laugh. He had long forgotten how to cry when afraid. He couldn’t afford to weep at the sight of monsters.
He clamped his mouth shut, biting his lips until they bled, then frantically wiped the blood away with his hand and rubbed it into the dirt. The scent of blood couldn’t be allowed to summon the monsters.

But back then, he couldn’t even laugh.
My laughter couldn’t be allowed to summon the monsters.

“Hahaha—”

Choi Han laughed.
He moved his hand, bound by chains. His trembling hand slowly grasped what Choi Han desired.

The crimson chain. The one extending from the darkness, pulling him into that abyss—he seized it firmly in his grip.
And he walked into the darkness.

Clank, clank.
Choi Han grasped the crimson chains in both hands and climbed along them into the darkness.

The darkness brought countless memories flooding back. Most were moments of anguish, moments he had endured alone.

Choi Han walked through that darkness in silence. When at last even his limbs vanished from sight in the consuming black.

“Haha—”

He laughed.

“If I can just endure this moment, dawn will come.”

Night always passes.
A darkness so complete that even the crimson chains vanished from view. Yet the chains remained in Choi Han’s grasp. His hand clenched into a fist and struck at the darkness.

Crash! Bang! Crash!
Choi Han struck the darkness again and again.
His hand throbbed with pain. The scent of blood seemed to rise from within the darkness. It was his own blood, seeping from his torn flesh.

Bang! Crash!
Yet he did not stop.
He had to end this darkness.

Boom, crash!
Crackle.
At last, Choi Han smiled in the darkness. I found it. I found the way to end this darkness.
His hand swept out in a grand arc.

Boom!
Finally, Choi Han witnessed the shattering darkness.
The crimson Dome was breaking apart.
Choi Han reached beyond the fractured Dome. He released the crimson chains from his grip. His blood-soaked hand pressed forward.

“H-how is this possible—?”

The Illusionist’s bewildered voice reached Choi Han’s ears. Yet his hand did not falter, and in the end, he seized her.

“Ugh!”

The Illusionist stared at Choi Han’s hand gripping her arm. The crushing force of that blood-drenched hand, stripped of its natural color, seemed poised to paralyze her limb entirely.
She tore her gaze from her arm and looked at Choi Han. In that instant, she drew a sharp breath.

Deep—profoundly deep—black eyes met hers.
Eyes so fathomless they appeared withered, far too ancient for one caught between boyhood and manhood.
The Illusionist’s pupils trembled as she beheld Choi Han’s gaze.

Then, those black eyes perceived his family beyond her, wearing expressions of relief and smiling.

“Are you alright?”

Choi Han nodded with a smile in response to Kale Heniatus’s question.

I’m alright.
Now, finally, I’m alright.
No—I’m more than alright.
I’m truly content.

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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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