Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 466

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Before connecting the communication crystal, Kale Heniatus signaled to Bud with a glance.
Bud immediately approached the Elderly Man.

“Sir, would you care to join me and watch the sunset while we have a brief conversation?”
“Hmm? What conversation?”

Bob the Hunter, who had been admiring the sunset lingering at the edge of the approaching night, furrowed his brow as something distinctly blue suddenly blocked his view.
But Bud simply smiled good-naturedly, wrapped an arm around the old man’s shoulders, and began subtly dragging him away.

“Come on, this way.”

The moment Kale confirmed that Bud had winked at him and successfully separated Bob the Hunter from the group, turning his attention away, he received the communication crystal from Raon.

“…Hah. I was enchanted.”

Vicross muttered to himself in a corner with a wounded expression, his mind elsewhere, but Kale ignored him and fixed his gaze on the screen of the connecting communication crystal.

-Young master, did you complete your business successfully?
“What’s wrong with your face?”

The moment Kale saw Tasha’s face, his brow furrowed immediately.

-Oh, it’s just a bit dusty.
“A bit? I thought it was just dust.”
-Come on, you’re joking.
“I’m serious.”
-…Is it that bad?

Faced with Kale’s serious expression, Tasha raised her hand and wiped her face. Then she frowned as she looked at her dust-covered palm.

-…That Bear King bastard—I should beat him—
“Ahem.”

Kale quickly cleared his throat, worried that Raon, On, and Hong might hear, and Tasha awkwardly smiled and closed her mouth.

-Right, human! That Bear King bastard needs to be beaten too!

Kale’s brow furrowed at the sound of Raon’s voice, audible only to him. Tasha quickly opened her mouth upon seeing his expression.

-As you said, my lord, after you departed, the Bear King and White Star entered the desert with some of their subordinates and teleported away.

They likely rushed to the second secret base the moment they received word from Lion King Dorf.

-And truly, just minutes later, they returned with orders.
“Is that so?”

White Star followed after Kale, who waved goodbye, and returned once more to the desert.

-Yes! And after that, well.
“After that? What happened?”

Tasha offered an awkward smile.

-He’s raging like a madman. Whatever you did to him—he seemed absolutely furious.

Tasha recalled the sight of White Star in his frenzied state.
She had watched him from as far away as possible, concealing her presence. One might ask where to hide in a space that was nothing but desert, but the desert was a place where dunes formed and shifted multiple times a day.
The Dark Elves, who knew this land better than anyone, were more than capable of simply observing from their hiding places.

-His severed left arm seemed to have been properly cauterized. In any case, with a ghastly pale face, he was overturning the desert in every direction. It was just, simply.

That sight was truly.

-Simply, he looked like a madman.

It was far too brutal.
So Tasha quickly hid, taking Merry and the Dark Elves scattered throughout the area with her.

-I thought we shouldn’t encounter him in that state, so I took Merry and the Dark Elves back into the Underground City to hide.

Currently, the Underground City had been evacuated of the elderly, the infirm, humans, and Dark Elves unable to fight.
Moreover, all but one entrance to the Underground City—known only to the Dark Elf warriors and Merry—had been destroyed so enemies could not find it.
Additionally, even that single entrance had been rigged to collapse if enemies attempted to forcibly open it.

-Instead, I’ve sent out the Wind Spirits to monitor White Star’s movements as closely as possible. He still seems to be searching throughout the desert. In particular, he appears to be searching for locations with the greatest concentration of earth power, especially with the Dark Mage.

Tasha, who had been reporting for quite some time, flinched the moment she saw Kale’s face.

-…Young master?

He was smiling.
Kale was grinning wickedly, lifting only one corner of his mouth.

“Heh heh, so I’ve been acting like a madman, have I? Heh, seems I’m quite angry.”

Tasha had never seen Kale with such refreshingly bright eyes before. Unlike his contemptible smirk, his gaze sparkled like an excited puppy greeting the spring breeze.

“This is excellent.”

Just as Tasha thought, Kale was thoroughly savoring this refreshingly exhilarating mood.
And so he intended to maintain this feeling.

“What of Erhafen?”
-He remains in Dubori Territory. The Caro Kingdom Army is stationed there as well.
“I see. For now, hold out underground as long as you can. I’ll stop by the Royal Palace briefly and head there before nightfall.”
-Understood. Hiding won’t be difficult. But… the Royal Palace?

It wasn’t just Tasha. The rest of the group also looked at Kale with puzzled expressions at the mention of the Royal Palace.

-Human! Weren’t we heading straight to the Desert?

Kale shook his head and delivered his final words to Tasha before cutting off the video communication.

“I’ll definitely get there before today ends, so we’ll see each other later. Oh, and make sure to eat while you work.”

Kale handed the disconnected communication device to Raon and moved forward. He headed toward Bob the Hunter, who was subtly pushing away Bud’s arm that had been draped around his shoulder.
The two figures’ silhouettes looked quite intimate.
Kale could hear their conversation.

“No, sir. I’m telling you, I’m right! I’m an incredibly famous and important person! It’s just that here, I’m treated like an errand boy.”
“Ahem, so you’re the secretary of that merchant, then?”
“Ah, yes, I am a secretary. But originally, I was a very important person, you see? I have so many subordinates!”
“Ha, well I’ll be. You young folks tell jokes as vividly blue as your hair color.”
“Ah, mister. My hair color is cool, isn’t it?”
“…It’s passable, I suppose.”
“Wow, you’re so cold!”

What is he doing?
The more I heard Bud’s voice, the deeper the furrow between my brows became, but I soon composed my expression and calmed myself.

“Oh? You’re here?”

Bud noticed me approaching from behind and smiled. At that moment, Bob the Hunter quickly stepped away from Bud’s side and came toward me.

“You really did catch the serpent.”

Bob the Hunter looked at me with gleaming eyes.
Though the Swordmaster from our group had arrived at the summit first, somehow it seemed that the merchant Bob, who stood at the center of the scattering serpent scales, must have been the one to fell the serpent.

“I’ve always avoided that serpent and prayed that one day it would disappear. Thank you for resolving that grudge. Bob, I’m truly grateful.”

With the fog gone, Nake Mountain revealed its rugged yet breathtaking beauty in full.
Bob the Hunter found it regrettable that the landscape would fade as the sunset passed and darkness fell. Yet he could smile, knowing that tomorrow, the day after, and forever more, the fog would no longer shroud the mountain.

“Now many people will likely come to this mountain. There will be no terrifying legends either.”
“Bob.”

The elderly man, who had been sharing his impressions with a satisfied expression, turned his head at the merchant’s call.

“…Gasp!”

And he started back in utter astonishment.

“Could it be…?”

His eyes wide open, he looked at the merchant and then at me. I smiled gently and placed what I held in my hand into Bob’s hand.

“I’m meticulous with my calculations. A promise must be kept.”
“Th-this-this is-!”

Bob’s hands trembled violently.

“One hundred… two hundred… five hundred… th-thousand…! A thousand!”

Ten checks, each worth one million gelons, rested in Bob’s hands.
Moreover, the issuing institution was the Flynn Merchant Guild—currently the most prominent and renowned trading company in the Roan Kingdom.

“This is the commission payment.”

Kale Heniatus had paid the ten million gelons in commission he had promised.
Bob stared at the Merchant Bob with trembling eyes. Though night was falling, it seemed as though a halo of light radiated from behind him.

“I never expected you’d give me this much…! It’s fine. I don’t need the money.”
“Just take it. I’m wealthy.”
“Pardon?”
“Wealthy. Extremely wealthy.”
“…I see.”

Bob, who had been standing dazed as if his thoughts wouldn’t come together, soon regained his composure and opened his mouth.

“In any case, it’ll be harder to descend the mountain once night falls, so let’s hurry down! I’ll offer you tea and dinner! At that time, we can sort out this commission payment matter!”
“No. I must leave now.”
“What?”

Bob suddenly saw a brilliant light materialize in the air.
It was a teleportation magic circle.

The companions who had come to find Bob, including the Merchant Bob, had already gathered within that luminous circle. As a flustered Bob shuffled his feet, Kale Heniatus coolly snatched the checks from Bob’s palm and crumpled them into his hunting shirt’s pocket with a smile, then stepped onto the teleportation circle.

“Then I’ll be on my way.”
“Wait, I-!”

Whoosh!
Bob reached out toward Kale Heniatus, but before his hand could touch him, the brilliant light flared, and the group vanished.
He stood dumbfounded, staring into empty space, before withdrawing the checks from his shirt.

“…I, I saw it.”

* * *

Kale Heniatus sat quietly on a bench in the middle of a beautiful garden where autumn flowers were beginning to bloom one by one, gazing at an elegantly sculpted fountain.

-Human, the sparkling thing is pretty!

Just as Raon said, the glittering magical fountain illuminated the surroundings brightly. Though night had fallen, magical lamps scattered throughout the garden bestowed another kind of beauty upon it.

“Man, I didn’t think you’d actually give all of it. Ten million gelons? Isn’t that way too generous?”

At that moment, Bud, who had been sitting carelessly on the ground, looked up at Kale and spoke.
To that question, Kale answered leisurely while stroking On and Hong, who had rested their faces on his knees.

“They risked the danger of potentially being enchanted to death and moved to help me, so I have to give them the reward I promised. And besides.”
“What?”
“Can you dispatch mercenaries around Bob’s area and near Nake Mountain?”
“A job?”
“Yes, a job. I need to watch whether the hunter spreads any loose talk around the area, and also because the White Star might find his way there and harm the hunter or that village.”
“You’re thorough. Got it. I was planning to properly establish a Mercenary Guild here on the Western Continent anyway, so I’ll bring some people and give it a try.”

Kale opened his mouth, finding Bud’s casual response rather unreliable.

“You need to do it properly—”
“Hey! I, I—!”

But Kale’s words were cut off as a rough voice engulfed the area near the fountain.

“I, I—!”

The person who came rushing over, panting heavily, pointed at Kale with a hand that expressed exasperation as he drew closer to the fountain, while his other hand pressed against his forehead.

“I, I—”

A voice echoed in that person’s mind.

-Crown Prince! Why are you stuttering like that? It’s been a few days, but I’m happy to see you! Don’t you have any cookies today?

Albert Crossman.
Though young, he closed his eyes tightly at the words of the great Dragon.

Just moments before, he had been in the conference room with his closest advisors, engaged in careful deliberation. Then Rosalind came to find him, calling him away with urgent news.
And she told him.

‘Prince Kale Heniatus has arrived.’
‘…What?’

Albert found himself asking back in a daze. Yet Rosalind pretended not to notice his reaction and spoke kindly.

‘He’s in the garden behind the Royal Palace. We’ve kept Prince Kale Heniatus’s visit secret from everyone.’
‘Good grief—no, I’ll go see him right away.’

Albert abandoned the conference entirely and headed toward the garden.

“Oh, Rosalind, you brought him quickly?”

Kale Heniatus greeted Rosalind with a warm smile as she entered the garden behind Albert. Watching this scene unfold, Albert’s face twisted visibly.
The gentle, radiant Crown Prince was nowhere to be seen.

In that moment, their gazes collided. The Crown Prince wore a serene smile directed at him.
Kale Heniatus raised his hand, waving it gently as he spoke.

“Brother, how do you do?”

Ah, my head.
Albert felt a headache coming on.

“…Kale Heniatus.”

He strode toward Kale Heniatus with rapid steps. Unlike his usual appearance, Albert’s hair was disheveled and his clothes were wrinkled. As Kale Heniatus took in Albert’s menacing expression and unrelenting gait, his serene smile gradually twisted.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

Just as Kale Heniatus’s expression shifted, Albert Crossman arrived right before him and unfolded a piece of paper he was holding in front of his eyes.

“Huh?”

The moment Kale Heniatus saw the letters on that paper, his eyes widened.

“What is this?”

He read the first line of the document.

“…The White Star has begun war with the Caro Kingdom. The hero Kale Heniatus saved the Caro Kingdom and disappeared into the Land of Death with the White Star. I, Prince Valentino, request aid from our allied nations…?”

A document hastily sent by Prince Valentino. The King of Caro’s seal was stamped upon it.
At the end of the document, a single solemn and earnest sentence from Prince Valentino was written.