Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 47

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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 week later, Kale Heniatus descended from the carriage. The carriage he rode bore the golden tortoise emblem of the Heniatus Count Family.

—It has been a while.

Kale agreed with the Black Dragon’s words transmitted into his mind.
I now stood in the Plaza of Glory, the Capital’s heart. To the north of the plaza, massive barriers enclosed the areas destroyed by the explosions, cordoning off the reconstruction efforts.

I walked forward with my eyes fixed ahead toward my destination. Immediately, the Vice-Captain of the Heniatus Family Knights and his men fell into step beside me, providing escort.
It was then that some rather unsettling words reached my ears as I walked.

“Oh, the Silver Prince!”
“The Shield Prince, sir!”

My face contorted in an instant.

“Ahem, ahem.”

I watched the Vice-Captain’s lips twitch as he straightened his shoulders and cleared his throat, my expression darkening further. The Vice-Captain then leaned in slightly and whispered near my ear.

“It seems the people are calling you the Silver Prince, sir. Ahem, well, it is only natural that distinguished individuals receive names of pride.”

Damn it. I swallowed the crude words threatening to burst forth.
The Silver Prince, the Shield Prince—such cringeworthy and embarrassing titles were the last thing I wanted to hear. Yet I understood that the Crown Prince had suppressed the rumors enough that it had only reached this level, so I said nothing about it.

I merely spoke quietly to the Vice-Captain, who was shrugging his shoulders.

“If I had a drink here and acted normally, no one would call me that, would they?”
“Ahem, ahem!”

The Vice-Captain offered no response and turned his head away. Only then did my lips curl slightly upward with satisfaction. But I quickly erased the smile. It was because of what the Vice-Captain said next.

“Your body has not yet fully recovered, sir. It would be best to refrain from drinking.”

I was still officially unwell and in a state of incomplete recovery.
I had overextended myself by using ancient power beyond my current capacity, injuring my body in the process. Yet thanks to that, I had miraculously blocked the explosion of the magical bomb.
This miraculous tale naturally flowed from Crown Prince Alberu’s lips. Because of this, the retainers of the Heniatus Count Family in the Capital were extraordinarily devoted to protecting my injured self.
Of course, it was not limited to the Capital. I recalled Count Derth, who had been planning to come up from my fiefdom days ago. He had spoken to me through the communication orb.

-Kale, did you see those bastards’ faces? I’ll kill every last one of them. How dare they touch you, who can’t even swing a sword!

Even knowing that Kale had obtained one of the ancient powers, Count Derth had judged him weak because, regardless of everything else, he couldn’t wield a sword as skillfully as his younger sister in the family.

-The Heniatus family’s restraint is not born of weakness. Remember that. We have remained still precisely because we are strong. No one will dare touch you because of this incident.

Countess Viollan spoke thus while restraining Count Derth. And whether her words held truth or not, no nobles sent letters to Kale or visited him after he left the Royal Palace and returned to his mansion. Even Eric and his companions didn’t come.

‘That worked out well for me.’

I had spent that time quite productively. As I walked forward, I encountered the knight and soldiers guarding the entrance.

“Ah, Young Master Kale.”
“Do I need to verify my identity?”

At my question, the knight shook his head and respectfully opened the entrance for me. From here on, I had to enter alone. Access was controlled far more strictly than it had been during the previous birthday celebration ceremony, but I was an exception.

“Young Master, you may proceed.”
“Yes, thank you. Take care of yourself.”
“…Yes!”

I answered vigorously and, thinking of the knight’s hard work as he bowed his head, I patted his shoulder before stepping through the entrance. The knight watched my retreating figure for a long time.
I continued walking forward without hesitation.

The Plaza of Glory.
Today, the King would honor the dead here and bestow medals upon several individuals. And those selected would be granted the privilege of standing in the highest position beneath the King in this plaza.

I arrived at my designated place dressed in a neater black formal suit than usual.

“Kale.”
“Brother Eric, you arrived early.”

I offered my usual smile to Eric Wheelsman, who called out to me, and took my place.
A gathering of noble heirs. I stood among them.

Eric Wheelsman, as well as Amir, Gilbert, and the other noble heirs, watched me in silence. They had all heard one piece of news about me.

Kale Heniatus had refused the medal, a symbol of honor. And he had yielded this medal to another.
Moreover, he had attended this ceremony despite his body being known to still be incompletely recovered.

Amir Ubar gazed at me. I lifted my head, looking up at the sky.

“The weather is remarkably pleasant. Perhaps it’s for those who have departed.”

My crimson hair swayed in the breeze as I spoke with characteristic composure, contrasting sharply against my black formal attire. Amir’s lips curved into a faint smile, his expression as serene as always.

“I believe it’s thanks to your grace, Young Master.”
“My grace?”

Confused by the remark, I turned to look at Amir with a puzzled expression. He simply offered me a calm yet warm smile in response. Though I found his gesture peculiar, I said what needed to be said.

“You’re departing today?”
“Yes, and you’ll be leaving tomorrow, Young Master? We’ll meet again in the fiefdom.”

I would be traveling to Ubar, the fiefdom of Amir’s family.

“Yes. I’ve been wanting to see the sea.”
“I see. Is it for recuperation?”
“Yes, in a manner of speaking.”

Recuperation, indeed. In truth, I was going to grow stronger with a body in perfect condition. Yet I spoke calmly and nodded. Then I added:

“Though that’s not the only reason.”
“Ah, of course.”

Gilbert and Eric, who had been listening to my conversation with Amir, smiled. It was a smile similar to mine. After today passed, a certain piece of news would likely reach the ears of the nobility.

The development and investment of a military base in the Northeast Coastal Area. That news would spread. This was why Amir and Gilbert were hastily departing the Capital tonight—to prevent unnecessary rumors from circulating. Both the Royal Court and they wanted to proceed with matters quickly.

Of course, this was only possible because the Heniatus Count Family had agreed to lend a substantial sum to Amir and Gilbert’s fiefdoms. And because of this, I would have reason to visit their territories.

‘Kale, our family will send people as well, but since you’re going that way, take a look and report back.’
‘Father, wouldn’t an expert be better suited than me?’
‘The more eyes, the better.’

I accepted Count Derth’s request.

“I look forward to working with you.”
“I look forward to your guidance, Young Master.”

I waved my hand dismissively at Amir and Gilbert to assure them there was nothing to worry about, then turned my gaze forward. King Jed had made his appearance.
The memorial service and medal ceremony had begun.

King Jed spoke with a more powerful voice than ever before. The Plaza was as crowded as it had been the previous week, but the atmosphere was entirely different. It was solemn.

“We have gathered here once more to demonstrate that we will not cower before fear.”

The King had summoned the kingdom’s people to the Plaza once again. It was both a warning and a display of power directed at the enemy. From the highest platform, King Jed surveyed the Plaza below and spoke.

“Many have shown brave deeds. Thanks to them, we have been able to protect this land, just as history has always shown.”

In that moment, I thought our eyes had met, but I hoped they hadn’t. I quietly averted my gaze and looked at the sky beyond the King. The words the Black Dragon had spoken came to mind.

‘The blessing of the sun god? I sense no divine power from such trivial humans. The only peculiar existence is the Crown Prince.’

The divine power said to be passed down through the Crossman Royal Family did not exist. Having learned yet another useless truth, I ultimately decided to pretend I knew nothing about it. When I suggested the Black Dragon keep it as our secret, it flapped its wings excitedly and agreed.

“In that regard, I shall now bestow medals upon those who have shown brave deeds this time as well!”

As King Jed announced the medal ceremony, people came forward one by one to receive their medals.

Waaaaaaa—
As if the somber atmosphere had never existed, cheers now filled the Plaza. The Black Dragon’s voice echoed in my mind.

-Humans are fascinating.

Waaaaaaa—

Along with the Black Dragon’s voice came the cheers of people applauding a knight who had received a medal. I could roughly guess what fascinated the Black Dragon.
But because I am human, I empathized with the hearts of those who had survived rather than with the Black Dragon’s fascination. Sadness was sadness, and joy was joy.

Clap clap clap.
So I too offered my applause to those receiving medals. The atmosphere had become much lighter. Everyone enjoyed the medal ceremony like a festival. Thanks to that free and open atmosphere, someone was able to approach me.

“Young Master Kale.”

I turned my gaze toward the quiet voice calling me. Many young nobles had returned to their territories, judging the Capital to be in danger from the terrorist attack. Because of this, fewer young nobles were present at this gathering than before, and one of them approached my side and called out to me.

“What is it, Young Master Benion?”

Benion Sten. He was still here. And that wasn’t all—the noble heirs from each region’s leading families remained as well.

“I heard you refused the medal. Aren’t you disappointed?”

The gazes of the nobles who had been watching the platform shifted toward Benion and me. I had no idea why Benion, who was smiling so gently now, had posed this question, nor what his intentions were.

—I want to kill him.

My only concern was whether Benion’s body would burst apart and die here. I hoped the Black Dragon would calm itself as I reflected on the medal.

I had refused the medal. The reason was simple: I didn’t want to be ‘recorded’.
The highest floor of the Royal Palace Library contained records of the reigning monarch. And below that, on various levels, were records of ‘heroes’ who had received medals of different ranks.
The Royal Court identified and managed the locations of those who received medals, using the excuse that they distributed monthly compensation to them.

‘It might be an honor, but for some reason, it felt like it would become shackles.’

I wanted to be recorded nowhere. If I wasn’t recorded, I would be forgotten. War would soon erupt in countless places—who would remember what happened in this plaza for long? Even if they did, other matters would take precedence.
Knowing this, I had stepped forward for this task, and this was why I wanted to avoid being recorded.

A faint smile played at my lips. I looked at Benion and spoke.

“What could I possibly be disappointed about?”

I had nothing to be disappointed about. I had received a generous reward, and more than anything else.

“Surviving without serious injury—isn’t that enough?”

I had survived without major wounds. That was the most important fact for me, for Kim Rok-soo. The area around me fell silent. After a long pause, Benion broke the silence.

“…I see.”
“Yes. My heart is a bit too small and humble to receive another medal.”

Benion’s expression grew peculiar. But I shrugged my shoulders, turned my gaze away, and offered applause to the next recipient of the medal.

The Black Dragon pondered how to kill Benion, then examined me and my surroundings, shaking its head. There were so many people watching me—from the nobles to the common folk below the platform.
Thinking that killing Benion here would cause too much trouble, the Black Dragon, like me, simply watched the ceremony quietly, very quietly.

“Thus concludes today’s ceremony. However, I shall not forget this moment. I will remember, and remember again, and never forget those who showed such courage!”

With the King’s final words, the ceremony came to an end.
Whoooosh— A harsh wind, like the sound of rain, swept across the Plaza. I brushed back my disheveled hair.
The Crown Prince had said I didn’t need to attend the memorial service today. But I came anyway.

Because I understood the weight that someone’s death carried.

I finished my own silent tribute and raised my right hand to place it over my left chest. At that moment, Eric approached with an urgent expression and spoke to me.

“Kale! Did you overexert yourself? Is your heart hurting?”

I looked at him with an expression that clearly said he was talking nonsense, and at that obvious gaze, Eric smiled awkwardly and quietly stepped backward. His face showed considerable embarrassment.
I let out a small laugh at his reaction and tapped my left chest twice with my fingers. Then I felt the presence of the golden token in the inner pocket of my shirt. It was a reward I’d received from the Crown Prince.

‘The Crown Prince is more generous than I thought.’

A golden token. An opportunity to purchase anything—exactly twice, regardless of the price.
Whether buying two loaves of bread or two mountains, the golden token only cared about the number of opportunities: two. It was a golden token I would find extremely useful.

‘The Crown Prince probably gave this to me thinking, “What could you possibly buy with just two purchases anyway?”‘

Or perhaps he handed it over with the thought of testing me—’I wonder what you’d dare to buy?’

‘He made a grave miscalculation.’

The corners of my mouth lifted. The world contained an infinite number of things to purchase. As long as one knew the method to acquire them.

-What are you scheming now? Weak human, be careful.

I dismissed the Black Dragon’s words, spoken upon seeing my expression. I looked around from where I stood. Many gazes met mine.
But I believed these stares would soon disappear once I left the Capital.

Thus, the next day, having finished my preparations to leave the Capital early, I handed the Black Dragon a steak along with three objects. The Black Dragon cradled the plate of steak and asked.

“What are you going to do with these?”

Three objects. They were magical bombs with their magical circles deactivated. Inside them still existed the power of condensed mana. I was planning to use one of these three. A sinister smile played at the corners of my mouth.

“I’m going to destroy the Whirlpool.”

Kale intended to overturn the Roan Kingdom Northeast Sea without anyone knowing. Since it was the Northeast Sea where neither mermaids nor the Whale Tribe had yet settled, it was entirely feasible.

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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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