Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 484

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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 107. Peeling Back the Layers.

“…A contract?”

Solly, the grandson of the Innkeeper Grandmother, let out a heavy sigh before flopping down across from Kale.
Kale opened his mouth as he observed Solly.

“You know that spirits circle around you, don’t you?”

The last time I had visited this inn, I had witnessed the Fire Spirit hovering around Solly, and the Innkeeper Grandmother had said something about it then.

‘When I told my husband I could see them, he said they were spirits.’
‘My daughter couldn’t see them, so I was relieved. I was worried she might inherit my ability to see them.’
‘Because I was enchanted by them. I settled in this land of despair just to catch glimpses of those creatures that occasionally appeared in the village. But curse it all—even when I couldn’t see them, the lake still lured people in.’

The Innkeeper Grandmother, who had settled in this village because she was captivated by spirits.
She had shared this truth with Kale and his companions, and Solly had heard it from beside her.

“…I know.”

Solly continued to exhale heavy sighs. Kale glanced away as he observed him.

-Human! The Innkeeper Grandmother is smiling!

Indeed she was.
Solly’s Grandmother was smiling as she looked at Kale.
In that moment, Kale heard the voice of the Wind Spirit.

‘The Baby Fire Spirit is grieving. It laments, “Chaos, destruction, sorrow.”‘

I naturally ignored the Wind Spirit’s nonsensical remark.

“You have no intention of making a contract?”

Kale preferred throwing direct questions rather than dancing around the subject. Solly was the same way.
The young man with chestnut hair and freckles covering his innocent features opened his mouth.

“I thought it was trying to bully me!”
“…What?”

With a face clouded by sorrow, he stared at the ball of fire beside Kale Heniatus.

“After work, whenever I try to rest in my room, suddenly a bright red fire passes by outside the window! You have no idea how startled I was at first! Every night it frightens me like that!”

He clutched at his hair.
At that moment, an urgent voice of the Wind Spirit reached Kale Heniatus’s mind.

‘That’s not it! The Fire Spirit said it waited until work was done, and once everything seemed finished, it approached because it wanted to become friends! Tell him quickly! Emergency, emergency!’

Kale Heniatus opened his mouth.

“Uh… well… the Fire Spirit waited until you finished work, then approached because it wanted to become friends with you.”
“…I see. I understand that. But you see, when I go to work in the Kitchen, suddenly the flames in the kitchen hearth shoot up! Do you have any idea how much food I’ve burned?”

Kale Heniatus soon relayed the urgent words of the Wind Spirit.

“That’s because, well, the Fire Spirit wants to make a contract, but to do that it felt it needed to show its power, and the only opportunity was when you were near the kitchen fire.”
‘Yes! It wanted to show you the power of Destructive Fire and the sea of flames!’

I didn’t relay that part.

“…And on top of that.”

Solly still had more to say.

“It set fire to some guests’ clothes. Set fire to the food they were eating. So now there’s a rumor going around that the inn is haunted by a fire ghost!”
“Hmm. Those people were all drunk troublemakers who gave you a hard time, right? They even picked fights with your grandmother?”

At Kale Heniatus’s words, Solly’s shoulders flinched.

“…Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
“Yeah. It was trying to protect you. And it didn’t actually mean to burn anyone—it just wanted to scare them.”

Solly’s voice grew quieter and weaker. Like someone forcing himself to think, he muttered with a deeply furrowed brow.

“…A guest who was treated that way apparently left the inn with his bag completely burned. He says the Fire Spirit here sabotaged him.”
“That guest kept muttering to himself that he wouldn’t let this slide, that he’d bring some adventurers he knew and settle things here.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. So the Fire Spirit burned his bag and turned him into a beggar.”
“Ah.”

Kale Heniatus sensed an odd atmosphere.
Solly had complained that he suffered damage because of the Fire Spirit, that it had tormented him, but once he heard the Fire Spirit’s side of the story, he quickly understood.

‘It doesn’t seem like he particularly dislikes the Fire Spirit?’

Kale Heniatus spoke again.

“It’s a young Fire Spirit that’s only about two years old.”
“Oh, that’s incredibly young?”

Solly’s eyes widened.

“That’s right. It seems to like you a lot.”
‘Right. The Fire Spirit says it likes that prospective contractor.’

The Wind Spirit quickly agreed.
Kale Heniatus, who had been dismissing the conversation, trembled slightly a moment later.

‘Just as that cute ball of yarn form contains explosive destructive power, this young man is the same. He appears innocent on the surface, but within him lies the terrifying nature of Destructive Fire, they say.’

That guy has something like that?
Kale Heniatus couldn’t believe it.
Then he saw Solly’s gaze flicker toward his grandmother. After that, he bit his lip and opened his mouth.

“Anyway, I’m not interested in contracts and not interested in that ball of fire.”
‘That’s a lie! According to the Fire Spirit, whenever it snows or rains, he always leaves the window of his room open, and when the Fire Spirit comes in, he closes the door! And he’s also quietly prepared a hearth for the Fire Spirit to rest in one corner!’

Kale Heniatus’s expression became even stranger.

“You’re really not interested?”

At that moment, the grandmother opened her mouth.

“Tsk. Blood truly runs deep, doesn’t it?”

Solly’s shoulders trembled slightly.
“I was enchanted by a spirit and settled in this village. My daughter and son-in-law were the type who had to adventure to survive. That old man was an adventurer too. Such traits don’t just disappear, do they?”

Solly’s gaze slowly turned toward his grandmother. She smiled at her grandson with a knowing grin.

“You’re staying bound to this inn because of this old woman, ignoring the spirit’s call. Do you think I don’t understand that?”

Solly’s eyes widened, and he averted his grandmother’s gaze.

She looked at him with pity.
To be honest, her strength to manage this inn diminished with each passing day.
It wasn’t even a profitable establishment, but if she couldn’t run even this, there was no way for her to survive in this cold place.
As if her grandson wouldn’t know that.

‘He knows. This good-hearted boy is just closing his ears and eyes to it.’

All while ignoring the spirit.
She had seen Solly’s eyes furtively searching for the Fire Spirit while he was in the inn’s hall.
She knew her grandson well.

“There’s only one thing this old woman asks of you.”

Solly’s gaze fell to the floor. He already knew what his grandmother would say.

“Don’t die before me. And live doing everything you wish to do.”

So he turned away from the spirit.
He couldn’t hear the spirit’s voice. But he remembered the appearance of the red bundle of thread that reacted according to his feelings.

Silence descended.
The inn had few guests to begin with, so only Kale’s group occupied it.

-Human! This seems a bit sad! It also seems touching!

Raon’s voice resonated in Kale’s mind. It wasn’t just the young dragon.

‘…Chaos, destruction, peace. Kuhuhuk, even I and the Baby Fire Spirit are crying. Kuhuhuk. The Baby Fire Spirit says that its contractor is indeed a warm-hearted one destined to destroy the world. We’ll destroy all darkness!’

Kale, whose mind was growing noisy, turned his gaze and caught sight of Choi Han. Choi Han sat motionless, his expression lost in thought.

‘Why is he like that?’

Ever since leaving the World Tree Village, Choi Han had seemed preoccupied with something, and Kale watched him with a puzzled expression.
In that moment, Choi Han’s eyes met his, and Choi Han’s lips parted.

“Kale.”

Kale looked at him with a questioning gaze.
Choi Han spoke quietly, as if answering that unspoken question.

“Why did they massacre Harris Village? Was it truly just to obtain dead mana from the Dark Forest to give to the mermaid?”
“…What?”

Kale faltered for a moment at the chill in Choi Han’s gaze.

“…I.”

Solly’s mouth opened.

“If I make a contract with a spirit, I’m sure I’ll want to leave.”
“Then just leave.”

Solly’s Grandmother answered curtly.

“What about you, Grandmother?”

Solly’s wavering eyes turned toward his grandmother. Just as the grandmother was about to open her mouth to respond—

“As for me.”

Solly saw Kale laughing before him, a chicken leg trembling in his hand.

“I have quite a bit of money.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll rent this inn. With the rental income, you’ll be able to live quite comfortably. And if you wish, I’ll employ you as well—as the inn manager.”
“…Yes?”

It was the moment when Solly, his grandmother, and the spirits all looked at Kale with confusion.

“I run an inn business.”
-That’s right! Human, that’s it!

The invisible Raon flapped his wings.
Kale continued speaking in the meantime.

“It’s an inn business where I can dispatch employees with such exceptional martial arts skills that even ordinary adventurers or corrupt thugs wouldn’t dare touch them.”

Right, exactly.
After all, they’re from the famous Lib Mountain bandits, so they’re incredibly strong.
Plus, I can handle the language barrier with magical devices, or I could put Ron through rigorous training—that would develop the bandits’ language skills remarkably well.

“There’s no branch on the Western Continent yet, but there’s a Number One location on the Eastern Continent.”

He shrugged his shoulders at the bewildered grandmother and grandson. Then he continued speaking to Solly.

“Ah! If you’re worried about not being able to earn money, don’t be. There might be a new revenue stream.”
-Human! How do we make money here?

Kale grinned wickedly.

He thought of the Elves who did anything and the Mercenary Guild fellows expanding into the Western Continent.
Thanks to Kale, I had already benefited greatly or would benefit in the future.

‘Then shouldn’t I benefit as well?’

And the Molan Family should officially expand into the Western Continent too.

He pictured in his mind the Number Two Inn, overflowing with love for adventure and hope, and opened his mouth.

“You could also pay a hefty advance rent upfront. I’ll take care of everything.”

He asked Solly.

“What do you want to do?”

Solly seemed to see a golden aura flowing from Kale Heniatus.
In that moment, he could see a ball of red thread writhing and drawing something in the empty air. The thread unraveled from its spool, forming letters.

Only Solly and his grandmother could see it here.

【I want to be family too!】

Solly glanced at his grandmother once before nodding as he gazed at the red ball of thread.
Solly had grown up lonely under his grandmother and his late grandfather. He had witnessed countless travelers who stayed briefly before departing.

He opened his mouth as he looked at the ball of thread that had never left his side among them all.

“…My grandmother and I both wish to become family with that Fire Spirit.”

Whoooooosh—
In that instant, bouncing flames blossomed across the inn’s ceiling.

‘Kahahaha! The Baby Fire Spirit cheers! Chaos, destruction, love! Kahahaha!’

Kale Heniatus ignored the deranged Wind Spirit and extended his hand to Solly.

“Then shall we make a deal starting now?”
“Pardon?”
“In this world—”
“There’s no such thing as free.”

Kale Heniatus cut off his own words and looked at the one who answered instead. His grandmother grinned widely. Kale Heniatus chuckled softly as well, then asked while looking at Solly.

“Would you like to hear my conditions for this deal?”

And he extended his hand.

“Ah, haha—”

Solly laughed awkwardly and opened his mouth.

“Could you wipe your hand first before we shake?”
“Oh.”

Kale quickly wiped the seasoning from the roasted chicken leg off his hands.

* * *

-Human! So we’ll pick up the Spirit Summoner and the Baby Fire Spirit later?
“Yes. In three days.”

Having completed the transaction smoothly, I departed the Northern Region with Raon and Choi Han, heading toward the promised location.
I had entrusted Solly and his grandmother to the Elf Priest Adite.

‘Oh! Oh, ohhh!’
‘…My goodness, an Elf.’

The moment Solly saw the Elf who appeared at the inn, he could only marvel, while his grandmother made no attempt to hide her astonishment.

‘Adite here will help you with the Spirit contract.’
‘It’s a pleasure to meet you!’

Adite treated the two of them quite graciously.

‘My goodness, that flower-scented rascal, no, no. That adorable Fire Spirit will have a contractor—I’m so delighted! I’ll make absolutely certain the contract is safe and binding, and I’ll teach that little troublemaker, no, I mean, I’ll teach you some simple Spirit magic!’

Adite brimming with enthusiasm, alongside Solly overflowing with passion and determination, and his grandmother beaming with contentment.

‘Kale. Thank you. The Fire Spirit says it’s happy about the contract. It says, “Happy. Soon destroy darkness. Great explosion. Sea of fire soon executable.”‘

Everything concluded nicely, ending with two excited Spirits.

‘Thank you, Kale.’
‘Hmm?’
‘That Fire Spirit was a child even the Elves feared and avoided. But now that it’s found such a kind-hearted contractor, the Spirit should calm down. I’m truly relieved. The lake won’t catch fire.’

However, I couldn’t bring myself to tell the relieved Adite about Solly’s temperament and the Fire Spirit’s firm resolve.

“Kale. Shall we head inside?”

Emerging from my thoughts about the situation moments ago, I nodded upon seeing Choi Han holding the door handle.

“Yes.”

Creeeeak—
Roan Royal Palace.
Unlike the other buildings adorned with neat yet ornate carvings, a single structure’s humble, weathered yet dignified door swung open.
And in that same moment, what lay within was revealed.

A dark night.
An empty space—a solitary figure stood bathed in moonlight seeping through the window cracks.

“Welcome.”

Albert Crossman.
He greeted Kale alone in the Grand Library of the Roan Royal Palace.

Kale had asked him for information about the Gate of the Demon Realm recorded in ancient documents, as well as ancient records concerning the Crossman Royal Family and the Roan Kingdom.
And now he had come to hear what he had requested.

“Your Majesty.”

Kale greeted him and attempted to step inside.

“Stop.”

But Albert held up his palm, halting his steps.
No guards, no librarians, no administrators—only Albert existed in this space.
He pointed at Kale.

“Only you may enter.”

Only Kale could pass into that space.
Choi Han and Raon could not.

“So you wish to hear secrets?”

Albert wore a peculiar smile, yet his expression was laden with bitterness and anguish.

“Well, if what I wish to hear happens to be secrets.”

Kale chuckled and stepped into the library.

“I shall gladly enter.”

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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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