Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 491

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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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Rustle, rustle.
Sophies sipped her tea with elegant grace while examining the documents Kale had handed her.

Sniff, sniff!
Meanwhile, Kale furrowed his brow as he watched the puppy circling around him, sniffing intently.

‘What’s wrong with this one?’

The scruffy little dog, its fur so matted that its eyes were barely visible, continued to hover near Kale’s side, wagging its tail with remarkable vigor.

“…How cute.”

Choi Han murmured from where he sat on the bed, his expression vacant.
That was the moment.

Tap.
The puppy’s front paws landed on Kale’s shoe, and it looked up at him.
Choi Han found the sight utterly adorable.

“…It’s so cute.”
“Cute, perhaps. But quite cunning, I’d say.”

What?
Choi Han’s gaze shifted elsewhere. There sat Bud, the gag removed but still bound by rope.
As Kale and Choi Han’s attention focused on him, Bud spoke in a disgruntled tone.

“Those five are the reason I’ve ended up like this. Unbelievable—the Mercenary King reduced to this state.”
“…Five?”

Kale lowered his head, muttering to himself.
Pant, pant.
The puppy tilted its head curiously, wagging its tail. Though Kale wasn’t particularly fond of animals, he had to admit this one was adorable.
Then Bud’s dejected voice continued.

“The ones outside the window.”

Kale’s gaze turned toward the window.

A window in an old room.
Autumn had arrived, and being at the foot of the mountain, it was quite chilly—the locked window should have framed verdant trees and shrubs beyond the glass.
But now, something else appeared instead.

“…A dog?”

A puppy was visible at the remarkably high window.

‘They look alike.’

The puppy currently resting its front paws on my shoe, gazing up with innocent eyes, bore a striking resemblance to the dog’s face that had appeared beyond the window.
Though the one outside the window appeared slightly more groomed than this scruffy puppy.

‘How is it even reaching?’

Recalling the rather high window, I peered outside, curious how a dog could possibly be visible there.

“Hmm.”

I spotted two more puppies supporting the one touching the window frame, and beside them, another puppy scanning the surroundings as if standing guard.

‘…These don’t seem like ordinary dogs.’

The puppy at my feet playing innocent certainly wasn’t, and these five fluffy creatures appeared distinctly special.

“I never said the mother dog gave birth to only one litter.”

At Sophies’s elegant voice, I turned my head.

“I was fooled by those adorable little things. I let my guard down and…!”

Bud looked quite sorrowful—no, dejected.

“Woof!”

But the puppy at my feet barked once with a clueless expression, then tilted its head repeatedly while looking at Bud.

“Oh dear!”

Bud found himself at a loss, unable to hide the melancholy in his expression even as he found the puppy endearing.

“Hmm.”

Kale observed the scene quietly, his arms crossed.

‘Sophies isn’t particularly a strong sorcerer, so I wondered how Bud ended up captured.’

Ever since meeting Sophies, a persistent curiosity had lingered. How could Bud, who possessed both the Sword Master’s power and ancient strength, have been taken hostage?

Bud’s ancient power allowed him to roughly discern the strength of his opponent.
Moreover, as a sorcerer, Sophies was not particularly strong—rather mediocre, if anything.

Yet because Bud had been taken hostage, the more Kale thought about it, the more he suspected this fellow had deliberately allowed himself to be captured.
But now, observing the situation, it seemed the one who had captured Bud was not Sophies at all, but rather these puppies—the ones with unusually long fur that, despite their tidy appearance, possessed a distinctly scruffy quality.

Kale’s hand moved, and he opened his mouth.

“They’re my style.”
“Woof, woof!”

Kale’s hand stroked the scruffy puppy.
He gazed at the creature with eyes that conveyed considerable approval.

-Human! I like those puppies too! They’re clever! They couldn’t figure out my true identity, but they sensed that I’m here!

Kale, wearing a thoroughly satisfied smile, absently petted the puppy with a warm, affectionate touch.

“…I should keep quiet. Who here would be on my side anyway?”

Bud simply closed his mouth. In that moment, Raon’s voice echoed in his mind.

-Mercenary King! Still, the human came rushing right away to save you! He stopped his conversation with the Crown Prince and came immediately!

…Really?
Bud’s shoulders lifted slightly. Of course, Kale had finished his business with Alberu before coming, but Raon didn’t know that.
Thanks to this, Bud gazed at Kale with a subtle smile, while Kale furrowed his brow, wondering what was wrong with him.

Tap.
At that moment, Sophies placed the documents she held onto the table.

“What do you think?”

Kale posed a question to her, and Sophies’ mouth opened immediately.

“I see several conditions. But that one.”

Her gaze turned toward Kale.

“They’re targeting tolls.”

How did Molden Kingdom become a great power under Elysnet I?

Molden Kingdom had constructed vast, flat roads that stretched in all directions—east, west, south, and north.
Naturally, along those roads, inns and convenience facilities for travelers flourished.

Because of this, countless merchant guilds from the Eastern Continent used Molden Kingdom when traveling to other nations, and they paid a fixed fee each time they entered and utilized Molden Kingdom.

‘It’s similar to a toll gate system.’

Kale recalled the toll fees he had paid when using Safe Zone roads after the cataclysm struck Earth.

Moreover, Molden Kingdom’s tolls were quite modest, charged on a sliding scale based on merchant guild size, which made small merchant guilds frequent users.
Large merchant guilds also favored Molden Kingdom’s roads for being the fastest, safest, and requiring minimal bureaucratic verification procedures.

As a result, even with modest toll rates, they could generate enormous revenues, and Molden Kingdom’s own commercial sector experienced tremendous growth.

Kale’s mouth opened.

“No one understands matters related to ‘roads’ better than you, Princess Sophies, do they?”

Just once.
The moment Sophies nearly surpassed Elysnet I.
That was when it was revealed that she was the original architect of the ‘Road Development Plan’ that had become the foundation for Molden Kingdom’s rapid growth.

Originally, everything—from road construction to securing funds and labor, mobilizing political and administrative resources—was known to have been accomplished by Elysnet I.
But it was revealed that the ‘initial plan’ that started it all was Sophies’ work.

In other words, the idea originated with Sophies, and the two sisters refined it together with meticulous precision. Finally, Elysnet I, who held the actual power, executed it.

‘Both of them are no joke.’

I had to admit that both possessed considerably formidable abilities.
Had Sophies remained as Elysnet I’s collaborator, the Molden Kingdom might have become the Eastern Continent’s first empire in short order.

Sophies drew a smile.

“I know the roads best, of course. But the tolls from Rowan…”
“You’re not asking for everything, nor is it a long-term contract. And doesn’t the Molden Kingdom have revenue sources beyond tolls?”

Kingdom-owned inns. Kingdom-owned currency exchange shops.
The facilities installed alongside road maintenance were kingdom property, and operating rights were granted to several small merchant guilds established in Molden, with the kingdom receiving a portion of the resulting profits.
It was estimated that this amount exceeded the toll revenue.

Sophies’ lips parted.

“If the royal palace collapses, the surrounding powers will immediately covet the Molden Kingdom’s ‘roads.’ The kingdom could be torn to shreds if things go wrong.”

Rowan Kingdom’s proposal did not end with simply destroying the royal palace and granting Sophies freedom.
She spoke in a dignified tone.

“Rowan knew about the Dark that needs to have all its heads blown off, didn’t you? Though I suppose you noticed the moment you connected with the Molan Family head.”

Sophies took a sip of tea and opened her mouth again.

“Rowan forms an alliance with the Molden Kingdom, blocks invasions from neighboring nations, coordinates them, and helps me?”

If Rowan Kingdom did everything it proposed, a portion of a few years’ tolls was nothing.

“But can Rowan Kingdom accomplish everything it proposes? The continents are completely different.”

At that moment, Sophies could see the two people Kale’s hand pointed to in turn.
Bud and Ron.
The Mercenary King, leader of the Mercenary Guild, a renowned power on the Eastern Continent.
And the head of the Molan Family, to whom people from the past Assassination Family were gathering one by one after hearing the news and living in hiding.

“Ah.”

Sophies let out an admiring sigh as though performing in a play, then swept her gaze across the room’s occupants while resting her chin on the back of her hand.

“Does the Mercenary Guild and the Assassination Family simply move for Roan for free?”

At that moment, Ron’s lips parted.

“Your Highness was pushed back most severely in one particular aspect of the succession struggle.”

Kale Heniatus crossed his arms and stepped back.
The information he had gathered from Ron and Gren on the way here—he had revised this proposal once based on that intelligence before handing it to Sophies.
And the result was the proposal now held in Sophies’s hands.

“In what was I pushed back?”

Ron drew a benevolent smile.

“In everything, but most of all—money.”

Sophies nodded with elegant grace.

“That’s right. I was pushed back in everything, but the most damnable thing was money. When a person lacks funds, nothing can be accomplished.”

Clink.
Her teacup descended.
Her sharp eyes turned toward the group.

“The way you’re telling me this—you must have figured it all out before contacting me?”

Ron refilled Sophies’s teacup before speaking.

“After reclaiming the Mansion and while organizing the remnants of Dark, we discovered that several small merchant guilds to which the Molden Kingdom had transferred operational rights were actually owned by Dark, and we found considerable evidence of Dark’s communications with them.”
“Ha ha—”

Following Sophies’s laughter, the tea within her cup rippled like waves. Her grip on the teacup tightened.

“I learned of Dark by digging into that bastard Elisne’s background. Dark was her source of funds, her affiliation, and the foundation of her power.”

Her pride was clearly wounded.
And with that wounded pride, Sophies was in quite a foul mood.

She wanted to build Molden Kingdom into a great power through the hands of Molden’s people alone.
She relaxed her grip and opened her mouth.

“The money that should be returning to Molden Kingdom’s genuine small merchant guilds and employees is flowing to Dark instead.”

In essence, Molden Kingdom’s wealth was being funneled directly into Dark’s coffers.
Kale’s mouth fell open.

“I’ve always wondered how Dark managed to establish bases and expand its influence so rapidly. Now it makes sense—they had a financial pipeline.”

The collapse of the Molan Family in Molden Kingdom’s mountain ranges and Dark’s second Secret Base.
And Elysnet I, the Illusionist.
Under the White Star’s design, these two entities interlocked with cunning precision, each benefiting from the arrangement.

Sophies shifted her gaze from Kale to Ron.

“But what does that financial pipeline have to do with the Molan Family?”
“The Molan Family will abandon the name of Assassination Family.”

Assassination Family. Remove assassination, and only one thing remained.

“…So only information would be left?”

Sophies’ eyes gleamed, and Kale’s mouth opened in response.

“Where money flows, information follows.”

As if answering, Sophies spoke while looking at Ron.

“So you’ll need operational control of several key Inn locations because of that information and money?”

Ron answered with a benevolent smile.

“My, my. It was better when you lurked in the shadows as an Assassination Family. You’re becoming something far more terrifying.”

Sophies laughed even as she said this, her expression showing no fear whatsoever. Rather, she seemed to be formulating multiple plans in her mind. Yet her gaze drifted smoothly toward one particular direction.

“What about the Mercenary Guild?”

Bud stared blankly at them.

“Ah.”

Sophies nodded with elegant understanding at his expression.

“The Mercenary King has been deceived by those pups and held hostage, so you wouldn’t know. Shall I ask your friend outside?”

That was when it happened.

“Mercenary Guild members get toll exemption! Minimum ten years, maximum twenty years!”

The Mercenary King’s eyes sparkled as he spoke with crystalline clarity. Bound as he was, he wriggled about and called out brightly.

“And priority selection rights for mercenary-related duties for ten years!”

The Mercenary King’s tone was radiant—brilliantly so.
Sophies maintained an elegant smile as she watched him, then picked up the document again. She rustled through the pages as she spoke.

“Hmm. So in addition to all of this.”

Several conditions from Roan flowed from her lips.

“Tolls. And commercial and cultural exchanges… All enemy byproducts obtained through battles or discoveries from this incident belong to the Roan Kingdom… There are quite a few miscellaneous items. But tell me, Commander Kale Heniatus?”
“Yes.”
“What benefit do you gain from this?”

Sophies tilted her head with elegant curiosity.

“Are you simply a loyal subject? That doesn’t seem to match your nature.”

Someone answered her question in Kale’s stead.
In that moment, she could see Kale smiling softly at her words.

‘There is no benefit.’

A document with tolls as the main clause, followed by miscellaneous conditions.
Among those conditions was one: ‘All enemy byproducts obtained through battles or discoveries from this incident belong to the Roan Kingdom.’

Kale carried another document in his possession.
It was a settled matter that he had discussed entirely with Alberu.

【The Roan Kingdom hereby transfers all ownership of the byproducts obtained from this incident to Kale Heniatus without compensation.】

‘Enemies.’
Whether the White Star, the Dark, or Elisne.
Everything created by any entity deemed an ‘enemy’ belonged to me.

One of those things was the World Tree.
A false World Tree.
And rivers worth of dead mana liquid.
I had come to eliminate the false World Tree and the dead mana liquid, but one could never be too careful.

‘Shouldn’t I gain something from this as well?’

My smile deepened in that moment.

Bang! Bang, bang!

The sound of violent knocking erupted at the door.

“Woof, woof!”

The puppies rubbing their heads against Kale’s legs, as well as those outside the window, immediately sprang into action.

“Aaaah! What’s with all these dogs suddenly!”

And soon, a cry came from beyond the door.
Bud reacted to it.

“Oh! Gren! So you’re getting the same treatment from these adorable pups! Kahahaha!”

Leaving Bud to his laughter, Choi Han headed toward the door. A puppy that had already left Kale’s side was already there.
Click.
Choi Han opened the door, and Gren’s eyes, now covered by puppies, turned toward Kale.

“Your Highness!”

My expression inadvertently turned sour. Somehow, I understood why Gren, who had always seemed so clever, was Bud’s friend.

“Why?”

I asked curtly, and Gren alternated his gaze between Bud and me as he cried out.

“All the scouts we sent to the Northern Region have gone missing!”
“What?”

Bud’s expression, which had been smiling so naturally, hardened.

Scouts sent to the Northern Region.
They were mercenaries—experts in their field—who had departed to scout the White Star’s secret base near the Forbidden Zone of Three Generations.

My mouth opened.

“…How many did you send?”

How many scouts had been dispatched?
I asked, and Bud, whose expression had grown cold and grave, opened his mouth.

“1,001.”

Thud, thud.
The ropes binding Bud’s body trembled and vibrated. Whatever mechanism held them, the ropes did not snap even against Bud’s aura, and his aura caused the surroundings to shake violently.

“…All 1,001 have gone missing?”

Fire kindled in Bud’s eyes as he muttered.
Simultaneously, my brow furrowed.

Scouts.
I had assumed the scale was not that large.
But Bud had not simply sent ordinary scouts.

The specialized ranger unit of the Mercenary Guild.
Experts in treacherous terrain and masters of intelligence warfare—the Mercenary Guild’s hidden strength.

Gren, who had been watching Bud, opened his mouth with a hardened expression.

“Yes. They’ve all vanished.”

Bud spoke while gazing at Sophies.

“Release this. Now.”

Aura surged from Bud’s entire body, swirling with violent intensity.

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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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