Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 497

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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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“Who has arrived?”

Elysnet I kicked off from her throne and rose to her feet.
The knight standing before her trembled as he opened his mouth with an urgent expression.
He had no choice.

“Speak at once!”

This was Elysnet’s office, where her closest advisors gathered for meetings at all times.
One could say that most major and minor matters of the Molden Kingdom were decided here.
The knight squeezed his eyes shut before opening them wide as he cried out.

“Former Princess Sophies has invaded with a group of suspicious individuals!”

Upon hearing the report again, Elysnet’s face contorted endlessly.

“Accompanying her are one swordsman with black hair and one man with red hair, while the rest are all dressed in robes!”

Elysnet’s clenched fist trembled.

“They have destroyed the statue in the Central Square.”

The knight drew a deep breath.

Three years of service in the Royal Palace.
The Knight Commander had entrusted him with an important duty, known for his loyalty and strict adherence to principle.

It was to guard the entrance to a place known to only a handful of people in the Royal Palace.
That entrance was a passage leading underground, its purpose unclear.

“And they have infiltrated the Underground Passage below!”
“Sophies entered there?”

The knight flinched at Elysnet’s contorted face and opened his mouth.

“Yes! And we destroyed the entrance to that underground passage!”
“How in the world did you manage to make such a mess of things?!”
Elisne looked ready to snatch up the inkwell beside her and hurl it at the Knight.

“Your Majesty!”

At that moment, one of her attendants called out to her urgently. The instant our eyes met, I took a deep breath.
For a moment, the benevolent mask of the King I wore threatened to shatter.

I returned to my seat on the throne, my face once more that of a composed yet compassionate ruler.

“…So my sibling has returned.”

Despite my calm tone, I could not hide the fierce fire burning in my eyes.

Sophies. That one had returned.
The only one who would not obey my commands.

I slowly closed my eyes, then opened them.
The attendant urged the Court Mage stationed in one corner of the office to take action.

“Why have we received no word from the Ghost Village? Contact them at once!”

The Court Mage hastily began establishing a communication link.

“It’s futile.”

But I shook my head.
The fact that we had heard nothing from the Ghost Village, yet Sophies had appeared in the Capital, could only mean one thing—the Ghost Village had fallen into Sophies’ hands.

Immediately after, the Court Mage shook his head with a troubled expression.

“The connection won’t establish!”

I looked toward the Knight and spoke.

“Issue an emergency alert and protect all members of the Royal Family.”

Sophies, if she finds the Royal Family, that would be problematic.
The Royal Family would become a hostage I could use to pressure Sophies.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The knight watched Elisne prioritize her family and thought that this was indeed typical of her.

“Also, bring the Knight Commander to this location at once.”
“Which location are you referring to-”

As the knight cautiously opened his mouth, one of the three closest aides present hurriedly spoke while gauging Elisne’s reaction.

“The Knight Commander will understand, so prepare immediately! We shall escort Her Majesty and depart at once!”
“Understood! Yes!”

The knight bowed to Elisne and hastily exited the office.
Now only Elisne’s closest aides remained in this space.

The commotion from outside could be felt, but this room remained silent.
One aide’s mouth opened.
He held a small mirror in his hand.

“It is Kale Heniatus.”

The mirror held in the hands of the man known as the Minister of Finance vibrated.
Whirrrrrr—
Just like the staff held in the hands of Gashan of the Tiger Tribe.

“The Elves have likely arrived as well.”
“And the Dark Elves too.”

The two remaining aides each adjusted their quill pen and spectacles, responding in turn. Both objects vibrated faintly.

“All as expected.”
“My lord. Sophies is unexpected.”
“I know.”

Elisne answered calmly to the spectacled aide’s words.
Yet the inkwell she gripped seemed as though it might shatter at any moment.

“We’re going underground.”
“Yes, my lord!”

The three of them bowed at the waist and immediately headed toward the entrance.

Creak—!
The office door swung open, and Elisne walked through the doorway her subordinate had opened.

‘I anticipated this.’

The elves and Kale Heniatus had anticipated it.
The Dark Elves too.

But Sophies had not. She had completely forgotten.

‘How fortunate.’

I’ll sweep them all away and slaughter them.

She withdrew a wooden staff no larger than a palm from her bosom.
Before stepping through the door, Elisne turned back to gaze at the Court Mage.

“You understand what you must do?”
“Leave it to me, Your Majesty!”

Elisne gave no reply and simply left the office.

The lone Court Mage. No, the Dark Mage masquerading as one reached their hand through the video communication device.

‘I must contact my lord.’

Not the false lord, but the true one. It was time to make contact.
This was the moment I had been waiting for.

Then the Black Mage saw the blinking light of the communication crystal.

“Hmm?”

Confusion crossed his face as he recognized the location from which the transmission came.

“…Why someone from another nation?”

It was a communication from an adjacent kingdom to the north of Molden Kingdom.
Since he was a Court Mage, he connected the communication.

At the same time, Elisne headed toward a certain location and opened her mouth.

“Find them. Now.”

Uuuuuung—
Her staff vibrated.

* * *

At that very moment.
The first wall was crumbling.

Craaaaaash—!

“Fall back!”

At Kale’s shout, those positioned behind the group retreated several more steps.

“Damn it!”

The hood of one retreating figure’s robe was knocked off.

“These lunatics!”

It was Zit, the Elf warrior.
His face twisted as he watched the maze walls collapse. His curses were directed at the Molden Royal Palace.

Crackle—
Cracks spread and widened around the broken wall in succession.

“Charge!”

Tasha issued the command toward the collapsed wall, and the Dark Elf Warriors immediately advanced forward.

Whoooosh—
The first maze wall crumbled.
Dead mana liquid that had accumulated within the wall sprayed outward, drenching the Dark Elves who had advanced ahead.

Zit’s face twisted even further upon witnessing the spectacle.
It was not because of the Dark Elves.

“I thought the river of dead mana would be the end of it!”

They were Elves who had infiltrated the Molden Royal Palace to destroy the false World Tree.
Following the aura of the World Tree, they had been forced to halt upon encountering the river of dead mana. Thus, they had never laid eyes upon the maze.
At that moment, Kale’s lips parted.

“Proceed directly to the second wall.”
“Yes, Commander!”

The Dark Elves immediately advanced toward the wall blocking their path several meters ahead.
Kale followed in their wake, summoning the Voice of Wind.

“I never imagined you would destroy the walls and advance through them like this.”

Sophies matched Kale’s pace and spoke bluntly.
Kale cast a brief glance at her before opening his mouth.

“The maze is quite vast, and what we seek lies at its center. We must move quickly and draw as close as possible before encountering Elisne.”
“The ideal outcome would be reaching the center of the maze before meeting Elisne.”
“Indeed.”

Boom—!
The two conversing fell silent at the thunderous sound.
The second wall shattered once more, and the Dark Elves laughed as they approached the flowing dead mana liquid.

“Kekeke— this is quite invigorating—!”
“Damn it!”

Yet they hesitated and retreated backward.

Boom. Thud! Thud!
The ground trembled beneath us.
A maze illuminated by small torches.
Beyond the wall we had destroyed, a colossal creature loomed—easily two and a half times Kale’s size.

“Kun!”

At Zit’s call, an Elf immediately pulled back his hood and spoke.

“That’s definitely a Hidrek!”

From the lips of an Elf from the Eastern Continent came the name of a monster commonly found there. He explained what had appeared before us.

“But it looks very different from its original form!”

A creature dwelling in the deep underground—a place without sunlight or proper water.
It could not possibly resemble the monster we once knew.

Kale gazed at the bear-like creature with smooth, hairless purple skin and opened his mouth.

“…It appears to be artificially created. Tasha.”
“Kale!”

Having called to Tasha, Kale turned his head to look at Zit, who had addressed me.

“We Elves will handle it.”
“That won’t do.”

Zit could see another stepping forward.
A face he had never seen before, yet her voice revealed her identity—Merry.
She spoke to the group.

“It’s mine.”

Boom. Thud!
Even as she spoke, the massive creature drew closer.

“Grraahhh!”

The monster approached with an excited roar, as though it had discovered prey after a long time.
Merry looked at Choi Han and spoke.

“Choi Han, please help us.”

Clang!
The elves watched as Choi Han drew his sword in an instant and stepped forward.
He moved only forward, charging straight ahead.

“Graaah!”

The monster, gripping an oddly-shaped grotesque club in its hand, was not particularly fast despite its massive frame.

Crash! Boom!
Yet with each step the monster took, the stone floor shattered and debris scattered in all directions.

“I need to finish this quickly.”

Tap!
Choi Han lightly pushed off the ground and leaped into the air, preparing to swing his sword.
The moment his blade pointed upward.

Squeak.

A sound reached Choi Han’s ears.
It sounded again, even more faintly.

Squeak.

Rats.
That was the sound of rats.
Choi Han suddenly recalled the rats that Elysnet I, the Illusionist, had controlled.

‘…The monster isn’t the problem!’

Choi Han turned his head toward the source of the sound and changed the direction of his blade.
The rats first. He had to catch those first.

“Catch the rats!”

At the same time, Choi Han heard Kale’s command. He could sense the group moving swiftly in response.
However, since Choi Han was the first among them to hear the squeaking sound, he was able to spot the rat quickly.

A rat with crimson eyes, barely visible at the corner of the maze behind the monster, peeking out from another passage.
It was undoubtedly one of Elisne’s minions.

Choi Han’s face contorted.
Thump. Thump!
I would have to get past that massive creature to catch the rat.

“…Damn it!”

Choi Han twisted his body in panic.
His legs pushed off the ground to leap over the monster, and his upper body bent forward to propel himself ahead.

That was when it happened.

“Huh?”

Choi Han saw a white form rushing past him.

-Choi Han, get out of the way! Huh?

At the same time, I heard Raon’s flustered voice.

“Grrraaahhh!”

The monster’s massive body made it awkward for an adult like Choi Han to climb over and catch the rat.
It was difficult to find an opening.
However, for a small animal, a large gap existed.

‘…Boosuli!’

Kale watched as Boosuli darted past Choi Han, slipping between the monster’s legs.

Like lightning itself.
At first, Kale had thought it was just a white blur.

Moving with such incredible speed, Boosuli opened its mouth.

“Screech—!”

My open jaws snapped shut around the fleeing rat.

“Squeak, squeak—!”

I hurled it high into the air.
Boosuli leaped up and struck the rat hard with his front paws.

The rat soared through the air.

In that instant, Boosuli moved again.
The puppy spun around and charged forward.

“Roaarrgh!”

In a flash, I began scaling the smooth, purple body of the monster.
The startled creature swung its club, thrashing its body to dislodge me.

But I pushed off from the monster’s back and launched myself upward.
And in that split second.

“Roaarrgh, gack!”

I opened my jaws wide, and my fangs grew in an instant before I clamped down on the creature’s throat.

“Gurk, gack!”

And I tore its throat clean away.

Thud.
The rat that had been flung away landed at my feet, blood streaming from its neck as it lay unconscious.
But I had no time to look at that rat.

Thunk. Thud.
The monster’s head, which hadn’t even managed a proper scream before being torn apart in an instant, dropped to the ground.
It was a creature with tough skin and hard bones that would have required Choi Han’s aura to sever in a single strike.

However, the monster was torn to shreds like paper by Boosuli’s fangs.
The headless monster’s body slowly tilted backward.

Boom—!
Boosuli, standing atop the collapsed monster’s corpse, opened its mouth.
Its fangs had already shrunk back to their normal size.

“Roooaaarrr—”

The entire Maze seemed to vibrate at the sound of Boosuli’s cry.
My eyes and Boosuli’s met. Boosuli grinned widely and opened its mouth.

“Woof!”

Though the bark was adorable, I felt my shoulders tense slightly.
I was a bit startled.
At the same time, the corners of my mouth twitched upward.
An unexpectedly formidable ally had made an appearance.

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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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