Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 498

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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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Kale spoke as he looked at Sophies.

“Just as you mentioned before, you’ve torn its head clean off.”

Kale knew Boosuli was no ordinary dog, but this creature possessed a level of power that would make even formidable warriors bow in defeat.

‘A divine beast? A spirit creature, perhaps?’

He could not discern the true nature of Boosuli and its siblings. But there was one person who would know. His gaze turned toward Sophies.

“…Hmm.”

Contrary to his expectations, Sophies appeared slightly flustered. But soon her eyes grew serene, gleaming as if she had discovered some precious treasure.

“Woof!”

Boosuli rubbed its face against Sophies’s leg. Monster blood now stained her trousers, yet Sophies smiled warmly and stroked Boosuli’s head.

“You knocked its head clean off.”
“Woof!”

Kale observed the scene with satisfaction before turning his attention back to the front.
A creature that had died in an instant and a rat that lay unconscious.

The current situation was excellent.
There was no reason to hesitate.

He looked toward Merry.

“How is it?”
“Clean work.”

Merry’s hands emerged from beneath her robe. Black threads like spider silk covered her palms.
Black threads that flowed from those hands.
They began to pour forth in abundance.

“Hmm!”

One of the Elves swallowed hard.
He had witnessed the Necromancer’s power for the first time in his life. When he heard that such power, which he had thought had been abandoned long ago, had reappeared, he could not believe it.
Yet facing that power again made him hesitate.

Screeeech—

Everything covering the monster was wrapped in black threads and vanished.
And finally, only bones remained of the creature.

“It was no ordinary monster after all.”
“Indeed, Young Master. It’s a creature addicted to dead mana.”

The bones that should have been white were black.
Bones poisoned by dead mana.

Kale’s gaze met that of Merry, who wore a robe.
Both of their mouths opened simultaneously.

“It looks like a chimera.”
“It appears to be an experimental subject.”

The words differed, but ultimately both meant the same thing.
The Elf watching this could see his colleague stepping forward.

“It’s likely a monster transformed through dark magic experimentation.”

It was Fendrick, the Elf who specialized in healing magic, though lacking spirit magic.
Fendrick, who had learned much from the Ancient Dragon Erhafen, turned his eyes from the creature that now remained only bones toward Kale.

“Like a golem. It seems they created chimeras through dark magic as well.”

The Elves, still unaware of the Dragon Hybrid’s existence, grew troubled at the word chimera.
For them, it was something that defied natural order.
That was when it happened.

“It’s complete.”

With Merry’s calm voice, Boosuli barked loudly once with a “Woof!”

“How is this possible?”

The Elves could see the colossal skeleton slowly rising to its feet.

Grrrooooaaahhh—

The headless skeleton that had risen placed its bony skull back in position with an outstretched hand, and black lines wove through the fractured gaps, sealing them shut.

Two and a half times Kale’s height.
Not tall enough to breach the Maze walls, yet it exuded an oppressive presence that forced everyone to crane their necks upward.

The black bones wrapped in black threads evoked a particular image—one that came to mind immediately.

“It resembles a Dark Knight.”

Not a monster of this world, but those knights said to exist in the Demon Realm. The creature’s oppressive aura was that formidable.
If dark magic infused that body, it would become something truly terrifying.
The Elves’ gazes shifted toward Merry, the one who had created this abomination.
At that moment, Merry looked toward Kale.

“I have collected one specimen.”
“Good.”

Collected? What did she mean by collected?
As the Elves hesitated, Kale spoke, his gaze fixed on Zit and Merry.

“We must increase our allied forces as much as possible.”

At the mention of allied forces, their eyes turned toward the black skeletal monster.
Allied forces. Building an army meant this single skeleton was merely the beginning.

“From now on, Merry will work with Choi Han and the Elves to expand our numbers as rapidly as possible.”
“Understood, Young Master.”
“Commander, understood!”

Only then did Tasha, having received Kale’s attention, step forward. Kale pointed beyond the monster toward the third Maze wall.
There was a corner, but they had no intention of turning back. Only forward—always forward.

“Destroy it!”

At Tasha’s command, the Dark Elves surged past the monster toward the third wall.

-This time, mana arrows!

And ahead of the Dark Elves, Raon’s black arrow shattered the wall once more.
No matter how thick the walls were, they remained mere barriers—and with the power of the spirits and Raon, there was nothing they could not destroy.

Kale summoned the wind and followed in their wake.

Crash!
Boom!

Several walls crumbled.
Though the walls seemed endless, as they pushed forward in a straight line, Sophies’s voice reached them.

“At this rate, we should cut our travel time in half!”

In that moment, another monster emerged from beyond the maze.

“Forward!”

At Zit’s command, several fire arrows materialized and shot ahead. The monster fell swiftly, and Merry approached its corpse to create another ally.
Zit approached Kale and gazed up at the maze walls as he spoke.

“Commander, what if we climbed atop the walls and moved across them?”

Running across the maze walls seemed far more efficient than destroying them—it would conserve both time and strength.
The maze walls did not touch the ceiling directly.

The ceiling loomed impossibly high, and the walls—three times Kale’s height with considerable width—were broad enough for adults to sprint across.
Yet someone immediately countered Zit’s suggestion.

“You’ll fall into illusions.”

Kale’s single sentence resolved everything.
Sophies then added her explanation.

“The walls are covered entirely in illusion magic. Some of us might resist it, but there’s no way to know who.”

When Kale devised the operation, there was a reason he had abandoned the idea of traversing the maze walls.

“If even one person fell victim to hallucinations while moving across the walls, it wouldn’t be a loss for just one—it would be a loss for two. That’s why going through the maze itself is safer.”

When one person succumbed to hallucinations, additional personnel would be needed to protect them. For a group where every single combatant was precious, it was a dangerous gamble.

“…They’ve certainly made this troublesome.”

Zit’s face twisted as he drew his sword with a heavy sigh.

“Moving to the next one immediately.”

Tasha, who had paused briefly, resumed her work.
That was when it happened.

“Wait.”

Kale’s gaze turned toward Choi Han.

“Shh.”

Choi Han pressed a finger to his lips. Crouched low, his eyes shifted not forward but toward where the maze bent around a corner.

In that instant, Kale heard Raon’s voice in his mind.

-There’s something beyond that corner!

Simultaneously, Choi Han moved with silent precision.
He drew his blade and swung it in one fluid motion.

Rip!

The sound of fabric tearing echoed through the passage.

“Aaaahhh!”
“Argh! What—who is this?!”

The Elves rushed frantically toward the source of the screams.
Kale quickly rounded the corner of the maze as well.

“Hmm!”

Kale’s brow furrowed deeply.

As he turned the corner, he found boys and girls surrounded by an Elf and Choi Han. The youngest appeared to be around ten years old, while the oldest looked to be seventeen or eighteen at most.
Those dressed in clearly luxurious fabrics wore garments with trailing hems.
They simply looked wealthy.

‘…This is not good.’

Kale’s eyes narrowed.
He turned his head to search for Sophies.

‘Sophies might lose her composure.’

But Sophies had already rushed past him and forward.
In that moment, Kale could see waves of emotion gradually spreading across Sophies’s face, which had seemed so composed until now.

“You all…!”

Sophies couldn’t bring herself to finish her words.

“…Sister!”
“Sister…? Sister Sophies?”

The boys and girls who saw her blinked in surprise.

“Ah.”

Tasha, who had been observing the situation, let out a sigh.

‘The Royal Family.’

These children, who bore a subtle resemblance to Sophies in hair color and appearance, seemed to be her relatives.
Sophies rushed past Kale but then hesitated as she approached them.
She wavered before opening her mouth.

“How did you all get here…?”

Why are young members of the Royal Family here?
And in broad daylight, no less?
Sophies’s pupils trembled, and the oldest-looking Young Prince stepped forward and opened his mouth.
He regarded Choi Han and the Elves warily while meeting Sophies’s gaze.

“His Majesty works day and night for the Kingdom, so we must do our part to help.”

The moment Sophies heard that response, her expression twisted.
The young members of the Royal Family cradled large glass bottles in their arms.
The glass bottles, sealed tightly at the mouth, were filled with a black liquid.

To anyone’s eye, it was dead mana liquid.
But the children had not noticed this.

Just then, a girl who appeared to be around ten years old, the youngest among them, waddled toward Sophies.
And she proudly held out the glass bottle to Sophies.

“You must be Sister Sophies!”
“…Oh, Bell.”

Sophies’s face grew clouded.
Kale sensed from her expression that this girl Bell had quite a history with her.

“…You were just a baby, and now you’ve grown so much.”

Sophies’s expression was a mixture of conflicting emotions.
The girl named Bell, delighted, spoke while holding out the glass bottle.

“His Benevolent Majesty said these are black jewels that will make the Molden Kingdom even more prosperous. They’re precious, so we mustn’t even touch them. He said each one is worth a fortune!”

Kale swallowed hard.
Made from human lives, they would indeed be worth a fortune.

-Human. Are all those children under an illusion?

That must be it.
That’s why they mistook that black substance for something precious.

Then the Young Prince approached Sophies, who faced Bell, and opened his mouth with a worried expression.

“But sister, why are you here?”

He examined Sophies carefully, his face filled with concern.

“You shouldn’t be in this place.”
“That’s—”

Sophies hesitated before opening her mouth.
Then.

“A traitor dares—!”

In an instant, the Young Prince’s eyes blazed with fury as his hand reached into his garment, and simultaneously Kale cried out.

“Choi Han!”

A dagger emerged from the Young Prince’s clothing.
As if trained in swordplay, the blade streaked toward Sophies’s throat in a heartbeat, her gaze still fixed on Bell.

“You who betrayed His Majesty and the Royal Family! Do you know where you are!”

Fury blazed in the Young Prince’s eyes as his neck tensed with rage.
With hatred as swift as his blade, the dagger sought Sophies’s life.
Choi Han, who had drawn near, moved his hand toward the Young Prince.

Clang!

But Choi Han stopped his movement.

“Gack, hack!”

The dagger flew away.

“Gack!”

And Sophies’s hand was now gripping the Young Prince’s throat.
Her other hand had deflected the dagger, and blood dripped slowly from a shallow cut. Yet Sophies’s gaze remained fixed elsewhere.

She met the gaze of the Royal Family children who stood in opposition to the Young Prince and me.
Especially when looking at the Young Prince, her eyes blazed like flames rising from a furnace.

“Such ignorant fools.”

Sophies released her grip on the Young Prince’s throat, each word grinding out like she was chewing them.

“Gasp… hack… As expected, traitors continue to commit ever greater sins.”

The Young Prince exhaled sharply and glared at Sophies.

“Ignorant. So ignorant.”

Sophies muttered repeatedly about their ignorance as she watched the Royal Family children, and they radiated hostility toward her in return.
But Kale understood that her words were not directed at the children.

Sophies’s fists, clenched tightly, trembled with barely contained rage.
She was venting her fury upon herself.

‘Ignorant. Sophies, how could you have lived so foolishly?’

The world had transformed during all those years she spent confined and isolated in the Ghost Village.
Her mind throbbed with such intense anger at the sight of even children being made to carry vessels of dead mana.

‘How could they send children to such a place? With monsters lurking everywhere? And forcing them to carry glass bottles filled with dead mana?’

The children could have been killed by the monsters, and if those glass bottles shattered, they could have been infected by the dead mana and perished.
Sophies was astounded by Elisne’s actions—sending children away from the Royal Family to perform such tasks.

Step by step.
The Royal Family children, seeing the fury blazing in Sophies’s eyes, began to retreat cautiously, glancing nervously at Kale and his companions.
But behind them, the Elves already stood, leaving them no escape.

Kale’s voice reached Sophies as she observed the scene.

“They’ve arrived.”

Sophies lifted her head, following Kale’s gaze upward.

Grrrrr—
Boosuli bared his fangs and growled.
At the same time, voices echoed from far away.

“Everyone, follow me! We must capture the traitor Sophies!”
“Yes, sir!”

Sophies murmured softly.

“That’s the Knight Commander’s voice. It hasn’t changed even with the passage of time.”

There were two entrances to the Maze.
It seemed the Knights had entered through the other one.
But there were those who had entered before those Knights.

Tap. Tap, tap.
Figures descended along the wall.

Four in total.

One middle-aged man. Two elderly men.
The three descended along the wall and opened their mouths.

“It has been long since we last saw you, Your Highness.”
“Indeed, it has been ages.”
“It has been a while, former Princess Sophies.”

Three people offering different greetings.
But Sophies gazed at the fourth person standing on the wall.
Their eyes met.

Then, the royal children bowed deeply with bright faces.

“We greet Your Majesty the King!”
“Your Majesty has come to save us!”
“Your Majesty!”

Elysnet I, the King of the Molden Kingdom.
She stood upon the wall, gazing down at those below.
Elysnet opened her mouth with a benevolent smile, her gaze fixed upon Sophies.
Yet contrary to where her eyes were directed, her voice was meant for the children.

“That’s right. I’ve come to save all of you.”
“Your Majesty!”
“You must be so busy with your duties, and yet you’ve come for us!”

Elysnet’s soft and gentle voice flowed forth once more.

“As your King, and as your family, it’s only natural that I would come to rescue you. Otherwise, why would I abandon my duties to come here?”
“…Your Majesty.”
“Sob.”

The children were moved, and some shed tears as their fear dissipated.
In that moment, a blunt voice cut through the air.

“Spouting nonsense right in front of the children.”

Silence fell.
All eyes turned toward the source of the voice.

“Hmm.”

There stood Kale Heniatus.
Kale covered his mouth with an awkward smile.

“Oh dear. My mistake. I was so taken aback that the words just slipped out.”

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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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