Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 500

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

Chapter 110. Is It Working?

There exists a moment when people become overwhelmed and flustered, causing them to freeze momentarily, uncertain of what to do next.

“I, I—!”

The hands of the Mirror Elder, who clutched the mirror, trembled visibly.

“…Good heavens.”

Zit, the Guardian Warrior Elf, thought to himself that this was surely one of those very moments.

‘Such an enormous serpent—no, a monster, truly.’

He had heard much about the deeds Kale had accomplished over the years. Even though the Elves remained isolated from the outside world, Kale was someone who had once aided the Elf Village on Ten Fingers Mountain. Through various connections, news of him had reached their ears.

Each time, a single thought had crossed his mind.

‘Remarkable.’

This man is truly remarkable.
That was all I could think.
So this battle too would be remarkable, I had vaguely assumed.

But facing that remarkableness in reality left me speechless.
The shock was so sudden that my movements froze momentarily.

Zit could see three of Elysnis’s subordinates equally flustered.

Yet that moment was merely an instant.
Less than one or two minutes had passed—a brief span of time indeed.

However, even though that pause was fleeting, it could feel like an eternity to someone.
For Kale and the Stone Serpent, it was precisely that—an eternity.

Crash! Bang! Bang, crash!
Destruction upon destruction.

The Maze simply crumbled mercilessly, shattered, fragmented, and disintegrated.
And clinging to the neck of that stone monster was Kale—

‘…He looks like he’s having fun?’

At that moment, someone approached Zit’s side.

“He’s always like that.”

Tasha gently patted Zit’s shoulder as she spoke. He turned his head to look around.
Several Dark Elves were approaching the other Elves and calling out to them.

“Zit. We should hurry along too.”

And the remaining Dark Elves were heading toward Kale.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The massive black-bone monster moved swiftly while cradling Merry carefully in both hands.

The Dark Elves’ voices rang out.

“Kahahaha! I’m telling you, following the young master leads to diamond mines, not gold mines!”
“This is why I endure such hardship! Dead mana is pouring down like rain!”
“Shut up and just absorb the dead mana.”

The Dark Elves were finding this situation created by the massive stone snake rather peculiarly delightful.

“Ugh! These blasted rocks! Hey, be careful! That stone snake seems crazy!”
“I know, I know. Sister, should we send the Wind Spirit ahead to help the young master?”
“Yeah. And send the Wood Spirit too.”
“Yes!”

Flying boulders.
Dust scattering and dispersing.
Dodging and getting covered by all of it, they laughed.
And Merry, starting as one and having become four skeleton monsters destroying the Maze, commanded three of them.

“Proceed with care.”

Thud. Thud. Thud.
Three massive skeletons charged forward, and I quickly ducked low.

Crack.
With the sound of branches snapping, the tangled vine branches that had been shielding Sophies and the royal children were torn free by the three monsters.
Raon had already cleared away the shield.

The skeletons flipped the branches over. The intertwined vines formed something like a nest. The moment Sophies saw it, she understood Merry’s intention.

“Get on.”

She led the royal children and climbed into the branch nest.
Of course, some of the children hesitated.

“Come on, get on! It’s fine!”

The youngest, Bell, grasped Sophies’s hand with clear eyes and climbed into the nest, then gestured to the others.

“Lift me up, please.”

The young prince, whose arm was turning increasingly black from the infection of dead mana, pointed to the nest and pleaded with the surrounding royals.
Only then did all the children hurry and climb into the nest.

At the same moment, Elysnis’s piercing scream rang out.

“Stop them! Destroy that snake-like thing!”

The hands of the middle-aged man and two elderly men began rapidly forming hand seals, and Elysnis descended below the wall, appearing before the children who were climbing.

“How dare you move without my command!”

In that instant, Sophies saw red light emanating from Elysnis’s hands, and the children’s eyes beginning to glaze over.

“Ugh!”

Only the young prince poisoned by dead mana and Bell shook their heads as if in agony.

“Grrr!”

At that moment, Boosuli appeared between Elysnis and the children.

“No command necessary.”

And then Merry appeared.

“Both Illusionists and Necromancers deal with dead mana.”
“What?”

Elysnis’s retort never reached its mark.
Black threads erupted from Merry’s hands, rushing toward Elysnis at tremendous speed.
They resembled a tangled spider’s web of black lines etched across her body.

“Ugh! Where—!”

In that instant, Elysnis had to form a different hand seal to evade it.
Merry did not miss that opening.

“Burn them.”

Skeletons extended their hands, swiftly moving the children into the nest. The two of them lifted the entire nest while one guarded from behind.

Thump. Thump. Thump.
They followed behind the giant serpent at high speed. Zit and the Elves pursued the Dark Elves heading toward Kale, though they naturally fell behind the skeletal monsters due to the dead mana liquid.

“Damn it, kill them!”

Elysnis’s furious cry echoed from behind as she swept away the black web.

“Oh no!”

Zit felt an enormous force approaching from behind him.
At that moment, Kale’s voice rang out.

“Zit! Bind the sorcerers’ feet!”

By the time he heard the command, the Elves had already realized their role and turned back.

A feathered serpent lunged toward them.
And a massive fire tiger, a horse wrought from wind itself, came hurtling in their direction.

“Hold the line!”

Zit raised his voice and summoned his spirit.
His hand gestured behind his back.

“Nock!”

The elves surrounding Zit drew their bowstrings taut, aiming arrows at the enemies.
Beasts of different natures summoned by different sorcerers.
And elf archers wielding spirits of varying elements.

“Loose!”

At Zit’s command, arrows left their bowstrings and flew toward the beasts.

“Go!”

And the spirits clung to those arrows.

Fire, water, earth, wind, wood.
Arrows imbued with the breath of spirits swelled in size and rushed toward the beasts, their massive forms radiating the tremendous power of living entities.

Boom—!
A deafening explosion erupted across the battlefield.

“Ugh!”

The bespectacled middle-aged man furrowed his brow.
His fire tiger staggered, its back torn open by the water arrow.
The Mirror Elder grasped his shoulder.

“Stay focused.”

The Wind Spirit and the feathered serpent trembled slightly, but they remained intact.
Zit confirmed this as well.
He gauged the enemies’ strength.
If that was the case, then now—

“Don’t hold back your power! Block the sorcerers at all costs!”

Zit shouted while glaring at the enemies.

“These, these creatures!”

The Feather Elder’s face contorted in rage.
Even in that moment, his ears rang with the sound of thunder and the crumbling walls of the Maze.

“Don’t be late. Come.”

Elysnis vaulted over the elderly men and moved along the Maze wall.

“Attack the top of the wall!”

The Elves, unable to climb atop the wall, followed Zit’s command and targeted Elysnis from their respective positions.
Naturally, the sorcerers did not leave those Elves alone.
Even amidst this chaos, Elysnis’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

“That madman!”

The Maze continued to crumble without pause.
And Kale advanced forward with each destruction.

-Human, human!

The invisible Raon moved along the tail of the Dragon, crying out without realizing it.

-Human! I should have done this from the start!

It felt exhilarating.
The six-year-old Dragon naturally unleashed magic as refreshing exhilaration surged through him.

Crash!
Crash! Crash!

Magic shattered the maze walls, tearing open a massive breach.
Through that gap, the stone serpent thrust its head forward with devastating force.

Crash!
With a thunderous roar, dead mana surged upward in a violent spray.

“Kale.”
“Just stay down and keep quiet.”

Kale spoke curtly, then spread both arms wide toward the cascading dead mana pouring down upon me.
As Kale stretched his arms and body to their fullest, Raon’s voice reached him.

-Human! It’s a bit embarrassing to watch, but that’s the perfect stance!

…I’m embarrassed too.
It wasn’t some pretentious display—I found my own posture somewhat mortifying, but there was no alternative. The dead mana couldn’t touch Raon and Choi Han behind me, and the stone serpent had to minimize its contact surface with the dead mana.

-Burn it all! Sea of flames! Kahahaha!

Whoosh—
Golden-red flames enveloping my body instantly consumed the surrounding dead mana.
Soon, golden-red ash scattered and settled upon the stone serpent.

Tap, tap. Choi Han crouched low behind Kale, brushing away the ash as he spoke.

“That was efficient, Kale.”
-Human! Strangely cool! I’m doing that stance next time!

Sigh.
Kale exhaled and shook his head slowly.
Yet he felt good.
Smashing everything to pieces and advancing at incredible speed.

‘Central is near.’

If what Kale had confirmed through the map and Sophies’ words was correct, he would soon reach the center of the Maze.
The time to see the Fake World Tree was drawing near.

Crash!
The Maze shattered once more, and Kale came to a halt.

“Ugh!”
“What is this!”
“Everyone, quiet! Stop the advance!”

Beyond the shattered Maze, voices of people could be heard. The Imoogi ceased its movement, and as the Maze walls crumbled away, a scene was gradually revealed beyond them.

“Enemy, enemies!”

A single knight at the forefront raised his voice.
Then, Kale heard Elysnis’s voice from behind. By some means he couldn’t fathom, she had leaped over the wall as if flying and arrived.

“The Knights Order has come!”

It was a voice welcoming allies.
Tap.
But when she landed on the wall right beside the one Kale had last destroyed.

Her face crumpled.

“…Why is there only this much?”
“Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty!”

The knights cried out desperately upon seeing her, and Elysnis’s face twisted further.

A total of roughly three hundred knights had descended into the Underground Chamber.
Yet before her now stood fewer than fifty.

Moreover, they bore wounds here and there, covered in dust, appearing as though they had fled from something.

“Your Majesty!”
“Knight Commander, what is the meaning of this—!”

The Knight Commander opened his mouth with an urgent expression toward Elysnis, who couldn’t bring herself to speak. He was trying his best to remain composed, but it was clearly beyond him.

“Enemies! Enemies have appeared at the second entrance and captured our knights!”
“…What?”
“They appear to be assassins specialized in concealment! They seeped into the darkness within the Maze and attacked us!”

That wasn’t an attack—it was a hunter’s pursuit, capturing live prey.
That was when it happened.

“Woof, woof!”
“Woof!”

Two puppies appeared from around a corner of the Maze, barking loudly. The knight cried out urgently.

“Those dogs are chasing us like ghosts!”

Behind the two scruffy puppies resembling Boosuli, two figures emerged from the darkness.

-Human! It’s Grandfather Ron and Vicross!

It was Vicross dressed as a chef of the Molden Kingdom and Ron dressed as a servant.
One wielded a greatsword, the other held multiple daggers.

“…You-”

Elysnis’s gaze turned toward Kale Heniatus.
A grin spread across his face.
At the same moment, a thundering sound echoed from behind Elysnis, then abruptly ceased as Sophies’s voice rang out.

“How does it feel to experience it yourself?”

Simultaneously, the Knight Commander cried out urgently.

“Your Majesty! It appears the Royal Family and Palace staff have been taken hostage!”

The sound of a blade being drawn rang out.
The Knight Commander unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Ron, positioning himself protectively in front of Elysnis.

“That villain’s subordinates have taken the entire Palace hostage!”

Elysnet’s gaze remained fixed on Kale. He simply shrugged his shoulders.

Hostages? Hardly.
The Molan Family had launched a surprise assault, overwhelming Elysnet’s forces and seizing the Palace to protect the Royal Family and its inhabitants.
Yet Kale smiled at the knight glaring at him as though he were some common hostage-taker and spoke.

“I simply did what you all do best.”

Of course, those words were meant for Elysnet.

“You insolent wretch!”
“Does swearing actually help?”

Sophies’ elegant laugh echoed from behind Elysnet.

“You!”

The moment Elysnet spun around to glare at Sophies, the latter smiled with refined grace and spoke.

“What happens when you let your attention wander during a fight, hmm?”

A deafening roar erupted.
The sound of catastrophic destruction filled the air.

“Get back!”
“The wall—the wall is crumbling!”
“All of you, focus on protecting His Majesty! The King alone is the light of Molden!”

The Knight Commander’s orders mingled with the panicked cries of his soldiers.
Elysnet turned her gaze forward once more.
Fifty knights stood in formation, shielding the wall where she stood, their ranks unbroken.
And bearing down upon them with utter indifference was Kale, mounted atop a massive stone golem.

Fury rose to the crown of her head as she screamed.

“Fools! Stop that monster!”
“But, Your Majesty!”
“Silence and pursue it!”

She passed by the Knight Commander and the Knight, heading straight toward Kale.

Tap.
But another person riding the stone serpent descended and blocked her path.

“Don’t we have something to do?”

Swoosh.
Choi Han drew his sword and pointed it at Elysnis.
The reason he had followed Kale.
Just as he had mounted the stone serpent.

‘Choi Han. You’re last. When we’re almost at our destination, dismount from the serpent’s back. And stop Elysnis. She’ll definitely chase after us.’

Choi Han extended his sword straight forward with a gentle smile.
Elysnis’s face twisted.

Crash!

Then, once again, a wall shattered.

“No!”

She cried out urgently without thinking and rushed forward. Naturally, Choi Han’s sword came at her, but as Elysnis saw the stone monster breaking through the next wall, her face contorted.

‘The last one…!’

That was the final wall.
The last wall blocking Kale’s path.

Kale knew it too.

With the stone serpent’s rough movements, Kale gripped its body tightly. The serpent lifted its head.
The moment that head came down and rammed forward!

‘If I can just break through this—!’

Drip.
Blood trickled from the corner of Kale’s mouth.

-Human! I smell blood! Human, are you pushing yourself too hard again? Stop this at once!

CRASH—
The final wall shattered.

WHOOOOSH—
Dead mana liquid, more than ever before, engulfed me.
But flames immediately consumed the dead mana, incinerating it.

Sssssss—
As golden ash scattered and vanished, the sight before me came into focus.

“…Hah.”

Above a beautiful Flower Field.
A beautiful Flower Field that seemed impossible to exist at the heart of this grotesque underground Maze.
Standing upon it.

-Ugh, how repulsive!

There stood a pitch-black tree.

A Fake World Tree.

I grasped it instinctively.
The stone serpent advanced into the Flower Field without slowing its pace.

“No!”

Elysnis’s cry echoed from behind, but I had no room for hesitation with my objective directly ahead.

This tree, quite massive even compared to the true World Tree, bore not a single leaf.
Its trunk and branches were gnarled and grotesquely textured in a way that unsettled the eye.

It resembled the cursed tree from a horror tale—the kind from which ghosts might emerge.

Yet the stone serpent did not halt.
With the Fake World Tree nearly within reach, I opened my mouth.

“Stop.”

Whoooosh—
The flames enveloping me burned even more intensely. It seemed as though they would devour the tree at any moment.

—Human, shall I burn it now?

Raon asked.

—Hehehehe, a sea of fire! Kahahaha!

Cale’s Power laughed like a madman.

“Hm?”

I paused.

Tremble, tremble—

‘Trembling?’

The grotesque massive branches were quivering faintly.
And as they moved, they huddled together as if cowering.

“Wait.”

I strained to listen.
Through the manic laughter of Cale’s Power.

—…s…save…m…e… please.

A small voice reached my ears.

Swooosh—
I saw the smallest branch extending toward me.
It trembled violently.
Somehow it reminded me of Mueller, the rat-hybrid Dwarf who had trembled before me.

‘It’s frightened?’

The Fake World Tree was afraid of him?
I brushed the flames away from my arm and reached toward the small branch.

The branch flinched and retreated in surprise, but my hand was faster.
Then, a voice reached my ears.

-P-please, c-can you hear my voice?

It was a timid voice, trembling with fear.

“…Is that you?”

I asked, looking at the black tree, and in that moment, I could hear a flood of timid words pouring out.

-Sob, sob. Please, please save me. Please transplant me somewhere else, sniff. I want to see the World Tree, sniff. Sob, sob.
“…Huh?”
-Whimper, whimper. Sob, sniff.

I could hear the sounds of weeping, wailing, and sniffling all at once.
Did a tree even have a nose to sniffle with?
I was so bewildered that such a random thought crossed my mind.

Then, the timid voice made a desperate plea.

-Please… please transplant me somewhere… I want to escape this place. Sniff, whimper.

Transplant it?
…Escape?
My gaze lifted unconsciously toward the ceiling of the Maze.
And naturally, I thought something rather meaningless.

To move such a massive tree—

-Kale.

As Jjangdol’s urgent voice reached me, I suddenly finished the thought that had occurred to me.

To move such a massive tree, wouldn’t I have to destroy the entire ceiling and lift it out whole?

-Isn’t that destroying a bit too much?!

Scary Rock, who had urgently called out to Kale, spoke hastily.
Yet Kale’s gaze remained fixed on the ceiling of the Maze.

-Oh, Kale! Not that!

Jjangdol’s voice, like a sigh, echoed through Kale’s mind.
– Author’s Note –

…500…five hundred…five hundred chapters…!

Every time I see this number, I’m amazed, but every time I realize this number is still far from the end, I’m amazed again. Still, I write these afterwords with a composed heart.

This is something I’ve mentioned every time I write an afterword, but my feelings remain the same, so I’m leaving these words once more.

Thank you for taking interest in and cherishing “The Runaway of the Count’s Household.”
Thank you for being with me.
Because of you, I was able to come this far with dedication.

Well.
Somehow, the number 500 feels significant, so today I thought I’d share a few different thoughts.

1.
By the way, my dream is not to be unemployed.

2.
Actually… for those of you who have read this far.
Content that was supposed to appear around chapter 20 in the plot appeared after chapter 40,
Ah… this is… quite different from my expectations, isn’t it?
That’s what I thought.
Sigh.

3.
I’m writing with joy.
Of course, when it’s difficult and I hit a wall, I get frustrated with myself, but still, I can say that I’m enjoying this. 😀
So I always hope that my readers are also enjoying this, and that it becomes a moment where you can smile for a brief time.

4.
I’ve been asked several times to leave an afterword.
I gave it considerable thought, but since I’m not particularly eloquent and worried I might make mistakes, I decided to share my feelings only occasionally like this.
I appreciate your understanding. (Though I must admit, I’m disappointed too—writing afterwords is actually quite fun.)

5.
I’d like to apologize to those who ask about minor details in the setting.
I considered doing a Q&A, but as I wrote, I realized there were times when I needed to weave minor settings into the narrative itself. So I decided to answer questions about settings I couldn’t fully explore in the text after the series concludes.
(But since I don’t know when the ending will arrive, I’m uncertain when that time will come either.)
For this reason, I haven’t been able to answer questions about the settings you ask about.
I appreciate your understanding, and I apologize once more.

6.
Do you hate lemons?
-…Well, after writing, I drink lemonade. Very occasionally…once every three months…no, once every six months. People around me say the writing changed my palate and that the work did well.
Do you hate apple pie?
-…I feel nothing toward apple pie.
I like all food.
I live for the pleasure of eating.
Hehe.

7.
A paperback edition is coming.
It will likely go into production after the series concludes, so I can’t say when.
But it will come.

8.
Finally.

I became the Count’s Household’s reckless fool.
When I started this work, I was in a state of desperately dragging a cart up a hill on a pitch-black night where neither moonlight nor starlight shone.
As I walked, I thought something would eventually appear.
And if no light appeared, so what? I’d just walk my own path.
That was the mindset I carried as I walked.
I was running at the edge of anxiety.

And even now, I write with the conviction that I must walk my own path.
Still, I live always carrying anxiety and fear with me.

Even so, these days I find myself thinking quite often that I am no longer alone.

As I write, I feel strength flowing through me, sensing that the characters within these pages and you, my readers, walk this path alongside me.
I can feel a gentle warmth constantly remaining by my side.

I am always grateful.
I don’t have much else to say. I really seem to lack the gift of gab. Haha.
I wish I could convey my heart through more meaningful and beautiful words, but that proves so difficult.

Still, I hope my feelings have reached you.

Then, I sincerely wish for your days to be filled with warmth of heart.
Thank you.

And I ask for your continued support going forward.

– Ryeo-Ryeo –

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————