Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 503

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

Drip. Drip.
Blood trickled downward.
Bound to the wooden branches, I could see the world beyond the gaps of the tangled Tree Prison, and everything was stained crimson.

Drip, drip.
Blood fell from the Spectacled Middle-aged Man, and blood also streamed down Choi Han’s cheek. Of course, it wasn’t his blood.
Choi Han was uninjured—his skin gleamed as if he’d just washed his face a minute ago.

“Ugh. Cough.”

The middle-aged man trembled violently, gasping for breath.
Choi Han continued to gaze at me with that gentle, innocent smile.

“…Uh…um.”

…This brutal fellow—no, this elder.
I stared awkwardly at Choi Han, who wore that pleased, gentle expression, and asked uneasily.

“What happened?”

What in the world occurred while I was unconscious?
Why are the Dark Elves running around excitedly, Raon is invisible yet shouting loudly, and the Maze walls are being smashed to pieces?
…And why are you covered in blood?

“I’m not sure.”

At that deliberately slow response, my heart sank. I was terrified.

“…How long was I unconscious?”

Thirty minutes?
No. Creating this kind of chaos would require at least an hour.
I waited for Choi Han to open his mouth.

“Hmm. I’d say about ten minutes have passed.”
“What? Ten minutes? You absolute maniacs—!”

Kale found himself unable to continue speaking.
In just ten minutes, he’d turned the entire Maze into such a disaster? Well, not that it wasn’t handled well, but still!
Kale, completely oblivious to the fact that he himself was the architect of this catastrophe, furrowed his brow.

“Well, that was quite the ordeal.”
“Cough, hack!”

Choi Han spoke softly as he released his grip.
Thud.
The unconscious middle-aged sorcerer fell limply to the ground.

‘…This terrifying…savage creature.’

Kale’s face drained of all color.
Yet Choi Han, observing Kale’s ashen expression, found his mind drifting back to what had transpired moments before.

* * *

The instant a beam of white light descended.
Dark Elves and Elves alike, assassins too, and even enemies—all froze in place, their eyes fixed upon where the light had struck.

“…Young Master—!”

Tasha, the Dark Elf, let out an involuntary cry of alarm.

Thick and grotesque black branches, some charred and disintegrated, writhed before them.
Those branches coiled tightly around an entire body, leaving only the face exposed.

And the head of the human ensnared by the wood slowly drooped downward.
Thud.
His head fell lifelessly.

That person was Kale Heniatus.
Already pallid to begin with, he now hung limply with his eyes closed and consciousness lost—a sight too ghastly for words.

“…Ah.”

Sophies, who had been sitting inside the Tree Nest, shot to her feet.
Only then did that pallid visage truly register in her eyes.

At that same moment, I realized something.

The reason I had never felt weakness from this pale, seemingly powerless figure was because of the light in their eyes.
Eyes that reassured allies they need not worry about the future—steady and unwavering. Eyes that gleamed with vitality and the determination to overcome the countless obstacles ahead.
And it was that rough, blunt yet powerful voice that put everyone’s minds at ease.

“…Good heavens.”

In that instant, Sophies felt her mind go blank, and panic seized her without warning.

Kale Heniatus was the commander of all allied forces.
The one leading this battle from the center.
If such a person were to collapse, chaos would inevitably befall the allies.

‘What do I do?’

In the mere seconds it took Sophies to form that thought.

“How foolish.”

Elisne sneered and swung her staff.

No.
Sophies could see exactly what she intended to do.

“no!”

There were beings rushing forward in an instant due to her will.

“Krrrrr!”

The three puppies, led by Bokseul, quickly headed to the place where the black tree was.
With Boosuli at the center, three puppies raced swiftly toward the Black Tree.

Kiiiiii-
Screeeee—
The massive black branches of the ancient tree moved with startling speed.
Truly, it was fast—fast enough to move before Choi Han, who stood closest, could even reach Kale.

“We must save the commander!”
“We must save the Commander!”

The elves were startled and rushed over. To them, that fake world tree was as evil as Ellis and could possibly destroy their home.
The Elves rushed forward in alarm. To them, that Fake World Tree was as malevolent as Elisne herself—perhaps even a threat capable of destroying their very homeland.

“ah.”

A sigh flowed from the mouth of the healer elf Fendrick.
A sigh escaped the lips of Fendrick, the Healer Elf.

Choi Han runs to the front. And I was able to see a huge mana hand created in the air that clearly belonged to Raon.
Choi Han leading the charge at the front. And unmistakably, a colossal hand of mana materialized in empty space—surely Raon’s doing.

Cheaeng-!
Clang—!

“It’s late.”

With Ellis’s mocking voice. Choi Han could see Cale wrapped tightly in black tree branches and trapped in a prison-like place.

The branches were so tightly intertwined that Choi Han had to cut down the tree to get the kale out.

Ugh.
Whoosh.

-I will rip it off!

And Raon tried to grab the tree branch at the same time. To tear it down.
Simultaneously, Raon moved to seize the branches, intending to rip them asunder.

“Don’t move.”

Ellis smiled and warned.
Elisne warned with a laugh.

“Raon, stop.”
“Raon, stop.”
-Fine! I’ll ignore her! We just need to destroy everything!

Choi Han lowered his sword.
Choi Han lowered his sword.
Then he slowly turned his head.

“Have you seen it now?”

Ellis smiled. Choi Han looked at that smile with an expressionless face.

-… bad! Dead mana to humans! Destroy everything!

Raon’s angry voice was heard.
Raon’s voice came through, trembling with fury.

Anyone could see that the liquid was dead mana.

And the sharp-tipped black tree branch stopped right in front of Cale’s nape.
And the sharp point of that black branch had come to rest directly before Kale Heniatus’s nape.
No matter how swiftly Choi Han wielded his blade, no matter how quickly Raon tore at the branch—

Fighting. Tuk.
Thud. Crack.
Choi Han shifted his gaze.

thud. thud.
Thump. Thump.
The stone spears, drained of power, fell limp to the ground.
The serpent’s form remained intact, yet it lay utterly motionless.

‘Kale cannot protect himself.’

So, if that dead mana liquid pierces the back of Kayle’s neck now.
So if that dead mana liquid pierced Kale Heniatus’s nape right now—

Ellis’ voice was heard.

“If you guys move, your leader will die.”

Zopis, the elves, and the puppies all stopped jumping in and looked confused and didn’t know what to do.
Sophies, the Elves, and the puppies—all of our allies stopped rushing forward, their faces turning pale as they stood frozen, unsure of what to do.
Choi Han let his sword hang at his side, his gaze methodically taking in the expressions of each of his comrades.

At that moment, Ellis spoke.

“And for your information, lightning may strike you from the sky at any time. Are you saying you could end up like their leaders?”

The smile on his face was full of dignity.
Her smile radiated an elegant grace.

-Choi Han! weird!

As he turned his back on the wooden prison where Cale was trapped, he heard Raon’s voice.

-I was observing a tree branch aimed at a human, and this tree branch was strange! It’s trembling and trying to get away from humans somehow!

The branch aimed at the kale somehow tried to move away.
The branch targeting Kale was indeed trying to distance itself.

-Maybe this tree can also communicate! Let me have a conversation!

Raon saw Cale talking to the World Tree. Because he had become invisible, Raon secretly and carefully placed his front paw on the World Tree.
Raon had watched Kale converse with the World Tree. Cloaked in invisibility, Raon carefully pressed his front paw against the World Tree, hoping his words might reach it.

At that moment, Raon’s eyes that no one could see flashed.
In that moment, Raon’s eyes—invisible to all others—flashed with brilliance.

-Choi Han! The fake world tree wants you to get rid of the black staff that the illusionist holds!

After that, Raon’s words continued.
Raon’s words continued after that.

The corners of Choi Han’s mouth instantly returned to their original state, as if nothing had happened.
Choi Han’s lips returned to their normal position in an instant, as if nothing had happened.
But there was one who had witnessed it all.
A master of perception who never missed even the slightest movement.
The last person Choi Han had been looking at. Ron.

‘Just figure it out.’

At the same time, Ron heard Ellis’s voice.

“If you take even one step, everyone will see your greatest fear. I will gladly give you such a gift from heaven-!”

Ellis couldn’t even speak.
Elisne never finished her words.

“Yes you bastard!”

The wind horse quickly turned around. Accordingly, Ellis, who was riding the horse, was also able to move his body to the left.

Saaaa-

Ellis’s face is just to the right.
Elisne felt a fierce gust of wind pass directly to the right of her face.
It swept past the very spot where her head had been mere moments before.
Elisne turned her gaze toward where the wind had passed.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

With a loud noise, the wall of the maze collapsed after hitting the stone window.

“You-! Do you want to hallucinate again?”

Ellis’ face distorted, and she glared at the person who threw the stone spear.
Elisne’s face twisted, and she glared at the one who had thrown the stone spear.
However, Choi Han, who had hurled it, let out a soft chuckle and took a leisurely step forward.

“I-, if you do that-”

You can’t do that!
That won’t do at all!
The Elf, startled, tried to approach Choi Han, who was provoking Elisne.

“Look behind you.”

The voice of the elf warrior Zite whispers secretly.
The elf warrior Zit’s voice whispered discreetly.

Zophys side, Dark Elf and Merry minus the elf side. And Ron’s side had been quiet since before. It was silent without any particular movement.
Sophies’ side, the elves’ side excluded the dark elves and Merry. And Ron’s side had been quiet from before. Silent without any particular movement.
But the elf felt that their bodies were fully prepared to launch an attack at any moment.
And that gaze was directed from Ron toward Choi Han.

The next person to follow after Commander Cale is Choi Han.

And Ellis’s side also realized this.

“…Do you all want to die?”

She looked at Choi Han approaching as if she was shocked.

Grrrr-
Whoooosh—
Two fire tigers stretched from the sorcerer’s hands and rushed toward Choi Han.
Choi Han lifted his head with his sword extended.

“You were mistaken.”

Ellis’s brow furrowed.
Elisne’s brow furrowed.

“This is your sky?”

A labyrinth ceiling full of hallucinations. Choi Han smiled as he looked at that place.
The ceiling of the Maze where illusions spread. Choi Han looked at that place and let out a scoff.
Elisne had said that place was her sky.
And she said we were beneath it.

“You’re stupid.”
“How foolish.”
“…What?”

Sigh.
Smirk.

Wooooow-
Uuuuuuuung—
The air itself vibrated.
The charging fire tigers froze mid-stride.

Fake World Tree and Choi Han. The empty space between those two beings.
Between the Fake World Tree and Choi Han. In the empty space between those two beings.

One, two… . heat… .
One, two… ten…

Ellis noticed that power right away.
Elisne immediately recognized that power.
A Dragon.

“I hope Cale Henitus dies!”

At the same time, she immediately swung her wand.

“Ugh!”

And I was embarrassed.
And she panicked.

“…no way?”

Her eyes turned to the black tree.

“…Are you free from my control?”

The black tree refused to control her.

Slurp.
Slither.
Moreover, the branches that had been trembling while aimed at Kale gradually withdrew from him.

“how?”

The moment Ellis’ eyes shook.

-Hehe. Choi Han! The Black World Tree was like that!

Raon said excitedly to Choi Han.

-As the branches burned in the fire, some of the dead mana in my body was purified! So now I feel like I can move at will! The fake world tree spoke!

Ellis gave a command to the black tree to suffocate Kale, who was wrapped in fire. At the same time, white light struck Cale.

At that time, the destructive fire burned the black tree and partially purified it.
At that moment, the Destructive Fire burned the Black Tree while also purifying a portion of it.

-But it is said that the time to withstand manipulation is only 30 minutes!

Raon said excitedly.

-But, Choi Han. You know, right?

right.
Yes.

-Thirty minutes is enough! Let’s defeat them all and take the humans out! I, I will break through the maze!

Okay, that’s enough.
Yes, it’s enough.

Did Kale hold the branch and have a conversation instead of immediately burning the black tree to purify it?
Had Kale Heniatus grasped the branches and conversed rather than immediately burning the Black Tree to purify it?

“…Really. It’s amazing.”

Choi Han faced up with those words.
Choi Han spoke those words while facing forward.

“Shoot.”
“Fire.”

Wooooow-
Whoooosh—

“Stop it!”
“Block it!”

The shamans immediately spread a protective shield made of fire and wind around Elisne. And the knights quickly hid inside the protective shield.

Quaaaaaang- Quaaaang- Boom!

“…what?”

But soon they had to turn their attention to where the roar was coming from.
But soon their attention was drawn toward the source of the deafening sound.

“These crazy things!”

The black spear began to destroy the walls of the maze without mercy.
The black spear relentlessly began demolishing the Maze’s walls.

As the walls of the maze collapsed one after another, the maze eventually disappeared, leaving only an increasingly open plain.

“let’s go!”

Tasha immediately moved to match the explosion.
Tasha immediately seized the moment of the explosion to act.
And Choi Han raised his sword once more.

“Thirty minutes. One at a time.”

Finally, the tip of the sword was aimed at Ellis, who was moaning while holding the disobedient staff.
Finally, the blade’s tip directed itself toward Elisne, who clutched her staff and let out a pained groan.

“I’ll get rid of them one by one.”

Crack.
Tap.

And the first shaman was now lying unconscious at Choi Han’s feet.
And now the first sorcerer lay unconscious beneath Choi Han’s feet.

“I just threw it all away. Didn’t I do well?”
“I simply knocked them all down. Did I not do well?”

First of all, it was a good thing I overthrew it.
Knocking them down was certainly done well enough.
Kale’s expression grew strange, and he found himself unable to speak.

“Oh my. I’m finally here.”

Suddenly I heard a voice.

“what!”

Cale was scared and quickly turned around.

Instead of where Kayle and the enemies were fighting, an elf was creeping up from the maze wall behind the world tree that Raon did not destroy.

“…Fendrick?”

Fendrick approached with a gentle smile.

“As expected, you have awakened. Confucius is a great man who will not succumb to hallucinations.”

Why are you like this, you bastard?
What is this bastard doing?

“here.”

And he held out something wrapped in silk from his arms.
He then produced something wrapped in silk from his bosom.

“Confucius. This is the sword given by the World Tree.”
“Young Master. This is a sword that the World Tree has bestowed upon you.”

Cale looked through the silk and then looked at Fendrick and said.

“Isn’t this just a branch of the World Tree?”
“This is just a World Tree branch, isn’t it?”

Black frozen to death.
Freezing to death.
What kind of wooden skewer is this?
A wooden stick-like object lay carefully nestled within silk wrapping.
Yet Fendrick remained solemn.

“Confucius. The World Tree told me to use it in times of emergency. If you stab this into the heart of a living being and apply blood, it becomes a great weapon-”

Choi Han’s eyes widened as he listened.
Choi Han’s eyes widened as he listened.
Such a thing existed?
It sounded like a weapon straight out of legend. The World Tree’s Sword, no less. The very name weighed heavily on his heart.

“What nonsense?”
“What nonsense are you talking?”

Cale pointed to Fendrick to one side.

“Does it look like it’s in danger? They’re destroying everything.”

Quaaaang! Quang!
Crash! Boom!
The Underground Maze was being obliterated into pieces.

“ah.”

As soon as Fendrick saw the fallen Cale, what the world tree said came to mind. So he left the battle scene and secretly walked around in circles to come here.
The moment Fendrick saw Kale collapsed earlier, the World Tree’s words came flooding back. That’s why he had slipped away from the battlefield, circled around cautiously, and arrived here.
But now that he was here, the situation didn’t seem nearly as dire.
He fell silent and carefully wrapped the sword back in silk.

“Give it to me.”
“Give it to me.”
“Pardon?”
“I said give it to me, didn’t I?”

Cale looked at the foolish Fendrick and thought of the World Tree.
Kale looked at the bewildered Fendrick and thought of the World Tree.
A sword that pierces a living creature’s heart, stains itself with blood, and becomes usable?

Cale was surprised to see something like this suddenly appear, but it was nothing to be surprised at as he had heard about the gates of the demon world.
The sudden appearance of such an object struck me as odd, but given that I’d already heard about the Gate of the Demon Realm, there was little point in questioning it further.

You had to be careful with these things. And I also had to get information about this wooden skewer from Fendrick or the World Tree.
Objects like this required careful handling, and I needed to gather information about this wooden skewer from either Fendrick or the World Tree.

so.

“Then give it to me.”
“Give it to me.”
I decided to hold onto it for now.

-Shall I fight again?

Jjangdol asked carefully.

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