Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 512

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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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“…This bastard.”

The moment Bud saw Kale Heniatus’s face, all the tension drained from his body in an instant.
A torrent of emotions crashed over him, and the invisible burdens that had been pressing down on his shoulders seemed to vanish.
And so he understood.

‘…Those burdens must have shifted to Kale Heniatus’s shoulders.’

To the exact degree that the weight crushing my shoulders had lifted, Kale Heniatus’s shoulders would grow heavier.
At that realization, Bud’s mouth opened without his consent.

“You shouldn’t have come. You shouldn’t have come here….”
“What nonsense is this? Didn’t you ask me to come? That’s why I got here so fast?”

Bud smiled at Kale Heniatus’s irritated expression, but simultaneously his face twisted further.

‘…His complexion is terrible.’

Whatever had happened in the Molden Kingdom, Kale Heniatus’s complexion was dreadfully poor.
Already pallid to begin with, he had grown even more ashen, and there were dried traces of blood at the corners of his mouth—evidence of bleeding from somewhere.

And what of his clothing?
He looked as though he’d tumbled down a mountainside alone—his appearance was disheveled, with leaves and grass clinging to his clothes and hair in various places.

A glance.
Bud’s gaze shifted toward Choi Han.

‘…Choi Han looks perfectly fine.’

Choi Han was immaculate.
To any observer, one would think Choi Han had taken a leisurely stroll while Kale Heniatus had executed an emergency escape.
But since they had arrived together, they must have moved as one.
Upon realizing this truth, Bud’s heart ached all the more.

‘…So his stamina is still lacking.’

One could not compare the unscathed Choi Han with Kale Heniatus, whose only intact feature was his facade.
Bud sank into deep contemplation for a brief moment.

‘Why is he like that?’

Conversely, Kale observed Bud’s reluctant expression and surveyed his surroundings.
His expression remained unchanged, yet his gaze grew progressively sharper.

‘…There’s not a single person in decent condition.’

Especially as Kale assessed the state of his allies, his heart grew heavy. Bud noticed Kale’s eyes scanning the soldiers behind him and quickly opened his mouth.

“It’s fine, man.”
“Aren’t you being too relaxed about this?”

Bud. And the enemy.
Both had spoken simultaneously while observing Kale’s expression.
Kale turned his gaze toward Bud, and his mouth opened.

“Fine? What’s fine about this?”

Who would believe that condition was acceptable?
Kale’s insides twisted with frustration until there was nothing about this situation he found satisfactory.

His gaze turned toward the interior of the allied camp, obscured by shields.
Though he could not see inside, Kale remembered the wounded—Gren Puff among them—whom he had observed being carried away while hiding behind a tree moments earlier.
Every detail was recorded with perfect clarity.
Automatically.

“Hey.”

Bud moistened his lips with his tongue, then whispered tensely to Kale, who now walked leisurely toward the center of the training ground.

“They’re really strong.”

Kale, you don’t know because you haven’t realized it yet.
Bud opened his mouth to reveal their identities.

“So what?”

But Kale Heniatus’s blunt reaction came first.
Bud tried to counter, but Choi Han suddenly thrust something in front of him, preventing him from speaking.

“Hehe, Commander!”

A sly and petty fellow, yet one who looked after his subordinates with stubborn devotion.

“Pae.”
“Yes, yes. I’m still alive, sir.”

Pae, the rat-tribe member, flashed a smile dripping with flattery.
Bud’s eyes dimmed.

Pae, the rat-tribe member.
This seemingly frivolous fellow knew more than anyone else. His memory couldn’t compare to Kale Heniatus’s, but it surpassed that of ordinary people.
And he possessed an uncanny ability to recognize the strong, becoming masterful at discerning their identities based on the information he possessed.

Why?
Because he was the direct disciple of the man who served as both Commander of the Ranger Unit and, alongside the Mercenary King, held responsibility for compiling the Mercenary Guild’s roster.
A registry that recorded the strong. He knew the system behind those records.

“…Commander. I’ve told you everything I know.”

Pae spoke with dimmed eyes. Then he whispered in an even quieter voice.
Just loud enough for Bud and Choi Han standing before him to hear.

“I’ve kept a few of them alive and hidden away.”

Bud’s pupils widened.

‘Really?’

Bud looked toward Choi Han in disbelief. Choi Han nodded his head and added quietly.

“I’ve sent someone to verify the locations Pae mentioned. So please tell the wounded to hold on just a bit longer.”

Bud’s gaze turned back to Pae, and Pae spoke with a sorrowful expression.

“I apologize for not being able to save everyone.”
“You… you bastard! Why are you apologizing for that?!”

More members of the Ranger Unit were still alive.
At that fact, Bud’s heart swelled with emotion.
That was when it happened.

“So the leader of those rats who fled is still alive.”

Bud could hear the Dark Elf’s voice from the direction where they were herding the Elf Soros group.
Holding a distinctive black bow, the Dark Elf looked at Pae before turning his gaze toward Kale.

“That rat must have heard about our military strength from us. So why does he hold his head so confidently?”

Choi Han’s brow furrowed as he listened.
Meanwhile, Kale remained expressionless.

‘Truly a curious expression.’

The elderly Dark Elf with white-streaked hair was not being sarcastic.
It was a genuinely curious question.

In that brief moment of observing the Dark Elf, information that Pae had conveyed flashed through Kale’s mind.

‘You haven’t met Captain Bud yet? The captain must have already grasped your identities through scent.’
‘However, I will only report the information I have confirmed with certainty!’

Pae continued his report relentlessly while riding on Choi Han’s back.

‘The enemies identified by the Ranger Unit are organized into a total of four battalions.’
‘The battalion with the second-largest force has been confirmed as the Dark Elf unit, and they are all formidable archers and simultaneously—’

Kale’s mouth opened.

“They practice strange spirit arts, correct?”

That was what Pae had said.
The Dark Elves seemed to handle spirits, but it was not conventional.

Whoooosh—
The spinning top in Kale Heniatus’s hand vibrated.

‘…Chaos, Destruction. There are enemy spirits inside the forest right now. But something feels off.’
‘Our spirits are trembling so badly they can’t even speak!’

What kind of spirit would make other spirits fear it so?

‘Chaos, Destruction, Kale! I heard it! The enemy’s spirits are…! Th-they say it’s a spirit that, that eats spirits! Th-these wicked spirits!’

Kale’s eyes gleamed.

‘The more spirits it devours, the stronger it becomes! Chaos Destruction Great Fury! I’m furious! Such spirits don’t exist near the World Tree! Who are these creatures?’

That was when it happened.

“Count! You should fall back.”

The one wielding the fan stepped forward.
One of the words spoken by Pae of the Rat Tribe resurfaced in my mind.

‘Ah, I heard it while fleeing, but those creatures seemed to have ranks among themselves!’

Our gazes met—mine and that of the man with the fan.

“Ho. The famous Kale Heniatus, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I raised my finger and pointed at him.

“You’re a Marquis.”

The man’s eyebrows rose.
But I no longer looked at him, instead pointing toward the Dark Elf.

“You’re a Count.”

And I pointed to the one lingering in the forest’s shadows rather than stepping into the training ground.

“You have no rank. But you’re a blood-drinker.”

A smile drew across the lips hidden in shadow. Between the cool smile, pristine white teeth gleamed.

“What? Drinking blood? A Vampire?”

Bud inhaled sharply in surprise.
Beneath the thick scent of Dark Elves, there was a smell that had been concealed.
It was a scent I was encountering for the first time.

“Yes! Captain! They’re Vampires! Those bastards-!”

Pae couldn’t finish his words. He lacked the confidence to tell Bud.
However, Kale Heniatus had heard everything.

‘It seems there are Vampires! I found the corpse of one of our scattered soldiers, and all the blood had been drained from it.’

As Pae spoke those words, his eyes had turned bloodshot from holding back tears.
Kale Heniatus’s finger pointed toward the Black Knight for the last time.

“You’re a Count.”

Two Counts. One Marquis.
And one Vampire whose rank I don’t know.

“…Doesn’t this mean there’s even a Duke and a King among them?”

Kale Heniatus said this with a laugh. Yet I was certain my suspicion was correct.

‘There’s a system to it.’

Those creatures must possess some system and hierarchy I couldn’t comprehend.

Clop. Clop.
A woman on horseback stepped forward.

“Kale Heniatus. Do you need to know such things?”
“…Count.”

The Marquis with Fan called out to her as if to stop her, but the woman paid no heed and shifted her gaze elsewhere.
She was not looking at Kale Heniatus.

Shing.
The Black Knight drew her sword.
Her monotone voice flowed forth.

“You wield an interesting blade.”

The tip of her sword pointed toward Choi Han.
Choi Han gazed at her beyond the sword’s point directed at him. Furthermore, he took in the Knights of the Helmet clad in black standing behind her. Their eyes were obscured entirely by their helmets.
Pae had trembled as he spoke.

‘And there is a Knights Order! They rode on horseback, and the forest terrain posed no obstacle whatsoever!’
‘A Ranger Unit member at the advanced Sword Expert level was sliced down in a single stroke by one of those knights…. They are strong. Truly formidable. Their swordsmanship follows a different path than that of the East-West Continent.’

Advanced Sword Expert level. To cleave through such a warrior in a single stroke would require at least the caliber of a Sword Master.
Yet Pae had said this was merely one of her subordinates, not the Black Knight herself.

‘…I cannot sense it.’

The problem was that I could not gauge the strength of this woman or the Black Knights under her command.
This was my first encounter with a swordmaster whose power I could not discern.
I felt a chill of tension.
In that moment, I could see the Black Knight smiling at me.

“I have heard much, but I never imagined your aura’s attribute would truly carry despair. This is the first time I have seen a human with such an attribute.”

A thin smile.
A cold smile graced her lips.

“Besides me.”

My eyes widened.
…Does this Black Knight also possess despair as her aura attribute?
She continued, observing my shock.

“Or rather, I should say I was human?”

Was human?
A peculiar light flickered in my eyes.

“Count. Stop.”

Flutter, flutter.
The Marquis with Fan murmured quietly.

“Do stop.”
“Fine. Well, that swordsman will be my meal anyway.”

She shrugged her shoulders and stepped back.
Kale Heniatus’s gaze turned once more toward the one holding the fan.
Pae had assessed the author thus.

‘He seemed like the most leader-like! And he wielded a power whose identity was difficult to discern! And he is strong. Very much so.’

Strong, he had said.
Very much so.
Since it came from Pae, who claimed to have studied the records of human history, it would be accurate.

“Kale.”

Bud’s voice came from behind.

“I don’t know the identity of the power that bastard wields. But he is strong. Stronger than Erhafen’s magic.”

Stronger than an Ancient Dragon?
My expression remained calm, yet I felt sweat forming in the palm of my hand gripping the spinning top.

Uuuuuung—
The concentrated powers above the Marquis with Fan grew ever stronger.

“Why don’t you stop pretending to be at ease?”

At the Marquis’s words, spoken with a gentle smile, I opened my mouth.

“I’m not pretending to be at ease.”

I was not at ease.

An elite Dark Elf archer who commands an unknown spirit that devours other spirits.
And someone presumed to be a Vampire. Moreover, the number of subordinates under his command could not even be roughly assessed at present.
Additionally, countless Assassins from the Dark organization covering the mountain.
On top of that, the Black Knight unit riding creatures with bizarre abilities, each member possessing elite-level skills.
The fan-wielding man who wields power surpassing Erhafen.

‘Insufficient.’

Kale Heniatus recalled the forces he had brought and the strength of his allies at the Training Ground.

Both in numbers and quality of power, we were relatively lacking compared to the enemy.

Moreover, this place was close to the Second Secret Base, making it practically the front yard of the White Star.
There was also the possibility that more enemy forces would arrive.

‘I was careless.’

I came with far too light a heart.
Kale Heniatus’s eyes grew increasingly dim.

“Kale Heniatus.”

The Marquis with Fan spoke while waving his fan.

“We have been waiting for you.”

Swish, swish.
Each time the fan moved, power concentrated ever more densely into the massive sphere above it.

‘Should I seize that fan?’

The moment Kale Heniatus thought this, the Marquis with Fan continued.

“Molden Kingdom, Lake of Despair vicinity, Roan Kingdom. And here.”

Kale Heniatus’s expression hardened.
The Marquis with Fan’s smile deepened as he observed that hardened expression.

“Battles have occurred in four locations total, are occurring, and will occur soon. We did this intentionally.”

Crack!
The fan snapped shut.
And its tip pointed directly at Kale Heniatus.

“That way, your companions will be scattered, and you’ll come here alone.”

Uuuuung—
The power above the Marquis vibrated with increasing intensity, and the air around it warped.
What in the world was that power?

Uuuu—
Simultaneously, a faint silver light began to gather around Kale Heniatus.

‘…A shield!’

Bud opened his mouth upon witnessing this.

“Form up now! Hold that shield properly!”
“Yes, Captain!”
“Pae, hide him inside the formation!”

Bud threw Pae into the formation as if tossing him, then took his place beside Kale Heniatus and raised his aura.

“Bud, fall back.”
“Hey! You alone!”

Kale Heniatus gestured for Bud to withdraw. Bud felt a surge of emotion at that attitude. But then he felt a hand pulling him back.

“…You—”

It was Choi Han.
At that moment, the Marquis’s voice rang out.

“You can see that silver shield? How thrilling to witness such a famous power.”

Kuuuuu—
The vibration of the gathered power shifted.

‘…Gray?’

The power shifted to gray, emanating an increasingly savage aura.

-Kale Heniatus. Be careful.

Jjangdol’s voice reached me.

-I’ve never seen it before either.

A power that even Jjangdol from ancient times was witnessing for the first time.
That meant it was a new power absent from the Ancient White Star, yet present beside the current White Star.

What could it be?
My heart thundered with the question.
An incomprehensible dread emanated from that power. It was a force that stirred fundamental rejection and fear.
That aspect triggered a memory, but I had no time to grasp what it was.

The Marquis with Fan spoke with a smile.

“The drive is complete.”

Craaack—
Hundreds of arrowheads began gleaming from the forest encircling the training ground.

Clang, clang, clang!
The Black Knight drew her sword, and the horses reared, their hooves thundering against the earth.
The Marquis with Fan observed the entire scene and spoke.

The drive is finished.
So then.

“Now we hunt.”

My heart pounded violently.

Boom!

At the unfamiliar sound, the Marquis with Fan froze, fan in hand.

“Hmm?”

In that instant, white mist surged forth from all directions toward the Training Ground.
It was white fog.
Seeing this, Bud’s eyes gleamed with interest as he gazed toward Kale Heniatus.

Mist.
It was unmistakably On and Hong of the Cat Tribe Soldiers.
And those who had fought alongside that mist when we destroyed the first Dark secret base.
The Molan Family was here.

They were allies.

Bud’s joy at this fact quickly faded from his expression.
It wasn’t enough.
With this level of force, not only was victory impossible, but there was no opening to escape either.
‘…If winning is difficult, I need to at least create an opportunity to flee!’

The enemies noticed this as well.
The Marquis with Fan waved the mist away with his voluminous sleeves and opened his mouth.

“Hmm. So you intend to drive us as we drove you? But can such force accomplish that?”
“No. It cannot.”

That was when it happened.

Meowwwww-!

A sharp feline cry pierced the air, and a mist-shrouded figure leaped over the trees, rushing swiftly toward Kale Heniatus.

‘On!’

Bud recognized her. Only On could move like that.
Simultaneously, the Elderly Dark Elf raised his hand.

“Fire!”

In the same moment, Elf Soros opened his mouth as well.

“Fire at those archers! Stop the arrows!”

Soros and the Elderly Dark Elf’s gazes collided.
The Dark Elves and Elves instantly drew their arrows toward one another.
In that hair-trigger moment.

“On! Why are you—!”

Kale Heniatus cried out, his face contorting.
A voice emerged even from the rapidly approaching mass of fog.

“It’s me!”

Ah.
Choi Han and Bud’s expressions shifted.
It was a familiar voice.

Raon.
It was unmistakably the Black Dragon.
In that instant, Bud could hear Choi Han’s murmur.

“We’re good.”

Bud felt the vitality dancing in Choi Han’s eyes.
Bud’s heart began to race.

There’s something here!

He looked toward Kale Heniatus.

-Human! I brought them! I’m a bit late because I went to the Western Continent and back!

Raon’s voice resonated within Kale Heniatus’s mind.

The moment Kale Heniatus heard the story from Pae of the Rat Tribe, he hastily scribbled on a piece of paper he had on him and asked the Wind Spirit to deliver it to Raon.

Kale Heniatus moistened his lips with his tongue.
He spoke to his enemies while slowly raising his head.

“…Your actions scattered my companions to the winds, it’s true.”

The Marquis with Fan had attempted to tear apart Kale Heniatus’s group.
Lake of Despair. Molden Kingdom. Roan Kingdom. And this place.
And according to his plan, Kale’s allies and their forces had scattered in all directions.
But here’s the thing.

“My comrades are spread across many places.”

Two figures descended from the sky.
Their speed was swift yet stable, courtesy of Raon’s magic.

Kale’s gaze turned downward once more.
He recalled what Pae had told him.

‘In any case, they all seemed to be based on dead mana! It felt like darkness attribute!’

The moment Kale heard the rat’s account, he thought of his two comrades and simultaneously grasped something crucial.

I understood why ‘Dark’ had tried to kill Sword Master Hana despite her being on the same side. Especially why he had pursued her brother, Saint Jack, with such relentless ferocity.

Tap.
Light footsteps echoed behind Kale’s back.

The reason Kale stood in the center of the Training Ground.
The reason he had dragged out time as long as possible.
It was because Raon had someone to bring.

-He’s here!

Raon’s cheerful cry rang out from within the mist.

Thud!
Unlike the light footsteps, a heavy sound echoed once more from behind.
A voice soon followed.

“It has been a long time, Young Master.”
“I’ve come as well.”

Saint Jack and Sword Master Hana, who carried a single sword sheath on her back, stepped forward from behind Kale.
The siblings, unable to hold even one hand together, walked with identical strides.
Bud, witnessing this sight, murmured softly.

“…Sunlight.”

The Sun God Cult bestowed upon the siblings tremendous healing power alongside divine essence—a blade with which to fight.
Bud’s mouth fell open.

“…The natural enemy of darkness attribute.”

Yes, that’s precisely why I brought them.
The corners of my lips curved upward.

Well then, I’ve brought your natural enemies.

I smiled toward my enemies.

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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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