Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 515

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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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“…A Vampire…!”

Kale could hear Bud’s confident voice from behind him.
Since Bud had already caught the scent of a Vampire once before, his judgment would be nearly infallible.

“…And, and-”

Kale glanced back briefly at the hesitant tremor in Bud’s voice.
He could see the wavering pupils in Bud’s eyes.

Those pupils were filled with astonishment—the same astonishment as when Bud had spoken of the Marquis wielding a fan, the same shock as when declaring something stronger than Erhaben.

‘Then.’

Kale’s gaze turned back to the Vampire.

“Are you the leader of the Vampires?”

The Young Prince regarded Kale with a warmth in his expression and opened his mouth.

“Yes. I am the leader.”

The Young Prince answered plainly, then turned his gaze toward Choi Han.

“So you’re Choi Han. No need to look about so nervously. There are no other enemies in this vicinity.”

Choi Han, who had been discreetly surveying his surroundings, flinched and trembled.

‘It reminds me of when I first met Erhaben.’

When I first discovered the Ancient Dragon Erhaben’s Lair, the Dragon’s aura subtly emanating from within had made me feel calm on the surface, yet I sensed this power was formidable.
It was an aura that could not be easily overcome—or rather, one that made me contemplate deeply how victory might even be possible.

And now, in this very moment, Choi Han felt that same aura emanating from this Vampire.
Without thinking, he opened his mouth.

“…You’re not young….”

Sword Master Hana tightened her grip on the white blade in response to Choi Han’s stern expression.
Among all her opponents, Choi Han was one of the few she struggled to defeat in pure swordplay.
Seeing him tense like this, she felt her own nerves sharpen instinctively.

‘If it’s a Vampire, there’s a high chance I’ll need to handle it.’

Just as I had faced the Dark Elf before, I would need to do the same again.
At that moment, Kale Heniatus asked the Vampire Boy a question.

“Why are there no other enemies here?”

Now that I thought about it, one of the Vampires earlier had remained hidden in the darkness of the forest rather than stepping forward.

‘That one didn’t even show its tail.’

Boom!
The sound of another magical bomb detonating echoed through the air.
Soon, after just one or two more explosions, all of Raon’s planted bombs would be spent.

‘The fog will disappear with the explosions.’

Much of the mist would be cleared by the blasts, and then the enemies would quickly pick up our trail and pursue us. Before that happened, I needed to reach the Snowy Mountain and prepare.
To do that, I had to hurry.
There was no time to waste.

‘Damn it.’

Encountering such a creature in this situation gave me a headache.
But I concealed my true thoughts and maintained the calmest expression I could muster, and the boy responded in kind with equal composure.

“Why would I bother moving together with those other creatures?”
“…That’s hard to believe when we’re being surrounded from all sides even at the base of that mountain.”

As I spoke, I gave Choi Han a subtle glance—a signal to advance gradually forward.
Those at the front received the signal and began moving ahead bit by bit.

The Vampire Boy seemed completely indifferent to their movements.
Instead, he smiled wickedly and raised his hand in a gesture.

“Don’t worry about me. Come quickly. The enemies will be chasing up from below soon.”

Choi Han came to an abrupt halt.
An enemy was calling him over with a smile. And a very powerful one at that.
His gaze turned toward Kale Heniatus, and Kale opened his mouth with a grimmer expression than ever before.

“What’s your game?”

Were there Vampires lying in ambush on the Snowy Mountain?
Or would that boulder explode?
What trap was he laying to lure us in?
I ran through every possibility. If I were alone, I wouldn’t be thinking so hard about this.

“Huff. Huff.”

Behind me, the Mage and the wounded were still breathing heavily. They were receiving healing from Jack whenever he had a moment to spare.

Because of that, my suspicions deepened, and I cast a wary gaze toward the Vampire Boy.

“Ah. I see the misunderstanding.”

The boy shook his head and raised both hands in a placating gesture.

“I have no intention of fighting you here.”
“Why?”

Did he really think that made sense right now?
My face twisted in disbelief.

“That’s absurd! You’re the leader of those bastards who drank the blood of our soldiers…!”

Pae’s voice came through, muttering as if his anger was about to explode.
I agreed wholeheartedly with that sentiment.

An enemy I could never reconcile with was saying he didn’t want to fight?

My eyes gleamed as I fixed my gaze on the Vampire Boy.
Step. Step.
I moved forward one pace at a time. Then I pointed at the boy.

“What’s your rank?”

This creature surely had some title by which his kind addressed one another.
Count?
No. It had to be higher than that.

“Marquis? Or perhaps—”

The young prince emanated an unmistakable air of nobility.

“Duke?”
“That’s right. I am a Duke.”

He introduced himself with quite an elegant gesture.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Fredo Von Izelern, Duke of the Vampires who lead both continents. You may simply call me Duke Fredo.”

Kale Heniatus tossed out his next words without hesitation.

“Then who is your king?”

The corners of Duke Fredo’s mouth curved upward like a painting.
Kale Heniatus did not pause in his questioning.

“Did you establish your own kingdom?”

Kingdom.
At that word, Ron, Jack, and Bud flinched in surprise, their shoulders tensing.

But Kale Heniatus remained composed.
Given that they addressed one another by ranks, and considering how their forces seemed both separated and unified to some degree.
Kale Heniatus wondered if perhaps they truly were a single kingdom.

And it was Bud who grew most tense at that question.

A kingdom of darkness-aligned beings on the Eastern Continent?
It could be a grave concern for those in power, but for Bud, it was not necessarily a problem.

However, if their intentions were to plunge the world into darkness and draw in the Demonic Realm, that was a serious problem indeed.
He stared at Fredo Von Izelern’s mouth with even greater tension than Kale Heniatus displayed.
Yet the young prince offered an enigmatic smile.

“Well.”

And with that, he evasively dodged the answer.
But from that response, Kale Heniatus was half-convinced that a kingdom existed.
So he took another step forward and posed his question once more.

“Is the king the White Star?”

Or perhaps.

“Or is it a demon? There were those who served demons, after all.”

In that instant, Fredo Von Izelern’s brow furrowed ever so slightly.
It was infinitesimal, but it could not escape the eyes of Kale Heniatus, who wielded his recording ability.

“Haha.”

Yet soon that frown vanished, and the young prince laughed.
Fredo quickly composed himself and spoke with measured simplicity.

“No matter how delicious your blood may be, I’d prefer you didn’t look at me in such a manner.”

What?
Kale Heniatus wondered for a moment if he had heard correctly.

Meow?
He lowered his head. He could see On’s bewildered expression.

-Human! What did that vampire just say? Does human blood taste good?

He hadn’t misheard after all.
Kale Heniatus lifted his head again. He could meet the gazes of Vicross and Sword Master Hana, whose eyes held a peculiar unease and reluctant displeasure.
Kale Heniatus’s own expression was on the verge of becoming equally displeased.

“That’s quite an amusing thing to say.”

Kale Heniatus snapped back to awareness at the sound of Ron’s eerily gentle voice.
Even as he did, the young Duke’s words continued unabated.

“I am a vampire who understands pride and dignity. As such, I bow to no one.”

Kale opened his mouth at once in response.

“So you don’t serve the Demon race or the White Star?”

The young man’s lips curved upward.

“I shall speak only truth to you. I serve no one in earnest.”

Vampire.
Kale began to contemplate a race he had scarcely given thought to before.
Records flashed rapidly through his mind.

“Serving another is what the weak do. It would be troublesome if one as delicious as yourself harbored such a misunderstanding.”

Of course, Duke Fredo Von Izelern could fabricate actions for the greater good.
But having chosen to speak only truth, he would speak only truth.

That was his pride.
And he had something to say to Kale Heniatus.

‘…Seeing him in person, he truly is remarkable.’

When he had merely heard rumors of Kale, he had harbored a faint sense of anticipation.

Vampire.
A race that, like the Dark Elves, possessed the darkness attribute, yet was recognized as belonging to this world.
And so unlike other darkness-aligned beings, they could withstand living vitality—blood—without harm.

In fact, it was far better than that.
The young man descended from the rock.

“Kale Heniatus.”

Tap.
He descended lightly and approached Kale Heniatus’s group at a leisurely pace.
The group tensed, attempting to show their vigilance.

Boom. Boom. Boom.
From far away, the sound of the earth trembling reached their ears.
Kale’s instincts screamed at him.

‘The sound of hoofbeats!’

The vibrations created by horses galloping wildly toward them.
The enemies, who had been wavering in confusion, were now heading in this direction.
Kale wanted to turn and look back. He was curious about the mountain’s landscape now that the fog had nearly dissipated.
Yet he had to maintain eye contact with the Vampire Duke.

Whoosh.
Fredo Von Izelern stopped in his tracks and gazed at the blade pointed directly at him.
Hana’s white sword remained steady and unwavering, directed at him.
Fredo Von Izelern chuckled softly at the sight.

“What an amusing toy.”
“What?”

Hana’s eyes flashed with intensity.
She twisted her wrist holding the sword, and the Sun’s Condemnation surged forward toward Fredo Von Izelern with blinding speed.

Slash!
“…Where did you go!”

But there was nothing where her blade had cut through in an instant.

Crash!
She turned her head in alarm at the thunderous sound from behind.

“Hmm. Indeed, somewhat different.”

There, Choi Han had somehow positioned himself directly in front of Kale Heniatus and was blocking Fredo Von Izelern’s strike with his hand.

“…What on earth—!”

However, upon witnessing this spectacle, Hana could not conceal her astonishment—far from feeling relief.
She was not alone in this reaction.
Even Choi Han, who had intercepted Duke Fredo’s strike, felt his pupils waver.

The young prince had vanished.
The one who clashed with Choi Han’s blade was a powerfully built adult.
Appearing to be in his thirties—around Vicross’s age.
Yet he possessed violet eyes and grayish-white hair strikingly identical to the Vampire Boy’s, though the color alone was shared; his aura was considerably indolent and composed.

Duke Fredo had transformed from a boy into an adult in an instant.
This was likely his true form.

Whoosh—
Choi Han was startled by the sheer force with which Duke Fredo casually pushed his blade aside.
Yet Duke Fredo simply brushed off his hand and opened his mouth.

“Our allies will arrive soon, so speak quickly and disappear. You’ll need to flee as well, after all.”

Kale Heniatus’s expression became peculiar.

‘Different.’

The boy’s form had been merely a shell, and this true form emanated an oppressive presence that was far from trivial.
It was a sudden realization.

‘This is not someone who should be serving under the White Star.’

Now that I thought about it, the same applied to the Marquis wielding the fan. They did not fit as subordinates of the White Star.
It was the moment Kale Heniatus’s gaze scrutinized the adult version of Fredo.

“I propose a contract.”

Fredo spoke to Kale Heniatus in an impassive tone.
Yet the content of his words could not possibly be impassive.

“A contract? We are enemies, are we not?”
“Perhaps. But that remains to be seen.”

Faced with such an ambiguous attitude, Kale Heniatus had no choice but to hear out the proposal.

“…What sort of proposal?”

Fredo Von Izelern’s lips curled upward into a smile.
In that instant, Kale sensed something ominous radiating from that expression, and as if responding to it, the Duke spoke his proposal with deliberate slowness.

“Give us your blood. No—offer it to us.”

What?
Kale’s eyes widened in shock.
What in the world did I just hear?
Even as I processed my astonishment, the Duke continued speaking.
He was utterly serious.

“Then we shall cooperate with you.”
“What are you talking about?”

At that moment.
Boom. Boom. Boom!
The tremors grew ever closer.
Bud, who had been drawing in deep breaths through his nose, finally could restrain himself no longer and cried out.

“The scent is closing in! They’re getting near!”

The enemies were drawing closer.
Now I truly had to move.
To lure the enemies and escape from them.

Fredo Von Izelern glanced past Kale’s shoulder, then spoke gently to the bewildered Kale.

“I shall invite you to our castle soon. If you wish to hear the details, do come.”

I still stared at Fredo Von Izelern in utter bewilderment.

Blood?
Offer my blood?
And then you’ll cooperate?
What nonsense is this?

“Ah. By the way.”

Fredo Von Izelern stepped back and drew a smile across his face.
It was a smile brimming with playful delight.

“Your blood is absolutely wonderful for vampires. Taste, nutrition, healing properties. It’s a true panacea.”

A grin spread across his face.
Fredo Von Izelern laughed brightly.
For some reason, even when the adult-form Fredo Von Izelern smiled brightly, there was something decadent about his appearance, and Kale found himself breaking out in goosebumps without realizing it.

It felt like watching a slightly more unhinged version of Clophe Seka.

-Human! Those aren’t normal eyes!

In other words.
Wasn’t this guy completely off his rocker?

-And human! Your blood smells fishy! Disgusting! You can’t let your blood spill!

Regardless of what Raon said, Kale’s expression as he stared at the Duke was one of pure disbelief at the existence of such a madman. Of course, Hana and Vicross wore even more flabbergasted expressions, while Choi Han and Ron emanated a murderous aura.
That was when it happened.

“What’s going on?”

Crunch, crunch.
From behind the rocks.
A figure emerged into view.
Snow clung to her shoulders, as if she had descended from the Snowy Mountain.

Whoosh.
As she pulled back her hood, crimson hair cascaded down.
Rosalind, with a large cloth sack slung over one shoulder, opened her mouth with a bewildered expression.

“I came down because you didn’t arrive even after waiting. And now I’m hearing absolute nonsense. Who is this newly unhinged lunatic?”

She looked at Fredo Von Izelern, then turned back to Kale and asked.

“Young Prince Kale. What is that?”
“…Uh… A madman who says my blood is delicious?”

There was no other way to explain it.

—————
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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