Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 518

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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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“…they’re coming.”

At Choi Han’s words, Kale drew in ragged breaths.

“Huff, huff.”
“Are you alright?”

Kale answered with a nod instead of words.

‘Damn it! This body looks fine on the outside, but it’s weak as hell inside.’

My stamina had been deteriorating with each passing day.
Given my lifestyle, it was only natural.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

I took one deep breath and answered casually.
But the expression on Choi Han’s face as he looked at me was far from satisfied.

It was only natural that I didn’t train like Choi Han or Vicross, and even when Merry and Rosalind exercised, insisting that physical fitness was crucial for research, I remained inactive.
On top of that, there were many days when I didn’t even eat properly.

“What are you doing? Move faster.”

At my urging words, Choi Han quickly abandoned his thoughts and moved forward.
He glanced back once more.

“The enemies seem to have spotted us!”

At those words, I turned my head to look behind.
And I furrowed my brow.

‘How am I supposed to know if I can’t see anything!’

Whoooosh— whoosh—
The snow that had been falling gently until moments ago transformed into a fierce blizzard the instant the wind intensified.
The abruptly shifting weather of the Snowy Mountain was nothing short of catastrophic.

‘I’m going crazy.’

Kale Heniatus struggled to maintain proper visibility.
He couldn’t see the enemy Choi Han had mentioned, nor could he see the path ahead clearly.

“Young Master, shall we advance as planned?”

Yet Choi Han, Hana, and Ron beside Kale Heniatus kept glancing backward, silently asking him what they should do.
The others were scattered according to their operational positions.

‘…They can all see it, apparently.’

These terrifying people.
He understood that Choi Han and Hana, being Sword Masters, could dramatically enhance their vision by concentrating their aura in their eyes.
But Ron wasn’t even a Sword Master, yet the enemies seemed perfectly visible to him.

Truly a formidable old man.
Kale Heniatus realized once more that the three people around him were no ordinary humans as he opened his mouth to speak.

“We proceed.”

In that instant, the map and terrain of the Snowy Mountain materialized vividly in Kale Heniatus’s mind.
The recorded information unfolded before him.

It didn’t matter that he couldn’t see in all directions.
As long as the three people beside him could observe their surroundings, Kale Heniatus only needed to determine their direction based on that information.
It wasn’t difficult.
That’s why his response was resolute.

“We advance forward.”

And he took a step.

“Whoa!”

But immediately, a startled sound escaped his lips as his body tilted to one side.

“Hey. Watch out!”

Hana swiftly caught his arm and steadied him.
Choi Han guarded the rear, Ron the front, and Hana remained at my side.
The three of them formed a protective formation around me.
I gently withdrew my arm from Hana’s grasp and pressed forward without hesitation.

“Let’s hurry. We need to stay on schedule.”

Hana’s brow furrowed slightly as she watched me.

‘…This guy is something else.’

Watching the most fragile among us trudge through the blizzard as if nothing were amiss, appearing perfectly composed on the surface, made Hana’s chest tighten with concern.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

At my blunt remark, Hana’s gaze sharpened.

“Like what?”

Hana replied with equal curtness, then turned her attention forward again, catching my voice cutting through the howling wind.
Though nearly swallowed by the fierce gusts, her ears caught every word.

“To deceive our enemies, I need to be visible. You know that, don’t you?”

She did.
Their current plan was to deceive the enemy and lead them to their destination.
For that reason, they couldn’t afford to hide Kale Heniatus—the very bait their enemies most desired.
Hana suppressed her frustration and muttered inwardly.

‘Clever bastard.’

His remarkable ability to discern the correct direction toward their destination by listening only to his companions’ voices amidst this blinding snowstorm was truly extraordinary.

He had orchestrated this entire plan and bore the heaviest burden.

‘…So I have no choice but to follow.’

Hana matched my pace silently, staying at my side.
Of course, she also stepped slightly ahead, quietly brushing away the accumulated snow before me.

Choi Han, who had been watching the two of them, cast a brief glance backward.
He continuously gauged the speed at which enemies approached.

‘For every step we take, they take two.’

They were fast.
The enemies pursued Kale Heniatus and his group with remarkable speed as they walked in formation.
Choi Han’s heart grew impatient.

‘Once this is finished, we head straight to the Roan Kingdom.’

After hearing Kale Heniatus mention that the Crown Prince might be in danger, Choi Han thought of Alberu.

‘…He’s still my disciple, after all.’

The news that Alberu—distant yet somehow close—might be in danger weighed heavily on Choi Han’s mind.
Because of this, he wanted to fulfill his role even more diligently, and his gaze kept drifting backward.

And the enemies were staring intently at Choi Han and Kale Heniatus’s group.

“…They’ve noticed us.”
“What do you think about increasing our speed?”

The Black Knight glanced back at the question from the Elderly Dark Elf Count.
The elderly man, noticing that glance, asked the Marquis following behind them with a fan in hand.

“What do you think would be best, Marquis?”

The Marquis was being carried on the back of a Dark Elf.
With his stamina, it was impossible for him to advance through this blizzard on his own.
The Marquis covered his face from the falling snow with his fan as he spoke.

“Are we certain that Kale Heniatus and Bud’s group have separated?”
“It appears so.”

The Black Knight answered while unable to hide her irritated expression.

‘Damn this blizzard!’

Clad in armor, she felt heavier than the others around her.
Of course, this posed no problem for her whatsoever.
It was her subordinates who faced the difficulty.
She glanced backward.

‘…This is not good.’

All the black horses had been left waiting at the entrance to the Snowy Mountain.
Thus, she and the Knights Order were now trudging through this snowfield in full armor.
They were moving at considerable speed to match the Dark Elves’ pace.
She could sense her subordinates gradually falling behind compared to the Dark Elves, though they tried to keep up.

‘This old man is deliberately doing this!’

Fire flickered in her eyes as she cast a sidelong glance at the Elderly Dark Elf.

He was clearly and intentionally increasing the Dark Elves’ pace incrementally.
This old man was deliberately surging ahead at this very moment, completely disregarding the Knights Order.

When their eyes met, she could see the elderly man offer her a gentle smile.

‘…This wretched old fool!’

The old man was clearly attempting to seize credit in this opportunity and claim all the glory for the Dark Elves.
It was an obvious scheme to expand his own influence within the Endable Kingdom by any means necessary.

Both she and the Marquis holding the fan beside her understood this perfectly.

‘Where is Duke Fredo?’

Had Duke Fredo been present, the Dark Elves might not have dared to act so brazenly in this situation.
But as always, the Vampire who preferred to hang back and act passively was nowhere to be seen.
At that moment, the Marquis holding the fan spoke up.

“Surely Kale Heniatus is deliberately using himself as bait to lure us in, so he can buy time for the Mercenary King’s group to escape, yes?”
“That is correct, Marquis.”

The Elderly Dark Elf’s eyes gleamed as he continued speaking.

“According to what the spirits have revealed, there is no trace of a dragon’s aura in this vicinity, nor any sign of spirits. Kale Heniatus must have entrusted the Elves and the Mercenary Group with their escape to the dragon, while he leads only his swordsmen to lure us away.”

The Elderly Man continued swiftly.

“And since earlier, I have faintly observed traces of movement in a different direction from Kale Heniatus. These must surely be the tracks left behind as the Mercenary Group fled.”

The Black Knight opened her mouth in rebuttal.

“Is it not strange that traces remain even in such a blizzard?”

Normally, the blizzard should have erased all traces, yet strangely, wherever Bud was presumed to have fled, the tracks remained unwiped away.

“These traces were surely left intentionally by our enemies to sow confusion among us. The Mercenary King did not flee in the direction of the tracks we found. They must have gone elsewhere—”
“Count. Does that truly matter?”

The Knight fell silent at the Marquis’s words.
A thin smile crept across the Elderly Man’s lips as he watched.

“Precisely, Marquis. That is not what matters. Wherever the Mercenary Group flees is not our ‘objective.'”
“Correct. Our objective is ‘Kale Heniatus,’ is it not, Count?”

The Black Knight nodded in agreement with the Marquis’s words, exhaling softly.

“Yes. Our objective is Kale Heniatus.”
“Indeed.”

Flutter, flutter.
Even amid the blizzard, the Marquis fanned himself as he spoke.

“Currently, Kale Heniatus has neither dragon nor spirits at his side—only his swordsmen as he lures us forward.”

Snap!
The fan closed.

“He surely intends to sacrifice himself.”

The most distinctive quality of Kale Heniatus, as analyzed by the Endable Kingdom, was his willingness to ‘sacrifice.’
This time would be no exception.

“We know that Kale Heniatus is luring us, yet we must still pursue him. And since Kale Heniatus knows we’ll come after him regardless, he flees with only his knights. That is our advantage.”

The answer was simple.

“So we pursue him and finish this once and for all.”

The Marquis’s eyes gleamed with fervor.

‘Neither the Duke nor the White Star are here right now.’

This was the perfect opportunity to claim the greatest glory for himself.

‘…I must expand my power.’

A faction that served demons rather than gods.
As the leader of that faction, the Marquis wanted to grow his influence and strength as much as possible before the world learned of the Endable Kingdom’s existence.

“We accelerate our pursuit. Choi Han, Hana, Ron Mollan—all are formidable adversaries, but Kale Heniatus must surely be exhausted by now. As we chase him, an opening will present itself.”

A strange hunger blazed in his eyes.

“When that opening appears, we simply strike.”

Whoooosh—
The power dwelling in his fan trembled within the blizzard.

“We increase our speed.”
“Yes!”

The Elderly Dark Elf answered with vigor, but the Black Knight hesitated. She worried whether her exhausted subordinates could keep pace.
The Marquis turned to her and asked.

“Would you fall back and follow from behind?”

Her face contorted.
It was obvious the Marquis and the Elderly Dark Elf intended to handle everything themselves.

“…Very well.”

However, the Knight retreated backward without a word.

‘The opportunity isn’t limited to just now.’

She had always excelled at patience, so she quietly withdrew.

“Count Mok! Why are they heading northwest?”

The Marquis, an Elderly Dark Elf, directed his question toward Mok.
Mok increased his pace and, keeping his eyes fixed on Kale Heniatus and his group drawing ever closer, opened his mouth.

“At this position, they’re clearly heading toward the Cliff to the northwest.”
“The Cliff?”
“Four individuals of that caliber would find it relatively simple to descend the Cliff safely.”

Hmm.
The Marquis nodded in acknowledgment.

“They intend to descend the Cliff and prevent us from pursuing further.”
“Precisely. Therefore, we must catch them before they reach the Cliff.”
“Understood.”

At the Marquis’s hearty affirmation, Mok smiled faintly at the corners of his mouth and accelerated his pace.

‘There is no prey nearby.’

The spirit bound to him conveyed once more that no other spirits inhabited the surrounding area.
A smile played at the corners of my mouth.

‘If Kale Heniatus has neither magic nor spirits at his side, then we hold the advantage.’

In that instant.

“…!”

He turned around and could see Kale Heniatus’s widened pupils as our eyes met.
Even in this frigid weather, his forehead was drenched with perspiration—he appeared genuinely exhausted.

‘No, could he have caught a cold?’

His face was pale as if burning with fever, but it had gone far beyond that—it was a complete mess.

Whoosh.
Choi Han moved to shield Kale Heniatus from behind.
Count Mok could see it all with perfect clarity.
That meant the enemies who had once seemed as distant as specks were now catching up to them at an alarming rate.

‘Right on top of us!’

He raised his hand.
For a Dark Elf like him, there was only one measure by which to judge ‘closeness’.

Twang—
The bowstring drew taut.
In an instant, the Dark Elves drew arrows from their quivers while running, all of them trained on Kale Heniatus.

Now the target had drawn close enough to loose their arrows.

“Allow me to lend a hand as well.”

Count Mok’s brow furrowed slightly at the Marquis’s words before smoothing out just as quickly.

‘I knew it would come to this.’

He could sense the Marquis’s intention to seize the advantage.
But in moments like these, it was better to turn it into a shared effort without protest.

Whooooom—
A tremendous force began to coalesce, visible to the eye.

“Scatter and form ranks!”

Count Mok’s shout rang out, and the Dark Elves began to disperse within the blizzard.
They spread into a crescent formation, surging forward toward Kale Heniatus and his companions.

Whooom— Whooom—
Black aura began to frost over the arrows.
Soon the arrows were consumed by the black aura, which took their place entirely.

“Damn it!”

The Knight had no choice but to bite her lip and watch this scene unfold, as the Knights Order had no long-range attacks available at this moment.
Then she shuddered, her shoulders trembling.

‘…What is that?’

An odd aura emanated from behind her.
She tore her gaze from the rapidly moving front and spun around in alarm.

‘There’s nothing there?’

There was nothing behind her.
But then, amid the blizzard, she detected a strange sound.
It was a sound only she could hear, having withdrawn from the battlefield.
Her gaze gradually lifted skyward.

A sound of something cutting through the air.
She looked up at the Sky and immediately cried out in shock.

“…No, surely not!”

A black object crossed above her, crossed above their allies, and flew toward Kale Heniatus.

A Dragon.
That was unmistakably a Dragon.
The Dragon was flying from the Mountain Peak toward Kale.
Her gaze shifted beyond the blizzard toward the Mountain Peak.

There was no trace of the Mercenary Group on the Mountain Peak.
What could this mean?

The moment doubt seized her, she opened her mouth.
When doubt arises on the Battlefield.
That is when.

“…Retreat! Retreat!”

It was time to retreat.
It was time to stop.

But at that moment, Count Mok’s voice rang out louder than hers.

“Increase your speed and tighten the encirclement!”

The Dark Elves, spreading out like a crescent moon to engulf Kale Heniatus and his companions, accelerated their advance.
That was the moment.

‘Mok! Someone is coming from far away!’

Someone coming?
The moment the spirit’s words reached Mok’s mind, he could swiftly see those approaching through his flight magic.
They were coming from the west.

‘A Dragon!’

And immediately after, with the spirit’s cry, he could also see a Dragon descending like an arrow from the north.
It was ominous.
But the Marquis reacted first.

“Stop! Halt!”

At his cry, the Dark Elves looked toward Mok, and Mok opened his mouth as well.

“Stop! Cease!”

The footsteps of those charging came to a halt.
At that moment, Mok’s eyes met with Kale Heniatus, who had turned around.

To Mok, whose eyesight was more developed than anyone else’s, Kale Heniatus’s smiling lips were visible.

Meanwhile, Kale could not see the expressions of his enemies, including Mok.
But he had been waiting for this moment when his enemies stopped.

“They shouldn’t have stopped.”

His hand rose toward the sky, then swept downward in a decisive arc.
It was the signal.

Boom—
A colossal tremor that devoured the blizzard itself crashed over everyone’s ears.
Their gazes snapped northward.

Mountain Peak.
A massive tidal wave emerged from that place.
A colossal tsunami of snow came surging down the mountainside.

Thud.
Rosalind descended before Kale Heniatus and extended her hand.
The cloth pouch that had hung across her shoulder now gaped open, utterly empty.

“I’ve used them all.”

Rosalind had gone to Erhafen and borrowed every magical bomb he possessed, then scraped together every last one she herself had carried.

“Your hands look remarkably light now.”

At Kale Heniatus’s words, Rosalind smiled and offered her hand.

“Let’s go.”

Rosalind’s hand touched his shoulder, and acceleration magic and body-heat preservation magic enveloped him.
Kale Heniatus turned his back to the surging avalanche and the enemy forces frozen in shock.

Boom—boom! Boom—boom!
Accompanied by relentless explosions, the snow that had occupied the Mountain Peak Area for hundreds and thousands of years came rushing down the mountainside with terrifying speed.

“Flee!”
“Retreat!”
“…Those who can fly, take to the air!”

The cries of the enemy echoed behind Kale Heniatus.
But he had no time to look back.

“Let’s move.”

The group began to rapidly retreat from the scene.
As if they had been waiting for this moment, they advanced two or three steps for every single step their enemies took.
Kale also moved swiftly with the aid of magic.

Rosalind’s voice reached him.

“I just came back from the Mercenary King. Everyone has crossed the bridge and is preparing for teleportation under the protection of the mages. Everyone will escape safely soon.”
-Human! I can’t establish a video communication with the Crown Prince!

Raon’s voice also filled his mind.
Kale opened his mouth.

“We’re heading directly to the Roan Kingdom.”

His cold voice carried not a trace of hesitation.
Hana, who had been matching his pace beside him, turned to look back.

Boom—
A tsunami of snow engulfed the place where they had come from.

‘…It’s suffocating.’

The immense power sweeping over the enemies left her breathless.
The mages beside Rosalind stared blankly in disbelief, unable to accept what they were witnessing with their own eyes—the result of dozens of magical bombs and combined magic.
Then, Kale’s voice rang out again.

“Everyone, snap out of it.”

Hana shifted her gaze.
Normally, Kale Heniatus would be delighted to have landed such a blow on the enemies, but today his expression was grim.
He was still in a state of urgency.

“…We don’t have time.”

Kale’s quiet murmur betrayed the desperation in his voice as much as it showed on his face.

* * *

Alberu gazed beyond the City Wall, watching the enemies surging forth from the horizon.
His gaze remained fixed upon the figure standing at the center of that advancing force, the one whose eyes met his own.

“So that must be the White Star.”

The White Star and Albert Crossman.
For the first time, they beheld one another.
That place was a Battlefield.

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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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