Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 519

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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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I never imagined there would be so many enemies.

“Your Highness, I apologize!”

Taylor Sten, the lord of Sten Territory, bowed his head toward Albert Crossman.

“What fault could possibly be yours?”

At Alberu’s calm voice, Taylor’s face twisted with anguish.
Yet Alberu felt grateful toward Taylor instead.

“I heard the first skirmish went well. Thank you for holding the line.”

Before Alberu arrived here, a brief first engagement had taken place.
Lord Taylor Sten had conducted a defensive siege from a thoroughly fortified position.

“The White Star Faction showed no intention of engaging in earnest combat. They probed us with measured attacks before withdrawing.”

Taylor recalled that first skirmish.
As if testing the waters, the White Star Faction had reconnoitered their defenses.

“And then they began summoning reinforcements! That’s why, that’s why—”

Taylor could not bring himself to finish his words.
Instead, Alberu continued for him.

“Which is why there are so many enemies now.”

Taylor squeezed his eyes shut.
But Alberu did the opposite, gazing directly ahead beyond the City Wall.

Before his eyes lay the enemies the White Star had brought.
He enumerated each foe he could see.

“…The Bear Tribe, and those—are they Dark Unit Members? Knights and Mages. Quite the assembly.”

Thump. Thump. Thump.
The ground trembled each time the berserk Bear Tribe moved in unison.
They advanced slowly toward the City Wall, each wielding their weapons.
There was no urgency.

Behind them were many allies who appeared to be formidable warriors.

‘Are these the powerful ones presumed to be at Alchemy’s Second Secret Base?’

Alberu recalled the information Kale Heniatus had shared about Alchemy’s Second Secret Base.

“…Your Majesty.”

At that moment, a subordinate’s voice reached him, heavy with gravity.
Alberu, understanding the sentiment behind those words, let out a quiet laugh.

“Indeed. The Bear Tribe and those creatures aren’t the real problem right now.”

Thump. Thump. Thump.
The true threat wasn’t those advancing with earth-shaking steps, slowly encircling Sten Central City.

“There are far too many unknowns in the rear ranks.”

The number of White Star Faction forces waiting in the rear of the advancing enemy was considerable.

‘The Black Mages are obvious enough.’

Alberu opened his mouth.

“Marquis Sten. Have you identified who those figures in the rear are?”

I could not discern the true nature of those stationed in the rear.
Those clad in robes of varying colors did not all appear to be Black Mages.
In particular, those wearing garments that seemed to blur the line between gray robes and priestly vestments emanated an unsettling aura even from a distance, compelling the thought that one should not approach them carelessly.

“My sincerest apologies, Your Majesty. Whether they utilized teleportation magic circles or not, the enemy numbers increased so rapidly that I was unable to gather proper intelligence!”
“That’s certainly understandable. I see.”

Taylor spoke with self-reproach, yet Alberu’s calm dismissal of his concerns left him unable to articulate the complex emotions stirring within him.

‘…They’re different.’

When Taylor had gone to Mogur, he’d been able to observe from a distance how Kale Heniatus fought.
And this was his first battlefield alongside Alberu.

The two seemed alike yet were fundamentally different.
Like brothers, perhaps.

Taylor’s contemplation couldn’t last long.

“Your Majesty! Look at that!”

Suddenly, the City Wall erupted into chaos.
One of the generals cried out without thinking.

“Impossible! The White Star commands wyverns!”

As the mages and figures in mysterious gray robes stepped aside, wyverns emerged from behind them.

Screeeech—
Screeeech— Screeeech—
The shrieking wyverns advanced at the White Star’s gesture.
Upon the backs of these wyverns rode both Dark Mages and Knights.

The wyverns were massive enough to accommodate such riders, far larger than ordinary wyverns.
And without exception, their hides were pitch black.

Alone among them, the White Star mounted the White Wyvern’s back.
At this sight, the voices of the officials stationed upon the City Wall grew louder.

“Ground combat is already dire, and now aerial warfare too! How can we—”
“The wyverns’ attacks are troublesome enough! But there are mages riding them—Dark Mages! If they rain spells down into the city from above, it will be catastrophic!”
“What are we to do? We must devise a countermeasure at once!”

It was as chaotic as a marketplace in full swing.
Not a soul refrained from raising their voice, each too preoccupied with voicing their own thoughts.
Yet among them all, none could offer a clear solution.

Marquis Taylor opened his mouth as he watched, then closed it again.
A thought had suddenly occurred to him, but he could not voice it.

Yet there was someone who spoke the very thought he’d been holding back.

“…Just like the Heniatus Territory War!”

The Heniatus Territory War.
The moment those words left someone’s lips, everyone fell silent.

The Roan Kingdom had already fought and defeated a wyvern before.
It was the first war between the Heniatus Territory and the Northern Indomitable Alliance.

“That’s right! Just like then, if Young Master Kale creates a shield for us—!”
“Let’s contact Young Master Kale immediately through video communication!”
“Yes! Why don’t we reach out to Commander Kale right away?”

Taylor’s face twisted.
This was not it.
That was not the thought he’d had.
Then it happened.

“Silence!”

In an instant, stillness descended upon the surroundings.
All eyes turned toward Albert Crossman.
Yet those gazes soon shifted elsewhere.

“How can those responsible for the battlefield display such reckless abandon!”

They could not meet the gaze of Alberu—his words delivered with calm but iron resolve, his eyes burning with an intensity like roaring flames.
Alberu turned his head.

“Magic Battalion Commander!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”

The Magic Battalion Commander bowed his head.
The Magic Corps, known to have been nurtured with Alberu’s full support.
They had all come here with Alberu, leaving only a minimal force in the Capital.

Alberu asked the Magic Battalion Commander.

“Can we protect the castle with a shield?”
“…It will take considerable time, sir! A barrier of the caliber that Prince Kale Heniatus possesses would require constructing a magical formation!”

A massive shield capable of protecting the entire castle would demand time to construct the necessary magical formation.
Marquis Taylor and the other officials’ faces twisted with concern.

Screeeee—
Screee—screeeee—
The White Wyvern continued its ear-piercing shrieks as it drew ever closer.
Looking up, one could see the massive black wings approaching with each passing moment.

This was dire.
What could be done about this?
The minds of the leadership began racing frantically.

Then it happened.

“Albert Crossman.”

A great voice that resounded across the entire battlefield rang out.
It came from atop the White Wyvern’s back.

Between the city wall where the Crown Prince stood and the region where the enemy forces were stationed.
The White Star, perched upon the White Wyvern that had halted midway between them, opened his mouth and addressed Alberu.

“Albert Crossman.”

He called out to Alberu once more.

“How dare you speak the name of His Majesty with such—!”
“What audacious insolence!”

Several of the elder officials raised their voices in indignation, but the White Star continued as though he could not hear them.
His voice reached both allies and enemies alike.

“Fighting one another will only leave destruction in its wake. Shall we not speak instead?”

In that instant, Alberu’s eyes gleamed with interest.
Yet his retainers’ expressions darkened for an entirely different reason.
They approached Alberu and spoke in hushed tones.

“Your Majesty! You must not trust that man’s words!”
“A dialogue? It makes no sense whatsoever!”

Marquis Taylor also voiced his objection forcefully.

“He surely intends to lure Your Majesty out and take you hostage!”
“Precisely! We must enter a defensive siege and refuse to parley with them!”

A dialogue between the White Star and Alberu?
It was preposterous.

Certainly, there were instances where commanders exchanged words briefly on the battlefield, but only if the other party was trustworthy.

And this was none other than the White Star himself.
A man who had resorted to every conceivable treachery.
Would such a creature truly wish merely to talk?

“Consider what he has done, Your Majesty. He will surely call you out under the pretense of dialogue, only to abandon any negotiation and unleash some vile scheme.”

Marquis Taylor whispered his conviction with unwavering intensity.

“Moreover, our duty is to endure. Your Majesty will surely acknowledge this much.”

We must hold until Kale and his companions arrive.
Even if we wish to fight, we must restrain ourselves.

Because the White Star’s forces were formidable.

“There is no need to abandon our sturdy walls—which still hold firm—and walk into the enemy’s trap, I believe.”
“Indeed. Marquis Taylor speaks with precision, Your Majesty. If you were to send a representative from among your retainers, perhaps, but you yourself must not go.”

It was then.
The White Star’s voice reached them.

“Deliberating for too long seems like a rather poor choice, wouldn’t you say?”

Squeak, squeak, squeak.
Along the same path the wyvern had emerged from, supply wagons began appearing one after another between the enemy soldiers who had hastily stepped aside.

“Sob…”
“Ugh! P-please—”
“S-save us. Sob…”

Where cargo should have been stacked, wooden cages now stood.
And within them were imprisoned people.

“Those… those madmen!”

Marquis Taylor’s expression transformed instantly.
His face contorted, and as he approached the railing of the City Wall, he gripped it as though he might shatter it. His hands trembled violently.
His hands trembled violently.
The White Star, as if mocking him, spoke with a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Those are Kingdom citizens my subordinates just captured. I suspect there are some from the Sten Territory as well.”

The faces of the leadership twisted in anguish.
They had thought the initial skirmish was merely a probing attack, but it seemed the White Star’s forces had instead infiltrated the small villages beyond the Lord’s Castle and taken the residents as prisoners.

“…This is my fault.”

Taylor lowered his head.
When the White Star’s subordinates launched their sudden assault, he had been too occupied defending against them to consider the other residents and Kingdom citizens. The excuse that he had no time while protecting the Lord’s Castle was merely that—an excuse.
The excuse that he had no time while protecting the Lord’s Castle was merely that—an excuse.

‘…I am the leader of the Northwest Region.’

The title of leader of the Northwest Region’s nobility carried with it the duty to care for and protect that land.
Taylor wanted to strike himself across the head.

‘…Kaige. Is that why you left the castle?’

His close friend Kaige had slipped out beyond the castle walls the moment the skirmish began, claiming she had something to do and departed.
Yet he could not continue his thoughts about his friend.

‘What should I do?’

Taylor couldn’t lift his bowed head.
Yet the White Star’s voice continued.

“If you are the Crown Prince beloved by the people of the Roan Kingdom, shouldn’t you save those same people who love you?”

I had lost.
The moment Taylor heard those words from the White Star, he could think of nothing but that he had lost.
Defeated before the battle even began.

“…Good heavens.”
“…This is…”

Sighs escaped from the retainers scattered throughout the hall.
The Crown Prince—the likely heir to the throne—was refusing the enemy’s terms while his own people were held hostage?
It was unthinkable.

The retainers now understood they had no choice but to follow wherever the White Star led them.
They had lost.
Before even clashing weapons, they had lost the battle of wits.

“That… that insufferable wretch!”

One general could no longer contain his frustration and cried out.

“Hahaha.”

And someone laughed at those words.
Everyone turned their heads.
Alberu was laughing.

He gazed quietly at the White Star riding the wyvern in the sky.

“I can see him much better from this distance.”

The distance was now close enough to make out his general appearance.

“So that’s what the White Star looks like.”

Peculiar.
The moment Alberu laid eyes on the White Star’s face, that single word consumed his thoughts.

‘So my ancestor is the Ancient White Star?’

The Ancient White Star—my ancestor—was a figure I found deeply disagreeable.
Yet paradoxically, to that White Star before me, my ancestor was someone to admire and aspire to become.

‘How absurd.’

Truly laughable.
My lips parted.

“Bring me my helmet.”
“Your Majesty! You mustn’t go out yourself—!”
“Are you suggesting I turn my back on my people?”

The moment the retainer beheld Alberu’s calm rebuttal, words failed him.
To the attendants who stared at me, I delivered my words with playful mockery.

“If you don’t bring the helmet, I’ll simply go without it.”

The retainers’ shoulders stiffened.

“You wouldn’t want my head rolling off, would you?”

A smile spread across my lips, deepening with dark amusement.
Though my words were uncharacteristically harsh, they conveyed my resolve unmistakably to every attendant present.

“Right away, Your Majesty.”
“Much obliged, Marquis Sten.”

Marquis Sten, who had been bowing, received the helmet from his subordinate and handed it to me.
I acknowledged his courtesy with measured gratitude.

“…Not at all.”

Yet still, Marquis Taylor could not lift his head properly.
Tap.
Alberu’s hand came to rest upon his shoulder.

“From now on, you alone will command this castle.”

Alberu gazed down quietly at the bowed Marquis Taylor.

Taylor Sten’s appearance was far from presentable.
Given how he had led from the front during the initial skirmish, his clothes were in complete disarray, and his entire body was covered in countless small wounds.
From what I heard, he had taken an arrow. Consequently, bandages were wrapped tightly around his ribs.

“…Sten. Compose yourself.”

Several members of the command staff approached Alberu.

“Your Majesty. The castle will not fall.”
“Indeed.”
“…Prince Kale will arrive soon.”
“That is correct. Once he arrives, the tide of this battle will shift.”

Alberu responded with a laugh.

“Relying too heavily on a single person is unwise. What good comes from placing the burden of many upon one man’s shoulders?”

The smile faded from Alberu’s lips.

“I am someone who fulfills his own role, regardless.”

Marquis Taylor’s head gradually rose.
Tap, tap.
Alberu withdrew his hand from Taylor’s shoulder, patting him lightly a couple of times.

“You must fulfill yours as well.”

With those words, Alberu turned toward the tightly sealed City Gate.

The gate opened, and stepping outside with the Knights Order, he lifted his head.
The White Wyvern came into view.

‘…Mother.’

Alberu recalled his mother.
His grip tightened on the helmet held in his left hand.
Tasha’s voice echoed through his memory.

‘You’ve inherited your mother’s qualities. This is what allowed your mother to live in the Royal Palace. With this, I will hide you.’
‘No one, no living being will ever discover your power.’
‘Unlike dye magic items, this conceals your power itself. If you carry both the dye magic accessory and this together, you will be truly free.’

He suddenly recalled what he had said to Kale.

‘I do not fight.’
‘Never?’
‘…Of course, if an urgent matter befalls the Roan Kingdom or its people, I must step forward.’

And he also remembered Kale’s words.

‘Albert Crossman. Your Highness’s existence is natural order.’

Mother. Aunt.
I am already natural order, and a free existence.

He opened his mouth toward the White Wyvern.

“Come. If you wish to take my life.”

Whether your desire is not my life but something else entirely.
Come as you will.
I will face you.

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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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