Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 524

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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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Chapter 114. I’m Just an Ordinary Human, I Tell You!

Tap, tap.
I patted Choi Han’s shoulder and dismounted, my feet touching the ground.
Then I looked around at my surroundings.

‘This is maddening.’

I barely managed to suppress the grimace threatening to contort my face.

The Tiger Tribe and Rak arriving at this battlefield had been unexpected.
Yet I had to admit it was a reasonably sound decision. In terms of sheer combat strength, at least.

‘It’s a disaster.’

But their condition was far from acceptable.
The Tiger Tribe looked as though they’d been scorched by flames, their forms grimy and battered, while the Royal Palace Knights presented a truly pitiful sight.
And that wasn’t all.

“Young Master!”

Rak, flashing me a bright and innocent smile of greeting, was battered all over.
He wielded a shield larger than his own body—so where had he used it that it sustained such damage?

“…They’ve reduced a child to this state?”

Choi Han glanced at Rak upon hearing my muttered words.
Though not yet twenty, Rak was still the largest among us here.
By sheer physique alone, he had the bearing of a Grand General.

Regardless, a deep furrow carved itself between my brows.
Yet that single furrow soon multiplied into many, my entire face wrinkling with displeasure.

“Damn it. And he’s supposed to be the next King—so why is he the one who took the worst beating?”

Albert Crossman. That was why I was seeing red.
Though his skin and face were concealed beneath his helmet and armor, his condition was far from hidden—in fact, it was all too apparent.

His hands and feet trembled from the exertion, and through the slightly raised helmet, rather than skin, I could see nothing but crimson blood coating his face in a more pitiful state.

My irritation was impossible to suppress.

“Sigh.”

I wiped my face with my hand.
I couldn’t see the Crown Prince’s face beneath the helmet, but it was surely in the state of the Dark Elf Quarter by now.
If that weren’t the case, why would that man be hiding his face?
He’s the type who boasts about his appearance every single day.

“Why are you getting beaten up? If you were going to get beaten up, you shouldn’t have gone out in the first place.”

I muttered in frustration, but I was aware that Alberu had no choice but to step forward himself.

That’s why I was frustrated, and my actions naturally became sharp.

I looked at Alberu, whose shoulders heaved as if he were breathing heavily, then spoke toward the White Star standing behind him.

“Aren’t you going to let go? Can’t you hear me?”

I stared at the eyes within the White Star’s cracked mask. The White Star gazed at me for a moment before opening his mouth.

“How did you return so early?”
“That’s none of your business.”

At my blunt words, the White Star shook his head slightly and said nothing more.
My eyes narrowed slightly as I watched this.

‘Something’s odd.’

Why is he so composed?
Normally, this would be the moment he should lose his temper, saying something like “How dare a wretch like you!”

Rather than just losing his temper, he should be angrily demanding how I escaped from the Northern Mountains of the Eastern Continent.
Yet strangely, the White Star showed no particular reaction.
His monotone, composed voice felt ominous instead.

Then, a sound struck my ears.

Boom, boom-boom, boom-boom.
The sound of drums that had been echoing since moments before.
Kale Heniatus’s eyes moved, then froze.

Among those dressed in gray robes, several struck the drums.
They wore something that blurred the line between a robe and priestly vestments, their faces uniformly concealed beneath hoods.
Yet the faces were familiar.

‘…The Marquis!’

It was the Marquis I had encountered in the Northern Mountains of the Eastern Continent—the one said to serve the Demon Realm.
He had worn such attire before.

‘Are they his subordinates?’

I recalled that the Marquis wielded a strange power that transcended even the Ancient Dragons.
And I knew that power was connected to the Demon Realm or its denizens.

Boom-boom! Boom-boom-boom!
The drum sounds grew increasingly louder.

‘This does not bode well.’

Kale Heniatus felt tension rise as I observed the composed White Star and those drums.
Because those who served the Demon Realm—their true power could not be accurately gauged.

At that moment, the White Star’s and Kale Heniatus’s eyes met once more.

“Hmm.”

The White Star seemed to contemplate for a moment, then moved his arm.
Whoosh.
Alberu’s body flew forward limply.
Choi Han rushed forward with urgency.

Thump.
Choi Han caught the thrown Alberu.

“Gasp, huff.”

Choi Han could see Alberu struggling to catch his breath. The eyes meeting his through the helmet’s visor spoke volumes to him.

“Well, well—our teacher has arrived?”

Choi Han’s face contorted. Seeing him speak such words in a trembling voice, Choi Han found himself opening his mouth without thinking.

“Your Highness, you truly resemble your younger brother.”
“What? Ha, haha—”

Alberu faltered before bursting into laughter.
The younger brother Choi Han mentioned was Kale Heniatus, and since Choi Han was reproaching him for acting exactly like Kale, it struck him as absurd.

“Haha—cough!”

But he had to stop laughing as blood surged up and spilled from his lips.
Kale glanced at him briefly before turning his gaze toward the White Star and asking. His voice was subdued.

“…You’re just letting him go?”

The White Star had released Alberu far too readily.
The White Star opened his mouth as if it were nothing of consequence.

“If you’ve come, then surely either the Ancient Dragon or the Black Dragon wouldn’t have come, yes?”

Tap, tap.
He tapped his blackened arm casually, shaking off charred ash.
Red blood still seeped through the gaps.
Of course, it had slowed considerably compared to moments before, yet blood continued to trickle out steadily.
Yet the White Star continued speaking as though unbothered by it.

“Surely that Crown Prince fool would have one of them—either the Ancient Dragon or the Black Dragon—attempt to strike at me from behind to save him, wouldn’t he?”

Kale’s expression remained unchanged.

-That’s right, human! The White Star has figured it out!

But Raon spoke in surprise within Kale’s mind, and Kale flicked his finger.
It was a signal to go upward.

-Understood, human! I’m distancing myself from the White Star!

Raon, who had been approaching stealthily, shot upward with remarkable speed.
My lips parted.

“That’s unlike you.”
“Hmm. I suppose.”

The White Star chuckled softly before speaking.

“I’m genuinely furious. The last time I saw you, that is.”

The White Star recalled the moment when I was last seen.
The Land of Death in the Caro Kingdom. The underground city nestled within that desert. Witnessing its collapse had truly enraged the White Star and changed his resolve.

“And I reflected upon it.”
“What?”

I was momentarily taken aback.
Yet the White Star had genuinely reflected.

I had underestimated Kale Heniatus.
But now I do not.

‘A being who has possessed countless bodies over an eternity, preparing all this time.’

A being intent on obstructing my plans.
Now he feigns surprise with such brazen theatricality.
Yet no matter how I contemplate it, his true nature remains singular.

“A thousand years. Throughout all that time, you are the one who seeks to thwart what we have prepared.”

The moment my gaze met the White Star’s calm eyes, I sensed something had shifted.

Where once there was mere enmity toward an adversary, now something was different.

‘…What is that look in his eyes? The gaze of one resolved to fight to the death?’

Death or survival.
His eyes held only these two possibilities.
Even in that moment, the White Star’s calm voice continued.

“After retreating from the Caro Kingdom, I pondered your true identity.”

For so long, possessing bodies while trying to stop me—this entity.
What could its true nature be?
If it merely sought to obstruct me, what could be its reason?

Then, suddenly, a thought struck me.

Ancient Powers.
They were forces so rare that one could scarcely obtain even a single one without the blessing of fate in a lifetime.
The White Star, despite having numerous allies, could not gather them all in a thousand years, and thus had to undertake the effort of coming to the Roan Kingdom to seek this final power.

Yet Kale Heniatus had acquired a great many Ancient Powers.
Upon reflection, the answer became clear.

‘There is an ally.’

To aid Kale Heniatus, who had lived for so long through possession, this ally’s identity could not be ordinary.

‘Yet that ally is not among his current companions.’

The White Star, carefully reviewing all that had transpired, concluded that the Dragons beside Kale, Choi Han, and all his other companions seemed unaware that Kale was a possessor.

Then what could it be?
And then, suddenly, a thought came to mind.

There existed a powerful being who had aided Kale Heniatus for so very long, yet concealed its true identity.

“…Kale Heniatus.”

If demons existed.
Then gods existed.

A god.
If the being aiding Kale Heniatus were a god, then everything made sense!

“…You are one who has inherited the will of God.”

In that instant, every gaze from the Roan Kingdom side turned toward Kale Heniatus. The eyes fixed upon him trembled.
Even Alberu looked at Kale Heniatus in shock.

One who had inherited the will of God.
The weight of those words, their resonance, was considerable.
Was this not a tale that belonged only to legend? The Knight Commander swallowed involuntarily, his gaze fixed upon Kale Heniatus.
He was among the few who had witnessed firsthand the formidable power that Kale Heniatus possessed.

And Kale Heniatus found himself thinking.

‘…What nonsense is this?’

The absurdity that came so suddenly left me speechless, and I simply stared quietly at the White Star.
Yet that expression, to the eyes of others, appeared not as one of astonishment but rather calm and composed.
Of course, the startled Alberu, upon seeing Kale Heniatus’s expression, let out a sigh and shook his head slowly in disbelief.

But the White Star, who belonged to the “Demon Realm,” became certain upon witnessing that composed countenance.

Kale Heniatus—that bastard was surely God’s messenger. Or one who had inherited the will of God.
Though he was neither Saint nor Priest.
Yet it was unmistakable.

‘If I became connected to the Demon Realm, then that one became connected to God.’

The corners of the mouth that had been uttering calm words curved upward.

“There was a reason you resembled me in so many ways.”

God and the Demon Realm.
Those each powerful existences had chosen their own, so naturally there would be many similarities.

“We were both chosen. In a sense, we are both great beings. And because of that, we must kill each other.”

The White Star recalled the thousand years that had passed.
Overcoming countless trials to escape this world, to become the ruler.

“For such a long time, we have endured for this very moment.”

White Star spoke those words with a gentle smile. Yet to the others present, the atmosphere he exuded felt less gentle than solemn and resolute.
An incomprehensible aura enveloped White Star.

And Kale Heniatus…

‘…What utter nonsense is this?’

I was dumbfounded.
The more I listened, the more absurd it became.
Yet White Star’s words were far from finished.

Boom—boom, boom—
Between the beats of the drum, White Star spoke calmly to his enemy.

“And that end is not far away. A thousand years. Compared to such a span, a few months or years are but trifling moments. You will attempt to stop me, and I will cast you aside.”

White Star smiled brilliantly.

“You and I are destiny itself.”

…What chilling drivel was this?
Had that bastard lost his mind?
My expression twisted and contorted.
White Star gazed upon my distorted face and let out a hollow laugh.
Even as he did, he pointed at me with a single finger.

“The only rival I have ever acknowledged.”

Boom—boom, boom—boom—
The drum’s rhythm grew ever louder.

“I will defeat you and become the ruler. When that comes to pass, will I not have surpassed even the gods themselves?”

Without thinking, my mouth fell open.

“You damned—”

What kind of insane bastard is this?
Did his brain rot away over a thousand years, or does every thought he has result in some monumentally stupid blunder?
The words threatened to spill from Kale Heniatus’s lips at any moment.

Yet Kale Heniatus paused.

Boom-boom-boom! Boom! Boom!

The drum’s sound grew louder than before.

‘Hmm?’

In that instant, Kale Heniatus witnessed something peculiar.

The fractured mask of the White Star was gradually mending itself.
Like a living creature’s wound slowly closing and sealing itself, the cracks in the mask steadily diminished.

I had hoped that shattering the mask might finally reveal that irritating bastard’s true face.

‘What is this?’

Boom-boom-boom-boom!
As the drum’s rhythm accelerated, the mask’s fissures sealed themselves with equal speed.

‘Is it a Demon Realm artifact?’

The thought flashed through Kale Heniatus’s mind.
If the mask responded to the drums of those who served the Demon Realm, could it not be from the Demon Realm itself?

“Curious about this mask, are you?”

Tap, tap.
The White Star tapped his mask lightly with a finger.
Though Kale Heniatus realized his thoughts had been exposed, he responded with indifference.

“Indeed. I am curious. Will you tell me?”
“It seems you’ve inherited the god’s perception, for you’ve noticed this mask’s peculiarity.”

No—
I was about to speak.
But the White Star did not stop talking.

“Hehe. A great being must have a worthy adversary. I shall gladly accept you as mine.”

The White Star spoke with bold confidence.

“However, not today.”
“What?”

Not today?
What was he saying?

Whoooooom—whooom—
I could hear the vibrations that had been masked by the sound of drums.
The vibrations suddenly grew louder.

It was the tremor of a magic circle being deployed by the Black Mages in the rear.
Then, Alberu’s voice reached my ears.

“It looks like a teleportation circle.”

What?
Teleportation?
Fleeing now?

My face twisted in displeasure.

Fleeing? Had the White Star not been winning all this time?
And with my condition clearly not normal to anyone’s eyes, he was going to retreat?
What was he thinking?

I glanced around, deliberating whether I should stop the White Star or let him go.
I needed to assess the condition of my allies before deciding.

Then he shuddered slightly.
The people of the Roan Kingdom were gazing at him with eyes far more fervent than before.
Within those eyes gleamed admiration, hope, and reverence.
It was the gaze one reserves for someone worthy of the deepest respect—some even trembled with emotion, tears glistening at the corners of their eyes.

‘…This is a disaster!’

Kale Heniatus felt a far more acute sense of crisis than when Jjangdol had warned him that using the Ancient Powers even once more would result in unconsciousness for an extended period.
He whirled around sharply to face the White Star, his voice urgent and grave.
His tone carried the weight of desperation.

“Are you trying to flee? And why am I your fated rival? I have nothing to do with gods whatsoever.”

The White Star let out a soft chuckle, as if amused by his actions.

“Hah. Say what you will, but I know everything about you. You are receiving the aid of a god.”

Has this bastard lost his mind?
What does he think he knows?
Has he gone insane trying to ruin my dream of a hundred years of peace!
Kale Heniatus found himself at a loss for words. It seemed no matter what he said to this lunatic, the man would refuse to listen to reason.
For the first time, Kale Heniatus was defeated by the White Star in argument.

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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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