Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 536

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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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Silence descended upon the Grand Conference Hall.
Yet it had never been more tumultuous.

Though no sound was uttered, the eyes of the 101 people filling this space blazed with wildly differing emotions.

One hundred gazes fixed upon the bowed back of the Young Prince.

‘This is troublesome.’

Priest Gersei, one among those hundred, unconsciously wrapped his forehead with his hand, his fan still folded.

‘…What does that boy think he knows, speaking such words?’

He immediately negated his own thought.

‘No, that’s not it. What could that wretch possibly know? He simply acted on his own convictions.’

An action born of useless idealism and hollow courage.
Yet that action had become the spark.
Priest Gersei turned his gaze from the Young Prince’s back and surveyed the Grand Conference Hall.

It was scorching.
Ninety-six Nobility Candidates.

It was as though a single small explosion would trigger dozens, hundreds more in rapid succession.
Gersei’s eyes shifted toward two other nobles.

‘…This is grave.’

Count Mok and Count Hubesa.
Both regarded Nar as reckless, yet I could sense them being drawn toward his actions and proposal.
They too had grown weary of hiding.

‘But this cannot be allowed.’

Not now.
Priest Gersei and the White Star had devised a secret plan to accelerate their grand design.
Already striving to hasten the grand design as it was.
A plan to dramatically accelerate it could only come to fruition during this ‘festival’.

The eyes of Priest Gersei and the White Star met briefly across the space between them.
They both realized their intentions aligned perfectly.

The White Star’s lips began to part slowly.
That was when it happened.

“Precisely! There is no need to hide any longer!”

A pause.
The White Star’s mouth, which had been opening, closed shut, and his gaze dropped to the floor.

A sudden movement.
One person rose to his feet.
One of the ninety-six Nobility Candidates.

“Endable is more powerful than ever before! There is no need to hide this strength and flee!”

In that instant, Count Mok opened his mouth.

“Nobility Candidates have no right to speak. Please be seated.”
“…But I was merely suggesting—”
“Be seated. That statement will be disregarded.”

The one who had risen clenched his fists, trembling visibly as he returned to his seat.
Then Count Mok turned his gaze toward the White Star and spoke.

“The opinion of Duke Nar’s representative sounds quite reasonable, Your Majesty.”

Color flushed across the face of the seated Nobility Candidate.
The other Nobility Candidates felt the same surge of emotion.

And Priest Gersei immediately grasped Count Mok’s true intention.

‘…How troublesome. A greedy one, indeed.’

Conflict, war. All of it was a golden opportunity for the Elderly Dark Elf who coveted a higher position.

“However.”

Count Mok continued with a peculiar expression.

“The Dark Elves engaged in battle not long ago. I am uncertain whether another war is feasible.”

It was the posture of striking once and then subtly retreating.
In that moment, Nar’s composed voice, still bowed at the waist, resonated through the Conference Hall.

“The Vampires have united their will as one. Our forces are prepared.”

His demeanor remained steadfast.
That was the moment.

Screeeech—
The White Star rose from his chair and approached Nar.
He placed a hand upon the shoulder of the man still bowed before him.

“…If we fight, the Vampires may be the first to suffer wounds. Nar, as your leader, do you understand this?”

Kale paused momentarily at those words.

Of course I understand.
How could I not grasp this?
It was absurd for the White Star to speak such words, yet I comprehended the meaning behind his statement with perfect clarity.

‘That is precisely why I sought to draw the Vampires in.’

Duke Fredo’s words echoed in my ears.

‘Yes. The Vampires are all the same.’

And in agreement with those words, I spoke plainly to the Vampires who lived their lives indifferent to war and conflict, urging them to trust and follow me, to remain unshaken even amid chaos.

I slowly straightened my bent waist.
I gazed at the White Star and opened my mouth.

“I understand.”

A flicker of irritation crossed the White Star’s eyes.
But it vanished just as quickly, so no one noticed.
He glanced briefly at Priest Gersei, and the priest nodded in acknowledgment.

It was a signal to go along with the rhythm for now.
The White Star understood this well.

‘…If I keep them bound any longer, they might snap the restraints and flee.’

Ninety-six powerful individuals.
Before they went mad and tried to escape, loosening the reins once in a while was a sound strategy.
He addressed his nephew—Nar Von Izelern, whom he had believed would remain docile, but who now bucked most wildly while still bowing submissively before him.

“I shall give this matter some thought.”

And he spoke to everyone present.

“Tomorrow evening. We shall continue the meeting.”

Nar’s proposal.
The discussion regarding it would resume tomorrow evening.
The ninety-six Nobility Candidates’ eyes gleamed as their minds began to race with possibility.

“For now, let us adjourn today’s meeting.”

The White Star, who had been watching the scene with indifference, forcibly ended the meeting.
But no one objected.

A far greater meeting would be held tomorrow.

* * *

The moment the meeting concluded, Kale returned to the Mansion.

“I shall see you at dinner.”
“Very well.”

Kale gave a perfunctory greeting to Solena and Butler Melrndo before opening the door to his bedroom and stepping inside.

“Welcome back, Lord Kale.”
“Human!”

Choi Han and Raon greeted Kale upon his return.
Kale gave a curt nod before heading straight to the sofa and collapsing onto it.
Choi Han approached Kale’s side and carefully opened his mouth to speak.

“Is something troubling you?”
“I’m not sure.”

Kale’s words trailed off, his expression peculiar.
Choi Han studied Kale’s troubled expression intently before quietly stepping back.
That was when it happened.

“Ah! Human! Bud contacted us! When I said you weren’t here, he said he understood and hung up!”

In that instant, Choi Han and Raon witnessed Kale’s expression shift subtly.

‘…Something’s up.’

My mind grew complicated.
The reason I had originally intended to cause chaos here was that I held no particular interest in the citizens of this kingdom.
Yet it seemed that wherever people lived, the pattern remained the same.
Ordinary Vampires and Dark Elves—they all felt like simple neighbors.

‘This is troublesome.’

Even if I could now trust Duke Fredo as a ‘leader,’ even if the Vampires’ lives resembled ours.
I had unfinished business with the Vampires.
And Bud was involved in that matter as well.

“Connect me.”

I gestured to Raon and Choi Han to keep watch of our surroundings before sitting up.
I stared at the video communication device that Raon was connecting.

Whirrrrrrr—
Light flashed across the communication device, and Bud’s face appeared on the screen.

—What the hell!

Bud’s expression hardened instantly.

—You crazy bastards! What did you do to Kale Heniatus!
“It’s me.”

Kale immediately understood why Bud was reacting this way.

“It’s me.”
—What do you mean it’s you? You treacherous vampire bastard! So you finally drained all of Kale’s blood! You insane son of a bitch! I’m heading to Endable right now to cut off your head!
“I’m telling you it’s me.”
—What do you mean it’s you?

Bud’s face was flushed crimson with rage, his eyes turning cold and sharp, when a plump black paw suddenly appeared in front of him, waving left and right.
A plump black front paw appeared in front of him and swayed side to side.

“Bud! He’s our human! He’s in disguise!”
—Ah. Is that so?

What?
Kale frowned as he watched Bud immediately accept Raon’s words without hesitation, even though he hadn’t believed Kale’s own explanation.

—Wait, really? Yeah, that’s definitely his annoying expression!
“…Are you insane?”
—Ahem. Sorry.

Only then did Bud break into a grin, his expression turning sly.

—So you went to the Endable lair?
“…News of that spread already?”
—Of course! I contacted the Lord about it. You weren’t responding earlier, so.

Bud’s expression gradually stiffened as he paused, and he took a step backward.
As he moved, the scenery behind Bud’s shoulders came into view on the communication screen.

“…You!”

My face hardened.

“Bud! It’s dangerous up there!”

Raon called out in alarm, and I clenched my jaw, closing my eyes before opening them again.
Then I spoke.

“…You came to retrieve the bodies?”

At my question, Bud nodded with a composed expression.

-That’s right. I couldn’t leave my comrades’ bodies in such a cold and harsh place.

The Northern Snow Mountain of Eastern Continent.
It was the place where most of the Ranger Unit members were presumed to have died days ago, the very location from which Bud’s group and I had barely escaped—and yet here Bud was.
Beyond his shoulder, I could see mercenaries searching various parts of the mountain.

Silence settled between Bud and me for a moment.
My heart leaned toward him.
Toward Bud.
My lips opened slowly.

“…That must be difficult.”
-That’s strange.

We both flinched at what the other had said, our eyes meeting.

“Hmm?”
-Huh?

I paused, then immediately spoke.

“What’s strange?”

Bud looked around the mountain at my question, struggling to find the words, then sighed and opened his mouth.

-There are no bodies.
“What?”

This time, I couldn’t help but ask in genuine shock.

‘No bodies?’

How could that be?
Moving roughly a thousand corpses?
And those who were fleeing from the avalanche managed to move them all in just a day or two?
A thought suddenly struck me, and I voiced it aloud.

“Did the enemies clean up even the bodies?”
-That’s not it.

Bud shook his head.

-The numbers don’t add up. There are fewer bodies than there should be. More than half are missing.

More than half of the corpses had vanished without a trace.

-We found slightly less than half of the bodies.

Bud’s expression was bitter as he spoke, yet his eyes held something deeper—a sorrow and anger that transcended mere bitterness.
Simultaneously, there was an unmistakable glimmer of hope within them.

‘Hope?’

I felt bewildered by that emotion.

-One type of body that Pae described is missing.

Pae, the Rat Tribe member.
The Ranger who had served as the leader of the 1,001-member Ranger Unit.

“Speak quickly.”

I urged Bud, who seemed to be hesitating and speaking slowly about something.
He exhaled briefly before continuing his words.

-Also, among the few Ranger Unit survivors you rescued through Pae, I discovered that there was not a single type of wounded person.

Bud continued speaking.

-Pae’s memory is quite exceptional, and thanks to his recollection, we were able to locate the bodies quickly. However, it became apparent that there were errors in Pae’s memory.

That was correct.
Just as Bud said, if there was no body where one should have existed in Pae’s memory, then an error had indeed occurred.
At that moment, Bud hesitated briefly before speaking.

-You said you’re cooperating with that Duke Fredo fellow? You mentioned he has goodwill toward you.

The instant Bud brought up Duke Fredo.

“Could it be?”

Kale found himself speaking without thinking.

“Pae definitely told me something.”

I recalled what the rat-like Pae had said to me.

‘There seems to be a Vampire! I found the body of one of our scattered unit members, and all their blood had been drained.’

Furthermore, when Pae first laid eyes on Duke Fredo, he had cried out in fury.

‘That… that nonsense! The bastard leader of those creatures who drank our unit members’ blood…!’

I stared into Bud’s pupils on the screen.

“There are no bodies drained of blood?”
-That’s right. No wounded either.

In that instant, Choi Han, who had been silently listening while gazing at the door and the Mirror, turned his gaze toward the video communication device in surprise.
Then Kale murmured.

“…The error in Pae’s memory—is it related to Vampires?”

His corpse was directed toward the Mirror, a secret passage.
Beyond that mirror, in the adjacent room, Duke Fredo was present.

‘What is going on?’

My mind began to retrace the past, the battle from days ago.

‘Could Pae’s memory be wrong?’

That couldn’t be right.
Hadn’t the other corpses been found where I remembered them?
In that moment, Bud’s voice came through, laden with tension.

-Hey. Did you find the Illusionist?
“Ah!”

I bolted upright from my seat without thinking.
The Northern Snowy Mountains.
The enemies’ assault that had unfolded there—I had found those who launched the attack. But there was one thing I had not found.

The Illusionist.
Who could that entity be?

Bud whispered.

-…Kale, what if what Pae saw—the unit member whose blood was being drained—was an illusion?

In that instant, a piece of information surfaced in my mind.

It was said that Vampires’ specialty was camouflage and escape.
Then what was the specialty of their leader?

‘Is Fredo the Illusionist?’

Or perhaps.

‘Does a separate Illusionist exist?’

Then who could the Illusionist be?
Kale suddenly recalled one of Fredo’s associates—not a Vampire, but someone who worked alongside him.

“…The Vice High Priest?”

Who else could possibly be the Illusionist? Just who is this Illusionist?
My mind began working furiously.
Setting aside the question of the Illusionist’s identity, I methodically retraced everything that had transpired.

I couldn’t trust Fredo, so I hadn’t revealed much to him.
Similarly, Fredo likely couldn’t trust me either.

Yet Fredo appeared before me without hesitation, proposing we make a deal, that we enter into a contract.

On what basis?

“…He had something.”

He had something trustworthy, something he could use as leverage.
That’s why he acted so confidently, so brazenly.

‘For instance, like secretly hidden members of the Ranger Unit he’d smuggled away.’

The corners of my mouth lifted involuntarily.

‘Look at that.’

Duke Fredo.
He was certainly not someone to be underestimated.

“Hey. Bud. Cut it for a moment.”
-…As you wish.

The video communication channel closed, and I spoke to Choi Han.

“Open the Mirror.”

I needed to take another look at Duke Fredo.

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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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