Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 537

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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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In Fredo’s bedroom, Solena sat beside him.
Kale Heniatus looked at Fredo and spoke without preamble.

“Where is it?”

A bright smile bloomed across Fredo’s lips.

“My son. So you’ve finally come looking for the corpse.”
“Ha. You mad bastard.”

Kale Heniatus felt Solena flinch but ignored it, moving instead to the empty chair across from Fredo and collapsing into it.

“Where is it? No, wait.”

Kale Heniatus posed the same question before shaking his head. Then he asked Fredo again.

“Why did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Don’t play dumb. The man who was smiling just moments ago asking about finding the corpse—it’s ridiculous for him to suddenly pretend ignorance, isn’t it?”
“Hmm. It is rather amusing.”

Fredo nodded in agreement with Kale Heniatus’s words.
Then he opened his mouth abruptly.

“The scales didn’t balance.”
“Scales?”
“A transaction or contract means both parties give something to each other.”

Fredo believed that the exchange had to be precise.

“And when both sides of the scale hold equal weight, only then is the contract truly established.”
“You thought holding the Ranger Unit members as hostages would balance the scales of the transaction?”
“Yes. Wasn’t that necessary?”

Then Choi Han, who had followed Kale Heniatus through the mirror into the room, spoke to Fredo.

“So that’s why you made Kale Heniatus’s blood a condition as well?”

Choi Han’s gaze fixed upon Fredo was far from favorable. In fact, it was openly hostile, and Choi Han made no attempt to conceal it.
From Choi Han’s perspective, Kale Heniatus seemed to have developed a certain degree of trust in Fredo, but to Choi Han, Fredo was nothing more than an enemy coveting his family’s blood.
He appeared to be someone who could stab them in the back at any moment.

A thin smile crossed his face.
In that instant, Choi Han could see Fredo looking at me and smiling.
Fredo opened his mouth as if finding Choi Han’s hostility endearing, speaking in a soft voice.

“Choi Han. Do you believe your blood holds great value to your master? I suspect that to Kale Heniatus, the blood of his companions might be worth far more than his own.”

For a moment, Choi Han found himself at a loss for words.
Then, instead of Choi Han, Kale opened his mouth.

“My blood is incredibly precious to me, actually.”

Choi Han became even more speechless and turned his gaze away from Kale Heniatus.
Conversely, Fredo stared at Kale Heniatus and spoke bluntly.

“I needed to have a conversation with the Mercenary King.”

At his words, Solena let out a shallow sigh.
When Kale Heniatus briefly turned his attention to her, Fredo continued.

“I didn’t want to be hated anymore.”

His words were light in tone but heavy in meaning.

“The perception of most members of the Endable Kingdom throughout this Eastern Continent is quite poor.”

Vampires and Dark Elves were prime examples, and the more the identities of other Endable Kingdom members became known, the higher the likelihood that people from other parts of the Eastern Continent would feel repulsion.

“To gradually change that, there are certain people who are absolutely necessary.”

Kale Heniatus immediately grasped who those people were.

“You’re referring to the mercenaries.”
“Exactly. If the mercenaries travel across the entire continent and speak favorably of us, even just a word here and there in taverns and restaurants, those words will accumulate and shift people’s perceptions.”

Tap. Tap.
I tapped my index finger against my knee and opened my mouth.

“So naturally, I need to make a deal with the Mercenary King as well—did you set aside the Rangers?”

Fredo raised his hand and pointed to one side.

“Here. Solena took the lead on that. Other vampire knights assisted her.”

Now that I thought about it, I had never seen any vampires besides Fredo and Solena during my time in the Northern Snowy Mountains.

“Hmm.”

I crossed my arms and stared directly at Fredo before speaking.

“You don’t seem inclined to tell me where they are.”

Fredo did not deny it.

“They’re safe and sound. Ah, of course, to deceive both allies and enemies, we had to move them from the Northern Snowy Mountains, and I did have to drain some blood in the process.”

Solena hurriedly interjected, her voice urgent.

“Drain? Master, you must refrain from such language! Ahem! Young Master, the amount was negligible. It was merely what was unavoidably absorbed during the deception. Everyone is safe.”

She offered me the gentlest smile she could muster.

“This is the truth.”
“Who cares what you say?”
“Pardon?”

I shrugged at Solena, then fixed Fredo with a rather crooked stare.
At that gaze, Fredo smiled broadly and opened his mouth.

“If you properly destroy that facility that transforms the White Star into a demon, I’ll tell you where the Ranger Unit members are.”
“That’s not enough.”
“What?”

I stared directly at Fredo and shook my head.

“I’m getting too little out of this.”
“…You stopped White Star from becoming a demon, and you’ve saved more than half of the Ranger Unit members everyone thought were dead. And you’re saying that’s still too little?”

Pfft.
Kale Heniatus let out a deflating laugh.

‘Well, if things had gone according to Fredo’s original plan, I would have made that deal.’

If I had followed the map as originally expected and gone to the Endable Kingdom to meet Fredo, and if I had learned about the life-and-death status of the Ranger Unit members there, then I would have accepted whatever deal Fredo proposed.
But circumstances had changed.

‘However, the situation is different now.’

The situation had indeed changed.
So shouldn’t I obtain more when I have the opportunity to gain more?

Kale Heniatus uncrossed his arms and leaned his upper body toward the bed.

“Father.”

Fredo faltered at the sight of Kale Heniatus addressing him as father.
In his eyes, a twisted smile appeared on the face of an innocent young boy.

“In exchange, you’ll become king. But I don’t actually gain anything tangible. Nothing I can hold in my hands.”

Fredo released a short sigh.
Just as he said, Kale Heniatus would gain no substantial benefit from this.
No honor, no power, no wealth.

‘I thought he wasn’t the type to covet such things?’

Fredo began to wonder if he had misunderstood Kale Heniatus all along. At the same time, another thought crossed his mind.

‘…But the absence of greed is also strange.’

The moment he thought this, a cold voice reached his ears.

“And besides, the circumstances have changed, haven’t they?”

Kale reverted to his usual manner of speech as he addressed Fredo.
The situation had changed, he said.

“Now, how will you manage this game without me?”

He was saying that I was now indispensable.

Hmm.
Solena let out a soft sigh.
Fredo gazed at Kale quietly for a moment before opening his mouth.

“You’re right. I cannot do without you now.”

Kale’s value to Fredo had risen even further.
The moment Fredo acknowledged this, Kale spoke bluntly.

“Raise it higher.”

Increase what you will give me on the scale.
Balance the weights.

Kale’s eyes conveyed this message, and Fredo accepted it.

“Very well. I shall give it some thought and determine what more I can offer.”
“Good. That’s how it should be.”

Kale rose from his chair at once.

“Take your time considering what I desire. In the meantime, I’ll begin my own preparations and set things in motion.”

At Kale’s mention of preparations, Solena hesitated and turned her gaze toward him.
But Kale ignored her attention and turned back toward the mirror.
From behind him, Fredo’s question reached his ears.

“My boy, have you informed the Crown Prince?”

Before crossing through the mirror, Kale turned back briefly and flashed Fredo a knowing smile.

“I took care of that long ago. I’m quite thorough, you see.”

More than what meets the eye.

* * *

Deep into the night.
Moonlight cascaded from the heavens, bathing the White Palace in a soft, ethereal glow.
Yet in the dark mansion to the south of Zone 1, where that light could not reach.

Knock, knock, knock.

At the sound of knocking on the door, the figure examining documents in the study—lined floor to ceiling with books—lifted his head.

“What is it?”

The master of this study, and indeed of this grand southern mansion, spoke while gazing toward the door.
For one who labored late into the night, the midnight hour was still far too early for sleep.

“My lord.”

At the butler’s voice, the mansion’s owner tilted his head slightly to one side.
The butler, knowing that his master disliked being disturbed during work, rarely ventured here at such an hour.
He was a capable man who handled most matters within his own purview.

Then the butler’s voice continued.

“My lord, Nar Von Izelern has come to call upon you.”

What?
The Count rose immediately from his seat.
Surprise and bewilderment flickered across the elderly man’s eyes.
He opened the office door at once, and the butler bowed slightly as he spoke.

“The young master says he has an urgent matter to discuss, and requests that you meet with him alone, in private.”

Alone. An urgent matter between the two of them.
The meaning behind those words was clear—a secret meeting, just the two of them.

‘Nar Von Izelern has come to see me? Why?’

The Butler asked carefully.

“Count Mok, what shall we do?”

Count Mok.
The Elderly Dark Elf’s mind began to race with activity.

‘…Nar Von Izelern has come to me in secret at this late hour?’

I recalled what had transpired this afternoon.

‘I shall extinguish Kale Heniatus’s breath alongside the proud warriors of this Endable Kingdom.’

The moment when Nar had turned the conference hall upside down came to mind naturally.
The one I had thought docile had orchestrated something quite audacious.

“Ho.”

The corners of Count Mok’s mouth lifted.
A sudden thought had occurred to me.

“Well, well.”

A sinister smile flickered across the old man’s lips before vanishing in an instant.
He commanded the Butler with a deliberately solemn expression.

“Show Prince Nar in.”
“Yes, Count Mok. I shall escort him to the Reception Room—”
“No, bring him to the Study instead.”

The Reception Room was where one received guests.

“I have a feeling we’ll be conducting business.”

And the Study was where one conducted business.
One must use spaces according to their purpose.

Soon, Count Mok could see a hooded figure entering the study alongside the Butler.
Whoosh.
The figure removed his hood and promptly greeted Count Mok.

“Good evening, Count. I apologize for visiting at such a late hour.”
“Not at all.”

Count Mok welcomed the young boy Nar before him with a benevolent expression.

“Don’t call me Count so stiffly. Call me Grandfather instead.”

With a gentle gesture, he seated the boy across from him.

“I’ve brought tea for you.”
“Thank you for your trouble, Butler.”
“I hope you have a pleasant conversation.”

The Butler set down the tea and refreshments, then carefully exited the study and closed the door behind him.
Click.
As the door shut completely, the study became isolated from the outside world.

“Nar, drink your tea first.”
“Thank you, Count.”
“Call me Grandfather.”

Click.
The boy picked up his teacup and fixed his gaze upon the Count.

“I thought I should visit you as Count today, not as your Grandson.”

Count Mok perceived that the boy’s eyes gazing at me burned with an unusual intensity, unlike his usual demeanor.
One corner of the Count’s mouth curved upward.

“I see. Then what brings you to seek me out?”

The boy took a sip of his tea, then set the cup down upon the table.
Click.
A soft sound echoed, followed by a brief moment of silence.
At the end of that moment, the boy spoke.

“My lord will not start a war.”

A smirk played across Mok’s lips.
Count Mok’s mouth curved upward.
Then Kale, wearing Nar’s form, continued speaking.

“Based on His Majesty’s usual temperament, the fact that he deferred the decision rather than ruling immediately in the conference hall shows he has no intention of waging war now.”
“True. From what I can see, my lord has no thoughts of war.”

He offered Kale a benevolent smile.

“If His Majesty had any intention of war, he would have called me, Count Hubesa, and you aside for a separate discussion.”
“Instead, he took only Priest Gersei to his office.”
“Indeed.”

Count Mok was displeased with that as well.

‘Why does my lord coddle Priest Gersei so?’

Kale suppressed his laughter at the sight, but his expression revealed nothing of his amusement as he spoke.

“However, His Majesty will find it difficult to ignore this matter entirely.”
“True. One hundred and one heard it.”

Count Mok acknowledged this point as well.
The Nobility Candidates.
Their long wait could no longer be simply swept aside and ignored—their desires and patience had reached their limit.
Then Mok caught sight of the boy wearing a meaningful smile.

“Precisely. Because ninety-six cannot be ignored.”

A sharp intake of breath.
In that instant, Count Mok let out an involuntary exclamation.

“Nar, you knew all along?”

I thought you were clueless!
I thought you charged forward recklessly before one hundred and one in the Grand Conference Hall!
But seeing you now, wasn’t that deliberate—acting that way before ninety-six?

“Count Mok.”

The young prince spoke softly.

“I am also of the Izerun Family.”

In that instant, Count Mok felt his spine tingle with an inexplicable chill.

“You remind me of your father in his youth.”

Count Mok recalled those eyes—brilliant with purpose, unrelenting and fierce.

“So, why have you come to find me?”

The young prince smiled and turned the question back on him.

“Why did you agree to meet me?”

The young prince whispered to the count as though he knew everything.

“You desire war, don’t you, Count Mok?”

The old man’s eyes hardened, and a chilling aura descended upon him.
Kale Heniatus recalled his conversation with Duke Fredo as he observed this.

‘Son, you’re targeting Count Mok?’
‘Yes. From what you’ve told me, he seems the most ambitious for power.’
‘That’s true. It would be good to move with him at the forefront.’
‘Exactly. I’ll use him.’

Duke Fredo laughed as he watched Kale Heniatus speak of using Count Mok.

‘Count Mok will know nothing and move according to your will.’
‘Is that a problem?’
‘No. It sounds rather amusing.’

Kale Heniatus emerged from his reverie and met the old man’s piercing gaze with an unflinching stare of his own.

Kale knew it too.
That the White Star, in his pursuit of becoming a demon, would focus on his grand ambition rather than on Kale Heniatus himself.
Which meant a direct confrontation was impossible.
Knowing this, he had devised a plan.

‘Destroy and seize.’

Destroy and seize what the White Star possessed.
Kale spoke to the Elderly Man with subtle intent.

“Count Mok. You wish to establish merit, don’t you?”

A brief silence descended.
But that silence was soon broken by Count Mok himself.

“Ha, hahaha—”

The Elderly Man’s laughter filled the study.
With a soft clink, Count Mok set down his teacup, his gaze turning cold and sharp.

“Crisis makes people grow, they say? Nar. You’ve grown. I didn’t realize when you became so mature.”

He lifted his back from the sofa’s backrest and leaned forward toward the young prince as he spoke.

“So. What scheme are you proposing we undertake together?”

With a soft tap.
Kale withdrew a document from his breast and placed it upon the table.

“…Nar, I confess I don’t understand what this is.”

The Elderly Man’s questioning gaze shifted the moment he heard Kale’s explanation.

“It is classified intelligence that my father had been gathering.”

Count Mok unconsciously gripped both armrests of the sofa tightly.

He had arrived.
A tremendous opportunity had found him.
Count Mok realized it instinctively.

“…What information?”

At the Count’s question, I stifled a laugh within myself.
My gaze turned toward the documents.

‘Information that will freeze him to death.’

This morning, Fredo and I had fabricated the document together.
I slowly unfurled the rolled parchment and offered my adversary a gentle smile.

“Invaluable information, I assure 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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