Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 541

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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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Kale gazed at the portrait, his fingers tracing across his own face.
Though he wore Nar’s appearance now, his mind conjured the memory of his former visage.

“…They do resemble each other, don’t they?”

The figure in the portrait bore an uncanny resemblance to Kim Rok-soo.

Hair color, eye color, nose, facial structure.
Every individual feature differed. Yet somehow, the overall impression of the face echoed Kim Rok-soo’s essence.
It was as though Kim Rok-soo’s hair and eyes had been altered, his features rendered slightly sharper and more defined.

Kale’s gaze shifted toward Choi Han.

“…Yes. The atmosphere is quite similar. You’ve seen him yourself, haven’t you?”

Choi Han affirmed without hesitation.
He recalled Kim Rok-soo from Choi Jung-soo’s memories.
The White Star’s current appearance evoked that time when Kim Rok-soo was in his early twenties.

“That’s right. You’ve seen me.”

Kale’s attention returned to the portrait.

“Kale. Could this be mere coincidence?”

Kale could not answer Choi Han’s question immediately.

November 8th—a date that had already become significant to many.
And the striking physical resemblance and aura shared between Kim Rok-soo and the White Star.
Moreover, the White Star and Kale Heniatus possessed similar hair and eye colors.

‘And on top of that, there’s some connection to the God of Death, one way or another.’

A wry smile escaped Kale’s lips at the thought that had surfaced.

‘If it had been Choi Jung-soo—the one the God of Death originally intended to bring—who had arrived here instead of me, how much would Choi Jung-soo have suffered upon seeing the White Star’s face?’

Choi Jung-soo would certainly have wavered in his resolve the moment he laid eyes on the White Star’s face, given his temperament.

But Kale Heniatus—Kim Rok-soo—possessed a heart far less susceptible to such tremors than Choi Jung-soo.
Especially when it came to himself.
Whether the resemblance was coincidence or inevitability mattered little.

“Whether it’s chance or fate, it’s none of my concern.”

At that moment, Raon, who had been observing Choi Han and Kale Heniatus intently, opened his mouth and spoke with vigor.

“Human, Fredo doesn’t seem to be human!”
“Why would that matter?”
“Fredo hung a portrait of the human and the White Star side by side on the wall and wrote something beneath them!”
“What did he write?”

Raon recited the phrase with a stern expression and unwavering conviction.

“When coincidence repeats, it becomes inevitability.”

A soft hum escaped Choi Han’s lips.
Then, to one dragon and one human, Kale Heniatus’s voice rang out, steady and unshaken.
At that moment, an unwavering voice belonging to Kale reached the ears of a dragon and a person.

“When Pae can even change fate itself, what use is inevitability?”

Kale Heniatus’s lips twisted involuntarily as various emotions welled up inside him.

Fate could be altered.
Whether the result—Kim Rok-soo—was inevitability or destiny or anything else, I could simply change it once more.
In the direction I believed to be right.
In the direction that one thinks is right.

“It does.”
That’s right.

He answered casually to Choi Han and Raon, who were expressing their concern toward him.

“…Still.”
“…Still.”

Choi Han could not come to conclusions as easily and naturally as Kale Heniatus did.
A strange sensation enveloped him.
It felt as though death itself had cast its shadow upon him. Despite the apparent peace, a tension gripped his shoulders—as if he stood at the front lines facing an enemy.
Yet Choi Han could not properly articulate this feeling.

Beep—
A sharp sound began to fill the room.
It was the beginning.

Beep beep— Beep beep—
Beep—

A succession of sounds assaulted his ears, filling the room entirely.
Kale Heniatus’s gaze turned toward the table.
Four of the five communication orbs on the table were glowing.

“Let’s handle that first.”
“…Understood.”

Choi Han stepped back, deciding to discuss his strange sensation later.

‘Since it involves the God of Death, I should have a conversation with Kaige.’

Choi Han resolved to meet with Kaige separately. Since Kale Heniatus was insensitive to such matters, he had to take the initiative.

‘I should also consult with Rosalind.’

Rosalind, who was taciturn yet knowledgeable, was the perfect person to discuss this with.
As Choi Han organized his thoughts, Kale Heniatus gave instructions to Raon.

“Raon, connect them.”
“Got it!”

Soon the communication orbs were arranged in a circle around Kale Heniatus as he sat in his chair.

Hummmmm—
Four of the communication orbs vibrated, and images began to materialize above them.

“Human, the connections are all set!”

Raon’s voice flowed through the communication device, followed by other voices.

-It’s been a while.

Ancient Dragon Erhafen.

-This is the first time we’ve gathered this way.

Mage Rosalind.

-It’s been a long time. Good to see you. I’m delighted.

Necromancer Mary.

-Hehe. I’m glad everyone looks well. Though one face is unfamiliar to me.

Shaman Gashan.
The faces of my companions appeared on the communication screen.

-That’s true—we’ve been scattered across different places all this time.

Rosalind spoke with a faint smile, and the others nodded in agreement at her words.
She looked at Kale beyond the screen and at the other companions displayed in another window within the screen, then spoke again.

-Young master. But that appearance suits you quite well.
“Not really.”

Kale shrugged at Rosalind’s remark.
Then Mary opened her mouth.

-How adorable. Since you’re young, even a sullen expression doesn’t look rude. I like it.
“….”

Kale pretended not to hear Mary’s words.

-He really is cute. Haha!
-Tsk. Lucky bastard.

Kale pretended not to hear what Gashan and Erhafen were saying.
Rosalind’s expression, which had been watching Kale with amusement, suddenly shifted.

-So our Vampire leader’s successor is marching into Heniatus Territory?

Kale’s lips parted as he met her coldly narrowed gaze.

“To be precise, it’s the Black Castle in the Dark Forest.”
-That’s the problem then.

Right.
That’s exactly the problem.
The Dark Forest was practically a home to me, after all.
Moreover, the Black Castle currently held Sherit and the Dragon Hybrid, and in the nearby Harris Village were non-warrior Tiger Tribe members and still-young Blue Wolf Tribe Children.

I had already conducted a video communication with Sherit, and I recalled that conversation.
Rosalind opened her mouth as she observed me.

-Young master, there must be a reason we’ve all gathered, yes?

In that moment, my allies in the video communication could see my lips curving upward.

“Come to our old home.”

Our old home.
Before the Black Castle in the Dark Forest was built.
The place located beneath that land.
Scary Rock’s voice rang out.

-You mean my house?

Everyone return to Scary Rock’s mansion.
I spoke with a smile.

“Let’s all see each other’s faces after so long.”

White Star, you think only you have underground homes?
You think only the Endable Kingdom has them underground?
I have one too.

“Human! Looking like that with a child’s face is seriously strange!”

I let Raon’s words go in one ear and out the other.

Beep beep beep— beep beep—
At that moment, the fifth communication device sitting alone on the table gleamed.

“Human! A message from Roan!”

In that instant, I rose from my seat.
Everything was ready.

Whoosh—
I opened my mouth as I watched the center of the room glow with light.

“It’s time to visit Duke Fredo.”

* * *

Knock knock knock.
At the sound of knocking on the door, Solena’s gaze shifted from the door to the bed.
Duke Fredo, who had been leaning against the headboard, immediately lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.

Click.
And the door opened at once.

“Young master.”
“Isn’t it tedious to greet me every time?”

Solena stopped her greeting and welcomed the young master—Kale Heniatus—in an awkward stance.

Slam!
The door closed, and Duke Fredo, who had been keeping his eyes shut, opened his mouth.

“My son. You visit often.”
“Duke.”

Fredo opened his eyes at the low voice calling him and looked toward Kale Heniatus.
Though Kale wore the appearance of Fredo’s childhood self, the person inside was different—and so the sensation of seeing his own childhood form felt quite peculiar to Fredo.

“Our son, why are you like this?”
“Well, you see.”

I sat down in the chair right beside Duke Fredo’s bed, which Solena had vacated.

“Duke, do you know who the most frightening person is?”

It was an abrupt question, but Fredo played along.

“Who?”

Smirk.
My lips curved upward.
My finger pointed toward Fredo lying on the bed.

“Someone who knows everything you know.”

In that instant, Fredo’s mouth snapped shut, forming a thin line.

‘What is he trying to say?’

Fredo’s eyes studied my expression intently.

“Why do you keep observing me?”

At my words, Fredo stopped observing me. Instead, he asked directly.

“What are you trying to say?”
“What do you mean, what am I trying to say?”

I rose from my seat.
Creak—
Grasping the wooden chair in my hand, I dragged it without hesitation and moved.
Thud.
The chair stopped at one spot. I stopped there as well.

I approached the wall without a mirror.
Then I raised my hand and began to touch something on the wall.

‘Human! I saw everything!’

I pressed the spot Raon had indicated without hesitation.
Kuuuuung—!
A hole opened in the wall as a passageway began to reveal itself.

“This is—!”

Solena’s startled voice reached my ears from behind. But I simply stood with my arms crossed, watching the passageway open completely.
And when the passageway had fully opened. The moment I saw the staircase leading underground.

Thud!
The chair was moved directly in front of the passageway.
I sat in that chair while gazing toward Fredo.
Then I stared at him quietly.

“…How troublesome.”

Fredo’s face crumpled.

“I suppose I’ve been too comfortable treating this place as my home.”
“Thanks to that, I’ve gained some advantage.”

I lifted the corners of my mouth into a smirk.

“…What do you want?”

Fredo asked toward me as I smiled, and I shook my head before opening my mouth.

“Before that, there’s something we need to settle first. We agreed to decide this before the ‘Black Castle Destruction’ operation begins, didn’t we?”

Fredo opened his mouth to respond, but I didn’t give him the chance and continued speaking.

“The location of the Black Castle is undeniably within Heniatus Territory. It’s the land of the Roan Kingdom. Invading this place means the Endable Kingdom and the Roan Kingdom would be forming a hostile relationship.”

Without any discussion, foreign forces invading another nation was a declaration of war.

“We would be crossing a river that cannot be uncrossed.”

Once such a relationship was formed, reversing it proved considerably difficult.

“Duke Fredo of the peace-loving Endable Kingdom did not wish to make an enemy of the Roan Kingdom, counted among the great powers of the Western Continent.”

Fredo had agreed to Kale’s operation, but expressed concern about launching a surprise invasion of the Roan Kingdom.

“Accordingly, we decided to consult with the Roan Kingdom regarding this matter before proceeding with the operation.”

Kale’s voice resonated alone through the bedroom.

“Additionally, I wanted to secure certain guarantees regarding the safety of the Vampires among the Endable Kingdom forces infiltrating the Dark Forest of the Heniatus Territory.”

According to Kale’s plan, the Endable forces that infiltrated the Heniatus Territory would find themselves in a situation from which they could not return of their own volition.
That was why Fredo worried about the safety of his subordinates.

“Furthermore, I also wanted to request assistance regarding the Vampires living on the Western Continent.”

The Roan Kingdom maintained quite favorable relations with other nations on the Western Continent.
Therefore, Duke Fredo wished to receive help not only in discussing the operation to destroy the Black Castle, but also regarding issues related to the Vampires scattered throughout the Western Continent.
Duke Fredo opened his mouth after listening to Kale’s words.

“…And the Roan Kingdom decided to present what it desires in exchange for cooperating with all those proposals. However, they have not yet told us what that price is.”

At Fredo’s words, Kale regarded him and spoke.

“Yes. All of this is based on the assumption that you, Duke, will become king.”

In other words, the discussions were being conducted with the priority of ensuring the White Star does not become king and bringing about his downfall.

Fredo’s side conveyed these discussions through Kale, and Kale discussed them with the Crown Prince.
What Fredo and Solena had been waiting for was Roan’s demanded price and whether they would cooperate.

‘The Endable Kingdom cannot survive alone.’

In the future of the Endable Kingdom that Fredo envisioned, the cooperation of the Roan Kingdom proved to be considerable help.
They had a favorable perception of dark-attribute races and were a great power that maintained good relations with other nations.

That was why I deliberately put multiple things on the line in this operation to maintain the connection with the Roan Kingdom.

“…Has Roan presented their price?”

Fredo asked with a hardened expression, and I could see Kale Heniatus nod in response.

“Yes. Roan has set certain conditions.”
“What are they?”

Kale Heniatus held up one finger in answer to Fredo’s question.

“First, the first price you’ll have to bear.”

If there was a first, that meant several more would follow.
Fredo waited anxiously for the first condition, wondering what would come next and how many there would be.
Kale Heniatus opened his mouth to answer that anticipation.

“When you become king, a Duke’s position will open up, right?”

…Surely not?
The moment Fredo’s pupils wavered, Kale Heniatus continued without hesitation.

“Elevate that position to Grand Duke. And that Grand Duke seat—you’ll have to give it to us.”

Fredo’s brow furrowed in an instant.

“Are you trying to plant a Roan agent? Is Roan planning to interfere in Endable’s internal affairs!”

Rarely did anger flare in his eyes.
Grand Duke.
That position was below the king, but depending on circumstances, it could hold considerable autonomy and power.

“I have no intention of selling Endable to Roan!”
“That’s not the plan.”

At Kale Heniatus’s firm response, Fredo hesitated.

“What?”
“Not from Roan’s side, and more importantly—it’s not even a person.”
“…What do you mean?”

Not a person, you say?

“The race isn’t human. It’s a Dark Elf who will ascend to the position of Grand Duke.”

As I spoke with such composure, Fredo’s mind suddenly conjured images of the Dark Elves connected to me and Roan.
Formidable warriors who had revealed themselves countless times in battles against the White Star.

“…Are they those Dark Elves who cooperated with the Roan Kingdom? The woman who stood as their commander leading those forces?”
“That Dark Elf is already a citizen of the Roan Kingdom, though?”

Tasha was a Dark Elf who had earned recognition for her contributions during the post-war merit ceremony of the Roan Kingdom.
She didn’t fit the conditions I had mentioned.

“In any case, it’s not your concern to know who it is right now.”
“…So you have no intention of telling me now? And you expect a proper discussion to come from this?”

Fredo could see me staring at him with an intensity that seemed to pierce through him.

“Duke Fredo. You’ve hidden plenty from me as well, haven’t you?”

Only then did the corridor beyond my shoulders come into Fredo’s view as I sat in the chair.
My voice flowed toward him with a calm resonance.

“Are you saying that I and the White Star are inevitable?”

Disappointment flickered across Fredo’s eyes.

“Your intentions in drawing me into this are quite suspicious.”

At my gentle words, Fredo’s brow furrowed.

“Sigh.”

A deep breath escaped his lips.

“For now, let me hear everything.”

He abandoned his anger toward me and adopted a posture of listening to all that I had to say.

“Right. Let’s hear everything, and we can discuss any excessive conditions together, yes?”

Discuss?
Not coercion, but discussion?
A flicker of intrigue crossed Duke Fredo’s eyes. He regarded Kale Heniatus directly once more, and upon receiving his gaze, Kale spoke bluntly.

“Of course, not with me.”
“…You’re saying you won’t be discussing with me?”
“Right. A Dark Elf representative who will take that Grand Duke’s seat today—and the Crown Prince’s proxy—has come to lead this discussion. Discuss the rest with them.”
“What?”

The startled Duke Fredo watched as Kale’s gaze shifted from him toward the mirror.
The full-length mirror hanging on the wall reflected in Kale’s eyes, and his mouth opened.

“You wanted to resolve this quickly, didn’t you? So I brought an excellent proxy and diplomat.”
“…Ha!”

The moment Duke Fredo let out a breathless laugh, as if exasperated.
Clunk.
A sound echoed from the mirror.
Duke Fredo’s gaze turned toward the passage that had appeared where the mirror vanished.

“This is something. My son does this to me every time.”

Duke Fredo’s expression had already shed its bewilderment, settling into composure.

‘He’s setting the stage properly.’

Kale had said to discuss it.
He had thought it would merely be a few exchanges with the powerful Roan Kingdom, with Kale as the intermediary, but discussion meant at least being treated as an equal.

‘Should I be thankful? Or maybe I got caught up in it, I don’t know.’

But it was an opportunity.
A chance to converse with the Crown Prince’s proxy—the center of power itself.

At that time, an unusually low voice, as if created by magic, struck Fredo’s ears.

“It’s an interesting passage.”

Fredo could see this person coming out of the passage.
Fredo could see the figure emerging from the corridor.

“…Dark Elf mixed race?”
“…A Dark Elf hybrid?”

The dark elf quarter that we came across under Choi Han’s guidance had their faces covered with masks from their noses to their foreheads.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Bob, and I am here as the Crown Prince’s representative and head of the intelligence department.”

Cale pressed his hand to the corner of his mouth as he looked at the half-masked dark elf who was greeting with a very dignified yet polite manner.
Kale watched the masked Dark Elf Quarter greet them with considerable grace and courtesy, pressing his lips together with his hand to suppress his reaction.

‘… Even if you make up a name!’

Rice!
Bob, of all things!

“This is my brother Bob, who is close to me. He is an unknown and capable brother. You can think of him as representing the will of the crown prince.”

Cale and Albert, who became Bob, looked at each other and smiled kindly.
Kale and Alberu, now Bob, exchanged amicable smiles as they looked at each other.

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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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