Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 58

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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 13. Just Flip It Over

The moment I returned, the first to greet me were my family.
Whoosh, whoosh. My body swayed helplessly left and right. Tap, tap-tap. Four hands examined my shoulders, arms, and face with meticulous care. My expression remained blank throughout.

“No serious injuries, then.”

Count Derth examined me for a long while before finally smiling with visible relief. I returned a hollow smile and straightened my disheveled clothes. Count Derth trained with the sword every morning without fail, so his strength was considerable.
Count Derth was so strong that he trained in swordsmanship every morning.

“I’m fine.”
That’s fine.

This time, Countess Viollan approached Kale.

“I heard that more people joined the group.”

That group referred to the Wolf Tribe children and the Whale Tribe siblings. The Whale Tribe siblings had their appearances completely transformed by the Black Dragon’s magic.

“I see.”
“Okay.”

Kale could see the cold glint in Countess Viollan’s eyes as she remained impeccably composed as always.

“That’s what I’ve been told, yes.”
“Very well, I understand for now.”
“Okay, I understand for now.”

Count Derth spoke to me with a gentle smile.
Count Derth spoke to Kale with a gentle smile.

“Yes.”
Yes.

With the Count’s permission to leave, Kale was able to head to his room. However, there were those who stopped him in his tracks. It was the second son, Basen, and the youngest, Lily.

“Oh, that’s right.”
“Oh, that’s right.”

Kale turned his gaze away from the siblings and gestured to his butler, Hans. Hans approached immediately.

“Here you are, sir.”
“Good.”

Kale handed the two items he had received from Hans to Basen and Lily respectively.

“This is a fountain pen. And this is a sword.”

Kale had remembered the items the siblings had asked him to bring. After presenting the gifts, he looked at them both and asked.

“Why do you both look like that?”

Basen’s expression had grown rigid.

“You must have been preoccupied.”
“Even if I was, a promise is a promise.”

Basen, who had been staring intently at Kale’s indifferent response, clutched the box containing the fountain pen and spoke with solemn determination.

“I will study diligently. I will work toward the administration and development of this fiefdom.”
“Good, good.”

Since you must become the lord, it’s wonderful that you’re studying administration so earnestly. Kale’s expression brightened with a satisfied smile, and seeing this, Basen hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“I won’t cause you any trouble, brother.”
“What do you mean?”
“In any case, that’s how it is.”

After that, Basen sealed his lips firmly. Kale regarded Basen with a puzzled expression as he spoke in incomplete sentences, then turned his head. There stood Lily Heniatus.
Seven years old. The young girl’s expression had transcended mere seriousness—it was resolute. What was with her?

“Big brother.”
“Yes?”
“I will grow stronger and lead not only our fiefdom but the Knights Order as well. I will protect everything.”
“Oh, I support you.”

Basen would handle administration. Lily would command the military. With both of them, the fiefdom would run smoothly on its own. What a wonderful pledge this was. Kale’s face brightened with contentment as he gently stroked Lily’s hair.

“You’ll make a fine knight.”
“Yes. I won’t let anyone get hurt.”
“Good, good.”

I withdrew my hand and moved forward.

“I should rest now.”
“Get plenty of rest, brother.”
“Brother, you need to rest well! To recover!”

I waved dismissively at the two children’s words and headed toward my room. The siblings watched my retreating figure for a long while.

Though I had returned to my room after a long absence, it was impossible for the space to feel empty—not with the warmth that filled it.

Meow, meow.
Meow.

Two cats were rolling about on the bed, looking quite plump and content. But they barely registered in my awareness. My eyes narrowed as I noticed someone waiting in front of my door.

“…Are you attending to me now?”

It was Vicross, the head chef. Was he abandoning the Second Kitchen entirely to take over Ron’s duties? Ignoring my questioning gaze, Vicross extended a letter.

“A letter from your father.”
“Ah, Ron.”
“He said to show it to you.”

The letter was sealed cleanly, never opened. Last time Ron left, he had sent word through Hans, but it seemed this time he intended to report through his son.

“Thank you.”
“Yes.”
“I’ve assigned Mess and the children to kitchen assistance and serving duties for now.”

Vicross’s shoulders stiffened, and after a few seconds of silence, he responded.

“…Yes.”

His departing footsteps seemed heavy, but regardless, Vicross was taking good care of the Wolf Tribe children. I closed the door. Click. With that sound, the Black Dragon appeared.

“I love our home. Very much, extremely, considerably.”

The Black Dragon bounded onto the bed where On and Hong lay, practically vibrating with excitement. Kale chuckled softly at the display—behavior typical of an average seven-year-old—and leisurely unfolded the letter. He nearly dropped it.

【I am still alive. You are still alive, are you not?】

That single line was all the report contained.
Such a brutal message—yet it confirmed beyond doubt that Ron had sent it. The handwriting and the agreed-upon seal were unmistakable.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Young Master, may I enter?”

Hans’s voice accompanied the knock. The cats straightened with dignified composure, and the Black Dragon faded from sight.

“Come in.”

Hans stepped inside, his arms laden with treats for the cats, and spoke to Kale.

“The Mage says she is available whenever you wish.”
“Then go now. You don’t need to come along.”

Kale dismissed Hans and left the room, heading toward the Lord’s Castle.

-Where are you going? To see the Mage?

Kale gave a subtle nod for the Black Dragon, who had turned invisible and followed without playing with On and Hong. The creature had clearly grown curious at the mention of a Mage.

“Young Master, I heard you had returned.”
“Yes.”

As Kale entered the Lord’s Castle, many people greeted him.

“Greetings, Young Master.”
“Hello. It’s been a while.”

“You’ve accomplished remarkable things. Truly impressive.”
“Not really.”

He found the process tedious and quickened his pace, offering only perfunctory greetings in return. The invisible Black Dragon observed his every movement, its wings fluttering with unusual vigor as it trailed behind him. With each person who approached to greet Kale Heniatus, the dragon’s ears perked up and its mouth curved into an unmistakable smile.

Unaware of this, Kale Heniatus opened the door to his destination—after knocking, of course.

“Young Master?”
“We haven’t met before. It’s good to see you.”
“It is an honor to meet you.”

The mage oversaw magical video communications for the fiefdom. Typically, such work fell to mages of intermediate to beginner-level ability.

“Can you set up a video call right away?”
“Yes. But where would you like to connect to?”

The mage prepared the communication device while stealing glances at Kale Heniatus. The fiefdom had been abuzz with talk of Kale Heniatus lately, and the sight of him arriving to make a call immediately piqued the mage’s curiosity.
Kale Heniatus answered calmly, oblivious to the mage’s interest.

“The Royal Palace.”
“Ah, the Royal Palace—the Royal Palace?”
“That’s right.”

Kale Heniatus specified his exact target.

“Connect me to the Crown Prince, if you would.”

Kale Heniatus frowned slightly as he watched the mage stammer and asked:

“What’s wrong? Can’t you connect? A voice message would be fine too.”
“Ah, no. Yes, I can. Of course I can.”

When communicating with the Royal Palace, which fielded countless calls, it was possible to leave video or audio messages. There were simply too many people waiting in queue.

‘This world is quite convenient, except for the fact that mages are needed at every turn.’

For some reason, the mage fumbled about as he set up a signal to the Royal Palace, then reported back to Kale Heniatus.

“It appears a direct video call won’t be possible at the moment, but I should be able to leave a voice message for the Crown Prince.”

While face-to-face conversation would have been preferable, it wasn’t strictly necessary, so Kale Heniatus agreed. He watched the mage activate the device and leave, and once alone, he opened his mouth toward the communication device.

“Your Highness, this is Kale Heniatus.”

The matter could be stated simply and directly.

“I’m going to take over the Wipper Kingdom Magic Tower.”

First use of the golden token. Kale could already imagine the Crown Prince’s expression upon hearing this message. And he knew the Crown Prince would ultimately accept it. He would be bewildered and irritated, yet secretly pleased. And curious.

So Kale left one more thing unsaid.

“By the way, I won’t be able to use video communication for the next week. I’m taking a brief trip elsewhere. I’ll leave word beforehand.”

After leaving that message, Kale pressed the button the Mage had taught him. A blue light flickered in the communication device, signaling that the voice message had been recorded.
Kale called out to the Mage who had stepped outside, and upon seeing the blue light, the Mage spoke to him.

“The voice message has been recorded successfully.”
“Good.”

The Mage watched the smile spreading across Kale’s face and opened his mouth.

“It seems you’ve left quite an interesting message?”
“You could say that.”

The Crown Prince would likely hear the recorded message sometime tomorrow. Kale imagined the Crown Prince waiting for communication over the next week after his departure, and a delighted smile crossed his face.

-…I feel sorry for the Crown Prince.

For some reason, the Black Dragon felt a pang of sympathy for the Crown Prince. Kale brushed off the remark lightly and left the magical communication chamber to seek out his father, Count Derth. He wanted to settle everything at once while he was at it.

* * *

“You want to visit Harris Village?”
“Yes.”

Kale nodded at Count Derth’s words. He mentioned both the ancient power and Harris Village in one breath. But Count Derth’s attention fixed on Harris Village.

Derth gazed at the report concerning the Harris Village incident in Kale’s hand, then looked at his son. Kale’s eyes were calm and steady. It was the look of sincerity.

Harris Village.
Count Derth had dispatched the Investigation Team and then, upon hearing related news, made his way to the village. With that arrival came both anger and sorrow.
The village was, quite literally, reduced to ruins. Yet simultaneously, not a single trace of the perpetrator could be found. Thus, he had already requested cooperation from nearby fiefdoms for the investigation, and had also placed a request with the Information Guild.

“…Is it this young man Choi Han that troubles you?”

However, Count Derth had discovered signs of combat at the scene. From that alone, he could surmise Choi Han’s strength to a considerable degree. There was no way his son, who lived alongside him, could remain ignorant of such power.

“Well, I suppose that’s one way to put it.”

Kale Heniatus gave a vague nod to Count Derth’s words. It was the only excuse he could offer.

He could hardly reveal that he was heading to the Dark Forest for the Wolf Tribe children’s berserk state and wild training, for the Black Dragon’s growth, and to find a solution to the Whale Tribe war, could he?

Kale opened his mouth again to the seemingly contemplative Count Derth.

“The Investigation Team has likely already completed their survey, but I still wish to confirm it with my own eyes. And there is no concern regarding monsters, is there? It is not even winter.”
“That is true.”

The Dark Forest’s monsters. Between Harris Village and the Dark Forest stood a massive stone wall erected by people—a barrier against such creatures.
Of course, there had been no monster incursions for nearly 150 years. The common saying was that entering the Dark Forest meant death, so monsters rarely emerged from the forest itself.

‘When they do emerge, the problem is that they are mutants and formidable.’

The Lord’s Castle, finding the monsters suspiciously quiet for 150 years, had dispatched investigation teams several times, but they had never dared venture into the Dark Forest itself—only circled its perimeter before returning.

At last, Count Derth’s lips parted.

“In any case, there are still soldiers remaining in Harris Village and it is relatively safe.”

He nodded as if in agreement with something, then spoke to Kale.

“You must look after those you have taken in.”

Kale slowly shook his head. It was an absurd misunderstanding.

“Choi Han is not my subordinate.”

Taking in Choi Han? Kale had never done such a thing. Derth chuckled softly at his son’s expression and nodded.

“Yes, I understand. You’ve grown up.”
“Eighteen is old enough, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. You may go.”

I bowed to Count Derth and turned toward the office door. That was when I heard his voice calling out from behind me.

“Kale.”

As I turned back toward Count Derth, his voice continued to reach me.

“The golden turtle was never a symbol of wealth from the beginning. We are a martial family, a house that protects. Whether it is family or something else, our duty is to protect.”

Count Derth’s and my eyes met.

“We protect all things with our hardest shell. But the most important thing is to protect ourselves. That is why we are turtles.”

A turtle that shields itself with a sturdy carapace.
Count Derth Heniatus, a lord known throughout society as unremarkable and entirely ordinary, spoke these words to his son.

“So always place yourself above all else.”

And with a gentle smile, he added one more thing.

“That power you’ve gained. It’s magnificent.”

I offered Count Derth a smile similar to his own and answered playfully.

“Indeed? It is visually impressive, after all. And my safety has always been my top priority.”
“Good. That’s all that matters.”

I watched silently as Count Derth nodded and returned his attention to his documents, then I left the lord’s office. The Black Dragon spoke to me then.

-You and that man are family, aren’t you?

I nodded in response to the question.

And the next day, as I climbed into the carriage, I spoke to the Whale Tribe siblings.

“You two are perfect as my new escort, aren’t you?”

Witira, her appearance transformed, wielded her whip, while Paseton, sword in hand, offered a faint smile. I made my way toward Harris Village—or more precisely, toward the Dark Forest.

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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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