Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 581

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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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Kim Po-chul found himself opening his mouth without thinking.

“Wait, is that even possible?”

Joo Ho-sik nodded lightly.

“It is possible. You must believe it.”

Gulp.
Kim Po-chul swallowed hard, his gaze flickering to the side.
Not far away, a man who had introduced himself as Kim Rok-soo was conversing with several of his companions.

Baek Song-i, Seo Jun’s aunt who had been listening quietly, spoke with astonishment in her voice.

“Is it true that no one died and everyone survived that night?”

Her gaze and that of Seo Jun in her arms turned toward Kim Min-jun.
Similarly, Choi Jung-soo’s eyes remained fixed on Kim Min-jun.

Kim Rok-soo had introduced Kim Min-jun to them just moments before.

‘You should hear the explanation about our situation from Min-jun here.’

Having said that, he was conversing with several of his companions on the other side.
Because of this, all five people, including Choi Jung-soo, learned about the ’24-hour battle’ through Kim Min-jun.

“Yes. There were injured people, but no one died, and we were able to move safely to the New Central Shelter.”

At Kim Min-jun’s calm response, Park Mal-sook let out continuous exclamations of wonder and spoke.

“So you’re saying that this young man Kim Rok-soo commanded that entire battle using a power called ‘Foresight’ along with many other incredibly powerful abilities?”

Her expression was that of someone witnessing something unbelievable.

“That doesn’t make sense. How could one person—”
“You must believe us.”

At that moment, Joo Ho-sik spoke calmly.

“I was a man filled with disbelief, uncertain what to trust. But the moment I finally saw Kim Rok-soo, I accepted that unbelievable reality and found faith.”

A sigh escaped.
Lee Jin-ju exhaled deeply while Kim Min-jun offered an awkward smile and shook his head slightly.
But Joo Ho-sik remained resolute.

“So you must believe us.”

His gaze turned toward Seo Jun nestled in Baek Song-i’s arms.

“Is there any falsehood in my words?”

For a moment, Seo Jun and his companions hesitated, but at Baek Song-i’s nod, the boy opened his mouth.

“No! Uncle and mister both told only the truth!”

Seo Jun pointed to Kim Min-jun and Joo Ho-sik, his answer brimming with certainty.

“…Hah.”

And so Kim Po-chul and Park Mal-sook let out sighs of resignation.
That was when it happened.

“Are you eating well?”

Kale Heniatus approached and spoke to them.
Though his tone had lost some of its initial gentleness and turned blunt, it sounded more comfortable precisely because it was his natural manner of speaking.

Yet those receiving the question found no comfort in it.

“…Well, about that.”

Kim Po-chul spoke up, and Kale regarded him with a puzzled expression.
Faced with that gaze, Kim Po-chul continued.

“Is that person actually human?”

Hm?
Kale Heniatus’s gaze turned toward Kim Min-jun.
Kim Min-jun, with a brisk expression, quickly replied to Kim Po-chul.

“Yes, he’s human.”

Then he flashed a grin at Kale Heniatus.

‘…Something feels off.’

Kale Heniatus, sensing the discomfort, glanced at the others. Lee Jin-ju, wearing an awkward smile, subtly pointed her finger at Joo Ho-sik.
Joo Ho-sik was looking at Kale Heniatus with his hands clasped together.

‘Hmm.’

Kale Heniatus decided not to dwell on this matter any further.
Instead, his gaze shifted toward Choi Jung-soo.

Choi Jung-soo could see Kale Heniatus looking at him with a furrowed brow.
At that gaze, his shoulders trembled slightly. The pupils in Choi Jung-soo’s eyes, as he looked at Kale Heniatus, were wavering.

‘…Precognition, and he wields fire, water, wind, and shields too?’

Was that even human?
The more Choi Jung-soo heard Kim Min-jun’s words and Joo Ho-sik’s affirmations, the less Kim Rok-soo seemed like a person to him.
He felt like something other than human entirely.

It was astounding that such a being had recognized him through precognition, and it was equally strange that he was being treated so favorably.
And Choi Jung-soo himself felt strange too.

‘…I’m not feeling any wariness.’

Since the world changed like this, Choi Jung-soo had lived consumed by extreme tension.

Because he was weak.
And in this world now, it wouldn’t be strange if the strong devoured him at any moment.

Yet strangely, even hearing that this Kim Rok-soo was so powerful, I felt no wariness.
Since this was my first time experiencing such a thing, Choi Jung-soo found the current situation all the more confusing.

Then, Kale Heniatus opened his mouth.
The sight entered Choi Jung-soo’s eyes as if in slow motion, and he began to tense up gradually.
It was a different kind of tension than wariness.

What would this strong one say?
Choi Jung-soo waited with a pounding heart, and finally a voice flowed from Kale Heniatus’s lips.

“Choi Jung-soo, why did you eat so little?”

Huh?
Choi Jung-soo didn’t notice that Kale Heniatus was speaking casually like when they first met, but his gaze turned downward.
It was the food supplies that Kim Rok-soo’s group had been carrying around.
Choi Jung-soo shifted his gaze and looked around his surroundings. He could see the dinner food laid out in front of his companions. And he took in the puzzled looks not only from his own group but also from Kim Rok-soo’s group.

Choi Jung-soo hesitated and pondered before opening his mouth.
We’re the same age, and they started it first.

“I finished one bento box.”

Just speak casually.
Choi Jung-soo spoke with a much more comfortable expression.

But Kale Heniatus’s face scrunched up even more.
Just one bento box!
That bastard Choi Jung-soo ate just one bento box!

‘Aren’t you supposed to eat at least two bowls as a baseline?’

Kale Heniatus wanted to retort exactly that, but he stopped himself and clamped his mouth shut.

‘This isn’t something I should be doing.’

Kale Heniatus freshly realized that being the only one remembering things wasn’t exactly a pleasant ability.
Then, Choi Jung-soo spoke urgently.

“I mean, it’s been a while since I’ve eaten this comfortably and this much! I ate plenty!”

It was the truth.
Since the world had become this way, Choi Jung-soo found it considerably difficult to secure proper meals.
It wasn’t just Choi Jung-soo—everyone living in this world now faced the same struggle.

“Um, Choi Jung-soo?”
“Yes?”

Kim Min-jun spoke to Choi Jung-soo with an awkward expression.

“The New Central Shelter has ‘food supplies.’ We gathered ours from there as well.”

Kim Po-chul’s eyes widened as he interjected into the conversation.

“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Huh. I only knew the New Central Shelter had been established, but since I hadn’t heard much about it, I didn’t realize.”

Kim Po-chul smacked his lips regretfully. However, for him who needed to hurry and see his family, news of the New Central Shelter they’d passed by on the way wasn’t particularly important.

“Yes. So we’ve been informing people we’ve encountered along the way about the locations of nearby Central Shelters.”
“…There aren’t just one or two newly established Central Shelters. Do you know all their locations?”

Kim Po-chul could see Kim Min-jun’s gaze shift toward Kim Rok-soo.
It was a gesture that made an answer unnecessary.

“Huh.”

Another exclamation escaped Kim Po-chul’s lips.

“First.”

Then Kale opened his mouth again.
The other members of the group, who had been conversing at a distance, approached and looked toward Kale.

Of course, Choi Jung-soo had to pause upon seeing the Dark Tiger standing behind Kale.
Even knowing it had sided with humanity, the fear remained genuine.

‘There are no other monsters.’

The other two monsters had apparently stepped away temporarily, saying they had some business to attend to nearby.
However, the tiger monster, unlike before, sat quietly without saying much of anything.

‘Or is it just spaced out?’

Choi Jung-soo stared intently at the subtly changed tiger monster, and his gaze collided with Choi Han’s, who stood beside the Dark Tiger.

‘Hmm?’

In that moment, Choi Jung-soo realized something.
Choi Han was said to be the strongest.

‘But why—’

Strangely enough.

‘Why does he not inspire more wariness than Kim Rok-soo?’

Choi Han stood with an expressionless face, yet he posed no particular threat to Choi Jung-soo.
It wasn’t something that could be attributed to Choi Han being younger than Choi Jung-soo.

‘What is it?’

As Choi Jung-soo continued to ponder while observing Kale Heniatus and Choi Han, Kale Heniatus continued speaking to the group.

“It’s approximately 7:30 right now. And if we continue for just one more hour from here, we’ll reach the Gyeongju Rest Stop on the Gyeongbu Expressway.”

Gyeongju Rest Stop.
A peculiar tension hung over that name.

Gyeongju was quite close to Busan.
The distance from Gyeongju Terminal to Nopo-dong Terminal in Busan was less than an hour by bus.

Busan was drawing near.
They might arrive in Busan within two days.

“…I didn’t know the exact location.”

Park Mal-sook’s voice trembled finely as she moved aimlessly along the Gyeongbu Expressway.
At that moment, Kale spoke to the group.

“So I’m thinking we’ll travel for one more hour tonight and spend the night at the Gyeongju Rest Stop.”

Kim Po-chul’s eyes widened instantly.

“Wait, you’re saying we move even though the sun has already set?”
“Yes. Let’s go together.”

Kale spoke matter-of-factly, and his companions erased all traces of their evening meal and prepared to move again.
Kale’s gaze turned toward Seo Jun.

“Since there’s a child with us, even though the rest stop building will be somewhat damaged, it will still be more comfortable to spend the night inside rather than in the middle of the road.”

Baek Song-i opened her mouth.

“But still—”

When night fell, nocturnal monsters emerged.
Humans faced far more constraints at night than nocturnal monsters did. That’s why they dreaded encountering monsters at night more than during the day.

“Night is quite dangerous—!”

Baek Song-i couldn’t finish her sentence.

Grrrrr—
Grrr—

The Forest.
Yellow eyes gleamed from within it.

Grrr—Grr—
Grr—

Monsters resembling hyenas appeared.
Kim Po-chul involuntarily opened his mouth.

“F-fire! We need to light a fire!”

They lit a fire to cook dinner.
Originally, Choi Jung-soo’s group wouldn’t even light a fire, spending their nights huddled in the darkness, taking turns standing watch except for Seo Jun, always prepared to flee at a moment’s notice.

Grrrrr—
Grrr— Grrrr—

The yellow eyes of the monsters grew increasingly numerous.

“These things always travel in packs!”

Kim Po-chul grabbed at his own hair.

“Good grief, this is maddening!”

Even so, he immediately reached for his weapon and gripped it. Then something occurred to him.

“…Wait, don’t those things have a leader?”

The hyena-like monsters with yellow eyes.
They traveled in packs of dozens.

And there was a leader among them.

“That’s correct. That leader is a Rank 1 monster.”
At the calm voice, I turned my gaze to see Kale nodding and pointing to one side.

“There it is.”

In that moment, red eyes appeared among the yellow ones.

Grrrrr! Grrr!

A monster roughly three times the size of the other hyena creatures stepped forward.
Kale observed the sight and spoke with composure.

“Hmm. It’s quite well-built for a Rank 1. That explains why they’re bold enough to attack even with a Rank 1 leader present here.”

Kale stroked the mane of the Dark Tiger.
Kim Po-chul’s mouth fell open at the sight.

“Can you really be this calm about it?”

That was the moment.

“Krraaaagh!”

The leader of the hyena monsters let out a piercing shriek, and in an instant, the hyena monsters at the front surged forward.

“Gasp!”

Kim Po-chul inhaled sharply at the sight, and as Choi Jung-soo took up a martial stance.
They could see something golden flash past them.

‘What?’

Before they could even properly comprehend what it was.
They heard a thunderous roar.

Boom!

In the dark night.
A golden lightning bolt struck the ground.

“Grrr!”

It landed precisely between the monsters and the humans.
Where the lightning had vanished, a long line was etched into the earth.

Choi Jung-soo turned his head urgently.

The golden lightning from moments before.
Kale Heniatus, its wielder, came into view.
Joo Ho-sik now stood beside Kale Heniatus, their hands clasped together.

Choi Jung-soo saw Kale Heniatus gazing not at the monsters that had rushed forward, but at the leader behind them.
Kale Heniatus spoke to the creature that would one day be called the Red Hyena.

“Cross that line, and you die.”

Choi Jung-soo’s mouth fell open in that instant.
The Red Hyena let out a furious roar filled with rage.

“Kraaaagh!”

In response, the hyena monsters with yellow eyes each unleashed their own cries, their fighting spirit surging upward.

At that moment, Choi Jung-soo and his companions could see two figures being launched forward.

“I’ll be back.”
“I’ll return as well!”

It was Kim Min-ah wielding a massive spear and Bae Pureun, wrapped in wind like an arrow as he shot forward.
Kale Heniatus opened his mouth as he watched the sight.

“Park Jin-tae.”
“Yes.”
“Tell the kids that our priority isn’t fighting—it’s moving forward without anyone getting hurt or sustaining major injuries.”
“Understood.”

Park Jin-tae gripped his gun and followed after Kim Min-ah and Bae Pureun. Then he turned back and asked Kale.

“Should I handle that one who looks like the commander?”
“No.”

Kale shook his head and looked to one side.
He placed a hand on the shoulder of the one who had been quieter than usual and merely smiled occasionally.

“Choi Han.”
“Yes.”

The two exchanged glances for a moment.
An emotion that only the two of them could share flowed in that instant. Kale opened his mouth.

“You understand, right?”

He didn’t ask what it was that needed understanding.
But Choi Han’s gaze shifted briefly toward Choi Jung-soo.

“I’ll take care of that leader.”
“Understood.”

Choi Han immediately surged forward with blinding speed.

‘Hm?’

In that instant, Choi Jung-soo’s eyes met Choi Han’s for a brief moment.

‘Was that an illusion?’

It had been nothing more than a fleeting instant.
Then it happened.

Choi Han drew his sword as he rushed toward the Red Hyena.
The blade emerged with the fluidity of water.

“Huh?”

Choi Jung-soo found something oddly familiar about that form.

“What is…?”

Choi Jung-soo murmured softly to himself, his gaze fixed upon Choi Han with an expression of utter bewilderment.
Kale Heniatus observed Choi Jung-soo quietly, then suddenly recalled something Choi Han had said.

‘I should teach him. What was severed must be reconnected.’

And he had added:

‘Besides, I wish to leave him with something. Choi Jung-soo has suffered alone all this time.’

Kale Heniatus emerged from his reverie and extended his hand forward.
There was work to be done.

A brilliant flash erupted.
Choi Jung-soo’s companions witnessed a silvery shield enveloping them all.

“Wow.”

Choi Jung-soo gazed at that silver shield and let out a breath of admiration. The shield, adorned with beautiful wings, looked truly sacred.

“Choi Jung-soo.”

Then, I could see Kale Heniatus approaching me closely.

“What is it?”

Kale Heniatus drew near to the questioning Choi Jung-soo and whispered so only he could hear.

“Don’t you want to become stronger?”

Choi Jung-soo could see Kale Heniatus asking me this while grinning wickedly.

* * *

Weeee— Weeee— Weeee—

A sharp warning alarm shook the castle in the dead of night.

“What’s happening!”

The Elderly Man who had been sleeping jolted awake.
The castle’s warning system had eight levels, from the lowest level 8 to the highest level 1, with an emergency alert standing apart.

But the current warning level was level 1.
It was the highest level excluding the emergency alert.

Bang bang bang!
At the urgent knocking on the door, the Elderly Man quickly opened it.

“Healer!”

A Messenger stood before the door with an urgent expression.

“What’s happening!”

The Elderly Man asked the reason while hastily gathering his belongings. He was the director of the Bright Herbal Clinic and was called a healer for possessing healing abilities.
The Messenger spoke rapidly.

“The ‘leader’ has appeared again! That’s the report!”

Kang the Healer stopped his hurried movements and turned to look at the Messenger.

“What? That thing?”

The leader.
Among the accounts compiled as survivors gathered after the brutal battle in Busan, the leader featured prominently.

Those creatures that had led six Grade 1 monsters through twenty-four hours of bloodshed and infiltrated the previous Central Shelter.
Creatures far superior to other Grade 1 monsters.
And creatures capable of human speech.

“And, and there are three of them, sir!”
“Good heavens!”

Three of those monsters had appeared again!
It might herald the beginning of another twenty-four hours of bloodshed.
Kang the Healer understood why the Level 1 alarm had sounded.
Horror etched itself across the old man’s face, while urgency marked the Messenger’s expression.
Then, from behind him, Kang the Healer heard a calm voice.

“Where?”

Kang the Healer turned around with a start.

“…Soo-hyuk, you’re awake?”

The man who had been sleeping, still covered in monster blood he hadn’t fully wiped away, was now rising from his spot with eyes open.
From the lips of the man rising with his sword sheath serving as a staff came a voice heavy with exhaustion.

“Where are they?”
“You should rest! You’ve been through enough for one day!”

Despite Kang the Healer’s words, Lee Soo-hyuk’s gaze remained fixed on the Messenger.
The Messenger’s eyes flickered toward the sword sheath Lee Soo-hyuk was using as a staff.
The sheath too was stained with dried monster blood, giving it a dark crimson hue.

That ‘sword’.
The sharpest blade that could cut through anything.

The Messenger’s gaze shifted from the sword to Lee Soo-hyuk.
Flinch!
Under the weight of that piercing stare, the Messenger’s shoulders instinctively tensed.

‘…He’s a good person, but.’

He was a good man who had saved countless lives, yet something about his presence felt sharp and terrifying.
With each passing day, he grew colder and more cutting, much like his own blade.
The Messenger quickly opened his mouth under that gaze.

“It’s at the North Gate!”

The Central Shelter that appeared in Busan Seomyeon had four gates facing north, south, east, and west.
The Messenger’s report continued.

“And there are humans with it!”
“Humans?”

Confusion flickered across the eyes of Kang the Healer and Lee Soo-hyuk.
Kang the Healer spoke urgently.

“Are they hostages captured by the monsters?”
“No, they’re not hostages!”
“Then what are they?”

That was when it happened.

“Brother! Brother!”

Another Messenger appeared.

“Huff. Pant. Brother Soo-hyuk, huff. Pant.”

The young man’s eyes, catching his breath, turned toward Lee Soo-hyuk.

“Hyung!”
“What?”
“Monsters and humans are looking for you, hyung!”
“What?”

Why are they looking for me?
Lee Soo-hyuk squinted and slowly made his way toward the door.
He needed to understand what was happening.
The Messenger caught his breath and opened his mouth.

“Hyung, do you know a man named Kim Rok-soo?”

Lee Soo-hyuk’s footsteps halted abruptly.
His eyes widened.

“…Who?”
“Kim Rok-soo.”

Kim Rok-soo.
A name I hadn’t heard in so long—one that felt unreal even now.

Four seasons had passed.
Winter, spring, summer, autumn.
And another winter drawing near.
Throughout all that time.
No matter how many people I saved.
No matter how hard I tried.

People died, the same tragedies repeated, and I grew weary. Now, hearing the name of someone I’d met before exhaustion consumed me, my breath caught.
The name echoed in my ears—a voice from before the weariness set in.
My lips parted without my consent.

“That’s impossible. How could that weak bastard come here?”

It truly made no sense.
Then, something even more absurd spilled from the Messenger’s lips.
The Messenger stammered, his voice trembling with bewilderment and disbelief.

“H-he, um, he says if you don’t come out soon, he’s just going home?”

Lee Soo-hyuk’s mouth opened.
The way he spoke.

“…It really is Kim Rok-soo, isn’t it?”

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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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