Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 582

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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 wanted to lie down.
On the Dark Tiger’s back.

“Hmm.”

But how could the Dark Tiger—no, Alberu, who had just fallen asleep and crossed into this world—have possibly noticed?

“Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t do anything.”

Impressive perception. He’s sharp.
Kale nodded calmly and crossed his arms.

“Hey. Kim Rok-soo.”

Kale shifted his gaze downward.
Below, Kim Po-chul and Kim Min-jun stared ahead and at Kale in turn, their faces etched with concern.

“Can we really just stay like this?”

At Kim Po-chul’s question, Kale looked forward.

Weeee— Weeeee—
Clang, clang! Clang! Clang!

Amid a cacophony of warning alarms, a massive iron North Gate stood firmly locked, and surrounding it were armed figures aiming spears, swords, and bows at Kale and his companions.

“Hmm. Did we arrive too late?”

At Kale’s words, Kim Po-chul suddenly struck his own chest in frustration.

“Good grief! Kim Rok-soo, that’s not the problem!”

Kim Po-chul stopped mid-sentence, realizing his mistake, and closed his mouth.
Then a rather gentle voice reached him from behind.

“Are we the problem, then?”

Kim Po-chul turned his head slightly backward, his gaze lifting upward.
A cute-looking White Rabbit standing three meters tall—made all the more terrifying by that very cuteness—gazed down at him calmly.
The White Rabbit was positioned to Kale’s left, riding atop the Dark Tiger.

“Hmph!”

And to Kale’s right, the Steel-Feathered Eagle had spread its wings sharply, making no effort to hide its irritation.
The Steel Hawk glared at the humans who had aimed their bows at her and opened her mouth.

“Why don’t I just go in and snatch this Lee Soo-hyuk fellow you mentioned?”

Her wings rustled.

“How dare you point weapons at me! Do you have a death wish?”

The expressions of those holding weapons grew even more tense.
Then, one of the figures standing atop the City Wall on either side of the City Gate spoke.

“No being may cross this City Wall without permission!”

It was a middle-aged woman in a judo uniform.

“And Lee Soo-hyuk cannot be handed over!”

A flicker of recognition crossed Kale’s eyes as he regarded her.

‘The one who will become Busan’s Zone Leader later.’

And one of the figures standing atop the opposite City Wall spoke. He was addressing not Kale, but the middle-aged woman.

“Sister, let’s just fight.”

A middle-aged man wearing something like a cloak draped over his shoulders.
Kale recognized this man as well.

‘The leader of Daejeon’s Largest Guild.’

But it wasn’t just those two.
Among those guarding the City Wall, an additional two or three were individuals who had made quite a name for themselves in Kim Rok-soo’s memories of the future.

“Heh.”

A short laugh escaped from Kale’s lips.
At that laugh, not only the people atop the City Wall but also Kale’s companions tensed as they watched him.

The current situation was like a thin thread pulled taut—no one could tell when it might snap.

Yet Kale found himself laughing.

‘…So all the monsters really did gather here.’

In this Busan Seomyeon Central Shelter, there were gathered ability users—veritable monsters—who would make names for themselves in future Korean society and even the world.

This wasn’t merely about offensive capabilities.
They were monstrous ability users across diverse fields: healing, defense, support, and more.

‘Of course, they happened to gather by chance.’

They all came from different hometowns and different foundations.
Yet through various coincidences and overlapping reasons, these ability users had come to stay together.

Of course, there were numerous other monstrous ability users stationed throughout the country.

‘I’ll need to bring those people in too.’

And Kale intended to bring those ability users along soon.
Kale offered a gentle smile to those who had aimed their bows at him.
Though the people grew even more tense at that smile, Kale reached out his hand toward Steel Hawk.

“That won’t do, older sister. We promised not to kill humans, didn’t we?”

One of the people in front of the City Gate muttered without realizing it.

“Good heavens, ‘older sister,’ he says.”

Expressions of shock were visible scattered throughout the room.
Regardless, Steel Hawk glanced at the smiling Kale for a moment, then folded her wings and turned her head sharply to one side.

“Hmph. I’ll let it slide because of that face of yours.”

Then she spoke to Kale as if issuing a warning.

“You must honor the deal.”

Kim Po-chul’s mouth opened.

“…A deal?”
“Yes. There is a deal.”

The White Rabbit offered a gentle smile. Cute as it was, it carried an edge of menace.
Kim Po-chul carefully asked Kale.

“What kind of deal?”
“Hmm.”

Kale paused to consider.

“Coexistence?”
“…Coexistence?”
“Yes. A deal for us to coexist together.”

What does that even mean?
Kim Po-chul had such thoughts, but he kept them to himself.
It was because the Dark Tiger had opened its mouth. For some reason, Kim Po-chul found the Dark Tiger more difficult to approach than the other two leader monsters.
And the other two monsters treated the Dark Tiger differently as well.
Perhaps because of that, the Dark Tiger felt like a somewhat different existence—a somewhat more dignified one.

The Dark Tiger spoke softly.

“Why is she calling me older sister?”
“Since only you are called older brother, she said it was a shame and asked if she could be called older sister too?”
“…Heh.”

Alberu shook his head side to side.
Each time, his mane swayed with elegant grace.

“…Sigh.”

Park Jin-tae, who had been watching the entire spectacle, lowered his head and exhaled a long breath.

“…This is ridiculous.”

Park Jin-tae found the scene absurd, but as he contemplated the even more absurd situation that would soon unfold before him, his mind grew so tangled that he found himself craving alcohol—something he didn’t normally drink.

‘Lee Soo-hyuk, of all people.’

Kale had come to meet Lee Soo-hyuk and asked to be brought to him.
And now they were locked in this ridiculous standoff.

‘That bastard did everything he could to escape from his shadow.’

In the end, he was seeing Lee Soo-hyuk again. And he had walked here on his own two feet.

‘I’m going to get beaten. No, if it ends there, I should count myself lucky.’

His own future was painfully clear to him.

Lee Soo-hyuk.
That name had held considerable weight in Park Jin-tae’s life since the Great Catastrophe.
Envy. Admiration. Jealousy. Inferiority.
He was the target of all these tangled emotions, and even as Park Jin-tae had willingly positioned himself as Lee Soo-hyuk’s right hand when he was the leader, he had always harbored the thought: ‘What am I lacking compared to this bastard?’

But Kim Rok-soo.
Spending time with the changed Kim Rok-soo, Park Jin-tae had come to realize that jealousy could only target someone within reach.
Kim Rok-soo’s abilities were something Park Jin-tae could never attain, and precisely because of that, he had followed Kim Rok-soo here.

“…Phew.”

A sigh laden with anxiety and tension escaped Park Jin-tae’s lips unbidden.

“Mm!”

My gaze happened to meet that of the Dark Tiger bearing the peculiar name Albert Crossman.
But the Dark Tiger soon looked away. At that sight, Park Jin-tae exhaled softly.

However, the Dark Tiger had not been looking at Park Jin-tae.
It had been watching the two people standing in front of him.

“Rok-soo.”

Alberu whispered softly.

“Yes.”
“Can we leave those two in the back alone?”

Kale immediately understood which two people Alberu was referring to.
Facing forward, his gaze fixed on the North Gate, Kale glanced back slightly.

Two people with expressions of some complexity came into view.
They were men of the Choi Clan.

Choi Han and Choi Jung-soo.
Each wore different expressions, yet both shared a grave demeanor as they became lost in their own thoughts.

Choi Han stared blankly at the night sky, while Choi Jung-soo’s eyes bore into his back with piercing intensity.

Choi Jung-soo was attempting to observe discreetly, but whenever Choi Han looked elsewhere, he would stare through his back with unwavering focus.

‘Well.’

But Choi Han was no ordinary person—he had likely noticed Choi Jung-soo’s gaze long ago.

‘Both their hearts must be in turmoil.’

The journey from Gyeongju back to Busan.
Several small-scale battles had erupted along the way. Each time, Choi Han stepped forward to the front without Kale needing to say a word.

With each passing day, Choi Jung-soo watched him with eyes filled with confusion.

Kale understood the reason well.

‘Choi Han was using Choi Jung-soo’s swordsmanship.’

More precisely, Choi Han was wielding a slightly more advanced form of the Choi Clan’s swordsmanship that he had witnessed in Choi Jung-soo’s memories.

So to Choi Jung-soo’s eyes, Choi Han’s swordsmanship appeared similar to the ancient techniques his clan had excavated and refined, yet somehow a step further ahead—a sight that would naturally confuse him.

However, the two of them had never engaged in direct conversation until now.

“Complicated indeed.”

The situation was as complicated as Alberu had said.
But.

“Those two will manage just fine on their own.”

This was not a matter for Kale to intervene in.

At least not at the beginning.
The beginning of their conversation had to come from them, not from Kale.
Only after that might Kale step in to smooth things over, but my hope was that those two would take the first step themselves.

That was when.

“Commander! Lee Soo-hyuk has arrived!”
“He has?”

The City Wall began to stir with commotion.
Kale hastily tore his gaze away from Choi Han and Choi Jung-soo, redirecting his attention forward.

That was the moment.

“Ha!”

Kale let out an exclamation as he caught sight of the figure standing atop the City Wall.
That person looked down at Kale from the wall with an expression of disbelief.

It was Lee Soo-hyuk.
The corners of Kale’s mouth curved upward slightly.

Finally, we met.

At that moment, Alberu murmured softly.

“That guy looks like the Lee Soo-hyuk you mentioned?”

Alberu let out a small exclamation without even waiting for Kale’s response.

“Hmm. Unlike what you said, he has quite a commanding presence-”

Of course, I couldn’t properly hear Alberu’s words.
I had no mind for it, and besides, Lee Soo-hyuk was pointing directly at me.

“Hey, you!”

Lee Soo-hyuk’s face was flabbergasted as he repeatedly swept his hair back with his hand.
Then he took in Alberu, whom I was riding on, the monsters on both sides,
and the people surrounding them, one by one.

His eyes widened once more.

“You guys too!”

His gaze turned toward Lee Jin-ju, Lee Sung-won, Grandmother Kim, Park Jin-tae, and Lee Chul-min.
At Lee Soo-hyuk’s reaction, the two people responsible for the North Gate approached.

“Lee Soo-hyuk. Are these people you know?”
“Soo-hyuk. That person- Hey, hey! What are you doing!”

But Lee Soo-hyuk ignored the two approaching men and leaped over the City Wall, descending outside the Castle.
Then he strode toward where I was.

“…Brother!”
“It could be dangerous!”

The ability users waiting outside the North Gate expressed their concern to Lee Soo-hyuk, but he raised his hand in reassurance.

“It’s fine.”

With those words, he walked toward the location where three leader-class monsters were gathered.
However, his gaze was not directed at the leader-class monsters, but at the people.

And among those people.
The one standing at the very front was staring directly at Kale.
Team Leader Lee Su-hyuk’s mouth opened as he approached.
“Hey. Have you been eating and living properly?”

For a moment, upon hearing that question, Kale felt laughter bubbling up inside him.
Seeing the corners of his mouth rise, Team Leader Lee Su-hyuk also grinned widely. But soon, he spoke with a frown.

“What’s with that appearance? Why are you so gaunt?”

In that instant, Lee Chul-min, who had been hunching his shoulders at the very back of the group without anyone noticing, felt his pupils tremble.
However, no one saw this—neither the people of Busan Seo-myeon Central Shelter nor Kale’s group.
All eyes turned toward Kale and Team Leader Lee Su-hyuk.

Kale descended from Alberu’s back and approached Team Leader Lee Su-hyuk.
As he did, he opened his mouth.

“I don’t think you’re in a position to comment on my appearance.”

And at those words, Team Leader Lee Su-hyuk’s smile widened even more.

“Really, it’s definitely Kim Rok-soo.”

With that, he walked toward Kale more quickly.
Watching Team Leader Lee Su-hyuk, Kale recalled the words that the future Team Leader Lee Su-hyuk had spoken when reminiscing about this very moment.

‘There was a time when I was quite exhausted. Wouldn’t you be? Now, my thoughts are clearly organized.’
‘Back then… back then, I was still young, I wasn’t anyone great. I was a bit tired. It was hard.’

Those words were true.

His combat attire was covered in the blood of monsters, and his appearance was a complete mess.
Though his expression was bright, the exhaustion etched into his face was plainly visible.

Unlike the future Team Leader Lee Su-hyuk, the current Team Leader Lee Su-hyuk was gradually growing weary of saving people and fighting monsters, and the burden was becoming increasingly heavy.

All of it was visible to the eyes of Kim Rok-soo, the future Team Leader.

“…You really do look like a mess.”

Lee Soo-hyuk stopped mid-stride at those words and looked down at his own body.

“What.”
Then he grinned widely again and spoke.

“But I still look cool, don’t I?”
“You’ll freeze to death.”

Kale let out a scoff and shot back with those words.
Lee Soo-hyuk, who had been quietly observing him, opened his mouth.

“Have you grown while I wasn’t looking?”
“I was already fully grown.”

Kale gave a bland response to Lee Soo-hyuk’s remark and extended his hand.

A greeting after such a long time.
A greeting without awkwardness.
This felt just right.

Lee Soo-hyuk, who had been quietly observing that outstretched hand, let out a soft laugh.

“Kid, what’s with the handshake.”

Lee Soo-hyuk spread both arms wide and strode toward Kale.
And pulled him into a tight embrace.

“It’s been so long. I’m really glad to see you, Rok-soo.”

Pat, pat. The rough hand that had been tapping his back soon moved to ruffle Kale’s hair, stroking the back of his head.

“I was worried about the Shelter people.”

Twenty-four hours of battle.
Lee Soo-hyuk, who had fought that battle in Busan, continued to think about his first Central Shelter.

‘That place must have collapsed too.’
‘Monsters must have overrun it as well.’
‘Even if I struggle alone like this, won’t everything eventually crumble anyway?’

Lee Soo-hyuk continued patting Kim Rok-soo’s back—someone he had saved before, and who had now survived to find him.

“Thank goodness. You’re alive.”

It truly was a mercy.
Lee Soo-hyuk spoke softly.

“I’m grateful. Thank you for staying alive. Rok-soo.”

In that moment.
Kale gazed upon someone he was meeting again after so long—a person who had been his savior, his mentor, and his family throughout his life—and reflected.

‘Lee Soo-hyuk is still Lee Soo-hyuk.’

So he thought.

—————
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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