Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 588

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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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“I-is this really okay?”

Kang the Healer looked at Lee Soo-hyuk, who wasn’t smiling, at a loss for words.
He had no choice but to feel that way.

‘Kim Woo had been rendered speechless.’

Kim Woo, who had nothing left once you stripped away his bluster.
The man who constantly nitpicked everything related to Lee Soo-hyuk and eagerly sharpened his blade whenever his power seemed to diminish or he sensed a flaw in his position.

After that man returned from providing rescue support in Yeonsan-dong, he hadn’t uttered a single word. Or rather, he couldn’t.

Of course, he had left behind a few remarks.
Kim Woo had returned to the Central Shelter and encountered Heo Sook-ja, Kang the Healer, and Ma Seung-jin.
The three of them, including Heo Sook-ja, asked Kim Woo about Kim Rok-soo’s group, but he passed by them with a deeply furrowed brow.
Then he muttered.

‘…Where on earth did such monstrous things come from.’

The moment Kang the Healer tried to contemplate the meaning of those words, the rest of the rescue support team and the Rescue Team arrived. Through the rescue team members, they were able to hear the full account of what had transpired.
At that moment, Kang the Healer thought.

‘If truly catastrophic monsters were to sweep across the Western Region, I must secure these people!’

After that, Kang the Healer tried to hear more details about Kim Rok-soo’s group from Soo-hyuk.
But Lee Soo-hyuk said he was going to have a conversation with two of the Lee Siblings from Kim Rok-soo’s group and left abruptly. When he heard that Lee Soo-hyuk was at the Training Ground, he went to find him—

‘And there they were, fighting.’

Kang the Healer thought that he couldn’t afford to lose Kim Rok-soo’s group, and if their relationship soured from this fight, it would be troublesome.
So he hurriedly brought Kim Rok-soo and Choi Han with him.

‘Why are they so composed!’

Both of them were beyond composed—they seemed almost leisurely.

“No, if something’s wrong, we should talk it through amicably—”

Kang the Healer spoke carefully while observing the people inside the Training Ground, but.

“Hey! Close the door, I said!”

Park Jin-tae shouted at Choi Han, his face contorted in frustration.
At the sight, Kang the Healer found himself opening his mouth involuntarily.

“That guy’s getting beaten and yet—”

His tone was one of exasperation.

“Han.”

Lee Soo-hyuk called out to Choi Han once more in a low voice, and Choi Han, after gazing quietly at Park Jin-tae for a moment, headed toward the iron door at the entrance.

Then, Choi Han sensed footsteps following behind him.
Turning around, I saw Kale Heniatus standing there.

“Rok-soo hyung?”

Kale Heniatus opened his mouth, looking at Lee Soo-hyuk.

“I’m going too.”

Choi Han’s eyes widened.
At that moment, Park Jin-tae shouted from behind.

“Why aren’t you looking? Didn’t you want to see me getting beaten?”

Kale Heniatus’s gaze turned toward Park Jin-tae.
And he spoke without emotion.

“I’m telling you.”

Park Jin-tae saw Kim Rok-soo’s pupils, which reflected him transparently like a clear glass marble.
They were truly emotionless eyes.
The owner of those eyes spoke to Park Jin-tae calmly.

“I don’t have time to spare looking back.”

In that moment, Park Jin-tae felt a strange hollowness pressing down upon him.
In Kim Rok-soo’s unwavering gaze, Park Jin-tae found himself reflected like a fleeting image.

“…Ha.”

A feeble sound escaped Park Jin-tae’s lips.
Kale Heniatus turned his gaze away from Park Jin-tae without hesitation.
And he took a step toward the exit.

That was when it happened.
Lee Soo-hyuk’s voice reached him from behind.

“I’m sorry, Rok-soo.”

Kale Heniatus turned to face Lee Soo-hyuk and opened his mouth.

“Why?”

Lee Soo-hyuk offered no reply, merely regarding Kale Heniatus.
He had heard from Lee Sung-won and Lee Jin-ju about the Shelter during the time Park Jin-tae served as leader.
He had learned how Kim Rok-soo was treated, and moreover, how he had guided and saved the initial Shelter residents and the surrounding people.

Kim Rok-soo, whose eyes were as serene as a still lake, spoke calmly to Lee Soo-hyuk who gazed upon him.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything I need your apology for.”

And he turned away once more.
Choi Han approached Kale Heniatus’s side.

“Choi Han.”
“Yes.”

Kale Heniatus whispered softly, for Choi Han’s ears alone.

“Park Jin-tae was a national shooting champion. He possesses considerable athletic and reflexive abilities.”

The gazes of Kale Heniatus and Choi Han, directed toward the exit, met.

“Yet Park Jin-tae is no match for the Team Leader.”

Lee Soo-hyuk was an actor who had pursued action and thriller roles, but he hadn’t trained as systematically as Park Jin-tae.

“You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?”

Choi Han stared at Kale Heniatus with clear, unwavering eyes without speaking.
Kale gazed into those eyes before opening his mouth.

“I don’t know where Team Leader’s limits lie.”

For a moment, Choi Han’s eyes widened.

But what Kale said was the truth.

Lee Soo-hyuk continued to grow until the moment of his death.
His power never reached completion.
Yet even so, Lee Soo-hyuk ranked among the top three strongest, and was especially regarded as the greatest with the sword.

“At the very least, through this battle, I’ll draw out Team Leader’s power to the level I knew him at.”

It was one of my goals.
I had entrusted Choi Jung-soo’s problem to Choi Han, but Lee Soo-hyuk’s problem was mine alone to handle.

“So you should watch as well.”

Kale Heniatus passed by Choi Han and walked completely out of the Training Ground.

“Lee Soo-hyuk has natural talent, after all.”
The words he uttered as he passed echoed in Choi Han’s ears.
A moment later, Choi Han grasped the door handle and spoke to Kale Heniatus outside.

“I’ll see you later.”

Then the iron door separating the Training Ground from the corridor began to close slowly.
Through the closing door, Kale Heniatus heard Lee Soo-hyuk’s words to Park Jin-tae from inside.

“Jin-tae. You told me you would stand with my will.”

In the past, when Lee Soo-hyuk was at the Shelter, he had trusted Park Jin-tae considerably.

“At the very least, I promised to make the Shelter a place where people could live in peace as human beings.”

And now, in an emotionless voice, Lee Soo-hyuk reminded Park Jin-tae of the promise they had made.

“And I promised to protect the people of the Shelter. Jin-tae, have you forgotten that?”
“…Damn it.”

Park Jin-tae’s voice came out hoarse.
Kale couldn’t see clearly into the Training Ground as its door was closing, yet he could vividly picture what was happening inside.
Lee Soo-hyuk’s voice came again.

“Come on. We need to finish our sparring.”
“Damn it all!”

Along with Park Jin-tae’s shout, the sound of someone rushing forward followed. It was surely the sound of Park Jin-tae charging at Lee Soo-hyuk.

Pfft.
A soft, deflating laugh escaped from Kale’s lips.

“They’re going to have a rough time.”

Lee Chul-min and Park Jin-tae would have grueling days ahead.
Today was likely just the beginning. Lee Soo-hyuk would probably put them through quite the rigorous training, insisting on imparting proper instruction to Park Jin-tae and Lee Chul-min.

Kale could vividly picture the scene as well, and he chuckled softly to himself as he turned back down the corridor the way he had come.

“…Rok-soo!”
“Hyung!”

Just then, Kale spotted the Lee Siblings and Grandmother Kim hurrying toward him from around the corner of the corridor.
The siblings called out to Kale, but unable to say anything else, they only moved their lips.

“Rok-soo.”

Meanwhile, Grandmother Kim approached Kale and took his hand.
It was a truly warm hand.

“Rok-soo.”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
“There are no more knots in your heart now, are there?”

Kale Heniatus smiled gently at her words.

‘Knots in one’s heart.’

Grandmother Kim was likely asking about what had happened with Park Jin-tae, but to Kale, it sounded somewhat different.

Knots in one’s heart.
Despair and regret etched into memory. And a sense of responsibility.

Kale opened his mouth to speak.

“I’ve been doing quite well lately.”

Kale had indeed been doing quite well of late.
It was a trial from the sealed god—a trial meant to make one taste despair—so one might dismiss such words as mere circumstance.

But it was genuinely true.
It felt as though I was gradually changing things, one by one, and even as my body grew weary, the knots in my heart were slowly coming undone.

‘Of course, they haven’t been forgotten.’

The memories of the past had not faded away.
Rather, new, cherished memories had taken their place beside those old ones.
That alone was enough.

“Then that is sufficient, if that is how you feel.”

Grandmother Kim grasped Kale’s hand firmly once, then released it with a smile.
The Lee Siblings nodded repeatedly, their eyes fixed upon Kale.

“Then I shall take my leave now. I’ll see you and Sung-won later, sister.”

Kale offered the three of them a smile and turned to depart.
And in that moment.

‘That’s why it’s strange.’

The smile faded from Kale’s lips.

‘It’s strange.’

The sealed god had tried to pull Kale toward himself.
Then would he really allow this trial to be passed safely?

Would he leave Kale free to exchange those moments of despair, including encounters with unranked monsters, so easily?

‘If that were the case, the God of Death and the Sun God would have remained neutral.’

It was highly likely they would have simply left him alone, thinking Kale could handle it by himself.
Yet the fact that two gods—and moreover, they sent two people into this trial and intervened—clearly meant something was amiss.

‘But whatever it is.’

Kale made a resolution.

‘I will destroy it.’

I will shatter every last bit of divine interference.

* * *

Alberu, who had been alternating between the Crown Prince and the Dark Tiger for quite some time, swallowed a sigh as he gazed at the mountain of documents piled before him.

That was when it happened.
Flap!
The tent flap burst open, and a cold wind lingering at the tail end of late autumn rushed in sharply.

“Your Highness!”
“Saint, what is the matter?”

Alberu quickly rose from the sofa as he saw the figure rushing toward him.

“Gasp, huff.”

Saint Jack approached Alberu, breathing heavily.

“Your stamina isn’t great either. Take it slower.”

Behind him came Hana, the Swordmaster who had once been a Saint.
Alberu regarded their arrival with a puzzled expression.
However, Hana merely nodded curtly to Alberu in greeting before meticulously closing the tent entrance.
She then extended her aura, scanning the surroundings to check if anyone else was present.

Alberu observed this with a peculiar expression.

‘Something seems to be happening.’

And it appeared to be something quite secretive at that.
Alberu faced Saint Jack, who had barely caught his breath.

“Saint Jack, might I inquire as to the reason for this visit?”
“We found it!”
“Pardon?”

Saint Jack’s face bore both urgency and joy.

“We discovered a passage that is presumed to contain information about the sealed god!”

Alberu’s expression changed immediately.

“…Is that truly the case?”
“Yes! It is!”
“Where is this location?”

Saint Jack paused at Alberu’s question and regarded him carefully.

“Several books are kept in the Pope’s Office, located within the Papal See. I began my investigation into the god with the oldest of these ancient texts. For your information, only Saints, a Saint, and the Pope are permitted to read that book.”

Alberu watched as Saint Jack withdrew something wrapped in silk from his bosom.
He observed the Saint’s hands trembling as he unfurled the silk cloth.

“Hmm.”

Soon a white book appeared before Alberu’s eyes.
It was quite an aged tome, and Jack began turning its pages.

Rustle, rustle.
Yet Alberu could see nothing at all.

“I can’t see it either.”

Hana shrugged as she spoke.

“Right now, only Jack can read that book.”
“To be honest, if I had simply read it myself, I wouldn’t have understood what the contents meant.”

Jack continued speaking as he turned the pages.

“Three ancient texts have been passed down through the ages, and this book is a record left by the first Pope. However, its form appears less like a record and more like a transcription of the Sun God’s words.”

Jack’s hand came to a stop.

“It’s here.”

Alberu could see nothing on the page.
Yet Jack read aloud the characters inscribed upon it.

“Between two towering cliffs facing one another, the sun rises. Where the sun ascends, the sun’s memory shall be buried.”

In that instant, Alberu’s shoulders stiffened.
Jack’s words continued.

“And only those who have overcome the sun’s curse can reach the sun.”

Alberu’s pupils dilated.

“Only they shall be able to unearth the memory buried beneath the stone.”

Having read that far, Jack looked toward Alberu and continued.

“We conjecture that this sun’s memory may be the Sun God’s memory, and perhaps information about the sealed god lies within that memory. So if we conduct research based on this—”

It was at that moment.

“…Ha!”

Saint Jack and Hana could see Alberu letting out a sigh.

“Ha. What is this, this makes no sense!”

Without even glancing at the twins, Alberu wiped his face with one hand.
He spoke abruptly.

“This is about me, isn’t it?”
“Pardon?”
“What?”

The twins reacted in surprise, but Alberu had no time to pay them any mind.

‘The symbol of the Roan Royal Family.’

A rising sun in a place where marble cliffs and granite cliffs faced each other.

‘Then.’

The place where the sun rises in the records the Saint spoke of.
That would be Roan.

No.

‘It is the Crossman Family.’

Alberu realized who could reach the sun.

‘It is me.’

It was himself.

And with that, the final words.

‘Only he will be able to unearth the memories buried beneath the stone.’

The Roan Royal Palace Library contained a hidden staircase leading downward.
A place only the current master of the Crossman Family could access.

In the underground chamber, there existed a single stone chamber.
And within it, a massive boulder that dominated one entire wall.
The inscriptions carved upon that stone came to mind.

【Descendants of the cursed blood.】
【May the hand of the Sun God forever remain at your side.】
【Never dare to reach beyond the sky.】
【The sun will always rise.】
【The moment darkness is planted within your bodies.】
【When the one who embraces that darkness becomes the leader, the sky shall crumble and the earth shall overturn.】

Alberu gripped the communication crystal swirling with white and black, speaking to the twins.

“I should have a conversation with Kale Heniatus for a moment.”
“Pardon? Your Highness, we don’t even know yet if this information will actually be helpful? First, let’s search the records to see if there’s any information about the god sealed there—”
“There will be.”

Probably.
Beneath that boulder.
The information we seek will be there.

Alberu felt an intuition as certain as conviction.

* * *

“So, you’re saying there’s likely to be information beneath that boulder, correct?”
“Yes.”

The Dark Tiger nodded calmly, and Kale’s gaze turned toward the calendar.

Today was November 3rd.
Three days remained until that day.

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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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