Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 590

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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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Alberu gazed out the white window for a long moment before finally speaking.

“…Divine artifact.”

Divine artifact. A possession of the gods.

“Ha!”

Laughter threatened to spill from Alberu’s lips unbidden.
The corners of his mouth twisted upward in a bitter smile.

The Crossman Family.
Those who carried this bloodline had always lived in constant fear of the Sun God Cult’s gaze.
Because of that, they had guided Roun through the ages—sometimes neglecting state affairs, sometimes overlooking matters—yet always striving to avoid treading down an evil path.

‘Who could have endured a god’s curse with a peaceful heart?’

One had to harbor unease in a corner of the heart at all times.
Especially if one was the patriarch of the Crossman Family, privy to all its secrets.

And for Alberu, who had to hide the blood of a Dark Elf, it was far worse.

Without realizing it, Alberu’s mouth opened.

“…What did they ever do for me?”

For a moment, resentment threatened to spill forth, but Alberu swallowed it back down.
Instead, he spoke different words.

When one who embraces darkness reaches for the world.
When the sky crumbles and the earth overturns.
O bloodline of the Crossman Family, who walks a different path than the First Crossman.
Only you shall be worthy of wielding this spear.
When the world falls into darkness.
It is the moment for the sun to rise.
You who possess your own conviction.
Draw this spear.
Advance forward.
Fight to protect your conviction.
And become the sun.

“Fight to protect your conviction—”

And.

“Become the sun.”

The corners of Alberu’s mouth lifted in a peculiar smile.
It seemed he hadn’t been like this before, but perhaps all the trials connected to Kale Heniatus and everything he’d experienced recently had changed him.

‘I don’t really want to do what the god says, though.’

The sun the Sun God Cult spoke of—I didn’t particularly wish to become that.
But I, Alberu, had other plans.

“Well. Still, becoming a sun is all the same, isn’t it?”

I intended to become the sun of Roun.
Yet lately, I’d been pondering deeply what kind of sun I should become.

‘The Earth where Kale Heniatus originally lived is so vastly different from this place.’

From what I heard from Choi Han, in the past, the land where I now lived had a class system, and even now some nations still have kings, he said.
However, at least in Korea where Choi Han lived, such things no longer exist, he told me.
And while Kale was busy, he shared various stories with me about it.

All of it was new to me, and much of it fell outside my previous understanding.

Alberu recalled that moment and let out a soft chuckle.

“…He does have quite the teacher about him.”

Choi Han possessed a subtle talent for instructing and enlightening others.
Hadn’t he once mentioned his original dream was to become both a martial artist and a teacher?

“Your Highness!”

Raon’s voice pulled Alberu from his wandering thoughts.

“Your Highness, what is this?”

Raon scurried over to Alberu’s side and craned his neck forward, alternating his gaze between the white spear and the newly inscribed characters carved into the stone.
Alberu observed what Raon’s plump front paw was pointing toward.

A possession of the Sun God Cult.
The White Spear.

Alberu’s lips parted.
What was this?
This was—

“Mine.”

Mine alone.
The corners of Alberu’s mouth lifted into a smile.

I have no intention of living by the Sun God’s sun.
Only to live by my own will.

Thump. Thump. Thump.
That immense power radiating from the white spear—the force that had been making his heart thunder violently since moments ago.
He would claim it.

“Raon, please step back a little.”
“Understood!”

The Crown Prince pulled Raon behind his back just to be safe.
Raon stepped back in response while gathering mana in both front paws, ready to deploy a shield at any moment.
Alberu steadied his breathing for a moment, then extended both hands forward—one that had stopped bleeding and the other.

And he grasped the white spear.
In that instant.

-Hello there?
“What?”

Alberu hastily withdrew both hands from the spear.
The world fell silent.

Alberu looked at his own hands, then reached out again.
His fingers touched the spear.

-Hello there?

A rather stiff voice reached his ears.

‘The spear!’

The spear was definitely speaking to him.

“…Insane.”

Raon, who had been watching, widened his eyes at Alberu’s words.

“Your Highness! What’s wrong? Does it hurt? You don’t usually say things like that, unlike humans! What’s happened!”

Raon’s alarmed voice reached him, but Alberu had no time to pay attention to it.
The white spear continued speaking to him.

-Hello there?

But something about this felt odd.

-I will now proceed with user registration.

It was truly strange.

-Please state your name.

Such a divine artifact existed?

-This product is an offensive weapon crafted by the greatest artisan of the Third Earth, possessing special abilities.
‘…!’

Alberu distinctly heard it.

‘The Third Earth, you say?’

Wasn’t Earth the name of the planet where Choi Han and Kale Heniatus had lived?
And yet they called it the Third?
Then there must be a First and Second?

Alberu began to suspect he had obtained something far more extraordinary than he realized.
Not because the weapon was powerful.
Not because it was a divine artifact.
But because the weapon’s very identity might provide Kale and me with a crucial clue.

-In particular, this product is a spear forged from the bones of an Ex-grade monster once deemed the worst calamity, boasting considerable durability. It is the only blade capable of shattering that creature’s bones, and stands as the artisan’s magnum opus.

Alberu paused once more.

‘The worst calamity?’

The Third Earth. And the worst calamity.
And that Ex-grade designation.
Somehow, it resembled the monster classification system Earth had established during the time when Kale lived as Kim Rok-soo.

“…Look at this?”

Alberu realized the situation was unfolding in a peculiar manner.
One corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
That was when it happened.

-Is your name ‘Look at this’? Shall I proceed with registration-

At the mechanical voice, Alberu furrowed his brow and hastily opened his mouth.

“No.”
-Canceling. Please state your name again.

Alberu noticed Raon staring at him with a bewildered expression—as if wondering what on earth the Crown Prince was doing—but he paid it no mind and spoke.
His voice emerged calm yet infused with quiet strength.

“My name is Albert Crossman.”
-Registering the first user of the Unbreakable Spear, ‘Albert Crossman’.

Whoooosh!
Accompanied by the mechanical voice, light began pouring forth from the white spear.

“Your Highness! The spear is glowing when you say your name!”

Alberu gazed down at the luminous white spear, his mind already racing ahead.

‘I need to leave immediately.’

He had to meet Kale Heniatus at once.
There was undoubtedly some clue hidden within this artifact bestowed by the Sun God Cult.

* * *

Steel Hawk glanced sideways at Dark Tiger and spoke.

“Honestly, isn’t the difference between when that bastard’s spacing out and when he’s not way too extreme?”

The Dark Tiger, unoccupied by Alberu’s presence, moved according to Kale’s will—yet remained eerily silent.

“My lady. Such remarks are disrespectful.”

Steel Hawk regarded Mr. Rabbit with a dismissive glare before turning away.

“Hmph. Respect be damned. Stop playing proper! You’re the one who slaps people across the ears!”
“…Such language is rather—”
“I don’t care!”

Steel Hawk casually dismissed Mr. Rabbit and turned her gaze toward Kale Heniatus.

“Little brother.”
“Yes, sister.”

Kale Heniatus looked at Steel Hawk in response to her call.

“I’ve been flying around this area lately, searching for a place to settle.”

A peculiar light flickered in Kale Heniatus’s eyes before fading.

‘She’s made her decision, it seems.’

Kale Heniatus had struck a special bargain with these two alpha monsters.

The terms could be summarized simply in a single word.

‘Coexistence.’

Humans would provide these monsters with a territory to inhabit, and in exchange, the monsters would cooperate with humans and ensure that creatures within their domain and its vicinity would not attack humans.
Such an arrangement was possible because they were alpha monsters capable of inspiring fear and pressure in grade-two and grade-three creatures, and because they were monsters capable of communicating with humans.

“Sister, where would you like to settle?”
“I’ve taken a liking to Jirisan.”
“I see. Then I shall have a conversation with the people at the Central Shelter near Jirisan.”
“Yes. I’ll clean out all the troublesome monsters for you! Just acknowledge that I’ll become the ruler of Jirisan!”

Fundamentally, this alpha monster desired recognition as the sovereign of a territory.
Ceding an entire region to an alpha monster could prove considerably dangerous and unstable.

‘But now that the world has become this way, mountains and deep forests have slipped beyond human control.’

Mountains, forests, and seashores have transformed into veritable paradises for monsters.
If such places were instead occupied by a monster friendly to humans—one who, as an alpha, desired to dominate and suppress other creatures—then perhaps it would be advantageous.

‘It might actually be better.’

Of course, Kale Heniatus could not fully trust these alpha monsters.
Their true intentions remained unknowable.

‘So I’ve kept their weaknesses on file, one by one.’

Before this contract was finalized, Steel Hawk and White Rabbit had revealed their vulnerabilities to me. The information aligned remarkably with what was recorded, and these were indeed weaknesses significant enough to be documented as fatal flaws.

‘Moreover, once the battle with the unranked monster concludes.’

Lee Soo-hyuk. Kim Min-ah. Choi Jung-soo and others.
Military forces capable of engaging these leaders would be secured.
If we maintained mutual vigilance and coexisted peacefully, there was a high probability of establishing a rather favorable arrangement.

I spoke to Steel Hawk.

“I understand for now, Sister. However, if the Central Shelter refuses, you’ll need to find another location.”
“Well, if the humans don’t like it, we just go elsewhere.”

Steel Hawk was indeed straightforward as always.
My gaze shifted toward White Rabbit.

“Ahem. I’m still uncertain. I prefer places with atmosphere and beauty, so I should search a bit longer.”
“Tch. The whole world is crawling with monsters, and you want somewhere beautiful? You’ll freeze to death!”
“Ahem. Ahem.”

Steel Hawk’s mockery and Mr. Rabbit’s feigned ignorance were on full display.
Then it happened.

Knock, knock, knock.

Observing this exchange, I opened the door of the Training Ground, which boasted its impressive ceiling height, at the sound of knocking.
It was Choi Han.

“Brother Kim Rok-soo has arrived.”
“I see.”

I rose from my seat while checking my appearance.
Steel Hawk observed me and spoke in a subtle tone.

“Hmm. So the humans are going to scheme amongst themselves again? Are they desperate because they can’t devour our little brother?”

Mr. Rabbit expressed agreement with that remark.

“Indeed. It’s uncertain whether the command will recognize Kim Rok-soo as the commander.”
“Still, what can they do? Our brother is taking charge—what grounds do they have to object?”

Kale Heniatus offered a slight greeting to Steel Hawk and Mr. Rabbit, who were engaged in their back-and-forth conversation.

“I’ll be taking my leave now. We’ll speak again later.”
“Safe travels, brother.”
“Until next time. I’ll be rooting for your speech.”

Kale Heniatus left the Training Ground alongside Choi Han, escorted by the two monsters’ farewells.
Creak, click!
The door closed, and Choi Han opened his mouth to address Kale Heniatus.

“Even though the speech is still some time away, a considerable number of people have already gathered, it seems.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”

Choi Han answered briefly before taking the lead to guide Kale Heniatus forward.
Kale Heniatus followed behind Choi Han toward their destination.

The two emerged from the Central Castle located in the heart of the Seo-myeon Central Shelter and made their way to a particular location.

“…We’re here already.”

Before Kale Heniatus’s eyes stood a rather large building positioned near the Central Castle.

Originally situated close to the center of Seo-myeon Station, this location had once housed a massive department store.
But now, in place of that grand department store, an impressive building had been erected.

It was the Grand Conference Hall and auditorium.

Whenever the Seo-myeon Central Shelter needed to convey something to its people, they gathered here to listen.

And now.

“…Busan is new to me.”
“Ha. I never expected to come this far in all this chaos.”

People were ascending the Stone Stairs in front of the building, moving toward the auditorium’s open Main Gate.

Few of them had established roots in Busan.

“Kim Rok-soo, it appears they’ve gathered from more regions across Korea than we anticipated.”

These were people who had come from every corner of this Korean land.

Starting from the nearby Changwon, then Yeosu, Ulsan, Gangneung, Chuncheon, Daejeon, Seoul, the Seoul Metropolitan Area, and beyond.
They were ‘ability users or those in positions of responsibility’ from across the entire nation.

And in their hands, each carried a black invitation.
Kale Heniatus observed them quietly without approaching the grand hall.

‘Each one of them will grow to at least Grade 3, or further still to Grades 2 or 1.’

Or they would wield considerable influence.
Or else, they would perish in battle before ever unleashing such power.

“…The strong.”

Literally, the powerful from across the nation were gathering.

And among those powerful ones.
The one who had climbed the stone stairs approached the figure leaning against a pillar near the entrance.

“Kim Woo!”

It was Kim Woo.

“It’s been a while.”
“Yes! How have you been?”
“Oh, you know.”
“But Kim Woo.”

The leader of the Changwon Sungsan-dong Central Shelter spoke to Kim Woo.

“Who exactly is this Kim Rok-soo?”

That voice was quite loud, drawing the attention of those gathering in the grand hall.
And Kim Woo, who had been asked the question.
His gaze fixed on a single point.
And his mouth opened.

“There he is.”

In that moment, those entering the grand hall, those conversing in front of it, those keeping watch around the perimeter—
Every eye turned in the same direction, each in their own way.

Kim Woo spoke.

“That person is Kim Rok-soo.”

Kale Heniatus’s lips curved slightly upward as all eyes converged upon me.

“It’s been quite a while since I’ve received this much attention.”

His voice carried a peculiar note of amusement.

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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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