Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 62

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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 immediately turned to the Black Dragon with a question.

“How can you sense the scent of mana that isn’t alive?”

Mana. It referred to the force that existed within the natural world.
At first glance, it seemed similar to an ancient power generated in specific locations rather than the superhuman abilities wielded by people—an ancient force from a bygone era. Yet these two were unmistakably different.

The distinction lay in whether it could be left behind or not.

Mana vanishes the moment it dies. However, ancient power can linger.

The Black Dragon answered casually.

“It seems to be because of the swamp. The swamp is controlling the mana scent within it so it doesn’t drift away.”

Controlling?
Kale’s expression shifted subtly. Yet the Black Dragon fell silent. The Whale Tribe siblings, as well as On and Hong, drew closer to Kale and the Black Dragon.
That was when the Black Dragon’s voice reached Kale’s mind.

-I have keen intuition.

Kale and the Black Dragon’s eyes met.

-I sense a power like your shield, like the wind, emanating from that swamp.

“Ha!”

Kale let out an involuntary exclamation of laughter. The Black Dragon’s unmasked lips curled upward in a smirk. Kale’s lips also curved slightly upward.

Ancient power.
So there was ancient power within that swamp. Moreover, it was highly likely to be a force related to the keyword ‘control’.

‘This is a first.’

This was my first time discovering ancient power that wasn’t mentioned in the books. Of course, I couldn’t know whether this ancient power was left behind by some person or naturally generated in this location.

“You’re quite clever.”
“That’s right. I am clever.”

Those watching the Black Dragon and Kale exchange sinister smiles grew increasingly puzzled.

“My lord, might you explain what’s happening? The scent of a dragon’s mana?”

Kale turned his head to regard Witira. Though she posed the question, her eyes betrayed that she had already grasped the situation.

“You’ve likely guessed as much, but there’s a high probability that a dragon’s corpse lies within that swamp.”
“…A corpse?”
“Yes. Though it’s been dead for quite some time—it’s likely in a mummified state.”

I possessed only the knowledge from “The Birth of a Hero” regarding the Dark Forest where Choi Han had lived for decades. Yet that account contained considerable significance.

【Because there was no ruler, survival here meant constant warfare.】

There was no ruler.
At minimum, during the decades Choi Han had lived, it was safe to assume no dragon inhabited the Dark Forest. Moreover, the book stated that people had never discovered a Dragon Lair or dragon within the Dark Forest.

‘An extremely ancient corpse, then.’

Tap, tap. I lowered my gaze at the sensation against my trouser leg. Hong pointed toward the swamp with an uncomfortable expression.

“We can’t drink that water, can we?”

At the mention of a dragon corpse, Hong’s appetite visibly waned. I watched as he approached the Black Dragon to apologize without hearing my response.

“Sorry. I thought it looked delicious.”
“It matters not.”

The Black Dragon replied with a puzzled expression.

“That which lies within and I are different. We are unrelated.”

Indeed, dragons possessed no concept of kinship. Only individual entities existed. I opened my mouth, observing the Black Dragon’s utterly indifferent demeanor.

“I had theorized that the mermaids grew stronger because of the poison within that swamp. After all, mermaid toxin is their primary weapon.”

The Whale Tribe siblings, Paseton and Witira, regarded him intently.

“But now I’m thinking the dead mana lingering within that swamp might have exerted more influence than the poison itself. Or perhaps both are at work.”

Kale Heniatus observed the siblings.

‘If it were merely poison, I could extract it and seek an antidote. But if it’s a dragon’s dead mana… that changes everything.’

Kale could see the deep furrow etched between Witira’s brows. Paseton continued surveying the Black Swamp and its surrounding terrain with meticulous attention. His voice emerged hollow and strained.

“…It’s far too vast.”

Witira spoke next, her tone troubled.

“I’m uncertain how to proceed.”

The causes of the mermaid’s enhanced strength had narrowed to roughly two possibilities, yet no clear solution presented itself. Poison alone would be manageable, but the latter problem posed genuine difficulty.

“We cannot seal off the Dark Forest from intruders. We cannot guard this Black Swamp indefinitely.”

Witira gazed upon the Black Swamp. A dragon’s corpse. A problem she had never contemplated. The sheer magnitude of the swamp—vast enough to submerge an enormous dragon—momentarily overwhelmed her thoughts.
Dragons underwent three distinct growth phases at specific intervals. Upon completing all growth stages, a fully matured dragon’s size was truly staggering. It towered approximately five meters taller than herself, a humpback whale.

Then, Kale’s voice reached them.

“It’s simple.”

His tone was serene. Witira turned her head. Kale had already walked to the very edge of the Black Swamp, gazing upon its dark expanse. A smile played across his features.

“First, collect as much of this swamp’s water as you need.”

Kale shifted his gaze from the swamp to Witira.

“Then we make another deal.”
“…A deal?”

Observing Witira’s bewilderment, Kale’s smile deepened.

‘I hadn’t considered this before.’

Originally, I had planned to simply extract the source of the mermaid’s strength and leave this place. But circumstances had changed.

‘The lingering dead mana is dangerous.’

As a dark-attribute race, the mermaids could have consumed dead mana. But for the Whale Tribe and humans, who possessed other natural attributes, it was merely a harmful poison.
There was no reason to strengthen an unknown enemy and leave behind a poison that would harm me.

Besides, a new opportunity had presented itself.

Even if only bones remained, the Dragon’s skeleton was still here.
And the ancient power within it.

“That’s right. We’re making a new deal.”
“How does that relate to solving this situation?”

Witira unconsciously stroked the whip coiled around her arm. An inexplicable sense of anticipation bloomed within her heart. And Kale Heniatus fulfilled that anticipation.

“I’ll take care of it.”

He answered as he always did—casually, as if it were nothing. Yet his expression was anything but light. Witira hesitated, her lips moving soundlessly before she asked.

“How?”

Witira could see the spark of life gleaming in Kale Heniatus’s eyes. Such vibrant, animated eyes—she had never seen them on him before. He pointed toward the swamp and answered with unwavering certainty.

“I’ll overturn it.”
“…What?”

Witira gazed at the Black Swamp. That vast, dark expanse. How could one possibly do anything to it? As she stared blankly ahead, Kale Heniatus’s voice reached her again.

“There’s no need to overthink it.”

She looked back at him. Only then did his smile come into sharp focus. He looked delighted.

“I’ll erase it for you. So make a deal with me.”

Kale Heniatus imagined what was about to unfold.

This was the Dark Forest. A place where anything could happen without suspicion. A place where anything could be disguised as a mere accident, where one could simply deny knowledge of it.

“Your Highness.”

Witira’s proposal was a condition I couldn’t refuse.

“Let’s make the deal.”

Kale Heniatus and Witira agreed to conduct another transaction.

“Though I don’t have any specific trade conditions in mind right now.”
“Whenever Your Highness thinks of terms you desire, simply tell me. We’ll accept whatever falls within mutually agreeable bounds. I am Witira, and I swear this by my name—so have no concerns.”

Kale nodded casually at her words. In truth, she didn’t need to fulfill any trade conditions. The dragon’s bones and ancient power—that alone was more than worth the effort.

“By the way, the byproducts from overturning the swamp belong to me.”
“…Very well.”

Witira regretted not obtaining the dragon’s bones, but she chose not to covet them. The Whale Tribe. They were rulers because they were strong not only on land but in the sea as well.
Yet water was also their weakness. Within water. Within swamps. If the swamp’s water and mud were poison, then such an environment would be harsh for the Whale Tribe.

Upon hearing Witira’s response, Kale decided to proceed immediately. Standing at the boundary between the Black Swamp and solid ground, he waved his hand dismissively at his companions.

“Leave.”

Questions flickered in his companions’ eyes. But Kale was in a hurry, and his companions seemed slow to understand, so he spoke again with firm resolve.

“Go to that forest we came through and stay quiet. Don’t come out until I tell you to.”

Kale continued as he unfurled his magical pouch.

“You could be poisoned or injured otherwise.”

Paseton, who had been listening silently, opened his mouth.

“Your Highness, do you intend to do this alone?”
“Not alone.”

The Black Dragon answered in Kale’s stead. Paseton turned toward the voice and flinched. Around the Black Dragon, vivid mana fluctuations rippled visibly. A shimmering haze like heat waves danced around the Black Dragon’s form.
The Black Dragon had found an opportunity to properly unleash its power.

“The two of us will handle this. Everyone else, leave.”
“Prince Kale, your depths are truly unknowable.”

Kale dismissed Witira’s words with a half-hearted nod and gently stroked the heads of On and Hong in turn. Hong’s ears and tail drooped listlessly.

“You two leave as well. On, take good care of Hong. And Hong—I’ll cure you of the swamp’s poison. Just wait.”

Hong, who had been gazing up at Kale’s indifferent expression, nodded and approached the Black Dragon.

“Be careful. Don’t get hurt.”
“Understood.”

The Black Dragon obediently nodded at Hong’s words, remaining still even as Hong’s front paw patted its body. Kale thought to himself how well the two played together, then tossed an empty bottle he’d retrieved from his magical pouch to Paseton.

“Fill that bottle with the swamp liquid. It’s magically treated so it won’t corrode.”
“…How do you even think of such things?”

Paseton stared at him with admiration, but Kale paid it no mind. Instead, he rummaged through his magical pouch—small in appearance but vast in actual capacity.

“Young master, it’s all collected.”
“Then all of you, get out of here.”

Kale issued an order for everyone to leave—Paseton and the others who had filled a rather large empty bottle with the swamp’s mud and liquid. Witira hesitated briefly, but the cats’ insistence drove her toward the forest where they had been before.

The Black Dragon confirmed they had reached a safe distance, then approached Kale.

“How are you planning to—”

The Black Dragon stopped mid-sentence upon seeing what Kale pulled from his magical pouch. It then continued speaking to him, who gazed back with a gentle smile.

“Human, you seem quite clever.”
“Clever enough.”

Two magical bombs materialized in Kale’s hands.
Unlike the ones he had used before the shores of Ubar Territory—those with reduced explosive force but increased detonation frequency—these were different. These were the highest-caliber mana bombs that had appeared when the Non-Mage Alliance of the Wipper Kingdom launched their final assault, maximizing both lethality and destructive power.
Two of those bombs now revealed themselves.

“I was wondering where to use these. Looks like the perfect opportunity has arrived.”

Kale Heniatus handed two magical bombs to the Black Dragon.

“Use your full power.”
“Are you sure?”

Kale gave a brief answer to the Black Dragon, whose mana fluctuations had been visibly radiating since earlier—a clear sign to everyone that it yearned to unleash its true strength.

“Don’t ask obvious questions. Of course, I can’t afford to be injured.”

The Black Dragon’s lips curled upward.

A piercing whistle tore through the air.
Centered on the Black Dragon, a colossal tempest erupted into being. The forces of nature stirred—mana itself awakened—and the surrounding air responded in kind.

Kale, sensing he might be swept away, swiftly erected an unbreakable barrier.
In the same instant, a shimmering shield materialized around him.

One layer, two layers, three layers.
Three robust shields in total.

“That much should keep me unharmed.”

The Black Dragon spoke with measured calm, yet its eyes blazed with fervent light. Dragons differed fundamentally from the Whale Tribe in temperament. They were a violent, self-centered race that chose dominion and destruction over peace.
Once the Black Dragon had completed its preparations and turned its gaze upon Kale, I pointed toward the Black Swamp.

“Overturn 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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