Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 629

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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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Chapter 132. Not a Mess

Dodori tilted her head to one side. Her curly hair tumbled and swayed to the side.

“Why are you grabbing your head? Are you excited about my proposal?”
-…Human. I think I understand why humans grab their heads.

I looked at Raon, who kept speaking to me inside my mind.
Raon gazed at me and Dodori alternately with pitying eyes.
In that moment, I felt it.

‘He’s grown.’

Raon had already caught on to why I was grabbing my head, and realizing how much he had matured, I stroked the back of his head.

-Human! Isn’t it because you don’t trust the historian that pink dragon is going to bring? And how can you entrust the writing of a biography to a dragon you’ve just met! Don’t worry, I have plenty of my accomplishments recorded in my Memory Storage! I’ll write the biography together with Merry and the recovered Clophe! Don’t worry!

Huh?

-That pink dragon is pitiful. She’s so excited about work that isn’t even hers to do. Let’s just slip her in a little later!

Huh?
…What are these two dragons even talking about right now?
I looked at Raon with a bewildered expression, then turned to my last resort. Choi Han.

“Please have some tea while we talk.”

Choi Han set three cups of tea on the table with a gentle expression, and also placed juice for Raon.
A friendly smile appeared on his face toward Dodori.
I felt an inexplicable sense of betrayal.
Dodori clapped her hands together sharply as she looked at Choi Han.

“Ah! Are you the Black Sword Choi Han, Kale Heniatus’s guardian knight and first companion?”

What’s with those grandiose and unnecessary descriptions?
My face crumpled, but Choi Han merely smiled shyly and waved his hand in denial.

“I haven’t done much of anything.”
“No! You can’t say things like that! The companions of an unparalleled hero are heroes themselves! Rosalind, the mana sovereign of crimson flames! Alberu, the spear knight of radiant sunlight and the future king! Merry, the commander of the dead! And so many others I know of!”

Good grief.
Every single one of them had titles that were absolutely ridiculous.
Kale Heniatus simply nodded blankly.
In that moment, Dodori’s gleaming eyes turned toward me.

“I witnessed the birth of countless heroes this time!”

My expression, which had grown blank and was now becoming increasingly irreverent, let slip a single word.

“…Through a book?”
“That’s right! I saw it through a book! How could I have actually witnessed it myself? What a joke! Hahaha!”

Dodori patted her chest with a thump.

“That’s why I came here personally to complete your heroic tale with a perfect happy ending!”

Reality and novels are different things.
The very person who had stepped into a novel and now lived it as reality—Kale Heniatus—had much to say, but first I needed to ask what I had to hear.

“…Could you tell me the detailed story of how you came to be here?”
“Of course. As much as you’d like.”

Dodori plopped down onto the sofa across from me and leisurely picked up a teacup.
Then she brought it straight to her lips.
I opened my mouth at the sight. At the same moment, Dodori jumped to her feet.

“Oops!”

…Her hood was completely submerged in the teacup and soaked through.

‘Is she really a dragon?’

I found myself questioning it at her clumsy display. Regardless, Dodori removed her hood as if nothing had happened.

‘Hmm.’

Kale marveled anew at the Dragon’s beauty.
Features so striking they transformed even the fluffy curls into something artistically captivating were now fully revealed. Not quite on par with Erhafen, but certainly worthy of admiration.
And the appearance was as androgynous as the voice itself.
Such a being’s lips parted.

“Ow ow! Why is the tea so hot!”
“…Tea is naturally hot.”

My voice grew terse, but Dodori paid no attention whatsoever. Not that such matters interested this Dragon anyway.

“Ahem. In any case, let me share my story for a moment.”

Dodori gazed into empty space with a distant look in her eyes.

“I am Dodori. There was a time when I couldn’t trust the world, and I wandered greatly. You might say I was exploring the meaning of existence.”

…What?
I sensed the conversation was taking an odd turn and opened my mouth to speak. But Dodori was faster. The pink Dragon turned to look at Raon.

“Around my sixth year, I was quite rebellious. Are you going through puberty?”
“Pink Dragon! You’re really something special!”

The pink Dragon casually ignored Raon’s interjection.

“Then came that fateful day in my seventh year of life. I encountered a book as if by destiny.”

Dodori’s heart raced at the memory of that moment.

“It was the tale of the hero, the Guardian Knight of Bawi Mountain.”
-Hm?

Jjangdol suddenly reacted.
I flinched as well. Guardian Knight of Bawi Mountain. The words felt strangely familiar.

-…Is that about me?

The moment Jjangdol murmured those words, a passionate voice assailed my ears relentlessly.

“I, the noble Dodori, could not help but admire that sublime spirit! I am fundamentally selfish and self-centered! But at the very least, I could not deny that noble spirit of sacrifice!”

Crash!
Dodori slammed the teacup onto the table, and simultaneously the cup shattered into pieces, leaving only the handle dangling loosely in her grip.

“At that moment, I decided to believe in the world! Because the Guardian Knight of Bawi Mountain was a real person from ancient times! A true sacrifice, not a lie! The existence of a hero! My heart raced!”

Sigh.
With a brief exhale, Dodori calmed her passionate heart. Then she continued in a melancholic voice.

“But after that, I never saw another hero who could make my heart race. So I decided to search for my own hero directly!”

Dodori’s demeanor shifted back to passionate, as if she had never been melancholic at all.

“In hero novels, there are usually companion positions, right? A dragon who is also a mage is too ordinary, isn’t it? So I took up the bow! An archer companion! Isn’t that cool?”

Kale Heniatus nodded with a lukewarm expression.

“…That’s cool… You seem quite skilled with the bow.”
“Of course! My mother taught me!”

Hmm?
A flicker of interest suddenly crossed Kale Heniatus’s eyes.

“You have a mother?”

Dodori, unaware of the predatory gleam in Kale Heniatus’s gaze, nodded enthusiastically.

“Of course! My mother congratulated me for overcoming my wandering and walking my own path! My mother said to me, ‘Dodori, nothing I say will get through to you anyway, so just live as you please.’ Hahaha! My mother acknowledged me!”

…I don’t think that was acknowledgment.
Kale Heniatus had much she wanted to say, but she was satisfied with having obtained one new piece of information.

‘So there’s one more dragon.’

Adding to this the dragon that Obante Mayor and the Dark Elves were searching for, the number of dragons she now knew of was quite substantial compared to the total dragon population.

“It was on a certain day.”

Dodori fixed Kale Heniatus with a serious gaze.

“I’ve heard tales of the Shield Prince.”

Then I let out a scoff.

“I wasn’t interested. You know why?”

Dodori gazed at me with an arrogant expression.

“Because he wasn’t nearly as magnificent as my first hero, the Guardian Knight of Bawi Mountain.”
-Hmm.

Jjangdol drooled continuously as if troubled by a headache.
But my lips curled upward ever so slightly.

-Human, are you planning to pull some con?

I dismissed Raon’s words lightly.

“Kale Heniatus!”

In the midst of this, Dodori suddenly thrust her face toward me.

“Then one day, I learned that you wielded the power of stone in the Canyon of Death. Stone! For the first time since the Guardian Knight of Bawi Mountain, I’ve witnessed someone use the power of stone!”

Dodori’s expression was enraptured, utterly bewildered.

“So I decided you were my second hero, and I came to meet you! Do you know why?”

In that instant, the dragon’s violet eyes, which had seemed so light, grew profoundly deep.
Like the gaze of a sage, like a tranquil sea of unknowable depths. Eyes that held countless truths turned toward me.

“Our noble hero, the Guardian Knight of Bawi Mountain, met an unfortunate end. They say he lost all his companions and faced a sorrowful conclusion.”

Jjangdol said nothing.

“The spirit of sacrifice is admirable, but there is truly no need to sacrifice oneself. Perhaps because I am a selfish dragon, I believe differently.”

An elegant yet weighty, mysterious voice filled the bedroom.
Dodori spoke to me.

“Your history is still being written. No one knows how it will end.”

A gentle smile graced Dodori’s lips.

“I prefer happy endings.”

Dodori, who had been researching the records of the Guardian Knight of Bawi Mountain and the histories of various actual heroes, realized that few of their stories ended in happy endings.
The world might have happy endings, but it was rare for the heroes themselves to achieve them—even if only half succeeded, that would be cause for celebration.
So the pink dragon had come to Kale Heniatus.

“I’m going to give you a happy ending.”

Kale Heniatus gazed quietly at the pink dragon.

-What a grateful dragon. The future I desired was one where no one had to sacrifice, and no one had to grieve for those who did. It’s impossible, yet I’m grateful to find another with the same conviction. A dragon worthy of trust.

Jjangdol praised the pink dragon with a voice trembling with emotion.
Kale Heniatus felt a renewed sense of trust in this dragon, if only for a moment.

“Absolutely.”

Dodori continued, as if making a vow to herself.

“Without fail! A happy ending! It has to be!”

Thump.
Dodori suddenly stood up.

“So that little junior dragon like that! Growing up like that!”

She pointed at Raon.

“Young dragons like that will read this story, stop their wandering, and become as magnificent as me!”
“I’m already magnificent and great! Pink dragon!”
“Junior dragon! Just trust me!”
“I won’t trust you! Pink dragon!”
“Hahahaha! Are you already wavering!”
“…That’s strange, human!”

Kale’s momentary sense of awe at the exchange between the pink dragon and Raon evaporated entirely.
It was then that Choi Han carefully broached the subject.

“Dodori, if I may ask—why did you take such a liking to the Guardian Knight of Bawi Mountain?”

It was a question that had puzzled Kale as well.
Why Jjangdol, of all people?
He turned his gaze toward Dodori, much like Choi Han had done.

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Dodori answered with absolute confidence, as if bewildered by such a question.

“My attribute is rock!”

Hm?
Kale’s shoulders stiffened.
Dodori gazed down at her own hands with a distant expression.

“I wandered in despair, thinking my attribute was utterly useless. Rock, of all things! My mother once told me of an arrogant, cocky dragon with a dust attribute who defeated another dragon—but I… I can only create rocks…”
-Human! Isn’t the dust attribute the story of Grandfather Gold Dragon? But Grandfather Gold Dragon isn’t arrogant—he’s incredibly kind!

Dodori hung her head low.
Her fluffy curls bobbed gently.

“…I awakened my attribute quickly for a dragon, and I thought myself remarkable. But faced with such a pathetic attribute, I lost my way for a time… Yes, I wandered. But!”

Suddenly, Dodori lifted her head, her eyes gleaming with determination.

“I am no longer useless!”

Dodori seized both of Kale’s hands firmly.

“Together with me, let’s crush everything with rock!”
“…But you said you were an archer?”
“I’ll do that too!”

Whoosh.
I withdrew both hands smoothly.
Then I crossed my arms and legs.

“Hmm.”

My indifferent gaze turned toward Dodori.
Without a trace of fear toward the dragon, my composed demeanor caused Dodori to tense up slightly without realizing it.
Then I opened my mouth.

“Dodori, do you know about Pursulsi?”

Dodori answered immediately.

“I don’t!”

It was a remarkably confident answer without hesitation.

“I see. That’s understandable.”

My voice grew increasingly subtle.

“Pursulsi is a city where they build stone towers in great abundance. It’s a place filled with stones. A place with so many stones already—especially in Rowan, the hometown of the Guardian Knight of Bawi Mountain, there are particularly many stones.”
“Ho. Is that so?”

Dodori showed sudden interest at the mention of stones.
The moment that interest flared up, I dangled bait as smoothly as water flowing downstream.

“The White Star will attack that Pursulsi.”
“What? You mean that damn villain!”

As Dodori began to grow excited again, I gestured to calm the pink dragon.

“Calm yourself.”
“Right. I was momentarily too angry.”
“Yes. That’s understandable. But Dodori.”
“Hmm?”
“Here’s the thing.”

Kale Heniatus, who had been leading the conversation, whispered to me while watching Dodori focus intently on me.

“The White Star possesses Ancient Powers of various attributes, but there’s only one attribute—earth-related—that it doesn’t have!”

Dodori’s eyes widened.
Kale Heniatus’s impassive face reflected in those expanding pupils.

“I have two earth-type powers, including the one I inherited from that creature.”

Kale Heniatus shrugged his shoulders.

“And yet, of all places, we’re fighting in a location filled with stones?”

Gulp.
Based on the information she’d heard from Kale Heniatus, Dodori painted a battle scene in her mind. She found herself swallowing repeatedly.

Smirk.
Kale Heniatus’s smile looked decidedly villainous for a hero, but Dodori waited for what came next.

“Do you know what else?”

He dangled another piece of bait.

“I am the successor to the Guardian Knight of Bawi Mountain. I have inherited his power—the Ancient Power he left behind for this world.”
“Oh my goodness. My intuition was right after all! Can you believe it? Mom, I think I’m going to become a hero!”

Dodori couldn’t stop her racing heart; the words tumbled out of her mouth unbidden.
To this pink dragon, Kale Heniatus spoke calmly.

“In Pursulsi, where stones abound. Fighting against the White Star, which lacks earth-related abilities. And wouldn’t you know it? I happen to possess the power of the Guardian Knight of Bawi Mountain?”

Gulp, gulp.
Dodori’s eyes blazed with an intense heat.

“And on top of that, if our dear Dodori joins in as well? By sheer coincidence, someone with the ability to create stones has appeared right before my eyes?”

Kale Heniatus extended his hand.

“Will you fight alongside me?”
“Of course! Absolutely, of course!”

Dodori grasped Kale Heniatus’s hand firmly with both of hers. Kale offered the young dragon a warm smile in return.

“Thank you, Dodori.”
“Yes!”
“Then please bring your mother.”
“…What?”

Dodori froze for a moment. But Kale Heniatus continued speaking as if nothing were amiss.

“House Heniatus fundamentally employs only adults. However, in Dodori’s case, we make a special exception—after a meeting with your guardian, we permit employment if the guardian accompanies you. Very. Special. Treatment.”

One dragon plus one more dragon was even better.
If I could draw in another dragon while I was at it, that would be truly excellent. Kale Heniatus squeezed Dodori’s hands firmly as they began to weaken.

-Heh. The human wears that scheming smile again after so long. It’s the radiant smile of one hoping the Crown Prince will be so startled he’ll hand over cookies!

Dodori hesitated at the feeble grip of her own hands being held, then opened her mouth.

“…Does Mom really have to come?”
“Yes. That’s how it must be.”

For a moment, Dodori’s gaze shifted toward Raon.
Kale Heniatus spoke up immediately.

“Ah, by the way, Raon is under my guardianship. Of course, with your mother’s permission. The other children—the Cat Tribe Soldiers and Wolf Tribe members—I’m their guardian as well. I’m essentially their parent. So they can accompany me without issue.”
-Hehe. We’re all family!

Raon suddenly flapped his wings excitedly at the news.
But Kale Heniatus focused on the two bundles of joy about to roll in.

“…Do I really have to come with Mom?”
“Yes. If the guardian cannot accompany you, then a meeting with the guardian is absolutely mandatory.”

The fluffy-haired one, whose eyes had been rolling around, soon nodded her head.

“Got it! I’ll come back with Mom tomorrow!”
“Yes. An excellent choice.”

Right, absolutely.
So how many Dragons do we have on our side now?
Kale Heniatus couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.

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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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