Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 63

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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 14. This Isn’t Right

The mana throughout the Black Swamp trembled, and space itself vibrated.

The Black Dragon gazed downward from the sky.
A dragon was a dragon.

A savage and arrogant presence dominated the swamp. I turned my head. The boundary between the Black Swamp and the forest. Perhaps because I controlled that boundary, the forest remained unshaken.
Yet my companions’ faces had turned deathly pale.

I recalled the descriptions of a dragon’s power from “The Birth of a Hero.”

Boom. Boom. Bang!

I turned my gaze skyward again. Mana collided from all directions, gathering toward the Black Dragon. The Black Dragon gazed down leisurely at the swamp below.

Four years old. A dragon that had been raised in captivity.
That name was nowhere to be seen in the dragon before me now.

【A dragon has no need to dominate. Its very existence is domination.】

Goosebumps rose unbidden across my arms.

Uuuuuu-
Kyaaaak.
Zzzzrrrt-!
Kiiiiiii-!

The Dark Forest began to cry out. I looked around my surroundings. No other beings were visible. Yet countless sounds—or rather, screams—echoed from the forest.

Monsters that had never feared the Black Dragon. But now the cries that tore through the forest with such intensity carried only terror.

-Too loud.

I gazed at the Black Dragon as that voice resonated in my mind. The Black Dragon was looking at me. Two magical bombs were already floating in the air.

There was nothing in the Black Dragon’s eyes. This situation was utterly trivial to him.

“Ha!”

The corners of Kale’s mouth rose higher and higher. The Whale Tribe’s Witira? An overwhelming presence far surpassing that of the massive humpback whale emanated from this small frame.
Kale answered in a loud voice.

“I find it noisy too. Finish it quickly.”
-I knew you would say something like that.

Only then did the Black Dragon grin. Black mana unique to him bloomed around the Black Dragon.

Uuuuuung.

Now the earth trembled. Kale felt the vibration beneath his feet.

‘Incredible.’

But he had no time to spare looking at the trembling ground.

The black mana vanished. In its place, a colossal sphere of light appeared above the Black Swamp.

Crackle, crackle.
The sphere’s surface blazed like the sun itself, countless rays of light colliding with one another, making the surrounding air shimmer like heat waves.

Kale swallowed involuntarily.
Then it happened.

Whiiiish-
Wind began to rage. The Black Dragon’s black mana seeped into two magic bombs. Click, click. The two bombs began their countdown.
Bombs with their destructive power maximized. And a massive sphere undulating like a colossal meteor.

‘He’s not just overturning it—he’s going to annihilate it entirely.’

Would the dragon’s corpse survive? Kale wondered, but he couldn’t bring himself to voice the question.

-I will.

After the Black Dragon’s words, Kale could see nothing.

Kwaaaaaang!

Kale covered his ears. The Dark Forest trembled with the sound.

“Ugh.”

Kale staggered momentarily from the ground’s vibrations. But he did not close his eyes.

The world turned black.
Black liquid surged skyward. Simultaneously, brilliant light burst forth like a shattered sun, searing his eyes.

Keeeeee—
A spine-chilling sound poured into Kale’s ears.
The black liquid meeting the light shattered with an eerie cry. Kale lifted his head.

A black pillar shot toward the heavens.
For a moment, day and night seemed to coexist. Yet all of it vanished in an instant. The black pillar crumbled to dust and scattered like wind.

Crackle.
The final shield shattered. The other two had already vanished without a sound. Kale remained unharmed.

And the Black Swamp disappeared.
Only it was gone.

Kale turned his head. He saw Paseton collapsed on the ground, the Cats cradled in his arms, and Witira rising while gripping a wooden pillar.
Fear gleamed in the eyes of the Whale Tribe members.

Yet the Forest remained unscathed. Only the Swamp had vanished. It was control of a terrifying magnitude. That was why the Whale Tribe could not yet wipe the fear from their faces.

Kale turned his head. The Black Dragon stood alone where the black pillar had been. The Black Dragon was already looking at Kale.

He spoke to the small dragon.

“Well done.”

The Black Dragon had maximized all five senses. The dragon could see the goosebumps rising on Kale’s arms as he smiled at it. And it could see the light in Kale’s eyes.

“You did truly well.”

Calm eyes. A smile formed at the corner of the Black Dragon’s mouth. The dragon spoke its mind honestly.

“Refreshing.”

At those words, Kale’s expression grew troubled. Watching the dragon look genuinely refreshed, I resolved never to provoke that creature again.
Ron, Choi Han, and Vicross weren’t the problem. There were far too many powerful beings to feel at ease after merely defeating a handful of small monsters.

Once more sensing the presence of the Black Dragon—the very existence of the Dragon itself—I pledged to protect my peaceful life. And I gazed upon the swamp with its exposed floor.

The Black Swamp had vanished, but traces of black liquid still remained.

“It’s shaped like a dragon.”

Like mud molded into a dragon’s form, a massive amount of black liquid remained—large enough to match an ancient dragon’s size. And embedded where the dragon’s head would be was a white crown.

An Ancient Power.

“May I do as I please?”

The Black Dragon answered my question.

“Don’t ask the obvious.”
“Thank you.”

Without noticing the Black Dragon flinch, I approached the dragon-shaped mass of black mud. Once I cleared away the black mud, there would certainly be the dragon’s bones beneath.

‘If I get that and the Magic Tower too.’

That would be incredible.
My lips curved upward. My palms tingled with anticipation.

Whoosh!
A shield unfurled before me. Simultaneously, whirlpools began to form in both my hands. The vortices expanded to their maximum size. Wind swirled around my feet.

Whirrrrring.

The moment the Wind’s Sound rang out.

Splooooosh!
Black liquid cascaded toward me. The dark sludge descended at terrifying speed, threatening to swallow me whole.

That was when it happened. The voice of the Ancient Power Owner echoed—this power too had been left behind by a person, not a place.

-Do you know what dominion is?

Thump. Thump. Thump. My heart raced violently at the chilling voice that seemed to pierce my very lungs.
My body surged forward.

Whoooosh! Whoosh!
Two whirlpools that had been swirling in my hands shot forth like arrows. The vortex of air carved a path through the black sludge, opening a passage.

I crossed through that gap with explosive speed.
My shield and wings blocked the viscous black liquid from touching me.

-Dominion means stealing even your opponent’s breath.

Thump. Thump. My heart pounded with each word.
It felt like fear itself.

“Ugh.”

I bit my lip against the frantic beating of my heart.

Shhhhwooosh—
Once more, wind arrows sliced through the black sludge. The deep, resonant voice of the Ancient Power Owner continued to echo in my ears.

-Do you know the easiest way to steal someone’s breath, their very respiration?

Whiiiing, whiiiing.
Whirlpools continued to form in my hands, carving passages. Every direction around me—above, below, all sides—was engulfed in black liquid.
I was trapped in this suffocating darkness.
Yet I pressed forward along the paths the wind had carved.

Then, the voice came again.

-It is fear.

Kale’s lips curved upward. Fear would freeze to death.
Kale, Kim Rok-soo, had lived through countless fears.

Because I wanted to live.
Because I wanted to live comfortably, more happily than anyone else.

Humans already live by making the fear and dread of an unpredictable future their present reality.
Two whirlpools merged and grew larger, leaving Kale’s hand to carve another path.

Craaaaaash!

The rotational force was different from before.

“Nonsense.”

Control? Fear? What do I care about that? I’ll just use it to my advantage, that’s all.
Kale advanced rapidly through the path he had created. Then a voice echoed in his mind.

-Kekeke, that’s right. Nonsense indeed. You understand well.

Found it.
Before Kale’s eyes, racing straight ahead, appeared the skull of a white dragon. Embedded precisely at its crown was a white-glowing crown.
Kale reached toward that crown. The jewels of the crown touched the tips of his fingers.

Shiiiiine!

-Use it well!

Brilliant light radiated from the crown, erasing the black mud. Simultaneously, the crown poured down upon Kale. He closed his eyes. A voice, different from before and strangely pleasant, reached him.

-Sometimes illusions will save you too. Ahahaha!

Kale felt another power enveloping his heart. Thump, thump. His heart beat powerfully. He immediately understood what this power was.

Kale’s expression turned bitter.

“…What is this?”

Kale opened his eyes. The black liquid had vanished entirely, and the massive corpse of a dragon came into view.

“Human. Why do you appear as strong as my front claws? No, you’re still weak. What is this?”

The Black Dragon approached Kale, its expression quite bewildered. Kale let out a low chuckle.

“My charisma has increased.”
“What nonsense are you spouting, human?”

The Black Dragon wore an exasperated expression, but it was the truth.
Kale could perceive the name of this Ancient Power.

‘Dominating Aura.’

Truly a cringeworthy name. Yet it was an Ancient Power that lived up to that name perfectly.

Only the aura grew stronger.
Despite its magnificent crown-like appearance, it was a remarkably useless ability.

“It’s the perfect power for deception.”
“Deception is wrong.”

The Black Dragon approached with furrowed brows, ready to lecture, but Kale ignored it and turned his gaze toward his companions.

He saw them standing frozen, unable to advance. Kale withdrew the power of his Dominating Aura and waved his hand toward his distant companions.

The forest fell silent as if the monsters had never howled. Kale shattered that silence.

“Come here.”

At his soft command, the Cats, who had been covering their ears and faces, perked up their heads sharply. Then they rushed toward the Black Dragon and Kale at great speed. They ran very quickly. And they passed by Kale.

The Cats rushed toward the Black Dragon. But as they drew near, they approached hesitantly.

“Y-you don’t seem to be hurt!”
“We were so scared! Our youngest can’t be hurt!”

The Cats circled around the Black Dragon, checking its body. Then they cautiously approached and patted the dragon’s form.

“Our sibling is the most amazing!”
“So cool! So incredibly strong!”

Kale observed the Dragon remaining still with the Cats, then turned his gaze toward the Whale Tribe siblings who were still motionless. A languid smile played at the corners of Kale’s lips. The Black Dragon approached his side. Kale stroked the Dragon’s head with an indifferent touch while addressing the Whale Tribe siblings.

“Can’t you come?”

His softly resonant voice echoed through the ears of the Whale Tribe siblings. Witira slowly unclenched her tightly clenched fist. It wasn’t now, but the moment the black mud had just vanished—at that instant, Kale had appeared different somehow.
He was certainly still a human whose life would be endangered by a single stroke of her whip.

‘It was different from raw strength.’

For just a moment, the way he stood alone and resolute reminded her of her father, the Whale King. It wasn’t about power.
It was the aura that only those who stood at the top could possess. She felt it.

“Young Master.”

Kale regarded the approaching Whale Tribe siblings and asked indifferently.

“You’re not injured, are you?”
“…No, we are not.”

Seeing him return to his usual demeanor, Witira closed her mouth. Kale shifted his gaze from the Whale Tribe siblings to the Black Dragon.

“Is there any lingering mana scent?”
“There is none now.”

Since the black liquid had vanished, there was no lingering mana remaining. Only the bones of the Dragon remained—bones with strong magical resistance, excellent capacity for containing magic, and above all, remarkably durable.

“Then you collect these bones.”
“Understood.”

Kale observed the Cats rubbing their faces against his calves. The two whose eyes met his promptly swatted his feet with their front paws.

“I thought something terrible would happen. I don’t understand why the weakest one steps forward.”
“We could just leave everything to our youngest sibling. Of course, we can’t have our sibling getting hurt either.”

Kale simply ignored the Cats scolding him. He spoke to the group.

“Let’s return.”

Now I had to head back to the Count’s Mansion.

A few days later, Kale returned to the Count’s Mansion two days behind his original schedule. The moment Hans saw his face, he greeted him with words instead of a formal salutation.

“Young master! The Crown Prince has sent word. What is the meaning of this?”
“What do you mean, what is it?”

Kale answered flatly. Yet he could not hide the corners of his mouth curling upward.

“It’s good news for both of us.”

It was excellent news—seizing the greatest treasures born from the Wipper Kingdom’s civil war. Hans then delivered one more piece of information to Kale.

“Ah, and Choi Han said he will be returning from the Breck Kingdom soon.”

What?

“Rak is also returning, and so is Rosalind.”
“What?”

So soon? Did they just destroy the Breck Kingdom?
The moment Kale arrived at the Count’s Mansion, his brow furrowed.

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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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