Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 637

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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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“But who were those two people the Cat Tribe Soldiers were chasing?”

The Mercenary King followed Kale Heniatus to a table in the middle of the first-floor restaurant of the inn.

“Ahem.”
“Oh my, there’s urgent work in the kitchen!”

The bandit-turned-employees retreated far from that table.

“Everyone, step back.”

Ron gestured for them to leave, and the employees quickly vacated their positions. Only then did Kale Heniatus open his mouth.
Only then did Kale Heniatus’s mouth open.

“…What?”
“…huh?”

Bud’s pupils trembled as he stared at the momentarily empty Inn hall. He rubbed his ears, and Kale spoke once more.

“…Ah. A dragon, then.”
“…Ah. So it’s a Dragon.”

But he couldn’t help but feel bewildered.
But I just couldn’t accept it.

“A Dragon?!”

No, wait—how many dragons were already here to begin with!
Bud’s brow furrowed deeply.
Bud furrowed his brow sharply.

Just then, a side door leading to the Garden opened, and an employee spoke toward Ron.

“Manager, would you like some tea or-”

At the same time, Bud muttered a word while repeating the word “Dragon” in his mind.

“Are you thinking of destroying one Eastern Continent kingdom as an example?”

Clatter.
The hands of the former bandit-turned-employee gripping the door handle trembled violently.

‘What did I just hear? Destroying a kingdom?’

The employee immediately took action the moment Ron’s benevolent smile entered his vision.

Squeeeak—
The side door that had been open quietly closed.
Kale Heniatus furrowed his brow at Bud’s words.

“Why would you destroy a kingdom?”
“No, but you have more than enough military force for that, don’t you? Honestly, with that kind of power, this Riben City would disappear in five minutes?”
“Stop spouting nonsense. Hand over the information you brought.”
“Ah, got it!”

Bud pulled documents from his pocket and handed them to Kale Heniatus before opening his mouth.

“The Stone Mountain where the Cat-Human Race lives is in the Sezes Kingdom.”

The Cat-Human Race—the starting point for dismantling the White Star’s allies.
The target location that would serve as the catalyst for the final battle was Stone Mountain in the Sezes Kingdom.

“…Nexus Mountain in the Sezes Kingdom, then.”

Bud responded to Kale Heniatus’s murmur.

“It’s a kingdom right next to the Castle of Light.”

One of the three forbidden zones of the Eastern Continent—the White Desert was where Lord Sherit’s White Castle once stood.
Of course, that castle had since become the Black Castle under Raon’s ownership and now stood within the Dark Forest.
The contents of the documents entered Kale Heniatus’s view.

【The Sezes Kingdom is currently allied with the Endable Kingdom and is counted among the strong nations of the Eastern Continent.】
【It is famous as a nation of knights, and the current King, Bakehe, is renowned as a Sword Master.】

Bud continued his explanation.

“Nexus Mountain is located in the Northern Region of the Sezes Kingdom. It’s a mountain composed primarily of stone, and the terrain around it is quite treacherous, so ordinary people rarely venture there.”

Kale Heniatus recalled the conversation he’d had with Duke Fredo.

‘On the Eastern Continent, there’s a place where the Fog Tribe holds dominion and several Cat-Human Race members gather. At its center stands a great Stone Mountain—a fortress unto itself. It’s guarded by Cat-Human Race members skilled in concealment and assassination.’
‘And the hostages are held on that Stone Mountain?’
‘Yes.’

Bud added further.

“And beyond the terrain itself, entry for ordinary people is nearly impossible. The documents contain relevant information.”

Kale Heniatus shifted his gaze back to the documents.

【Nexus Mountain is a sacred mountain where legends of the First King of the Sezes Kingdom have existed since ancient times. Those without proper authorization are forbidden from entering the mountain.】
【Furthermore, the Sezes Royal Academy exists at the base of that mountain.】

“Ha!”

Kale Heniatus let out a short, incredulous laugh.

“The Fog Tribe dwells on a sacred mountain where the legends of the First King exist? And they’re allowed to use it as a place to confine sacrifices for a summoning ritual?”

Bud answered with a grim expression to the question that even Kale Heniatus found absurd.

“Yes. The most sacred place in the eyes of the Sezes Kingdom citizens is being used in this manner.”
“Of course, the kingdom’s leadership is hiding this fact from its people?”

Bud nodded.

“Most of the Sezes Kingdom nobility don’t seem to know that location is being used this way either. I probed cautiously among the nobles and merchants we have connections with through our guild, and none of them knew. They showed no signs of concealment either.”

Kale Heniatus’s mouth opened.

“The alliance between the White Star and the Sezes Kingdom is not a recent development.”

The alliance between the Eastern Continent kingdoms and the White Star’s Endable Kingdom.
I first learned of this when, as Kim Rok-soo, the Dark Tiger Alberu had told me about it.

‘If I think about it that way, the current situation doesn’t make sense.’

The Cat-Human Race had established a stronghold on the sacred mountain of the Sezes Kingdom.
This would have been impossible without cooperation from the Sezes Kingdom’s side.

“That’s right. As you said, Kale, I’m not sure about the other Eastern Continent kingdoms, but at least the Sezes Kingdom—or at least the King and his inner circle—appears to have formed a covert alliance with the White Star for a long time.”
“It seems like quite a deep relationship too. Otherwise, the Sezes Kingdom wouldn’t allow hostages called sacrifices to be locked away on a sacred mountain.”

It was possible that they had formed a cooperation with the White Star even longer ago than the Molden Kingdom, which had become our ally centered around Princess Sophias.
The Fog Tribe would have needed quite a long time to establish their foothold while drawing in other Cat-Human tribes.

‘Currently on the Eastern Continent, our allies are only the Molden Kingdom where Princess Sophias is, the Molan Family, the Mercenary Guild, and this Riben City.’

Given the size of the Eastern Continent, I had too few allies.
Absurdly few.

Bud opened his mouth carefully.

“I’m currently collecting information, thinking that perhaps not just Sezes but other kingdoms might have formed relationships with the White Star long ago.”

Ron, who had been listening quietly, joined the conversation.

“Young master. If the other kingdoms also have deep relationships, that would be quite troublesome for us.”

An alliance formed in a short period and one maintained over a long time were fundamentally different in quality.
Bud nodded at Ron’s words.

“As the head of the household says, if we’re not careful, there’s a high probability this becomes a fight between the Eastern Continent and the Western Continent.”

If that happened, even if we defeated the White Star on the Western Continent, the White Star’s foundation would still exist on the Eastern Continent, making a prolonged war highly likely.
Just imagining it was exhausting.

Tap. Tap. Tap.
I tapped my index finger on the table.
My gaze turned to the documents on the table.

“The Sezes Academy is the future of Sezes.”

The Sezes Royal Academy, which exists beneath the sacred Nexus Mountain.

The Sezes Royal Academy is counted as one of the three greatest academies on the Eastern Continent.
Students aged thirteen to eighteen are eligible for admission regardless of social status, but they must pass an extremely difficult entrance examination before undergoing a five-year educational program.
Furthermore, members of the Royal Family must graduate from this academy to be formally recognized as royalty. Additionally, many individuals from other kingdoms gather here, forming a small society unto itself.

Tap. Tap. Tap.
He tapped his index finger against the table before opening his mouth.

“Mercenary King Bird Illis.”
“Hm?”
“I think I should go with your suggestion after all.”
“…My suggestion? What did I even say—”

Bird recalled the words he had spoken to Kale Heniatus today.
Then a particular statement came to mind, and he voiced it aloud.

“…Did you mean when I said you were thinking of destroying one Eastern Continent kingdom as an example? …Was that it?”

Bird’s pupils trembled.
Kale Heniatus’s smile was reflected in his eyes.

“Destroy? Do you think I’m the White Star? I have no such intention.”

Bird considered this.
Kale Heniatus said he wouldn’t destroy anything.

‘…But his expression suggests he’ll do something similar.’

He could not voice this thought aloud.
Instead, he focused on Kale Heniatus’s opening mouth.

“I’m changing the objectives to two targets.”

Thud.
His palm struck the table.

“First, destroy the Cat-Human Race’s base and rescue the hostages.”

And then.

“Second, while we’re heading to the Sezes Kingdom anyway, we’ll break the alliance between the Sezes Kingdom and the White Star, using it as a starting point to collapse the alliances between the White Star and the Eastern Continent kingdoms.”

If things went according to Kale Heniatus’s plan, it would be the optimal outcome.
The White Star would have nowhere left to run. This battle would end as the final confrontation.
Burd Illis’s mouth fell open.

“…You’re doing that as a side task while we’re there?”
“Yeah. Why not accomplish it while we’re going anyway?”

Kale Heniatus pointed to a section of the document.

【The Sezes Kingdom designated the day the First King descended from Stone Mountain as a commemorative holiday, and on that day, the current King visited the sacred Nexus Mountain to declare that he inherited the will of the First King.】

Rustle.
As the paper turned, Kale Heniatus pointed to another section.
It was the part with information about the academy.

【The current King established it as a rule to visit the Sezes Royal Academy and deliver a speech the day before visiting Nexus Mountain.】

Burd Illis swallowed hard and looked at Kale Heniatus.
He heard Kale Heniatus’s composed voice.

“The commemorative date happens to be four days from now.”

Smirk.
The corners of Kale Heniatus’s mouth curved upward.

“Since we’ll get to see the King’s face on the way, it’d be nice to break the alliance as a bonus, wouldn’t it?”

Burd Illis simply nodded.

* * *

And two days later.
Mercenary King Burd Illis spoke with a solemn expression.

“Tomorrow. The King of Sezes is coming to the academy.”

Tomorrow, the current King of Sezes will visit the academy for a speech.
And the day after that, he will ascend Nexus Mountain to commemorate the anniversary honoring the First King.

Kale Heniatus adjusted the necktie of his academy uniform, which he hadn’t worn in a long time, and opened his mouth.

“Tomorrow, we infiltrate the academy and capture the King.”

The group, already dressed in various disguises for tomorrow, looked toward Kale Heniatus. Bud was no exception.
He was no different.

‘Capturing the King—isn’t that kidnapping?’

He wanted to ask that, but he held back.
Instead, he spoke differently.

“Not just the King, but other members of the Royal Family will visit as well. That’s why two of the Royal Court’s Knights Orders will escort them closely. Additionally, there will be other protective forces, including Mages.”

That wasn’t all.
Soldiers from neighboring fiefdoms had been mobilized, and naturally, all the nobility with territories in the Northern Region of Sezes Kingdom would attend tomorrow’s speech venue.
Though it was a speech aimed at students, the scale was quite substantial.

“Kale.”

Because of this, Bud cautiously offered his opinion to Kale Heniatus.

“Why not wait until the next day instead, when the King enters Nexus Mountain? At that time, since it’s a sacred matter, the King must go alone.”

Kale Heniatus shook his head.

“Many people need to see it.”
“…Us capturing the King?”
“Yes.”

The students, other members of the Royal Family, the nobility, the knights—and even the kingdom’s citizens gathered outside the academy hoping to catch a glimpse of the King at least once.
They all need to see it.

The reason was simple.

“The kidnapping will be attributed to the Fog Tribe.”

Ah!
When Bud let out an exclamation without thinking, I turned my gaze toward On and Hong.
On nodded with a face of unwavering resolve.
I stroked her head and examined the map of Sezes Royal Academy that the Mercenary Guild had obtained.

“And through the King, we rescue the Vampires and Dark Elves.”

Bud’s mouth fell open at the sheer audacity of a plan that combined kidnapping and rescue simultaneously.

“…Is all of that even possible?”

A sinister smile curved across my lips.
Sss.

“Yes. Of course.”

The intricate plan that would unfold over tomorrow—perhaps spanning two days—was already complete in my mind.
I explained it to my companions one by one, and as that explanation drew to a close.

“Meeting adjourned.”

As I announced the end, I gazed out the window.
Beyond the window of the special suite in the newly established Hope and Adventure Inn Branch 7 in the town where Sezes Royal Academy stood, I could see the academy and Nexus Mountain rising behind it.
Nexus Mountain, shrouded in mist.

“Tomorrow, all that fog will disappear.”

In my hand was a golden spinning top—a tool through which I could hear the Wind Spirit’s voice.
The Wind Spirit spoke.

‘It’s been so long! I missed you, Kale!’
‘Chaos, Destruction, Peace. Don’t worry. We will find the White Star’s location.’
‘That’s right. We’ll mobilize every spirit if we have to and uncover the White Star’s whereabouts. We can do it within a week!’
‘…Chaos, Destruction, White Star destruction. We will definitely bring back information. Peace. Love.’

While I was on the Eastern Continent, I had many things to accomplish.
Jjangdol whispered.

-Kale. Are you also planning to prevent the White Star from obtaining another Ancient Power? …And take it for yourself?

Of course.
Kale Heniatus naturally intended to claim it for himself when the opportunity arose.

‘Chaos, destruction. And the statues’ locations still seem to be in the Endable Kingdom.’

He also planned to destroy the statues.
Eight unranked monsters—that was a number he couldn’t handle.
After finishing the Western Continent Council meeting last night, Albert Crossman had spoken to Kale.

-Brother. I have no intention of letting that White Star bastard set foot on Rowan soil. And everyone has agreed to help me.

Kale shared the same conviction.

* * *

The Sezes Royal Academy was unusually bustling with people both inside and out today.
This was because today was one of the educational programs and an important day when the King would deliver a speech.

“…We’re here.”

On, adjusting her uniform awkwardly, looked uncomfortable.
In her eyes was reflected a boy who bore a striking resemblance to Duke Fredo.
Kale, wearing the appearance of Prince Nar.
He straightened his school uniform tie and gestured to On.

“Let’s go.”

The gazes of the two leaving the Hope and Adventure Inn Branch 7 were directed toward the Sezes Royal Academy.
The tower that the White Star had built so firmly.
Now it was time to tear it down, piece by piece.

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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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