Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 638

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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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In front of the Sezes Royal Academy stood a rather spacious plaza.
An alley before entering that plaza.

“What? Does it look strange?”

At Kale Heniatus’s question, On smoothed down her hair slightly.
Kale Heniatus in the form of Prince Nar, son of Duke Fredo, and On in her humanoid form.
But their appearances were somewhat different from what I originally knew.

-I did a great job with the hair dye magic!

A sunset-red hue filled both of their hair completely.

“Don’t you like it?”

At Kale Heniatus’s question, On immediately shook her head.

“I love it!”

On, who unconsciously smoothed her hair because she liked having the same hair color as Kale Heniatus, was now feeling somewhat uneasy.
But the truth was, her heart felt a bit heavy right now.

The Fog Tribe.
On and Hong were the only bloodline of the former Tribal Chief.
But from the moment On could properly see and remember the world, her only family was Hong.
The Fog Tribe had called her a mutant, a parasite, watching and shunning her.
Yet even while calling her a parasite, the way they watched her made On realize that she and Hong should have originally been in the position of successors.
So she found an opening and fled with Hong.
Because she thought that was the only way they could survive.

And now she was going to destroy that Fog Tribe.

‘…Perhaps I might learn the detailed truth.’

She might be able to uncover the true story about herself and her younger brother.
On’s brow furrowed.
That was when it happened.

“There’s no need to overthink this.”

On turned her head at Kale Heniatus’s quiet yet gentle voice.
Kale Heniatus, now standing at a height similar to mine, was gazing straight ahead.

“I’ll handle everything. On, you just do whatever you want. Focus only on that.”

Kale Heniatus recalled the time he had met the Fog Tribe Clan Leader in front of Sherit Castle in the Forbidden Zone of Three Generations.
The words the Clan Leader had spoken upon seeing On and Hong.

‘So they’re the last of that bloodline—they must be stubborn survivors. But I never expected them to side with Kale Heniatus. Is that why they escaped our notice?’
‘Tainted blood must be erased from this world.’

On had said that Clan Leader was not family.

‘Perhaps On and Hong are descendants of the previous Clan Leader. And the current Clan Leader must be the one who overthrew him.’

And perhaps.

‘…When that Clan Leader took his position, he may have killed On and Hong’s family.’

Yet he had spared On and Hong.
That was what puzzled me slightly.
Had he left them alive because they were young?

The Fog Tribe—the most secretive clan among the Cat-Human Race.
Being the most secretive meant being the strongest among the Cat-Human Race.
Even within the Fog Tribe, only a select few possessed special abilities.

‘Like On and Hong.’

Kale Heniatus reached out and gently stroked On’s hair.

“By the way.”

On watched as Kale Heniatus turned his gaze toward her.

“Would you like to attend the academy?”

On flinched.

-Human! I don’t want to attend the academy! I’m already an incredibly intelligent and magnificent dragon! I’m going to travel around with humans! World tour!

I let Raon’s voice pass through my ears without much thought.
That was the moment.

Dong-dong dong-dong—

The bell from the Bell Tower located at Sezes Royal Academy rang out, and the sound reached here.
It was the sound announcing exactly 10 o’clock.
One hour.
It was the sound indicating the time remaining until the King’s speech.

I had no time to hear On’s answer.
I needed to move now.

“Let’s talk about the academy later. Well, I’ll let you do whatever you want anyway. Whether you want to be idle or study.”

I spoke my thoughts roughly and stepped out of the alley.
Then I turned around and gestured to On.

“Aren’t you coming?”

On recalled the moment when Kale, in the form of Prince Nar, had first given food to her and her younger sibling.

They say a person encounters three strokes of fortune in their lifetime.
On was certain that one of them was the day she met Kale.
Because she had gained a family.

Then, Raon’s voice echoed in On’s mind.

-Fighting spirit! And don’t worry! I’ll follow invisibly! There’s no danger!

At the bright voice of her youngest sibling, the corners of On’s mouth lifted.
She decided to stop overthinking.
Just as Kale said, she would think only of what she wanted to do.

-…Y-you look like a human when you smile like that! Are you trying to deceive me? Teach me too! I want to do it with you!

On drew a deeper smile at Raon’s petulance and walked toward Kale Heniatus.

The two of them headed straight for the Main Gate of Sezes Royal Academy.
The path was chaotic.

“Everyone, please step back! His Majesty the King won’t emerge until eleven o’clock!”
“Form a proper line! If this continues, we’ll have to remove you!”

Academy staff and Royal Court officials raised their voices throughout the area.
It was unavoidable.

“Ah, come on, let me move forward a bit!”
“Move aside, move aside!”
“Wow. We’re actually seeing His Majesty the King today? And hearing his speech?”
“Of course! This is the best spot!”

Countless citizens of the Kingdom had flooded in, transforming the Plaza into a sea of humanity.
This too was inevitable.

“Mom, our King is the strongest, right?”
“Of course~ This is a nation of knights. And His Majesty is a Sword Master, after all.”
“Right! The strongest knight of all!”

The current King, Bakehe.
He was a Sword Master in a nation of knights.
A strong king—that alone was reason enough for his popularity to soar, but five years ago, the moment he ascended to the throne, he established a single decree.

‘Establish Sword Training Centers!’

Sword Training Centers where anyone could learn were built throughout the Sezes Kingdom.
All expenses were provided by the Royal Court.

‘Regardless of status or wealth! Let anyone who desires it learn the sword!’
‘Furthermore, those with talent shall be sent to the Reserve Knight Training Center to nurture their abilities!’

King Bakehe had opened the path to knighthood for all, and thanks to his five years of reign, those who had achieved their dreams—orphans who became knights, impoverished commoners who became successful knights—were now bearing fruit, appearing one by one.

“…That’s why his popularity is considerable.”

My lips curved upward as I melded into the crowd.
That was when it happened.

“Huh? What’s an Academy student doing here?”

The moment a Kingdom citizen whose eyes met mine muttered in confusion.
My expression shifted instantly.

“My apologies. Just a moment, please.”

With an anxious face, I pretended to struggle through the crowd, bringing On along behind me.

“Wait, please! We need to get inside! Just a moment, make way!”

My desperate voice and the Academy uniform marking us as students drew the surrounding gazes toward On and me.
An armored Knight approached the two of us, his brow furrowed.

“You there! Student!”

I stopped walking.
And smiled inwardly.

Normally, entry to the Academy required thorough verification by staff at the Main Gate.

‘But that’s impossible right now.’

Because the King was far too popular, the Plaza was teeming with people from the square all the way to the closed gates.
The Academy staff were completely overwhelmed.

‘Normally, I’d need to get verified by the staff.’

But if I did that, I might be exposed.

“Knight, sir!”

I seized the arm of the approaching Sezes Kingdom Knight with a stern expression, as if fortune had smiled upon me.
The Knight’s face twisted immediately.
I could have been an intruder masquerading as a student, after all.

“Why are you two here—”

But he couldn’t finish his sentence.

Slap!
A student identification card and a physician’s certificate appeared before him.

“I was sick yesterday and stepped out for a bit! I really wanted to hear the speech today. Could we possibly go in? Please?”

Kale Heniatus placed his hand on On’s shoulder behind him.

“My younger sibling dreams of becoming a Knight! They desperately wanted to meet the Young Prince…. But since I’m here to care for them, could you make an exception?”
—Human, you’re quite the actor!

The Knight’s expression remained stern as he observed the boy’s desperate face, though his wariness had eased somewhat.

‘…Their complexion is poor.’

A pallid complexion that magic couldn’t conceal had caught his attention.

‘And they appear quite young.’

While magic might alter hair color or reshape certain body parts, one couldn’t deceive about age itself—not from an adult to a child.

‘That would be impossible without being a Dragon. And if a Dragon came to praise our Young Prince, they certainly wouldn’t come to harm him.’

Still, he had his duty to perform.
Though Bakehe was Sezes’s greatest Knight, a Knight must protect their liege.

“Come along for now!”

He led the sickly-looking boy and the one standing behind him toward the area near the Main Gate.

“Step back, please!”
“Move back, move back!”

The Main Gate was equally crowded with people, and the Knight headed toward a tent positioned right beside it.

“These children here—”

The Knight entering the tent frowned at the sight of not a single staff member in view.
It seemed they had all rushed out to manage the crowds that had gathered.

“…There certainly are a lot of troublemakers this year.”

Particularly this year, people had been appearing in various places without hesitation, claiming they wanted to see the King and pushing forward.

-Human! Bud’s mercenaries are doing great work!

Of course, those troublemakers were disguised mercenaries.

“Ahem.”

The Knight glanced sideways, wondering if Kale Heniatus had heard his murmur.
At that moment, Kale Heniatus smiled brightly while appearing anxious.

“It seems everyone, just like us, wants to experience the King’s presence and words up close! Right?”
“Yes, brother.”
-Wow! Both of them are great actors! The difference between them and Choi Han is like heaven and earth! Choi Han, you need to practice!

At the sight of the affectionate siblings, the Knight nodded as if he had no choice.

“Now, let’s do a verification check.”

He decided to conduct the inspection himself in place of the staff.
The Knight approached the magical devices arranged in sequence.

“In order, we’ll check student identification and also inspect aura and mana.”

Normally, the magical device would only verify the authenticity of the student identification.
However, since today was the day of the King’s speech, they were also inspecting aura and mana. It was a precaution against any possible surprise attack.

“First, place your student identification here.”
“Yes.”

Kale Heniatus placed his student identification on the magical device.

“Hmm.”

Of course it showed as genuine.

-Hehe. I just twisted a bit of mana into the magical device!

It was thanks to Raon, the dragon who had accomplished something far from simple.
And the subsequent mana and aura inspection passed without difficulty.

On and Kale Heniatus.
The power of these two had absolutely nothing to do with aura or mana.

“Mm.”

The Knight smiled apologetically at the two young siblings whose student IDs were genuine and who possessed virtually no power whatsoever.

“Come along.”

His tone had softened by now as he walked away from the Main Gate and opened a small side door.
The Main Gate could not be opened at this moment.

“Hm? Vice-Captain? Who are these children?”

The Knights guarding the side door looked at Kale Heniatus and On, then turned their gaze to the Knight who had brought them.

“I conducted the inspection myself. Their student IDs are genuine, and they have neither mana nor aura.”
“Ah. Is that so?”

The greatest mage of the Sezes Kingdom.
No one questioned the magical device created by a top-tier Court Mage.
After all, only a dragon could manipulate it.
And why would a dragon tamper with an Academy student ID verification machine?

“Now, go on in.”

At the Knight’s words, Kale Heniatus bowed his head respectfully.

“Thank you so much, Knight! Thanks to you, I was able to give my younger sister this precious opportunity!”

The Knight chuckled at the moved expression on the boy’s face. Then On offered her greeting and spoke.

“Thank you so much. I hope to become an excellent knight just like you, Vice-Captain.”
“Ahem, well! I haven’t done anything special. Now hurry inside! There’s less than thirty minutes left!”

Embarrassed, the Vice-Captain waved us along urgently. Kale Heniatus and I bowed politely to the Vice-Captain and the other knights before hurrying forward.

“…Those two seem like students. The Sezes Royal Academy is a complex place difficult to navigate without a guide, yet they’re moving without hesitation.”
“That’s right. They’re finding their way well too.”

The knights had no way of knowing about the map vividly recorded in Kale Heniatus’s mind.

-Oh! Human, all the buildings are so beautiful!

Just as Raon said, the buildings of the Sezes Royal Academy carried the weight of their long history, exuding an air of antiquity.
But Kale Heniatus’s eyes remained sharp, surveying the surroundings carefully.

“There it is.”

We walked through the winding paths without hesitation and finally reached the plaza within the academy, positioned in a direct line with the Main Gate.

A plaza paved with marble.
There stood a high podium.

‘That must be where the King will stand.’

In front of that podium were the seats for the nobility, followed by the academy leadership, and then students arranged in neat rows.
And surrounding it all were knights and soldiers.

‘Ten minutes.’

The speech had only ten minutes remaining.

“Hm? Who are you two?”

A knight at the very back frowned, and I quickly bowed at the waist.

“My apologies! I need to use the restroom for a moment-”
“Quiet. Now hurry and get in line!”
“Yes, sir!”

Kale Heniatus took On’s hand and quickly moved to the back of the first-year students’ line, as if returning to his original position.

“Stand in front of me.”
“…Okay.”

On moved in front of Kale Heniatus, and he surveyed his surroundings.
Then, Raon’s voice reached him.

-Human! The dragons have completed their infiltration!

The reports continued.

-Ron and Vicross have infiltrated as well, they say! Mollan Family complete!
-Bud entered through a dog hole, he says not to worry!

One by one, his companions succeeded in their infiltration, each in their own way.

Boom-boom- boom-boom-
Beginning with the sound of drums, solemn music echoed across the grounds.

Waaaaaaa-
At the same time, cheers from the kingdom’s citizens poured out from beyond the Main Gate in the distance.
Kale Heniatus’s gaze turned toward the Podium.

A figure was slowly ascending.

One who embodied the word “magnificent.”
Even after ascending to the throne, he never parted with his sword, governing the realm in full armor.

Sezes’s greatest Knight.
And a Sword Master.
A benevolent king who opened opportunities for his people and dispensed wise governance.
Bakehe.

Five years ago, in the year he ascended to the throne, mysterious mists began to gradually spread from Nexus Mountain, which honored the first king, and this year they filled the entire mountain.
The kingdom’s citizens cheered at this, proclaiming that a new legend would unfold.

But Kale Heniatus understood the truth the moment he heard that information.

‘That bastard.’

The King ascending the podium right now.

‘He formed an alliance with the White Star long before becoming King.’

And after ascending to the throne, he must have handed over Nexus Mountain to the White Star.
The White Star had gradually transformed Nexus Mountain into his own domain through the Fog Tribe.

‘And now that the mist has covered the entire mountain this year, the Fog Tribe must have established their base there.’

Duke Fredo had said that Stone Mountain served as a place to confine sacrifices.

Boom boom— boom—!
At last, the King ascended the podium and gazed down upon everyone.
The music ceased, and all present bowed in reverence.

The King opened his mouth, and his voice resonated through the academy and out into the plaza via magical amplification.

“Raise your heads, all of you.”

Kale Heniatus lifted his head and whispered to On standing before him.

“On. Spread the mist.”

On nodded, and anticipation curved Kale Heniatus’s lips upward.
Gradually.
White mist began condensing in various places, unnoticed by the crowd, spreading bit by bit.

When this white mist finally engulfed both where Kale Heniatus stood and the podium itself.
Everything would begin.
And that moment arrived swiftly.

“Hm? What’s this mist all of a sudden?”

Around the time a few people standing at the very back noticed the mist’s presence.

“Intensify it.”

I gave the order.
On and Raon opened their mouths.

“Easy.”
-I’ll do it too!

Whoooosh—
A sudden gust of wind swept across the area as the mist rapidly expanded and surged toward the podium where the King of Wiper stood, as if to devour him entirely.

Whirrr—
At that moment, wind spiraled around my ankles, and my body moved toward the podium alongside the mist.

The objective was to capture Bakehe alive.

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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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