Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 663

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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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A voice cut through my thoughts as I turned toward my diary.

“Human! What are you talking about?”

Raon, unable to see the diary’s contents, puffed out his cheeks in displeasure.

“You are not the sort of human to be influenced by that white thing!”

The words I had muttered moments before.
‘So I was one of the souls influenced by the reincarnator, the White Star.’ Raon thrashed his front paws left and right, as if ready to refute this.

A soft chuckle escaped my lips.
But I offered no response, simply patting Raon’s head absently before turning my attention back to the diary.

A reincarnator.
Unlike ordinary souls who lived with new bodies and new memories, they possessed new bodies yet retained their memories across successive lives—a ‘variable’ that influenced other souls.

‘It’s likely I was one of the souls influenced by the White Star in this life.’

After all, the White Star’s current face resembled Kim Rok-soo’s.
I gathered my thoughts.

‘Kim Rok-soo, living in another dimension while influenced by the reincarnator. If I were to exchange him with one bearing the life of a possessor and bring him here…’

The answer to that hypothesis was ‘a rather clean solution, with nothing added or removed.’
Of course, this was a judgment made from the perspective of a god who wished not to influence other souls.

‘Exceptions’—the single-lived and the immortal.
‘Variables’—the reincarnator and the possessor.
And finally, the ‘unknown’—the returner.

“…Ha.”

Laughter kept spilling from my lips.
But the words that followed in my diary pulled my thoughts in another direction.

【My family and I have studied ‘time and life’ for generations.】

Kale’s gaze returned to the gravestone.

【Jur Temps】

Kale’s biological mother’s house was the Temps Baronial House.
Before coming to this graveyard, Kale recalled information he had subtly gleaned through Duke Derth.

‘Kale Heniatus’s biological mother’s house had fallen, or so I was told.’

Only Jur Temps remained as the sole ‘direct heir’ of the line.

‘I heard Duke Derth fell for Jur Temps when they met at the academy and married her.’

Currently, no family bearing that name appeared in the Roan Kingdom’s nobility registry.
It was because Jur Temps, the sole direct heir, had abandoned continuing the family line. With no one left to inherit the house, its name naturally vanished from the registry and faded from memory.
In the novel ‘The Birth of a Hero,’ it was merely the maternal family of an extra character, and even within the story, neither the extra’s biological mother’s name nor her house was ever mentioned.

“How strange.”

No matter how much Kale thought about it, these facts seemed peculiar.

“…It seems they conducted their research without revealing it to the outside world.”

Considering the circumstances, the Temps House had never exposed what they had researched for generations beyond their family.
Most importantly, Jur Temps, the sole direct heir, had never disclosed the house’s research to Duke Derth.

‘Research passed down in secret, yet its value is immense.’

If the contents written in this diary fell into the hands of the White Star, there was a significant risk it would be used for ill.
That’s why they kept it secret, but the problem was that the house which had guarded this secret no longer existed.

“The sole direct heir.”

Those words meant no other direct line existed in this world. In other words, they were dead.

“…The more I think about it, the stranger it becomes.”

Jur Temps. She possessed an Ancient Power that allowed her to perceive the rings of life within living beings.
Wasn’t she capable of recognizing that her own son had been born into the life of a variable, a ‘Possessor’?
How could someone with such ability not know how the other direct descendants of her family had died?
Moreover, even if she was merely a baroness, one of the noble families of the Roan Kingdom had quietly and gradually vanished without a trace. Yet the spouse of that direct descendant didn’t know the reason?
That spouse was simply brushing it off as if that’s how things had always been from the moment they first met.

“Hmm.”

Now that I had decided to live as Kale Heniatus, I thought I should investigate certain matters related to the original Kale Heniatus as well.
Naturally, this included information about my mother, Jur Temps, and my maternal family, the Temps Baronial House.

“…This is—”

Something felt off.
Merely thinking about the Temps family sent an inexplicable chill down the back of my neck.

‘It feels like investigating this family will drag me into something complicated.’

They studied ‘Time and Life’ itself. Wasn’t that mysterious enough just from the name?
This family, which had secretly researched such matters while pretending to be nothing more than an ordinary baronial house, had collapsed with only a single direct descendant remaining.
And that remaining descendant had no intention of inheriting the family at all.

“…Something reeks here.”

This clearly meant something was amiss.

“Human! I didn’t fart!”

My expression, which had been growing serious, crumpled. I looked at Raon, who was sniffing the air.

“Sniff, sniff! There’s no stench! Human, where exactly are you smelling something foul?”
“Sigh.”

I simply shook my head with a sigh. Yet I gazed intently at the spirited Raon.

“Human! But walking around like this, just the two of us, reminds me of the old days when we used to travel together!”

Raon was in quite a good mood.
He was reminded of those early days after first meeting Kale, when the two of them had wandered about doing various things together.
Kale, observing Raon’s contentment, came to a decision.

“…Yes.”

He had reached his conclusion.

‘First, I’ll deal with the White Star.’

And once the White Star was handled.

‘I’ll rest!’

I absolutely will rest.
And I’ll play.
I’ll even set up a small vegetable garden—hardly worthy of being called farming, but still.

‘…Yes… my maternal family… someday… yes… someday… hmm… just… hmm….’

Matters concerning the Temps Baronial House would be postponed—far, far into the future.
Kale, seized by an inexplicable unease, chose to turn away from it for now.

‘What could possibly happen?’

Even as he maintained this composed thought, an unsettling feeling kept gnawing at him.
A sense that something was about to unfold.
It felt as though he held the key to some future calamity in his grasp, yet Kale decided to feign ignorance for now.

‘Could something as troublesome as this White Star situation happen again?’

If another headache-inducing crisis erupted like this White Star affair… at this scale….

“That’s not going to happen.”

Kale shook his head.

“It’s just my imagination.”

Yes, all of this must be nothing but an illusion born from my own exhausted mind, worn down by the White Star’s relentless persecution.
Wasn’t that right?
The Temps Baronial House incident occurred decades ago.
Yet until now, I had discovered nothing related to it.
Across the East-West Continent, if I and my companions—who had swept through every corner—knew nothing of it, then nothing was truly happening.

‘It was merely something that occurred decades past and simply faded away.’

I no longer attached great significance to it.
I dreamed only of the leisurely life that would unfold once I dealt with the White Star.

“Right. Once it’s all over, I should just rest.”
“Exactly, human! After a year of rest, we should go on a world tour!”

It must have been my imagination.
Perhaps because I had just been thinking about the Temps Baronial House, even Raon’s mention of that world tour felt like the beginning of some ominous event.

‘What could possibly happen while I’m traveling with the kids and enjoying myself?’

I shook off my premature anxiety by thinking about the world tour plans—a chance to play, eat, and rest.
I judged it to be nothing but needless worry and excessive concern.

Soon, with my mind cleared, I frowned upon reading the sentence Jur Temps had left behind.

【You who have come to dwell within my son’s body.】
【I am sorry.】

“Huh?”

Why the sudden apology?

【Your reason for finding this place is likely to seek the roots of the body you possess, to gather information, or perhaps to claim my Ancient Power.】
【Thus, I have prepared an arrangement for one such as you.】

An arrangement left behind by Jur Temps.
My lips curled upward. She said she was sorry, which made me wonder what she meant, but since she mentioned preparing an arrangement, it was surely some remaining Ancient Power.

“…So it’s this.”

It must be an Ancient Power.
Kale continued reading with a hint of anticipation.

【There is a place called the Dark Forest near the Heniatus Territory.】

Hmm?

【Within that forest, there are two Ancient Powers. One is located inside a cave—I never entered it directly, but I could feel its presence from the entrance. The other lies in a lake within the forest. Though calling it a lake is a misnomer, for it is a swamp of death covered in dead mana, yet I sensed an Ancient Power within it.】

…The dominating aura that Jjangdol and I share?
I already possess that?

【Furthermore, I left half of my power in Harris Village, located just beside the Dark Forest. You will easily obtain it if you go there.】
【It is the very essence of my power—something that allows one to see the past timeline of a living being as growth rings. If you observe these rings alongside the information I left behind, you will be able to discern what they signify. Without this knowledge, you can only perceive the distortion of time itself.】

…But the White Star took that away?
That’s the essence of power?
Is it fortunate that the White Star doesn’t know this information and can only perceive the distortion of time?

“…Uh… Mm….”
“Human, why that expression? Did someone stab you in the back?”

Kale’s hands trembled as he gripped the diary.
He slowly recited in his mind the name he would live by and the true name of the one he would live as—Kim Rok-soo.

‘…Hey, Kale Heniatus. Your mother knew everything and prepared it all in advance, didn’t she? But it doesn’t seem that way?’

Then, a sentence caught his eye.

【When a variable that is not an exception arises in this world, it means the world is filled with chaos and that even God has no choice but to rely on variables.】
【I hope the arrangements I left behind and the information I provided will help you achieve what you desire amidst that chaos.】
【For you, who will live in my son’s body. I would like you to think of this as my gift to you, who may have suffered harm because of our child.】
【On behalf of my child, I tell you this.】
【I am sorry.】

Kale exhaled softly.

“Sigh.”

Kale stared at the words of apology for a long moment before closing and reopening his eyes.

“…Human, are you alright?”

Raon carefully examined Kale’s face, his gaze drifting cautiously toward the diary.

“What?!”

His eyes widened in surprise.

“Human, this!”

A grin spread across Kale’s face.

【P.S. Just in case, I’ve left behind some small information and half of my power in this place.】

Just in case.
Words written with hesitation, uncertain whether this would even prove helpful.

“Human, is this half of the power here an Ancient Power?”

The page rustled.
The next passage came into view for both Kale and Raon.

【In case the enemy you must face proves to be an exception or variable, I leave behind certain information.】

Kale’s mouth fell open.

“Heh heh.”

He read aloud one sentence from among the lines appended as a postscript.

“The reincarnator’s memories do not sever even when their current body dies. A reincarnator is one capable of recording countless ages within their soul.”

A soul that must live with a new body and new memories—one that possesses a new body yet retains its memories intact—was called a reincarnator.

“Therefore, within a reincarnator exists a single great ring of growth intertwined with countless smaller rings.”

【If the great ring represents memories of countless lives—that is, records—then the small rings scattered and intertwined within it can be understood as the bodies that have been inhabited.】

Kale read the following passage slowly, savoring each word.

“Therefore, a Reincarnator does not meet complete death simply by attacking the body. There are various methods to completely kill a Reincarnator, but the only one I—our House—knows is singular.”

Jur Temps had recorded that one method she knew, just in case.
That record had been passed into Kale’s hands.
He slowly caressed the record with his fingers.

The method to kill a Reincarnator.

【The memory of a Reincarnator. In other words, the great foundational ring that serves as the core.】

The center and foundation that encompasses countless rings. Its boundary.

【Erase that, and it is done.】

The method to completely erase the White Star.
The way to sever this tenacious chain that has endured.

【But if you cannot see that ring, the method is useless.】
【However, if you obtain even one of the powers I left behind, you can see the ring, regardless of whether your paths differ.】

“Human, but even if you see the ring, how do you attack it?”
“Below.”
“Below?”

Raon’s gaze followed Kale’s hand downward.

【Even if you see that ring, the question would be how you could possibly attack it.】
【For reference, it is impossible with a sword or magic.】

Raon’s pupils trembled.

“Human! Then you’re saying it works with Ancient Powers?”
“Below.”

【Additionally, even Ancient Powers do not work.】

“…Ah.”

Raon’s expression grew dejected.
Yet as Kale’s eyes traced further down the text, something extraordinary emerged, and Raon followed suit, reading deeper into the passage.

【The countless rings of a Reincarnator possess spiritual power as vast as the ages they represent.】
【When comparing a Dragon who lived for a thousand years to a Reincarnator who repeated life for a thousand years, the rings of the Reincarnator who lived multiple lives are often far more potent.】

【Therefore, to destroy a Reincarnator’s rings, one must attack using the power of one who possesses rings containing an even longer span of time.】

Raon’s gaze shifted toward Kale.

“…Human—”

Raon looked at Kale as if he had grasped something profound, and Kale’s eyes gleamed. His expression mirrored the same realization—the answer had been found.

The White Star is a Reincarnator.
To prevent his reincarnation, I must erase those rings he possesses.
To accomplish that, I first needed the power to see the rings, and second, I required the strength of one who possessed the accumulated time to overwhelm them.

The first was achievable through the half-power I would soon obtain from Jur Temps, and I had already known the key to the second for a long time.

“…An Immortal.”

An Immortal—a being who lives an endless existence.
My gaze left the diary and turned toward the tree near the graveyard.
I knew of one such Immortal.

The one who has existed the longest in this world.
The being whose very existence is carved with the records of this world as rings.

“The World Tree.”

And the World Tree had once given me a branch, thin as a wooden chopstick, calling it a sword.

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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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