Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 67

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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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The Whale King. Siceller.
The enormous whale’s eyes turned toward me. The corner of my mouth lifted slightly.

‘I can feel the pressure.’

A king who ruled an entire domain—the sea itself. His presence far surpassed that of any emperor who claimed dominion over portions of the Western Continent. And so I smiled all the wider.

A flicker of intrigue crossed Siceller’s eyes, and the whale’s gaze curved into a smile. I stepped back slightly and spread both arms wide.

“Perhaps we might continue our conversation on the deck?”

A sharp hiss. Steam rose from the sea’s surface. In that same instant, three figures approached the ship at remarkable speed, their movements utterly silent.
Tap. Tap. Thud. The three descended lightly onto the deck. In that moment, I heard the Black Dragon Raon’s voice echo through my mind.

-Dragons are far more beautiful, magnificent, and superior!

I understood the dragon’s sentiment and stroked his head affectionately. The three pureblooded Whale Tribe members were simply explosive in their appearance alone.

‘He’s completely frozen.’

Choi Han had gone rigid at the sight of the Whale Tribe humanoids.

I followed Choi Han’s gaze and examined the three standing before me one by one. Witira, the Whale King’s heir. She was as composed as always.
And the orca, the white-haired man. This must surely be Archie, the greatest warrior of the Whale Tribe. The figure who appeared prominently in the Whale Tribe section of “The Birth of a Hero.”
He was the man who had become a fan of Rak. Eccentric and foul-tempered. Yet his loyalty was quite formidable.

“It has been ages since I ventured this far south.”

At the dignified yet captivating voice, Choi Han turned his head. Siceller, the Whale King, wore a benevolent smile.
The most handsome middle-aged man in “The Birth of a Hero.” The book had devoted four entire lines to describing his appearance. It felt as though the author had poured their very soul into the portrayal.

‘Well deserved.’

But beauty alone doesn’t fill one’s belly. I simply needed to accept what was offered to me.

“The warmth of the south is rather pleasant, isn’t it?”

A flicker of intrigue crossed Siceller’s eyes.

‘Just as Witira described.’

Weak, yet strong—that was how his daughter had assessed the man before them. By her measure, this one was the weakest on the deck. And yet, he carried himself with unwavering confidence.

“The Southern Sea suits you well. I came with my daughter to properly thank you for saving our son.”
“Please, think nothing of it. I was merely doing what needed to be done.”

Kale Heniatus offered a gentle smile and extended his hand courteously. There was no point in prolonging conversation at this late hour.

“Since we’re both pressed for time, shall we get straight to business?”
“Of course. Though…”

Siceller exhaled softly. Kale did the same. He reached out his hand.

“Choi Han.”

Kale placed a hand firmly on Choi Han’s shoulder. Siceller mirrored the gesture.
Siceller was no exception.

Archie.

Choi Han and Archie were glaring at each other for some reason. Even though they had just met for the first time today, Kale Heniatus wondered why they were acting like this. Kale tightened his grip on Choi Han’s shoulder, and Choi Han looked at him.

A moment ago he was captivated by the Whale Tribe’s appearance, so why is he getting angry now? If Choi Han were to fight on this ship, it would be split in two with a single slash and sink to the depths.

“…Kale.”
“…Lord Kale.”

Choi Han bit his lip tightly. Then a clear answer came from Kale. As always, it was the Black Dragon Raon.

That whale just looked you up and down! How dare it!

Hearing the Dragon’s rough, ragged breathing, Kale turned his gaze away from Choi Han.
A colt who swore loyalty only to Siceller, indifferent to everyone else—even his own kind. Finally, Kale’s eyes met Archie’s.
That was definitely Archie.

A stubborn colt who swears loyalty only to Siceller and doesn’t care about others, even those of his own kind. Kale Heniatus finally made eye contact with Archie.

‘Hmm.’

I swallowed hard.
The murderous glint in Archie’s eyes as he stared at me was unmistakable. Why was he acting like this again? But the answer came to me.

‘Siceller must have come to meet me directly because of this.’

The fact that I had saved Siceller’s son or provided great assistance meant nothing to him. The intense gaze of a strong man—even more formidable than when facing Witira—caused my body to tense involuntarily.

Siceller felt my body stiffen and quickly shot Archie a sharp look. He had warned him countless times not to do this, yet the boy refused to listen.

“Archie, stop—”

Siceller stopped mid-sentence.
He turned his head.

‘Father, Young Master Kale is different. Truly, it was only for a moment, but he appeared so immense.’

Witira’s words echoed in his mind. Kale filled his vision. He saw him standing at ease, as if his body had never tensed at all. But the atmosphere was different. Only now could he understand why his daughter had spoken of his strength.

An indifferent gaze of unfathomable depth turned toward Archie. Choi Han, watching from the side, felt his furrowed brow smooth out without realizing it.

“…Kale.”

I had called out his name without thinking. But Kale did not turn around. Choi Han found this oddly natural. Those indifferent eyes fixed only forward. And the aura enveloping him captivated everyone’s attention.

It was different from overwhelming pressure. Rather, it appeared languid and serene. Yet it made one hesitant to approach. Because Kale’s brow was furrowed.

‘My body is reacting on its own.’

As I felt the pressure, my heart’s vitality surged powerfully, and in turn, I released a portion of my commanding aura. This freed the two of them from the oppressive force.
My lips opened slowly.

“Who are you?”

Since it had come to this, it would be better to establish dominance firmly from the start.
I did not care for that look in Archie’s eyes. I walked forward slowly. Creak, creak. The wooden planks of the deck groaned beneath my steps.

“Who are you to—”

The aura of dominion slowly revealed half of its power. A half-step. Precisely that much. Kale Heniatus stopped before Archie and asked him in an indifferent tone.

“Is that how you look at me?”

Archie’s mouth fell open. He was slightly taller than Kale Heniatus. Yet it felt as though Kale Heniatus was looking down at him. Certainly, he had appeared weak. Even now, it seemed Kale Heniatus could kill him with a single hand.

He could see the corners of Kale Heniatus’s mouth rising gently. Kale Heniatus observed with cold precision as the momentum in Archie’s eyes diminished, then spoke curtly.

“If your eyes cannot answer,”

The man before him looked down at Archie. Archie could sense it.

“Do not let others discover it so easily.”

Kale Heniatus and Archie regarded each other in silence for several seconds. Archie’s feet retreated slightly.
In that moment, Kale Heniatus immediately withdrew the power of his dominating aura. Then, wearing a pleasant smile, he turned his gaze toward Siceller.

“Is that not so, Your Majesty?”

Given that he would need to see them several more times and conduct business with them, Kale Heniatus had no desire to fight. Thus, he had used only half of his dominating aura and now regarded Siceller with the brightest smile he could muster.

“…Indeed.”

After a long pause, Siceller responded, then grasped Archie’s shoulder with a force visible even to Kale Heniatus.

“Apologize and introduce yourself.”

Kale Heniatus knew how Siceller had beaten Archie’s wild temperament out of him. He had beaten him. So thoroughly that dust rose even in the water. Siceller had truly beaten Archie that severely. A ruffian needed the rod as medicine, so he beat him again and again.

And the reformed Archie had become Siceller’s loyal subordinate. Because of this, Kale Heniatus knew that even if Archie displayed such eyes, he could not harm him.

Kale Heniatus could see Archie lowering his head without meeting his gaze.

“…I apologize.”

It was an extremely quiet voice. He must have been quite reluctant to apologize. Kale Heniatus thought so and stared intently at Archie as he raised his head. In that instant, Archie’s eyes met his, and he hastily averted his gaze.

“I am Archie.”
“Right. I am Kale Heniatus.”

At that moment, Raon’s voice echoed in my mind.

-Human, you looked just a little bit as strong as my claws a moment ago. Well done! I praise you!

Receiving praise from a four-year-old—what a blow to my charisma. I swallowed a sigh and extended my hand kindly to Siceller, who was staring at me with an awkward expression.

“Please hand over the items.”
“Ah, yes, of course.”

Siceller, oddly flustered, looked nothing like a king—more like a neighborhood uncle. Though that was his nature once you grew close to him. Siceller turned his gaze toward Witira.

“Princess.”
“It’s been a while. The items.”

Witira felt relieved at his unchanged demeanor.

‘Relieved? I was?’

For a moment she was startled, but she quickly composed herself and handed over the items. Three objects fell into my hands. Among them was a small vial containing only the dead mana of a dragon, with the poison removed.

Dead mana. For the living who did not possess the dark attribute, it was a lethal substance. That was why Siceller was curious.

“But why do you need this dead mana? There shouldn’t be anyone among humans who would need it. Well, unless it were some Necromancer from the past who disappeared. And certainly not such a small amount.”

I drew an enigmatic smile.

“Who knows.”

What I needed was precisely this small amount. I placed all the items I had received into my magic pouch and exchanged a few more words with the Whale King’s family before parting ways with them.

“Until we meet again. I must apologize once more today for Archie’s inappropriate behavior.”
“It is no trouble.”
“No, it is. He still has much to learn.”
“…Father.”

Witira calmed Siceller, whose rough words had slipped out, and made plans to see me again.

“Prince, we must meet again next time.”
“Indeed.”

There were many uses for it, so I needed to observe it a bit longer. Kale Heniatus waved leisurely at the departing Witira and Siceller, and at Archie, who was bowing hesitantly, before turning back to rejoin his companions.

“Choi Han, what are you doing?”
“…Oh, no, nothing.”

Choi Han startled visibly and shook his head in denial. Kale passed by Choi Han, who had been standing vacant and motionless for some time, and headed into the ship’s cabin.

“I’m going to sleep first.”

The Black Dragon Raon, who had been following behind, spun around sharply and spoke to Choi Han.

“I am Raon Mir. A magnificent, beautiful, and great existence! Remember that!”

Choi Han watched the dragon depart with considerable excitement, then quietly gazed at Kale’s leisurely retreating figure, just as composed as always.

“…I need to grow as well.”

Choi Han’s voice echoed faintly across the empty deck, carried by the sea breeze. Of course, if Kale had heard it, he would have been startled, thinking whether this man intended to destroy the entire continent.

* * *

The next morning, Kale could see Hong crouching beside the Black Dragon, now called Raon, and grumbling.

“Raon is nice too. It’s cool. But I think La-Hong would be nice for me as well.”

Meanwhile, On, who was usually quiet, walked with a rare spring in her step, her movements feline and graceful as she circled around Raon.

“Raon Mir! Our youngest’s name is so nice! It’s Choi!”

Lying sprawled on the bed in his cabin, Kale ignored the spectacle. The dragon continued to shout.

“Hey, wolf man! I am Raon Mir! Hey, Mage! I am Raon Mir! Choi Han!”
“I know your name.”

Even the kindhearted Choi Han responded curtly to Raon.
Currently in Kale’s cabin were the dragon and the cats, along with Choi Han, Rak, and Rosalind. The dragon approached Choi Han.

“Then call me by it.”
“Fine, Raon.”

The Dragon’s mouth corners twitched. At that moment, Choi Han looked at Kale Heniatus.

“Mir. How did you come up with that name, sir?”

Choi Han’s expression was peculiar. Kale understood his reaction well enough. It seemed Choi Han didn’t know the pure Korean word ‘Raon,’ but he clearly recognized ‘Mir.’

“I just made it up.”
“You made up the word?”
“Yeah. When I saw Raon, that word just came to mind. Suddenly, you know? It was a strange experience.”

Kale answered indifferently while plucking grapes one by one from the bunch on the bed and eating them. He asked as casually as possible.

“Why?”
“Oh, it’s just fascinating.”

Choi Han’s gaze was lost in nostalgia, as if yearning for something precious. It must be because it was a pure Korean word. He nodded and spoke to the Dragon.

“Raon. That’s a wonderful name and surname.”

Raon pretended not to hear Choi Han’s words and flapped his wings with pride. Kale watched this indifferently before turning his gaze beyond the window toward the sea. He hoped to arrive at the Wipper Kingdom soon.

And as he wished, a few days later, he docked his ship at the smallest harbor of the Wipper Kingdom. Someone was there to greet the ship—the most crucial collaborator in this endeavor.

“Young Master!”

Bilos, the illegitimate son of the Flynn Merchant Guild, had become even rounder and now resembled a piggy bank even more closely. He greeted Kale standing on the deck. As soon as the ship docked, he nimbly climbed aboard and approached Kale with enthusiasm, appearing somewhat lighter than usual.

“Oh my, Young Master. You didn’t suffer from seasickness, did you?”

The invisible Raon offered his assessment of such a Bilos.

-A sycophant.

However, Kale found Bilos’s demeanor quite pleasing. He placed a hand on Bilos’s shoulder in a friendly manner, patting it encouragingly while whispering near his ear.

“Let’s make a killing, shall we?”

Bilos’s eyes widened so much they nearly disappeared.

“I trust only you, sir.”

The Magic Tower crumbles. The Tower Master is torn to shreds and killed by Tunka. Every mage in the Magic Tower perishes. But the Tower Master had been a greedy man.

Kale Heniatus gazed upon the ruined harbor—so utterly different from the seas of the Roan Kingdom—and spoke with a slight smile.

“Treasure hunting is always entertaining.”

Of course, that was only true when one actually obtained the treasure.

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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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