Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 671

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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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-Why?

The World Tree asked calmly in return.

-What’s the problem? Of course, I understand the fear that pierces one’s heart.

That was the moment.

-Has that old fool lost his mind?
-He’s gone mad.

The Ancient Powers—Destructive Fire and Voice of Wind—raised their voices as if their blood was boiling. In particular, Destructive Fire was furious.

-It’s not like I’m taking all the money in the entire world! Why would you stab our child’s heart just to kill that garbage White Star bastard? Because you’re a tree without a heart, do you think a human heart is so trivial? Huh? I’m about to set everything ablaze and burn it all to ashes!

At that moment, the World Tree’s branches trembled slightly.

-Strange. A sudden chill runs through me. As if I had seen that madman… ahem.

The World Tree recalled memories of the past, then spoke again with gravity and weight.

-I have provided the best answer I can convey regarding the method you mentioned. Therefore, I ask you: what aspect of this answer do you find problematic?

Kale Heniatus paused to consider.

‘What’s the problem?’

The World Tree had said that even if the heart were pierced, there would be pain but no death, and it would instead become a tonic for Kale’s body.
The World Tree was not an entity that would lie about such matters. So those words must be true.

Moreover, a root dagger sharing the World Tree’s fundamental nature would be of great help in defeating the White Star.

‘The World Tree has made its own sacrifice in its own way.’

This root was different from the tree branches and twigs that fell away each time I conversed with the World Tree.
A corner of the fundamental essence that the World Tree had spoken of directly. Giving this away would surely be quite a burden for the World Tree.

Whoooosh—Shhhhhhh—
I could tell just from hearing the trees rustling loudly around me, as if trying to dissuade me from this path.

‘…Plunging a sword through my own heart?’

If I don’t die from it.
If it’s the final button that will resolve everything.

‘It might be worth trying once.’

The ability ‘Instant’—where my entire body tears open and blood erupts outward.
I’ve already endured that agony, so what could I possibly fear?
Then what is it that makes me hesitate about this?

“Hmm.”
-Yes, tell me. What troubles you?
“My comrades will see me stab myself through the heart.”

The World Tree fell silent for a moment.

-…Ah….

And it sighed.

-If they are comrades by your side.

The World Tree recalled Erhafen and the Black Dragon first, then Choi Han and the others who had glared at me with lethal intent.
When the World Tree had mentioned the God of Death to me before, it had only warned me to be careful and not to trust. But the World Tree, which sees all things, had read the savage resolve blazing from the Black Dragon and the black-haired human. Though I, with my eyes closed at that moment, had not known it.

-…Be strong.

That was all the World Tree could say to me.

“Sigh.”

I let out a short breath and nodded.

“For now, I’ll take the dagger.”
-Mm.
-Sigh.

The Ancient Powers each let out sighs and groans, but they could not oppose Kale Heniatus’s decision.
The World Tree had given him the greatest and finest power it possessed, and Kale Heniatus could only accept it.

-Right then. You must be busy, so off you go.
“Yes, I’ll see you next time, a—.”

As I was offering my farewell, something came to mind, and I turned back to address the World Tree once more.

“There’s one thing I’m curious about.”
-What is it?

I asked the question that had been nagging at me ever since learning about the Lifespan Holder and other such concepts.

“Was the God of Death also a trial-taker?”

That was when it happened.

“Huh?!”
Kuguguguung—

The ground beneath my feet and the entire Elf Village where the World Tree stood trembled as if struck by a violent shock.
Soon, the World Tree’s weary voice reached my ears.

-…That is… something I cannot answer.
“I see.”

At the oddly hesitant response, I felt an inexplicable unease settle over me.

“So knowing the answer wouldn’t benefit me at all?”
-…Well.

At the World Tree’s vague reply, my unease only deepened. And so I made a decision.

‘It’s better not to know.’

Whether the God of Death was a trial-giver or not was none of my concern. I steeled my resolve on that point.

“Then I shall take my leave.”
-Yes. Take the dagger with you.
“Understood.”

Crack, crack, crack—
I opened my eyes to the sound of shattering glass. Before me, the tip of a root intertwined with black and white began to split further, taking on the shape of a dagger’s blade.
I reached out toward the root tip separating from the main root.

Thud.
The root dagger fell into my hands. I withdrew a handkerchief from my pocket, wrapped the dagger carefully, and set it aside.
Now I recalled the order of tasks I needed to complete.

“I need only see Count Hubesha and then return.”

* * *

“…You return quickly.”

Count Hubesha watched Kale Heniatus approach across the whirlpools of the distant lake, a bitter smile lingering at the corners of her mouth.

“Was that one’s name Ron Mollan?”

She addressed the source of the gaze that had been quietly observing her all this while.

“No need to know.”

At Ron’s cold reply, Count Hubesha let out a hollow laugh.

“For someone saying there’s no need, you certainly looked quite murderous—as though you’d kill me at any moment.”

Ron’s gaze held the chilling intensity of an assassin, as if ready to strike down Hubesha should she make even the slightest wrong move.
Hubesha, who had been chuckling at that fact, flinched slightly at the gentle voice that followed.

“Yes. I do want to kill you. That’s the kind of person I am.”

Her gaze turned toward Ron for the first time. The eyes of the man whose hair was more than half white were as cold as snow. Yet a soft smile played at his lips, and his voice carried a gentle warmth.

“So make the wise choice.”

With that, Ron turned toward the Young Master approaching him.

“Young Master, did you have a good trip?”
“Well, it was fine.”

Ron noticed Kale Heniatus pause ever so briefly before answering.

‘Something’s going on.’

I couldn’t know what conversation had taken place with the World Tree. Yet something about Kale’s demeanor felt off, and it filled me with an ominous premonition.

‘I need to watch him carefully.’

There was no way to learn what had been discussed with the World Tree. So I had to stay by Kale’s side and ensure he didn’t sacrifice himself.
Ron’s gaze deepened as he observed Kale’s every move.

‘…Why is this old man acting like this?’

Kale flinched at Ron’s suddenly fierce expression directed at him.
He recalled that terrifying appearance from long ago when Ron had first come here, handing him lemonade while feigning kindness.

‘I’ll just pretend I didn’t notice.’

From his accumulated experience, Kale simply ignored Ron.
Instead, he fixed his gaze upon Count Hubesha.
And Count Hubesha flinched once more.

‘…His eyes…!’

Kale’s expression was more resolute than before, his gaze grave and piercing as he stared at her, and Count Hubesha felt an inexplicable pressure bearing down upon her.
Of course, Kale had merely stiffened at the memory triggered by Ron’s fierce expression and was simply staring at Count Hubesha to avoid meeting Ron’s eyes.

‘I must make a choice.’

Unaware of this, Count Hubesha suddenly felt the weight of her dwindling time.

‘Yes. I’ve decided.’

Her lips slowly opened.

“The White Star has finally obtained the power of the earth.”
“It was as expected.”
“…It seems you heard something from Duke Fredo.”

Just as Hubesha said, I had once heard from Duke Fredo, who had arrived at the Heniatus Territory in a terrible state, that the White Star might have gone to obtain the power of the earth.

‘The White Star did not obtain the power of the earth. Therefore, his vessel is currently imbalanced. No matter how sturdy the White Star’s vessel is, the continued imbalance becomes a constraint on using his complete power.’
‘Before the summoning, he must have left to fill his deficiency.’
‘Yes. He seemed to be going to find the power of the earth, or something to substitute for it. Of course, this is my inference. The White Star might have left to do something else.’

Duke Fredo spoke of it as an inference, yet he was certain.
I felt the same way. Therefore, I had always kept in mind that the White Star would have obtained the power of the earth.
Of course, Jjangdol and the Ancient White Star were the only earth-attribute Ancient Powers I knew of.

‘Like Jur Temps’s power, there must be another earth-attribute power somewhere that I don’t know about.’

It was, in a sense, only natural.
Hubesha’s voice reached me.

“Kale Heniatus, as you well know, the White Star, having obtained the power of the earth, has achieved balance in his vessel. He can now finally use his complete power.”
“I’m keeping that in mind.”
“Yes, I’d expect nothing less from you.”

In that moment, a peculiar light flickered in her eyes.

“But what if that bastard entered your own backyard?”

What? The White Star entered my backyard?
For a moment, I wondered if I had heard correctly.

“…What do you mean by that?”

Meeting my gaze, Count Hubesha’s mouth went dry without her realizing it.

‘Brutal.’

Ron’s eyes held a gaze so coldly furious that calling it merely “fierce” would be an understatement. Yet she met that gaze without hesitation.
Instead of answering Kale Heniatus’s question, she posed another in return.

“Until now, the White Star has coveted the land’s power that the Ancient White Star once possessed—that formidable and destructive force. Now that he can no longer obtain it, what land’s power do you think the White Star will covet?”

Crack.
Hearing her question, the corners of Kale Heniatus’s mouth lifted. His lips parted slowly.

“I don’t have time.”

Kale Heniatus spoke quietly.

“No time to listen to what I have to say?”

Mm.
Though his tone was flat, the pressure contained within it made Hubesha swallow hard. She then continued speaking.

“If not the most powerful, then the most covert.”

Kale Heniatus and Hubesha’s gazes locked onto each other.

“If the White Star cannot obtain the most powerful force to annihilate his enemies, he has chosen instead to obtain the power to kill them silently and without trace.”

Sigh.
A breath escaped from Kale Heniatus’s lips like a sigh.
He scratched his cheek with his finger and asked calmly.

“So you’re saying the land’s power the White Star obtained this time is specialized in ‘assassination’ or ‘concealment’?”
“No.”

Hubesha shook her head firmly.

“It’s not assassination or concealment. It would be more accurate to call it ‘disguise.'”
“…Disguise?”
“The White Star said so himself.”

Hubesha recalled what the White Star had said after obtaining the land’s power.

“This land’s power was truly difficult to obtain. It was hidden so well. Without a clue, it would have been impossible.”

A clue.
I wondered how the White Star had obtained that clue, but I set that curiosity aside for now and turned my attention to Hubesha’s voice.

“The land beneath our feet has been rock at times, sand at others, and soil before that. As time flows, its form always changes to match its environment. I found that aspect appealing.”
“…Are those the White Star’s words?”
“Yes. He spoke of it as a most secretive power, a power that even dragons cannot perceive.”
“You’ve never witnessed him using that power, then?”
“That’s right. I haven’t.”

Count Hubesha readily admitted she had never seen it, yet she continued speaking immediately.

“But I do know where he is.”

She had certainly said that the White Star had entered the courtyard in front of my home.
Disguised through the newly acquired power of the earth.

“Where?”

To my question, Hubesha answered briefly.

“Duke Derth Heniatus.”

…Father?
The name of Duke Derth had emerged so suddenly.
A bitter smile played at the corners of Count Hubesha’s lips.

“Your father hired powerful warriors from across the Western Continent at great expense, didn’t he?”

That was true.
Duke Derth had hired powerful warriors scattered across the Western Continent for Rowan, or more precisely, for me and the Heniatus Family.
Thanks to that, I had been able to meet the pink dragon Dodori.

“The White Star is currently under your father, Kale Heniatus.”

The White Star was among those powerful warriors?
The Duke Derth I knew had a somewhat scatterbrained side, but he was not someone to be careless in such matters.

‘No, that’s not it. He didn’t even know Dodori’s true identity, so he could certainly be deceived.’

If the White Star were to deliberately deceive me using his newly acquired power, he would have no difficulty infiltrating the ranks of powerful warriors gathered under Duke Derth by concealing his true identity.

However, several questions remained.

“Father began gathering powerful warriors quite some time ago, didn’t he?”

It was highly probable that this occurred before the White Star obtained the power of the earth. After all, when I returned to the Heniatus Territory after meeting Duke Derth, I encountered Vampire Duke Fredo.
I expressed my doubts about this, and Hubesha answered simply.

“At first, he was genuinely powerful. But in the middle of it all, the White Star killed the real one and infiltrated his place.”

As if such a thing posed no difficulty for the White Star, Hubesha shrugged her shoulders.

‘After all, he’s the one who disguised a Black Mage as an Alchemist in the Mogur Empire. Impersonating a single person would hardly be challenging for him.’

The corners of my mouth curved upward in an odd smile.

“So.”

To reach the conclusion, in other words.

“The White Star is currently in Pursulsi, positioned directly under Father?”

The more I thought about it, the stranger I felt.
There had been many instances where my allies and I had disguised ourselves as fake members of the Dark organization to accomplish various tasks. But this was the first time the situation had been reversed.

‘It seems the White Star put considerable thought into this plan this time.’

Perhaps that was why.

“It’s quite refreshing, actually.”

Hubesha found herself inadvertently blurting out the words as she observed my seemingly composed demeanor.

“Can you really say that? Your father might be in danger.”

In that moment, she met my gaze and quickly fell silent.
It was the kind of look that left no room for further comment.
Even my allies, who had been observing both Hubesha and me, seemed to freeze, their lips sealed. Breaking through that silence, I spoke softly.

“I need to go find that rat.”

* * *

Purshelsi Administrative Building. An office maintaining a rather neat appearance.
It was currently being used as the office of a single individual.

“…What kind of rumors are these…!”

Duke Derth Heniatus’s hands trembled as he gripped the documents. His face was filled with anger and sorrow.
The documents in his hands contained rumors spreading throughout the entire Western Continent.

“Why does everyone wish for our child to be sacrificed? Why?”

Who had the right to decide such a thing, and yet these rumors spread so recklessly!
Already worried sick over his frail body wandering here and there!

Crunch—!
In the end, the documents in Duke Derth’s hands could not withstand his strength and crumpled completely.
But he paid it no mind, and now he hurled the scraps of paper aside and shot up from his seat.

“I can’t just sit still—”

That was when it happened.

-Our human father.

Hm?
A child’s clear, innocent voice reached Derth’s ears—or rather, directly into his mind.

-It’s me. The great Dragon Raon Mir. Hehe!

What? Who?
Derth’s pupils wavered.

Creak—

The door opened, and a person stepped in, letting out heavy sighs.

“…Your Grace?”
“Duke. I have something to discuss. Would you have time for a conversation?”

Suddenly, Albert Crossman, known as the Rising Sun of Rowan, appeared without warning at Duke Derth Heniatus’s temporary office.

“What conversation—”

At that moment, a figure emerged from behind Albert, their form concealed from head to toe beneath a robe.

“Father.”
“…Kale!”

It was my son—Kale—who had come to meet me before going to his mother, having concealed his appearance with invisibility magic because the time for him to reveal himself to the world had not yet come according to the operation’s requirements.

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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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