Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 674

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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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It was a strange emotion.
Though the monster’s eyes, now a dark crimson, held only Alberu in their gaze, he found himself not gripped by fear but rather seized by an overwhelming surge of emotion.

‘I want to capture it.’

I want to capture that monster myself.
No—I must.
It was an inexplicable sensation.

-Your Highness.
-Your Majesty.

At that moment, Alberu heard the voices of two beings simultaneously in his mind.

-With this Tae-rang at your side, Your Highness, you possess more than sufficient capability to slay the Lion Dragon. Do not doubt this Tae-rang, I implore you. The performance of an EX-grade weapon is boundless. Especially when facing the Lion Dragon, I can demonstrate the pinnacle of my abilities….

Tae-rang spoke ceaselessly in a mechanical voice.

-Your Majesty. Have you been drinking?

And Kale spoke briefly.
The moment Alberu heard Kale’s words, his expression darkened.

-Do you wish to bid farewell to the world while attempting to capture it alone?

That’s certainly a grim way to put it.
Alberu swallowed a sigh internally. The surging emotion dissipated with startling abruptness.
Then he realized just how reckless his thoughts had been.

‘Me, capture it?’

This was only possible because two Dragons and a Dragon Hybrid comparable to them were assisting him.
Alberu cleanly erased the emotion from moments before.
Instead, he exhaled as though sighing.

“So I should just accept death now?”

It was directed at Kale Heniatus.

-…Tae-rang, I believe I just heard nonsense. I will check if there is a system malfunction. The one wielding this weapon can never retreat, or rather, I will verify regardless.

However, Tae-rang reacted in surprise. Of course, that surprise didn’t appear surprising at all.

Gulp.
Alberu swallowed involuntarily. The surging desire dissipated, and in its place came clarity. Only then could Alberu properly see the blood-red eyes that were fixed upon me.

“…Danger… Critical variable detected… Must definitely pre…kill….”

The Lion Dragon muttered while holding its shield, and one corner of Alberu’s mouth lifted. The raised corner trembled slightly.

“This is getting rather ominous, isn’t it?”

He called out to Kale.

“Brother. Can I play dead right now?”
-That won’t work.
“Goodness, you speak without restraint or reverence.”
-I’m occupied at the moment.
“…Pardon?”

Alberu let out an exasperated sigh.

‘Occupied? I’m occupied too! Have I ever seen such an arrogant, irreverent fool!’

Alberu’s face crumpled beneath the white helmet. He immediately raised his arm.
Click.
The gun barrel turned once more toward the monster that was watching me.
The barrel was as steady as Alberu’s cold, sunken gaze—not a tremor in sight.

“Well, I have my own work to do.”

The trigger was pulled.

Bang—!
At that moment, the gunshot rang out through the sky once more.

Squeak.
A stable situated in a remote corner of the Pursecity Hall grounds. It had been abandoned long ago, and considerable time had passed since anyone last set foot inside.
The dilapidated door of the stable creaked open.
A figure with a black mask concealing their face stepped inside—a place devoid of horses, containing only withered and ancient hay.

“Kale Heniatus.”
“You came?”

As the mask fell away, a black-haired man emerged. Choi Han revealed himself.
Choi Han’s eyes reflected numerous communication orbs positioned above the hay scattered throughout the stable.
There were roughly fifty of them.

“Where did you manage to obtain all of these?”
“From Rosalind. I borrowed some supplies meant for the Magic Tower.”

Rosalind, who remained under the pretense of nursing Erhafen at his side while surveilling the surroundings. The roughly fifty communication orbs borrowed from her were positioned throughout the cramped, dilapidated stable, their light completely blocked from escaping.

‘In this place—’

Choi Han thought to himself.
In this narrow stable.

‘The entirety of Pursulsi is here.’

It was a thought tinged with admiration.
The fifty communication orbs were all capturing different locations.
Inside Pursecity Hall.
Pursly Square.
Beyond the Pursulsi City Wall.
Key intersections throughout the city.
Countless locations were being transmitted in real-time through communication orb screens from multiple angles.

In other words, having fifty communication orbs here meant there were fifty more communication orbs capturing this very room.
And the owner of those communication orbs was not Rosalind.

“It’s remarkable how Clophe Seka possesses so many communication orbs.”
“Indeed. A mage isn’t even necessary for these communication orbs. The quantity is astounding, but the invention itself is equally impressive. I heard he even has memory storage devices.”

Kale nodded with an unflustered demeanor.
Yet his eyes never ceased scanning across the fifty-odd memory storage devices arrayed before him.

“Either way, this makes things easier. We can move without drawing attention.”

The memory storage devices that required no mage had all been entrusted to trustworthy allies, capturing various locations throughout Pursulsi.

“Sigh.”

A short breath escaped from Kale’s lips.
Early winter had arrived without warning.
Though the temperature inside the stable was considerably cold, beads of sweat dotted Kale’s forehead.

He unfastened another button on his already loosened shirt and spoke to Raon.

“Raon, magnify the screen showing the Wipper Kingdom Army over there.”
“Understood, human!”

The fifty-odd memory storage devices here—naturally, it was Raon who controlled each one individually.
By Raon’s mana, the fifty-odd memory storage devices displayed whatever Kale desired to see.

‘Learning!’

And Raon was carefully observing Kale, who was sweating as he absorbed the images from the memory storage devices.
He wanted to learn, after all.

Kale sensed this, but without comment, he accepted the cup that Hong quietly offered him.

“Hm?”
“Ron Grandfather said to make sure you drink it!”
“…Is that so?”

It was lemonade with ice floating on top.
Kale regarded the lemonade in the cup with a reluctant gaze, then looked at Hong, who grinned widely, and at On, who held the bottle of lemonade while averting her eyes, before speaking.

“Yes, have you confirmed it?”

His reluctant expression soon cooled to something sharp as he fixed his gaze upon Choi Han.

“Yes. I’ve confirmed it.”

The moment I heard Choi Han’s response, my gaze shifted once more to various locations throughout Pursulsi displayed on the video communication devices.
Choi Han opened his mouth as he observed my expression.

“Three people are missing.”
“…Is that so?”

A peculiar look crossed my face.
Choi Han’s expression had also grown tense.

“Yes. Three of the personnel that Duke Derth brought with him are currently unaccounted for.”
“Excluding Dodori?”
“Yes. The whereabouts of all three individuals remain unknown at this moment.”

The powerful warriors Duke Derth had gathered from across the Western Continent. Three of those who had come to Pursulsi had vanished without a trace.

“Not one, but three.”

I let out a soft laugh.
The Black Knight, Count Hubesha, had certainly said that the White Star was under Duke Derth’s command.

“If Count Hubesha’s words are true, then the White Star must be hiding among the forces my father brought.”

Yet something felt off.

“We haven’t engaged in any significant combat, yet three people have gone missing?”

It was a point worth considering.
Choi Han voiced his thoughts.

“It’s possible that either Count Hubesha’s information was incorrect, or the White Star has begun taking some other action.”

I pointed to one screen.
The screen Raon had enlarged significantly. Alberu was shown riding on the back of Dragon Mila again, firing his gun.
I pointed to another screen.
As that screen enlarged to match the one showing Alberu, my father, Derth Heniatus, appeared on it.

“There are three possibilities to consider.”

“First, the White Star could be hiding among the powerful individuals Father recently recruited, and we simply haven’t noticed yet.”

The White Star’s newly acquired earth attribute power—with its mastery of disguise, he could still be concealed beneath Father’s command.

“Second, the three missing individuals could be the White Star himself, or those connected to him, deliberately evading our search.”

If the White Star and his subordinates were determined to hide, finding three people who vanished in such a short span would prove nearly impossible.
And finally.

“Third, those three individuals—or perhaps the White Star among them—could have assumed yet another form and slipped into hiding somewhere within Pursulsi.”
“The third possibility seems most likely.”

Choi Han picked up where Kale left off.

“The White Star will need information from our side. He’ll need to accurately assess the conditions of you, the Crown Prince, and Erhafen.”

In such circumstances, would he simply remain idle among the powerful individuals Derth brought?
Choi Han shook his head.

‘It would be difficult to gather information from there.’

No matter how powerful those individuals Derth brought were, they operated as mercenaries—difficult to extract detailed information from.

‘And if he goes into hiding, gathering information becomes even harder.’

Choi Han arrived at his own conclusion.

“The White Star would certainly assume another form and infiltrate this place to learn the status of our forces.”

Kale nodded while responding with conviction.

“Until any one of these proves true, we cannot afford certainty. Proceed assuming all three possibilities. Will you manage this with Rak?”
“Yes. We’re already moving with sufficient discretion. We’re attempting to gather at least minimal information on every individual in Pursulsi.”

What had once been merely the powerful individuals under Duke Derth had now become a situation requiring knowledge of every person throughout all of Pursulsi.
Knowing this would consume considerable time, Choi Han exhaled and spoke.

“The White Star appears more meticulous than expected.”
“Perhaps.”

Choi Han turned his gaze toward Kale at the ambiguous tone of voice.
Tap. Tap.
Kale’s lips curled upward as his fingers moved rhythmically across his knee.

“Who could it be?”

Kale’s eyes absorbed the screens displaying various locations throughout Pursulsi.
Within them lay the restrained patience of a predator stalking its prey.

“White Star. Which form will you take when you appear?”

Kale committed countless people to memory.
When I worked for the Company, my subjects of observation were not limited to monsters alone. There were times when I observed people far more extensively.
I had conducted numerous covert investigations into guilds and associations.
Kale awakened those past experiences once more, searching for the hidden enemy.

Choi Han approached Kale’s side and spoke.

“While we cannot know which form the White Star will take, we can estimate when it will appear.”

His gaze shifted to the screen showing his comrades battling the Lion Dragon.
It lingered on Albert Crossman.

“When His Highness walks the line between life and death. That is when the White Star will emerge. No—it must emerge then.”

Kale picked up one of the communication devices.
The only one displaying a black screen.

“Your Highness. Let us begin.”

* * *

-Your Highness. Let us begin.

Alberu closed his eyes, then opened them.

“We’re launching a full offensive.”

After speaking to his three companions, he glanced down for a moment.
The soldiers of Rowan. They appeared distant, yet their gazes seemed fixed upward toward this place. Surely, those eyes watching Alberu held countless emotions within them.
Hope. Longing.
Or perhaps worry.
A mixture of positive and negative sentiments would be swirling within them.
But for now, the positive emotions would outweigh the rest.

After all, Alberu, the Crown Prince of Rowan, had inflicted the first wound upon the monster.
And because the Dragon and another existence comparable to those two were present.

“It is somewhat regrettable.”

But from this moment forward, Alberu had to shatter the expectations dwelling in those eyes.

“I wished to become an existence that never falls.”
I had wanted to become an undefeated sun.
That desire remained unchanged even now.

Yet even the sun is veiled by clouds and darkness from time to time.
And shortly after, it reveals itself once more.

I myself would be no different.
Concealed for a moment, then reappearing.

“Crown Prince. I am going.”
“Yes.”

Mila’s body, carrying Alberu, surged forward at tremendous speed toward the Lion Dragon.

And moments later.
A gasp erupted from someone.

“Ah….”

Something dark crimson burst forth from the Monster Lion Beast’s maw, engulfing Alberu entirely.
Simultaneously, a dark crimson light flooded the surroundings, obscuring the vision of all those watching the battle.

“No, this cannot be…!”
“Your Highness!”

And the new sun of Rowan was falling.

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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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