Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 677
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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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“Ha.”
Kale Heniatus let out a sigh that resembled laughter despite himself.
‘If Choi Jung-gun were a solitary being, he would not have been reincarnated after death.’
He must have become something else entirely, like the Celestial Race.
His hand moved instinctively toward the inside of his shirt. He wanted to open the diary hidden there immediately. But Raon’s voice drew his gaze in that direction.
“Crown Prince! I’ve been curious while listening, so I’m asking!”
Raon tilted his head to one side, blinking his round eyes.
“Why are you so certain that the one who stole the spear under the name Choi Jung-gun is not the Sun God? Do you have evidence for that?”
Kale knew the answer to that question.
‘The World Tree’s story of the “trial-bearer.” That was definitely about the Sun God.’
It was the answer to why the Sun God had despised Dark Elves and Necromancers in the past, and it was the reason why the Sun God now called Alberu Crossman “righteous” and handed him a weapon.
Choi Jung-gun had fought alongside Jjangdol, and later had a Dragon by his side as well. Someone like that would have had no reason to be threatened by Dark Elves or Necromancers enough to harbor such hatred.
“Crown Prince, it was the Sun God who gave you the weapon! Something feels off!”
“Raon.”
Alberu offered a soft yet radiant smile. Raon instinctively retreated from Alberu, pressing himself against Kale’s back while peeking his face out cautiously.
Regardless, Alberu lifted the white spear with a satisfied gleam in his eyes.
“I asked Tae-rang, the ‘Unbreakable Spear,’ if he could provide records of the previous weapon owners.”
“Ah!”
Choi Han exclaimed and asked Alberu.
“Your Highness, did Tae-rang tell you about the previous owners?”
“Only their names.”
Tae-rang stated that for privacy protection, he could not disclose all information about previous owners.
Instead, he said he could provide brief answers about the owner names registered in the weapon.
“There are a total of 4 owners recorded in Tae-rang, and the craftsman who created the weapon did not register himself as an owner.”
Alberu listed the owners’ names in order.
“Starting with the first owner Anroman, there were ownership changes to Choi Jung-gun, Angelina, and Albert Crossman.”
Kale Heniatus’s eyes flickered with intrigue.
“…Angelina?”
“It’s a name you’ve never heard before, isn’t it?”
Just as Alberu said, everyone present was hearing this name for the first time. Yet all of them could infer one entity.
“The Sun God?”
Alberu nodded at Choi Han’s murmur.
“I also suspect ‘Angelina’ to be the Sun God.”
“Then Choi Jung-gun must be another entity.”
“Likely. And there’s one more piece of information.”
“What is it?”
Alberu recalled Anroman’s astonished voice.
“Anroman didn’t know that the place where he lived was the 3rd Continent. He simply called it Earth.”
But Tae-rang had definitely mentioned before that the place where he existed was the 3rd Continent.
‘This product is an offensive-type weapon created by the greatest craftsman of the 3rd Continent and possesses special abilities.’
Alberu had asked Tae-rang about this, and Tae-rang had answered.
“Tae-rang said that since the initial installation, he has never received external data. He only accumulated data based on his own thoughts. But there was one time when he received external data and underwent a new update.”
“…It wasn’t Anroman?”
“Right. Anroman never injected new data into Tae-rang.”
The answer was simple then.
“Either Choi Jung-gun or Angelina gave Tae-rang new data.”
“Yes. That’s why Tae-rang was able to refer to his original location as the 3rd Continent.”
It was the most reasonable deduction.
Everyone’s minds began to work busily.
But there was one person.
“…Choi Jung-gun.”
Choi Han quietly repeated that name to himself. He looked at Kale Heniatus with eyes filled with unease.
Kale Heniatus sensed the reason. He slowly organized his thoughts and looked around.
Soundproofing magic enveloped the stable. The four people here were comrades he could trust completely.
So Kale Heniatus opened his mouth.
“I possessed the body of Kale Heniatus after reading ‘The Birth of a Hero’ written by someone named Neran Berow.”
He carefully retraced the flow of events.
“Neran Berow was another name for Choi Jung-gun, who dimension-traveled from Korea to this world.”
Alberu’s gaze turned toward Kale Heniatus.
“Choi Jung-gun’s dimension travel occurred during the era of the Ancient White Star, and he was the First Dragon Slayer. He is also an ancestor of Choi Han’s family. However.”
Kale Heniatus spoke while looking at his comrades.
“He is presumed to be a Single-Lifer.”
“A Single-Lifer?”
Alberu looked puzzled. Kale Heniatus explained to him and to Choi Han, who was quietly watching him.
“There are concepts called Single-Lifers, Immortals, Reincarnators, and Possessors. They are….”
The contents from the diary found in the grave of his biological mother Jur Temps, and even the part about meeting the World Tree where he learned that the concepts of Trialist and Single-Lifer seemed to refer to the same existence.
‘…I’ll mention the Root Dagger for now, but I’ll leave out the part about my heart.’
Kale deliberately omitted the part about needing to pierce his own heart, lest the focus of the conversation drift, and told them everything else.
“Huh. So something like that existed.”
Alberu made no attempt to hide his astonishment at the concept of the Sole-Born and other such ideas. Choi Han, too, lowered his head quietly and closed his eyes as if contemplating something.
“…Am I a Sole-Born…?”
The Sole-Born might become a god or a member of the Celestial Race. They lived considerably long when crossing dimensions. Choi Han’s mind grew complicated upon learning such facts.
Yet he could not dwell on the question of his own existence for long.
Kale uttered one final sentence, organizing the flow of events.
“The being that brought myself and Choi Han to this world is the ‘God of Death.'”
Alberu opened his mouth immediately without thinking.
“Isn’t Choi Jung-gun the God of Death?”
Raon, Choi Han, and Kale—none of them dared to speak hastily in response to that question.
Choi Jung-gun, who created the book ‘The Birth of a Hero’ that brought Kale to this world. And Choi Jung-gun, who stole the weapon capable of slaying the Monster Lion Beast.
He was undoubtedly deeply connected to all of these incidents.
“Hmm.”
Alberu swallowed his saliva.
“In any case. Whether Choi Jung-gun is the God of Death or not cannot be determined at present, but we can confirm that he is either closely connected to the God of Death or deeply involved in all of these events.”
“Exactly! Your Highness, that’s what I think too! We cannot jump to conclusions, but Choi Jung-gun is definitely up to something!”
Kale shared the same thought.
Since Choi Jung-gun was also a being who had dimensionally transferred to this world, he could not be immediately identified as a particular god. Gods were beings for whom ‘annihilation’ was impossible.
But Choi Jung-gun is the God of Death?
Had there been no God of Death before? If there had been?
Then what of the previous God of Death?
‘There are too many complicated issues. It would be better not to define what Choi Jung-gun is, but rather to think of him as a being comparable to the Celestial Race.’
To simply organize the facts that had emerged so far.
‘The 3rd Continent is the midpoint where Kim Rok-soo’s Earth and Kale’s world intertwine.’
‘Choi Jung-gun, as a single-life being, did not reincarnate after death but became another existence.’
‘And Angelina is presumed to be the Sun God.’
‘Whether Choi Jung-gun became a god, a celestial being, or something else entirely remains unknown, but he is connected to all of this.’
If I heard the God of Death’s voice again next time, I could simply ask then—a problem easily resolved. I didn’t dwell on it much.
The present moment was what mattered.
“Ah.”
Alberu paused, then turned his gaze toward Choi Han.
“Hmm. You’re Choi Han’s ancestor, so it should be fine to call you casually—”
Even I wouldn’t feel comfortable if someone casually threw around my ancestor’s name and thought, ‘Isn’t this guy the same as that guy?’ Alberu glanced cautiously at Choi Han’s expression.
Alberu glanced at Choi Han cautiously.
Please feel free to call me informally.
At that, Alberu nodded and reached his own conclusion.
Alberu nodded and came to an agreement with himself.
“Just call me Choi Jung-gun.”
Raon and Kale Heniatus looked at him in a peculiar way. Unaware of this, Alberu nodded as if satisfied.
“Hmm. You’re right, I can’t just go around calling my master’s ancestors.”
Kale Heniatus stared at that satisfied expression with displeasure, but when Alberu’s gaze suddenly turned toward him, he flinched.
“What’s with the startle? Were you cursing me in your head?”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Is that so? Well, setting that aside. Do you know what the most pressing problem is right now?”
“Pardon?”
“The Temple.”
Temple.
Alberu spoke while looking at his companions.
“Once we kill the Lion Dragon, a temple of the Sealed God will appear. What do you think it will look like?”
Raon tilted his head in confusion.
“Your Highness, wouldn’t a temple just look like a temple?”
“Raon. Do you think it will resemble the typical temples of the God of Death or the Sun God?”
“Of course!”
Alberu’s lips twisted in a peculiar way. Kale realized that something important was about to be revealed.
“Anroman told me.”
Alberu looked at Kale.
“If thousands of lives were sacrificed over seven days and eight nights to eliminate the Lion Dragon.”
He said it was the most brutal and desperate battle ever waged against a single entity.
But the sacred white temple that appeared after the monster vanished was another hell entirely.
“It took one year and tens of thousands of sacrifices just to reach the end of the temple.”
Beep—beep—beep—beep—!
At that moment, a sharp warning sound pierced the air.
Choi Han looked up in alarm toward the source. Kale’s gaze fixed on the communication device flickering with red light.
“It’s a signal from Rosalind.”
One of their allies stationed outside. She had made contact. There was only one reason she would do so.
“They’ve arrived.”
Choi Han’s gaze swept across the fifty or so communication devices.
They displayed scenes from various locations throughout Pursulsi.
His eyes fixed on one particular screen.
“The Mogur Empire and the Northeast Territory Alliance forces. All the reinforcements have arrived.”
The Jungle Kingdom, the Wipper Kingdom, and allied nations across the Western Continent had all sent reinforcements.
And now, the Mogur Empire—its power dwindled to a pitiful shadow of what it once was—arrived as the final allied nation to bring its support.
Saint Jack and Sword Master Hana stood at the forefront, exchanging brief greetings with the leaders of the other allied forces.
“And the Northeast Territory Alliance is being led by Count Ubar, as expected.”
The Northeast Territory Alliance of Rowan.
Reinforcements had been gathered from various fiefdoms—the Heniatus Territory, Ubar, Wheelsman, Chetter, and others—and sent to Pursulsi.
At the forefront was the lord of the Ubar Territory, where the naval base was located. Beside her stood the acting lord of the Heniatus Territory, Viollan—not the official representative of the allied forces, but the one who had contributed the most troops.
“I suppose it’s time for me to head out as well.”
Alberu observed each of those visible through the communication device with a sharp gaze, then rose from his seat.
“Let’s set aside talk of the Temple and other matters for now.”
“I shall assist you.”
Choi Han retrieved black armor and a helmet identical to Dragon Rashil’s from his subspace pocket, donned them, and approached Alberu’s side.
The operation to capture the White Star.
What mattered most for it was the appearance of an injured Albert Crossman.
All preparations for this had been completed.
Alberu withdrew a necklace from his breast and put it on. The moment he donned the necklace—a keepsake from his mother—his appearance transformed once more into that of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed man.
“Ah. But you know…”
His gaze turned toward Kale.
“According to what you said earlier, Kale Heniatus—with the dagger given by the World Tree, we can sever the vein of the White Star’s infinite reincarnation, yes?”
For a moment, Kale, who had been watching the video communication device, flinched. A flicker of surprise crossed the eyes of both Alberu and Choi Han, but Kale, unaware that something within him felt guilty, simply nodded and spoke.
“Yes. Only then will we be able to completely eliminate the White Star.”
Right. I spoke only the truth.
There is simply a truth I did not mention. The part about needing to pierce one’s own heart… that… I can put off for a bit and explain later.
Kale rationalized it to himself, and Alberu gazed at him with growing unease. Choi Han beside him, and even Raon, looked at him with suspicion—but Kale alone remained oblivious.
“Hm?”
What was that?
Instead, Kale Heniatus shot to his feet.
“Oh!”
At the same moment, Raon clapped his hands together as he looked toward where Kale was gazing.
“That’s strange! Human, that’s strange!”
Raon’s startled wings fluttered.
“Raon, what exactly is strange?”
“Kale, what’s the matter?”
Alberu and Choi Han approached Kale and Raon in turn. Both of their gazes followed where Kale was looking.
It was the gathering place of the allied and Northeast Territory Alliance leadership.
Duke Derth, the Knight Commander, and others—the leaders from Pursulsi were all present. Their expressions were grim, as if the situation had grown urgent.
A gathering that included Duke Derth, the Knight Commander, and other high-ranking officials who had been in Pursulsi. Given the urgent situation, none of their expressions looked good.
The moment Alberu harbored that question, Raon cried out.
The moment Alberu had a question, Raon shouted.
“Raon, that’s just because they’re close—”
“Impossible!”
“That doesn’t make any sense!”
Raon shook his head vigorously.
“Ah!”
“Ah!”
Choi Han was startled and let out an exclamation in that instant.
Why are you like that?
At Alberu’s question, Choi Han swallowed hard and looked at Saint Jack and Hana.
“…Saint Jack serves the Sun God, and possesses an instinctive power to purify those connected to dead mana.”
“Exactly! Saint Jack cannot touch his sister with bare hands!”
Sword Master Hana, addicted to dead mana.
Necromancer Mary stepped forward to save her, and as a result, Hana had to accept dead mana in exchange for her life.
And in exchange for saving his sister’s life, Saint Jack had to live constantly suppressing his instinctive purification ability.
He could not touch his sister with bare hands.
He could only hold his sister’s hand with bandaged fingers.
Alberu murmured softly.
“But right now, the Saint is holding his sister’s shoulder with bare hands?”
The exhausted Saint appeared to be leaning on his sister as he placed one bare hand upon her shoulder.
“This is—”
A peculiar light flickered across Alberu’s eyes.
“Why is that Sword Master surveying her surroundings so carefully?”
Hana’s eyes seemed to be vigilantly scanning everything around her, as if protecting her brother the Saint.
But viewed differently, the situation appeared entirely different.
“It’s as if she’s searching for something.”
Hana’s defiant and sharp face, her jaw clenched tight, bore the appearance of a warrior difficult to approach.
Yet Choi Han, who had observed her eyes, understood.
The person who had clashed with Hana the most. That person spoke.
“…It seems she is searching for someone to help.”
Alberu let out a sigh.
“That one is no Saint.”
At the same moment his gaze turned toward Kale Heniatus.
“Found you.”
Kale Heniatus smiled brightly, his voice low and measured.
For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, Alberu felt a chill run down his spine as if a blade had been pressed against his throat, and he found himself unconsciously touching his neck.
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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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