Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 681

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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 moment Alberu caught sight of Kale Heniatus’s eyes through the crack in the door, he sensed it instinctively.

‘His eyes have gone mad!’

This bastard’s eyes had completely rolled back.
He was about to do something reckless.
Since I couldn’t fathom what had happened to Duke Derth Heniatus, I understood perfectly why those crazed eyes looked that way.

‘…This is going to be a disaster.’

Albert Crossman was absolutely certain without a shred of doubt.
My heart pounded. Gripped by inexplicable tension, I clenched the rope holding the White Star’s flaming sword with all my strength.
The rope, for all its durability, merely singed slightly rather than burning through.

“Long time no see? But I saw you this morning, didn’t I?”

The White Star remained composed.
His body was bound to the tree trunk, his flaming sword restrained by the white rope, yet he exuded an ease that belied the situation.

“True enough.”

And Kale Heniatus was equally composed.

“Where’s my father?”
“You don’t think he’s dead?”

Is this bastard insane?
For a moment, Alberu nearly let a harsh retort slip at the White Star’s words.
Regardless, this bizarre standoff remained oddly peaceful.

“White Star, you wouldn’t do that. If my father dies, you lose your leverage over me. You’d sooner hide him somewhere I can’t find him.”
“As expected, you understand me quite well.”
“There’s nothing difficult about it.”

Creak. The door opened slightly wider as Kale Heniatus pushed his body halfway through, continuing his words.

“Scheming villains all think alike.”

Gasp.
At the sound of someone drawing breath, Alberu glanced sideways. Saint Jack stood with a face drained of color, staring into empty space.
Kale Heniatus’s words were certainly shocking enough to startle even that innocent saint.

The White Star wearing Derth Heniatus’s face. And Kale.
Their gazes met, and both opened their mouths.

“White Star, let me make you a proposal.”
“Kale Heniatus, would you hear out my proposal?”

Simultaneously, both their lips curved upward, and the White Star’s mouth opened with a crooked smile.

“Would you consider a collaboration?”

In that instant, the atmosphere in the room shifted strangely.

“What! Collaboration! Who would ever collaborate with a wretch like you, White Star!”

Sword Master Hana, rising with Jack’s support, cried out in fury.
Ssshhh—
But the tree’s branches loosened their grip on the White Star’s bindings.
The White Star slipped free from the wooden vines and released his hands. The fire sword hung suspended in mid-air, held fast by white rope.
Whoosh. The White Star straightened his garments as he spoke.

“As you all know, I must kill the Lion Dragon and reach the Temple of the Sealed God. Of course, reaching the end of that temple will prove quite difficult as well.”

His gaze shifted toward Alberu.
Tsk. Alberu clicked his tongue. He unwound the white rope, his brow furrowing.
While the White Star had been masquerading as Derth, he had learned that reaching “the temple’s end” was more difficult than eliminating the Lion Dragon.

“My original plan was simple. You would kill the temple’s guardian in my stead, and I would leisurely enter the temple and claim what I desired.”

The White Star shook his head as if that had become impossible.

“So I spread rumors about Kale Heniatus and created a situation where you couldn’t help but step forward. But upon learning that the temple is more formidable than the Lion Dragon, I realized my plan had to change.”

The White Star’s current forces had already suffered considerable losses through numerous battles.
Moreover, the White Star was unwilling to squander his remaining strength before the final confrontation.

“Kale Heniatus, you orchestrated this entire revelation in front of everyone, didn’t you? All to exploit this very situation?”

The White Star understood Kale’s circumstances far better than anyone else ever could.

“That Guardian—no, the Lion Dragon. You’ll have to eliminate it regardless.”

Because the people of Pursulsi must reclaim their land.
Because the people of the Roan Kingdom will be consumed by fear.

“And the Temple that emerges behind the monster must be dealt with as well.”

Because the people of the Roan Kingdom, the people of the Western Continent, will tremble in anxiety.
The White Star smiled through the face of Duke Derth Heniatus.

“Of course, your ultimate goal is to kill me.”
“And your goal is to become a god.”

To Albert Crossman’s quiet words, the White Star offered no particular response.
Albert, who had been watching this display of neither affirmation nor denial, made no effort to conceal his irritation.

“The root of every problem stems from the summoning ritual you orchestrated, White Star. I believe the one who creates the problem should be the one to end it.”

Albert Crossman shrugged his shoulders.

“Realistically speaking, that’s difficult.”

The White Star had no intention of expending his full power to eliminate the monster and the Temple.
And we had to resolve this matter as quickly as possible.

‘Anroman said so. After the Lion Dragon first appeared, it only responded to the strong for a week, but afterward, it entered destruction mode.’

This was information unknown to the White Star, who was disguised as Duke Derth Heniatus.
Only the four beings in the stable knew this.
Only Kale Heniatus, Choi Han, Raon, and Albert Crossman possessed this knowledge.
It was information Anroman had shared with Albert through Tae-rang’s AS connection.

‘Fascinating. So, current master Albert Crossman, you are the Crown Prince, and you must save the world from the Lion Dragon?’
‘If you resolve all of this, you will become not just the ruler of the Roan Kingdom, but a power broker of the world. Very well, listen carefully to what I tell you. You won’t regret it.’
‘…But it is quite amusing. It seems you and I share many similarities. Could it be that you also possess tainted blood?’

Alberu sighed as he recalled his conversation with Anroman.

“Yes. Cooperation would be ideal.”
“I agree with Your Grace’s assessment. However, there is one condition.”

Creak—
The door swung fully open, and Kale Heniatus stepped into the room alone, positioning himself before the White Star.

“We can address the Temple later—set that aside for now. As for the Lion Dragon, that monster—I want us to cooperate and eliminate it. But after we do, I need you to return my father to me. I won’t cooperate with you without that condition.”
“Hmm.”

The White Star hummed softly, drawing out the moment before nodding in agreement.

“Fine. I was planning to do that anyway.”

In that instant, Alberu understood something.

He was alive.
Duke Derth Heniatus, Kale Heniatus’s father, was alive.
And safe at that.

One truth had become clear.
And simultaneously, another truth revealed itself.

“So we’re cooperating, then?”

The White Star stepped closer to Kale Heniatus.

“We will, but there’s precious little trust between us. There’s nothing about you, White Star, that I can trust, is there?”

Kale’s lips twisted into a wry smile.

“As for me, my father and my allies outside are essentially held hostage, so I can’t betray our cooperation with you. But you? You have no such constraint.”
“And your point is?”
“Why not swear the Oath of Death?”

The White Star’s eyes flickered intensely for a fleeting moment at those words.

“…That won’t do.”
“Is that so? I’m just as sincere about this.”

Kale Heniatus spoke with an expression devoid of regret, as if he had known the White Star would react precisely this way.

A curse descended by the God of Death.
The White Star had been afflicted by that curse when he touched the two eggs of Dragon Lord Sherit.
A life of endless repetition.
A life where he could never possess anything precious.
The White Star could never come to favor the God of Death.

Kale answered calmly.

“Then I would ask you one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Is my father within Pursulsi?”

The White Star paused to consider the question, then nodded.

“He can be sent elsewhere at any time, or to a place beyond this world.”

The meaning was simple.
Derth Heniatus remained within Pursulsi.
But he could be sent away at any moment, and he could just as easily be killed on a whim.

‘So there’s an accomplice.’

Alberu judged that there must be at least one subordinate of the White Star beside him—or rather, where Derth Heniatus was imprisoned.
The White Star needed to be able to kill him instantly upon command.
Alberu gazed at the White Star. His expression remained serene.

“I’m sincere. Your dragon wouldn’t be able to find him even if he tried.”

The White Star did not bother to say more. Whether the Ancient Dragon or the Black Dragon—no one could find Derth Heniatus.

“I see.”

Kale Heniatus nodded and extended his hand.

“First and last. Just one day. Neither you nor I will draw our blades against each other.”

The White Star regarded Kale Heniatus with eyes that struggled to comprehend his words.

“Family truly is precious to you, it seems.”

Dragon Mila stood with arms crossed, silently observing the scene unfold.
Saint Jack released a quiet sigh, while Sword Master Hana squeezed her eyes shut the moment the White Star mentioned family, her grip on her blade loosening.

Family and allies.
Through these two things, one could understand Kale Heniatus’s actions.
The White Star extended his hand as well.

“A first, then. A day where we do not draw blades against each other.”

The extended hand moved toward where Kale’s hand rested.
Even in that moment, the White Star watched Kale intently—observing his sharp gaze, his composed face tinged with anger.

But the instant they clasped hands.
The moment the White Star realized there was no force, no magic in that grip.
The White Star’s lips curved upward.
It was but a fleeting instant.

“A meaningful day indeed.”

Kale’s mouth opened, and the White Star saw him smiling just as he was.
That too was but a fleeting instant.
The White Star saw it—Kale Heniatus’s left hand moving, and his right hand, the one clasping the White Star’s grip, pulling with all its might.
A moment of carelessness.

Crack—!

The White Star’s head snapped violently to the left.

‘What…?’

For a moment, he could not grasp what had happened.

‘What is this?’

The moment such a thought crossed White Star’s mind, he saw his own body being pulled forward, and Kale Heniatus’s foot flying toward his abdomen.

Thwack!
White Star quickly regained his balance, blocked Kale’s incoming foot with his own, and retreated backward.
It all happened in mere seconds, the exchange flowing as naturally as water.

“Ha!”

White Star let out an involuntary gasp.
Blood.
The taste of blood filled his mouth.
When his cheek was struck, he must have bitten his inner cheek without realizing it.

“…You hit me? …You dared?”

His gaze turned toward Kale Heniatus.

“Ah. It’s gotten pretty red. I guess I’m weaker than I thought.”

Kale brushed off his reddened palm with a smirk. Then, as he lifted his head and their eyes met, he spoke bluntly.

“Getting slapped on the cheek feels worse than just being hit, doesn’t it? Huh? I went out of my way to slap you there to make you feel bad.”
“…You bastard…?”

It was absurd.
White Star had never imagined that he would be slapped across the face in this situation.
The Crown Prince, harboring similar thoughts, felt his pupils quiver as he thought to himself.

‘Just as I thought—his eyes really did go wild! My instincts weren’t wrong!’

Kale, watching White Star’s gaze flicker between the blood trickling from his own mouth and Kale’s face, spoke as if tasting something bitter.

“What? Does a villain’s cheek get sore if you slap it?”
“…Did you understand what you just did, or did you act without thinking?”

Contempt surged within White Star.
More than anything, it was the slap he’d received in a moment of carelessness that infuriated him.
His finger pointed toward the window where Choi Han had been flicked away and shattered.

“You there, willing to throw away your lives for Duke Derth Heniatus! Do you all wish to see this end in total annihilation?”

The moment the White Star unleashed his power, the moment Alberu countered with his own strength—the Lion Dragon would launch its assault upon Pursulsi City Hall.
Duke Derth Heniatus’s whereabouts were sealed away in absolute secrecy. Only the White Star could find him. Yet he dared to provoke in such a manner?

“What nonsense.”

A hollow laugh escaped Kale Heniatus’s lips. Without a shred of concern, he hurled the words at the White Star.

“Who said anything about total annihilation?”

That was the moment.
Kale Heniatus withdrew a communication orb from his bosom and simply released it from his grasp.

Crash.
The instant the sphere shattered.

Rummmmmble—rumble—

Pursulsi City Hall trembled.
A vibration that seemed to rise from the depths below spread outward at tremendous speed, surging past the City Hall and extending far beyond its walls.

“…!!!”

The White Star’s eyes widened.
This vibration.
It was a power he had once wielded himself.

“A mana disruption device!”

The Desert—the Land of Death—one of the Mysterious Zones of the Western Continent.
The Dubori Territory of the Caro Kingdom, situated near that desolate expanse.
The White Star had installed a mana disruption device there to prevent Raon from casting magic freely, and simultaneously to separate Kale Heniatus and Raon from one another.

Now, that very mana disruption device had activated from Pursulsi City Hall, and in mere moments it had blanketed the entire city, spreading along the Pursulsi City Wall.

And at the epicenter of this situation—Pursulsi City Hall itself.
Duchess Viollan calmly gathered the strands of hair that had begun to fall loose, pinning them back without a single gap, and spoke without emotion.

“If our enemies use these devices frequently, we must create them as well. It was worth purchasing materials in bulk through the Flynn Merchant Guild.”
And.

“Teleportation magic is impossible in this mana-disrupted state.”

Teleporting Duke Derth Heniatus out of Pursulsi would be impossible.
Furthermore.

“They won’t be able to contact each other.”

Unless the White Star personally found and killed Duke Derth Heniatus, it would be impossible for the White Star to have subordinates kill him. Video communication magic was impossible.
If direct orders were given instead of communication magic, Kale Heniatus would not miss seeing her subordinates move.
She turned around after observing the mages she had brought from her territory activate the device.

“Ron.”
“Please address me as you normally do.”
“I cannot do that.”

Even as she said she could not, she lowered her tone of voice as she usually did. She gazed at Ron’s hand, which was slightly bowed.
The golden spinning top that Kale had instructed be given to Ron was held in that hand. The Wind Spirit would reveal what was needed, her son had said.
After the meeting ended and Choi Han and Raon were suspecting Hilsman, Kale had spoken.

‘Choi Han, contact Father and tell him to begin. And tell Mother something for me. And Raon, you have my spinning top, right? Give it to me. There’s someone I need to find.’

While Choi Han and Raon each moved to their respective locations, Kale, left alone, did something while watching the video communication devices. It was an instruction to search for Hilsman and Derth, and one more of the Mogor Twins, just in case.
Viollan, unaware of this situation, asked Ron without the slightest hesitation.

“Search thoroughly and bring me my husband. How long will it take?”

Can you bring him? Can you find him?
She did not ask about such possibilities.
She only wanted a definite answer.
And Ron answered without hesitation as well.

“I promised the Young Master. I will find him before dawn breaks.”
“Then I need only maintain the device until dawn.”

The mana disruption device has now cut off all video communications within this space.
Well, there was only one location where video communication remained possible—where the Young Dragon was. The room where Viollan had been moments before, now sprawling with an enormous magic circle that churned with vast quantities of mana.
Everywhere else, magic had become utterly useless.
Then what remained in a situation where they could not contact one another?

“Go on.”

Only the belief that each would do their part well.

“Yes.”

Standing at the center of that belief was Kale Heniatus, and he was smiling.

“Ha!”

In stark contrast, the White Star burst into laughter as if utterly exasperated.

“…You madman.”

To orchestrate things in such a manner?
The White Star gazed at Kale with eyes that burned as though seized by raging flames.
Kale shrugged his shoulders, deepening the smile he had been wearing.

“There exists one eternal truth in this world.”

His voice was composed.

“Do you know what it is?”

The eternal truth as Kale conceived it.

“The divine? The world’s secrets?”

He shook his head at the words he himself had uttered.

“That’s not it.”

For him, the unchanging truth was neither the divine nor the world’s secrets.
The smile faded from Kale’s lips. Eyes that burned even more fiercely than the White Star’s blazed with intensity.

“You must never touch family.”

You must never lay a hand on my family, my people.
This was an immutable truth for Kale Heniatus.

Boom–!
The earth itself cried out.

In the Plaza, Rosalind stood among her allies, her hands trembling uncontrollably from the mana disturbance as her gaze instinctively dropped to the ground beneath her feet.

“This is…!”

Not magic.
Yet it was a power she recognized.
This force surging up from the earth itself.
Her lips parted without thought—a cry that mingled joy with sudden understanding.

“…Young Master Kale!”

She raised her voice again, her eyes fixed upon the location where the power converged.

“Fall back! Everyone, retreat!”

In the Space Between Allies and Lion Dragon.
In that empty expanse, mere moments before the charge would commence.

Crack–
The ground began to split asunder.
Kabooom—!
In the next instant, the earth convulsed with a thunderous roar.

“Gasp!”
“Duck!”

Those caught off guard lowered their stances or gripped their mounts’ reins, bending low in their saddles.
And then they saw it.

“That is…!”

Stones erupted from the fractured earth.
Dozens, hundreds of them.
In that moment, everyone understood who had summoned these stones forth.

Kale Heniatus.
He had come. He had awakened.
And once more, he stepped onto this battlefield.

The instant they grasped this truth, the stones moved.

“…A wall, a wall—”

In the space between allies and the Lion Dragon, the erupting boulders began to stack.
And soon they formed a towering barrier.

Tap.
A figure descended upon that wall, his feet striking its surface.

“Choi Han!”

Rosalind could see Choi Han below, grinning wickedly at her cry.

At that moment, Kale spoke with a smile.

“White Star, now that you’ve gathered everyone in one place, building a barrier has become quite simple.”

A barrier.
A wall erected to block all that assails from without.
Kale had never intended to abandon his allies—nor his father.

Sunset had already faded, and night was descending.
The night without magic had arrived, and as wind slipped through the windows, Kale’s crimson hair swayed like flames illuminating the darkness.

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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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