Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 79

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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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A colossal tidal wave engulfed the land.
Blue water that commanded fire consumed the flames and devoured everything in its path.

“Kale!”
“Young Master—!”

The water swallowed Kale as well.

Choi Han resumed his rapid stride. Rosalind surged past him using an acceleration spell, rushing forward first.
Kale was nowhere to be seen.

The colossal wave consumed everything without distinction between ally and enemy.

Hisssssss—

Tremendous volumes of steam rose from Zone 1, so thick that visibility vanished entirely.
It meant one thing.

The fire was extinguished.

White vapor ascended toward the rain-filled sky instead of black smoke. The wolf boy Rak stared blankly at it, his teeth clenched. His feet grew cold, and he lowered his head.

After the colossal water swept across Zone 1, it flowed back down rapidly, reaching Rak and spilling into the Safe Zone. Yet the water touching Rak’s feet lacked the violent force of a wave.

“Ah.”

Rak turned his head at the exclamation from beside him. They were the Queen’s subordinates who had been rushing toward her. They stood dazed, staring down at the water on the ground. The jungle dwellers who had poked their heads from the tents and those who had been outside out of curiosity—they all emerged from their shelters.

Whoooosh—

Rain fell. They gazed upon their homeland beneath the downpour.

Hisssssss—

Steam continued to rise. Visibility remained obscured. Yet neither were the crimson flames visible.

“Y-Young Master!”

Rak snapped back to his senses. He too rushed toward Zone 1, following Choi Han and Rosalind. Rosalind and Choi Han had already reached where Ritana and Ten were. As they arrived, Ritana finally came to her senses.

She was already drenched through and through. And she had seen it clearly.

“Kale Heniatus!”
“Young Master Kale!”

Ritana witnessed what became of Kale Heniatus as Choi Han and Rosalind cried out like that.
It was Kale Heniatus whom the waves consumed before the fire. That man was swept away first.

“T-Ten!”

As she called out to Ten, he moved immediately. Ten stepped forward on all fours into the Boundary Line where steam rose. That was when it happened.

Whoooosh—
Splash—
The sound of steam and rain. Between those two sounds came another noise.

Whiiiing—
The sound of wind.

It was like the wind of spring. A gentle breeze brushed past Ten and Ritana. The wind reached even Choi Han and Rosalind. Only then did the two of them stop their desperate charge.

“Ah, that’s right.”

A sigh escaped Rosalind’s lips like laughter. For a moment, she had forgotten in her panic. Reason had abandoned her.
As she wiped her eyes with both hands, a new sight came into view.

“Kale Heniatus.”

Choi Han could see the gentle wind carving a narrow path through the steam. Silver light gleamed between them.
Choi Han knew that light.

A faint wind carved a small passage through the towering steam, revealing a glimpse of the landscape within.
Blackened earth. Traces of what had been consumed by fire were visible.

Standing upon those traces was a figure.
A red-haired man resembling a fire that was no longer visible.

Massive silver wings and a shield enveloped the man. Ritana couldn’t tear her gaze away from the sight, unaware that Ten had stopped moving.

A brilliant flash of light.
The silver wings spread wide before vanishing along with the shield. In their place stood only the man—Kale Heniatus. Kale swayed slightly.

Ritana’s eyes widened, and the black panther Ten stirred. Choi Han and Rosalind crossed the boundary line, rushing toward Kale. He stood there with his head clutched in his hands, his expression twisted in discomfort.

The voice of the Black Dragon Raon echoed through his mind.

-I got distracted watching the water and forgot the shield for a moment! That’s why I was a bit late! I’m sorry, human!

It was mutual fault. Kale had also forgotten about the indestructible shield while marveling at the wave he’d created.

-Oh right, the shield!

Then, hearing the Black Dragon Raon’s cry and seeing the shield unfold, he came to his senses and deployed his own shield. That’s why he’d taken a direct hit from the water bomb for a moment, his head now throbbing as he held it.

‘I wasted far too much power on that.’

What was this? Completely drenched and shivering from the cold.

-I’m truly sorry! I, I wasn’t great enough!

Hearing the despair in the voice of the four-year-old, Kale whispered softly while clutching his aching head.

“Still, I’m alive because of you.”
-Such a weak human! I’m an idiot!

Kale wanted to stop Raon from continuing, but he couldn’t. Choi Han and Rosalind were already approaching, along with Ritana and Ten. Choi Han immediately supported Kale.

“Are you alright?”
“Are you okay?”

Rosalind immediately cast a body-heat preservation spell on the soaking wet Kale Heniatus.

“Would I ever get hurt? You know that well enough, Rosalind.”

At his carefree tone, Choi Han and Rosalind exchanged glances. Raon was by Kale’s side. And Kale possessed an indestructible shield. They remembered that fact now.
Then a voice that felt blunt and indifferent reached the two of them.

“Why do you keep calling my name so loudly? That’s precisely why I had to come out so quickly.”

Kale Heniatus, muttering his complaint, straightened his wet hair and disheveled clothes. He appeared utterly composed. Yet the ground upon which he stood was nothing but scorched earth, everything reduced to ash.

‘Does he have poor compatibility with water?’

Kale Heniatus had always been the same way—ever since his first meeting with Witira, he would become thoroughly soaked whenever he ventured near water. The damp fabric clinging to his body was quite bothersome.

Kale Heniatus separated himself from Choi Han, who had been supporting him, and stood upright. He had no injuries anyway, and his condition was excellent thanks to the vitality of his heart.

“Let’s go.”

He took a step forward, and Choi Han and Rosalind followed behind him. Though both were smiling, Kale Heniatus paid them no particular mind as he approached Ritana, who stood motionless at a distance from them. She had dismounted from the black panther.

“Ritana.”

At his gentle voice, Ritana could look directly at Kale Heniatus.
After confirming that he was unharmed, she found herself unable to focus on anything else.

Beyond the Wipper Kingdom lay the verdant forest—the Jungle. Zone 1, famous enough to be featured in books for its beauty, had now turned pitch black.
The sight left her breathless.

“Grrr…”

As Ritana watched Kale Heniatus, she turned her gaze toward the sound of Ten’s growl.
The black panther Ten, observing the blackened earth and the nature reduced to ashes, rubbed his head against the charred ground. Ritana bit her lip.

Then, Kale Heniatus’s voice reached her ears once more.

“It seems you should go and see for yourself.”
“…Pardon?”

Looking at Kale Heniatus, she could see where he was pointing.

“Ah.”

She could see her subordinates, the Safe Zone, the jungle people, and the animals. She realized now where she truly needed to look. Not at the blackened forest, but there. Kale Heniatus’s voice reached her ears.

“It appears I have no further role to play.”

She met Kale Heniatus’s gaze once more. Gentle yet formidable, composed and unhurried. She had witnessed what he had done. The steam still rising into the air. The one who had conjured the water to extinguish the embers.

She had been mistaken. He was not weak. He was strong.

“…How much of your power did you expend?”

Kale had said his power was limited. Ritana was curious about how much remained.

“A reasonable amount still lingers.”

It had felt good to use it, but now that it was spent, Kale felt a bitter sting at having squandered so much power unnecessarily. A wry smile appeared unbidden at the corner of his lips. What a waste.

“…I understand.”

Ritana, watching the smile he wore while struggling to conceal his bitterness, observed her subordinates standing unable to cross the Boundary Line, and the jungle people approaching from the Safe Zone, then asked.

“Will you come with us, Kale?”

He was the hero of this moment. He deserved praise and applause commensurate with what he had accomplished. Yet Ritana’s thoughts and Kale’s response diverged.

“Your Majesty.”
“Ritana.”

She corrected his form of address at once.

“No. What is needed now is Your Majesty—you, Ritana, are what is needed.”

Kale turned his gaze toward the Safe Zone. Ritana followed suit. The jungle people, drenched in rain, wept and laughed. Though the steam dissipated and the blackened earth became visible, they laid bare their emotions and embraced one another.

The thought of standing before them brought exhaustion crashing down upon Kale. Thus, he wished to conclude this gracefully.

“I believe what sustained us all through this week was the collective power of our desperation. I do not wish to be the focus of attention.”

The pale-faced man, drenched in water, spoke.

“I wish to go to that beautiful place where the sunset rises. I long to see the sunset soon.”

I want to quickly grab only the Magic Stone and leave. This Jungle job required more movement than usual.

“…I envy the Roan Kingdom.”
“Pardon?”

Kale Heniatus didn’t quite catch Ritana’s words and looked at her. Ritana shook her head with a serene smile.

“Never mind.”

Ritana mounted Ten lightly. And crossed the Boundary Line. Perched atop the black panther with her spine held rigid, she was small in stature, yet positioned higher than the jungle dwellers. She tensed her neck and cried out.

“The fire is extinguished! All of you have witnessed it!”

She proclaimed.

“Nature is as impartial as time itself! When time passes, we shall reclaim our forest once more! Therefore, let today be a day of blessing for this new beginning!”

Roooaarrr!
The black panther Ten followed suit, releasing a tremendous roar in agreement.

Whoooosh—
The sound of rain filled the silence for a moment. And shortly after.

Uuuwaaaahhh!
The space where the fire had vanished was filled with the people’s cheers. Even now, the water channel Kale had created continued to flow from the starting point of Zone 1 to the Coastline, extinguishing the remaining embers.

-Human, you’ll catch a cold! Go rest quickly!

Kale ignored Raon’s nagging and was escorted by Ritana’s subordinates. They led him to a quiet, reasonably clean, and well-prepared tent that had been hastily arranged for him.

“Please tell us if you need anything at all.”
“There’s nothing I need in particular. I simply wish to rest quietly. And if possible, I’d like to depart tomorrow.”

The subordinate who had crossed the Rainforest and entered the Jungle with Kale wore an expression of disbelief, yet still gave him an affirmative answer.

“Yes. We will prepare everything as thoroughly as possible.”

Once the subordinates left, Kale surveyed the interior of the tent. Choi Han and the others had been guided to different tents. However, someone had followed Kale.

“Raon.”

At his call, the Black Dragon, who had been invisible, revealed itself.
Tsk. Kale clicked his tongue. He grabbed a towel and vigorously dried the soaking wet Black Dragon, who had forgotten to cast a shield around itself while watching the waves.

“Dry yourself, human! I’ll catch a cold!”

How amusing. Kale let out a scoff at the four-year-old’s behavior and roughly dried his face, while Raon whimpered and allowed himself to be dried.
Kale tossed the towel aside and, using another towel to roughly shake out his hair, pulled out a marble he had received from Bilos and threw it.

“Connect.”
“Understood, human.”

Raon grinned at whatever pleased him and without complaint connected the marble—the magical communication device. Kale settled into a wooden chair. The magical communication device flew before Kale and was placed down as video communication connected.
Soon, a figure appeared above the magical communication device.

-What? Why do you look like that?

It was Crown Prince Alberu.

-You look like a wet rat.

Watching the corner of his mouth rise in mockery, Kale offered the smile he had been giving Ritana.

-Don’t smile like that.

It didn’t work as expected. Kale immediately returned to his usual smile and leaned back in the wooden chair. Crown Prince Alberu was familiar with that leisurely, indolent appearance.

“Your Highness, the star of the Roan Kingdom, what has become of the Sten Marquis House?”

Three weeks. The time it took to arrive at Hoik Village, where the Rainforest of the Path of No Return existed. During that time, I had been progressing with several matters. One of them.

-What do you mean? The master is changing. Why are you curious about this anyway?

Then, not through the video communication device’s voice, but directly into Kale’s mind came the voice of the Black Dragon Raon.

-Is it finally time for revenge!

What the Sten Marquis House and Benion had done to the Black Dragon Raon.
For Raon to fully escape the abuse of the past, revenge against those related to the Marquis House was necessary. Every time Kale and Raon were left alone, I had to listen to his revenge plans like a lullaby.
The dragon never forgot what it had suffered. It sought compensation for the ruined time and crushed pride. That was the nature of the dragon, called a violent ruler.

Alberu regarded Kale Heniatus with a searching gaze, studying him intently.

-I’ve received something, so I’m simply sharing it. But I cannot fathom your reasoning.
“It is to accomplish something Your Highness would appreciate.”

Watching Kale Heniatus speak falsehoods without the slightest hesitation, Alberu let out a scoff.
Yet Kale Heniatus was sincere.

“I speak truthfully, Your Highness.”

It was equally advantageous for Alberu as well. Though Alberu found Kale Heniatus’s expression unsettling, he himself had business with him. Thus, he spoke.

-Come to the Royal Palace swiftly.
“Yes, Your Highness.”

I had intended to head to the Royal Palace regardless, so I answered readily. Of course, I planned to complete my own affairs, rest, and then return.
After exchanging a few more words with the Crown Prince, I ended the video communication and fell into deep sleep after eating. Naturally, I had to listen to Raon’s revenge schemes as a lullaby.

And the next day.

“Ritana, I wish to depart for the Coastline.”

I told Ritana that I wanted to leave for the Coastline. There was no reason to remain any longer.

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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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