Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 86

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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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Witnessing that despair was Raon’s rightful privilege.

“Quite luxurious.”

Kale remarked as such, then instructed Choi Han.

“Throw him in that chair.”
“Understood.”

Choi Han hurled Benion Sten—whom he’d been carrying—into the luxurious leather chair. Kale stared intently at Choi Han, and under that gaze, Choi Han averted his eyes from Kale’s.

“…My apologies. Seeing the inside of the hideout only made me angrier.”

The hideout. Kale’s group was currently in a secret hideout that Benion Sten had quietly prepared in the underworld. It was a place overflowing with opulence and wealth.

This location had been revealed by the Mad Priestess Kaige two days prior.
Though Kaige, who served the God of Death, had been excommunicated, she remained a priestess. As one specialized in curses, she possessed considerable skill in mental torture. Extracting information from Benion’s subordinates had been trivial for her.

Of course, bearing the name of a god, she could only use curses in matters she deemed just by her own standards. In this affair, she had undoubtedly wielded her curses under the banner of justice.

‘Still, she’s remarkable.’

Among the current priesthood serving the God of Death, none wielded curses more skillfully than she did.
It was no coincidence that she’d earned the title—unbecoming of a priestess—of the Necromancer Reborn.

‘Though there is a separate Necromancer, of course.’

As with most fantasy worlds, professions thought to have vanished in the past existed somewhere as hidden classes. The sort of development where the protagonist’s neighbor’s grandfather turned out to be a retired Sword Master.
And wasn’t that precisely where the intrigue and twist lay?

‘This world is no different.’

The novel “The Birth of a Hero” was rife with such developments.

Kale quietly observed Benion Sten, who remained crumpled in the chair, unconscious and unaware.

“I understand the impulse, but this state is rather problematic, Vicross.”
“Yes, understood.”

With a deep sigh, Vicross approached Benion Sten. He then properly seated him and methodically tidied his clothing and hair.
To any observer, he now appeared as a nobleman who had spent days eating well, sleeping soundly, and dressing himself with elegant refinement.

Benion Sten’s back bore minor wounds that even potions could not fully heal. However, most injuries elsewhere had been treated, and particularly his face, hands, and all visible areas showed no trace of damage.

“Then we shall take our leave now.”
“Very well.”

Vicross quietly slipped out through the back entrance of the Secret Hideout with Choi Han. Kale approached Raon, who had been crouching silently in the corner of the hideout.

“Shall we begin?”
“Understood, human.”

Kale crouched down beside Raon.

“Come here as well.”

Meow!

On and Hong bounded over, nestling beside Raon and Kale respectively. Kale confirmed they were huddled tightly in the corner, then looked toward Raon. Black mana began to swirl from Raon’s front paws.

Now came the unfunny spectacle.

A soft shimmer.
With a faint sound, Kale’s body gradually became transparent. Soon, their forms vanished from sight within the Secret Hideout.

“Ugh… ugh—”

Moments later, a groan echoed through the hideout. It was Benion Sten. His brow was deeply furrowed as though he were trapped in a nightmare.

“Gasp.”

He drew a sharp breath and opened his eyes. His gaze was vacant as he stared ahead.
Blink. Blink. As his eyes fluttered several times, he began to process what filled his vision.

“Where… is this—”

Benion Sten startled, his hand flying to his throat. Sound emerged. No—human speech emerged.
He touched his neck and realized there were no shackles.

Only then did he frantically examine his body, and he could see his arms and hands—unmarred, without blood or wounds.
There was no blood on his fine clothing either.

There was no pain.

“…Is this a dream?”

He couldn’t tell whether this place was a dream or if that dungeon was a dream. The memories were vivid and terrible and relentless, yet they didn’t feel real. Benion Sten slowly reached out his hand.
The memory was vivid because it was so terrible and harsh, but it didn’t feel real. Benion slowly reached out his hand.

*Sigh.* His desk at the Secret Hideout. He ran his hand across it. The sensation was definitely real.

Yeah, reality.

Benion’s face contorted. Could it have been a dream? When he headed to the Secret Hideout at dawn, he hadn’t been kidnapped—he had arrived at the Secret Hideout as planned and simply had a long, vivid dream.

A dry cough.

Benion’s lips curved upward. Unlike his distorted face, countless emotions flickered across his eyes.

“Yeah, it was a dream.”

He was still terrified. Still afraid.
But it was a dream.
But that was just a dream.

Otherwise, what is this situation right now?

“Heh heh-”

Benion wrapped both hands around his neck. Relief enveloped his entire body. That was when it happened.

Meow.

Hmm. Benion’s shoulders trembled.

Kale, watching him in his transparent state, stroked Hong’s head once more with an indifferent expression. Hong cried out again, as eerily as possible.

Meoooowww.

Benion Sten’s face drained of all color, and his fingertips began to tremble. A memory surfaced in his mind.

‘I intend to keep you alive.’
‘So whenever I feel like it, I’ll come find you.’

The tips of Benion Sten’s fingers, gripping the desk and armrest, turned ashen.

“M-mad—”

He stared downward, trembling violently.

Sssshhhhh—
A blood-red mist, serpentine in nature, slowly crept up from beneath his feet. Benion Sten’s face twisted like a child on the verge of tears.

“Y-you insane dragon bastard!”

He frantically kicked at his feet. Yet the mist did not dissipate; instead, it climbed higher and higher. He felt as though he were losing his mind.
But in that moment, Benion Sten realized one crucial fact.

This was different from last time.
Unlike last time, he could move his body. Benion Sten lifted his head and scanned the Secret Hideout. The exit came into view.

The instant Benion Sten’s eyes found the Secret Hideout’s door, Kale glanced at his watch. If he hurried just a bit more, the scene would unfold perfectly—like a painting.
Kale stroked On’s back.

Sssshhhhh—
The mist climbed Benion Sten’s legs more rapidly.

Meoowww— ong.
Simultaneously, the cat’s cry grew more intense.
Benion Sten’s legs trembled. He rose swiftly from his chair.

Crash! The leather chair toppled backward with a thunderous sound. But Benion Sten paid it no mind, scrambling frantically toward the Secret Hideout’s exit.
Contrary to his noble, refined clothing and hairstyle, his face was twisted in terror—the visage of one driven to madness.

“F-Father, hurry—”

With trembling hands, Benion Sten grasped the door handle. That was when it happened.

Click.

The sound of the doorknob turning came from outside the door.
Were they his subordinates? Relief flooded through Benion’s mind—he wouldn’t have to face this terrifying situation alone. They must be the two men who had been with him at dawn.

Someone pulled the door from outside. Thanks to that, Benion could naturally face what lay beyond without needing to exert any force himself.

Creeeeak—
The door opened slowly. Captivated by the faint light seeping through the widening gap, Benion failed to notice the mist that had wrapped around his legs vanish without a trace.

And so the door opened.

“Found you at last.”

Standing before Benion Sten was Taylor Sten—the older brother he had crippled.

“…Wh-”

Benion Sten stumbled backward.
Behind Taylor Sten lay the passage descending to the secret hideout, and within that passage stood countless people. The elite of the Sten Marquis House and Taylor’s own forces.

“Wh-what is this.”

Taylor examined Benion’s appearance, finding no wounds upon him, and studied his face. It was a face consumed by terror.

The eldest son, Taylor, peered past Benion’s shoulder into the hideout beyond. It was empty. But Kale would be in there. He had borrowed and tested Kale’s invisibility magic device himself, after all. That certainty only deepened his conviction that Kale was indeed within.

“Is… is this a dream too?”

Benion Sten muttered vacantly, unable even to think of backing away further. Taylor, regarding his younger brother—the brother he despised—answered his question.

“Perhaps you’ve simply had a long nightmare.”

He turned and issued orders to the Marquis Household knights.

“Arrest him.”

Benion Sten’s nightmare was only beginning.
He would not only be permanently removed from the line of succession, but would also have to pay the price for his various illegal activities. He would bear the full brunt of the Sten Marquis House members’ wrath, their status diminished and their pride wounded.

“…This, this was the Dragon’s doing! It was all the Dragon—”

Taylor Sten paid no attention to Benion’s muttering from behind. Instead, he focused on the soft whisper of his approaching colleague Kaige as she brushed past him.

“This evening.”

This evening—for the first time in a long while, Taylor Sten could finally meet his benefactor.

“Young Master, shall we search the hideout right now?”

Taylor Sten shook his head at the knight’s question.

“For now, the priority is to quietly move Benion Sten’s custody to the Castle. There are too many territory residents outside.”
“Won’t it be difficult to move him discreetly?”

Outside the hideout, territory residents had gathered in crowds. The knights and Marquis Household members were flustered by the situation.
But all of this was because Odeus had spread rumors at Kale’s command, and Taylor Sten knew this as well. He put on an expression full of concern. He had learned to do such things now.

“Even so, we must move as quietly as possible. We cannot afford to damage the Sten Marquis House’s reputation any further.”
“…Understood, sir!”

The knight answered with a solemn expression.

“After that, focus on apprehending the members of the other hideouts. In the meantime, station a few knights and soldiers here to guard the entrance.”
“Yes, sir.”

Taylor Sten created a situation that would allow Kale to escape more easily, then turned his back at the hideout entrance. Now he had to go to the Castle and systematically dismantle Benion Sten and the Marquis—piece by piece.

Several knights guarded the now-empty secret hideout. The others departed to capture Benion Sten’s subordinates at the other hideouts.

“Keep watch properly.”
“There’s no one here anyway. We haven’t rested in days—let’s take it easy.”
“That won’t do.”
“You’re strict. All we need to do is prevent anyone from entering, right?”

The two knights conversed in hushed tones, their voices carefully pitched below the soldiers’ hearing. A sudden gust of wind swept past them, yet no one paid it any mind.
It was an odd wind for an underground hideout, but since nothing was visible, no one questioned it.

Kale, the one who had summoned that wind, boarded the carriage he had prepared at a distance from the hideout. Raon, who followed behind, dispelled the invisibility shrouding the rest of the group.

“Shall we depart?”
“Yes.”

With Kale’s permission, Odeus slowly closed the carriage door and made his way to the driver’s seat. Shortly after, the carriage began its leisurely journey toward the Mansion. Kale leaned back against the cushioned seat, his body relaxing into the plush leather.

He glanced downward and met Raon’s eyes—the young dragon had just dispelled his invisibility and now rested his face upon Kale’s lap. In that moment, Raon grinned and spoke.

“I’m doing quite well. I am a magnificent dragon, after all!”
“Indeed. For them, hell is only just beginning.”
“Exactly!”

Kale addressed his companions.

“Let’s all enjoy something delicious together tonight and rest well.”

Yet contrary to his words, Kale found himself dining separately from his group.

“You seem to have found the time?”
“How could I not come when meeting Young Master Kale?”

The eldest son Taylor and the Mad Priestess Kaige arrived bearing wine bottles and glasses. Because of their late arrival, Kale found himself enjoying an evening meal and drinks much later than anticipated.

“If not tonight, it seems we’ll be far busier going forward.”
“That’s certainly true.”

Kale nodded at Taylor’s words while observing Kaige. She smirked and raised the wine bottle. Without any change in expression, Kale emptied his generously filled glass in one gulp.

“Most of the individuals Young Master Kale mentioned were connected to Benion’s faction.”
“Is that so?”

Taylor could not regard Kale with simple ease. He provided information about Benion’s hideout and the personnel involved. The fact alone was astounding, yet there was something even more surprising.

“Among them were also several of my father’s people.”
“…I was unaware of that.”

Kale gazed at Taylor with genuine astonishment on his face.
Of course, it was all an act.

Benion Sten had raised the Black Dragon under the Marquis’s orders. Therefore, among those guarding the cave where the dragon dwelled, there were naturally people belonging to the Marquis, and several of them had carried out Benion’s dirty work—a connection that was only natural.

They would face at minimum hard labor, at maximum execution for their role in this affair. The Sten Marquis House had the harshest territorial laws, after all. The Marquis would want to erase their voices from the world entirely to distance himself from this matter as much as possible.

“…I believe your words.”

Taylor responded to Kale with the solemnity of a vow. Between the two of them, a bottle of liquor appeared.

“Shall we finish this bottle first?”
“Yes. Let’s drink.”
“Very well.”

The three of them poured drinks for one another and emptied the bottle. Once it was finished, Kaige and Taylor had to leave to return to their duties.

“Do you depart tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“I heard you’re heading to the Capital along the Western route—is that your final destination?”

Instead of answering Taylor’s question, Kale simply smiled knowingly. Seeing that expression, Taylor asked nothing further. He merely conveyed his resolve.

“I will repay both this debt and the previous one without fail.”
“I look forward to it.”
“Yes. Please do look forward to it.”

Watching Taylor speak with such clear, determined eyes, Kale reflected on the shifting power dynamics of the Northwest Region. Taylor, Odeus. The approaching future. There were quite a few talented individuals to cultivate and maneuver.

* * *

The next morning, early. Kale had finished all his preparations in the bedroom and was gazing into the mirror one last time. He asked Raon, whose reflection appeared in the glass.

“You understand the Crown Prince’s magic now, don’t you?”
“I do, human. I am magnificent.”

A smile played at the corners of Kale’s mouth as he gazed at his reflection.

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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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