Trash of the Count's Family

“Ahem. Mm! Young master Neo, it has been a while.”

Eric immediately moved in between Cale and Neo. Neo’s eyes seemed to be defeated.

He thought he had found a good prey, but it was now difficult to hunt this prey with Eric Wheelsman present.

“Yes, young master Eric. I hope you have been well.”

Neo greeted Eric that way before also greeting young lady Amiru and young master Gilbert. He then saw them all standing in front of Cale, and clicked his tongue.

‘I guess they are protecting him. Even if he is trash, he is still on their side after all.’

Neo decided not to do anything after seeing the three of them protecting Cale. Eric noticed Neo’s intent, and slowly turned around to look at Cale.

Neo’s gaze turned to Cale as well.

“Mm.”

Neo then subconsciously let out a groan.

Cale was quietly looking down at Neo with his arms crossed. Cale’s eyes were extremely scornful. He had not said anything to Neo since earlier on, but his gaze and his body language said everything that needed to be said.

‘Classless fool.’

It made Neo think about the gaze Venion used to look at him. Even though Neo was angry when Venion looked at him with such a gaze, he consoled himself by saying it was the look of a higher ranking noble and let it go.

Cale turned away after watching Neo’s shaking pupils for a while, and looked behind him. He heard the Black Dragon’s report in his ear.

There was a reason he brought the Black Dragon with him today.

• The voice recording magic is ready.　

Cale had asked the Black Dragon to record everything that happened today. Video recording required a lot of mana usage and was difficult to maintain for a long period of time, so Cale had to be satisfied with just voice recording.

Cale was originally not going to do this because the palace would have a lot of mages who were sensitive to mana, but the Black Dragon assured him that it would be undetected as long as the range of the voice recording was small.

Cale made up his mind to use this in the future to make Neo cry tears of blood, before heading toward the palace entrance. Cale was the type of person to always pay back his debts. [1]

Eric Wheelsman watched Cale walk away like a proud brother. He was thinking that the letters he sent every day must have worked.

On the other hand, Gilbert and Amiru watched Cale with curious expressions. Cale Henituse, the man who used to only wear flashy clothes, chose to wear a simple black outfit without any accessories. Even his red hair was clean and shining from the sun.

They wondered if it was because Cale was not drunk.

Each of Cale’s steps looked relaxed and calm.

Amiru and Gilbert watched Cale turn around once he got to the palace entrance.

Cale’s gaze, that seemed to be beckoning them over, was the most curious thing for them.

“Young master Neo, I will see you inside. Young lady Amiru and young master Gilbert, let us go.”

Eric was watching Cale proudly, but Amiru and Gilbert had an even stranger sensation when the three of them stood in front of Cale.

Cale looked at the two confused people, as well as the proud Eric, and started to speak.

“Let’s go.”

The three of them followed Cale into the palace. Gilbert and Amiru’s odd sensation continued to grow the farther they followed Cale. Cale did not care however, and decided he would use these three people as much as he could today.

“Young master Cale-nim of Count Henituse’s household is entering the hall!”

Cale could hear the servant shout out Eric, Gilbert, and Amiru’s names as well as he walked into the hall.

“Not bad.”

He looked around the large hall before walking behind Eric. Young lady Amiru peeked toward Cale, before walking next to him and starting to speak.

“Young master Cale. At the front of the banquet hall is the crown prince’s seat, and the tables are split based by region. The reason for that-.”

Amiru, who was about to explain the reason for why the tables are split based on region, looked at Cale’s expression, before changing what she was going to say.

“I probably don’t need to explain the reason, right?”

“Thank you very much, young lady Amiru, but I know the reason.”

Cale watched Amiru nod her head with a curious expression on her face, and then headed toward the tables to the Northeast section of the room.

There were five tables inside the hall. Northeast, Northwest, Southwest, Southeast, and the center. They were all divided based on each of the noble factions.

‘The crown prince is good at things like this.’

He controlled things in the background to make the factions compete with each other while also forcing them to come together every so often. It was the crown prince’s specialty. But the crown prince was very thorough about his own treatment as well.

The crown prince’s table was located to the front of all five of these tables, at a location that was about two steps higher than the rest.

‘The second and third prince’s seats are one step lower than his.’

One step lower than the crown prince’s table was the table for the second and third princes. Even if this event was being hosted by the crown prince, it would be weird for the second and third princes to not attend a gathering of nobles. Since the crown prince was the one to host it, he made sure to show a gap between their status.

‘He really pays attention to these tiny, useless details.’

The crown prince, actually, all of the people in those positions of power, were really not Cale’s type of people.

“Our table is closest to the entrance, as expected.”

eastern entrance as the designated entrance, and the Northeastern region nobles’ table was

region had a voice, they did not have a household that was strong enough to have a loud

great that our seat is close to the door. In addition, it is great that we don’t have anyone we have to lower our head to

strong people in charge, like Marquis Stan, whom the rest

people walking with Cale stopped walking. Cale also stopped walking after seeing them halt. Eric turned around to look at Cale for

“Young master Cale.”

in the company of others, Eric did not call Cale casually by

glad that my efforts

‘Efforts? What efforts?’

but Eric turned back around and proudly walked to the table that

read his letters

he like

Amiru shook her head at Cale’s question. Gilbert showed a similar

made

master Venion Stan of Marquis Stan’s household

inside the Palace of Joy. Venion. Neo Tolz was standing right behind

care for chumps

“Cale!”

Cale, who suddenly started quickly walking to his seat, but Cale just waved him off and

“Mm.”

young

“Hello, young master Cale.”

short response to

see all of

Cale put his

‘I knew it.’

feel the invisible

• okay. I told you that I am

Black Dragon’s voice in his head, and patted its shaking body. Anger and fear. The Black Dragon’s

physical trauma that its body remembered was not aligned

• okay. I am a great

when it said it wanted to follow him that Venion Stan would be here as well. He also got the Black Dragon to promise that it would not kill Venion Stan today. He also promised something

• will definitely kill that bastard

calmed the Black Dragon down while listening to its extremely angry voice. Thankfully, it didn’t seem to be causing its mana to go

awaited Venion and the idiots who were aligned with Marquis Stan in the future, and stopped patting

run wild. If it did, this palace would easily be destroyed, and Cale would probably be dead as well. Cale let out a sigh of relief, before looking

Eric’s group and Venion’s group both heading this way. It made sense, since Venion’s table was the Northwest table next

Tap. Tap.

his head on Cale’s

“Mm.”

made Cale worry for a moment. He made eye contact

‘Stay quiet! Be still!’

signals. He then debated how he could pretend not to know

time no see, young

but he was still showing a gentle

and started

our first meeting since we

while Neo’s face

that, it was to a low ranking noble

the hall started to

I went to visit my friend, young master

to go to the Northeast

said we would share a

“We did indeed.”

and Venion seemed very calm while chatting with each other. However, the

who was peeking at him and started to smile. Neo

Venion, one of the Viscount Tolz’s knights came to find

Neo with a very

villa was ransacked completely clean.

flinched, and Cale could see the corner of Venion’s lips starting to

master Venion? I’m sure you have since you said

time. He was speaking very naturally, but Cale could feel

It was very

my hangover drink. How could they ransack the place clean and not leave anything behind! They said you lost something very important,

the world were the ones with loose lips, the ones with no tact, and the

all three right now. He was having so

warmly spoke

Neo, cheer up. We’re bound to face such unbelievable situations at least once

yes. I

look at Venion, as he just haphazardly responded to

need to drink to forget about everything when something terrible like that happens. Young master Neo, let’s

the Black Dragon based on the knights’ testimony and the evidence left behind, but he could not get rid of the suspicion he had for Cale’s group, who happened to spend a night

didn’t have any good reasons to suspect Cale. That was why

to have a hangover drink, all your bad memories will

Cale Henituse continue to spew nonsense like before made Venion realize he did not need

for the offer, young master

it’s disappointing, but I guess next time

As he did,

You should have prepared in advance for such a situation. How could you lose all those valuable things at once? Cheer up. You