Trash of the Count's Family

Teaser: Someone screaming, 'RUN FOR COVEEEEEEEEEER.'

Skeleton birds.

The largest bird was about 15 meters in length.

The large birds made out of bones unfurled their wings.

Their wings blocked the sunlight.

A shadow fell over the Empire’s knights.

“That’s-?”

Duke Huten turned his gaze toward the sky and then looked back forward again.

“Hehehe.”

As the Duke unsheathed his sword, the barbarian who had been blocked by a wall of knights burst into laughter.

Toonka looked like he was dying of laughter. However, Duke Huten couldn’t laugh along as he looked at Toonka’s expression.

Five in total.

Four birds rose up together along with the one large bird in the center.

“Duke-nim!”

Behind him came the urgent voice of one of the Empire’s mage.

“This is the energy from highest-grade magic stones! Those are bones embedded with magic stones!”

The leisurely look in Duke Huten’s eyes changed. There was no urgency, however, there was a look of sharp fury in his eyes. He observed the barbarian, Toonka, who was looking at him and started to speak.

“Flame Dwarves and magic stones.”

It was probably the Flame Dwarves who had assembled those bones together.

Huten knew the face of that Flame Dwarf tribe’s chief. As an excellent sword master, if Huten concentrated his aura into his eyes, he could see the face of that Dwarf in the sky that the other knights could not see.

After all, would it make sense if Duke Huten of the Empire didn’t know the face of the leaders affiliated with the Indomitable Alliance?

The Flame Dwarf chief who wasn’t supposed to be here had appeared.

In addition, there was a skeleton that was moving through magic stones.

There was only one thing missing from the equation.

“Mages.”

Anger was visible on Duke Huten’s face.

The Whipper Kingdom was a place where all magic was supposedly eradicated.

He was not talking about the Whipper Kingdom’s mages.

Duke Huten looked past the barbarian warriors who were laughing at him and focused his gaze.

“It seems like the Breck Kingdom dared to interfere in this battle.”

The Flame Dwarves were captured and taken prisoner by the Breck Kingdom.

Flame Dwarves were weak in creating magic devices, yet those bastards were able to create a bird like that?

That was impossible without the help of mages.

Duke Huten’s gaze headed toward the top of Maple Castle’s walls.

He could see a woman at the center of the walls who was openly making her presence known by stirring the mana around her.

That woman, Rosalyn, was looking down at Duke Huten.

“Is this the Breck Kingdom’s decision?”

Huten’s voice was quite loud after being amplified through his aura. It was so that Rosalyn, who was standing above the castle walls, could hear him. Toonka was no longer the focus of his attention.

The Mogoru Empire which had built up its strength over hundreds of years was not afraid of an enemy like the Whipper Kingdom that did not have an established history and just ran wild with someone like Toonka as their leader.

However, things changed if the Breck Kingdom entered the fray.

Huten could see the smile appearing on Rosalyn’s lips. Rosalyn then responded cheerfully, matching the bright smile on her face.

“We are mercenaries.”

“What?”

Huten couldn’t help but blankly question her statement. He could then hear Toonka’s voice.

“I hired them.”

“…Commander.”

Huten turned his attention back to Toonka. Toonka snickered with a look that seemed to say, ‘What are you going to do about it?’

“I hired some mercenaries and bought the Dwarves from the Breck Kingdom.”

“Such nonsense……!”

It was utter nonsense.

Rosalyn, who was banished from the Breck Kingdom, was technically free from the Breck Kingdom’s rules. In addition, if the Whipper Kingdom had bought off the prisoners of war from them, then the Breck Kingdom would have mentioned it to the Empire out of formality. That way they would be able to say that they didn’t support the Whipper Kingdom and play off the exchange as a mere transaction between kingdoms.

“Are you telling me to believe in such bullshit?”

Huten, suddenly started to speak to Toonka in an unrestrained manner.

“It was your Imperial Prince who spouted bullshit first.”

Toonka gritted his teeth as he glared at Huten. A correspondence demanding a slave transaction. That was the biggest bullshit out there.

Huten snorted and looked towards Rosalyn as he started to speak.

“Rosalyn, you and the Breck Kingdom have a lot to explain to our Mogoru Empire.”

The Breck Kingdom who dared to support the Whipper Kingdom and point its blade at the Empire must explain today’s occurrences to the Empire and bow down to them as an apology.

That was the weight of going against the Empire.

Huten could see Rosalyn’s smiling lips parting to speak. Her voice that was infused with mana rang out.

“Prepare to attack.”

Huten’s expression hardened.

swiftly climbing up the stone steps of the castle wall could be

Clack. Clack. Clack.

that they were

robed mages were channeling their mana as if

the same outfit or even mana

was prepared to channel all of their individual abilities they

Their numbers were small.

the few soldiers who remained to defend the castle looked at the mages and

rose up to destroy the Magic Tower and kill all the mages didn’t know how

same went for the mages that came

to the Magic Tower had committed terrible deeds, the fear induced by the crazed group

at that

“Everyone, pull yourself together!”

military operations began to travel back and forth across the castle wall. They

soldiers could hear their

holds above-average magic skills. There are many of them as

those statements. The chiefs around the wall all said the same thing as

Kingdom’s

Those words were enough.

magical combat abilities on

in the past. The Whipper Kingdom had powerful mages who were known to be unrivaled on the

ones who knew that the best were

their strength better than

soldiers who were the only ones to have fought against those mages knew that

started to

focus and

attention back to the battlefield. Duke Huten glared at Rosalyn, who

something that

began to be melded by her

of idiot kindly explains themselves to the

the proud face of royalty despite abandoning the crown, shouted toward Duke Huten. At the same time, a voice

“Begin!”

Oooong-

air as they floated up from the

come from the Roan Kingdom had followed military orders impeccably during

to the mages who had come here

After observing Toonka, I think the people of the Whipper Kingdom are

“That’s right.”

mage mumbled to himself

Commander Cale

Everyone here were loners.

Magic Tower was doing or because they were in agony, all of them had fled from the Magic Tower and lived away

magic and had to conduct their research while living in poverty or in

mages had gathered in the Roan Kingdom and

other for two years, they weren’t able to use their individual powers to their heart’s content even a single time since the start of the

could do

Oooong-

trains of the mages’

their hands. Their specialty, offensive

Bang! Bang! Bang!

sound of consecutive explosions could

“Shield!”

and blocked the magic attacks. The Empire versus the Whipper Kingdom. It was a fight between several hundred on one side and less

the soldiers could see

“Again!”

mages as they pulled

fear in their eyes, even when they were against the

was something they held in common with the Whipper Kingdom’s warriors. The mages seemed excited as the spells they had trained in

shouted at that

“Attack!”

up the shields shot out long-distance magic spells that they had been preparing since

on the towers, start your attacks as

black alchemy

Baaang!

magic spells from the

spells exploded midair, causing the

Duke Huten’s expression contorted.

“…The Flame Dwarves…!”

Screech-

opened their mouths and let out

layers of white bones that looked like birds from hell were

no one could see was the black-colored dead mana that

the Flame Dwarves, Rosalyn, and

voice in his ear through the video communication

his voice as he pulled

“Strike!”

Baaang!

largest skeleton bird drove its body into

Bang! Bang! Bang-

birds followed suit and struck the other black

“Ugh!”

“My mana got disturbed!”

black towers had to recompose their wavering bodies. However, their spells had either been canceled or

six towers were

he had struck and stared at the sole tower that

mage on that tower was not

was instead continuously creating

more important to protect someone there than to

see the one person being protected by

member of the Lion

did not exist in this world. Kanelle made

that was like a mane, was fluttering in

dare these Flame Dwarf

The Lion’s face contorted.

recognized that

candidates to become the next Lion

encountered in the north at

Kanelle as they

with such a crude object?! You’re just a damn Dwarf! You

Kanelle subconsciously clutched the reins that he was holding onto after he saw the murderous look in the Lion’s eyes. Cale’s nonchalant voice came through the video communication device at that moment. That Lion bastard is always

Grin.

frown at Kanelle’s smile. Lions can’t fly.

not fail

yet, Kanelle was certain because Cale gave the

to both Kanelle, who was in the sky, and

for the time being and made eye contact with Duke

was wary of

Kingdom used magic twice so far, however, Rosalyn had

Ooooong-

more red mana gathered around

if