Trash of the Count's Family

The crow observed the fainted rat in Choi Han’s hand. The crow on Cale’s shoulder approached the rat and thoroughly observed it.

“The Illusionist seems to control rats.”

Choi Han put the fainted rat down and picked his sword up again after hearing the certainty in Gashan's voice.

Slaaaaash, slash!

The ground underneath the entire alley was flipped over. Choi Han frowned every time he stabbed his sword into the ground. Once the sword stabbed a certain length into the ground…

‘…There’s a path!’

He felt a small underground path that small animals such as rats would be able to cross. Choi Han quickly flipped the ground over. He then raised his senses to become as sensitive as possible.

Squeeak, squeak-

He then heard a quiet noise. Choi Han turned his head. Somewhere in the dark alley… A shaded spot in the corner of the wall that even Choi Han who was hiding there had ignored…

Squeeak, squeak, squeak!

Choi Han made eye contact with a rat that started to run away. He looked around at the ground, the alley, on top of the wall, and then across the Dubori territory.

‘…We're on top of the White Star's palm!’

He had no idea where else those small rats might be hiding. He had no way of knowing where they might be hiding and observing them.

‘Since when…since when were we being observed?’

Choi Han got goosebumps on his back.

Had they been observed by those rats as soon as they entered the Dubori territory? Or were they being observed long before they even arrived at the territory?

‘The rumbling we felt in Young-en when we were meeting with crown prince Valentino. Was that rumbling from the West we felt the Illusionist's doing as well?’

Choi Han had known the White Star was strong this whole time, but for some odd reason, he had not been afraid of the White Star. He felt as if the White Star was an enemy they could defeat at any moment.

‘Why did I have such thoughts?’

The White Star and his subordinates were not people they could look down upon.

The White Star had clashed with Choi Han and the others many times, but it had been as if he had been hiding himself every time. The situation in the Mogoru was something he did by making the Empire's people move.

But now, the White Star was revealing himself without hiding at all in the Caro Kingdom’s Dubori territory. It felt as if the White Star’s power, influence, and abilities were coming out of hiding and surrounding Choi Han.

‘…Shit.’

Choi Han finally started to feel a sense of danger.

‘I didn't think I’d only realize I was stuck in a spider web until after I was already stuck.’

Since they entered this small city with the Lord’s Castle, no, since they entered the Dubori territory or even the Caro Kingdom, they had been caught in the White Star’s web and had been moving on top of his palm.

Caw, caw.

Choi Han realized he could not hear anybody speaking through the crow's cawing.

‘Even Cale-nim is quiet.’

He felt the weight of this dangerous situation even more after seeing that both Gashan and more importantly, Cale, were quiet. His gaze headed toward his silent liege.

“…Cale-nim?”

Choi Han could see the silently smiling Cale. His smiling gaze met Choi Han’s eyes. Choi Han then realized why he had not been scared of the White Star until now. Every time he was about to be shocked because of the White Star’s strength, there was someone who was always smiling as if it was nothing.

“Choi Han, there's none left around us now, right?”

Choi Han closed his eyes after hearing Cale’s question. His sensitive swordsman’s senses were activated again and he soon opened his eyes.

“There are no living creatures other than us here.”

The Illusionist's rats were nowhere to be found.

“Is that so?”

Cale then crouched down on the ground. The ground that Choi Han had overturned earlier… Cale put his hand inside the now soft dirt.

Caw, caw.

A few crows surrounded Cale and Choi Han. Choi Han's eyes opened wide as this small area outside the White Star's gaze was created.

The Western continent’s common language was being written on the ground.

< Choi Han, Gashan. They won't be able to see this. >

There were no rats nearby. That meant that they would not be able to read these words.

Shh.

Cale quickly erased the words he had just written. He then started to write something else in the ground.

< Go call your friends over right away. >

‘Friends?’

The crow looked toward Cale in confusion but Cale shook his head. Choi Han also looked confused but Cale kept on writing.

Go call your friends over right away. And then…

< Tell your friends in the desert about our situation. >

Choi Han started to move his hand.

< Cale-nim, who are you talking to? >

Who was Cale giving this order to? Cale looked at him and started to speak.

"The White Star used his head very well.”

Shhhhh.

the ground were covered up

the fire with an illusion and made us rush here in shock. He separated Raon and I with the mana disturbance and hid his ears throughout the

and his location, as well as Gashan's existence. They were all

White Star did not know about. Cale tightened his grip

be back

it’ll be better

destruction. I

brushed past Cale and rose

you heard the soldiers earlier,

two of them

Cale-nim, I heard

had

be a luxurious feast today for the esteemed guests of the

are you

voice through

“First.”

to write on the ground again as Choi

Illusionist this strong can probably

write more things. The crow read what Cale was writing

Caw, caw.

crows left Cale’s side

Shhhh.

Han covered Cale's words with dirt in order to get rid of the evidence. Cale then motioned toward a direction with his head

Lord’s Castle where the

This was known as a terrible territory that nobody would visit because it had the Land of Death, one of the

I never expected a day

instead of his armor raised his wine glass into the

Clang!

a different glass

It’s nice to not have to stand guard for the first time in a long while! We also get to wear these new

He continued to touch this new suit of his. There was a gold-plated badge with

know where the lord found such talented people

subordinate and took a sip of the wine. His eyes then peeked toward the center of the

had no thoughts about taking care of the territory. Today was the day they were celebrating these people the lord had brought over a few days

such a dazzling feast to happen in

mages, and the territory's administrators all got to enjoy! There were beautiful chandeliers, expensive wine, and food

get to enjoy such luxuries after guarding the entrance to the Land of Death

were people who guarded the city walls heading into

calling everyone here to celebrate

was listening to his subordinate knight

‘The lord’s giving?’

those new individuals who are very

as he looked

and had brought over

territory? I can’t understand what they saw in

Screeeech-

his ear

“Ugh.”

“Sir, what’s wrong?”

“No. It's nothing.”

red for a moment before returning to

you

enjoy ourselves when such a grand welcome feast is taking part

the three individuals had disappeared from the laughing knight’s mind. He picked

Plop.

“Hmm?”

wine glass. The knight frowned and looked up. He could see

or something.

get you

wine glass and the atmosphere

‘That scared me.’

person hiding in the old

created a small hole in the ceiling to look

‘Do it properly.’

looking at Choi Han with a vicious glare. Choi Han who had made the hole erased his aura from his

he mouthed silently. A small candle

there are no

nodded

are no rats

“Haaaaa.”

sigh before stretching his

‘These… rats!’

looked completely dirty as he was covered in dust

would be this hard

Cale to infiltrate the Lord’s Castle while dodging the rats throughout

is

how he had to roll around in the dirt as the new employee Kim Rok Soo for the first time in a long while. He started to frown

‘…Why! How?!’

the difference between

Tap. Tap.

ceiling. There were two holes and Cale

through one

‘Ha!’

Cale thought about the different rooms in the

the magic research room, the military strategy room, and

all empty. Only black mages

can't receive crown prince Valentino's calls and are

of communication had been cut while the area was surrounded in mana disturbance, which probably meant that crown prince Valentino gave up on

everybody raise your

see the territory lord raise his glass through the small

Dubori and the Dubori territory! Look over here! These are the people who will help

pointed to three

‘Aigoo.’

Cale sighed.

White Star, the Bear

familiar white mask and the feeble-looking Bear King were smiling while wearing fancy

that person

while standing between the Bear King and the White

‘It’s not here.’