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.

words on the ground were covered

here in shock. He separated Raon and I with the mana disturbance

as Gashan's existence. They were all

know about.

We’ll be

with you. I think it’ll be better to leave this one

I

breeze brushed past Cale

you heard the soldiers earlier,

them made

I

had said the

feast today for the esteemed guests of

you

Gashan’s voice through the

“First.”

Cale started to write on the ground again as Choi Han was about to question his

Illusionist this strong can probably

confirmed the crow nodding its head before starting to write more things. The crow read what Cale

Caw, caw.

crows left

Shhhh.

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

where the luxurious feast

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

expected a day like

his armor raised his wine

Clang!

a different glass in the air, making a clear

stand guard for the first

touch this new suit of his. There was a gold-plated badge with the Dubori crest on

know where the lord found such talented people to

took a sip of the

next to the useless and greedy lord who had no thoughts about taking care of the territory. Today was

a dazzling feast

were beautiful chandeliers, expensive wine, and food that was both beautiful to look at and delicious to

knew we would get to enjoy such luxuries after guarding the entrance to the Land of Death day

people who guarded the city walls heading into

Lord-nim seems extremely giving by calling everyone here

was listening to his subordinate knight let out

‘The lord’s giving?’

Lord-nim but those new individuals who are very

with greed as he looked toward the three people

paid for this feast and had brought over the new soldiers and mages to

can’t understand what they saw in the lord to

Screeeech-

knight covered his ear after hearing

“Ugh.”

“Sir, what’s wrong?”

“No. It's nothing.”

badge on his suit glowed red for a moment before returning to normal. His eyes

you

ourselves when such a grand welcome feast is taking

from

Plop.

“Hmm?”

up. He could see the banquet hall's old ceiling that was covered by the

the ceiling or something. There

get you a

glass and the atmosphere became

‘That scared me.’

person hiding in the old

hole in the ceiling to look inside turned his

‘Do it properly.’

Han with a vicious glare. Choi Han who had

his head side to side as he mouthed silently. A small candle was flickering in

Han, there are no

nodded his

are no

“Haaaaa.”

before stretching his legs out and sitting

‘These… rats!’

looked completely dirty as he was covered in

knew it would be this hard

had been difficult for Cale to infiltrate the Lord’s Castle while dodging the rats throughout the Dubori

He truly is

the air or walk in freely. Cale frowned as he recalled how he had to roll around in the dirt as the new employee Kim Rok Soo for the first

‘…Why! How?!’

Han was clean. Cale finally felt the difference between his physical abilities

Tap. Tap.

the holes in the ceiling. There were two holes and Cale held back his sigh as he laid on the

then looked through one of

‘Ha!’

feast. He could see people enjoying themselves. Cale thought about the different rooms in the castle he passed

room, the magic research room, the military strategy room, and the

black mages

they can't receive crown prince Valentino's

been cut while the area was surrounded in mana disturbance, which probably meant that crown prince Valentino gave up on magic and was probably rushing

raise

his glass through the small hole.

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

pointed to three

‘Aigoo.’

Cale sighed.

White Star, the Bear

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

person the

was smiling while standing between the Bear

‘It’s not here.’