Trash of the Count's Family - TCF Part 2 - Chapter 53

People flocked to the central plaza as a festival-like event was held in the capital. But strangely, the atmosphere was noisy and gloomy. There was a fountain in the center of the plaza, and around it were pie-like partitions. Inside each partition was a candidate and their captives. Zero sat and scanned the place.
He could not help but laugh as he looked around. But the other candidates were shocked and envious of Zero as they saw his captives. Zero had several paid mercenaries standing behind him instead of an assistant. He was rumored to have been willing to take a point deduction just to bring in those mercenaries. But the candidates were not surprised about Zero’s mercenaries.
Rather, they were shocked to see his captives. Zero had more than 10 large wagons full of around 20 people each. All his captives were forced to kneel with their hands and feet bound, and their heads covered with a black sack. So the other candidates were envious of him and thought that he was the winner of the 2nd test.
We then get the perspective of one male candidate. The candidate sighed and wondered if the captives here were truly guilty. Some candidates have caught at least 10 people. The candidate’s assistant called him ‘young master’ and the candidate shook his head. He knew that whether or not the captive was innocent or guilty did not matter in this test.
He had only caught one person, and that person was not even part of the groups on the list. The groups on the list were divided into different ranks, and the points awarded differed depending on the rank. The candidate knew that he already lost as he could not find even one person on the list. So he had captured a person wanted for serial murder in the capital.
His assistant said that there were a lot of people around the imperial palace, and the candidate said that the air around this place was strange. They heard people from the audience who were screaming about the innocence of some of the captives. The candidate called his assistant as ‘butler’ and asked if his mother had said anything.
The butler replied that the matriarch could not interfere as this event was the work of the imperial family and the Huayans. The candidate was the third son of the current family head of a marquis house in the empire. He looked back at Zero and muttered that a person like Zero should not be the emperor. Judging from the bloody wounds of Zero’s captives, it made him feel uneasy imagining how they were brutally subdued.
He wondered if Zero’s captives were even people on the list. Zero caught the candidate looking at him, and sent a smile. The candidate mentally clicked his tongue and averted his gaze. He asked his butler about the 2nd Imperial Princess and Heni Wishrop. His butler answered that they were not here yet. There were 30 minutes left before the end of the 2nd test.
Olivia appeared with a relaxed and gentle smile. Some of the candidates laughed, saying that she had given up since she did not bring a single captive. Only the priest in charge of her treatment was besides her. The other candidates sneered at her, confident that she would be in the last place. One said that the priest besides her was good as she looked to be in good health.
Another spoke of a rumor that the 2nd Imperial Princess had met the emperor a few days ago. Since she could not participate in the 2nd test, she must have used her blood connections. Envy spread among the candidates, but there were some like the marquis’s third son who were relieved that she did not caught anyone.
Olivia studied each candidate as if she was evaluating them. Raon telepathically told Cale that there were a lot of people here. Priest Cale thought that there would be many casualties if a huge battle took place here. Of course, he did not intend for that to happen. He met eyes with Zero who smiled at him. Raon said that Zero was acting strange, and Cale nodded.
Cale glanced at the wagons brought by Zero. Suddenly, the Chief of Staff announced that the emperor was arriving soon. The plaza became quiet as a white teleportation magic circle appeared on the stage. Cheers erupted when the emperor, Redok Huayans, and the knight commander emerged from the circle. Knights and black mages surrounded the stage and stood as guards.
The emperor began his speech about the groups aiming to bring harm to the empire. His entire body except for his neck upwards were covered in clothing. The emperor praised the candidates who caught the members of those groups. Cale did not listen to his words since he was looking at Redok Huayans. Redok was staring at Zero as if probing him for something.
The emperor’s speech ended, and the Chief of Staff declared that once the emperor was seated, they would immediately proceed with the announcement of the 2nd test results and the judgment of the criminals. The emperor headed to his seat as the crowd cheered. But he and his entourage stopped walking as they heard a loud noise.
Everyone looked up the sky and saw a huge bone dragon flying. Raon said that Mary was here. The bone dragon flew to the central plaza, and the guards prepared to attack. The Chief of Staff frowned when he saw the bone dragon’s shadow being cast right above the emperor. He asked the 19th candidate to explain herself.
A bell sounded somewhere, signaling the end of the 2nd test. And then, a person jumped down from the bone dragon, landing smoothly on the stage where the emperor was. Mary looked at the emperor and said that she had caught some people. The Chief of Staff got angry at her disrespectful attitude towards the emperor.
Mary waved her hand, and the bone dragon’s stomach opened, revealing 11 people inside. The crowd was speechless, and Mary said that she had captured the pope and all 10 bishops of the Church of the Fire of Purification. Redok was surprised while Cale grinned.