Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 181

Weapon-Eating Bastard – Episode 181

Council of Elders, Central Assembly Hall.

In the center of the spacious hall was a round table reserved for the Upper Elders, surrounded by seats for the Lower Elders.

Just as the Executive Branch has departments like Personnel and Military Affairs, the Council of Elders also has subordinate organizations.

Notably, there are the Medical Center, the Judicial Office, the Research Institute, the Education Center, the Training Command, and so on.

The heads of these institutions were the Upper Elders.

They were, literally, the power brokers of the Soongmoo Yi Family.

A silence hung over the Central Assembly Hall where they were gathered.

“If we continue to remain silent, there’s no point in giving the bastard this time,” said Lee Cheol-joong, the Head of the Council of Elders and the most senior member of the family, breaking the silence.

Normally, a direct descendant who had completed their martial pilgrimage should have come here immediately after the final verification.

However, the situation unfolded in a way that was too different from expectations, and the Head of the Council of Elders had requested more time.

“Ahem…”

“Hmm…”

Despite the Head Elder’s words, the elders remained silent, only clearing their throats.

The Head Elder wore a cold sneer as he looked around.

‘The shock must have been great.’

It was understandable.

They expected him to become stronger, given his talent, but no one anticipated he would become this strong.

In the Soongmoo Yi Family, strength equates to power.

The dazzling growth of someone they had so disregarded and oppressed as a bastard was bound to be shocking.

“I don’t understand why the elders are so nervous. Is there a problem? Whether bastard or direct descendant, he is just another member of the Soongmoo Yi Family who has returned after fulfilling his duties,” said Lee Baek-cheol, the Head of the Training Command and Lee Tae-shin’s younger brother, indifferently.

“A direct descendant who completes the martial pilgrimage gains the qualifications of a quasi-elder. They get voting rights in all matters the family undertakes. Of course, there would be concerns, wouldn’t there?” Lee Cheol-joong said to Lee Baek-cheol with a seemingly cunning smile.

Lee Baek-cheol scoffed and said,

“It just looks like they’re worried about their own rice bowls.”

“What nonsense!”

“Ahem! Baek-cheol, you!”

Even though Lee Baek-cheol was an elder and the current family head’s younger brother, there were many elders of higher rank present.

Some elders expressed displeasure at Lee Baek-cheol’s somewhat rude remarks.

However, Lee Baek-cheol paid them no attention and clicked his tongue.

“If you’re going to antagonize the bastard, you should thoroughly suppress him. If you’re going to appease and accept him, then do what’s appropriate. What are you doing now? It’s pathetic. The elders of the Soongmoo Yi Family are just clearing their throats and watching each other’s reactions.”

Lee Baek-cheol finished speaking and leaned roughly against the back of his chair.

The elders were about to raise their voices again, but the Head Elder stopped them.

“Everyone, stop. It seems like it’s time to have a practical discussion.”

Then another middle-aged man, who was also displeased with the situation in a different way, spoke up.

“What practical discussion is there to have? Shouldn’t we just acknowledge the authority according to the family rules and allow him to learn the family’s secret techniques and profound mysteries according to the procedures?”

It was the Chief Manager, Lee Tae-hong.

Lee Cheol’s uncle and the man who most supported Lee Cheol.

Recalling his nephew’s appearance after so long, his heart was still pounding.

Lee Tae-hong continued, not even bothering to hide the smile on his face.

“We just need to follow the family rules. Doesn’t a direct descendant who completes the martial pilgrimage receive appropriate compensation based on their achievements during the pilgrimage?”

Lee Tae-hong paused, scanning the elders before continuing.

“Additionally, they are granted the authority to establish a personal martial guard, access to the Janggyeonggak Library [a library storing important texts], and support for business permits. We just need to provide those ‘obvious things’.”

“Haha, the Chief Manager is right. We must follow the family rules. However, what worries me is the stability of the family.”

“The stability of the family?”

Lee Cheol-joong wore a peculiar smile.

“The youngest bastard has a somewhat… rebellious nature. And I’ve heard he often makes remarks suggesting he’s aiming for the family’s throne.”

“What’s the problem with that?”

“Of course, there’s a problem. I’m worried he might cause unnecessary conflict with his greed and disrupt the family’s order.”

Lee Cheol-joong was speaking as if Lee Cheol was a loach [a type of fish known for stirring up mud] stirring up muddy waters.

‘…Who is really making the clear water muddy?’

Lee Tae-hong frowned.

“If he dedicates himself to the family in accordance with his role, like the Chief Manager, then I wouldn’t have any worries. The other elders gathered here are only concerned about the family. Isn’t that right?”

“Ahem, that’s right.”

“Of course.”

The elders nodded in response to Lee Cheol-joong’s words as he looked around.

‘Like the Chief Manager, huh…’

Lee Tae-hong chuckled.

The intention behind those words was obvious.

As a bastard, he should keep his mouth shut, lower his head, and dedicate himself to the family, just as he had done.

“I’m just worried because the youngest bastard is such an outstanding individual. He suppressed his sister as soon as he arrived, and he has often expressed animosity towards the elders.”

“…That child is also a direct descendant of the Lee family. There’s no reason why he can’t do whatever he wants to do.”

In response to Lee Tae-hong’s words, Lee Cheol-joong smiled kindly and said,

“I’m just a little worried. He possesses martial prowess that he shouldn’t be able to obtain at his age, and we don’t know what he did during his martial pilgrimage, do we? He was traveling in secret, after all.”

“So, isn’t that why we’re here, to hear about it?”

“That’s because there’s nothing you can’t hide if you want to. What if he came into contact with some wicked group…”

He understood what he was implying.

Lee Tae-hong frowned.

“That child wouldn’t do that.”

“I’m just speaking hypothetically. And considering everything I’ve just said, I thought we needed to discuss how to treat him.”

Lee Cheol-joong paused, picked up the teacup in front of him, took a sip, and looked around before saying,

“So, I’d like the elders to freely express their opinions. As elders of the family, shouldn’t we guide the family in the right direction? Haha.”

Following Lee Cheol-joong’s words, the elders began to cautiously express their opinions.

“Ahem, shouldn’t we just give that bastard the amount that’s been decided? Myung-jung is already the next family head, so that child…”

“Well, we have to give him what’s due. He’s already so well-known externally…”

“If it’s okay, it would be good to persuade him nicely to use his strength for the family. He’s just a bastard, after all…”

Many opinions followed.

Of course, not everyone felt that way.

Some frowned, some had slightly different thoughts, and not many agreed with Lee Cheol-joong’s words.

However, no one dared to voice those thoughts.

“Then I’ll assume that’s the opinion of the other elders. I’m glad that opinions were easily gathered.” The conversation ended, and time passed.

The Lower Elders had all taken their seats, and when the appointed time of 5 PM arrived.

Creak-!

The door to the Central Assembly Hall opened, and Lee Cheol appeared.

* * *

As soon as I entered the Central Assembly Hall, I met the gazes of the elders surrounding me.

I stood confidently on the central platform.

“Lee Cheol of the Soongmoo Yi Family, I greet the elders.”

A simple greeting without flowery language.

I could see some of the elders’ eyes narrowing, but conversely, there were also those who looked at my confident demeanor with curious eyes.

“As of 2:20 PM on March 15, 2031, Lee Cheol, your martial pilgrimage has ended at the age of 21. Is there anything incorrect about this fact?”

It was the Head of the Censorate who spoke.

I nodded.

“There is nothing incorrect.”

“Then, from now on, Lee Cheol, we will conduct the final verification of your actions during your martial pilgrimage. If there are any related materials, please submit them now.”

“There’s a lot, is that okay?”

Some of the elders scoffed at my words.

The nuance was that there couldn’t be much, no matter how much there was.

In fact, I wasn’t holding anything in my hands right now, so they would think that even more.

“It’s okay, submit them.”

“Yes, then I’ll use that table in the corner for a moment.”

I pointed to a large wooden table in the corner of the Central Assembly Hall.

“What are you going to use that for?”

“I have a lot of things to put down.”

The elders began to laugh at my words.

“Hmph, he’s making a big fuss even when entering the training hall for the first time.”

“Tsk tsk, he’s overdoing it again…”

I lightly ignored the elders’ muttering and raised my aura to lift the table lightly.

Of course, I didn’t lift it with my hands.

“…!”

Wooong!

Aura Skill, Telekinesis.

The elders’ expressions were filled with surprise in many ways.

The most basic aura skill to move objects.

However, lifting such a heavy table so naturally and silently, and then putting it down again silently, was not a skill that anyone could do.

“Then I’ll start explaining one by one.”

With those words, I began to take out some materials.

“First of all… the Head of the Research Institute and the Head of the Secretariat will be pleased to see this.”

“Hmm?”

The first thing I took out was a stone tablet.

The stone tablet I obtained when I went to find our ancestor’s tomb.

“What is that?”

“It’s a key and a map with the location of the tomb of Moo Wang Lee Hyang-seon, the 2nd generation ancestor of the main family.”

“…!”

Shock filled the elders’ faces.

I smiled and began to take out one by one the things I had obtained during my martial pilgrimage.

Lee Hyang-seon’s Eunhan.

The connection with Jung Jin-soo.

The relationship with the Black Crow Society.

Nine Dragons Stronghold, the Great Tournament, Ron Russell, Odin’s Temple in Northern Europe, the Mirinae Village, the Church State incident….

Hiding what needed to be hidden, concealing what I didn’t want to reveal, even so.

Endless.

I poured out a truly endless amount of data.

“To think he was involved with that closed-off Church State…”

“The Black Crow Society, no way! I can’t believe it!”

“No, more than that, are you the person who’s been a hot topic among hunters recently?”

“President Jung Jin-soo was your man. What is this…”

I laughed inwardly as I watched the elders stammer in embarrassment.

“Well, that’s about it.”

Including the piles of documents and evidentiary materials, all sorts of data were piled up on the wide table.

I scoffed and faced them.

* * *

I partially concealed things about the Black Night, Mirinae Village, my relationship with Jung Jin-soo, and my relationship with the Black Crow Society, but I didn’t completely hide them.

The reason is simple.

I can’t hide everything now, and I don’t intend to.

‘I had to hide when I didn’t have the power to protect it.’

Now I have enough power to protect it.

Sometimes, there’s more power to be used by not hiding than by hiding.

I boldly revealed what needed to be revealed.

If they were to aim for my things….

‘I’d rather they did. Because breaking those means of aiming would create an excuse to aim for your things instead.’

The elders, who had been looking through all my data, once again let out voices mixed with shock.

“…There are no problems with the data.”

“It’s real! This is a discovery of the century! Items from before the founding! This is… this is really…!”

The most excited were, as expected, the Research Institute and the Historiography Office, which oversees family events and traditions.

The data was too much to even glance at once, but there was no difficulty in determining its authenticity.

I had prepared it knowing this would happen in the first place.

“No, I still can’t believe it. How can this be? What do you know to do these things…”

Some elders were skeptical.

“Where exactly was our ancestor’s tomb? Why hasn’t it been revealed until now?”

Some people started to raise their voices, wanting to satisfy their curiosity first.

Thump!

At that moment, Lee Cheol-joong lightly struck the round table.

Only then did silence descend upon the hall.

“Please be quiet for a moment.”

Lee Cheol-joong calmed the excited elders and looked at me.

I smiled as I looked at Lee Cheol-joong.

‘I’m getting excited.’

I wonder what that old man will say in front of all this data.

“Indeed, you are just like I thought. You’ve done so much. Well done. But.”

Lee Cheol-joong stared straight at me.

“Why did you act so recklessly?”

A moment of silence fell.

I narrowed my eyes and met Lee Cheol-joong’s gaze.

“What do you mean by recklessly?”

“Starting with the relationship with the Church State, Mirinae Village, and our ancestor’s tomb… it wasn’t something you could do alone. Couldn’t it have caused harm to the family?”

Lee Cheol-joong shook the documents he had received from me.

“The result was good, so I won’t say anything else, but some of the things you’ve done should have been reported to the family in advance.”

“Stop beating around the bush.”

I gestured with my chin and said,

“It seems like you have something you want to say, you can be direct.”

The Head Elder wore a meaningful smile.

“If that’s the case, then I’ll get to the point. It’s true that what you’ve done is great, so I’ll give you appropriate rewards for it. But some of the things you’ve accomplished need to be reconsidered. Hand over the related matters to the Council of Elders. These are relationships and tasks that are not easy for you to handle.”

He wrapped it up in different ways, but in any case, he was saying he would take my achievements.

‘Does he still not understand me properly? The Head Elder.’

I scoffed.

And answered with a sneer,

“I’m sorry, but that won’t work.”