Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 256

Weapon-Eating Bastard – Episode 256

Rank 1.

The weight of that word is so heavy it sways international affairs.

They are beings treated like armies or natural disasters, all within a single person.

They are strategic weapons that can destroy mountains and part the seas with just a small sword.

And Saintess Christina, known as the Sword of the Holy State, has long been recognized as one of the strongest Rank 1 warriors.

Therefore, no one was surprised when she arrived with only the next Saintess, Serena Cannata.

Because there is no one in this world who can guard a Rank 1 warrior.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Christina.”

My eldest brother greeted her unexpected visit calmly.

My second sister also showed courtesy, and the other brothers greeted her in turn. Only Lee Seo-hyun made a fuss because of their personal friendship.

‘She’s become stronger.’

I admired inwardly as I watched Saintess Christina greet my brothers.

I had seen her once before during the Puppeteer incident, and I could feel that she was subtly different from then.

“It’s been a while, Saintess Christina.”

After my brothers finished greeting Saintess Christina in turn, I greeted her last.

She gave a slight nod with a gentle smile.

“It’s good to see you. You’ve become stronger, Duke Lee Chul.”

“It’s just a small achievement.”

“It’s too great to be called a small achievement. Amazing.”

Saintess Christina sensed the aura around Lee Chul.

His already strong body had changed, and the power within him as a transcendent had become even stronger.

Usually, those who have opened the door tend to stagnate in their growth, but such common logic did not seem to apply to Lee Chul.

Then, Lee Myung-jung stepped forward and opened her mouth.

“Lady Christina, under different circumstances, I would have welcomed your visit, but the situation is not favorable. May I ask the purpose of your visit?”

Since I had established ties with the Holy State, the relationship between Soongmoo and the Holy State had become close to an alliance.

However, in this incident, the Holy State sent troops to the Aerial Fortress despite Soongmoo’s request.

From the main family’s perspective, her visit was not welcome.

And that was what I was curious about as well.

‘The Holy State owes me, but that doesn’t mean they can bring it into organizational matters.’

The Holy State owed a debt to me personally, not to the entire Soongmoo family.

And that relationship would lose its meaning if it were caught up in such a global event.

Saintess Christina hesitated for a moment before speaking in a rather low voice.

“I’ll explain once we go inside.”

“Hmm… Yes, please do. This way.”

My eldest brother guided Saintess Christina inside.

Meanwhile, Serena stopped next to me and Lee Seo-hyun instead of following the Saintess.

She smiled bitterly and bowed her head.

“So, we meet like this, Lee Chul, Seo-hyun.”

“I know! I was so surprised! What’s going on with you too?”

I stared at Serena for a moment and said,

“The Holy State seems to have made its decision.”

The Puppeteer incident, which brought great repercussions due to betrayal and observation.

Since then, the Holy State has been gradually increasing its influence.

For such a Holy State… the Aerial Fortress incident could not be ignored.

“I’m sorry, Duke Lee Chul.”

“It’s alright. I understand. More importantly, why did the Saintess come here in person?”

I had a few ideas, but it wasn’t something she should be visiting for at this point.

If it were a request for an alliance or cooperation, the command would have been contacted.

“I came to mediate.”

“…Mediate?”

“Let’s go in together. Lee Chul should hear the story too.”

At Serena’s words, I nodded and walked into the command center where all my brothers had entered.

Saintess Christina sat facing my brothers.

In the meantime, all the operation maps and secrets within the command center had been cleared away.

It started with meaningless conversations but soon moved on to the main topic.

“The Holy State wants to play a mediating role in this matter.”

“What kind of mediation are you talking about?”

“Currently, the Eiffel Magic Tower… no, let’s temporarily call it the ‘Alliance.’ Soongmoo intends to strike the Alliance, correct?”

“Of course.”

“The battle here could lead to conflicts between nations. As you know… their scale has grown so large.”

It wasn’t just about the size of the military force.

It was the same thing I discussed with my second sister earlier.

Power isn’t just about military force.

It could be financial power, politics, diplomacy, or the power of public opinion.

And they will actively use that power.

“If it escalates, there is a possibility that something too big will happen. We are concerned about that. Therefore, we came here to request mediation.”

Coming here like this meant that the other side also had such intentions.

“In the end, isn’t the Holy State just one of the organizations participating in this scramble? How can we trust you?”

I deliberately excluded any political rhetoric and threw out a rather direct story.

It was possible because of my friendship with Saintess Christina.

“The Holy State came here out of concern for the balance of the world from the beginning. We certainly did not come here for the Holy State’s own gain.”

“I am not unaware of the Holy State’s nobility. However, I want you to assure me that you are qualified as a mediator.”

“Therefore, we want to prepare a negotiation table, not just simple mediation. This is a request from the Eiffel Magic Tower side.”

A negotiation table?

I looked at Saintess Christina, wondering what she meant, and she continued.

“The leaders of each force gathered here, including the Russell family of England, will all be present. I would like to ask you to attend.”

The Vatican, a religious state that has maintained neutrality since ancient times.

A table was prepared that could only be made there.

I met eyes with my eldest brother.

And my eldest brother nodded and replied.

* * *

Saintess Christina bowed politely and left the Soongmoo base.

“Thank you for your hospitality. Then, I’ll be on my way.”

“Yes, please be careful.”

Saintess Christina and Serena left for the wilderness forest.

Even though they were moving alone in the wilderness, not as a group, I wasn’t worried at all.

“Hmm…”

My eldest brother narrowed his eyes and looked at the back of Saintess Christina, who had already disappeared.

I felt like he was worried.

In any case, the current acting head of the family is my eldest brother.

And it was my eldest brother who made the decision.

The responsibility of having the family’s fate determined by his decision must be heavy.

“Either way would have been a good choice.”

I spoke quietly to my eldest brother.

What my eldest brother chose was to sit at the negotiation table.

There would be several reasons.

Starting from the various dishonorable things that would be gained the moment you didn’t attend the prepared seat, to having to understand the situation, to political interests…

Soongmoo chose to sit at that table.

“What would you have chosen?”

“I would have made the same choice as you, big brother.”

“Really? I thought you would shout nonsense and smash everything?”

“…What do you think of me?”

Recently, people in the family and those around me seem to misunderstand me a lot.

“The reason I said it was a good choice is not different. I wanted to see what kind of faces they had. And I was curious about what they were saying.”

I said with a sneer.

They’re scared and want to negotiate, and I wanted to see what kind of faces they would make.

My eldest brother let out a hollow laugh.

“Even though the negotiation site is right in front of the enemy’s base?”

The place where the negotiation would take place was near where the Eiffel Magic Tower’s mobile fortress was parked.

“Isn’t that why it’s fun?”

I replied with a smile, and my eldest brother chuckled.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“By the way, were the people from the Eiffel Magic Tower originally like this?”

It was quite a sinister way of handling things.

The Magic Tower is currently taking all the good images and benefits as the leader of the alliance, but it did not take any action when the small forces were swept away.

Then, now, with the Holy State as a mediator, they called Soongmoo to the table.

“No. The Eiffel Magic Tower was just an ordinary academic institution. Head Tower Michael was also closer to a scholar than the head of a large force. The fortress was originally created as a self-defense measure for such scholars… Anyway, it wasn’t like that at least until I was there.”

My eldest brother’s gaze narrowed.

The leader of the Western magic world, the Eiffel Magic Tower.

Something had changed for them.

“Did you find out anything through separate connections?”

“Yes. But… it was such an ambiguous story that it was as if I hadn’t heard anything. Don’t you have any informants?”

“I have a friend who is a magician from the Bell family. She seems to have participated this time, so I’ll ask her directly.”

“Yes, find out. I’ve also put a communication in the family’s command, so we’ll get something out of it.”

I nodded and pondered for a moment.

‘In my past life, Valerie naturalized and lived in Korea. She abandoned the Magic Tower altogether.’

Valerie is a strange person, but she’s not the kind of person who would make such a major decision just because of food.

In the past, there was something.

‘And I know that even though the Magic Tower caught it… they didn’t take any action separately.’

But in this life, Valerie not only returned to the Magic Tower but also came here as one of their members.

There’s something.

A strange feeling.

I turned my head and looked into the distance.

Anyway, I’ll be able to check it directly soon.

“Anyway, the meeting is the day after tomorrow, so I have to rest even if I don’t like it until then. Then I’ll go in now.”

“Yes, please do.”

I also greeted my eldest brother and approached the side where the Ironclad Knights were located.

And there, I found Lee Young-sung standing tall and waiting for me.

“What’s wrong? You’ve been training almost all night, why aren’t you resting?”

“That’s… because I have something to tell you.”

“To me? What is it?”

“A piece of information came in from the Black Crow Society via communication.”

From the Black Crow Society.

I had asked them to investigate a few things, so I thought something had finally come in.

“What is it?”

“…It’s information related to the Eiffel Magic Tower.”

Soon, I was able to hear the information that the Black Crow Society had brought through Lee Young-sung’s mouth.

The information exceeded my expectations.

I couldn’t help but widen my eyes at the source of the information.

* * *

A few days have passed since the Aerial Fortress landed on the ground.

In the midst of the strange standoff currently prevailing on the scene, a negotiation table was finally set up.

My second sister, my eldest brother, and I headed to the conference hall with ease.

“That’s the mobile fortress… it’s huge.”

My second sister looked up at the sky with a nonchalant face.

Even when looking up, there was a huge building whose end could not be seen.

It was like dragging an aircraft carrier directly onto the ground.

The shadow was so dark on the ground that it blocked the sunlight.

A strategic weapon of the Eiffel Magic Tower that is amphibious, can even fly if there is enough magic power, and has all kinds of magical attack methods, including dozens of magic cannons.

Mobile Fortress, Sky Whale.

It was a magnificent sight, like a moving fortress.

“Even though it’s hundreds of meters away, the shadow is cast. It’s too big.”

“We’ll be there soon. Someone’s coming.”

The person who came to greet us was Serena.

“Welcome.”

“It’s good to see you again, Lady Serena.”

“Nice to meet you. But… the escort troops…?”

“There aren’t any.”

I smiled at Lady Serena.

“The three of us are all that came from Soongmoo.”

Serena widened her eyes with a surprised expression for a moment.

Even though it was right in front of the enemy’s base, only three people came here.

She was momentarily speechless at the incredible confidence.

“…You can come this way. Everyone has arrived.”

As we moved, the troops of each force guarding the area began to send us glances.

We were soon led to the conference hall.

A place where the world’s leaders gather.

We were about to enter a place where there were probably no places that could be called allies of Soongmoo.

Since the conference venue was in an unexplored area, it was a rather crude place to be called a place where top-notch people who move the world gathered.

Should I be thankful that a large round table and chairs were prepared?

Each force was talking to representatives who were friendly with each other.

And it was when we were having such small talk.

“…It seems that Soongmoo has arrived.”

Representatives from each force received such reports from their subordinates.

Soon, three people entered the conference hall.

“…There.”

“They’ve come.”

The moment Soongmoo appeared in the conference hall, a strange silence and tension lingered in the room.

Some swallowed dry saliva.

Some showed hostility.

Some showed some fear.

Some organizations felt their own impressions as they looked at the three who came from Soongmoo.

‘I heard that only three of them came without any escort troops. That’s amazing confidence.’

‘Even though it’s a distance away, it’s right in front of the mobile fortress… It’s like Soongmoo.’

‘Coming to the meeting so late. Is this a disregard for us?’

‘It’s just that they lowered their tails. No matter how much Soongmoo is, the number of people was different.’

‘Even if it’s Soongmoo, they can’t help it with this much force.’

In many ways, a strange atmosphere floated in the room.

What was certain was that the surrounding atmosphere was all flowing towards the three figures of Soongmoo.

Without caring about such an atmosphere, Lee Myung-jung opened her mouth as she sat in the prepared seat.

“We’re a little late. We are Soongmoo.”

I turned my gaze and looked at the old man sitting on the opposite side.

An old man with thick robes and deep eyes.

Just by looking at the enormous magic power and perfectly controlled aura within him, I could tell who he was.

‘Is that the head of the Eiffel Magic Tower?’

The head of the Eiffel Magic Tower, Michael Garrell.

He was a person who seemed to have moved the image of an old gentleman as it is.

I know that his actual age is over 70, but thanks to the level of reversing aging, he only looked like he was in his 40s or 50s at best.

“Welcome, Representative Lee Myung-jung. And Black Emperor and Mugwang are also here. Thank you for accepting a somewhat rude request.”

He said so and smiled brightly.

Then, someone spoke to us in a light tone.

“I’m just grateful that you’ve taken this difficult step.”

The first to speak was one of the people on the coalition side.

The appearance is very clear Latin.

Looking at the fact that I don’t remember his face, he seemed to be an ambiguous person who didn’t even know what country he was from.

The aura that was felt at first glance was Rank 3. Or around that.

He continued with an unidentified sneer on his lips.

“Since you like fighting so much, I didn’t think you would come here.”

“It’s not a place I shouldn’t come to, so there’s no reason to avoid it.”

At my answer, the man narrowed his eyes slightly and turned his gaze to my eldest brother.

“Hmm, the person who came as the representative is Twin Stars…”

“I’m currently acting as the head of the family, but there is no high or low in the distribution and rank of the three of us. Please think of all three of us as representing Soongmoo.”

My eldest brother said clearly, and the man coughed lowly with an embarrassed expression.

Around that time, one of the Chinese military’s martial artists sitting next to him chuckled and said to the man.

“Haha! Sir Pietro. You’re being too mischievous.”

“Hehe, is that so?”

“Please don’t pay too much attention to Sir Pietro’s words. He’s just trying to ease the atmosphere.”

He fiddled with the collar of his military uniform, then continued with a seemingly relaxed expression.

“Anyway, isn’t this meeting not bad for Soongmoo’s position? You can save face, avoid fighting, and even if it’s Soongmoo, the damage will be great if a battle breaks out.”

As if we had lowered our tails.

Or they were talking as if they were people who had already admitted defeat.

‘The Chinese military. It was a force that was at odds with the Nine Dragons Association.’

I quietly stared at him.

My eldest brother was silent, and my second sister suddenly lowered her head and shrugged her shoulders as if she was trying to hold back her laughter.

“Anyway, fighting isn’t good. I hope we can have constructive conversations here and find an agreement…”

I sighed deeply at his continued words.

My eldest brother looked at me as if he had no intention of speaking, and my second sister was now laughing out loud.

It seems that I have to play all the villains.

Of course, I was going to open my mouth even if I wasn’t told to do so.

“You seem to be misunderstanding something.”

The moment I opened my mouth, Serena turned her gaze towards me.

Serena, who knew me well, turned pale as if she was embarrassed when she saw my face.

“What do you mean?”

The man from the military asked, still with a strange sneer.

I ignored Serena’s expression and spat out the prepared words.

“We didn’t come here to negotiate with you.”