Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 165

Lord Who Eats Weapons – Episode 165

Henry Russell quietly gazed at Lee Cheol.

A boy from Soongmoo [a prominent martial arts family] with distinctive jet-black hair and pale yellow eyes.

Henry read the emotion in the boy’s eyes.

‘Serene.’

Despite revealing his identity, he sensed no agitation from Lee Cheol.

There was a brief flicker of surprise, but that was it.

He was simply looking at him calmly, as if asking for an explanation.

“You don’t seem very shaken?”

“I have no reason to be shaken when I haven’t heard a proper explanation yet.”

Henry chuckled at those words.

Even with his insight, gained after reaching a certain level of mastery, he couldn’t fully grasp the boy’s thoughts.

‘I was trying to gauge his reaction……’

He hadn’t expected him to be this composed.

‘Tae-shin. I see you in this child.’

Henry looked at Lee Cheol for a moment, feeling a sense of longing.

Meanwhile.

I spoke first to Henry, who was momentarily silent.

“If it’s a difficult story to tell, you don’t have to force yourself.”

Just because I became friends with Ron doesn’t mean Henry has any reason to tell me about himself.

Then Henry shook his head with a smile.

“Well, excuse me. It’s not that it’s hard to tell. I was just thinking about how to start the story.”

Henry said that and stood up.

“Let’s move the location first. It’ll be easier to listen while seeing it directly than just hearing it.”

* * *

Henry’s study was an ordinary space with nothing special.

Since it was a personal study and not the family archive, there weren’t many books stored.

At most, there were only six bookshelves worth of books on both sides of the wall.

Henry walked around the study and took out a few books.

They were thick books bound in hardcover, and some were very old editions written in medieval English.

“How much do you know about the Great War era?”

“I know as much as is written in history books.”

Although not at the level of a specialist, he knew quite a bit more than the average person.

“Well, that’s enough. We’re not going to talk about detailed history anyway.”

Henry gestured for me to sit on the sofa in the center of the study.

As I sat in front of him, Henry placed the books on the table.

“The Great War was a chaotic era, and as is often the case, all sorts of groups emerged from the chaos. I’m not just talking about pseudo-cults or groups with bizarre ideologies. The Church State of that time, or Ireland, where we were until recently… you know what I mean, right?”

“Yes, I understand.”

The Great War era was similar to the Warring States period of ancient China [a time of great political and social upheaval].

In the midst of chaos, all sorts of nations were dissolved and merged, and numerous organizations emerged, growing in power while various ideologies and philosophies ran rampant.

Many groups collapsed and were not even recorded in history books, but many have continued to this day.

Ireland was able to break away from England thanks to the independence army formed at that time, and the Church State grew from a simple religious organization to a major power.

“However, there were those who grew their power in the shadows without revealing themselves……”

“Those are the Six Nights.”

My eyes gleamed.

Henry nodded.

“Hexa, Six-Pointed Star, Six Pillars… there are quite a few ways to call them. Kowloon Syndicate is probably the most representative?”

Wait a minute.

I doubted my ears for a moment.

“……Are you saying that the Kowloon Syndicate was one of the Six Nights?”

“They’ve only come to the surface now. Back then, they were quite a dangerous group.”

That makes sense.

Now they are one of the major powers, but back then, they would have been an armed group organized by civilians.

As I nodded, Henry opened the book next to him.

As if signaling the beginning of the main story, Henry continued in a slightly lowered voice.

“The Kowloon Syndicate is a well-known organization, so there’s no need for a special explanation. I’ll tell you about the other five.”

Henry began to explain as he opened the book.

“Aside from the Kowloon Syndicate, the most famous are these guys. Do you know them?”

“The Aerial Fortress…… They were also one of the Six Nights.”

My eyes sparkled.

A massive mobile fortress that travels between the Arctic and Antarctic, orbiting the Earth like a satellite.

They create all sorts of mysterious objects and are known to be impossible to shoot down with any attack.

“The Aerial Fortress is itself a massive artifact created in ancient times. It is said that a certain tribe lives there. They are known not to have been involved in the world during the Great War.”

Henry put the book aside and opened a few more books.

“I said that the Six Nights are just those who see the world in a different way, but there were also those who should be seen as evil from any point of view.”

Each book contained various drawings and patterns.

Illustrations of humans wearing monster masks.

The pattern of the Tree of Sephirot [a mystical symbol in Kabbalah].

Illustrations of a three-headed dragon and humans who seemed to worship it.

“Behemoth, Kabbalah, Blood Cult. Organizations that were corrupted or plunged the world into chaos with misguided beliefs. Because of them, the chaos of the Great War reached its peak, and the war was prolonged.”

Behemoth and Kabbalah.

The two organizations I met.

“The Blood Cult has been thoroughly divided and absorbed by Behemoth and Kabbalah, so there are no proper records. But not Behemoth and Kabbalah.”

Henry placed his hand on the illustration of a human wearing a monster mask.

“These guys, Behemoth, are close to a religion. They worship the ‘kings’ nestled in various unexplored areas around the world.”

I narrowed my eyes.

The kings of unexplored areas.

The slumbering apocalypse.

Lords of monsters.

He was talking about first-class monsters who had fallen into a long sleep and had never shown themselves.

I recalled them in Gyeongju.

Henry looked at my expression and asked slyly.

“Judging by your expression, you seem to know about Behemoth?”

“Yes, I’ve encountered them once.”

Henry made a strange expression at my words.

“It’s surprising that they’re still around, but you’ve already been targeted once. Did they perhaps dream of revenge?”

“Revenge? What do you mean?”

“The Soongmoo family has a deep-seated feud with Behemoth. Behemoth has appeared in the world twice so far, and both times they were stopped by the Soongmoo family. Once during the Great War, and once at the hands of your father.”

My eyes widened slightly.

“My father, you say?”

“That was about 40 years ago. At the time, Lee Tae-shin was still quite young, but he single-handedly razed Behemoth’s main base to the ground with only ten subordinates.”

Henry frowned slightly, as if recalling the shock of that time.

Then he shook his head and continued.

“After that, for some reason, he obsessively dug into their tracks… I don’t know how they hid and resurrected. How much do you know about Behemoth?”

“Only that they are people who go around in the form of monsters. They seem to have a bizarre doctrine that views the form of monsters as the ideal that humans should aspire to.”

“You know more than I thought.”

“But I’m hearing about worshiping kings for the first time. Do they worship monsters as gods?”

“That’s right.”

The kings of unexplored areas are a threat that could wake up at any time and plunge the Earth into destruction.

No, they are destruction itself.

To worship such beings as gods?

“And the only organization that interacts with such Behemoths is Kabbalah. They are simple and clear. ‘For the transmitted wisdom and truth.’ In some ways, they are more vicious than Behemoth. Their goals are unclear, and they don’t care about the means.”

I already know from the appearance of the puppeteer.

That puppeteer and the human experiments.

No sane person could do such a thing.

“They use all sorts of bizarre techniques. It’s as if crazy people have something in common, and they often act together with Behemoth.”

Henry closed the book.

I paused for a moment to organize my thoughts.

‘I heard more than I thought.’

Behemoth and Soongmoo.

And my father and Behemoth.

I could guess that there was a hidden story.

Kowloon Syndicate, Aerial Fortress, Behemoth, Kabbalah, Blood Cult.

That’s a total of five names.

There was still one last one left.

“Finally, the place I belong to.”

Henry opened a small book and showed it to me.

“It’s called the Twilight Dawn Society.”

The book contained a circular symbol representing the sun and a drawing of various lines and shapes intertwined.

“Do you know this symbol? It’s the symbol of an organization that is quite well known to the public.”

“It’s the symbol of a secret society that often appears in conspiracy theories.”

It was the symbol of an organization that is the subject of conspiracy theories, claiming that it holds 80 percent of the world’s wealth or that numerous members of the world’s elite belong to it.

“It’s a social club that has been passed down since it was created by nobles in the Middle Ages. After that, it took the form of an organization during the Great War.”

Henry tapped the Dawn Society’s symbol with his index finger and continued.

“Our goal is simple. To develop all the unexplored areas and close the Blue Holes to create a safe world.”

“That’s what everyone dreams of.”

It is humanity’s fervent desire.

But not everyone takes it seriously.

Now there are even scholars who see the existence of monsters as just another species in the Earth’s ecosystem, like other animals.

“There’s a difference between simply dreaming and setting it as a goal. Humans have been with monsters for so long that everyone takes it for granted, but monsters are clearly not beings of this world. The Dawn Society dreams of eradicating monsters and creating a world only for humans.”

I looked at Henry.

His eyes were filled with strong desire.

A moment of silence fell.

I bowed lightly to Henry.

“Thank you for satisfying my curiosity.”

“There’s no need to thank me. It’s just an old story. How could I not tell this much to my son’s friend?”

As Henry said, that might be true.

But I sensed that Henry had some intention.

“Now, please tell me.”

“What?”

“The reason why you told me this story.”

I didn’t really think that Henry was telling me this out of concern for his son’s friend.

Just because he told me that it wasn’t a big deal doesn’t mean that the information I just heard wasn’t important.

Henry gave a strange smile.

“Looking at you, you’re a little different from that friend Lee Tae-shin. Thanks to you, it’s easier to talk.”

Henry leaned deeply into the back of his chair.

Then, with a smile still on his lips, he said.

“The reason I told you this is simple.”

Henry’s blue eyes stared straight at me.

“Join the Dawn Society. We need someone like you. If you join the Dawn Society, you’ll be able to build your foundation and become stronger much faster than you are now.”

* * *

I was planning to spend only a few days and leave for the Church State right away, but I ended up staying at the Russell estate longer than I thought.

This was due to the coordination of opinions regarding the Temple of Odin and the agreement regarding the Black Tree Root Village.

In particular, the Temple of Odin was quite complicated because the story had to be told to the Norwegian government, the British government, and even the royal family.

Fortunately, the Russell family’s reputation worked quite well.

They were able to gain considerable benefits not only in negotiations with the government but also in the distribution of shares.

“Thanks to you, I was able to handle the work well.”

I said, looking at Henry.

“It was a good business for us too, so we just used our power. Didn’t we receive 20 percent of the shares?”

Henry Russell smiled and said.

“Are you thinking of leaving now?”

“Yes, I’m thinking of visiting the Church State because of a connection I made at this Great Tournament.”

In fact, it was not because of that connection, but because of the Church State’s formal request, but I didn’t bother to reveal it.

“Take good care of Ron.”

Ron was also going to the Church State this time.

Of course, since only I was invited, I would probably be moving alone when it came to handling work.

“I am the one who owes Ron a lot.”

“You really don’t seem like Lee Tae-shin’s son. You even know how to say such empty words. Haha.”

I made an awkward expression at Henry’s smile.

Henry stared at me intently.

“Let me know through Ron if you ever change your mind.”

“…….”

Henry said that in a low voice.

When I first visited the Russell estate, Henry recommended that I join the Dawn Society, but I declined.

“The Dawn Society is bigger than you think, and it won’t tie you down. Instead, it will be able to support you in many ways.”

“Why are you recommending me so much?”

Henry Russell. He is a first-class knight.

He is a man who is evaluated as having national-level power even as an individual.

I was wondering why such a man was showing me so much interest.

“I’m looking forward to your future.”

Henry’s blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight.

“Thank you for the high praise, but I respectfully decline once again.”

“Why?”

“I plan to achieve everything with my own strength. I have no intention of borrowing the power of my family or any other power.”

It is valuable only if I achieve it alone.

I vowed to win the struggle in this life.

“Haha, I see. You were also from Soongmoo.”

Henry curled up the corners of his mouth and smiled.

“Still, the doors of the Dawn Society are always open.”

“Thank you.”

“Even if you don’t join the Dawn Society in the end, I hope that our relationship can be maintained as a good alliance.”

“Yes, I would like that too. Of course…….”

I looked at Henry.

“If the parts you didn’t mention about the Dawn Society don’t conflict with my goals.”

“…….”

Henry looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.

I bowed politely and opened my mouth.

“Then I’ll be on my way. Thank you for everything.”

Then he turned and left the door.

It was time to go to the Church State.