Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 193

Weapon-Devouring Bastard – Episode 193

Seungmu House, the main residence.

Baek Hwa-yeon, the mistress of Seungmu House, gracefully wielding her sword, smirked upon receiving a report from her subordinate.

“They seem to have an eye for talent. They filtered out all of our people over thirty?”

“I apologize.”

Some time ago, when news broke that Lee Cheol was forming a warrior squad, Baek Hwa-yeon selected a few individuals, disguised them as applicants, and had them take the test.

The Council of Elders probably did the same.

They must have been talented enough to want to recruit, but it seems they filtered them all out.

“What about the people from the fourth, fifth, and sixth branches?”

“We received reports that it was the same for them. The same went for the Council of Elders.”

Out of 533 participants, 64 were selected.

Nearly 100 of the applicants were spies planted, yet not a single one was chosen.

“I knew he was thorough, but he’s more capable than I thought.”

Baek Hwa-yeon spoke with cold eyes, befitting her moniker ‘Ice Sword’.

Unlike the old-fashioned elders who ignored Lee Cheol simply because he was a bastard, she acknowledged Lee Cheol more than anyone else.

However, acknowledging and accepting are different things.

To Baek Hwa-yeon, Lee Cheol was an enemy and an obstacle.

‘Honestly, he’s exceeding my expectations.’

She never imagined he could do this much.

She felt that she might have been a little careless.

“By the way, did the second one pick a fight with him while I was away?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“…….”

Baek Hwa-yeon narrowed her eyes.

‘Is it that unique fighting spirit again? Or…’

The second son, Lee Jin-yoon, had grown up outside of Baek Hwa-yeon’s influence since he began to understand reason [reach the age of reason].

If there was one person among her children she couldn’t quite grasp, it was the second son.

“Assign one squad of Shadow Swords to follow the second one’s movements. Keep a close watch on what he’s doing. And…”

Baek Hwa-yeon looked down at her cherished sword.

After pondering for a moment, she continued.

“I can’t just keep watching forever.”

Baek Hwa-yeon changed her opinion of Lee Cheol.

The bastard, who was gradually increasing his influence, had become more than just an obstacle.

“…First, send a message to the Council Head. We need to arrange a meeting soon. You may leave.”

“Understood.”

At Baek Hwa-yeon’s words, the subordinate hidden in the shadows bowed and disappeared.

Whoong!

Baek Hwa-yeon’s cherished sword vibrated heavily.

She frowned.

* * *

The founding ceremony of the Warrior Squad was brief and swift.

Nevertheless, all the procedures that had to be followed according to tradition were observed.

Thus, the Cheollyeong Squad was officially launched as a warrior squad.

“Loyalty!”

I received the Iron Salute, a traditional Seungmu House ceremony, for the last time.

A salute given with each person’s actual weapon.

I also drew Black Night [his sword] and responded to the salute.

“With this, the founding ceremony is concluded. From now on, the 64 people gathered here are officially my warriors, and you will be called the Cheollyeong Squad.”

“Yes!”

The Cheollyeong Squad members, with slightly excited expressions, answered loudly.

“From now on, I will explain the selection of the squad leader and deputy squad leader, as well as the organization.”

64 people. It seemed like a lot, but it was a rather small number compared to the warrior squads of other direct lines [other family branches].

However, just because the number was small didn’t mean it could be operated haphazardly.

Rather, because the number was small, the system had to be more thoroughly established.

“The Cheollyeong Squad will be organized into a total of five squads. Squads 1 through 4 will be combat squads, and Squad 5 will be in charge of support. This is subject to change at any time.”

The reason why a support squad was organized despite the small number was because there were differences in the warriors’ martial prowess.

Warriors with relatively low martial prowess and little experience would be assigned to the support squad to fill their shortcomings and then be reassigned to the combat squads.

Later, when the number of personnel in the warrior squad increased and the overall situation stabilized, a professional support squad would be formed.

“There will be one squad leader and one deputy squad leader in the Cheollyeong Squad, and each squad will have a squad leader. However, they will not be appointed immediately.”

All the Cheollyeong Squad members focused on Lee Cheol’s voice.

“From now on, you will focus on training for a while. And after that training, the squad leader and squad leaders will naturally be selected, and positions suitable for each person will be determined.”

Lee Cheol smiled.

The Cheollyeong Squad members looked at Lee Cheol’s smile with puzzled expressions.

Determining positions through training.

Well, no matter how great Lee Cheol was, the Cheollyeong Squad was a newly formed warrior squad, and it was necessary to assess their level.

Everyone was taken aback by this first-of-its-kind warrior squad organization, but that very fact suited Lee Cheol.

‘The youngest master… no, the lord must have a purpose.’

‘He always shows a different side of himself.’

The Cheollyeong Squad members nodded in agreement.

However, if there were warriors from Class 5 of the Cadet Corps here, they would have gotten goosebumps seeing Lee Cheol’s smile.

Because whenever Lee Cheol gave that unique, meaningful smile, things never went smoothly.

And, as expected, shocking words came out of Lee Cheol’s mouth.

“The first of those trainings starts today.”

“…….”

“From now on, fight each other.”

At Lee Cheol’s words, the Cheollyeong Squad members’ expressions were filled with astonishment.

* * *

Several days had passed since the Cheollyeong Squad was founded.

For a while, I lived with the warrior squad in the Cheollyeong Squad’s exclusive barracks assigned by the administrative department, and I supervised the training.

I was still watching the training.

The Cheollyeong Squad members were struggling but did not stop sparring.

“Huk, huk…….”

“Haaaap!”

Clang! Clatter! Kwaang!

Unlike in the Cadet Corps, there were no members trying to slack off or resist.

Back in the Cadet Corps, the kids had gathered naturally, but the people gathered here were the ones I had personally selected.

Everyone was gritting their teeth, their eyes shining, and continuing to spar.

Then one member approached me.

“I would like to ask for a lesson, young master.”

“Good. Come in.”

“Kuaaaap!”

And I was no exception to that training.

I received the swords of the members who rushed at me with enthusiasm.

“I warned you in advance to strengthen your lower body.”

Kwaang!

The moment we exchanged swords a few times, I pushed my body in deeply and knocked the member down.

“Thank you!”

The member bowed deeply.

I waved my hand and scanned the training ground where the sparring was taking place.

‘Everyone is working harder than I thought.’

I don’t mean to brag about my eye for talent, but really good people have gathered.

Although the overall number of people is smaller than the warrior squads of other siblings, they all had special aspects.

‘I thought there might be complaints because the intensity of the training is almost the same as during the trainee days.’

I tilted my head, looking at the Cheollyeong Squad members.

There was something Lee Cheol didn’t know about this.

The Cheollyeong Squad members were currently very loyal to Lee Cheol.

The reason was none other than this.

None of the direct lines in the main house live and train with the warrior squad members themselves.

Getting up together, eating together, and training together.

At the same time, he treats the warriors without any hesitation.

Lee Cheol didn’t think much of it, but it was quite unconventional.

‘I haven’t even built trust yet, but you’re treating me this well just because I’m your person…!’

‘I made the best choice!’

And decisively, the Cheollyeong Squad members had received the ‘reasonable treatment’ that Lee Cheol had promised immediately after joining.

The black and dark-colored martial uniform, modeled after Eunhan, made directly by the mysterious Jong of Mirinae Village.

And even magic and secret manuals.

There was no warrior anywhere who would complain even after receiving this treatment.

“Hoo, hoo……!”

I briefly left the training ground and watched the Cheollyeong Squad members training.

‘There are already some good ones showing up.’

As I sparred, people who stood out among the members naturally began to appear.

I looked at two members who were sparring far away.

A member with a bow who appeared to be in his mid-30s, and a member with a spear who appeared to be in his late 20s.

Booom! Thud!

He was an unusual warrior who mainly used a bow but didn’t shy away from close combat.

As the opponent with the sword approached even faster, the man put down his arrow and used only the bow to perform Jujutsu [a Japanese martial art], slamming the opponent to the ground.

Thud!

That’s how he won.

He mainly uses a bow as his primary weapon, but he is also skilled in close combat.

I haven’t seen his long-range sniping ability yet… but it must be quite high.

“Heua! Why are you so good at Jujutsu even though you use a bow?”

“Hahaha! I’m a bit of an all-rounder. Anyway, don’t forget the drink bet after this, okay?”

“Aish, okay, I get it! I lost! Hyung [older brother/term of respect] Yeong-seong!”

I looked at the man with the bow.

A man with a frivolous and playful atmosphere.

‘His name was Lee Yeong-seong, wasn’t it?’

He is thirty-six years old, and his estimated grade is Quasi-5th grade.

His martial prowess is quite low for his age… or so he pretends.

‘His real skill is at least 4th grade. If he has a long-range sniping situation… it’s even higher than that.’

Bow, from a branch family of Seungmu House, skilled in close combat.

In many ways, he reminds me of someone.

Lee Yeong-seong seems to be trying to hide it from the other members, but I already knew his identity because I had finished checking the identities of all the Cheollyeong Squad members.

‘Uncle Lee Baek-cheol’s son.’

If you only count the ranks, he is my cousin.

And he was from the former Black Sword Squad.

Black Sword Squad. That is, the Council Head’s private soldier organization.

At first, I thought he was a spy from the Council of Elders, but if that were the case, he wouldn’t have left a record in the first place, and that wasn’t the case after I checked.

Rather, it was the opposite.

He experienced some kind of incident in the Black Sword Squad and was kicked out and sent to a minor position.

After that, he was restricted from all activities in the family and seemed to be spending his time like a good-for-nothing.

‘A good-for-nothing. Is that really true?’

I felt a strange heat from him during the last sparring session.

Some kind of emotion like desperation and longing.

I picked Lee Yeong-seong as if possessed by that emotion.

‘I’ll have to talk to him later.’

There are a few other notable people besides Lee Yeong-seong.

I was looking at them one by one when I felt a presence and turned around.

The person I was waiting for had finally arrived.

“You’ve come, Eldest Sister.”

“Hehehe, maknae [youngest sibling]. Hello?”

With a crooked back, uncombed, disheveled hair, and an eerie laugh.

My second sister waved her hand at me and greeted me.

* * *

My second sister and I slowly moved away from the training ground.

My second sister glanced at the Cheollyeong Squad members who were training and said.

“They’re training quite intensely. And you’re participating in the training yourself.”

“They’re the people I picked myself, so I have no intention of just gesturing from afar.”

“Good. Wonderful. Hehe.”

Kaaaaang!

The training continued even as we talked.

“Uaaaaaak!”

One member was screaming and swinging his sword, and the member who was parrying the sword also had a desperate expression.

My second sister’s eyes sparkled.

“Everyone’s eyes are alive. By the way, endless sparring. It’s quite an old-fashioned training method. Are you trying to create camaraderie among the members?”

“Something like that.”

Endless sparring.

It was the training I first instructed my classmates in the Cadet Corps.

It’s quite painful both physically and mentally, but there’s nothing like this to get to know each other.

Besides, they suffer a lot during work hours and even live together during rest hours.

It’s impossible to have camaraderie yet since we haven’t experienced actual combat together, but it’s enough to create a sense of camaraderie.

“I heard that you also received training equipment and instructors from the training center. I heard that you gave them secret manuals and magic, so the Enforcement Division is preparing an audit, is that okay?”

“It doesn’t matter because they’re not leaked from Janggyeonggak [Seungmu House’s library], but things I created myself.”

“You created them?”

“Yes.”

My second sister’s eyes widened.

“Hehe, you’re really interesting.”

Soon we arrived at my office inside the Cheollyeong Squad’s dormitory.

I waved my hand.

Whoong!

It was a variation of Ganggi Art, Water Scale.

Now no sound would escape from here to the outside.

“Oh my, you sly thing. What are you trying to do to your sister by setting up something like this? Hehehe!”

“I set it up so that Eldest Sister can speak comfortably.”

“Huh?”

“Now, stop that strange act.”

“…….”

My second sister stared straight at me.

In that hardened expression, there was no sign of the willful and even manic appearance she had shown so far.

Rather, there was only a chillingly sharp glint in her eyes.

‘Now I can have a proper conversation.’

In my past life, I saw my second sister’s true self.

At first glance, that madwoman’s appearance, who seemed reckless and did whatever she wanted, was actually my second sister’s own strategy.

“Come to think of it, you said that from the beginning. What do you know?”

My second sister’s voice, which had been somewhat clumsy and even seemed lacking, changed to a very sharp one.

“I know that Eldest Sister is by no means a simple and ignorant brawler.”

“Huhu, is that so? If you’ve seen through everything, there’s no need to do this strange thing anymore.”

My second sister slowly straightened her crooked back.

Crack! Creak!

The sound of bones could be heard from her back.

My second sister stretched coolly once, then raised her aura in her hand and roughly swept her disheveled hair back to fix it.

The face that was revealed in that way did not show the appearance of someone who was being belittled as a brawler.

In her gloomy eyes, there was a cool and sharp light of reason, and her tightly closed lips were filled with a strong impression.

Just by straightening her back and sweeping her hair back, she looked like a completely different person.

But that was my second sister’s real self.

“Amazing. Even Mother didn’t notice, how did you figure it out?”

“I’m quite confident in my ability to see people.”

“Really? I guess my acting is still lacking. Haha.”

She laughed, but it didn’t seem like she was really laughing.

“Since you already know, you probably know why I did this.”

“Yes, it’s because of the brothers above and below you.”

“Accurate.”

Above is the first brother.

Below is the third brother.

It’s because she grew up between two people who were aiming for the throne of Seungmu House, and it’s because my second sister is also aiming for the throne of Seungmu House like those two.

That’s why she chose this method.

She acted like a madwoman all her life in order to quietly build up her power and strength without being wary or competing.

‘In order to win against those monsters, I have to create some kind of variable.’

In fact, when the competition for the position of head of the family began in earnest, my second sister had built up a considerable level of faction, although it was lower than that of the first brother.

“Since you already know, it’s easy to talk.”

My second sister stared at me intently.

And, she slowly opened her mouth.

“You must also be aiming for the family’s throne, right?”

“For now, yes.”

What I wanted was not just the head of Seungmu House.

I just wanted the more distant summit above that.

“Then I will make you the head of the family.”

My second sister’s voice echoed softly in the office.