Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 291

Weapon-Eating Bastard – Episode 291

Henry Russell dredged up old memories.

He hadn’t always held these beliefs.

The world likely assumed he was born into a noble family and had enjoyed an uninterrupted path to success.

But that was far from the truth.

His journey to this point involved bloody struggles, and he had faced death’s door numerous times.

Henry had overcome those brushes with death, but those around him had not.

His father.

His mother.

And his wife.

They had met their ends at the hands of monsters, or due to absurd phenomena like dungeons and gates, and at the hands of other races…

It was, in truth, a commonplace story.

A tale of a foolish person who lost loved ones for absurd reasons.

Even though time had passed since the Great War, the world was still chaotic, and much misfortune still existed everywhere.

Events like the ones he had experienced were not hard to find.

…However, that didn’t mean he could accept it.

‘Where did it all go wrong?’

Henry Russell pondered the cause.

In truth, there was no need to think deeply.

The root of all problems was right in front of him, and as a former high-ranking member of the Dawn Society, he had access to many secrets unknown to the public.

-The beginning of all problems is that Blue Hole.

Dungeons, gates, uncharted zones, danger zones, Blue Holes [anomalous areas with unpredictable properties], monsters… and other races.

They are the root of all evil.

All misfortune begins with them.

Those things that everyone took for granted felt like irreconcilable enemies to him.

So he dreamed of a return to ‘normal’ for everything.

As a knight, as a leader guiding the world, as the head of an organization.

‘For the greater good.’

A world by humans, for humans.

He dreamed of a world not swayed by such incomprehensible and absurd rules.

* * *

“This world is wrong. Everything is twisted because of incomprehensible, absurd monsters.”

Henry stared straight at Lee Cheol.

“There are insane people who say that monsters are also living beings, but that’s nonsense. Monsters have no ecosystem; they only desire slaughter and destruction. They reproduce and evolve in ways that cannot be explained by science or magic.”

He continued.

“The same goes for other races. And for dungeons, gates, and uncharted zones. Those distorted things are never… normal.”

Henry looked down at the corpses on the floor with a sincere voice.

I looked at Henry.

‘It’s not that I didn’t suspect he had these thoughts.’

I knew to some extent.

After hearing about the Dawn Society and receiving an invitation to join, I had investigated ‘Henry Russell’ through the Black Turtle Guild.

He was a man who had lost his parents and his wife.

His father, John Russell, due to the aftereffects of the Great War.

His mother, Elena Russell, due to a suddenly appearing gate.

His wife, Emma Russell, who was also Ron’s mother, died after being caught up in a conflict between humans and other races.

It was, in fact, a common, tragic history.

Including myself, there were countless people in the world who had experienced such things.

And me as well.

“I don’t think that idea is entirely wrong.”

I truly thought so.

Experiencing the records of the Sky Castle had made me even more certain of something.

That these countless histories, starting from the Primordial Beast… were too harsh and absurd for humans.

It was clear that it could be said to be wrong.

“Indeed! I knew you would say that.”

Henry approached with a bright expression.

However, I took a step back and stared straight at Henry.

“But I don’t think all of your ideas are correct either.”

“…What do you mean?”

“The Primordial Beast is definitely something that deserves to be killed. But to say that everything influenced by it is wrong… I don’t think so.”

Mountain Guardian, Sub and Ryeo elders, the Gyeongchangyung trio, fairies and elves, the dwarves of Ireland and Lou, who inherited the blood of giants… and even Anastasia, who is mixed with spirits.

I have formed relationships with countless ‘such beings’ until now.

Even if their beginnings were wrong, what does it matter?

Now that so much time has passed and they are living their own lives, they are no different from me.

They are just themselves.

Not something wrong or misguided.

“You’re misunderstanding something. I’m not saying to annihilate all other races. I’m saying, once again, that other races are pitiful beings.”

Henry knew better than anyone that there was nothing more dangerous than radical and narrow-minded ideologies.

Other races were clearly ‘wrong’ beings, but as long as they were rational and could communicate, he would never say to erase them all.

“But they need to be managed. So that in the distant future, they can naturally disappear, and the world can be normalized. So that not even a speck of dust remains in this world.”

“That’s the problem, Henry.”

At my words, a shadow gradually fell over Henry’s expression.

“What authority do you have to judge them? They are no different from us.”

“Not… different from us?”

Henry’s next words were as cold as ice.

“Different. They and we. We are beings that have not been tainted. On the other hand, they are twisted beings, whether by choice or by force.”

I realized that there was an unbridgeable gap in our thinking.

It seemed to be the same for Henry.

He muttered with a bitter smile.

“Yes, in the end, like father, like son.”

With those words, Henry looked at me with cold eyes, different from before.

“Then there’s no need for further conversation. Are you now our enemy?”

“If the Russell family… no, if the Dawn Society doesn’t block my path, I won’t antagonize you, even for Ron’s sake.”

Henry’s hand reached for the hilt of his sword.

“How amusing. You are not Lee Tae-shin. No matter how strong you are, do you think I would be afraid of you?”

As if giving a warning, Henry’s fierce voice turned towards me.

Sssst!

At that moment, I sensed a presence approaching through the forest.

The magical scent emanating from the approaching presence was quite familiar.

“You should be afraid.”

I stared straight at Henry, ignoring the presence.

“Because I am different from my father.”

At those words, Henry’s brow twitched.

“Soon, I will stand in the same position as my father. And if the Russell family and the Dawn Society block my path then… I won’t overlook it with indifference like my father did.”

“…What?”

Henry’s eyes emitted a blue magical power.

Flap!

As his rising momentum increased, the songbirds and insects that had settled around us soared into the sky.

However, even that sharp momentum was not a big problem for me.

“I have never tolerated those who harm my people. Henry, please don’t cross the line. At that time, even my friendship with Ron won’t be of much help.”

Crack!

Henry’s magic power and my magic power collided, creating distortions in the air.

A clash between those with the realm of Sword Heart creates such phenomena.

As if the world was screaming, a strange vibration began to spread through the air.

At that moment.

Tap!

The presence that had been approaching from afar finally reached close to me and Henry.

Only then did Henry withdraw his momentum, but he still stared at me with cold eyes.

“Maknae!” [Youngest sibling/child]

“It’s really Maknae!”

The ones who came here were none other than Lee Hyun-jae and Lee Hyun-chan, the twin older brothers.

The two brothers looked at me and Henry Russell, accompanied by several members of the Twin Dragons Squad.

“Gasp! Henry Russell?”

“W, what is this… Why is that guy there… No, why are you here again in the first place?”

“Lord!”

“Father!”

Before I could answer the bewildered fourth brother, the knights of the Dawn Society, sensing their presence, quickly approached and stood behind Henry.

Behind me were the Twin Dragons Squad and my two older brothers.

Behind Henry were Ron and the Knights.

A brief standoff ensued.

Henry composed himself and turned his body.

“Let’s go. I will keep your words in mind.”

“Yes, then I will be on my way. Henry.”

Henry ignored Ron’s questioning gaze and strode away.

* * *

The two older brothers came to find me for two reasons.

The first was because they had already experienced something similar in the first test, and the second was because of the magical wave I had left behind.

“Maknae, you’re here. I knew it, I thought this would happen again. Why do you keep getting dropped off somewhere else?”

“That’s right. And the distance was quite far, so it took us a while to find you!”

Woo-!

The fourth and fifth brothers handed me a small awl [a pointed tool used for piercing holes].

It was a small awl made of Black Iron.

In preparation for a possible situation, I had left a few planted nearby, with magic power generated as soon as I encountered the Russell family’s forces.

“To use a magic field generator used in uncharted zones. He’s skilled.”

“It’s hard to detect even for high-ranking martial artists of the main family. I thought you would come if I did this.”

I took the awl and absorbed the Black Iron.

There is a magic field generator that is planted to find directions in uncharted zones.

It usually generates magic power with a special wave that only the main family members can detect.

The two brothers started searching as soon as they saw that I was not in the same place, and fortunately, they seemed to have detected the magic field of the awl with their sense of magic.

“I did it because I believed the two of you would find me, and it worked well. Thank you. It would have taken a long time if I had been wandering around alone again.”

“That’s right. More than that, why was Henry Russell there?! With that monster!”

“That’s right! Were you okay?!”

“Nothing happened.”

It wasn’t something to talk about openly, so I vaguely brushed it off and headed to the main family’s base.

And.

“You’ve arrived.”

What came into my eyes was the base, which looked sturdy at first glance, but was smaller than I thought.

‘Since the number of troops is small, they didn’t bother to build it big.’

They could have built it bigger since they could use magic power, but it seemed to be like this because the main family’s troops had also fallen off considerably during the tests.

But it was better to be this small.

Unlike the first test, this test is not about facing monsters.

“Ha~! It’s good that I don’t have to cut down trees.”

“Come to think of it, the main family’s forces have decreased considerably….”

“I’m in the second test….”

The twins’ mouths didn’t stop, and I struggled to respond and was guided inside.

I looked around.

Mountain Guardian was not visible.

“Looking for Mountain Guardian?”

“Yes, hyung [older brother/male friend]. Where is he? Could it be….”

“He said he was going to find trees and took a few Death God Squad members with him. He’ll be back soon.”

“To worry about him. As soon as he came here, he shouted loudly and was building buildings with the kids.”

I chuckled and nodded.

‘Mountain Guardian… Hasn’t he found out yet?’

I recalled the meeting with Henry and closed my mouth.

About the origin of the other races, including the Mystic Clan, the truth about it.

I couldn’t predict what kind of reaction Mountain Guardian would have if he knew.

“What? Why do you have that expression again?”

“What’s wrong, Maknae?”

I shook my head at the two brothers’ worried glances.

“It’s okay. More than that, I have something to talk about, so let’s go for a while. Hyungs, Mountain Guardian.”

“Huh? Okay, I understand.”

“Oh, okay. Maknae.”

“Okay, good.”

* * *

The first thing I talked about was the origin of the grotesque creatures… no, the prototypes of the other races that exist throughout this test site.

The two brothers were a little embarrassed by that story, but they were even more surprised and confused by the story of the second sister that followed.

“Is the family in danger?”

“So you gave up the test and left?”

“Yes, that’s right. So from now on, we will be taking the test with just the three of us and the main family’s forces.”

“Uh….”

“Gulp….”

The twins swallowed dryly and blinked their eyes.

‘Can we do it with just us…?’

That was the first thing they thought.

Currently, there are approximately twenty remaining troops in the main family.

That’s the number including Lee Cheol, the twins, and Mountain Guardian.

It was painful that the number of troops under their command had decreased so much, and to top it off, even the second Lee Jin-yoon had left.

Lee Jin-yoon, who is reckless and somewhat aggressive, but when she is an ally, there was no one as reliable as her.

On the other hand, with Lee Cheol, who is planned, strong, and has clear exceptions, the power of Soongmoo Lee Family was considered the strongest in the Sky Castle.

But Lee Jin-yoon was missing from it.

“It’s a pity that our power has decreased significantly, but there won’t be any problems. The enemies won’t be intact either.”

“Th, that’s true.”

“Well, we have you, don’t we?”

The youngest, Lee Cheol’s power is diverse.

He will be a more reliable force than anyone else in the Sky Castle test, where unexpected situations are encountered.

“More than that, besides what I told you, have you found out anything about this fourth test?”

“Yes, I have found out something.”

It was the fifth brother who answered.