Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 3

“It’s the Ivory Sword!”

“He’s been chosen by a sacred sword!”

Numerous people in the audience exclaimed in admiration and cheered.

Even in the seats reserved for the direct line and key figures of the family, there was a slight commotion.

“Not only is it a holy artifact, but a sacred relic at that.”

“Another child with great talent has been born into the family.”

“It’s a joyous occasion for the family.”

As the key figures exchanged words, a middle-aged man sitting in a corner quietly smiled.

‘A boon for the family.’

A man with a sturdy build and eyes so sharp that he hardly looked middle-aged.

His name was Lee Tae-hong.

The younger brother of Lee Tae-shin and a key figure in the Lee family, holding the position of the family’s chief manager.

‘The Ivory Sword, to be chosen by the Ivory Sword of all swords.’

Lee Tae-hong felt a broad smile spread across his face.

A sacred relic recognized by the Vatican and among the highest-ranking of the holy artifact-level weapons.

Being chosen by a sacred artifact was a great thing in itself, but the Ivory Sword was in a different league.

Hoping that the blessings of the ancestors would be upon the girl’s future, Lee Tae-hong nodded contentedly.

Soon, the eighth child left the ritual hall, and another child was placed in Lee Tae-shin’s arms.

At that moment, the atmosphere turned as cold as if splashed with cold water.

A murmur began to rise from the audience, which had been filled with cheerful conversation.

“Is that the child?”

“The one from recently…”

“Tsk, tsk, a bastard.”

Many whispered words emerged as they looked at the child.

Lee Tae-hong’s gaze turned to the child.

‘So that’s the child.’

The hidden bloodline of the family head, Lee Tae-shin, who had recently been brought into the family.

He had been so surprised when Chief Butler Choi told him the truth.

‘Such a bold child.’

Even as a newborn, he didn’t shy away and stared intently at him, which had flustered him.

Since then, the child with the given name Young had always been on his mind.

“I will now begin Young’s ritual.”

Lee Tae-shin’s voice echoed.

‘What kind of talent does that child possess?’

Lee Tae-hong’s eyes gleamed as he looked down at the ritual hall.

It was then.

“It seems the Chief Manager has a great interest in the bastard.”

A familiar voice reached Lee Tae-hong’s ear.

Lee Tae-hong turned his head to look at the speaker.

“…Greetings, Elder Council Chairman.”

Lee Tae-hong’s eyebrows twitched.

Elder Council Chairman Lee Cheol-jung.

An elder of the family whose inner thoughts were as unfathomable as if he were raising hundreds of snakes.

“I came to keep you company since you are alone. Is that the child? The one the family head brought in from outside.”

“Yes, that’s right. I heard they found him with the Spirit Sword Group and took him in.”

“To perform the Iron Line Ritual [a ceremony to reveal a child’s talent] for a bastard whose origins are unknown. I truly don’t understand the family head’s thinking.”

Lee Cheol-jung said with a sly smile.

Lee Tae-hong clicked his tongue softly.

“What does it matter whether they are legitimate or illegitimate? They are all children born with the blood of the Lee family.”

“All the same? A bastard is a bastard. Since he wasn’t prepared for anything, what could possibly come out of it? Haha, the Chief Manager knows that better than anyone.”

‘Such a narrow-minded old man, stuck in pure-blood ideology.’

Lee Tae-hong invisibly clenched the armrest of his chair.

Yes, he knew it well.

In the Iron Line Ritual, the talents of the Lee family’s children are revealed.

Lee Tae-shin, who was chosen by dozens of swords, became the strongest swordsman of his time, and Lee Tae-shin’s first son, who was chosen by a sword, a magic book, and a staff, established himself in both magic and swordsmanship.

And to be born with such talents, the children of the Lee family receive much preparation in the womb.

He knew better than anyone that someone born and raised ‘outside’ without receiving anything would start with many disadvantages.

“Come to think of it… the Chief Manager was also from outside, wasn’t he?”

Flash-!

At that moment, light burst out from the ritual hall.

The gazes of Lee Tae-hong and Lee Cheol-jung, along with the others, turned towards it.

The reactions of the people were varied.

Some sighed.

Some were shocked.

Some were questioning.

And the majority were sneering.

“Haha! To think he would only be chosen by a mediocre weapon.”

The light burst out from the outermost part of the ritual hall. It was where the lowest-ranked, mediocre weapons were placed.

“Even though he has the blood of the Lee family, to be chosen by such a useless weapon in the Iron Line Ritual is unprecedented, isn’t it? Well, it’s a result befitting a bastard.”

“Hmm…”

Instead of answering, Lee Tae-hong let out a long sigh.

But he soon shook his head.

‘Yes, even if the first button was wrongly buttoned, he can still achieve something if he works hard. If not, he can develop his talents in administration.’

Even though the result wasn’t good, what did it matter?

He was still a newborn who couldn’t even walk on his own. It wouldn’t be easy, but no one knew what the future held.

Whoosh-.

Another light entered Lee Tae-hong’s eyes.

‘Could it be?’

He quickly examined the weapon from which the light emanated.

But once again, he couldn’t help but be disappointed.

A mediocre Red Bow.

It was slightly better than the Iron Sword, but it was still just a mediocre weapon.

“Haha, it’s a bit strange. Two talents. But in the end, it’s just combining two useless things.”

It was then.

A brighter flash than before erupted.

Lee Tae-hong widened his eyes as he examined the source of the light.

‘A masterpiece!’

Located closer to the center than the mediocre weapons, that was where the masterpieces were located.

‘That staff is definitely…!’

A masterpiece, Willow Spring.

A willow staff painstakingly crafted over a long period at the Magic Tower of France.

“A talent for magic!”

Lee Tae-hong raised his voice without realizing it.

Unlike martial arts, magic was a field that was greatly influenced by innate talent.

Moreover, unlike the Iron Sword or the Red Bow, Willow Spring was a veritable masterpiece.

Lee Tae-hong struggled to suppress the laughter that was about to burst out.

“It seems we can’t dismiss him just because he’s a bastard. A talent for archery and swordsmanship, plus magic.”

Lee Cheol-jung’s brow furrowed.

In the end, a bastard was a bastard.

Even if the talent for magic was quite rare, the thought that he was just a bastard remained unchanged.

“What’s the use of having many miscellaneous talents? It’s hard enough to master one, and what limits can a talent chosen by a mere masterpiece overcome?”

Whoosh-!

However, as if to mock him, another light burst out.

“Again?”

It wasn’t just one or two, but multiple lights at the same time.

A masterpiece Blood Spirit Spear, a masterpiece Iron Scale Sword….

That was just the beginning.

The light moved from the outside, where the mediocre weapons were located, towards the inside.

‘That side is!’

The light was moving.

More and more.

Slowly towards the inside.

Eventually, the light headed towards the place where the holy artifacts were located.

A holy artifact, the Holy Sword Miah.

A holy artifact, the Repeating Crossbow Eungryong.

Brilliant light was flowing from the place where the holy artifacts were placed.

The bastard had been chosen by holy artifacts.

And in numbers that were too many to count.

“Hahaha!”

Lee Tae-hong finally burst into hearty laughter, looking at Lee Cheol-jung’s distorted expression.

“As the Chairman said, it’s unprecedented! Have any of the direct descendants ever had this much talent?!”

Lee Cheol-jung’s brow was so furrowed that it formed the Chinese character for ‘cheon’ (天) [heaven].

Seeing his sullen expression made him feel relieved.

What did it matter whether he was legitimate or illegitimate?

Lee Tae-hong looked at the ritual hall with a bright smile.

Whoaaaa-!

In that moment, Lee Tae-hong involuntarily closed his eyes at the intense flash that erupted.

‘Again?’

He squinted and groped for the place where the light had burst out.

The closest place to the platform set up for the ritual.

The very center of the ritual hall.

Lee Tae-hong’s mouth slowly widened.

‘That, that place is where the celestial-grade weapons are located?’

A rank given only to weapons with special abilities and history, celestial.

Celestial-grade weapons were considered strategic weapons in themselves.

Even in the long history of the Lee family, only a handful of people had been chosen by celestial-grade weapons in the Iron Line Ritual.

But at this moment, countless celestial-grade weapons were shining in the blood of that child.

“……”

Only silence lingered in the ritual hall.

Then, one by one, people came to their senses and became noisy.

“What did I just see?”

“Isn’t there something wrong?”

“That can’t be. The Iron Line Ritual is…”

Voices filled with shock, disbelief, and doubt.

What silenced them was one person’s voice.

“Quiet.”

Everyone closed their mouths at that one low but powerful word.

As the atmosphere seemed to calm down, Lee Tae-shin said.

“According to the rules, all the weapons chosen here should rightfully belong to Young.”

All the attendees gathered in the ritual hall were shocked.

Lee Tae-shin looked around at the crowd and continued.

“I believe it is right to handle this according to the family’s rules, but it would not be right to handle it so simply. I would like to hear your opinions.”

Lee Tae-shin looked towards the seats where the key figures were sitting.

“Elder Council Chairman, what are your thoughts?”

“…Isn’t there some kind of mistake? Such an event occurring in the Iron Line Ritual is impossible.”

“You know very well that it’s not impossible.”

Lee Tae-shin coldly cut him off and turned his gaze to Lee Tae-hong, who was sitting next to him.

“Chief Manager, what are your thoughts?”

“Could you give me some time to think?”

“Very well.”

Lee Tae-hong closed his eyes tightly.

He reviewed the various precedents in the long history of the Lee family.

After organizing his thoughts, Lee Tae-hong carefully opened his mouth.

“Bestowing all those weapons goes against the meaning of the Iron Line Ritual. The Iron Line Ritual is a family tradition that must continue in the future.”

The Iron Line Ritual was a ritual to prepare for the future.

It was absurd to give away all the weapons, not only for the future of that child but also for the children who would be born in the future.

“There was a similar incident during the Great War in the past. The Lee family’s armory was empty, and the newly born child was chosen by several weapons even among those scarce weapons.”

Lee Tae-hong began to cite a little-known history of the family.

“The ancestor passed the right to choose to his child, as if he were doing a doljabi [Korean tradition where a baby chooses an object to predict their future]. The remaining weapons were bestowed when the family’s finances stabilized after the war.”

“A doljabi, you say.”

“It would be best if the Family Head first selects a few of the weapons that reacted in the ritual, and then the youngest is allowed to choose one of them.”

Lee Tae-shin pondered for a moment and then nodded.

“Not bad. Does anyone object to the Chief Manager’s opinion?”

No one objected.

Even Lee Cheol-jung only let out an uncomfortable groan but did not object.

“Then, according to the precedents of our ancestors, I will proceed with the ritual again.”

Lee Tae-shin slowly raised his hand.

Then, ten weapons emitting light flew and stood in front of the platform.

“Now, choose, my son.”

Lee Tae-shin said, floating ten weapons in front of his youngest son, Young.

* * *

It was an unprecedented event.

Even I didn’t expect this to happen.

At first glance, it seems like a good thing for me, but it wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

“I believe it is right to handle this according to the family’s rules, but it would not be right to handle it so simply.”

I nodded at my father’s words.

‘That’s right.’

Too much is as bad as too little. It’s not good to have too much.

Not just one, but hundreds of weapons.

If they were mediocre or masterpiece-grade, it wouldn’t be a problem, but holy artifacts and celestial-grade weapons were mixed in.

Moreover, I was still a bastard without any power. Even if I received those weapons, I wouldn’t have the ability to store or protect them.

“It would be best if the Family Head selects a few of the weapons that shone here and allows the youngest to choose.”

Lee Tae-hong, the Chief Manager of the family, whom I had met a few times in the past, offered a wise solution.

“Now, choose, my son.”

I looked at the weapons in front of me, radiating brilliant light.

Most of them were celestial-grade, and three were holy artifact-grade, but in terms of power, they were weapons no different from celestial-grade.

‘To make a newborn touch these blades.’

They were so sharp that even a slight graze would leave a large scar.

But I couldn’t help but smile.

Because that crazy act was so fitting for the Lee family, who valued martial arts.

‘Still, it’s a good situation for me.’

It was embarrassing, but in the end, the first button was buttoned better than I had imagined.

I looked at the weapons floating in the air.

The sword with the history of the Azure Dragon, Prah.

The holy spear, Baekgyeong, said to have been forged by mixing a saint’s body parts to catch a powerful monster.

The staff, Bualhain, said to have been made from the branches of the World Tree where fairies sleep.

The spirit magic sword said to have been created at the time when the moon, sun, and stars intertwined.

Besides those, great weapons with a dignity that could not be ignored were waiting for my choice.

‘I have to choose just one of these.’

The 고민은 길지 않았다. [The 고민은 길지 않았다. (The deliberation was not long.)]

나는 천천히 손을 뻗었다. [나는 천천히 손을 뻗었다. (I slowly reached out.)]