Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 310

Amidst the escalating international turmoil, news from the Soong Moo Yi family threatened to deepen the chaos.

It was an announcement of a death.

The death of the family head, Lee Tae-shin.

One of the most powerful figures of the era, the leader of the massive Soong Moo Yi family, was dead.

From domestic and international media to the intelligence agencies of major powers, all focused on the future of the Soong Moo Yi family.

However, the Soong Moo Yi family remained silent.

Lee Myung-jung, the acting head, and the elders, reshuffled after recent events… all were utterly silent.

Amidst that silence, another piece of news emerged.

The announcement of the family head’s succession.

The new head was not Lee Myung-jung, nor Lee Jin-yoon, nor Lee Chul.

It was Lee Goon-sung, the third son of Lee Tae-shin, the Hidden Sword.

And on the day that news broke.

The mistress of the Soong Moo Yi family, Baek Hwa-yeon, sat in a garden full of blooming flowers, facing Lee Goon-sung, the new leader.

With her usual dignified and majestic demeanor, she gazed at Lee Goon-sung, who now represented the future of the Soong Moo Yi family.

“In the end, you triumphed.”

On Baek Hwa-yeon’s face, as composed as ever, a smile of satisfaction appeared.

“Congratulations.”

But unlike her smile, her voice was indifferent.

Her husband had died, and her eldest son, who seemed destined for the position, had suddenly changed his mind, yet these things seemed to hold little significance for her.

“I thought Mother would feel sorry for my brother.”

“Sorry? Yes, perhaps. He was certainly fit to be the head of the family. But son, you were the one who triumphed. In the Soong Moo Yi family, justice always smiles upon the victor.”

Even though she was an outsider, not of the Soong Moo Yi bloodline, she had become a member of the family and spoke of its values.

Baek Hwa-yeon seemed more suited to the Soong Moo Yi family than anyone else.

“I see. But… it sounds as if Mother *is* justice itself.”

“……”

Baek Hwa-yeon narrowed her eyes.

It was a loaded remark.

But before she could respond, Lee Goon-sung continued.

“Of course, I don’t think it’s wrong. In this family, power *is* justice. Isn’t the reason I became the head because of Mother’s help?”

“All I did was open the way. I didn’t do anything special just for you. I gave all my children equal opportunities and adversities.”

Opening the way meant assigning Lee Goon-sung to the European branch.

In fact, it was both a reward and a punishment.

‘I thought he was just a wolf cub when he stepped forward… who would have known he was a tiger?’

Baek Hwa-yeon gave a faint smile.

He was a child she thought wouldn’t stand out, overshadowed by the genius of the first son and the exceptional nature of the second.

At that time, she was filled with disappointment.

She couldn’t imagine that a child born from her own womb would be so easily discouraged.

So Baek Hwa-yeon drove Lee Goon-sung out of the family.

To be precise, Lee Goon-sung wanted to leave, and Baek Hwa-yeon accepted it and got rid of him.

But Lee Goon-sung, who returned from Europe, was no longer a wolf.

The reason he wanted to leave was to gain power, and he returned with it.

Whatever the nature of that power, what did it matter?

In the end, the prodigal son had achieved victory.

And she was the mother of the next head of the Soong Moo Yi family.

“Anyway, you’ve finally swallowed this family. The elders are silent, and Myung-jung has acknowledged you. Now, who in this family would oppose your will?”

The reason the Soong Moo Yi family had been silent was precisely this.

Lee Goon-sung had orchestrated it.

Having secured the silence of the elders and the recognition of the acting head, Lee Myung-jung, Lee Goon-sung was now the undisputed next head of the family.

“No, Mother. There’s still much left.”

“Are you worried about the second son?”

The second son, Lee Jin-yoon.

It had been revealed that he came out of the Aerial Fortress [a secret training facility], but he had murdered the Yeonggeomdan members [elite guards] who had guided him and disappeared.

Lee Jin-yoon was a force to be reckoned with in the Soong Moo Yi family, no matter what anyone said.

No matter how powerful Lee Goon-sung was, he couldn’t help but be concerned.

But.

“Come to think of it, there was also Jin-yoon noona [older sister].”

As if he hadn’t thought of it, Lee Goon-sung tilted his teacup with a faint smile.

Baek Hwa-yeon’s brow furrowed slightly at that reaction.

Lee Goon-sung looked at her and slowly opened his mouth.

“As long as Mother is still in this family, how can this family truly be mine?”

At those words.

Baek Hwa-yeon let out a sneer.

“I see. So you’re worried about me.”

Baek Hwa-yeon.

As an outsider in the Soong Moo Yi family, she was a woman who had carved out an independent position.

Her power had been greatly reduced during Lee Chul’s purge of the elders, but her influence was still strong.

“Could it be just me? If you think about it, you still have another obstacle left.”

Baek Hwa-yeon leisurely fiddled with her teacup.

“Lee Chul. You’re talking about that child.”

“Yes, you couldn’t do anything about that bastard.”

Bastard, Lee Chul.

For Baek Hwa-yeon, he was like a reverse scale [a dragon’s unremovable scale that angers it when touched].

He was living proof that she had been ignored by Lee Tae-shin, and the only blemish in the Soong Moo Yi family where she resided.

But on the other hand, he had now become an indispensable part of the family.

As long as that guy was not dealt with, there would be no complete victory for Lee Goon-sung.

“I see. Come to think of it, the victory I’ve obtained is only half a victory. There is so much left.”

Not only simple force, but also influence.

Although the support of the elders was relatively weak, Lee Chul’s presence throughout the main family was at a level that couldn’t be ignored.

However, that was meaningless.

“You don’t seem to know about his birth? That child will not block your path.”

Baek Hwa-yeon gave a venomous smile.

Since learning about the existence of that bastard, she had been tracking the circumstances of Lee Chul’s birth for a long time.

And she found out not long ago.

How ridiculous it was when she discovered the truth.

In the future, when it was truly needed, Baek Hwa-yeon secretly held that fact so that it would become a dagger against him.

“I have a leash to control that child. As long as I support you.”

Baek Hwa-yeon put down her teacup.

As long as Lee Chul is alive and well, you will not be able to become the head of the family.

And I have the means to control him.

I am, Ice Sword Baek Hwa-yeon.

Baek Hwa-yeon was saying that to her son, who was wary of her.

It was then.

“I see. So Mother has learned about the youngest.”

Clang!

Lee Goon-sung put down his teacup.

The clear sound of the porcelain colliding echoed loudly.

In an instant, the noise in the garden disappeared.

Baek Hwa-yeon also stopped breathing for a moment.

She couldn’t understand why.

It was a feeling of unknown discomfort that was strangling her whole body.

“But there is something Mother doesn’t know.”

At Lee Goon-sung’s words, Baek Hwa-yeon couldn’t even think of asking what he meant.

Even though she had nothing to fear in the world, she couldn’t open her mouth due to the unknown pressure.

“I have respected Mother all this time. I mean it sincerely.”

Lee Goon-sung suddenly started talking.

His soft eyes turned to his mother, Baek Hwa-yeon.

“She came into the family as an outsider and fought by mobilizing everything she had. That was Mother. It was Mother, not my brothers or father, who taught me about fighting.”

Lee Goon-sung knew Baek Hwa-yeon well.

She was not someone who dreamed of being under someone else.

She dreamed of being above all others.

That’s why she married into the Soong Moo Yi family, to a man named Lee Tae-shin.

Sometimes with politics, sometimes with force, sometimes with information or financial power.

She crossed the line, but at the same time, she achieved results and fulfilled her desires.

She didn’t have the Lee surname, but she was more suited to the Soong Moo Yi family than anyone else.

That’s why even Lee Tae-shin and the elders respected her.

Even so.

“Mother was not satisfied. It couldn’t be. Because Mother’s goal was not a moderate level of status.”

Her unquenchable ambition was directed towards the highest position.

If her goal was to be the head of the Baek family, she would have easily achieved it.

But her eyes were on the high seat of the Soong Moo Yi family.

“But as always, Mother found a way.”

If she couldn’t become the head of the family, she could become the one who created the head of the family.

She could become the one who wielded that power behind the throne.

So, she did so.

It was a simple task for her.

She only added her own body and the children born from it as tools for her struggle.

“How dare you… what do you know, to insult me….”

Baek Hwa-yeon’s coldly frozen eyes glared at Lee Goon-sung.

Lee Goon-sung slowly rose from his seat.

“Of course, I respect such a mother. To achieve what you desire by giving everything you have. No one else can do that.”

Baek Hwa-yeon widened her eyes.

“What… are you trying to do now?”

“Don’t you know better than anyone else, Mother?”

“How dare you…!”

Baek Hwa-yeon also rose from her seat and drew her sword.

A chilling cold spread around her.

She was also a warrior who had reached the realm [a high level of martial arts mastery].

Before her retirement, she was called Ice Sword.

If the Shadow Swords [her personal guards], the warriors she had raised herself, would only block the way, she was confident that she could escape.

But.

“……?”

Those who should always be guarding her did not appear.

Lee Goon-sung smiled softly.

“Mother, you’re getting old.”

Whoosh!

Suddenly, wind rushed into the garden.

It was a moment.

The flowers in full bloom in the spring garden were stained crimson.

“……!”

Baek Hwa-yeon’s eyes widened as if they were tearing.

The mistress of the Soong Moo Yi family, Ice Sword Baek Hwa-yeon’s knees buckled and touched the dirt floor.

Thud!

The blood-stained petals soared into the sky.

Baek Hwa-yeon looked up at her son with bloodshot eyes.

“You, how… how could you. How dare you… to Baek Hwa-yeon…!”

“Mother, don’t you understand better than anyone else?”

Under the fluttering petals, Lee Goon-sung’s smile deepened.

“Just as Mother fought with all she had.”

Lee Goon-sung looked down at Baek Hwa-yeon with his back to the sun.

“I am just doing the same.”

Lee Goon-sung’s expression, shadowed by the sun, was not clearly visible to Baek Hwa-yeon.

“If I die… do you think… you can stop… that bastard… ?”

Baek Hwa-yeon asked in a voice that seemed to be squeezed out.

Lee Goon-sung answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“Did you really think that you were the only one who knew the secret of that guy that Mother knew?”

“……!”

Baek Hwa-yeon was startled.

Wasn’t she the only one who knew this?

How did this child find out about it, and where?

No, that wasn’t the problem.

Lee Goon-sung’s words meant that the last resort she had was gone.

“I don’t want anyone other than me to touch the Soong Moo Yi family. I will sit alone on that throne. If there are obstacles, I will break them with my own hands, not with the hands of others.”

“Who… are you… really… .”

Baek Hwa-yeon felt unfamiliar.

The face of this young man approaching her felt truly unfamiliar.

Lee Goon-sung still had a soft expression.

His expression had never changed from the beginning until now.

He stared directly into Baek Hwa-yeon’s eyes and answered.

“I am your son. Mother.”

Stab!

A chilling sound of fabric tearing echoed.

Baek Hwa-yeon looked at Lee Goon-sung’s face beyond her fading vision.

And she knew.

The reason it felt unfamiliar was because she had never properly seen her son’s face in the first place.

Lee Goon-sung had always been like that.

Baek Hwa-yeon forcibly twisted the corners of her blood-stained mouth.

“I see… truly… my son.”

With those words.

Baek Hwa-yeon felt the approaching darkness.

Whirr….

In the silence, the wind blew.

The strong smell of blood mixed with the scent of flowers created a fragrance that was hard to describe.

Although her knees were bent, Baek Hwa-yeon never fell to the ground.

Sitting down, with her eyes wide open, she was still glaring at him.

“The youngest….”

Lee Goon-sung sheathed his sword and turned his head.

The youngest of the Soong Moo Yi family, the bastard Lee Chul, had a secret.

That secret was so well hidden that no one could ever find out.

But there is no secret in the world.

Those who are involved with his birth know that secret.

Perhaps even his father, Lee Tae-shin.

Of course, it was truly surprising that his mother, Baek Hwa-yeon, had realized it… but there were five people, including his mother, who knew that secret.

One of them.

There was also the old master who dreamed of the seat of God, the leader of Kabbalah [a mystical Jewish tradition].

“By now, would he have met that child?”

Lee Goon-sung’s gaze turned to a distant place.

The old man had left his seat to meet Lee Chul.

What will happen?

‘What will you do? Youngest son.’

What kind of answer will you give?

Will you face the truth?

Or, did you already know?

“I’ll be waiting.”

Lee Goon-sung turned his body.