Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 317

Weapon-Eating Bastard – Episode 317

When I opened my eyes, I was standing in a dark forest.

Because of the thick clouds, the night sky was dyed especially black, and the overgrown trees densely filled my vision.

-Keeeeeek! Kaaak!

And monsters were roaming in the dark forest.

Without hesitation, I knew what I was seeing.

This place isn’t reality.

What I was seeing was someone’s memory.

It was different from reading the memories of other ordinary weapons.

If I had to say, it was a similar sensation to when I read Mujin’s memories.

A feeling as if I was watching the memory from a distance, not being possessed by the person involved.

I also knew whose memory this was.

“Ugh…”

Next to me, there was a girl suppressing her breath.

The girl was sitting in the bushes, watching the monsters with nervous eyes.

Still young, but with a beautiful appearance and sharp eyes.

My mother, Choi Yu-jeong.

‘This is my mother’s memory.’

I was seeing my mother’s memory.

* * *

The mother in the memory looked young.

At most, she would be in her early to mid-teens.

Her face was tired and haggard, as if she had gone through something traumatic.

My mother was being chased by monsters.

And the way she was hiding looked so familiar.

In the life of a person named Choi Yu-jeong, running away was not a sudden occurrence.

That’s because she had always been chased.

The only difference was whether it was monsters, people, or a mix of both.

“The blue light is floating in the sky, but why is the ground red and the world is…”

“Aaaaaah! This is ours…!”

“Where, where is it, nya!”

While hiding in the bushes, the fragmented voices of the pursuers running around in the forest echoed.

It was Behemoth who was chasing my mother.

The only remaining blood relative of the Soongjung Choi family in that era.

Kabbalah, Behemoth, and the purpose of the Blood Cult, another of the Six Nights [a group of powerful antagonists], that was still alive at this time, was the power of purification residing in the Choi family.

“Haa…”

My mother was trying her best to hide her presence, but rough breaths were leaking from her mouth.

My mother was strong.

I could feel a strong magical power from my mother’s body, to an extent that was unbelievable for her age.

However, it seemed that her physical fatigue had accumulated so much that it was difficult to properly control that amount of magical power.

A touch-and-go situation.

It seemed to me that if she didn’t hide her presence a little more, she would be discovered.

‘She should turn around and run away. It’s impossible to hide her presence any longer.’

I swallowed hard and looked around my mother.

It was that moment.

“Keeek?”

One of the Behemoth cultists, wearing wolf skin, wrinkled his nose and turned his body.

The place where his gaze was directed was exactly where my mother was hiding.

I thought my mother would run away.

In fact, she had to.

But.

“Ah, damn it, damn it. Ugh, annoying.”

…My mother frowned deeply, spat blood-mixed saliva on the floor, and 벌떡 [beoljjeok – suddenly] stood up from her seat.

Then she rushed towards the Behemoth cultist who had discovered her.

Kwaaaang!

The outstretched forepaw, the fist, landed directly on the cultist’s torso.

A heavy and surprisingly fast blow, as if wielding a hammer.

-Krrr….

The Behemoth cultist flew helplessly for several meters and crashed into the ground.

“Tsk! Seriously, even if I die, I’m going to catch you because I can’t stand it.”

My mother took a quick breath as if she felt relieved, and then gave a cool smile.

-Kieeeeeek!

-Kyaaaaak!

“There, there, there, there, there!”

And of course, the explosion that echoed in the quiet forest eventually focused the attention of the pursuers.

“Haa… I didn’t think it would turn out like this.”

My mother gave a bitter smile and slumped down on the spot.

Then she began to gather aura at her fingertips.

“Ah, I wanted to live a more ordinary life. I wanted to travel, go to school, and fall in love…”

Choi Yu-jeong looked up at the sky.

The moon hid its face in the thick clouds.

It was a bad day to die.

However, Choi Yu-jeong knew very well the power and danger of her bloodline, even at a young age.

Even if she died, she knew that she should never hand over her body to that dangerous cult.

The fingertips of her hand, which had gathered aura, were directed towards her mana core.

Mana core, that is, where the heart is located.

The injected mana would surely evaporate all the power in her body.

And in the Soongjung Choi family… there was a suicide technique for that purpose.

She hesitated for a moment, then pushed her hand straight in.

No, she was about to put it in.

Tak!

If a stranger hadn’t grabbed that hand.

“Choi Yu-jeong, the last survivor of the Choi clan. Is that right?”

He was a man with jet-black hair that seemed to have melted the night sky, and light yellow eyes that shone with an amber color.

I knew him.

The person who hurriedly reached out and stopped my mother’s suicide was none other than my father.

“How… ?”

“Fortunately, I was able to pinpoint the location with the explosion. I will protect you from now on.”

My father was still young.

Except for the age difference, he was not much different from the father I knew.

The sword hanging down exuded the aura of someone approaching completion, and his blunt face seemed to contain no emotion at all.

“Don’t stray from my side.”

With those words, my father began to cut down the rushing Behemoth cultists.

He was not even an adult yet, but his martial power had already reached the realm.

In the dark forest.

A tired mother and a father wielding a sword.

Only pale sword energy and screams were scattered.

That was the first meeting between my mother and father.

* * *

Why did the Soongjung Choi family fall, leaving only my mother?

Why didn’t the Soongmu Yi family protect the Soongjung Choi family?

I could understand the reason.

Was it a trick of causality? Or was it destined to be so?

As the primordial monster factor residing in the Soongmu Yi family faded over the generations, the number of those who used the power of purification in the Soongjung Choi family decreased.

In the midst of this, the previous head of the family, Yi Cheong-mu, kicked out the Soongjung Choi family.

In my mother’s memory, my mother was running away not only from the 괴인s [goeins – weird people/monsters] of the Six Nights but also from the Soongmu Yi family.

It was my father who protected her.

My father defied the will of the previous head of the family and secretly protected my mother.

The reason why he often went on 외유s [oe-yus – trips away from home] from a young age… was none other than my mother.

And there was only one reason why that cold-blooded father did that.

“What? Become your 무사대원 [Musa Daewon – Warrior Corps member]?”

“Yes, you would want to pass on your bloodline to future generations. I will hide and protect you, so use your power for me.”

“What do I believe in you for?”

“Don’t believe me. Just use me. I need your power.”

There was no story like a beautiful woman falling in love with a hero who helped her out of trouble, like in a fairy tale.

Perhaps it was like my father.

No, perhaps my mother, who didn’t change her expression when facing such a father, was even more amazing.

Anyway, there was no emotion between the two.

My father wanted the power of the Choi family.

My mother wanted the succession of the bloodline.

The purposes of the two coincided, and my mother followed my father.

Time passed.

I saw many memories.

My mother lived a life guaranteed safety under my father as a member of the Ten Swords.

Many things happened.

Chief Butler Choi joined my father’s 무사대 [Musa Dae – Warrior Corps], which had only nine members at the time, and the Ten Swords were completed.

My father, who had subjugated a Level 2 monster at a young age, was recognized as the youngest Level 1 무사 [Musa – Warrior].

I watched my father from my mother’s side, through my mother’s eyes.

‘My father’s life… was like this.’

From a young age, my father was too strong.

The Dwarves looked at such people and called them singularities.

However, in my eyes, that expression felt insufficient.

My father’s strength was something mysterious outside the norm.

Even I, who had regressed and gained and learned so many things, felt that I could not fathom my father’s foundation.

I was not the only one who knew that.

The world at that time was full of chaos after the Great War.

The Soongmu Yi family also did not have the overwhelming power it has now.

The whole world was trying to kill my father.

My father had already clashed head-on with a large force during his 무사행 [Musa-haeng – Warrior journey], and every restaurant he passed by had poison or curses applied to it.

If he fell asleep for a while, assassins would break in, and when he went out on missions, he would often fall into traps due to the machinations of the elders in the family.

I couldn’t even guess what his life was like before that.

Even so, my father was indifferent.

He just kept moving forward silently.

I could not know what heavy fate and causality were weighing on the shoulders of my father, who was so strong.

* * *

It is said that trials follow heroes.

My father had many trials, and my mother overcame those trials with him by his side.

Those battles, which were not even recorded… gave me even an excitement that I was peeking into 비사s [bisa – secret histories] that no one in the world knew, but on the other hand, they were scenes that made me feel even 아득함 [adeukham – a sense of being distant/vague].

Father, Yi Tae-shin of the Soongmu Yi family.

The path that the cold-blooded 철혈 무인 [cheolhyeol muin – iron-blooded warrior] walked was stained too deeply with blood.

The fight against the Six Nights that were engulfing the world, the exploration of uncharted territories, the subjugation of powerful monsters, and… even the depths of the Soongmu Yi family.

Too heavy truths for one person to bear.

In the midst of this, my mother… nagged my father.

“Ha, anyone who sees you would think you’re carrying the whole world on your shoulders alone. Can’t you not go out in front?”

“Are you stupid? What, are you just crazy to die quickly?”

“Seriously. You’re such a 지랄 [jiral – bullshit/nonsense]. You’re such a 지랄 [jiral – bullshit/nonsense]. Why don’t you just stick your nose in a 접시 물 [jeopsi mul – dish of water] and die!”

…My mother was quite 괄괄한 [gwalgwalhan – outspoken/blunt], no, she was a confident person.

She fearlessly shot at that father, and my father remained silent, making my mother even more angry.

The relationship between the two… honestly, it didn’t look good at all.

They fought every day, and my father never changed his behavior.

However, that didn’t mean my mother stopped getting angry.

My father never warned such a mother.

The two were so different.

My father’s life was extremely dry.

He was just a person who did what he had to do like a machine.

It was as if he had risked his life for 과업 [gwa-eop – tasks] and 숙명 [sook-myeong – destiny], only for that.

On the other hand, my mother was a colorful person.

She felt joy in the wildflowers blooming on the roadside, and she put her feet in the 계곡물 [gyegokmul – stream water] while resting and splashed around.

That’s why she might not have been able to understand.

My father’s life, my mother’s life.

“Hey, Yi Tae-shin.”

“…What is it?”

Late at night.

My mother asked my father in front of a bonfire.

That day was a special day.

That’s because it was around the time when the incident involving my second uncle and aunt occurred.

That day, my father overturned the family.

He chased the former head of the family, who had fled to the northern uncharted territory, for days.

And in a few weeks, my father beheaded my grandfather, your father.

“Why do you live like that?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about. Is it fun to live like that? When you want to cry, cry a little, when it’s 엿 같을 [yeot gateul – shitty], swear a little, and when it’s funny, laugh. Isn’t that fun?”

“…”

I looked at my father and mother.

To my mother’s question, I thought my father would not say anything as always.

But that day, my father answered for the first time.

“It’s not fun. I’m just doing it because it’s something I have to do.”

Ta-dak!

A spark flew from the bonfire.

The reason why my father answered was probably because it was a deep night.

There were countless stars in the sky that could not be covered by the bonfire, and the forest was full of the sounds of 풀벌레 [pulbeolle – insects].

My father and mother had crossed the line of death several times today, so perhaps this kind of conversation was possible.

“Who decided what that thing you have to do is?”

“Because there is no one else who can do it besides me.”

“Then, besides what you have to do, don’t you have anything you want to do?”

Something I want to do.

My father muttered like that.

I was so unfamiliar with my father’s appearance.

“Family.”

My father’s voice trembled very low.

“I wanted to make a family.”

“Family? What family is bigger than your family?”

“…”

My father didn’t say anything.

That was the end of all the conversation.

“Hey, Yi Tae-shin.”

My mother called my father again.

My father looked at my mother again.

A long silence flowed.

The sounds of 산새s [san-saes – mountain birds] and the 울음소리s [ureumsoris – cries] of 풀벌레s [pulbeolle – insects] also felt far away.

“Wait, come here.”

My mother’s face was reddish purple.

As if embracing the night sky, her eyes were deep and calm.

My father’s expression was different from what I knew.

It was a somewhat clumsy appearance for that age.

“I thought you hated me.”

“I thought I hated you too.”

The two looked at each other.

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

Watching the trembling of my mother’s voice, my father seemed to be conflicted for a moment.

But soon the light of that conflict disappeared.

I saw a smile on my father’s lips.

* * *

The scenery in the memory flickered.

What came out in front of my eyes again was the 모습 [moseup – figure/appearance] of my mother sitting face to face with my father.

It was a mansion in some corner.

My mother was leaning deeply against the backrest in that place that looked like a hidden 안가 [an-ga – safehouse/hideout].

And my mother’s stomach… was swollen.

“…I really didn’t know it would turn out like this. Right?”

My mother smiled bitterly and looked at my father.

My father was just quietly looking down at the scene.

“Give up. You can’t have a baby between me and your bloodline.”

“No, I don’t want to. Even if I give up my life… I’m going to have this child.”

My mother stroked your stomach and gave a bright smile.

Only then could I finally face the unbelievable reality.

The blood of the Soongmu Yi family and the Soongjung Choi family do not mix.

The reason, that’s what the leader of Kabbalah said.

That’s because the power of the Soongjung Choi family erases the primordial monster factor residing in the blood of the Soongmu Yi family.

The child born that way dies naturally because it is not supplied with magical power.

But… what if you can inject magical power?

“It’s your 선천진기 [seoncheonjingi – innate true energy]. It’s life force. You saying you’re going to have a child means you’re accepting death.”

Just ordinary magical power, even if injected, the fetus would not be able to accept it.

But… 선천진기 [seoncheonjingi – innate true energy] is different.

That, which is the source of life force that humans have basically had since birth, is the purest energy, so there is no problem.

The problem is that it is an energy that should never be consumed.

“Yeah, that’s right. I’m saying that now.”

But my mother… was saying that with a cool smile.

My father was just silently looking at my mother in front of her.

I read unfamiliar emotions that I had never seen before in my father’s eyes.

‘My father… is making that expression?’

It was sadness.

The sadness of losing a loved one.

Sadness was dwelling in the eyes of the 철혈 무인 [cheolhyeol muin – iron-blooded warrior] who walked the blood-stained path.

And at that moment.

I then realized that something was wrong.

‘My father shouldn’t have married 백 부인 [Baek Buin – Madam Baek] yet at this time.’

It was a reality different from my knowledge.

I couldn’t understand.

This point in time was decades before I was born.

It was a time when I shouldn’t be in my mother’s womb yet.

‘What the heck?’

And the memory began to proceed again.