Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 58

Weapon-Eating Bastard – Chapter 58

The third test that any direct descendant born into the Soongmoo Yi family must face without fail:

The Martial Journey.

“I knew it, but I didn’t expect you to say it so directly. So, the trip to Cheonwisan [a sacred mountain] was for this.”

It was something I had considered, and Chief Butler Choi had guessed, so there was no way Father wouldn’t have noticed.

I answered readily.

“Yes, that’s right. But more than just leaving for the Martial Journey early, I wanted to improve my personal skills.”

Father stared at me silently.

Just meeting his eyes, I felt a weight as if I were being crushed by a boulder.

“The habit of always trying to achieve multiple goals with one action… It’s not bad, but you need to be aware of the situation. That habit could suffocate you someday.”

It was both advice and a warning.

I bowed deeply.

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Indeed, the Martial Journey.”

The final test that all children of the Soongmoo Yi family must undertake.

To experience and grow outside the family without the family’s help, and then return.

In fact, something like the Martial Journey wasn’t unique to the Soongmoo Yi family.

Regardless of East or West, any family with martial aspirations would do something similar.

It was just called by different names, such as a martial arts pilgrimage or a knight’s quest.

‘Fifteen years old… That’s young.’

If I were to leave for the Martial Journey now,

It would be earlier than Yi Tae-shin had departed.

Yi Tae-shin entered Cheonwisan at the age of 16, the final rite of passage before leaving for the Martial Journey.

Originally, unlike other tests that must be taken when the time comes, the Martial Journey is a test that cannot even be taken if the conditions are not met.

Because you must prove that you will not tarnish the family name by venturing outside the family.

From that perspective, 15 years old is too young.

According to the family rules, it must be undertaken before adulthood, but it was common to leave around the age of 17 or 18.

‘Common, huh.’

Yi Tae-shin sensed an inconsistency in that word.

This child is not one to be confined within the framework of the common.

He had confirmed with his own eyes that I was already far beyond the level of a cadet [martial arts trainee].

Those who inherit the blood of the Soongmoo Yi family should always break the mold.

That was the proper demeanor for a young warrior who would be responsible for the next generation of the Soongmoo Yi family, and as his own flesh and blood.

‘And, watching this child’s solo act will put the other children on their guard.’

It would also be a good stimulus for some of the older, complacent children.

“Very well.”

He gave his permission.

Unseen, I clenched my fist.

For me now, the family is more of a hindrance than a help.

I have many things to do outside the family, but within the family, there are only enemies.

‘Someday, those enemies will become insignificant, but there’s no need to clash with them just yet.’

I’m not afraid of them right now.

It’s just that wasting time is annoying.

Then, Father opened his mouth.

“But there are two conditions.”

Two conditions.

I listened attentively to Father’s words.

And after hearing everything, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.

* * *

The residence where I stayed was a small house located on the outskirts of the residential area within the main family compound.

As I approached the residence,

A person was waiting in front of the entrance.

It was my nanny, warming her frozen hands with her breath as she waited.

“Young Master!”

As soon as she spotted me, the nanny rushed over and hugged me.

“Nanny, it’s been a while. I’m back.”

“You’ve suffered so much. Why are you dressed so thinly? At least wear this.”

The nanny hurriedly took off the scarf and earmuffs she was wearing and put them on me.

She didn’t seem to realize that I had mastered mana [spiritual energy], or that I would be inside the house as soon as I crossed the yard.

The nanny’s eyes were glistening.

“Why have you lost so much weight?”

“How long have you been waiting? Why are you so cold?”

“I haven’t been waiting long.”

“What do you mean you haven’t been waiting long? I was late because I had to see Father. You should have waited inside.”

“I couldn’t just stay still when the Young Master returned. I really haven’t been waiting long.”

The nanny’s every word warmed my heart.

I went into the house with the nanny.

“I’ve already organized your luggage. I’ve also prepared clothes in front of the bath, so please wash up and have a meal quickly.”

As I was about to wash up and change, I finally noticed the training clothes I was wearing.

Even though they were made of new materials, they were torn and tattered everywhere.

Those training clothes were proof of my past time.

I had packed several sets, but this was the last one. The rest had become rags due to the harsh training.

“Nanny, I’ll be honest. I think I missed this the most.”

“Hehe, home-cooked meals are the best, right?”

When I came out after washing up, the nanny had already set the table.

I smacked my lips as I looked at the countless side dishes spread out on the table.

Crack-.

I must have misheard, but there was so much food that it felt like the table was about to break.

“I thought you wouldn’t have been able to eat properly while training, so I prepared mostly meat dishes.”

“Thank you. I was looking forward to the braised short ribs you make.”

While I was on Cheonwisan, I received weekly food deliveries from the family, so there was no shortage.

But the problem was cooking.

I didn’t have enough time to cook, so I only focused on nutrition and didn’t care about the taste.

So, the only thing I missed while on Cheonwisan was the nanny’s cooking.

“Eat a lot. Here, we also have this year’s kimchi [fermented cabbage]. This is from Tongyeong [a coastal city in Korea]……”

“Nanny, I’ll eat on my own. Don’t worry.”

Glossy white rice with braised ribs and kimchi.

Before I knew it, I had already finished three bowls of rice.

“Hoo, now it really feels like I’ve come home.”

The main family residence is my home, but it’s this place with the nanny that gives me the feeling of being truly at home.

“I brought some Sikhye [sweet rice beverage] and apples. Refresh yourself.”

“Nanny… are you trying to kill me?”

“Huh? Why?”

“If I eat that too, my stomach might really explode.”

“Oh my, should I take it back then?”

“That won’t do.”

I drank the Sikhye with ice floating in it and spent time chatting with the nanny.

After I finished the Sikhye, the nanny brought tea and snacks from somewhere again.

I really didn’t think I could eat any more, but before I knew it, I was reaching for the teacup.

“Then, Young Master, you’ll be staying with us for a while, right? You haven’t even completed your cadet training yet.”

“Ah, that’s… Nanny…”

I carefully brought up the story about the Martial Journey.

“Yes?! The Martial Journey? Already?”

On average, the Martial Journey is a test that people embark on at the age of 17 or 18.

In other words, it was out of the question for me, who had not even graduated from the cadet program, to set out on the Martial Journey.

“It’s not right away.”

The nanny wore a gloomy expression.

I felt a little sorry for the nanny.

‘There’s a rule that you shouldn’t contact anyone from the family during the Martial Journey. And it’s a test that takes several years.’

So, if I leave the family this time, I won’t be able to return for several years.

The nanny soon clenched her fist and met my eyes.

Before I knew it, she had shaken off her gloomy look, and a strong resolve was in her eyes.

“Just tell me when you’re leaving. And if there’s anything special you need, please tell me that too. I’ll prepare it in advance.”

“I’m sorry, Nanny.”

“Don’t be sorry. I’m here to help you, not to make you worry. So, when are you planning to leave?”

“In about a month or two. It’s not exact yet. And I don’t know how late it will be if it’s delayed.”

“Has the Martial Journey been confirmed yet?”

“It’s been confirmed.”

“Then why……”

“Father set conditions.”

Two conditions in total, I replied to the nanny.

“So, I don’t think I’ll have time to rest from now on. I have to move diligently.”

I bit into the last remaining piece of apple.

* * *

I had to move busily from the first day I returned to the family.

As soon as I finished meeting Father and talking with the nanny, I headed straight to the administrative department.

‘Even if I don’t see anyone else, I should greet Uncle. And there are things I need to hear.’

The administrative department building can be easily found even on the large grounds of the Soongmoo Yi family.

In the Soongmoo Yi family’s main residence, buildings with more than three floors were rare.

When building most buildings, they chose to build multiple buildings rather than increasing the number of floors in the Korean style.

However, the administrative department’s main building increased the number of floors for work efficiency.

At first, there were objections that it would harm the scenery of the main residence, but work efficiency actually increased after gathering each department in one place.

Thanks to contacting the administrative department in advance, I was guided to the chief manager’s office without any restrictions.

“This rascal! You’ve suffered a lot!”

As soon as I entered the office, my uncle approached with a beaming smile.

“Uncle. How have you been?”

“I’m always doing well. You, on the other hand… Heo! You’ve grown a lot taller! Our nephew is handsome, isn’t he?”

For someone who said he was doing well, he had considerable dark circles under his eyes.

“Come on, sit down quickly. Should I get you something to drink? Tell me what you like.”

“I just had a meal with Nanny. Thank you for your concern, but if I put anything more in my mouth, I think I’ll get indigestion.”

“Haha! I guess so. Your nanny would have taken care of you. Well, tell me. How was Cheonwisan?”

“I went there to train, what else? It was just continuous training.”

I talked about my time on Cheonwisan more comfortably than when I talked to Father.

Even though the story of training couldn’t have been interesting, my uncle listened to my every word.

“Hehe, so you’ve also mastered Seondan Arts [Taoist alchemy]?”

Yi Tae-hong smiled as if he found it endearing.

Not in a dismissive way, but because Seondan Arts was truly a difficult discipline to master.

Unlike dealing with ordinary elixirs or herbs, it was several times more difficult than ordinary medicines because it was imbued with mana.

No matter how extraordinary his nephew had been, this was a completely different concept.

“Yes, the mountain keeper also acknowledged that it was a good medicine.”

“The mountain keeper?”

That was a bit surprising.

Yi Tae-hong also knew that goblin.

He was an existence who often made frivolous remarks, but if even that goblin said so, it meant that it was truly an effective elixir.

“Hehe, so even spirits were greedy for it. I wish I could have seen it once.”

“Actually, I prepared one for you because I thought you might be having a hard time with your nightly overtime work.”

“What? Haha! You’re the only one who thinks of me.”

I took out a box containing the elixir from my chest.

‘It’s already in a state where it has fully accepted the medicinal effects, so it’s useless to me……’

Thanks to gathering better herbs through a deal with the mountain keeper, I made a much better elixir than initially planned.

Thanks to that, I was able to leave an elixir to give to my uncle like this.

Yi Tae-hong accepted the box that his nephew was handing him.

‘What’s this smell……’

Whoosh-.

A fragrant smell reminiscent of a pine forest after the rain emanated from the large elixir, which was about the size of a newborn’s fist.

“Try eating it now. The direct mana enhancement effect isn’t that high, but for a few weeks after eating it, you’ll have vitality and the function of your mana circuits will be significantly improved.”

“Oh, okay, sure. I’ll try eating it.”

Yi Tae-hong felt anticipation and excitement as he put the elixir in his mouth.

‘Ah.’

He could feel heat rising as the elixir was absorbed.

Yi Tae-hong’s eyes widened.

‘This is… the real deal.’

There was no immediate mana enhancement like a divine medicine, but it was not much different.

If you train mana arts in this state, you will exert efficiency several times higher than usual.

‘I’ve been indebted to him every time, so I have to do this much.’

I looked at my uncle, who was admiring and checking his mana circuits.

I also had the thought that I should reward him, but it was also a kind of positioning.

‘I’ll need Uncle’s help later if I want to use the elixir recipe.’

My uncle slowly opened his eyes.

“Amazing. You made this?”

“Yes, Uncle. It’s an elixir I made.”

“Do you know the combination method?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Are the ingredients hard to get?”

“There are some, but they can be substituted. The medicinal effect will be a little weaker, though.”

“You’ll be able to use this in some way when you grow up. Mana grass… I heard that there are many mana grass being abandoned in the north these days.”

My uncle began to mutter as he fell into thought.

Then he suddenly came to his senses.

“Ah, I’m sorry. But it’s such a good thing. Don’t tell anyone and keep it in your head. You might be able to use it for business or other means when you grow up.”

“Yes, Uncle. Please take care of me then.”

“Haha! You’re going to use this uncle? This rascal, you’ve grown a lot. Ah, I’m sorry for interrupting. What happened after that?”

I continued the rest of the story.

And when the story about the Martial Journey came out, my uncle was finally shocked.

“How old are you now?”

“Fifteen.”

“Heo… the Martial Journey at fifteen.”

Yi Tae-hong looked at his nephew with new eyes.

‘…There will be a lot of controversy.’

As soon as he heard that Yi Tae-shin had allowed it, Yi Tae-hong thought about the aftermath that would follow.

There were many words about this trip to Cheonwisan as well.

But it was a reasonable reward, and it was the order of the head of the family, so no one voiced their opinion.

But what if it leads straight to the Martial Journey after that?

‘There’s no way the story of favoritism won’t come out. There’s nothing I can do about my older brother, so those uncomfortable gazes with colored glasses will be directed at Cheol.’

In fact, Yi Cheol has never been favored.

Yi Tae-shin gave his children equal trials and equal rewards.

And Yi Cheol has only made that reward a stepping stone to pioneer his future.

This Martial Journey is also something that Yi Cheol has to reasonably undertake through the reward of Cheonwisan, but it will never look good in the eyes of the vested interests of the family.

“The Martial Journey is not only permitted by the head of the family. It must also be permitted by the Council of Elders.”

If Yi Tae-shin steps forward and issues an order, who would object, but that method was a completely different way of handling things than the ruling method of the man named Yi Tae-shin.

“Besides, you haven’t proven all your qualifications yet. There are many parts to pick on. The elders don’t like you in the first place, and you haven’t even completed your cadet training yet… Anyway, how about giving up on this before things get out of hand?”

Yi Tae-hong gave heartfelt advice, thinking of his nephew.

But his nephew only wore a strange smile.

“I expected the parts that Uncle is worried about. So, Father also set conditions.”

“Conditions?”

I told him about the conditions that Father had set.

Uncle’s eyes widened.

“As expected of my older brother. The first condition is fine… but will the second one be possible?”

“That’s why I need Uncle’s help.”

“Huh? Help?”

I smiled and looked at my uncle.