The Illegitimate Who Devours Weapons

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Lucky]

Chapter 9

“Please promise me three things.”

I held up three fingers toward my aunt.

“First, don’t talk about me to anyone unless I give you explicit permission. Not even to my eldest brother or father.”

As I lowered my first finger, my aunt tilted her head in confusion.

“Why?”

“Because I’m a bastard. I have no desire to stand out, nor do I want to be noticed. And honestly, being associated with me wouldn’t do you any favors either.”

“...Why?”

Once again, my aunt looked like she didn’t understand.

Family status, social perception, the way people viewed bastards—there were many reasons. But none of them were things a nine-year-old should be saying, and I doubted my aunt would fully grasp them.

So, I gave a simpler explanation, like soothing a child.

“I just don’t like people talking about me behind my back. You wouldn’t like it either, right?”

“Oh… yeah, I get that. I wouldn’t like it either.”

My aunt’s expression suddenly darkened, as if she had remembered something unpleasant.

I folded another finger and continued.

“Second, you must never lie to me.”

“Lying? Why?”

“Because we need to be able to trust each other. I’ll always tell you the truth as much as I can, so please don’t hide things from me either.”

My aunt hesitated, like a child struggling with a difficult question. Then, as if deciding it wasn’t worth the effort, she shrugged.

“Fine. What’s the last thing?”

I calmly stated my final condition.

My aunt furrowed her brows.

“…That’s unfair. I don’t know much about that, but I was told never to make promises like that so easily.”

“I promise I won’t abuse it. And I’ll never make unreasonable demands. Besides, I’ll do my best to keep the first two promises as well.”

My aunt pressed her lips together and fell into thought.

But, true to her nature, she didn’t dwell on it for long.

“Alright! That’s settled then, right? Now tell me!”

She threw her arms up in excitement.

And just like that, my aunt and I formed an alliance.

---

Nearly a year had passed since the quiet send-off of the family head.

As the acting head of the household, Lee Myeongjung had taken on the Acting Patriarch’s duties.

The role was far more difficult than he had imagined—not because of the workload but because every decision carried immense weight. Each matter required careful deliberation, making even a single decision time-consuming.

Even in the midst of his busy schedule, there was one thing that consistently caught Myeongjung’s attention.

Lee Young. The youngest sibling his father had brought in from the outside. And the aunt who had chosen to stay by that child’s side—Lee Gyeongha.

His eccentric aunt, whose way of thinking was bizarre enough to be called unconventional. The peculiar child who carried something different from others.

For the past several months, those two had been up to something.

“Is the food not to your liking?”

He asked as he watched his younger sibling hesitate between bites.

Since their first meeting, Myeongjung had made a habit of having meals with his youngest sibling and Lee Gyeongha whenever he had the time.

“No, it’s delicious. I’m enjoying it.”

Narrowing his eyes, Myeongjung carefully observed his sibling.

‘That’s an unusual flow…’

Despite saying otherwise, the child was moving with an odd level of precision, even when lifting a spoon.

Because of magic.

A barely perceptible flow of magic coursed through the child's body—so faint that even he himself might struggle to pinpoint it precisely.

‘…This isn’t just impressive. How is he even doing that?’

At higher levels of mastery, such control wasn’t impossible. But right now, his younger brother’s magical capacity was still at the very first stage.

In other words, with his current age and magic reserves, such fine-tuned control should have been impossible.

“This must be because of the training you’ve been doing.”

I hesitated without meaning to.

“You knew?”

“If you become proficient in magic arts, you’ll be able to do it too. It’s not like you were hiding it, right?”

Seeing my elder brother smile, I felt a bit taken aback.

‘Even if I wasn’t actively concealing it, how can he so easily perceive what’s happening inside someone else’s body?’

As expected of my eldest brother.

He said that I, too, could achieve this level of control with enough skill in magic arts, but I couldn’t even begin to fathom how advanced one needed to be for that.

“What exactly have you and Aunt been working on?”

“It’s… closer to research than training.”

“Research, huh.”

Since the conversation had already taken this turn, Lee Myeongjung took a more relaxed stance and observed his younger sibling more carefully.

‘It’s already unbelievable that he can manipulate magic at this level at his age. But even more intriguing is how different his technique is from any magic arts I’ve ever seen.’

It was strange enough that his mana flowed so smoothly at his age—but it wasn’t just stable.

It wasn’t erratic either. Rather, it was meticulously controlled, shifting in a way that seemed deliberate and adaptive.

“This seems related to magic manipulation… but what exactly is your goal?”

“Secret! It’s a secret! Myeongjung, stop! I won’t tell you! Don’t look!”

Aunt suddenly cut in, waving her hands wildly.

Myeongjung turned to his younger sibling, looking slightly wounded.

But even his supposedly trustworthy younger brother shook his head.

“I can’t believe you’re shutting me out like this.”

“You’ll find out naturally once it’s complete.”

“…It must be something incredible if even I can’t know about it.”

“It’s not something you need to concern yourself with, Brother.”

A gentle yet firm rejection.

Myeongjung let out a bitter chuckle, shaking his head.

“You’re ruthless.”

He didn’t know what that strange magic flow signified, but he could tell how precise and refined the control was.

‘He’s no ordinary child.’

This was the same kid who had once boldly declared himself his rival, despite being young enough to be his nephew.

If he let his guard down and treated him as just a cute little brother, he’d end up regretting it.

‘…Every time I see him, he feels more extraordinary.’

He was still just a child, yet already at this level.

What would he become in five or ten years?

‘Am I… actually feeling tense? Because of this child?’

The thought was so absurd that he let out a quiet chuckle.

What a strange feeling.

Though still far in the distance, it felt as if someone was chasing me right from behind.

How long had it been since I last felt this way?

"Don’t be so on guard. You still have a long way to go before you reach where I am."

At those words, I looked up at my eldest brother.

There was a strange heat in his gaze.

Setting my spoon down, I replied,

"It won’t take that long."

“…What? Hah!"

‘So, he finally sees me as a competitor.’

I like my eldest brother.

I respect his character, his talent, and his abilities. I even admire him.

But at the same time, I want to surpass him. Not just him, but everyone in this family—even our father, who stands so high above the rest.

At that thought, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘A competitor? A rival to Father? …And yet, I haven’t even mastered a single magic technique.’

The reason my recent days have been so exhausting—

It wasn’t just because I was learning my first proper magic art. It wasn’t just because of the grueling training.

It was because of this magic research.

---

“Yeol. Just how did you do it this time? I need an explanation."

"I keep telling you, don’t call me Yeol—"

"Fine! I’ll call you baby!"

"It’s not baby, and it’s not Yeoll either. It’s Young… Haa, call me whatever you want."

Zone 1- Martial arts training field.

As soon as Lee Gyeongha saw the magic technique her nephew had demonstrated, she pouted her lips and started sulking like a child.

"Young, Yul, whatever! You’re not a baby anymore! You little rascal!"

"A rascal, really?"

She grumbled, kicking at the stone fragments on the training ground.

"I—I worked for ten years to do this! And you just did it like it was nothing! And on top of that, you even applied it already?!"

She had spent her entire life creating that magic technique. He hadn’t even fully understood the notes she’d written, yet he had managed to complete it—then went on to refine and adapt it in such a short time.

She should have been happy. He had broken through the obstacle she had been stuck on. She was happy.

And yet… why was her stomach boiling with frustration?

"It wasn’t exactly instant. It’s been months now. And besides, it’s all thanks to you—"

"Shut up! Sob! I’m an idiot. I’m a fool. But you… you’re a genius…"

With a sulky expression, Gyeongha stared at her nephew’s clenched fist.

Wuuuung—

A fist extended into empty air.

To those unfamiliar with magic arts, it might have seemed like nothing. But to those who could perceive it, the flow of magic within that fist was incredible.

"The way magic flows when wielding a sword and when throwing a punch are completely different. How did you…?"

"I just tweaked it a bit to apply it to martial arts. It worked. I only reimagined the concept—you and I basically developed it together, didn’t we?"

"…You think so?"

"You were the reason I could do it, Aunt."

"I'm not stupid, right?"

"Of course you are."

"Hehe—."

Lee Gyeongha grinned but then suddenly froze.

‘Huh? Then why do I feel bad?’

Why did it feel like she was being teased?

She couldn't figure it out.

"Anyway."

Lee Gyeongha’s eyes sparkled.

She felt a pang of jealousy, but she couldn't deny the progress that had been made.

"So, you’ve gotten pretty used to it if you can apply it like that?"

"Yes. But it’s still difficult."

Nearly a year had passed since I made my deal with my aunt.

During that time, I had begun researching magic arts alongside her.

The foundation of that research was built upon her study materials and the memories of Boundless that I possessed.

"It’s bound to be difficult. You know that, right?"

"Yes, I do. I'm not complaining. Just stating a fact."

Ancient magic arts did not utilize Mana Cores, meaning they couldn't efficiently alter or store mana’s properties.

According to my aunt, in ancient times, the nature of mana was considered a gift from the heavens, something determined by innate talent.

Because of that belief, ancient magic arts developed in a different direction.

Rather than manipulating the core, they focused on delicate control—handling each individual meridian through which mana flowed.

Boundless's magic techniques belonged to this category.

They say that a brilliant scholar can derive hundreds of truths from a single fragment of knowledge.

The moment my aunt saw how I controlled my mana, she was able to fill in the gaps in her own research and refine her magic techniques considerably.

"I understand. I walked this path myself. The beginning is always the hardest. If we were just restoring something that already existed, it would be fine… but that’s not what we’re doing, is it?"

Lee Gyeongha's eyes darkened.

"A new magic art that combines Mana Core techniques (new age theories) with ancient magic arts. You can do it."

There was a dream she had dedicated her entire life to achieving.

Using the Mana Core for energy storage and property alteration.

Using the Mana Circuit for fine control and practical application.

A magic art that combined modern mana theory with the lost techniques of the past—that was her ultimate goal.

"I hope you master it quickly. That way, I can teach you everything I’ve discovered so far. And also… all the techniques I’ve completed and even the ones I developed on my own. I started too late in life to perfect them myself, but you can."

This wasn’t a finished product.

It was still a work in progress.

And because of that, no one could predict where it would lead or how far it could go.

‘No… He can do it. This child will make it happen.’

Lee Gyeongha clenched her fist tightly.

"Why does starting late have to be a problem? Does that mean you can’t master it either, Aunt?"

"Yeah. To be precise, I can’t master it properly. The longer you’ve relied on a Mana Core, the harder it becomes to train in both at the same time. It’s like… losing a sense, almost as if it’s deteriorating."

"I see… Still, this method of controlling mana is pretty exhausting."

"Think of it as reawakening a dormant sense. If you want to get used to controlling Mana Circuits, you have to keep practicing without breaks. Luckily, you’re still in Stage 1, and you haven’t trained with a core for too long, so you’re adapting quickly."

"But I can’t even control it properly yet. I’ve barely gotten a feel for it."

"It took me five years just to reach that stage, but you understood it the moment you heard about it. And now you’re even applying it… You really are a genius. Don’t rush yourself too much."

She spoke about my talent, but all I could feel was a hunger to grow stronger.

There was my eldest brother, whom I had witnessed today.

And there was my third brother, who had managed to surpass him.

And above them all—someone beyond imagination—my father, Lee Taeshin.

This family was filled with monsters. And I wanted to surpass them all.

"Aunt."

"Hm? What is it?"

"You saw my father when he was young, right?"

She nodded.

"If I complete this… If I never stop pushing forward… Do you think I could surpass him?"

Lee Gyeongha fell into deep thought.

Lee Taeshin. Her eldest brother.

Surpass him?

She couldn't even imagine it.

"I don’t know. He’s different."

"Different?"

"I’ve always felt that I was different from other people, but my eldest brother… he’s on another level. Honestly, I don’t get why people compare him to the Tower Master, the Saint, or even the Leader of the Nine Dragons Guild. To me… he’s just on a completely different plane."

"……."

The Tower Master. The Saint. The Nine Dragons Guild Leader.

The names she mentioned all belonged to powerhouses who ruled the world.

Right now, they are warriors so powerful that even looking up at them feels overwhelming.

And yet, Aunt placed my father above them all.

It wasn’t for nothing that Lee Taeshin was spoken of as the strongest.

"Hehe."

Lee Gyeongha stifled a laugh.

Her face was filled with an expression that made it clear—she could see right through me.

"But there’s one thing I do know," she continued. "You have something that your father doesn’t."

"…What?"

Lee Gyeongha grinned and added,

"You’re different. Very different. But it’s not the same kind of ‘different’ as him. You’re walking a path that no one—not even your father—has ever imagined before. So, in a way… you’re another kind of different. Ah, what am I even saying?"

I couldn’t help but admire my aunt’s utter lack of eloquence when talking about anything unrelated to ancient magic.

Still, I understood what she meant.

I smiled at her.

‘Yeah… since when did I waste time with such discouraging thoughts?’

I had always fought desperately to push forward.

Instead of dwelling on these useless worries, I should be focusing on refining my mana control.

And then—

"Young Master!"

A voice rang out from the entrance of the training ground.

I turned to see my nanny, breathless and running toward me.

"Nanny? What brings you all the way out here?"

"Here, take this!"

She urgently handed me something.

A white envelope, sealed with the emblem of the Martial Lee Clan.

"Huh? What’s this? What’s this?"

Aunt widened her eyes, examining the envelope from all angles.

"So it’s finally here."

Slowly, I tore it open.

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Lucky]