Descent of the Demon Master

“Looks like we can finally meet your lord today, then?”

Wiggins wryly smiled at how subtly sarcastic the Master of the Round Table sounded.

‘Why does it feel like his personality has changed somewhat?’

The Master Wiggins remembered was never the type to infuse his statements with hints of sarcasm and dissatisfaction like this. Unless he felt the absolute need to voice his unhappiness, the Master always masked his emotions as much as possible.

Did that mean the Master had really changed? That didn’t seem likely.

It was impossible for a person to change so quickly, regardless of the severity of the experience they went through. Especially when the person in question was someone as old as the Master!

So, the reason for the Master being more candid with Wiggins could be this one thing. Rather than a change in the Master's personality, it must be more about the change in their relationship dynamics.

Knights and the Master respected each other. But they had to be wary of each other, too. In other words…

‘The Master doesn’t see me as a Knight anymore.’

That realization felt rather strange to Wiggins. How was he supposed to explain this emotion, then? Bittersweet? Mixed feelings?

Wiggins always felt a little uncomfortable about his connection toward the Round Table still being alive.

He tried to one-sidedly sever this connection. He had no other choice since it was impossible to resign from the Round Table in the normal fashion. Still, it bugged him to no end that he didn't even get to try something like a proper resignation procedure.

However, the Master had cut Wiggins off from the ranks of Knight of the Round Table. Although unofficial, Wiggins was no longer connected to his former organization.

‘I thought I'd feel refreshed. Relieved, even. But…'

Waves of undeniable ruefulness and even regret washed over him.

This reaction should have been unsurprising when he thought about it some more. After all, the Round Table used to be Wiggins’ everything until recently.

He was completely and unequivocally parting ways with an organization he had dedicated decades of his life to ensure its prosperity. Anyone claiming to not feel anything from such a parting was probably not even human!

Wiggins sighed a little, then addressed the Master. “He should be here soon.”

“Hmm…” The Master scratched his cheek. “I’m starting this on the wrong foot. Somehow, I keep ending up in the position of someone who must wait with bated breaths.”

“My lord isn’t the type to play mind games like this, Master. It’s just that this is where we agreed to meet, so we can’t do much about waiting until his arrival.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that,” the Master muttered while sipping black tea. But then, he suddenly addressed Wiggins as if he remembered something. “Oh, that’s right. Wiggins?”

“Yes, Master?”

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Mm? What is it?”

“How is living in South Korea? Are you coping well?”

Wiggins' expression became weird just then. This question was quite different from all the other questions the Master had asked him until now.

The Master’s questions centered around his attempt to learn more about the Martial Assembly. But his latest question was focused on Wiggins rather than Kang Jin-Ho or the Assembly. R̃

“Well… Mm…” Wiggins frowned while scratching his head. “If I'm being honest, well, it's not easy-going, that much is for certain. Perhaps due to cultural differences, some things remain rather cumbersome, shall we say?”

“I guessed as much,” the Master slowly nodded.

“And I’m no spring chicken, so trying to integrate into an unfamiliar culture is proving to be rather tricky as well.”

“Mm? Are you seriously going to pretend you’re an old geezer in my presence?”

“Master, please don’t forget that I’m old enough to have grandkids.”

“Hah! You’re still in your prime!”

Wiggins could only smile wryly at that. For sure, he was still a youngster from the Master’s point of view. Even if that was not what Wiggins felt inside!

“Having said that, it is getting better,” Wiggins continued. “Elena is also acclimatizing quite well.”

“Now that you mention it, you also brought along your daughter on this adventure, didn't you? I can help Elena return to the Round Table if that is what she wants. What do you think?”

“Thank you for the offer. I’ll let Elena know. However, in my opinion, I don’t think she’ll accept it.”

“...It seems the Martial Assembly is a better place to work for than I expected?”

“In terms of scale or the importance of the work it does, the Martial Assembly is tiny compared to the Round Table. However, it boasts something the Round Table does not possess.”

“That again? You've already bored me to death with that story, so save your breath, Wiggins,” the Master tutted while rubbing his stubble. A few days without shaving had led to the growth of bristle-feeling facial hair tickling his fingertips. “Well, it's fine as long as you're fine.”

“My apologies, Master.”

“No, don’t apologize,” the Master shook his head. “Listen, Wiggins.”

“Yes?”

“Let me be honest here. I still don’t understand why you’d leave the Round Table to join the Assembly. You might have told me plenty of times about the justifiable reasons, but... I still find it impossible to understand your decision.”

“Master…”

“I'm not trying to criticize you, Wiggins. There's no law stating that you must understand every decision other people make, after all. I also get that others making decisions I wouldn't have doesn't make them wrong, either. I didn't forget to wise up while getting older, okay?”

The Master stared at Wiggins, his expression more somber than before.

“Respecting others' decisions… Yes, this must be what it means. I don't understand your choice. But I still respect it, Wiggins. There must've been something I can't see and understand here that has attracted you.”

“Thank you for… your understanding,” said Wiggins.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The Master grinned. “Maybe I'm just being a stubborn old fool. A child is expected to leave the nest once they mature into an adult, but I've been hoping you'd stay and, well, inherit that family business, as it were. I should've been prepared to let it go if the child wasn't interested…

“However, most parents can't do that, now can they? It seems I couldn't escape from that cliché myself.”

Wiggins subtly bit his lower lip.

A child? And the family business? Those words were enough to explain how the Master had been viewing Wiggins until now.

The Master might have thrown those words out without much concern, but they landed like hammer blows to Wiggins. He wasn’t an idiot who never realized how much the Master valued him. Of course he knew the Master expected great things from him.

“No need to make that face, Wiggins,” said the Master.

“…”

“Going independent is probably tougher for the ones leaving, after all. However, it has to be done sooner or later. If you believe something is right, keep plugging away at it, Wiggins. Don't forget that the more you look back, the harder it will get for you to move forward.”

“Yes, Master. I won’t forget.”

“Good. And that is enough.”

Wiggins couldn’t help but squeeze his eyes shut. He… was never a good match with the Master. He was never meant to be the one to satisfy what the Master wanted to see. And he certainly wasn’t going to be the heir that met the Master’s expectations.

In all honesty, Wiggins felt burdened by all the excessive weight of expectations crushing down on him. Even so, he never stopped respecting the Master. This respect would never fizzle out even on his deathbed.

“Well, then…” the Master casually massaged his neck. “It seems the moment to put my neck on the line to finish this talk has finally come.”

Wiggins turned his head toward the doorway. He could sense Kang Jin-Ho’s presence in the distance. In that case, the Master should have sensed it, too. He might have no usable mana inside him right now, but that didn’t mean his perception had dissipated completely, either.

“Before we start…” The Master glanced at Wiggins. “I need advice from you.”

“Advice, you say?”

“Yes. Your lord… Can he be reasoned with?”

“Well

Wiggins clamped his mouth shut. Was Kang Jin-Ho a reasonable man who could be talked to?

Yes, one could certainly talk to him. As a matter of fact, conversing with him was surprisingly easy. It was just that Kang Jin-Ho was the type to suddenly flip the table without warning and say what he wanted to say even if the discussion seemed to be going well.

When Wiggins couldn’t readily reply and hesitated, the Master nodded in understanding. “It’s fine, Wiggins. Looks like it’s exactly as I thought.”

“My apologies for not assisting you better.”

“Don’t say that. I merely wanted to confirm the truth even though I’ve already witnessed your lord’s antics. He is distinctly different from all the other dictators I’ve come across in my lifetime, after all.”

“...Yes, my lord is indeed different,” Wiggins muttered as he began pondering something.

Could the act of reaching the same conclusion via completely disparate processes still be designated as “different?” Even though the road leading up to this moment had been somewhat bumpy and more complicated than necessary, the end result was still as expected, wasn't it?

Wiggins thought this issue was worth pondering about. Unfortunately, he wasn’t given long to mull about it. He had to get up and head to the doorway after sensing Kang Jin-Ho’s presence had neared the entrance.

Wiggins could feel Kang Jin-Ho’s leisurely steps beyond the doorway.

‘Will the end… be amiable for everyone?’

Maybe it was still possible to salvage a wonderful conclusion that would make everyone happy. The odds of that happening weren't completely zero, after all. However, those odds were pitiful at best. And the possibility of the Master meeting a gruesome end was dozens of times more likely.

Wiggins obviously understood that. Far too well, as a matter of fact.

Kang Jin-Ho didn’t seem to know what it meant to negotiate. Or, more correctly, he didn’t seem to trust the act of negotiation itself.

Any negotiation was fundamentally based on trust. All forms of contracts found in the surface world, which included negotiated terms, agreements, and treaties, were protected by the wide-reaching hands of the law.

However, no one provided the same protection to treaties signed in the martial world. So, trust in the other party was absolutely necessary if any treaties or contracts were to be signed between martial artists.

But Kang Jin-Ho did not trust anybody who was not deemed his close acquaintance. Considering that part about him, the result of this meeting seemed far too predictable.

‘At the very least, by my hands…’

Wiggins glanced at his own hands. If this final negotiation went sideways, it was obvious what kind of fate awaited the Master. Kang Jin-Ho didn’t have a reason to let the Master walk out of here alive, after all!

Even the justification was on his side. One mustn't forget that Kang Jin-Ho never invited the Master over. No, the Master one-sidedly barged into South Korea unannounced and demanded a meeting with Kang Jin-Ho. In short, the head of a regional superpower had “invaded” a potentially hostile nation without his personal guards and provoked its leader!

Who would criticize Kang Jin-Ho for ending the life of such a reckless-acting head of the Round Table? Indeed, most people would mock the Master for his recklessness. Only the Round Table and its people would cry foul and go mad from anger.

However, if Wiggins was being brutally honest… He couldn’t see the Round Table instantly turning hostile toward the Assembly due to the Master’s death. That was because that organization had always been…

“...Mm!” Wiggins stopped mulling about that since Kang Jin-Ho was right behind the doorway now.

He steeled his resolve. Since this negotiation was bound to fail, he’d do his very best to grant the Master an honorable death!

After briefly sucking in a deep breath, Wiggins opened the doorway. “My lord, welcome… Mm?”

Wiggins’ eyes twitched slightly when he saw Kang Jin-Ho standing beyond the doorway.

‘Hmm?’

The truth was that Wiggins had been sensing something ever so slightly different about Kang Jin-Ho's presence. It undeniably belonged to Kang Jin-Ho, but it… For some reason, it didn't feel as heavy and oppressive as before.

This meeting could determine the fate of a person as well as the future relationship between the Round Table and Korea’s Martial Assembly. So, Kang Jin-Ho showing up with a lot on his mind should be the norm. However, the aura he emanated did not feel as heavy as Wiggins expected.

Of course, it was not possible to accurately gauge another person's mental state through their aura alone. That was why Wiggins didn't think too deeply about it, but now…!

One look at Kang Jin-Ho's expression was all that was needed for Wiggins' thoughts to go into disarray.

‘Maybe… Maybe!’

Kang Jin-Ho’s expression was subtly distorted. Such a thing shouldn’t be something to celebrate about. Usually speaking, that was. However, this distorted expression was not the same as his other frowns.

Twitch!

The corners of Kang Jin-Ho’s lips were twitching weirdly. He was obviously trying to hold back a grin, and that was the reason behind his distorted expression!

‘Things might turn out better than I thought!’

Just as Wiggins realized that, Kang Jin-Ho suddenly addressed him.

“Isn’t it a great day, Wiggins? Wouldn’t you say?”

“Ah?...Oh, uh, yes, of course! My lord!”

Kang Jin-Ho finally grinned while patting Wiggins on the shoulder. Then, while spreading his arms open, he entered the room and approached the Master. “I’m sorry for making you wait. Okay, let’s get this meeting started.”

Wiggins subtly clenched his fists tightly after noticing a never-before-seen behavior from Kang Jin-Ho.

‘Yes! We have a way now!’

It was a mystery how it happened, but for some reason, Kang Jin-Ho was in an unprecedentedly good mood.

‘Still… Why is he so happy?’

Wiggins couldn’t figure it out for the life of him.