Descent of the Demon Master

The Round Table without the Master guiding it?

That could mean only one thing. That Wiggins wanted to kill the Master!

Things like confinement or ropes meant nothing to a higher-tier mage like the Master. The only way to completely restrict him was to kill him outright.

The Master knew Wiggins wasn't throwing empty threats around.

For one, none of the Master's entourage was present in this room. Which was odd, considering they should have been the ones protecting the Master while he was unconscious. However, it was starkly obvious why Wiggins was by the Master's side while the entourage was nowhere to be found.

Just like Wiggins, the Master could also perform long-distance teleportation if that was what he wanted. Nothing could stop him from fleeing if he abandoned his entourage and used his magic to extricate himself only.

However, Wiggins' presence put a stop to that since he was also a mage like the Master. While the Master was trying to activate the teleportation spell, Wiggins could interfere and cancel the spell outright.

Simply put, only Wiggins was capable of confining the Master in this place.

"How naive, Wiggins," the Master muttered while rubbing his chin. "What will you do if I tell you all the nice things you want to hear but change my mind once I reach Britain?"

"As you've said, it's impossible to know what's in a person's heart," Wiggins smirked slightly. "However, we still can use that person's history to make an educated guess. After all, our present and future were built up from the past, weren't they? I believe you won't go back on your word, Master."

"Does that mean you believe what I say without any suspicions whatsoever?"

"If I'm to choose between trusting you or doubting you… I will unhesitantly choose to trust you."

"I see. In that case…" The Master muttered with a gentle smile etched on his face.

That smile was obviously meant for Wiggins. It was reminiscent of a parent proudly looking at his son who had come of age. While smiling like that, the Master addressed Wiggins. "You've become rather good at lying, Wiggins."

"…!"

"However, it's still a little lacking, I must say. You see, a lie needs to match the situation to have any sort of credibility. Unfortunately, what you said does not fit our current situation. At all."

"But, Master…!"

"If you don't get the answer you've been looking for, you'd probably try to kill me even if I said I'll no longer get in your way."

"…!"

Wiggins was rendered speechless. Unable to refute. After all, the Master already had accurately guessed everything. Coming up with more excuses at this point would only show how desperate Wiggins was.

The Master curiously asked, "Was this Kang Jin-Ho's idea?"

"No, it wasn't," Wiggins firmly drew the line. "My lord has already lost his interest in you."

"Hoh-oh?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"The moment the victor was decided, my lord assigned me the duty of dealing with you, Master. Whatever I choose to do, my lord will not criticize me."

"Is this the freedom you envisioned, then?"

"No, Master. This isn't freedom," said Wiggins, his voice resolute. "No, it's responsibility."

"Responsibility, you say…?"

"My lord doesn't restrict my actions. And he also doesn't check at a later stage whether my actions were right or wrong. Since he trusts me and personally supports me, he also accepts all the decisions I make. That is how my lord operates, Master."

"Huh? That sounds rather irresponsible to me?"

"No, on the contrary. Doing things this way demands even more responsibility from my lord. That's because my lord must deal with the outcomes of all these decisions, whether they are net positive or negative. Basically, the buck stops with him."

"I see…" The Master slowly nodded. He understood what Wiggins was saying here.

In the Round Table, everyone shared the burden. It had a perfectly laid-out field manual on what to do during a decision-making process. Knights and the Master would review the contents of this manual, then re-interpret it according to their individual opinions. And then, they would collect their opinions to make the final decision.

Wiggins continued to speak. "The Round Table doesn't hold himself responsible, Master."

"...Hmm."

"Through a perfected system, it makes so-called perfect decisions. In other words, merely by following the system and its protocols, you can absolve yourself of all responsibilities. Even if the decision had been wrong, and many people were sacrificed because of it, the Round Table would simply hide behind its system. No one wants to take the responsibility of their own choices, Master."

"Oh? Then, what about you?" The Master shot back, his glare a little sharper now. "Are you implying that you'd decide my fate and take responsibility for your choice?"

"Yes, I am."

"You're sorely mistaken, Wiggins!" The Master subtly growled. "There is a limit to how much responsibility you can carry. All humans have that limit. Your choice can lead to the Round Table invading Korea. And that invasion will result in the loss of many, many lives. Yet, you're saying you will take responsibility for it?"

"Yes. We will stop it."

"Stop what? The war?"

"No, Master. We will stop the Round Table!" Wiggins spoke, conviction firmly settling in on his expression. His voice sounded just as determined. "I now know the truth, Master. Conflict is inevitable. Conflict isn't suppressed by rules and regulations but by strength. The Round Table's invasion is certainly a cause for fear. However, avoiding war because we're scared will eventually corner us into a dead-end!"

"Listen here, Wiggins!"

"Master, I will not avoid facing responsibilities for the decisions I must make. And I will certainly not avoid war if it comes down to that. Whatever it is, I…!" Wiggins' voice grew somber, quieter. "...I will not run away."

"…!" The Master's eyes powerfully quaked just then.

'I was wrong.'

This Wiggins was not the man the Master used to know. This Wiggins was too different from the old Wiggins. It was unknown whether Kang Jin-Ho was the catalyst for this transformation or the new environment called South Korea was the culprit, but one thing was for sure…

Wiggins had changed from his old self.

Could this be related to his growth? The Master wasn't sure.

Growth or not, this was definitely a transformation. However, whether this transformation could continue down the right path or not was not something the Master could predict. That was why he was hesitant to use the term "growth" here.

The Master believed the word growth could only be used when the person transformed and developed in the proper straight-and-narrow direction.

The Master sighed under his breath. "I see. So, you're my grim reaper, then?"

"…"

"So, it's going to be you," the Master chuckled a little this time.

Objectively speaking, he couldn't win against Wiggins in his current state. If he had been in his usual condition, dealing with Wiggins wouldn't have been too difficult, but the mana accumulated inside him was broken apart and scattered all over his body right now.

Remnants of Kang Jin-Ho's demonic qi, injected into him during the battle, still coursed through the Master's body. The Master would need at least a few days of good rest to expel this foreign energy and regain his original strength. Until then, the Master was no better than an ordinary elderly gentleman.

In other words, Wiggins could easily snap the Master's head off right now if that was what he wanted.

The Master sighed, then glanced at Wiggins. "Look here, Wiggins."

"Yes, Master."

"I cannot give you the answer you're looking for."

"…"

"That's because I can't figure out what you want to hear."

"But I merely…" Wiggins falteringly raised his voice, only to stop and clamp his mouth shut. He realized him saying it out loud would make this whole conversation pointless.

The Master sighed under his breath again. "Wiggins, you have thrown them all away."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Your position, country, even all the people who follow you and serve you. You've cast all of that aside to start a new life. And the result of that is… I must admit, you don't look half-bad, at least on the surface, Wiggins. Maybe that's the proof that you've made a decent choice."

"…"

"Unfortunately, I can't make the same decisions as you. Being able to throw something away… That takes courage. Strength. Letting go of something dear to you takes extraordinary willpower, after all. However, holding on also requires tremendous strength. I choose not to cast aside things given to me. No, I'll just forge ahead while embracing them all in my stride."

"Master…!"

"You asked me what I would do earlier, yes?"

"Yes," Wiggins nodded slowly.

"Wiggins, you don't have the qualifications to hear that from me," the Master resolutely said while straightening his posture. And that was when Wiggins reflexively pulled himself far away from there.

Only after pushing the couch's backrest until it couldn't extend any further did Wiggins realize his unsightly behavior.

'Ah…!'

He shouldn't have done that. However, he couldn't help it. The Master might be just another old man without mana in his current state, but his sheer presence and dignity still had not been diminished one bit.

The Master's unclouded eyes focused on Wiggins. "I am the Master of the Round Table. You do not have the necessary qualifications to discuss matters of grave importance with me. Knight Wiggins… No, Wiggins of the Korean Martial Assembly!"

"...Yes, Master."

"Guide me to your boss. I shall personally face him and reveal my intentions!"

The Master's majestic aura of a leader gushed out like a torrent of clear flood. Wiggins could only nod in silence while this aura bluntly slammed into his entire body.

The Master was not wrong. Only he and Kang Jin-Ho had the right to decide here. Unfortunately…

Wiggins groaned deeply. "Understood, Master. I will set up a meeting with my lord. However, that means you will have to wait with me until tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" The Master tilted his head in slight confusion. "Of course, I understand that your boss must be busy as the head of the Martial Assembly. I'm sure he has plenty of work demanding his attention every waking hour. Even so, concluding his business with me should still take the utmost priority in his itinerary. But you're telling me I must wait until tomorrow?"

"...My apologies."

"Could it be that he's developed a problem after exerting himself too much?" The Master asked, his voice sounding curious and hopeful at the same time.

Wiggins' expression became cramped. After all, Kang Jin-Ho didn't exert anything during the fight. Actually, it'd be more correct to say he was having fun!

Wiggins had many things he'd love to get off his chest but couldn't do that. So, he went with a more diplomatic reply. "It's nothing like that, Master. He simply has a prior appointment to attend to. That is all."

"A prior appointment, you say?"

"Yes."

"Do you mind if I ask you… With whom?"

Wiggins couldn't help but hesitate just then. He seriously pondered which of the two options would sour the Master's mood less. Be honest or try to brush the question aside? He arrived at his answer soon enough, and then...

"Well, that is…"

"Mm?" The Master's head tilting intensified.

"...My lord is out on a date, you see."

"…" The Master, now rendered speechless, stared openly at Wiggins. The latter sneakily lowered his head to avoid meeting the Master's gaze. "Wiggins, did you just say… on a date?"

"...Yes, I did."

"Then, perhaps with that young lady from before?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"I see, I see. He went on a date, you say? A date… Hmm…" The Master leisurely rested his back against the couch while looking through the windows. The skies were crisp blue, while the scattered clouds were white and fluffy. Anyone with eyes could tell that the weather for today was perfect for a date between two consenting adults.

"To think I'd be relegated to playing second fiddle to a date, of all things… It seems I'm experiencing so many new things in South Korea."

"My sincerest apolo—"

"Hold on, hold on," The Master suddenly raised his hand and interrupted Wiggins' apology.

"Yes, Master?"

"That woman, she looked quite young. Was she not?"

Wiggins' eyes gradually opened wider at the implication behind that question.

"Even though your lord's physical age is technically that of a youngster… Isn't he actually far older than me? But now, he's going on a date with someone so much younger?"

Wiggins saw the Master's face and couldn't quite decide what kind of expression he should make. The Master never lost his composure even as his life was threatened, yet his current expression was deeply distorted in rage and irritation at the idea of Kang Jin-Ho going on a date!

The Master growled angrily. "That damn cradle robber…!"

"…"

Wiggins' expression became cramped, his lips twitching.

'What… should I say here? I can tell that the Master is genuinely furious right now!'

The Master groaned loudly. "Urgh… Fine! I shall wait one more day. However, I must speak to Kang Jin-Ho tomorrow. Do you understand, Wiggins?"

"Of course. Don't worry, I'll make sure to set it up."

"Very well, then. You can leave now," said the Master while shaking his head.

"I'm sorry?"

"...I said, you can leave, Wiggins."

"But I have to stay, Master."

"…"

"…"

The Master's expression rapidly changed to that of a man chewing on a stinky turd. Now that he thought about this situation a bit more, he realized Wiggins wouldn't be able to vacate this room because his duty was to monitor the Master!

Although the Master couldn't use his mana, he was still the Master of the Round Table. Even he wouldn't leave himself alone in a room in that case!

However, didn't that mean these two grown men must spend a night together in this hotel room?

How… uncomfortable!

Since the relationship between Wiggins and the Master could be described as strained, the atmosphere in the room rapidly became just as weird.

Wiggins awkwardly broke the silence first. "Would you like to play some chess, Master?"

"…"

The Master inwardly swore he'd take Kang Jin-Ho to task tomorrow for this unseemly catastrophe!