Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 582

“It is time to make a decision now.”

Night Levo’s voice was full of power. The Master’s face, upon hearing that voice, was contorted. Of course, the mask prevented his expression from being seen.

‘How did this happen?’ He tried to remain calm.

That was the Master’s iron rule.

It was clear that the mask was made not to hide their identities, but to hide their emotions. The predecessor who decided to wear the mask must have also found it difficult to hide his emotions from others.

The current Master was the same.

If he didn’t have this mask, he would have revealed all his emotions to everyone by now.

For the first time, the Master was grateful for this black mask.

“Night Wiggins’ betrayal has been confirmed.”

“Wait a moment.”

The Master interrupted Night Levo’s statement.

His emotions were becoming too agitated.

“It is true that Night Wiggins expressed his intention to leave the Round Table and defect to Korea.”

The Master paused to catch his breath.

After saying those words, he felt his temperature rising again.

‘What on earth are you thinking, Night Wiggins?’

He had cherished him so much, trusted him so much!

It was true that he had given him excessive tasks, but that was all to make Night Wiggins the next Master. So why would he do such a thing?

The situation had become too big.

It was beyond the Master’s authority to handle.

“However, he did not declare that he would oppose the Round Table. Therefore, it is not right to conclude that it is a betrayal…”

“Master!”

Night Levo’s voice rose slightly.

The tone of rebuke in his voice was grating on the Master’s nerves.

“Of course, Master, you are right. I always respect the Master for considering the Knights’ perspectives. Your tolerance is something I could never hope to emulate.”

A subtle sarcasm.

The Master’s mood was not good, so it might have sounded that way, but it seemed like there was sarcasm hidden in those words.

“However, I don’t think the current situation is one that can be viewed with tolerance. Night Wiggins was deeply involved with the Round Table. He is someone who knows the secrets of the Round Table better than anyone else. And… perhaps he is the one who possesses the most information among the Knights.”

There was also criticism hidden in those words.

It meant, why did you favor Night Wiggins and give him excessive information? It was no different from publicly humiliating him for his poor judgment of people.

However, the Master could only resist this subtle insubordination by biting his lip.

Night Levo, who did not miss the Master’s slight trembling, wore a subtle smile.

‘What a foolish old man.’

The sight of the Master, who always maintained his composure, trembling and enduring his aging, brought him considerable pleasure. It was a pathetic sight in a way, but who could he blame? It was all his own doing.

‘I acknowledge your abilities. But your judgment of people is the worst.’

From the beginning, when he favored Night Wiggins instead of him, the breakdown was inevitable. In terms of ability, experience, and career, Night Wiggins was no match for him. Yet, the price for pushing Night Wiggins was now coming back to him.

“What do you think it means for such a person to go elsewhere? If he had integrity, he would keep his mouth shut about what he knows. But!”

Night Levo stomped his foot on the floor.

“In the first place, if he had integrity, he wouldn’t have screwed over the organization like this. At the very least, he would have reported the situation to the other Knights or the Master and gone through the handover process. How can we talk about integrity with someone who left his position without a word? This is betrayal.”

The Master raised his hand and rubbed his eyes.

‘Damn mask.’

The only time this mask was cumbersome was when his mood was extremely uncomfortable. And now was exactly that moment.

“We must make a decision.”

Night Levo was pulling the reins relentlessly.

“It would have been best if this had not happened, but since it has already happened, we must fix it. And the way to fix it is very simple.”

Night Levo slowly looked around at everyone.

Everyone shut their mouths at the chilling gaze.

“We must cut off the channels through which information can leak.”

“One!”

The Master opened his mouth with an agitated voice.

“In order to cut off the channels through which that information can leak, we will inevitably have to declare war on the Korean Assembly. Can you handle that?”

“Master.”

“Night Wiggins has already defected to the Assembly. I don’t want to admit it, but he is now a member of the Assembly. In order to eliminate him, we have no choice but to go to war with the Assembly. You must know what this means, right?”

“If necessary, we must do it.”

“Night Levo.”

The Master glared at Night Levo with cold eyes.

“Do not lose sight of your duty.”

“…Duty, you say?”

“Yes. Do not think that the reason I am saying this is simply to defend Night Wiggins. I am someone who knows how to distinguish between public and private matters. Right now, Night Levo is violating the principles of the Round Table.”

Night Levo looked at the Master with a puzzled expression.

“Master, I am foolish. I cannot see everything that you see. So, instead of just scolding me, please tell me what I am missing. I will do my best to understand with my dull mind.”

Seeing Night Levo’s humble attitude, the Master sighed quietly.

‘Like a fox.’

Right now, Night Levo didn’t need to maintain a high posture. Both the justification and public opinion were on his side. So, he just needed to show everyone that he had no intention of fighting the Master. That alone would greatly reduce the Master’s position.

He knew.

That Night Levo was like a fox. Night Levo was exceptionally capable in managing the organization and building justification. Moreover, he had the decisiveness to do unscrupulous things when absolutely necessary.

But…

‘That’s the problem.’

Night Levo might think otherwise, but he had never discriminated between him and Night Wiggins. The reason he chose Night Wiggins was not because of his abilities.

It would be good if Night Levo could realize that…

“Why does the Round Table exist?”

“…Master?”

“The Round Table does not exist for the benefit of the Round Table. Our role is to mediate peace.”

“Of course, that is correct.”

“But now, you are saying that we should start a war with Korea to prevent information from leaking?”

The Master’s voice was extremely serious.

“The cart is before the horse. We must fight for peace. But what are we going to do if we disrupt peace ourselves?”

“But Master.”

“Listen to me until the end.”

When the Master spoke firmly, Night Levo stepped back. Even though he was currently in conflict with the Master, he could not ignore the difference in status and experience.

“Night Levo’s argument is not for peace. It is solely for the benefit of the Round Table. When peace and profit conflict, we choose peace. Isn’t that the rule of the Round Table?”

“…That is correct.”

“East Asia is like a powder keg right now. Instead of trying to prevent the situation in East Asia, we are going to pour oil on it. Is that something a Knight of the Round Table should be thinking?”

It was a stern rebuke.

Even Night Levo, who had been pulling the reins relentlessly, had to step back.

However, Night Levo had only stepped back, not given up his opinion.

“I know what you mean, Master. But… Master, please think about it.”

“What is it?”

“Because your opinion is correct, we must attack Korea even more.”

The Master frowned.

What kind of sophistry was this?

“East Asia is a powder keg. It is a powder keg that is bound to explode someday. The situation in East Asia is already out of our hands. From the moment the plan to stabilize East Asia by eliminating Kang Jin-ho completely failed, and Night Wiggins joined the Assembly, our control over Korea has been lost.”

“Hmm.”

Even the Master had to agree with this. Above all, with Night Wiggins having defected to the Assembly, the Round Table could no longer exert influence over the Assembly.

“Then war cannot be avoided. But what would happen if Japan or China were to secure Night Wiggins’ custody as a result of the war?”

“Ah!”

“That…”

Groans escaped from the Knights’ mouths.

And even the Master could only swallow dryly.

‘This is definitely a problem.’

The place that holds the greatest stake in the current world peace is, no matter what anyone says, China and Japan.

In the visible world, North Korea and the Middle East were the sources of problems, but in the invisible world, the situation was completely different. Those two places could be said to be the root of all evil.

But what if Night Wiggins, who possessed almost all of the Round Table’s information, were to fall into their hands?

It would be the worst.

From that moment on, dealing with China and Japan would become several times more difficult. Because they would be able to find out all the means the Round Table could take.

But…

“Of course, such a case is possible. Night Wiggins could commit suicide before being captured, or he could remain silent under any torture for the sake of his integrity. But! It is too serious a matter to trust that possibility and leave it unattended.”

Night Levo looked straight at the Master and said.

“Master, I do not have good feelings towards Night Wiggins.”

“Th…”

The Master bit his lip.

The escape routes were being blocked one by one. Night Levo was pressuring the Master with clear justification and circumstances.

If that political power had been used for good, he would have unhesitatingly made him the next Master candidate.

“But this is by no means a matter of personal feelings. Please understand that my opinion right now is solely for the sake of the Round Table and peace, Master. You are right, Master. The Round Table exists for peace. But! If the Round Table cannot exist, we will not be able to work for peace. Please make a wise decision.”

The Master, with no place to escape, leaned back in his chair.

‘How did it come to this?’

The incident that Night Wiggins had caused was bigger than he had thought. He probably hadn’t imagined that the situation would flow this far.

Everything was starting from Night Levo’s tongue.

“Wait a moment.”

One of the Knights, who had been watching the situation until now, opened his mouth.