Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 967

Something feels strange.

Even coffee doesn’t taste right.

It’s not that my sense of taste is off. If I focus and try to savor it, I can fully appreciate the rich flavor. But the moment my concentration wavers,

the taste vanishes as if it were an illusion.

“Haa.”

Knight Levo raised his hand to rub his face.

Or rather, he tried to.

But his hand was stopped by his mask, unable to go further.

‘It’s cumbersome.’

The first thing a new Knight must do is get used to this mask. Knight Levo, too, had to adapt to wearing the mask at all times after becoming a Knight.

He thought he had become completely accustomed to it by now….

It’s ridiculous.

The mask, which had felt like a part of him, had suddenly started to feel uncomfortable.

When no one was watching, he often felt the urge to take it off.

As a martial artist, he shouldn’t have any issues with wearing a mask, so it must be a mental problem rather than a physical one.

‘A mental problem, huh…’

Knight Levo gave a subtle smile.

The mask is a tool to conceal oneself.

Being used to wearing a mask means being used to hiding oneself. But the fact that wearing the mask has become uncomfortable now means that Knight Levo no longer wants to hide himself.

‘That makes sense.’

How long has he been hiding himself?

The Round Table is supposed to be a fair place.

But it is far from fair.

The most important thing at the Round Table is not ability, but how well one can hide oneself and adapt to the rules of the Round Table.

And Knight Levo had succeeded in that.

Not perfectly, not perfectly.

The Master and Wiggins had been wary of him from the start. But if the result is good, isn’t everything good? Now, Knight Levo no longer needs to hide himself.

Soon, the Round Table will be in his hands.

Knight Levo tightened his grip on the mask. The mask covering his face began to bend as if it would break.

‘Not yet, not yet.’

Knight Levo calmed his excited heart.

One lesson he had learned while protecting the Round Table for so long was the simple truth that no battle is ever truly over until the very end. The Master and Wiggins had lost their control over the Round Table because they didn’t know this truth.

But Knight Levo would never make such a foolish mistake.

One day.

Just one more day. After one day, everything will be in his hands….

Thud!

The door was violently thrown open.

Knight Levo’s face contorted.

“What’s going on?”

“N-Knight Levo! It’s a disaster. The enemy has invaded!”

“••••••What?”

Confusion flickered across Knight Levo’s face, hidden behind his mask.

“Did you say enemy?”

“Yes! They are approaching the Round Table.”

“Who are they?”

“We haven’t identified them yet.”

“Damn it!”

Knight Levo jumped up from his seat.

An enemy!

“What about the security forces?”

“We haven’t received an accurate report. But judging by the speed at which the enemy is approaching,

they will likely fail to defend….”

“Those useless British bastards!”

Crash!

Knight Levo slammed his hand on the table. The stone table split in two, and coffee soared into the air.

“I told them to be on full alert! They’re utterly incompetent.”

The messenger swallowed hard.

To be precise, the security forces hadn’t failed to be on alert, but rather failed to stop them. So, it wasn’t their fault.

But he didn’t have the courage to point that out right now.

“Where are they?”

“They seem to be approaching the entrance.”

“Gather the Chevaliers [Knights] at the entrance!”

“Yes!”

As the messenger was about to run out, Knight Levo reached out his hand.

“Wait.”

“Yes?”

“You said you haven’t identified the intruders?”

“……Yes. Not yet.”

“How many? Do you know how many there are?”

“It’s not exact, but it doesn’t seem to be a large number. We estimate a maximum of about three hundred.”

Knight Levo nodded.

“I see.”

“Yes, then.”

As the messenger rushed out, Knight Levo quietly gripped his mask.

‘Wiggins.’

It could be no one else.

No matter how much he thought about it, the only person who would invade in this situation was Wiggins.

‘Master, does that mean that old geezer was right?’

Irritation surged within him.

The Master had warned him several times. That Wiggins would come. And….

‘Kang Jin-ho.’

That he would come with him.

He had thought it was just the ramblings of a senile old man, but this was actually happening.

‘Is he out of his mind?’

It was incomprehensible.

Wiggins was definitely not a fool. He couldn’t possibly not know the strength of the Round Table. So, what was he thinking, directly attacking the Round Table?

‘No, no. It’s because he knows.’

If not now, there would be no other way.

He had not yet taken control of the Master’s authority, so he couldn’t convene a meeting to mobilize troops. The only forces he could move were the Round Table’s own defense forces and his own followers.

If he were to time it right, now was the only chance.

But….

‘Only three hundred?’

That was the maximum, so there could be even fewer. Was he really attacking the Round Table with such a small force?

“You’re in a hurry, Wiggins.”

Knight Levo gave a subtle smile.

It didn’t matter.

He had already predicted that Knight Wiggins might strike at this moment. The reason he hadn’t prepared for that possibility wasn’t because he was careless, but because he was confident he could handle it.

The emotion he felt now was bewilderment, not despair.

“Despair will be felt by you, not me.”

Knight Levo slowly walked out of the room.

米米米

“Looks like it’s mostly over….”

Wiggins shrugged.

“Lord, this is the best we can do.”

“……It’s crude.”

“The performance is reliable. And….”

Wiggins smiled as he looked at the people bound by the glowing ropes.

“Even if they had the ability to break free, they wouldn’t. There’s nothing good for them to gain by escaping here. If we win, it’s just good for them, and even if we lose, they can claim they were subdued. Right, Kendrick?”

“••••••Yes.”

It seemed like he was explaining the situation, but in reality, he was giving them instructions.

It was crude, but with this logic, they could avoid responsibility.

Wiggins pushed all the remaining people into one place and used magic to bind them. He wouldn’t be able to maintain proper restraint, but it would serve as a formality.

Kang Jin-ho looked at the bound people with a slightly dissatisfied expression.

“We could just knock them out and leave.”

“……They’ll die if we do that.”

“Side effects are always something you have to accept.”

Kendrick’s face turned pale as he listened to their conversation.

“I-I will absolutely not escape from here.”

“……Hmm.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“Do as you please.”

“Thank you, Lord.”

“I still can’t shake the feeling that you’re too soft.”

“Lord, my way and your way can’t be exactly the same, can they? It’s not good for the organization either.”

Kang Jin-ho shrugged.

“If that’s what you’ve decided, then that’s fine.”

Kang Jin-ho walked ahead first, and Wiggins smiled. Then, he looked at the bound people and opened his mouth.

“It might be confusing, but just wait here for a bit. It’ll be over before dawn.”

“Knight!”

Even though he knew he shouldn’t call him that anymore, the word ‘Knight’ came out involuntarily.

“Are you coming back?”

“No.”

Wiggins shook his head.

“I can’t do that. I’m someone who left the Round Table. It wouldn’t look good if I came back. Besides….”

Wiggins’ gaze turned to those who were now corpses.

“……It would be rude.”

He was just doing what he had to do.

But it was also true that he had killed his former comrades.

“I’m just putting things back in order. And then I’ll leave again. That’s all.”

“Then.”

Wiggins turned around. Then, those who were waiting began to follow Wiggins.

Kendrick sighed deeply as he watched them move.

He didn’t know what was going on, but just watching was making his chest feel tight.

“Putting things back in order?”

“……I wish you wouldn’t use English so well only when it’s necessary. Both Bator and the Chairman!”

“It’s the power of the common language.”

Bator sneered and laughed.

“You’re very good at packaging things. Anyone would think you’re a hero who’s returning, tormented by the corruption of the Round Table.”

Wiggins gave a wry smile.

‘He’s calling me out directly.’

“Isn’t image-making important these days?”

“Not a con artist, are you?”

“..It’s hard to deny. But well,

isn’t it better this way? They get to have hope, and we get to have the benefits.”

“You’re not someone to make a deal with.”

Bator chuckled.

Wiggins hadn’t returned here with a sense of mission. He had come to pursue his own interests thoroughly. But with a few well-chosen words, he had put on a charade of returning with a great sense of mission.

“They’re believing it so naively.”

“They’re not believing it.”

“Then?”

“They want to believe it.”

Wiggins curled up the corners of his mouth.

“The best way to deceive people is to give them what they want to believe. Whatever the truth is, they want to think that I’ve come to save them. So, I just have to act that way.”

“That’s usually called fraud, isn’t it?”

“No. This isn’t fraud. Fraud is when one side harms the other to gain an advantage. But I haven’t harmed them. What I’m trying to get will be taken by Knight Levo if left alone. So, what harm will it do to them if I take it in the middle? So, this isn’t fraud. If I had to call it something….”

“A con.”

“A con… What?”

Kang Jin-ho said bluntly.

“It’s usually called a con.”

“Hahahahahahaha!”

Bator clutched his stomach. Wiggins’ face turned bright red at Kang Jin-ho’s words. But the fact that he couldn’t refute it was incredibly amusing.

“……Don’t laugh so loudly. We’re entering enemy territory.”

“They’ll know anyway, so what.”

“Still, it’s enemy territory.”

“Hehehe, okay. I’ll laugh quietly.”

“Ugh.”

Wiggins shook his head. The more he talked, the more he lost.