Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1205

“Yes, Prime Minister.”

Lee Hyun-soo answered the phone, looking slightly flustered.

‘Why is he calling me?’

Of course, Kim Myung-chan must have been keenly aware of the situation at the General Assembly. If the General Assembly were to fall to Japan’s Murim [martial arts world], South Korea’s Murim would collapse in one fell swoop.

Even though it’s customary for the Murim and the outside world to ignore each other, the impact of the Murim is such that it could easily turn the country upside down.

So, it was only natural that he was on edge.

The problem was that Kim Myung-chan had contacted him directly. Kim Myung-chan had, until now, chosen to observe the situation as much as possible. He had provided subtle support from behind the scenes, but he hadn’t actively jumped into the fray.

‘Has something changed his mind?’

Lee Hyun-soo quietly waited for Kim Myung-chan to speak. The scenery flashing past the car window was blinding.

[I heard the news. I understand you achieved a great victory. Congratulations.]

“Thank you.”

Lee Hyun-soo had already informed him of the news, so he must know. But he wouldn’t have called just to offer empty praise, would he?

[It seems you don’t have to worry about the situation in Gunsan.]

“Ah… Thank you. But what are you planning to do about it?”

[We’ll have to take some flak for it. If we say that hazardous materials were leaked, there will be criticism about poor management, but it shouldn’t cause any major problems.]

“I won’t forget your consideration.”

There was no way they could just ignore the fact that thousands of civilians had been evacuated in the middle of the night.

In fact, the General Assembly should have been bowing their heads in gratitude to Kim Myung-chan just for handling this matter. If the government hadn’t actively protected them, the situation could have become much more serious.

[I plan to block access for a while, complete the repairs, and then reopen it.]

“Closing the port will cause considerable losses.”

[Isn’t that something we have to accept?]

Lee Hyun-soo smiled wryly.

That wasn’t the only reason, but it was clear that he was trying to take credit for calling.

“Thank you, Prime Minister. The General Assembly will do its best to compensate for the economic losses incurred.”

[No, no. That’s not why I called. Since it happened within the country, it’s something the nation should handle. Please don’t worry about that.]

Lee Hyun-soo frowned slightly.

Turning down money?

‘That can’t be right?’

There are only two reasons why a politician would turn down money.

One is when there’s a risk of trouble if they take it.

But this situation wasn’t like that.

Then there’s only one other reason.

“Do you have something you want us to do?”

It’s when they plan to ask for something more than the money they’re being offered.

Kim Myung-chan’s good-natured laughter could be heard. The moment he heard that exaggerated laughter, Lee Hyun-soo could roughly guess the situation.

[Let’s finish our conversation first. We can handle things in Gunsan, but what are you going to do with the bodies that were taken out on the ship?]

“I was thinking of burying them at sea…”

[That’s a terrible idea. If even one or two of them float up, things will get out of control. If you can’t handle it properly, hand them over to us.]

“I’ll discuss it further and let you know.”

[Is there a reason why you want to keep those bodies?]

“It’s not that, but it feels wrong to spend money to dispose of the bodies of the guys who attacked us. I’m thinking of sending them back to Japan.”

[That’s a good idea.]

The probing of each other was over. Now that they had finished the small talk, it was time to get down to business.

[Is the Clan Lord there with you?]

Lee Hyun-soo glanced back.

He could see Kang Jin-ho in the back seat, his arms crossed and eyes closed.

“Yes, he is.”

[I’d like to speak with the Clan Lord.]

“Yes? But…”

Lee Hyun-soo narrowed his brow slightly.

This was a request he didn’t particularly want to accept. The reason was very simple. After all, the Prime Minister was the second-in-command of South Korea. If he were to easily engage with Kang Jin-ho, it would create a gap in status between the government and the General Assembly. [A powerful martial arts organization].

Of course, no matter how much the General Assembly might try, it couldn’t compare to the government, but at the very least, he wanted to avoid a situation where the Clan Lord would just pick up the phone without any prior notice. He wanted to receive at least a minimum level of courtesy.

However, contrary to Lee Hyun-soo’s wishes, Kang Jin-ho opened his eyes and held out his hand.

“Give it to me.”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo politely handed over the phone. It was impossible to avoid Kang Jin-ho’s hearing in this small space anyway. He must have heard everything.

“This is Kang Jin-ho.”

However, Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t hear Kim Myung-chan’s voice. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Kang Jin-ho quietly listened to Kim Myung-chan’s words.

Lee Hyun-soo, having given up on eavesdropping, took out a bottle of water and drank it.

Kang Jin-ho would take care of it anyway…

“That doesn’t seem to be something you should be involved in.”

“Cough!”

Lee Hyun-soo almost sprayed water all over the windshield. He didn’t even think about wiping his mouth as he turned his head sharply.

‘What does that mean?’

Just a moment ago, Lee Hyun-soo had thought that it would be good if the General Assembly maintained a bit of distance from the government. It seemed that Kang Jin-ho had understood Lee Hyun-soo’s intentions 100%.

No, it seemed he had over-understood by about 200%.

No matter how you looked at it, it wasn’t appropriate to say that to the Prime Minister of a country. Even if a foreign leader had said that at a summit, it would have caused an uproar for being a diplomatic discourtesy.

Regardless, Kang Jin-ho was listening with a blank expression.

“We don’t need any compensation. We’ll handle our own problems.”

It seemed that Kim Myung-chan had asked for something and been rejected.

Cold sweat trickled down Lee Hyun-soo’s forehead.

‘We haven’t even finished dealing with Japan yet…’

It wouldn’t be good to antagonize the government.

But what could Lee Hyun-soo do to stop Kang Jin-ho? It was a mistake to answer the Prime Minister’s call without thinking when Kang Jin-ho was present.

‘Let’s think positively.’

If he hadn’t connected them, the Prime Minister would have called Kang Jin-ho directly anyway. It was something Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t have prevented.

“I’m hanging up.”

Kang Jin-ho hung up without another word and handed the phone back to Lee Hyun-soo.

Lee Hyun-soo took the phone and asked cautiously.

“May I ask what that was about?”

“It was nothing of significance.”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo turned away without asking further.

‘What difference would it make if I knew?’

If it had already happened, it would work out somehow. It was better to focus on what was coming next than on that.

“The Round Table has contacted us. They say they’ll send more troops to completely take over Tokyo.”

“Thanks to their help, things have become easier, but I’m still concerned about the idea of them actually occupying Tokyo. If we’re not careful…”

Lee Hyun-soo stopped speaking and closed his mouth.

It was a valid concern, but it wasn’t appropriate to say that about their allies.

“It’s okay.”

Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth calmly.

What was okay? Was it okay to say that, or was it okay for them to occupy it?

“Even the gods are criticized when they’re not around.”

“Ah…”

“I’m sure I’m getting a lot of criticism from the General Assembly too.”

“Did you know?”

Lee Hyun-soo turned his head, looking embarrassed. It was just a casual remark, but it seemed he had poked him in a sensitive spot. He felt like his awareness had dulled a bit lately. He needed to be careful.

Lee Hyun-soo, his eyes fixed on the highway ahead, spoke hesitantly.

“I’m a little worried about how much we can trust the Round Table.”

“Trust…”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled softly without realizing it.

Seeing that, Lee Hyun-soo tilted his head.

“Why are you laughing?”

“It’s just a little strange to hear the word ‘trust’ coming from your mouth.”

Thinking about Lee Hyun-soo back when he was in the Yeongnam Association, it was even more amusing.

Back then, Lee Hyun-soo was like a well-honed blade. Sharpened and sharpened so finely that it seemed like he would break himself while stabbing his opponent.

The Lee Hyun-soo of that time would never have used such a soft word like ‘trust,’ no matter what happened.

Just as Kang Jin-ho had changed, so had Lee Hyun-soo.

Lee Hyun-soo smiled awkwardly.

“People change, don’t they?”

“That’s right. But…”

Kang Jin-ho lowered the window and put a cigarette in his mouth.

Click.

The cigarette was lit.

“I hope that’s only the case within the General Assembly.”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded quietly.

He understood what Kang Jin-ho meant.

The Round Table was an ally, but they couldn’t be considered part of the General Assembly. He meant that he should act with the same mindset as the old Lee Hyun-soo when dealing with those outside the General Assembly.

‘He means not to trust the Round Table either.’

The old Lee Hyun-soo would never have trusted them. Understanding Kang Jin-ho’s intention, Lee Hyun-soo’s mind raced. If he didn’t trust the Round Table, then Tokyo…

Kang Jin-ho slowly exhaled cigarette smoke and said,

“Have the results come out?”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo replied in a low voice.

“We don’t need to worry about it right now. At least for the next few years, the Round Table won’t have the capacity to expand externally.”

“I suppose so.”

“But we might need to keep them in check.”

“The Master?”

“No. The Master is fine. He wouldn’t dare think of betraying the General Assembly. And Wiggins is a loyal watchdog.”

“…”

“The ones we need to watch are the Knights. The Master’s control isn’t absolute. He relies heavily on you, Clan Lord. As long as there’s distance, a crack will eventually form.”

“What’s the plan?”

“I’ll prepare one as soon as possible. A way to choke them for sure.”

Kang Jin-ho curled up the corners of his mouth.

He could feel the same coldness in Lee Hyun-soo’s voice as before.

“We’re almost there, Clan Lord. What should we do?”

Kang Jin-ho’s gaze turned outside.

It was bright.

It wasn’t the right time to move.

“We’ll wait for now. We’ll move when it gets dark.”

“Yes!”

Lee Hyun-soo’s gaze went to the side mirror. He could see the dozens of buses following the car he and Kang Jin-ho were in.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

“Hmm?”

“It seems that there was a company that cooperated with Shin’nichikai during their invasion of the General Assembly.”

“Cooperated?”

“They provided vehicles to avoid checkpoints. What should we do?”

“Take care of it.”

It was his job to wield the sword, but this wasn’t his specialty. Lee Hyun-soo would know how to handle it much better.

“I need guidance.”

“Guidance?”

“Whether to prioritize profit or principle.”

Kang Jin-ho fell silent.

After closing his eyes for a moment to think, Kang Jin-ho slowly opened his eyes and spoke.

“Normally, it would be profit, but…”

Kang Jin-ho’s voice also lowered slightly.

“This is something that leaves no room for compromise.”

“Then I will discuss it with the Prime Minister and root them out.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded silently.