Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1813

Wiggins, glancing at Kang Jin-ho, cautiously opened his mouth.

“Um… Lord.”

His face was etched with tension.

“I’m not sure if I’m in a position to say this to you, Lord, but…”

Kang Jin-ho glanced at Wiggins.

Even though his gaze held no particular emotion, Wiggins felt an indescribable pressure.

“Th….”

“Speak your mind.”

“Don’t waste time.”

Wiggins took a deep breath and began to speak.

“Lord, of course, I know that the Master has committed an unforgivable sin.”

Wiggins’s gaze swept over the other directors.

“It’s not like I don’t know how grave the Master’s sin is. But Lord, please also consider the Master’s contributions.”

“Contributions?”

“Yes. The Master stabilized the Round Table, making the General Assembly’s work easier. If it weren’t for the Master, we wouldn’t have been able to stabilize the Round Table so quickly.”

“O…w
M –“

“And we can’t forget that the Master led the Round Table and supported the General Assembly during the war with Japan. Besides that, the Master was always cooperative.”

Bator snorted.

“And then he stabbed us in the back.”

“Of course, that’s true, but…”

Wiggins said, beads of sweat forming on his brow.

“It’s common sense to offset a person’s faults with their merits. Although the Master has committed an unforgivable sin… please spare his life, considering his contributions.”

Wiggins bowed deeply.

“Hard to understand.”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head, looking at Wiggins.

“Wiggins, of all people, should be the most furious about the Master’s betrayal.”

“…That’s also true.”

Wiggins swallowed hard and continued.

“When I was first betrayed, I was so overwhelmed with betrayal that I almost lost my mind. My head went completely blank.”

“But looking back, it was none other than me who drove the Master to that point. You can’t cut off all someone’s limbs and then tell them to walk. And it’s even worse to kill them for not being able to walk.”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head slightly to look at the other directors.

“What do you all think?”

“Well, what can we say? When he comes out like that.”

Bang Jin-hoon said, his face full of discontent.

“So, you’re saying we should forgive him?”

“Forgive him, my ass! What kind of forgiveness are you talking about!”

Bang Jin-hoon jumped up from his seat.

“Does it make any sense to cover up a fault with a contribution? That’s only for when the wrongdoing is minor! Do you know how many people died because of that bastard’s betrayal?”

Bang Jin-hoon exuded a murderous aura, as if he would charge at the Master any moment.

“That son of a bitch. It’s not like we were going to kill him with a knife, he did it for his own convenience! Forgiveness? Forgiveness is not something you apply to this situation!”

Bator also agreed with Bang Jin-hoon.

“That’s right, Master.”

Bator glared at the Master with cold eyes.

“A crime requires a fitting price. This isn’t just about punishing the guilty. How we punish this person will set the tone for the discipline of the council.”

“Ugh…
M…•”

“If someone can be forgiven after committing such a crime, who would fear the rules of the council? Right now, no one will object because of your authority, Master, but everything starts from such small cracks.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded as if he understood.

“May I say something?”

When Lee Hyun-soo asked for permission, Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“No. Let’s stop here.”

“••••••Yes?”

“We didn’t gather here for a meeting in the first place, so it won’t do any good to drag it out.”

Kang Jin-ho said, looking at the Master.

“I have no intention of forgiving him at all.”

“Lo, Lord.”

Wiggins looked at Kang Jin-ho with a bewildered expression. Of course, he didn’t expect a clean forgiveness given Kang Jin-ho’s personality, but he thought he could at least show some leniency.

At least to the point of sparing his life.

But now, Kang Jin-ho didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so.

“Of course! Of course, I don’t think the Master should be completely forgiven either. But he doesn’t necessarily have to receive the punishment of death…”

Kang Jin-ho turned to look at Wiggins.

“You’re saying something interesting.”

Wiggins realized that there was no trace of emotion on his face and squeezed his eyes shut.

“You seem to be mistaken, I don’t have the right to forgive him.”

“••••••Yes?”

“The dead aren’t me, so how can I forgive him?”

Wiggins closed his mouth.

There was no way to refute this logic.

“If there’s a way to get forgiveness from the dead, I’ll forgive him as much as you want.”

Wiggins’s head dropped.

“Or…”

“If you can go find all the bereaved families and get them to agree to forgive him without killing him, I’ll do that. Are you willing to do that?”

“••••••Lord.”

“Don’t be mistaken, Wiggins.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes lowered.

“This isn’t about emotions. It’s not like I have any particular ill feelings towards the Master. Maybe I’m the one who caused this, or maybe it’s you. Yes, maybe the Master is a victim too.”

“But if we forgive the Master, what’s left? It’s just that you and I will feel a little better. Are you saying we should give up the revenge of those who died for the sake of such feelings?”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“No. I’d rather bear more guilt than handle things that way. As long as there are lives that need to be comforted by the Master’s death, my feelings are worthless.”

Wiggins tried to say something but lowered his head.

“…My thoughts were short-sighted, Lord. What you say is right. But, I…”

“That’s enough, Wiggins.”

The Master laughed hollowly.

“I can’t understand Korean, but I think I know what you’re talking about. There’s no need to defend me.”

“Master.”

“A person has to take responsibility for what they’ve done. It’s not something I should say, since I ran away because I didn’t want to take responsibility.”

The Master wore a bitter smile.

“Guild Master.”

His gaze turned to Kang Jin-ho.

“I will accept the price of my betrayal. I just ask… please make sure that the consequences of my actions don’t fall on the Round Table.”

Kang Jin-ho silently stared at the Master.

If the Master had attacked Kang Jin-ho instead of the General Assembly, Kang Jin-ho might have forgiven him without any conditions.

Even if he had lost an arm or a leg, he might have spared the Master’s life.

But the one standing here was not the human Kang Jin-ho, but Kang Jin-ho, the Guild Master of the General Assembly. Now, Kang Jin-ho knew the difference more clearly than ever.

What was more important than his feelings was that people who could have lived had died because of what the Master had done.

“There will be no harm to the Round Table.”

“It will end with the deaths of those who sided with you. It’s already happening.”

“Thank you… Thank you so much.”

The Master cautiously glanced at Kang Jin-ho and opened his mouth.

“The Knights may not be able to atone for their sins, but those under them are just following orders. It’s too harsh to make them accomplices just because they didn’t actively resist the situation.”

His requests were getting a bit much, but Kang Jin-ho readily nodded.

“I won’t hold them accountable. Not your family, nor your subordinates.”

The Master bit his lip.

It was an answer beyond his expectations.

Not holding his family accountable was only natural, but he thought that at least his subordinates would all lose their lives. He would have done that, after all.

‘Maybe….’

There might have been another way.

A third path between just enduring and vehemently resisting.

But now it was too late.

“Thank you, Guild Master.”

The Master nodded, looking satisfied.

Having already given up on his life, this was enough for him. He could end everything with his life.

“I’m ready. Please end it now.”

His attitude was solemn. No, in a way, he seemed a bit detached. An attitude that didn’t cling to life always left a deep impression on people.

Kang Jin-ho, too, seemed impressed by his attitude, staring intently at the Master.

However, Kang Jin-ho’s silence lasted longer than expected, and the Master looked at Kang Jin-ho with a questioning gaze.

Only then did Kang Jin-ho slowly open his mouth.

“You seem to be mistaken…”

“••••••Yes?”

“I said I would take your life, but I never said I would let you die easily.”

“Gu, Guild Master?”

Kang Jin-ho spoke in a monotone voice.

The Master’s eyes began to shake.

The detached attitude from a moment ago was nowhere to be seen. Seeing his flustered face, Kang Jin-ho curled up the corners of his mouth.

“Did you think you could end it all by dying?”

What a joke.

To put it coldly, people’s lives all have different values. But no matter how great the Master’s life was, it could not replace the lives of the countless people who had to die in a foreign land.

“There’s only one thing you have to do.”

“Not die.”

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

“The moment you take your own life, all these promises will be nullified. I won’t spare even an ant that sided with you and harmed the General Assembly.”

A dispassionate voice.

That’s why it was even more terrifying. Emotions like anger and coldness would eventually fade with time. But now, Kang Jin-ho was not putting any emotion into the Master’s punishment.

“It’s the same if you run away.”

“I won’t lock the prison door. I won’t put any restrictions on you. You just have to choose. Whether you run away alone and escape the pain, or endure the pain inside for everyone.”

“Ugh…”

“There’s no better way to confirm whether your words about betraying the Round Table for the Round Table were true.”

“Gu, Guild Master!”

Kang Jin-ho gestured with his chin towards the Master.

“Take him away. Lock him in the basement and leave the door open. Let me know the moment he takes even one step out of there.”

“…Understood.”

Bator and Bang Jin-hoon grabbed the Master’s arms, who had a dazed expression.

“I, I… I! Guild Master! Guild Maaaaster!”

As the Master was being dragged away, Kang Jin-ho muttered quietly.

“Be prepared. I’m not as soft as Cheongma [a reference to a character known for being lenient].”

Whether those words reached the Master’s ears or not, the result would not change.

A cold silence descended upon the Guild Master’s office where the Master had been dragged out.