Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1003

“I’ve mostly finished cleaning up.”

Wiggins walked in slowly and sat across from Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho quietly observed Wiggins.

“Guild Leader?”

Wiggins tilted his head, looking puzzled as Kang Jin-ho stared intently at him.

“You smell of blood.”

“Ah…”

Wiggins’ face showed a moment of realization.

“Excuse me.”

Wiggins turned and used magic. After washing himself with water and wind, Wiggins returned with an embarrassed look and sat down.

“I relaxed a bit.”

“…I apologize.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Wiggins with a calm gaze.

The cause of the blood smell after the battle was obvious. Kang Jin-ho had no intention of pointing it out. What he didn’t like was not that Wiggins had killed someone, but that he left traces of it.

“Shouldn’t you be more careful?”

“I think I got a little excited. Please forgive me.”

“Okay.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded slowly. However, his calm gaze did not leave Wiggins.

Gulp.

Wiggins swallowed hard.

‘This is why it’s a problem.’

Chadwick’s insight went beyond Wiggins’ expectations. He had thought it best to keep him alive and use him for a while, but he was forced to reverse his decision because Chadwick was accurately predicting Wiggins’ actions.

‘I underestimated him too easily.’

Even though he knew that a person’s martial strength didn’t represent their entire ability, he had underestimated Knight Chadwick. His martial prowess might have been lacking as a true knight, but his insight was no less than Wiggins’.

But…

‘One thing is definitely wrong, Chadwick.’

He cannot bite Kang Jin-ho.

To be honest, when he first joined the Guild, he had some thoughts like that. Kang Jin-ho was not the type to act rationally, and he thought that if he helped him from the sidelines, something interesting might happen.

But not now.

Chadwick’s insight was both useful and useless.

He had accurately assessed Wiggins, but he had completely failed to assess Kang Jin-ho.

Lee Hyun-soo and Wiggins are different.

Lee Hyun-soo was a natural schemer. He could plot and manage, but he was not someone who could become king himself.

But Wiggins was different. Wiggins was someone who could become king himself.

However, Wiggins did not dare to dream of becoming king.

Transparent eyes.

The transparent eyes looking at him were completely suppressing Wiggins.

‘You only saw me, you didn’t see this man. If you knew what kind of person he is, you wouldn’t have dared to think like that.’

Rebel against Kang Jin-ho?

That’s ridiculous.

The moment you harbor thoughts of rebellion, your head will fly.

People think of Kang Jin-ho as just a strong martial artist. But Wiggins knew how terrifying Kang Jin-ho was.

It wasn’t just because Kang Jin-ho killed people violently that he was scary.

Kang Jin-ho dominates his surroundings without even moving. It wasn’t because he intended to dominate. People around him naturally support and admire him.

‘Something I can never do.’

Kang Jin-ho doesn’t step back and watch from the sidelines in any situation. When you think about it, isn’t Kang Jin-ho the one who has shed the most blood in all the Guild’s affairs?

So, there’s no choice but to follow him. He doesn’t particularly intend to, nor does he try to suppress those around him, yet he naturally draws loyalty.

What kind of thoughts could you have against such a person?

He didn’t even have the heart to do so in the first place, but even if he had thoughts of rebellion, there was no way. The loyalty of the Guild members towards Kang Jin-ho was excessive. It was impossible for Wiggins to assassinate Kang Jin-ho alone, and even if that impossible thing happened, the Guild would not follow Wiggins.

Instead, they would all turn on him, eyes wide with rage, trying to kill him.

‘I don’t even want to imagine it.’

The thought of Bator, Bang Jin-hoon, Jang Min, and Lee Myung-hwan rushing at him, losing their minds, sent shivers down his spine.

But that was something he didn’t need to worry about. The moment he rebelled against Kang Jin-ho, his head would be directly blown off by Kang Jin-ho.

Both his individual strength and his control were incomparable to Wiggins. So, how could Wiggins possibly plot a rebellion?

And above all…

Wiggins chuckled.

‘I’ve changed a lot too.’

Wiggins was someone who respected people but didn’t pledge loyalty to them. But now, the thought of following Kang Jin-ho was more enjoyable than taking his place.

Thinking back to when he first joined the Guild, he had changed a lot, even by his own standards.

“You seem to be deep in thought.”

At Kang Jin-ho’s words, Wiggins shook his head.

“I just had a lot to sort out. I’m fine now.”

“I see.”

Kang Jin-ho took out a new cigarette and put it in his mouth.

Then, he lit it and slowly exhaled the smoke.

‘…It’s quite a picture.’

Kang Jin-ho’s appearance was a mess.

The soot and blood smeared all over his body, and the wounds visible everywhere, made anyone who looked at him wince. But even amidst all that, Kang Jin-ho, sprawled on the sofa and smoking, had something that stirred a man’s heart, like watching a noir film.

“What’s the situation?”

“I’ll report it to you. But before that…”

Wiggins turned his head.

“It seems like others are coming.”

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Lee Hyun-soo and the others entered.

“Excuse us.”

Led by Lee Hyun-soo, Bator, Jang Min, and even Bang Jin-hoon all came in and sat on the sofa.

Being like this, it didn’t feel like they were in distant England. It felt like they were having a meeting at the Guild.

“…Aren’t you supposed to go to the hospital?”

Before Lee Hyun-soo could speak, Bang Jin-hoon opened his mouth with a disgruntled look.

Even to him, Kang Jin-ho’s injuries looked extremely serious. If an ordinary person had suffered such injuries, it would be more rational to look for a funeral home than a hospital.

“I got off easy.”

“That’s true, but…”

Bang Jin-hoon trailed off.

He got off easy.

That was right. If the price for killing all those monster Elder Knights was just this much injury, it was a good deal.

“Lately, every time you do something, it feels like your body is falling apart. You’re going to suddenly collapse one day.”

Kang Jin-ho’s reaction was subtle.

He wanted to cut off the unnecessary worry, but there was sincerity in Bang Jin-hoon’s words. If that man, who usually just grumbled instead of expressing his emotions, was saying it like this, it meant he was quite worried.

“I’ll be careful.”

“It’s not about being careful, it’s about the method. There were more than ten of those bastards, why did you have to fight them alone? We should have all jumped in and taken them down together.”

Just as Kang Jin-ho was about to cut off Bang Jin-hoon’s complaints, Jang Min quickly spoke up.

“Oh, Demon Lord! This old one can only admire the divine power you have shown. But, oh, Demon Lord, the damage to your sacred body does not end with you alone. If you fall, the Guild falls.”

“…”

“Demon Lord, you are a martial artist. If you abandon your competitive spirit as a martial artist, you will no longer be a martial artist. But, oh, Demon Lord, many people are living by relying solely on you. Please, for their sake, think a little more about your sacred body.”

It wasn’t the Jang Min who was always full of jokes and excessive emotions. There was a stern rebuke in Jang Min’s voice now.

It was annoying and he wanted to ignore it, but every word was true.

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded, and Jang Min didn’t nag anymore. But from his tightly closed lips and sulky face, it was clear that his dissatisfaction remained.

Kang Jin-ho clicked his tongue.

‘Nagging as soon as the battle ends.’

In the past, when he was the Heavenly Demon Lord, this never happened. When the battle ended, everyone was busy praising his divine power.

But he didn’t feel bad.

In the past, those who praised him didn’t care how injured Kang Jin-ho was. They believed that the Heavenly Demon Lord was great, so he would take care of such injuries himself.

But that belief was also a reckless indifference.

In fact, they had no reason to care about such things. What they believed in and followed was not Kang Jin-ho, but the Heavenly Demon Lord.

They only felt pride in how strong the Heavenly Demon Lord, the leader of the Demonic Cult, was and how easily he wiped out enemies, but they didn’t care how much the human Kang Jin-ho was injured.

Even the demonic flames who followed him like their own lives were the same.

But these people…

“Do you get a medal or something if you fight like that and die?”

Bator grumbled.

“It was definitely a bit much. There might have been other ways. Thanks to the Guild Leader stepping up, this crisis was resolved well, but it’s not good for the Guild if the Guild Leader has to step up every time there’s a problem. Please discuss it with us next time.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

These people were different.

They weren’t interested in how great the Guild Leader’s divine power was. No, they were interested and felt pride in it, but they focused more on how much Kang Jin-ho was injured to show that side of him.

There was an undeniable affection hidden behind their irritable tone.

Kang Jin-ho scratched his eyes at the strange, tickling sensation.

“I’ll keep it in mind…”

“Well, it’s not like you’ll listen even if we tell you.”

Lee Hyun-soo added to Bator’s words.

“I don’t think you’ll restrain yourself next time either. You’re the type who loses his mind when the blood rushes to his head.”

Bang Jin-hoon also chimed in.

“If that’s the case, why did you bring so many of us? Those Lee Myung-hwan guys didn’t even get a chance to fight properly. If that’s how it was going to be, you should have just come alone, why did you bring us?”

“Oh, Demon Lord!”

Jang Min’s voice rose again.

“Oh, Demon Lord, you are a king. Historically, there is no king who always stands at the forefront of every battle. It was unavoidable until now, but from now on, we must change our ways. A king must be prudent, and a king must be weighty. From now on, please leave the minor matters to us!”

A barrage of complaints began.

With the endless nagging, Kang Jin-ho completely erased the thought that things were better now than in the past.

‘It was more comfortable in the past.’

At least he didn’t have to endure the terrible experience of being nagged while injured.

Kang Jin-ho, who raised his hand to cut off the flood of nagging, sighed and opened his mouth.

“Let’s talk about that later. There’s something we need to discuss now.”

As Kang Jin-ho turned his gaze, Wiggins nodded heavily and opened his mouth.

“Of course, that’s urgent too, but it’s also true that you went too far this time, Guild Leader. Everyone is speaking out of loyalty, so please listen to them first.”

“…Huh?”

With those words, the nagging started again from all directions.

Wiggins smiled with amusement as he watched Kang Jin-ho sink deeper into the sofa.

‘Chadwick, you just don’t understand.’

That’s why you can’t even dream of it, that’s why.

Wiggins smiled and added a few words to the pouring complaints.