Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1004

“First of all, the suppression of the Round Table is complete.”

Wiggins looked around the room. Everyone was looking at him with slightly serious expressions.

“Of course, this is all thanks to the Guild Leader’s efforts.”

“Isn’t it too anticlimactic?” Bang Jin-hoon grumbled.

“From my direct experience, these guys didn’t seem that weak, but it’s hard to believe they’d just give up after their leaders were taken out.”

“Of course, it’s understandable.”

Wiggins nodded as if he understood.

“But from their perspective, it could be a rational choice. They can’t surpass our power right now, and with the Master present, it’s not too late to observe the situation and react accordingly.”

“Isn’t that anticlimactic?”

“…If it seems that way, then I guess it is.”

Wiggins gave up trying to persuade Bang Jin-hoon.

The first reason was that no matter how much he tried to explain, Bang Jin-hoon wouldn’t understand, and the second reason was that persuading Bang Jin-hoon wouldn’t change anything.

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“First, we’ll reinstate the Master to his position.”

Wiggins scratched his chin as he continued.

“That’s the way to minimize resistance.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly nodded.

“But, Master.”

Lee Hyun-soo wasn’t as easily convinced as Kang Jin-ho.

“If we do all the hard work and then give the Round Table’s control to the Master, we won’t gain anything.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s not that I think we should get a huge reward here, but I’m not volunteering for charity.”

Wiggins smiled gently.

“Indeed. But I don’t want to go back empty-handed either.”

“…Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded. But unlike his action, his gaze was subtle.

“You’re suspicious.”

“It’s not suspicion. But…”

Lee Hyun-soo seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way. Since you know the Round Table best, it’s inevitable that we entrust its handling to you, but I can’t help but suspect that your personal interests might be involved in the process.”

Wiggins nodded.

‘He’s ruthless in these matters.’

In the General Assembly, the person who interacted with him the most was Lee Hyun-soo, no matter what anyone said. Others remained at the level of friendship, but he had a direct master-disciple relationship with Lee Hyun-soo.

Even so, Lee Hyun-soo didn’t hesitate to keep Wiggins in check.

It was as if he was saying that no matter how much they were connected by master-disciple ties, he was the head of the General Assembly before being Wiggins’s disciple.

“It’s natural to be suspicious. And it’s also natural that I need to be more thorough to dispel that suspicion.”

“If you say so…”

Wiggins smiled and turned his head towards Kang Jin-ho.

“Realistically, it’s impossible for the General Assembly to control the Round Table.”

“I suppose so.”

Kang Jin-ho agreed with that statement.

There were issues with manpower and distance.

To completely control a group, there must be a force here that can suppress them. But to do that, Kang Jin-ho would have to be stationed in Europe or move most of the General Assembly’s forces here.

Neither option was logical.

“Ultimately, the best course of action we can take is to install someone friendly to the General Assembly as the leader and seek cooperation.”

“And I think the Master is the most suitable person for that.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“If that’s what you think, then do as you wish.”

“Guild Leader.”

“That’s what we decided from the beginning.”

Kang Jin-ho waved his hand.

“But…”

As Bang Jin-hoon tried to add something, Kang Jin-ho cut him off firmly.

“That’s enough.”

Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth, sounding a bit indifferent.

“We didn’t come here to gain something from the start.”

“Huh…”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Bang Jin-hoon without a word. At that gaze, Bang Jin-hoon chuckled and nodded.

“That’s true.”

They didn’t come to Europe to swallow the Round Table. But Bang Jin-hoon was human, and once they had subdued the Round Table, he became greedy.

“I entrust all authority over the Round Table to Wiggins.”

Wiggins’s eyes widened.

“Guild Leader?”

“You wouldn’t understand even if I explained it. Just do it.”

“But…”

This was something even Wiggins hadn’t expected. Of course, it was true that Wiggins had to take charge of the Round Table’s affairs.

There was no one here who knew the Round Table better than him.

But taking charge of the Round Table’s affairs didn’t mean having full authority over it. All he could do was suggest how to handle the Round Table to Kang Jin-ho and follow his orders.

But now, Kang Jin-ho was saying he was giving Wiggins the decision-making power.

“That’s too much.”

Even as he spoke, Wiggins felt bewildered.

He was rejecting the authority given from above, something he would never have done in the Round Table in the past.

“It’s not too much.”

Kang Jin-ho said indifferently.

“If I wanted to, I could do whatever I wanted anyway. If I’m going to be suspicious, I shouldn’t even accept the offer, and if I’m going to trust you, I should trust you completely.”

Kang Jin-ho got up from his seat.

“I need to wash up. Is there a shower room?”

“Ah… there’s a residence inside.”

“Get someone to guide me.”

“I’ll give the order right away.”

Kang Jin-ho put a cigarette in his mouth and went outside. Wiggins quickly picked up the phone and called someone.

Click.

As the door closed, Wiggins looked at it with a perplexed gaze.

‘Even so, this is too much.’

What on earth was he trusting to give him full authority?

If Wiggins wanted to, he could cleverly use the General Assembly to swallow the Round Table. The current Wiggins could use the situation and power to change the Round Table’s system itself.

Yet, Kang Jin-ho had let Wiggins loose without any safety measures.

Kang Jin-ho’s unconventional actions, which he showed from time to time, were enough to leave even Wiggins speechless.

‘He’s not someone who doesn’t think.’

Then does that mean he trusts him that much?

Wiggins smiled wryly.

‘There’s no way.’

It wasn’t a matter of trust or not. Kang Jin-ho’s scale was just too big.

To others, Wiggins handling the Round Table as he pleased might seem like a huge threat. But not to Kang Jin-ho.

The Round Table without the Elder Knight was no threat to Kang Jin-ho, no matter what they did. As long as Wiggins knew that, he wouldn’t think of plotting through the Round Table, and even if he foolishly tried to plot, Kang Jin-ho could easily subdue Wiggins.

No, he could kill him.

Kang Jin-ho himself might not have thought this far, but subconsciously, he must have calculated that the combination of Wiggins and the Round Table was not a threat to him.

“Seriously…”

The more he thought about it, the more mysterious it became.

It seemed like he was showing an absurdly unconventional move, but there was nothing he could do.

Wiggins, realizing his situation anew, smiled wryly.

“That’s a very Guild Leader-like decision.”

At Wiggins’s words, everyone sighed.

“It’s a bit excessive, though.”

“It’s not excessive.”

Bator spoke firmly in response to Lee Hyun-soo’s words.

“A rat scurrying around won’t cause any problems for the owner. Rather, it’ll be a good opportunity to gauge the rat’s loyalty.”

“Seriously.”

Wiggins laughed.

‘He’s so bad at being honest.’

He was calling Wiggins a rat, but Bator’s words weren’t derogatory. It was a warning and a concern that if he caused trouble carelessly, his loyalty would be questioned.

If Bator really suspected Wiggins, he would have watched silently and tried to remove Wiggins after catching evidence.

‘This is a difficult place.’

Wiggins, with a wry smile, opened his mouth.

“You don’t have to worry. My top priority is to finish things here as quickly as possible and return to Korea.”

“You’re going back?”

“Yes.”

Bator said, sounding surprised.

“It seems like it would be better for you to stay here to manage the Round Table?”

“I won’t deny that it’s more efficient. But I have no intention of staying. The Round Table is boring. I can’t let you guys have all the fun with the Guild Leader.”

“Huh.”

“And in Korea, there are children I was teaching. As a teacher, I can’t ignore their education. I’ll be returning to Korea with all of you. That’s why we need the Master.”

Bator nodded heavily.

It wasn’t something to understand with reason.

Even if they didn’t understand anything else, everyone would understand the part about not being able to let them have all the fun with Kang Jin-ho. Everyone would feel the same way.

“What are you going to do with the Round Table?”

“We’ll form an alliance.”

“An alliance? Do you think you can bind the Round Table with such a common name?”

“There are many ways to bind an enemy.”

Wiggins smiled.

“The best way isn’t to suppress them with violence.”

“Are you going to become friends?”

“No.”

Wiggins shook his head firmly.

“We’ll bind them by crushing them with fear.”

“The Round Table has already witnessed the Guild Leader’s divine power. Things worked out well, and everyone here clearly saw what kind of person the Guild Leader is. They might not know it now. But as they spend boring time locked in their rooms, they’ll reflect on what that scene means.”

Wiggins smiled.

“The collapse of the myth of the Elder Knight, the Guild Leader’s divine power, the Master’s appearance in the hall yet doing nothing but watching the Guild Leader, and even my absolute loyalty to the Guild Leader…”

Wiggins waved his fingers as if conducting.

“When all of that starts to mix, the Guild Leader’s existence will become more than just fear to them. Since all they can do is think, the fear will grow more and more. When their own imaginations are added to the existing image… it will eventually become ingrained in their minds like a trauma.”

“An alliance is a very good name. It removes the sense of rejection. But an alliance that can’t refuse my proposal can’t be called an alliance. I’ll make it that way.”

Bator sighed quietly.

‘He’s ruthless.’

He thought it was strange that he was calling the Master even before the battle was over, but this guy had already calculated everything up to this point.

He would be a headache if he became an enemy.

“I hope it goes as you say. But that Master doesn’t seem so easy to deal with?”

“It will go as I say.”

Wiggins gave a meaningful smile.

“Because the Master will know.”

“Know what?”

“That it’s the only way he can survive.”

The air in the room turned chilly.

Bator clicked his tongue.

“That Master is also pitiful. He’ll be trusting you.”

“Well, do you think he’ll really trust me?”

Wiggins shrugged.