Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1012

‘This is driving me nuts, seriously.’Edlington was facing the worst crisis of his life.The familiar cityscape of London came into his view. Of course, just because he, a Brit, was in London didn’t mean he felt a sense of crisis. London was where he lived, a place he knew so well he could navigate it with his eyes closed.What troubled him wasn’t the fact that he was in London right now.It was the man walking behind him.’What am I supposed to do?’It all started with a very simple sentence.Edlington, who had been released from confinement and was taking a rest, was called by that ‘Wiggins’.His heart pounded.Knight Wiggins.He should drop the title of Knight now, but every time he spoke of him, the title of Knight automatically attached itself.That was how much influence Wiggins had on Edlington… no, on the entire Order of the Garter to which Edlington belonged.Even before Edlington first joined the Order of the Garter, Wiggins was a Knight of England, and he remained a Knight of England throughout Edlington’s time in the Order.It was impossible to neatly sever ties just because he was no longer a Knight.Moreover, the current Wiggins was perhaps an even more awkward and important figure than when he held the position of Knight.Facing him alone was a life-shortening experience.Edlington was extremely nervous, but what Wiggins said to him was very unexpected and trivial.”You said you live in London, right?”Should he be touched, or should he be puzzled?Edlington was subtly moved by Wiggins’s attentiveness in remembering the residence of a rather unremarkable member of the Order, but he couldn’t help but wonder why he remembered it.When he answered, Wiggins clapped his hands and nodded.”Then, can I ask you a favor?”A favor…It was a delicate matter. Although it was framed as a favor, receiving orders from Wiggins, who was no longer at the Round Table, was a sensitive issue.However, since Wilson, the head of the Order of the Garter, who was present, nodded in agreement, Edlington could confidently say,”If it’s something I can do, I will do anything!”And upon hearing those words, Wiggins smiled brightly and said,”There’s no need to be so dramatic. It’s a simple task. Since you know London well, you just need to guide someone.”‘I should have refused then…’It was a mistake to accept it so readily like a fool.Edlington cursed his own haste. Before accepting the favor, he should have at least checked who he was supposed to guide.Edlington’s gaze subtly turned backward.’Heeeeeek!’The moment he confirmed Kang Jin-ho following him with an indifferent face, Edlington’s heart began to race like crazy.’What am I supposed to do?’This is a damn mess.If he had known that the person he was supposed to guide was Kang Jin-ho, Edlington would have never taken on this task, even if it meant breaking his own legs.How was he supposed to guide someone who could cause a heart attack just by making eye contact?Edlington turned his head forward again with a disgusted look.Everything felt unfamiliar.Even though it was the street he always saw on his way home, he couldn’t focus on the scenery today. It was like…’It’s like hell.’Is there any other hell?Walking with a demon, that’s hell.Edlington had clearly witnessed Kang Jin-ho slaughtering the Elder Knights.No, he didn’t even need to go that far.From Edlington’s perspective, just seeing him crush Knight Levo, who was like a god to him, with one hand was enough. If Knight Levo was the sky, then what should he call Kang Jin-ho, who had broken the sky’s neck?”Um…”Edlington opened his mouth with a trembling voice.He had to say something to break this awkwardness and the suffocating atmosphere.”D-did you say you were going to buy a gift?””Yeah.”Kang Jin-ho nodded.”W-what kind of gift?””…I don’t know.”There was no solution.How was he supposed to help when the person who was going to buy a gift didn’t know what kind of gift he should buy?”D-do you have absolutely nothing in mind?””Nope.”The answer was obvious even without hearing it.”Then, at least who are you giving the gift to…”Kang Jin-ho nodded heavily.”It’s a woman…””A woman!””She’s almost thirty… over thirty… um?”Kang Jin-ho tilted his head.Seeing that, Edlington could roughly guess the situation.’A gift for a young woman he’s seeing…’A slight smile appeared on Edlington’s lips.’He’s more human than I thought.’The thought that this terrifying man was preparing a gift to woo a woman made his previous image change a little.Feeling a bit more at ease, Edlington nodded and opened his mouth.”It seems like you’re trying to give a gift to a woman you haven’t gotten very close to yet. In that case…””She’s my girlfriend?”He was even more confused.’Why doesn’t he know how old his girlfriend is?’Of course, even on the surface, Kang Jin-ho was a natural-born macho man, but wasn’t this a basic thing?’Should I feel a sense of humanity because he has a girlfriend, or should I feel uneasy because he doesn’t even know his girlfriend’s exact age?’In any case, he was a man impossible to understand.”Y-your girlfriend’s gift?””Yeah.”As Kang Jin-ho nodded, Edlington fell into thought.Anyway, it was a gift for a girlfriend who was around thirty. Then, what should he recommend?’How would I know?’Whether they were Korean martial artists or British martial artists, martial artists were basically people who had excessively invested their life balance in one area.The type of people who lived the most similar lives to martial artists in England were probably hooligans.Those who were overly immersed in one field were generally lacking in social skills. Thanks to that, Edlington had never had a proper relationship.Even though he was approaching forty, his entire dating experience consisted of a couple of awkward dates that ended in rejection.How could Edlington possibly recommend a gift for someone else’s girlfriend?”Since your girlfriend is still young, how about something like a bag? If she doesn’t have a luxury bag, it could be a good gift?”He wouldn’t recommend such a gift to an ordinary person.But Kang Jin-ho was the head of the Assembly. His wealth was at a level that Edlington couldn’t even imagine. People should spend according to their income. A British luxury brand…”She’s an actress…””…Pardon?””She’s a celebrity…””Ah…”Edlington understood what Kang Jin-ho meant.”Ah, you mean your girlfriend is an actress?””Yeah.””An actress, ah…”She must have plenty of luxury goods.Even in England, actresses who were somewhat popular had rooms dedicated to storing bags and luxury goods, as they were very sensitive to fashion. Edlington had no information about Korea, but he didn’t think Korean actresses would be much different.’Then…’Edlington scanned Kang Jin-ho’s outfit from top to bottom.’This is a lost cause.’Considering Kang Jin-ho’s fashion sense and combining it with his own, the two of them working together to pick out a bag that would satisfy an actress was an impossible task.There was a high probability of a worst-case scenario where they would waste money and get cursed at.So, to summarize…”So, what you want is a gift that doesn’t cost too much, but can satisfy your actress girlfriend’s high standards, and is full of unique British charm, something subtle, is that right?””That’s accurate.”What am I supposed to do, you idiot!Where in the world does something like that exist!Edlington’s blood pressure began to rise rapidly. This was an impossible mission.Of course, Choi Yeon-ha, who was actually dating Kang Jin-ho, didn’t expect such a thing. She was a woman who could be touched by the fact that Kang Jin-ho had brought her something from England, even if it was just a cola.But how would Edlington know that?”T-then, let’s go to a place where tourists buy a lot of things for now.””Okay.”Kang Jin-ho nodded again.Edlington sighed inwardly as he watched him.’His image is so different from what I thought…’Kang Jin-ho, whom he had spoken to directly, seemed like a completely different person from the Kang Jin-ho he knew.The Kang Jin-ho who had beaten up the Elder Knights at the Round Table was like a bloodless, tearless killing machine.No, perhaps the words demon or demon king were more accurate than killing machine. In any case, there was no trace of humanity. He was a being that made one’s legs tremble just by watching him.But the Kang Jin-ho he had actually talked to was, how should he put it…An ordinary young man?Among them, he felt a bit introverted.’That can’t be right.’There was no way that this was Kang Jin-ho’s true nature. There was no way an introverted person could go so berserk.’And what does it matter which one it is?’The worlds that Edlington and Kang Jin-ho lived in were completely different. Even though they lived in the same martial arts world, the difference between Kang Jin-ho and Edlington was like that of a new employee and the chairman of a large corporation.Just because they used the same building, worked in the same place, and occasionally bumped into each other in the hallway, didn’t mean they lived in the same world.His job now was to finish this task as quickly as possible and return to the world he lived in.”We’re here.”After walking for a while, Edlington arrived at the British Museum.”Hmm?””There’s a souvenir shop here.”Kang Jin-ho looked at Edlington with a subtle gaze. Edlington lowered his head, avoiding Kang Jin-ho’s gaze.”T-this is the best I can do.”Kang Jin-ho nodded and slowly walked into the souvenir shop.”Hoo…”Edlington sighed as he watched him.He felt like his lifespan was decreasing.Kang Jin-ho, who had entered the souvenir shop, looked around.There was a lot.There was a lot of stuff.And Kang Jin-ho realized there was a serious problem.’I have to choose one of these?’Kang Jin-ho’s eyes trembled.What he saw were objects, and what he had to choose was a gift, but what on earth was he supposed to choose from among these?It was a difficult task even for ordinary people. For Kang Jin-ho, who had never been interested in such things, it was an almost impossible mission.’Should I get help from a shop assistant?’Kang Jin-ho frowned.There were quite a few people who looked like tourists inside the store. And some of them were getting help from the shop assistants to choose souvenirs. Then, wouldn’t it be better to ask for help…”…Huh?”At that moment, a surprised voice came from behind him.”Oh? Oh… you.”Korean?A Korean tourist…”Kang Jin-ho?”Kang Jin-ho was slightly surprised when his name suddenly popped out, and he turned his head. Kang Jin-ho’s eyes widened slightly as he confirmed the person looking at him from behind.”Han Se-yeon?”An unexpected person was standing there.