Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1017

“One more round.”

“Don’t you have any more?”

“No, sir. I’ll prepare it right away.”

Lee Jin-ha placed the empty dishes on the tray, her hands trembling slightly.

Clatter. Clatter. Clatter.

The number of dishes being placed was a bit odd.

They were clearly coming from one seat, but it was as if they had been collected from several places.

“Don’t bring them bit by bit, bring a lot at once.”

‘Sir.’

In-flight meals are pre-packaged, single-serving portions.

Of course, the concept of ‘single-serving’ doesn’t seem to apply to you, sir.

“I will do so.”

Contrary to what one might expect, Lee Jin-ha responded with a bright smile. She was a flight attendant, the epitome of service. For a veteran like her, this level of request was rather amusing.

In a world where planes turn back because someone didn’t get their peanuts, asking for more food is hardly a big deal.

‘Come to think of it, they did load a lot…’

There were 300 servings of in-flight meals loaded onto a plane carrying 100 people. I thought there was some mistake, but it turned out that 300 servings were actually needed.

Not only this huge man, but also those in the business class behind were eating at least two servings each.

And if that wasn’t enough, they were all ordering an extra bowl of ramen. Thanks to that, the flight attendants in the back were on the verge of becoming snack bar ladies.

‘Did they get on the plane just to eat?’

Of course, there are more people than you think who get on a plane to eat.

But that ‘eating’ was usually on the level of ‘tasting the various desserts and wines prepared on the plane’ or ‘trying every single dish offered as a service.’ Not like now, where people were trying to fill their bellies to the brim.

But these people were devouring the food on the plane at an alarming rate, as if they were going to eat until they dropped dead.

Lee, who pushed the tray out, said in a trembling voice.

“Three… no, give me five more servings.”

“Again?”

The eyes of the waiting flight attendant also widened in shock.

“Do you have bowls? Big ones. Ramen bowls.”

“Yes, we do.”

“Put five servings in each.”

“Wait… is that all for that one person?”

“Huh?”

“Oh my god. You’ve already had ten servings. And you’re going to have five more?”

“They’re asking for it.”

“How does that fit in your stomach?”

“Anyway, they’re asking for it, so prepare it quickly. Is there any in-flight meal left?”

“There are only about 10 servings left of what was prepared for lunch.”

“…We loaded 300 servings, right?”

“Exactly.”

Lee Jin-ha sighed deeply.

“If we run out, we’ll have to figure something else out. I’ve never seen customers like this in my life.”

“…If you told this story to anyone, they wouldn’t believe it. Not that we can tell anyone.”

“I know.”

Everyone on this flight was under a gag order. They were instructed not to disclose anything they saw or heard on the plane. It was a common instruction when carrying VIPs, so it wasn’t particularly special…

‘But they don’t seem like VIPs at all.’

Their style was completely different from any VIPs they had encountered so far.

“Still, it’s easier than I thought.”

“Yeah.”

They thought they were doomed when they heard that 100 VIPs were on board. VIPs are people who are well aware that they are receiving special treatment, and therefore demand perfect service.

Most of the recent reports of airplane power trips stemmed from that kind of mindset.

The reported cases were only a small part. The unreported power trips were beyond imagination. There was even a saying that the reason why flight attendants’ salaries were higher than those of ordinary office workers was not because they were responsible for the safety of passengers, but because they had to endure such power trips.

But the customers on board now were, well…

“They eat a lot, but they’re all very nice.”

“I know.”

They were nervous because they were VIPs, but there wasn’t anyone who could be called a troublemaker. Rather, they seemed a bit naive.

“Hey, you little brat! I told you not to run on the plane! Do you want to die?”

“I’m sorry.”

“These brats, when one of them makes a fuss, the others do the same thing! Are you deaf, are you deaf?”

Moreover, the person who seemed to be in charge was working hard in the back.

“Anyway, don’t let your guard down.”

“Yes.”

“According to the instructions from above, they’re not ordinary VIPs. If you make a mistake and cause a problem, it’ll be a disaster. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Yes!”

“The purser is also very nervous right now, so you guys absolutely cannot make any mistakes.”

“Yes!”

At that moment, a loud voice came from inside.

“Isn’t the food ready yet?”

“I-it’s being prepared right now.”

Lee Jin-ha quickly gestured, and the flight attendants began to heat up the in-flight meals with swift movements.

“Stop eating so much. That’s why you’re so big.”

“Old man, you have to say it right. I’m not big because I eat a lot, I eat a lot because I’m big. If my body was the size of yours, would I eat this much?”

“If you eat less, you’ll get smaller.”

“I don’t have any fat, what is there to reduce?”

“If you don’t have any fat, why are you so weak?”

“…Do you want to fight? To see if I’m weak or not?”

“Do I really need to fight to know that? Tsk tsk.”

Bator was about to jump up from his seat in a fit of anger. But when Kang Jin-ho turned his head towards him, he coughed and sat back down.

“Not like kids…”

“The old man started it first.”

“Demon Lord, I did not start anything.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head and sighed.

It was good that they were getting closer, but it seemed like their mental age was getting younger.

At that moment, Wiggins quietly spoke.

“Lord.”

“Hmm?”

“Are you comfortable?”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head to look at Wiggins. He didn’t understand why he was asking such a question.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s something the Master considered. He thought it would be better to take a Korean plane.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded silently.

Wiggins smiled and continued.

“The important part here is that the Master can exert influence over Korean airlines if he wants to.”

“Oh.”

“Of course, he can’t give direct orders. But it’s the same thing. If he can influence Korean airlines by moving the British government, it’s not much different from giving direct orders to Korean airlines.”

Now he could understand why Wiggins was saying this. The Assembly had to endure many troublesome things to infiltrate Britain.

They had to contact Jae-kyung, who had personal connections, to arrange for a plane, and even then, they had to take a cargo plane to avoid being discovered. And in the process, they had to give Jae-kyung a lot of compensation.

Although the situation was different, the Master did it very easily. If the Assembly’s influence in Korea was even half of the Round Table’s influence in Britain, such a process would not have been necessary.

“The Assembly has now moved beyond the stage of operating only in Korea. Most of the recent activities of the Assembly are related to overseas forces.”

“That’s right.”

“If it continues like this, we will have to go through troublesome processes every time to circumvent the legal framework. Efficiency will be extremely low.”

“Hmm.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

It was definitely true.

He hadn’t realized it when he only knew it in his head, but now that he had seen the power of the Round Table with his own eyes, the words resonated with him.

It wasn’t just this incident.

The scene where the British military and police, who had been dispatched due to Kang Jin-ho causing a huge explosion, turned back at the Master’s word, had a great implication for Kang Jin-ho as well.

“Expansion of influence.”

“Yes, that’s exactly it.”

Wiggins smiled.

“As I mentioned before, Korea’s influence on the world stage is too small compared to other countries. It’s an inevitable limitation of the Assembly, which has a short history, but now it’s definitely necessary to try to increase our influence.”

“I have something in mind regarding that.”

Kang Jin-ho also had a plan.

“But what I can do to solve it is only for the immediate future.”

“That’s correct. Relying on the Lord’s individual efforts has its limits. For the Assembly to develop further, a system of cooperation with the government is fundamentally necessary.”

It was a difficult task.

Even Wiggins, who was speaking, didn’t think it was something that could be done in a short period of time.

“It feels like as soon as one problem is solved, the next one immediately follows.”

“Isn’t that how life is?”

Kang Jin-ho leaned back in his seat. That’s how life is…

It was an accurate but cold statement.

“I’ll think about it. What else?”

“It’s about the Round Table.”

“Isn’t that story over now?”

“Please think of it as a report on the details. We requested information about East Asia from the Round Table. In fact, although the Assembly is located in East Asia, our information about East Asia is almost non-existent. Rather, the Round Table has more detailed information about Japan and China.”

“Oh.”

“Once we receive that information, we need to prepare for the next step.”

“That doesn’t seem like something we should discuss.”

“Of course, Lord. But you need to organize your thoughts to some extent in advance.”

“I guess so.”

Kang Jin-ho’s expression became a bit heavy.

Reading Kang Jin-ho’s mood, Wiggins smiled.

“But for now, you can enjoy yourself. After all, forming an alliance with the Round Table is a huge achievement. With this, we have gained an external force that can intervene in East Asia, and we have escaped isolation. Whether it becomes a direct force or not is not important. Just having one avenue is enough to complicate the minds of those who were pressuring us. This is a benefit that cannot be measured by numbers.”

“Do you think they’ll think about that?”

“Perhaps when this news reaches their ears…”

Wiggins smiled meaningfully.

“They’ll be furious. Especially those who have been isolated in reverse will not be able to sleep properly.”

“Hmm.”

Kang Jin-ho shrugged.

He didn’t fully understand what he meant, but if Wiggins said so, it must be true. Wiggins was much better at analyzing the situation and the overall picture than he was.

“Anyway, we’ve bought some time with this.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes. They won’t be able to act rashly easily.”

Kang Jin-ho’s thoughts were a little different.

‘People aren’t that calculating.’

If everything in the world was done rationally, there would be no wars. Because you could know the outcome before fighting. But wars always happen. Even at this moment, there are wars happening in the world.

Those who feel impatient are bound to make mistakes.

So, what should Kang Jin-ho do?

It’s no different.

Whether it’s a mistake or a provocation that happens under perfect calculation, if someone comes at him, he just needs to knock them down. That’s Kang Jin-ho’s way.

“Whatever…”

Kang Jin-ho reclined his seat and closed his eyes.

“I want to go home and take a shower soon.”

“That will happen soon.”

The plane was rapidly heading towards Korea.

It was the end of one war.