Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1114

The door opened, and drinks were brought in.

It was perfect timing. Thanks to that, the Master had time to organize his thoughts.

“Tell me.”

The Master looked at Knight Besley and spoke.

“Are you asking if I’m acting like a dictator right now?”

“I wanted to put it a bit more subtly. But ultimately, it’s not different.”

The Master shook his head.

“I don’t want to be a dictator.”

“I just want to change the system. This system is too old and has become too stagnant. I want to change it and develop the Round Table further, so that the Round Table can continue for thousands of years, just as it has for thousands of years.”

“I understand what you mean. But, Master…”

Knight Besley quietly stared at the Master.

There was no threat, no distrust, no emotion at all. Knight Besley just had a seemingly emotionless face.

“If the path that Master takes to develop the Round Table ultimately leads to Master becoming a dictator of the Round Table, how is that different from becoming a dictator?”

“It’s different.”

Unlike the seemingly emotionless Knight Besley, the Master’s face was full of conviction.

“Do you know why a dictator is a dictator?”

“Because they don’t let go of power.”

“No. It’s because they pursue their own interests with power.”

The Master smiled lightly.

“Tell me, Besley. Do you know how old I am? I don’t have a family. I don’t have any particular wealth either. The only thing I have left to protect at this age is my honor. Some measly wealth? I can get it anywhere, not just from the Round Table. Some measly power? What would I do with power when I don’t have much time left to live? Rather, even the only honor I have left would disappear.”

“Oh…”

“You know, don’t you? What kind of evaluation I’m receiving, and what kind of evaluation I’ll receive in the future.”

“…Master.”

“You don’t have to say it. It’s something I’ve prepared for.”

The Master leaned back on the sofa.

It wasn’t an attempt to show composure. It seemed like his exhausted heart was unconsciously showing.

“My life doesn’t have much time left. Maybe if I just lead the Round Table moderately as I’ve been doing and then retire, I could remain as an honorable Master of the Round Table. I also wish for such a life. But… I can’t turn a blind eye. I can’t turn a blind eye. I can’t do something like turning away from the cracks while knowing that the Round Table is collapsing.”

Knight Besley couldn’t say anything.

The heaviness felt in the Master’s words pressed down on his lips. He couldn’t judge whether the path the Master had chosen was right or wrong. But at least he could understand that the Master hadn’t started this for short-sighted greed.

“We lost the Elder Knights. And we lost many knights. External forces are getting stronger day by day, but we are getting weaker day by day. It’s okay now. It’ll be okay now. But what about in ten or twenty years? Will we be able to maintain the same status as we have now?”

“But Master, that’s the Round Table.”

“I know. That’s why I’m trying to break it.”

“What if you fail?”

“What can I do?”

The Master shrugged his shoulders.

“If I fail, the Round Table will have even bigger cracks. But that’s just speeding up the inevitable outcome. The future generations will curse me, but that’s something I have to bear.”

Knight Besley chuckled.

“So, what you’re saying is that you want to share the blame.”

“That’s not it. You don’t have to be at the forefront. Just…”

“No.”

Before he could finish his sentence, a firm voice cut him off.

“I have no intention of joining with such a half-hearted attitude.”

It was a blunt but firm voice.

“If I have to do it, I’ll do it properly. So, Master, give me your orders.”

Knight Besley slightly raised his head.

“What should I do?”

The door closed, and Knight Besley went outside. Kang Jin-ho and the others, who had been staring at the closed door for quite a while, turned their gazes to each other.

“That takes a load off my mind.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded at Wiggins’ words.

The situation was definitely settled.

Now, no knight would dare to challenge the authority of the Master and Kang Jin-ho. But that wasn’t the end of everything. If they had broken it, they had to create and establish something new. Knight Besley’s cooperation would make that process smoother.

“It’s easier than I thought.”

Wiggins smiled wryly at Lee Hyun-soo’s words.

‘He must have already finished organizing things on the way here.’

Lee Hyun-soo was just guessing what had happened here. So, Knight Besley’s reaction didn’t resonate with him. Those who had seen with their own eyes how Kang Jin-ho had pressured them didn’t think it was strange at all.

That’s how fiercely Kang Jin-ho had pushed them. Even if Wiggins had been there, he wouldn’t have been able to do anything. The intimidation through overwhelming power was like that.

“If Knight Besley helps, it will be easier to get the cooperation of the knights. Of course, they can’t resist now, but there’s a clear difference between not being able to resist and proactively accepting it, Master.”

“I think so too.”

The Master’s voice still lacked strength.

‘He must be feeling conflicted.’

It was a burden that the Master had to bear anyway. There was no intention to pity the Master’s situation. But it was still regrettable that he had to be dragged into the meeting right after witnessing that terrible scene.

“The problem is the knights who have become wrecks…”

Wiggins shrugged his shoulders.

“It seems like we’ll have to replace them.”

The things that knights have to handle are never small. If they are not in a normal state, it is difficult to handle that much work. So, they had no choice but to replace the knights.

“No. That’s not it.”

But Lee Hyun-soo didn’t seem to agree with that.

“We’ve managed to turn the knights into obedient dogs with a good opportunity, but if we replace them, won’t we be back to square one? They should never be replaced. Even if they say they’re quitting, we should put shackles on their ankles and tie them to their knight positions.”

Wiggins smiled wryly.

No matter what anyone said, Lee Hyun-soo was the most dangerous person in this situation. It was fortunate that things had worked out well. If things had gone slightly wrong, Lee Hyun-soo wouldn’t be here right now.

And yet, even Wiggins had to shake his head at his nonchalance in calling such a situation a ‘good opportunity’.

“Who doesn’t know that? It’s just that it’s realistically impossible.”

“We can make it possible. Select knight candidates.”

“…Candidates?”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled slyly.

It was the expression he made when he was thinking of something bad.

“Since the knights are not in good health, announce that you are selecting candidates to become the next knights and shift the work to them. But you can’t completely remove the knights. They must hold the decision-making power. That way, you can fully utilize the fear they have towards the Master.”

“Hmm.”

Wiggins let out an uncomfortable groan.

‘He’s so thorough.’

It was something he had felt many times, but it was a relief that that guy wasn’t an enemy.

“That’s definitely better.”

Kang Jin-ho sided with Lee Hyun-soo. Wiggins sighed and opened his mouth.

“Lord, too much pressure can cause a backlash.”

“That’s not something I need to worry about.”

“Don’t misunderstand, Wiggins.”

Wiggins raised his head and looked at Kang Jin-ho.

“It’s not me who controls the Round Table, it’s the Master. I’m just here to play that role when pressure is needed.”

“…You are right.”

No matter how much Kang Jin-ho increased the pressure, he would just return to Korea. When the Master runs the Round Table, he can’t push them down with the same intensity as Kang Jin-ho, so there was nothing to worry about.

Wiggins, who understood Kang Jin-ho’s words, nodded and stepped back.

He was the person who knew the Round Table the best, but he was also someone who had once belonged to the Round Table. Perhaps a sense of belonging to the Round Table was still working in his heart.

So, it was right to follow Kang Jin-ho’s opinion now.

“Master.”

“Yes, Lord.”

Kang Jin-ho looked directly at the Master and said.

“You don’t have to make that face. When you think about it, only four people died.”

That’s how it would look on the surface.

The biggest damage the Round Table suffered from this incident was not death. It was the fact that those who were alive had all lost their confidence and were in shock.

“Whether they recover in the future depends on you.”

The Master nodded heavily.

Then, he looked directly at Kang Jin-ho and said.

“So, Lord.”

“Hmm?”

“Please don’t interfere with the Round Table anymore.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at the Master with sunken eyes.

“The knights are valuable assets of the Round Table. Even though they are frustrating because they haven’t woken up yet, their growth must also accompany the growth of the Round Table. But if you push them down any further, they will break. So…”

“That’s…”

He raised his hand to stop the Master from speaking.

A slight chill flowed.

“It depends on what you do.”

“Don’t blame others. It’s all because you failed to completely control the Round Table. If you had been able to completely control them from the start, I wouldn’t have needed to come, and this wouldn’t have happened.”

The Master bit his lip.

“You were the one who asked for it. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, it is.”

The Master took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, Lord. I was swayed by my emotions and made a slip of the tongue.”

“It’s good that you know.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly got up from his seat.

“The General Assembly is an ally of the Round Table. It’s not a place that exists to harm you. Unless you want it, I won’t interfere with you.”

“Lord, I…”

“Let’s stop here.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled lightly and left the room. Lee Hyun-soo bowed to the Master and followed Kang Jin-ho.

“Haa…”

The Master let out a deep sigh, looking at the two who had left.

“I made a slip of the tongue…”

“Oh, no, you didn’t.”

Wiggins shook his hand firmly.

“It’s not that the Lord is upset and acting like that. He’s really just said everything he had to say.”

“It’s hard for someone who doesn’t know the Lord to understand. But isn’t it efficient? So, you don’t have to worry.”

“I hope so.”

“However…”

Wiggins smiled.

“There’s one thing I need to correct. There’s a part of what the Lord said that wasn’t properly conveyed.”

“Hmm?”

Wiggins smiled and opened his mouth.

“As the Lord said, the General Assembly will not interfere with the Round Table. But that’s only when our requests to the Round Table as allies are properly fulfilled. Now, I’m going to talk about that ‘request’.”

The Master thought that Wiggins’ smile was like that of a viper.

A viper with its fangs bared.