Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1237

Reconsidering (1)

‘Dividing the mind into two…’

Wiggins slightly curled the corner of his lips. The rhetoric of Easterners sometimes baffled him.

Isn’t the mind something that can’t be physically defined in the first place? We don’t know how big it is, or what form it exists in, so how is it possible to divide it precisely into two?

Understanding and utilizing something vague in its vagueness was impossible for Wiggins.

However, through this battle, Wiggins had grasped a clue.

‘The method was wrong.’

Let’s say you have to draw a circle with one hand and a triangle with the other.

Some people might be good at it from the start, but there are others who can’t divide different movements between their hands no matter what they do. What method should those people use to move their hands separately?

It’s simple.

The right hand should repeat the circle drawing motion constantly, so it can do it without conscious effort. And when that motion becomes as natural as breathing, the consciousness focuses on the left hand and draws the triangle.

By reducing this gap, and reducing it until it’s almost 0, the sequence becomes ‘simultaneous’.

This is easier to understand than metaphysical talk about dividing the mind into two or creating another ego. And once he understood it, the result came more easily than he thought.

“Hoo…”

Flames ignite in his right hand.

Wiggins stared intently at his right hand. White aura was emanating from the sword he held in his right hand.

‘It’s not conscious.’

It has to come naturally. Just like a person riding a bike doesn’t consciously think about moving their feet to press the pedals, the aura should flow naturally just by holding the sword.

And when that is perfectly stable…

“Hup!”

Flames burst from Wiggins’ left hand.

The fierce but somewhat unstable flames surged, then seemed to die down, only to surge again.

Wiggins’ eyes narrowed slightly.

‘Just a little more!’

Whirr!

The flickering flames gradually decreased in size, and soon stabilized and began to blaze. A rare look of joy bloomed on Wiggins’ face as he watched.

Success!

He was now using magic and swordsmanship simultaneously. Whether he could use this in actual combat was another matter, but just stepping into an area he hadn’t been able to reach until now was significant.

“Hoo-ooh-ooh.”

Wiggins withdrew his aura and magic power.

He sheathed his sword and wiped the sweat from his forehead as he headed to the table at the end of the training ground.

Wiggins picked up a water bottle on the table, opened the lid, and gulped it down in one go, letting out a deep sigh.

“Finally, something that can be called an achievement has been made.”

A smile he couldn’t hide appeared on his lips.

He had finally found a path after grasping the clue given by Kang Jin-ho and working hard. There was still a long way to go, but now he was on a path where he could reach his destination by simply running.

How could he express this joy?

A path that had been blocked for over a decade had been opened. Now he could go to a higher place. Overcoming the master, who had felt like an insurmountable wall, was no longer impossible. And perhaps he had gained an opportunity to go far beyond the master’s realm and reach the realm where the Lord was.

Wiggins raised his hand and rubbed his lips, which kept curling up.

‘I’m losing it.’

He had only just opened the path, and he was already thinking about the Lord.

Wasn’t that like trying to fly when he couldn’t even take his first steps?

Wiggins shook his head and walked out of the training ground. It was time to take care of the things he had put off. He had been so busy training that he had pushed the aftermath onto Lee Hyun-soo.

“You’re out?”

“Huh?”

Elena, who had been waiting outside the training ground, smiled brightly when she saw Wiggins.

“What brings you here?”

“Is it a problem for a daughter to come see her father’s face?”

“Of course not.”

Wiggins smiled brightly.

‘It’s hard to deny that coming to the Assembly was the best choice of my life.’

He had opened the path of a warrior that had been blocked.

He had gained more powerful influence than in the past.

And most of all, he had smoothly resolved his strained relationship with his daughter.

He had gained three things with a single choice. No, the biggest thing he had gained was something else.

The ability to pursue his dreams.

Instead of being consumed and disappearing as a cog in a rigid Round Table. He could do what he wanted to do within the Assembly. So how could it not be the best choice?

“I’m just kidding.”

“…Kidding?”

“The Master contacted you.”

“Then why didn’t you say so right away?”

“You ordered that no one should disturb your training, right? People were getting anxious, so I came instead. But seeing you train, I thought I shouldn’t disturb you either.”

“Even so, it’s not polite to make the Master wait.”

“My father is more important to me than politeness.”

Wiggins couldn’t help but smile.

In the past, he would have said that she shouldn’t do that, but now?

He was quite pleased.

“I’ll contact the Master separately.”

“There are a few other issues as well.”

“Hmm?”

Wiggins nodded.

“It seems they’ve set a date. Instead of staying here, shall we move to a more comfortable place?”

“That’s a good idea.”

“Let’s go. I want a strong cup of coffee too.”

“Not tea?”

“If you come to the land of coffee, you have to adapt to coffee.”

Wiggins grinned with a friendly face.

The scent of coffee gently stimulated his nose.

As a Brit from the land of beer… no, tea, Wiggins preferred tea over coffee. But it wasn’t easy to drink good tea in Korea, and when he was active outside like now, he had no choice but to enjoy coffee.

And surprisingly, Korean coffee wasn’t bad.

No, if you only counted the number of cafes per population and area, South Korea was a country obsessed with coffee.

With so much competition, it would be stranger if the taste was bad.

Especially the Assembly’s cafe was of such high quality that even Wiggins enjoyed coffee.

“Hmm.”

Elena covered her mouth and laughed as she watched Wiggins savor the aroma.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s a little strange to see my father drinking coffee.”

“People change.”

Just like Elena was calling Wiggins her father.

“Okay, what’s the matter?”

“I think you need to look into the living conditions of the Chevaliers [French knights]. Didn’t we talk about hiring a chef before?”

“…Did we?”

Elena sighed deeply.

“I know you’re busy, but please pay attention. It’s strange. When you were a Knight, you never forgot anything you were told once and were so overly meticulous that it was annoying, but since you came to the Assembly, you’ve become a little…”

“Like I’ve lost a screw?”

“Not that far, but…”

Wiggins chuckled.

“People create environments, but environments also create people. The Assembly isn’t a place that requires the same strictness as the Round Table, to begin with.”

“That’s true.”

“It seems my personality is changing a bit as I adapt to the Assembly.”

“You don’t have dementia, do you?”

Wiggins clutched his chest slightly at the sudden, powerful attack.

His daughter had always been bold, but recently, after a strange fusion with Korean culture, she had become even more direct.

“I’m just kidding. A mage with dementia.”

“No. There are actual cases.”

“…Huh?”

Wiggins smiled brightly.

“Okay. You said we need to hire a chef?”

“Yes. They’ve completely adapted to Korea now, and they’re cheering when sausage and vegetable stir-fry and seaweed soup come out for breakfast…”

“Sau… Sausage what?”

“…There’s such a menu.”

Elena shook her head.

“Anyway, no matter what, you can’t change your innate taste. And they can’t go back to France. I think the Assembly should hire someone who can cook French food.”

“It’s a bit funny that warriors are complaining about food.”

“Isn’t that because you’re British? Have you ever wanted to go back to England and eat the food? Fish and chips?”

“…I’ll try to discuss the budget as quickly as possible and hire a chef.”

“Okay.”

Elena smiled brightly.

“And?”

“Some people from the Round Table’s intelligence department want to join the Assembly.”

“From the intelligence department?”

“Yes. It’s not an official proposal, but some people are contacting me personally.”

“Hmm.”

Wiggins scratched his cheek.

“That’s a sensitive issue.”

“Why? The secrets they know are probably things you already know, right? Then the Round Table wouldn’t have anything to worry about.”

“That’s true. We’re short on intelligence agents anyway, so if the intelligence department joins us, it would be beneficial. But…”

Wiggins shook his head.

“The Master has his own position. We’ve only just formed an alliance, what would people say if we poached their people?”

“With the Master’s power now, can’t he just suppress any complaints?”

“Maybe. But wouldn’t the Master be the one who would dislike it the most if we poached intelligence agents?”

“Ugh…”

Wiggins smiled bitterly.

“It’s not just a matter of a few people leaving. The Round Table can’t handle the Assembly in terms of military power, can they?”

“That’s right.”

“But the Round Table still has a firm advantage in terms of intelligence. The Master wouldn’t want the Assembly’s intelligence to get stronger, even to appeal to the Lord about the value of the Round Table.”

“It’s difficult.”

“That’s politics.”

Wiggins smiled brightly.

It was funny and interesting to be having this kind of conversation with his daughter.

“So, it would be beneficial to accept them, but you can’t do it carelessly because of your relationship with the Master?”

“To be precise, it’s not because of the Master, but because of the relationship with the Round Table. The Round Table and the Master are the same thing, but also different things. Even if the Master allows it, I have to approach this issue carefully.”

“I understand what you mean.”

Elena nodded quietly. Then, she changed her expression and gave a confident smile.

“But you won’t be able to refuse this, will you?”

“Hmm?”

Wiggins looked at Elena with a slightly puzzled expression.

For Elena to say that so confidently meant there was something interesting.

“Tell me.”

“Some of the British mages have expressed their intention to join the Assembly through back channels.”

Wiggins’ eyes widened slightly.

“Mages?”

“Yes.”

Wiggins’ eyes narrowed. This was a different story.