Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 481

“The Chevaliers?”

“Yes.”

“…Are the Chevaliers not your knights? Are you saying you’d abandon them?”

The Master’s question made Knight Levo clench his teeth.

“Of course, it’s not something I want to do. But if necessary, I won’t hesitate.”

“You’re insane!”

Knight Wiggins jumped up from his seat.

“They went to a distant foreign land following your orders. Are you saying you’ll just throw them away like old shoes?”

“There’s no need to get agitated.”

Knight Wiggins glared at Knight Levo, who was exuding cold fury, as if he were a bug.

“Sit down, Knight Wiggins.”

“But Master!”

“I said sit.”

Knight Wiggins bit his lip and sat back down.

“Continue.”

With the Master’s permission, Knight Levo calmly opened his mouth.

“Of course, their situation is unfortunate. And I am more saddened by it than anyone. They are the proud knights of the Great French Empire. Losing them is a great loss. However!”

Knight Levo’s voice began to fill with malice.

“If their existence harms the Round Table, they too would want a glorious death. If they fail their mission and are rescued by paying a huge price to the enemy, their honor will fall to the ground, and their remaining lives will not be honorable either. So, everything is for the Round Table! The decision that benefits the Round Table the most!”

Knight Wiggins glared at the monitor with a look full of contempt. It was a pity that he couldn’t shout these feelings into that bastard’s ear.

‘It’s for your own honor, you bastard.’

What kind of nonsense is he spouting in this day and age? Shouldn’t the normal way of thinking be to do everything possible to save them?

However, what was turning Knight Wiggins’ stomach even more was that the other knights’ reactions weren’t that bad. Some were even openly agreeing with Knight Levo’s opinion. Even those who didn’t agree didn’t seem to despise Knight Levo.

“There are times when a noble sacrifice is necessary.”

“Noble sacrifice, my ass! Damn it!”

Finally, Knight Wiggins exploded.

“Would you still talk about noble sacrifice if you were the one being held hostage! Do you have no respect for those who are captured?”

“It’s because I know respect for them that I’m giving this opinion, Knight Wiggins! Your country should also have a code of chivalry, shouldn’t it?”

“There’s no such idiotic method in chivalry!”

“That’s a shame.”

Just as Knight Wiggins was about to have a fit, the Master opened his mouth.

“Enough.”

At that moment, both of them shut their mouths. Even if they were alone, it was impolite to argue in front of the Master.

“Both sides have valid points. This issue is not something that can be resolved so easily. First… it would be right to consider what conditions we need to present to satisfy that Kang Jin-ho. If he demands less than we expect, it might be a good idea to agree.”

“But Master!”

“Enough. That’s all for today. Everyone, go cool your heads. I’m closing the session.”

Those who noticed that the Master’s voice contained a hint of annoyance left the screen without a word. After everyone had left, only Knight Wiggins and the Master remained.

“Knight Wiggins.”

“Yes, Master.”

“If you can contact Kang Jin-ho through Elena… try it. We can’t just grasp at straws. We need to know exactly what he wants to minimize our losses.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Knight Wiggins asked with a hint of doubt.

“Master, but… regarding Knight Levo’s statement earlier…”

“Nothing is more important than the Round Table.”

It was a statement that could be interpreted in many ways. However, Knight Wiggins didn’t ask further. Perhaps his question could put the Master in a difficult position, he thought.

“I must apologize, Knight Wiggins. Forgive my incompetence for not taking your warning seriously and bringing the situation to this point.”

“It’s not your fault, Master. I only reported the information from the informant, and I didn’t think it was true either. I think anyone would have thought the same.”

“It makes me feel a little better to hear you say that.”

The Master raised his hand and rubbed his face as if he had a headache. His hand, with deep wrinkles, seemed to tell how long he had suffered for the world.

“According to Von Elena’s opinion, Kang Jin-ho is an extremely dangerous person. A full re-investigation of him will be necessary.”

“I will do it perfectly.”

“Then.”

Soon, even the Master disappeared from the screen, and Knight Wiggins leaned back deeply into his chair.

“Is anyone out there?”

“Yes, Knight.”

“Beer! Bring me a cold beer. Now!”

“Yes.”

Knight Wiggins let out a low sigh.

‘He’s like some unknown entity.’

Kang Jin-ho was completely different from anyone they had dealt with so far. And even his way of acting was unpredictable. There were even parts that didn’t match Elena’s report.

If he were the monster that Elena reported, who was impossible to negotiate with, the Chevaliers should all be dead. But that absurd monster was now holding the Chevaliers hostage and messing with them.

Is this how it feels to encounter an alien in space?

Wiggins shuddered at the sense of incongruity, where all the common sense he had known was being overturned.

‘And the only point of contact with that Kang Jin-ho is Elena.’

He didn’t doubt her abilities. If she weren’t his daughter, he would have promoted her without hesitation. But sometimes, things happen in the world where you trust someone less because of a parent-child relationship. Small flaws that wouldn’t bother other people kept catching his eye.

‘This is not the time to be acting all prim and proper.’

Figuring out what kind of person Kang Jin-ho was was extremely important. No matter which agent he sent to handle the matter, he wouldn’t be able to trust the report 100%.

Then, there was only one thing he had to do.

“I have to go to Korea.”

Knight Wiggins thought that he had to finish the work he was currently doing as quickly as possible.

“I’ll see with my own eyes just how great a monster he is.”

Wiggins took a breath, creating a detailed image of Kang Jin-ho, a man hungry for blood and slaughter, in his mind.

“Why are you here?”

“…Can’t I come?”

“It’s not that, it’s just out of the blue.”

Han Jin-sung clicked his tongue as he watched Kang Jin-ho enter the orphanage.

“Did you come to kill time again because you have nowhere else to go?”

“You’re sick, hyung [older brother], sick. With that face of yours.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Is everything okay at the orphanage?”

“What could be wrong? It’s all the same.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded at Han Jin-sung’s nonchalant answer. Judging by his expression, he seemed relaxed, and the orphanage seemed to have regained its stability.

“I heard noona [older sister] went to China?”

“Um…”

“Did you just let her go?”

“Huh?”

“…Never mind.”

Han Jin-sung stared at Kang Jin-ho with a sulky face.

‘He’s really sick, this guy.’

When he was younger, Kang Jin-ho seemed like Superman. As far as he knew, Kang Jin-ho was good at everything, and Park Yu-min was the kindest man in the world.

But as he got older, he realized that Kang Jin-ho was closer to being a social misfit, and Park Yu-min was just a pushover game addict.

‘I hope he doesn’t get scammed somewhere.’

He wasn’t lacking in ability, so why was he living like this? Other people were busy enjoying life with even a little bit of ability, but this man, in his prime, would sneak into the orphanage when the sun went down and lounge around in the living room. It was enough to make him flip out.

“Oppa!” [term used by younger females to address older males]

But the girls’ reactions were completely different.

The girls who found Kang Jin-ho rushed towards him. And the young boys also approached Kang Jin-ho, stammering.

Kang Jin-ho hugged and patted each of the children.

The older boys also slowly approached and greeted him. When Kang Jin-ho patted their heads as if they were admirable, they subtly showed that they were in a good mood.

“Look at the celebrity, the celebrity.”

“Why is he pouting again?”

“Leave him alone. He’s going through puberty.”

“At that age?”

“His mental age is young. He’s going through what others go through in middle school now.”

Kang Jin-ho, who had been listening to the explanations around him, looked at Han Jin-sung with a pitiful face.

“That’s not it!”

Han Jin-sung desperately protested, but Kang Jin-ho only clicked his tongue.

“Did you eat?”

“I did. They’d scold me for rebelling if I didn’t eat these days.”

“Why wouldn’t you eat?”

“…People don’t want to eat sometimes.”

“Is it really puberty?”

“That’s not it!”

Han Jin-sung thumped his chest.

Kang Jin-ho smiled at the sight.

Looking back, Han Jin-sung was in elementary school when he first came here. Seeing the kid who used to whine because he couldn’t even do his homework grow up so much and shout made his heart strangely warm.

‘What kind of existence am I here?’

He suddenly had that thought.

Did he help these kids grow up?

Not as much as the headmistress, or even as much as Park Yu-min, but was he a good support for these children?

The answer was unknown.

It wasn’t something Kang Jin-ho could decide. Kang Jin-ho could only believe that it was so. Even if he asked, the truth wouldn’t come out.

“It’s a relief that there are no problems.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled gently and nodded.

“There is a problem.”

But unlike Han Jin-sung’s words, Jo Mi-hye whispered quietly.

“Huh?”

“Jin-sung oppa’s grades have dropped, and it’s a mess. He won’t even be able to go to college at this rate.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Han Jin-sung with a stern face.

“…No. Hyung, it’s not that…”

Han Jin-sung stammered an excuse. It was true that his grades had dropped. Unlike when he was stuck at his desk studying to avoid the bullies at school, he had made many friends now, so naturally, the time he spent studying had decreased. Grades were honest, and as the time he spent studying decreased, his grades naturally dropped.

Kang Jin-ho slowly nodded.

“Studying isn’t everything in life.”

“R-Right? You know what’s up, hyung.”

“However, it is everything for a student.”

Han Jin-sung’s eyes trembled.

Kang Jin-ho chuckled and said.

“I’m not going to say anything, so relax. You can be bad at studying.”

“That’s right. You’re…”

At that moment, Jo Mi-hye immediately opened her mouth.

“But oppa.”

“Yeah?”

“The other kids go to academies and get good grades, but we study alone, so no matter how hard we try, our grades don’t improve. It’s frustrating.”