Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 555

“You’re saying Kang Jin-ho doesn’t have a separate office?”

“……”

Lee Hyun-soo was dumbfounded, staring at Knight Wiggins who had barged into his office without any warning.

“Ah, well, that’s how it is for now.”

“Unbelievable.”

Knight Wiggins frowned, clearly displeased. His face showed genuine shock.

‘I heard the Knights of the Round Table were like emotionless machines…’

‘If you watched his diverse and varied emotional expressions for just a minute, you’d never say such nonsense.’

“I want to confirm one thing. What exactly is Kang Jin-ho’s position?”

“…A, advisor?”

Lee Hyun-soo covered his head, looking at Knight Wiggins’s face.

Goodness, how can a person express ‘absurdity’ so clearly just with their expression? That guy should seriously consider going to Hollywood. He’s practically irreplaceable.

“Okay, okay. Alright, Mr. Lee.”

Knight Wiggins sighed and said,

“It doesn’t matter what position he holds. But as you know, and as I know, that man is practically the one leading the General Assembly. Do you agree with that?”

“Of course. There’s no denying that.”

“But it doesn’t seem like he’s being treated accordingly. What exactly are you doing?”

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes twitched.

No, why are you asking me that! Me!

“I’m… Knight?”

“Call me Wiggins. I’m no longer a Knight.”

“Yes, alright. Mr. Wiggins, I understand what you mean. I also agree with your opinion. But unfortunately, I don’t have the authority to do what you’re saying. If I were to suggest such an opinion, I would have to go to the Assembly Leader, not me…”

“Don’t evade responsibility, Mr. Lee!”

Wiggins raised his voice.

“A person should receive proper compensation for the work they do.”

“Y, yes, of course.”

“But from what I see, Kang Jin-ho is not being paid his due. Isn’t it your job to manage and rectify this!”

‘So why is that my job!’

Lee Hyun-soo wanted to cry.

Of course, he understood what Wiggins meant.

And he also understood why he was saying this to him.

When Kang Jin-ho, Bang Jin-hoon, and Lee Hyun-soo were dealing with him together, it was Lee Hyun-soo who handled the practical matters.

So, it was only natural for Wiggins to question him.

But Lee Hyun-soo was not in a position to do so.

‘I was part of the Yeongnam Association until recently!’

He was on the receiving end of a hostile M&A [Mergers and Acquisitions]. He was moving cautiously, afraid of losing his head!

“Mr. Wiggins, I understand what you mean. But I’m not in a position to handle such things…”

“You shouldn’t evade responsibility, Mr. Lee.”

“No, I’m really not in that position! Please listen to me!”

“There’s no one in that position. It’s just a matter of who steps up to raise the issue. Even if your position is lower than I think, you should still be able to submit a report to the Assembly Leader.”

“……”

Lee Hyun-soo shut his mouth like a mute who had swallowed a bee.

Wiggins was right. It was true that he didn’t have a solid position, but it wasn’t as if he couldn’t even make a suggestion to Bang Jin-hoon.

“You are sharp. You’re rational and practical. Others may not know and therefore can’t act, but you know and yet you’ve remained silent. That’s not good. Mr. Lee, do what you have to do. Fair pay for fair labor, fair rights for a fair position. Isn’t that what you should be providing to Kang Jin-ho?”

“Well, but Wiggins, Kang Jin-ho can use all parts of the General Assembly right now if he wants to.”

“Don’t make him say it himself. A company should meet the needs of its employees before they ask for it. That’s how you can draw out their power. A company should be rational. No one wants to work for a company that doesn’t provide fair compensation for their labor. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“…I understand, I understand completely.” Lee Hyun-soo shuddered.

Is this what Western rationality is like?

“Immediately determine Kang Jin-ho’s clear position and rights. And make sure his office is created right away. This ambiguous relationship is not beneficial to either side. He’s not the type to be proactive until the switch is flipped. Create a position for him by force and make him work for the General Assembly.”

“Well…” Knight Wiggins.”

“Mr. Wiggins.”

“Yes, Mr. Wiggins. Before that, I think there’s something I need to confirm. I need to know this to decide how I should treat Mr. Wiggins in the future.”

“Go ahead. Questions and answers, that’s what a conversation is. I’m always willing to engage in a conversation.”

“As far as I know, Mr. Wiggins, you personally follow Kang Jin-ho. But the advice you’re giving me now includes giving Kang Jin-ho a position to use his abilities for the General Assembly.”

“Of course.”

“Isn’t that contradictory? From your perspective, shouldn’t Kang Jin-ho be using the General Assembly, not the other way around?”

“That’s a strange question.”

Wiggins shook his head.

“Your words are not rational.”

“Why not?”

“Knights ultimately pledge their loyalty to the king. It’s their mission to be loyal to the king. But that doesn’t mean the king is above the nation, does it?”

“Ah…”

“If I were a knight, Kang Jin-ho would be the king, and the nation would be the Korean Martial Arts General Assembly. The two are inseparable. All knights want their king to be a great leader. And what makes that possible is the system of the nation. I hope that answers your question?”

“I understand.”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded.

‘It was definitely a bit ambiguous.’

Kang Jin-ho had done too much work before a clear role and position were determined. Thanks to that, there was no suitable position to give to Kang Jin-ho.

‘I need to sort things out.’

Knight Wiggins was exactly right. This ambiguous relationship was not helpful to either side. A clear re-establishment of the relationship was needed.

“Thank you for your help, Mr. Wiggins.”

“You’re welcome.”

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Wiggins with fresh eyes.

‘He was able to see it because he was an outsider.’

Insiders can also recognize problems. But insiders tend to postpone solving those problems.

Because it’s not urgent right now.

They know the wound is slowly festering, but since it’s not yet at the point where they need to cut off a leg, they deal with the urgent matters first.

Then, at some point, they forget that their leg is festering, and when they look back, it’s already at the point where they need to cut off their leg.

It was a moment when he reflected on himself for not properly addressing the issue, even though he knew it.

‘Is that why Kang Jin-ho brought in an outsider?’

Lee Hyun-soo himself could be seen as an outsider from the Yeongnam Association, not the General Assembly, but the General Assembly and the Yeongnam Association were similar organizations operating in Korea, which was a limitation.

To Wiggins, who came from the Round Table, which was operated in a completely different way, the irrational and stagnant parts would have been clearly visible.

Lee Hyun-soo began to be encouraged by the fact that he could receive help not only in martial arts but also in these areas.

“Then, Wiggins.”

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Knight Wiggins with expectant eyes.

“Do you also have a sense of belonging to the General Assembly?”

“Of course. If you change your lord, you must also change your nation.”

“Then, could you help me a little? I’m already overwhelmed with excessive practical work.”

“That sounds interesting. It was getting a bit boring just comparing my martial arts with the martial arts here. If you think it’s something I can handle, pass it on to me. I’ll take care of it for you.”

Lee Hyun-soo raised his hand and pulled at the tie that was choking his neck.

It felt like he could finally breathe.

“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s face was brightening.

‘A wind of change is blowing.’

The General Assembly had been constantly changing. But recently, it felt like it was stagnating a bit. It felt like that stagnation was being broken at once with the addition of Knight Wiggins.

‘I need to move more diligently too.’

People tend to become complacent when they repeat the same tasks. Lee Hyun-soo knew that very well.

“Then, first…”

At that moment, Lee Hyun-soo and Wiggins simultaneously turned their heads toward the window.

“What is it?”

A loud commotion was heard from outside.

“…It seems something has gone wrong.”

They both walked to the window at the same time and opened it wide.

“Huh?”

Immediately after, they saw it.

A huge black van and, standing in front of it, a man who was literally huge.

“Bator?”

“Why is that person here?”

Lee Hyun-soo was about to rush outside in a panic. At that moment, Knight Wiggins reached out and grabbed Lee Hyun-soo’s shoulder.

“An enemy has invaded!”

“Calm down and look again.”

“Huh?”

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Bator again with a stiff face.

“Hmm?”

He didn’t feel any hostility.

The Bator he had seen at the fighting arena was full of fighting spirit. But the current Bator seemed completely calm. If he had come to the General Assembly for revenge, he would never have looked like that.

“…Why did he come?”

Knight Wiggins had a strange smile on his face.

“It seems the title of ‘magician’ is a word prepared for the Lord.”

“Huh?”

“Turning an enemy into an ally is not an easy task. Especially subduing a warrior of that caliber is even more difficult. To accomplish this difficult task so easily, how can we not call him a magician?”

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes widened as he realized what those words meant.

‘An ally?’

That Bator?

Lee Hyun-soo’s mind began to unravel.

Bator, who had fought Kang Jin-ho to the death just a while ago. That Bator was now an ally….

“What on earth is going on…”

Even with his sharp mind, it was impossible to immediately understand the current situation.

“If you don’t know, you can ask. That’s what a conversation is.”

Knight Wiggins gave a clear answer.

“It seems like what we need right now is a conversation with the Lord, what do you think, Mr. Lee?”

Lee Hyun-soo could only nod, speechless.