Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 917

“That’s interesting.”

Wiggins, having heard the explanation about Kim Seok-il and Lee Seong-hwi, wore a subtle smile.

“If they had landed, a more dangerous situation than expected might have occurred. The fact that they have collaborators means they are aware of our information, and that would have allowed them to move faster than anticipated.”

“That’s right.”

“But hmm… this is definitely a misstep. I thought we had thoroughly absorbed those Lord had subdued, but I didn’t expect such a problem to arise before I arrived.”

“I’m sorry. I should have spoken up sooner.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Wiggins had directly faced Lee Joong-gul. However, Lee Seong-hwi had already left the General Assembly before that. So, it’s not strange that he wouldn’t know about Kim Seok-il and Lee Seong-hwi.

“How could it be anyone’s fault? Even if those bastards were out of their minds, who would have thought they’d sell out their country!”

At Bang Jin-hoon’s words, Wiggins subtly frowned.

“It’s entirely possible.”

“Huh?”

“The relationship between a nation and its people is a contract. They go together because they help each other. The state tends to educate people to have blind loyalty and patriotism rather than informing them of this fact, but the premise itself doesn’t change. There are countless cases of people changing their nationality or becoming hostile to their country when the state is no longer helpful.”

“No, even if that’s… true… uh… yes, I guess so.”

Bang Jin-hoon, who was about to retort, quickly agreed.

‘Ugh, you idiot.’

It was something he shouldn’t have said.

Bator and Wiggins were here now. In a way, weren’t they also people who had abandoned their own countries to join this place?

Of course, they hadn’t betrayed and antagonized their homelands like Lee Seong-hwi, but you never know what might happen. What if a war with England broke out tomorrow? What good would emphasizing patriotism do in that situation?

Noticing Bang Jin-hoon’s reaction, Wiggins gave a subtle smile.

“Thank you for understanding.”

“Ah, no. I was just being careless. I’m sorry.”

Bang Jin-hoon couldn’t hide his apologetic demeanor.

However, there was someone who found this whole process annoying.

“If you’re done talking, let’s get to the point.”

‘Seriously, people.’

Watching Kang Jin-ho neatly summarize the situation, Bang Jin-hoon felt both gratitude and annoyance. This was a sensitive issue for him!

“What do you think?”

Kang Jin-ho asked Lee Hyun-soo.

It was a sudden question, but Lee Hyun-soo understood the intention behind Kang Jin-ho’s question.

“I think they were involved.”

“Hmm.”

“I was already thinking it was a bit strange. The timing of Japan’s invasion of Korea was too sudden. There were no signs at all.”

Everyone nodded.

A sudden attack.

They hadn’t given it much thought because they had managed to defend against it, but if they hadn’t resolved it as easily as they did this time, the Murim [martial arts] world of Korea would have been devastated. It was that big of an incident.

Also, it was incomprehensible that such a major event could occur without any warning.

“It’s clear that Japan has been coveting Korea for a while. But that’s something that happens at the level of individual groups. Such a national coalition isn’t easily formed. Even for Shin Nichikai [a fictional Japanese martial arts organization], it wouldn’t be easy. That’s why I was suspecting other places…”

“Other places?”

“Of course, it’s Chaikechang.”

“Bingo.”

Wiggins clapped his hands.

“I think so too. That guy wouldn’t just sit idly by. If he couldn’t move on his own, he would have tried to use other methods.”

“So, that could be Japan.”

“Exactly.”

“But that alone doesn’t explain why Lee Seong-hwi and Kim Seok-il were there.”

“There’s no need to overthink it. Things in the world don’t always fit perfectly. Those guys were trying to use Japan to attack Korea, and if Chaikechang reached out to them in the process, they could have naturally joined forces.”

“That’s certainly possible.”

Kang Jin-ho, who had been watching their conversation, quietly let out a sigh.

‘It feels like a thorn is stuck in the tip of my finger.’

A very small thorn.

It doesn’t cause any pain, nor does it make movement uncomfortable. But the subtle pain felt with every movement makes you keep looking at your finger.

That’s exactly how he felt.

Lee Seong-hwi was no longer a match for Kang Jin-ho. He never was, but now the gap had widened so much that no matter what Lee Seong-hwi did, he couldn’t harm Kang Jin-ho.

So, he could just ignore him, but he was still bothered by it.

This wasn’t a calculation, but a feeling.

“Are you sure Chaikechang was moving behind the scenes?”

“There’s no proof. But I’m certain. I thought he would do something like this. From his perspective, he would never want to see the General Assembly grow smoothly.”

“Then he must be furious right now.”

“He would be if he received the report.”

“Hmm.”

Kang Jin-ho frowned.

China and Japan were all trying to poke at Korea somehow. He didn’t like that fact.

“So, are we just supposed to endure this?”

“Actually, I have something to discuss regarding that. I’d like to move a bit personally.”

“Personally?”

“Yes. It’s something that would be shady to do officially. But we can’t just take a beating and do nothing. If you could provide some funding, I’ll make something interesting happen.”

Kang Jin-ho stared at Lee Hyun-soo.

A smile was forming on Lee Hyun-soo’s lips. It was the same smile Kang Jin-ho had when he was thinking about how to deal with the politicians earlier.

“I approve.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll leave the China side to Lee Hyun-soo. And we’ll discuss the Japan side once things are settled.”

“Thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me.”

Kang Jin-ho leaned back on the sofa.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to invade Japan right now.

It wasn’t just because he was angry. It was natural to be angry at those who dared to oppose him, but the reason Kang Jin-ho wanted to go to Japan wasn’t to vent his anger, but to avenge those who had died unjustly.

It’s good to celebrate victory.

But you shouldn’t forget those who were sacrificed in the midst of that victory. Gaining a lot and punishing those who have committed crimes are separate issues.

However, now was not the time.

“And…”

That’s when it happened.

A knock on the door was heard.

Everyone’s gaze turned towards the door.

A board of directors meeting was being held here. Interrupting such a meeting was something that shouldn’t happen under normal circumstances.

That meant something had changed.

“Come in.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened. And a man with a stiff face bowed his head.

“I apologize for interrupting the meeting. But this… I thought I should report it.”

“Tell me.”

“A VIP is coming to Korea.”

“VIP?”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head.

At least since he had joined the General Assembly, he had never seen such a term used.

“If it’s a VIP?”

“We received a notification from Europe. The VIP is currently on a plane heading to Korea…”

“No way.”

Wiggins slowly rose from his seat.

From Korea’s perspective, there were many who could be called VIPs. But from Europe, specifically the Round Table [a powerful organization], there weren’t many who could call themselves VIPs.

The Knights.

They were the only ones who could be called that. If the Round Table had contacted them directly and called someone a VIP, it meant that at least one of the Knights was coming to Korea.

But a different premonition was forming in Wiggins’ mind.

‘No. A Knight can’t move like this.’

If a Knight were coming, it would be as a dispatch or a messenger. If not, they would be coming to plot something. If they had an official message, they would have given a heads-up before departing.

This wouldn’t happen unless it was an individual’s decision. Then, a Knight who would personally depart for Korea. And among them, someone who would bother to contact them first….

“They said the Master was heading to Korea. They said you would understand if they told you that…”

“Master…”

Thud.

Wiggins slumped down in his seat.

Then, he rubbed his face with both hands.

Kang Jin-ho watched him and let out a soft sigh.

“The Murim world sure has a lot of people who like to break the mold.”

The biggest figure since the establishment of the General Assembly was flying towards Korea.

“What are you thinking?”

“Well…”

Wiggins was about to start listing information about the Master when.

*Ting*

Kang Jin-ho’s phone vibrated slightly.

“Um, excuse me. Just a moment…”

Kang Jin-ho took his phone out of his pocket and pressed the power button to turn it off. But then, after checking the screen, he immediately took his finger off the power button.

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho’s face hardened as he unlocked the screen and checked the message.

“…Chairman?”

“What’s wrong?”

Everyone tensed up at the intense reaction that was rarely seen from Kang Jin-ho.

Even when he heard that Japan was forming an expeditionary force to attack, Kang Jin-ho hadn’t been this tense.

“…Ah, no. It’s not that, uh…”

Confusion.

Who would have thought that such confusion could be seen on his face?

Everyone stared at the phone in Kang Jin-ho’s hand with tense eyes.

‘It looks like a text?’

‘What kind of message did he get?’

Kang Jin-ho subtly lowered his phone.

“Uh, um… is that Master person coming to the airport now?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Wiggins.”

“Yes!”

“If they’re coming, we should welcome them. If they contacted us beforehand, it means they want to make contact.”

“…That’s right.”

“What should we do?”

Wiggins narrowed his eyes and pondered for a moment before letting out a sigh.

“I should go. I think that’s the proper etiquette. It’s not something we can avoid just because it’s burdensome or uncomfortable.”

“I’ll leave it to you.”

“Since it’s a VIP’s first visit to Korea, there will be a lot of things we need to take care of. If you give me the authority, I will discuss it with Chief Lee and proceed as smoothly as possible.”

“Okay, do that.”

“And you need to decide when you will meet the Master, Lord.”

“Me?”

“They wouldn’t be coming to see me. You need to decide whether to engage them or ignore them.”

Kang Jin-ho pondered for a moment before nodding.

“I’ll meet them. It’s not a difficult thing.”

“Understood. I will proceed accordingly. Then, the Master is now?”

“…It seems like I should go to the airport too.”

“Yes? Are you going with me?”

“No, it’s not that. I have to go pick up someone else.”

“…Yes?”

Kang Jin-ho didn’t answer and turned his head to look at the distant sky outside the window. The real VIP was now flying to Korea from China.