Descent of the Demon Master

Wiggins and the Master got in a car and drove away from the airport.

The Korean government provided a vehicle for their exclusive use, but Wiggins still chose the one from the Martial Assembly instead, which left Bak Hak-Gi in mental tatters one more time. However, that would be a story for another day.

The Master glanced at Wiggins riding shotgun. "So, where are you planning to take me?"

Wiggins grinned affably. "It's just a quiet little place we've prepared before your arrival."

"Really now? The way you say it sounds rather chilling, wouldn't you agree? Driving a black sedan to a quiet little place… It seems we're currently in a crime noir, doesn't it? So, what will I discover once we reach that quiet little place? An empty oil barrel? Or quick-drying cement?"

Wiggins chuckled hollowly. "I didn't know you watched such films."

"People forget something crucial about old folks like me. And that is… The old were young once, too. Isn't it obvious that I'd have hobbies of my own?"

"Perhaps that's an indicator that we have not talked all that much over the years, Master."

"Mm… But I'm sure we can mend that."

Wiggins turned his head and looked out through the windscreen. Looking at the vastness of the open ocean rewarded him with a refreshed feeling.

The car kept driving before finally reaching a cafe by the beachside. It was as deserted as a cafe could get, thanks to Lee Hyeon-Su renting it out ahead of time.

Only Wiggins and the Master entered the cafe. The entourage stood by the entrance and prevented other would-be patrons from interfering.

"Master, should I get you coffee or…?"

"Mm, I'd like milk tea, thank you."

"Milk tea it is, then."

After placing the order, Wiggins settled down on the other side of the table from the Master. The two men silently waited until the barista brought their drinks and left the cafe.

Only then did Wiggins break the silence in this cafe with only two patrons inside. "Thank you for coming all this way."

"It indeed has been a long journey."

"I knew the Round Table would contact us sooner or later, but you personally coming here took all of us by surprise, Master. No one expected this kind of direct approach, you see?"

"Well… As you get older, you get more and more tempted to shock and surprise people," said the Master while elegantly sipping the milk tea.

The subtly sweet taste registered on his tongue, seemingly bringing back some of the spent vitality into his body. Fatigue from a long journey obviously wouldn't be enough to wear out a martial artist, but mental exhaustion was a different story. Only a good night's rest and sugary things could resolve a weary mind.

Wiggins silently studied the Master. This sight of an elderly gentleman looking back on his life while leisurely enjoying a cup of milk tea in a deserted beachside cafe reminded him of a scene back in Britain, somewhere near its southern coast in the middle of Summer.

What a stunningly peaceful sight this was… At least on the surface, that was.

This was not Britain, and the elderly gentleman before Wiggins' eyes was not some ordinary old-age pensioner, either.

The Master of the Round Table was, without a doubt, one of the major players who determined humanity's future.

One word from this slender elderly gent could rock the entire world. Maybe even more so than the leaders of the surface world!

"Well, then…" The Master put the cup down and stared straight at Wiggins. Staring into his clear eyes almost forced Wiggins to reflexively shrink back. "You look good, Wiggins."

"Thank you. Things have been fairly good to me."

"I see. However, what happened to your arm?"

"Oh, this? Hahah…" Wiggins raised his prosthetic arm. Its joints subtly creaked.

The Master observed the prosthetic fingers' naturalistic movements and snorted in amusement. "Hmm, you seem to be having fun."

"Although it was difficult to imprint magic circuits into it, this arm is proving to be somewhat more useful than the real deal. For one, I can entirely skip the annoying need to carry the tools of trade around, you see?"

"Sounds intriguing. Mind sharing the circuit blueprints?"

"Of course I do mind. Nothing is for free, Master."

"In that case, I'll have to exchange something for it, then. However, I wonder… Do I even have something that the current you might be tempted by?"

When the Master said that, Wiggins felt this subtle yet inexplicable distance between them.

He briefly reminisced about their past, to a time only a few months ago.

...Back when Wiggins could affectionately call the Master his teacher. Even though the Master didn't personally teach Wiggins in the way of magic, everything else he taught the latter was just as invaluable.

But now, an uncomfortable distance had been created between the two men.

'It seems I was too blind to see the truth in the past…'

This distance helped Wiggins realize something just now. And that was how impressively powerful the Master was.

The Master most likely didn't even intend for it, yet merely sitting across him was enough to make Wiggins feel his mental energy was rapidly being shaved away. The Master's probing words continued to prod and pick apart Wiggins's willpower.

"Wiggins."

"Yes, Master."

"I'm glad to see you doing so well."

"...Thank you."

The Master slowly nodded, his expression wry. "You leaving for Korea without a word saddened me. It was as if I had lost half of the world."

"My apologies," Wiggins bowed slightly. "I know that explaining my circumstances was the right thing to do. And my thoughts in that regard still haven't changed. However, that was the only way to handle the situation back then. After all, I would've never been able to leave the Round Table had I tried to explain everything in detail."

"Mm… Yes, that is most likely true."

The Round Table would've never let Wiggins go, after all! And not in the "Clinging to Wiggins and begging him to reconsider" kind of way, either!

A Knight knew far too much about the inner workings of the Round Table. So, any Knight choosing to leave the organization… had to be eliminated. That was the surest way to prevent information on the Round Table from reaching the hands of enemy nations.

"Please do know that it was not my intention or choice to dispatch the Chevaliers, Wiggins."

"Yes, I know. Please don't sweat it, Master. I already know you didn't want that to happen. Besides, even if you did dispatch them, I could never hold that against you," Wiggins sighed deeply.

He hoped to forget about what he had done and move on with his life, but… Even he had to admit that what he did to the Master was unconscionable.

Wiggins unceremoniously spat on the Master's grace and belief to join the Korean Martial Assembly while knowing his actions could make things very tricky for the Master. Even if he apologized till the end of time itself, it'd still not be enough to forgive what he had done.

"Wiggins?"

"Yes, Master?"

"If we're finished with the preamble, shall we get to the main topic now? I'm sure neither you nor I can afford to spend time reminiscing about our past."

"Of course," Wiggins nodded slightly, then subtly licked his dried lips.

He couldn't help but get tense, knowing what he said and did from this moment on would decide the future between the Round Table and the Martial Assembly.

"Wiggins, will you agree that there is something you must absolutely explain first?"

"Yes, I agree, Master."

"Then, it's time. Why did you abandon the Round Table and join the Martial Assembly?"

How direct!

This approach was markedly different from how the Master usually negotiated. However, Wiggins preferred this approach. Beating around the bush and gradually pushing the other side to a corner would only tire each other out, after all!

"Master…!"

"Mm…!"

"I enjoy clarity in everything I do."

"Mm?" The Master cocked his brow at this unexpected opening salvo.

"If I'm doing something, I'd rather have clarity on the cause and effect of what I'm about to do. I don't just expect this kind of clarity from myself, but from the others around me, too."

Wiggins paused there to quench his thirst with the coffee. After putting the cup down, he smiled faintly and resumed his explanation.

"That story also applies to this matter. And that is why I'd like to clarify why I've made this decision, Master. Unfortunately, I… am unable to do that. I need to clearly know why I did this, but the truth is… I also do not know."

"…"

"I admit that this was done on a whim. None of it was planned. You could even accuse me of letting the momentary lapse in judgment make the decision for me. I swear to you that something like this has never happened in my life before. It was just that, in that very moment, my emotions and whims triumphed over my reasoning. And the end result is… Well, you're looking at him."

The Master's eyes gradually became withdrawn. He slowly leaned against the back of the chair.

Meanwhile, Wiggins continued to speak. "Maybe I've made a terribly stupid decision. Even so, I'm satisfied with my choice. Even if I rewind the clock and return to that precise moment in time… I'll still make the same choice. Of course, I'm not going to say I made that choice because my life now is satisfactory. So…

"Allow me to give you my answer. I do not know what compelled me to make that decision, Master. That's because I didn't choose this path rationally. It's just that…"

"...Yes?"

"It's just that I saw hope here. Hope that I can evolve into something more in this place. That didn't mean I saw a clear path to this future or had formulated a foolproof plan. In a way, what I've done is something as foolish as stepping into a fog-obscured path and blindly believing that it'd lead to the end of the world."

Wiggins casually shrugged.

"And the end result is what you can see."

"Huh… Hahaha." The Master suddenly guffawed. This was not the answer he wanted to hear. However, he couldn't deny that Wiggins was being genuine here. Honest.

The Master stopped guffawing after a while, then grinned at Wiggins. "You've changed, Wiggins."

"Isn't that how it is? That people are bound to change eventually?"

"Indeed. The old you wouldn't have said that, Wiggins. That proves you have changed. And it seems… everything is changing."

"Haha, well…" Wiggins chuckled awkwardly.

A gentle smile suddenly floated up on the Master's face. "However, Wiggins…?"

"Yes, Master?"

"People change. Yes, that is inevitable. A person encountering the same situation several times could produce different answers. And the 'me' from a year ago isn't the same as the 'me' of now. You could evolve and become better by experiencing and learning more. Or you could lock yourself away in your home and slowly devolve and wither away. That… Yes, that's what it means to be human."

"Yes, Master."

"That is why humans need something unchanging to stand up for them. Something resolute! As you already know, our world is stunningly colorful. Diverse. But responding appropriately to all those diverse matters is simply impossible. No one can do that. That is why…!" The Master's voice suddenly became as sharp as a treasure blade. "...We need rules and regulations."

Wiggins' expression became withdrawn to match the Master's. It seemed that the time for pleasantries was truly over. "If you don't mind me asking… The one to set those rules and regulations. Is it the Round Table?"

"Yes, it is."

"Master…" Wiggins sighed at length. He knew he'd have this conversation with the Master someday. But it happening today seemed a little early for his liking. "The Round Table is outdated."

"…"

"The era has changed. In fact, history is being rewritten every single day. Trying to apply the rules from centuries ago simply will not work."

"That's a foolish notion, Wiggins," the Master tutted away, unimpressed. "The eras changing doesn't mean humans are now suddenly capable of producing perfect solutions to every problem. Besides, no such things as perfect solutions exist. In that case, it'd be better to uphold the existing rules. At least we would be preventing unfairness that way."

"No, Master. You're mistaken."

"...What did you say, Wiggins?"

"Let me repeat myself, then. Please listen carefully, Master. You are mistaken about this."

The Master sat up straight again and spread open his shoulders. His blue eyes beyond the mask glared sharply into Wiggins, ruthlessly pressuring the latter. "Wiggins. I hope you are not looking down on me."

"Never, Master. I will never do that to you. What I wish to hold in contempt is not you but the Round Table."

"Listen here, Wiggins!"

"Yes, Master?"

"Why don't you insult me instead?"

"…?"

"The Round Table cannot be denigrated. It is flawless, after all! However, you still deemed it necessary to insult the Round Table. Should I take that as the Martial Assembly's position, too?"

"No, Master. Of course not."

"In that case, you better explain yourself properly. Explain why you'd dare insult the Round Table! However, if you fail to sufficiently convince me…!"

The Master placed his hands above the table. From the way he subtly squeezed down on the table or the veins bulging on his skin, it was easy to guess the intensity of his fury.

"The Martial Assembly and you… will become the enemies of the Round Table and me!"

The icy cold air suddenly descended between the two men.

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