Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1089. Charging Forward (4)

“Would you be so kind as to bring me a cup of tea?”

The Master of the Round Table asked, and the secretary replied without skipping a beat.

“Certainly, Master. Right away.”

“Thank you.”

The Master watched the secretary leave the office, then massaged his forehead.

‘It’s a miracle that I’m still holding on.’

The Master had already been handling an excessive amount of work before the upheaval within the Round Table. But his current workload was so ridiculous that the stuff in the past seemed like adorable little child’s play in comparison!

The reason for this turn of events was rather easy to understand.

In the past, the Master was just another member of the Round Table with a little more authority and privilege than others. After seizing full control of the organization, though, every important decision now had to get his approval first!

‘The biggest loser in a despotic monarchy is supposedly the king himself...’

The Master could see why that was the case now!

The first step in securing one’s authority was setting up a system of governance where every important matter had to receive the ruler’s permission first. This wasn’t merely to answer the question of practical interests, either.

Right now, instilling the ‘mindset’ of always getting permission from the Master in whatever they did in the representative Knights’ heads was absolutely crucial.

Giving the Knights some level of autonomy could go a long way in smoothing out the Round Table’s operation. However, nothing would change from the past by doing that. No matter how difficult it was for the Master right now, he must maintain this status quo for the time being.

“Yes, I know all that. But at my age... Urgh.”

The Master sighed deeply.

If only he was ten years younger! He might have suppressed the Knights a little more enthusiastically. But his lack of stamina, brought on by his advanced age, was holding him back.

A martial artist suffering from stamina issues might sound strange, but the Master's problem didn't only affect him physically. Maintaining a high concentration level for a long time also required a lot of stamina.

A prospective exam taker sitting in the same spot the whole day to study required a lot of stamina, didn’t they?

The Master might not feel much physical fatigue, but what about mental fatigue? He couldn't do much about that other than take a break.

At least, his excellent capabilities meant he could handle this amount of work without any serious issues.

‘I have no idea how the kings of the past even managed to stay sane, let alone live!’

This workload was heavy enough to trouble even the Master of the Round Table. In that case, how did the kings and queens in the past not buckle under their intense workload? What a mystery that was.

Although the reports those kings and queens received back then wouldn’t have been as detailed as the ones the Master had to sift through, those people didn’t have mana flowing through their bodies. All the fatigue they had to deal with must’ve been roughly the same as the Master’s.

“Fuu-woo...”

Just as the Master groaned while massaging his forehead, the secretary entered the office while carrying a cup of steaming black tea.

“Master, how about a little break?”

“Mm? Oh, thank you for your concern,” the Master chuckled with a quick wink. “Unfortunately, we're still in the office hours.”

“I'm worried that you're harming your health, sir.”

“Huhuhuh!”

A martial artist’s health being harmed by office work? Although the secretary was being considerate, the Master still found the notion rather humorous.

“Don’t worry about me. I know how to manage my health, at least.”

“Of course, sir. Then, please call me if you need anything else,” said the secretary before leaving the office.

The Master sighed deeply again.

‘I’ve become rather good at lying, no?’

In reality, the Master had already been pushing himself beyond the limit. The appropriate work-rest balance the secretary was worried about had gone out of whack quite some time ago.

Unfortunately, now wasn’t the time to whine about it. Because the situation within the Round Table was poised rather delicately at the moment.

After the Elder Knights were killed off, bringing stability back to the organization took top priority. Suppressing Knight Leveaux's coup attempt was enough to barely settle things.

But then, this undefinable tension began filling the corridors of the Round Table after the Master seized full control of the organization.

Humans usually didn't want to let go of things they already possessed. Even if those things in question were nothing more than useless junk!

They might force themselves to throw such things away, sure. But they would still fiercely resist if someone else tried to take those things away.

Rationality had no place in this example as such a response was mostly primal instincts at work.

This was the same principle as a child bursting into tears if the toy they held was forcibly taken away from them.

Even a little kid didn't want to lose their toys. In that case, how would the grown-up Knights representing their countries respond?

These people all had achieved some renown before becoming Knights. There was no way they would relinquish what they had without a fight. Besides, even if some were willing, what they had wasn’t easily “relinquishable,” so to speak.

After all, they were Knights representing their respective nations. Giving up on personal things might not be difficult, but could they do the same for what belonged to their countries? Of course not.

Even the Master would have fiercely resisted had he been in their shoes.

Despite knowing their circumstances, though, the Master simply had to corner the Knights relentlessly. He had already learned the painful lesson on the Round Table’s limitations, after all!

It was just that...

‘How bizarre that no one has openly challenged me yet.’

The Round Table was fundamentally a committee. All decisions were supposed to be made through robust discussion. The Knights should have become familiar with doing things this way, so the odds of them trying to resolve the situation through a conference were quite high.

However, no one tried to openly voice their dissatisfaction with the state of affairs after the Master seized control of the organization.

“Even though they are not the type to unconditionally surrender...”

That much was obvious. These Knights weren’t pushovers who would endure the indignity of their “things” being taken away by force. Especially when the Master was deliberately poking them with a stick to make them blow up in anger!

Since that was the case, not a peep coming from the Knights was definitely a strange sign.

The Master could think of two reasons.

The first likely reason was Kang Jin-Ho’s influence, his unseen presence, exerting more pressure on the Knights than the Master had anticipated.

‘It’s quite possible, actually.’

The Master was suitably shocked by Kang Jin-Ho’s monstrous powers. The thing was, though, that he had already enjoyed some time to “get used to” Kang Jin-Ho’s existence before the shocking event in question.

He had one-to-one meetings with that man in South Korea, didn’t he? And they even fought in an intense battle, too.

Without having such prior experiences, things must've been different for other Knights. It had to be.

After all, knowing what kind of existence Kang Jin-Ho was and what he was capable of before confronting him would be so much different from having basically zero information on him while watching him ruthlessly cut the Elder Knights down.

When the Master thought about it some more, he became even more certain.

He believed he had a pretty good understanding of Kang Jin-Ho, yet the shock he felt as that man one-sidedly slaughtered the Elder Knights was still earth-shattering, to say the least!

In that case, it was easy enough to guess the intensity of the shock other Knights must’ve felt.

Witness testimonies turning into rumors and gossip before becoming people’s fear was inevitable. Since that was the case, the Knights’ silence made some sense. They knew Kang Jin-Ho backed the Master, after all.

As for the second reason...

‘Rather than emulating Knight Leveaux and doing a clumsy job, they might be waiting for a perfect chance to take me out.'

That was also a distinct possibility. Then, what could be the real story here?

‘The odds are... it’s both.’

Kang Jin-Ho was a troublesome... nay, a fearsome existence. Since that was the case, the Knights would have to search for the surest of all surest opportunities to strike the Master down from his perch.

They must be watching the Master with such a mindset. It must feel like their innards were boiling in frustration right about now.

‘Please don't resent me too much, everyone.'

The Master couldn’t tell the extent of the pressure the Knights must be under. However, at least he was certain that the pressure he was under far exceeded theirs.

Even so, he must endure it.

In some sense, ripping apart and fixing the stagnant system of governance was far harder and trickier than starting from scratch. Familiarity would eventually become habit. And habit would devolve into “tradition.”

Once tradition became rules and regulations, the man-made system of governance would become the noose tightening around the people’s throats instead.

The Round Table had already reached this stage. If things were not ripped apart and reset right now, the organization would only rot even further, with the dream of progress remaining as that, a pipe dream.

‘...And a poor old man like me must carry out this important mission.’

The Master groaned loudly again. Should he chalk this down to karma doing its thing?

He had always mocked and sneered at martial societies sticking to different systems of governance to the Round Table's. How primitive was it to let one person dictate what was what in a martial society? When humanity and the system of governance had come a long way since ancient times?

With such a mindset, it was no surprise that the Master looked down on other martial societies. But now? His thoughts had changed somewhat.

‘Those people are not humans, are they?’

Leading an organization all by oneself required an enormous amount of mental fortitude.

Authority and power were always accompanied by great responsibility. The sole authority figure had to weigh the pros and cons of every little thing they would have handled without much care in the past when the responsibility was shared among many.

How long would the Master be able to endure this state of things?

“Fuu-woo...”

The Master groaned for what felt like an umpteenth time today, but his groan was interrupted by his phone suddenly blaring furiously.

“Mm?”

The Master frowned slightly at the caller ID on the phone’s screen before picking up the device and placing it near his ear.

“Wiggins, you certainly have a knack for interrupting an old man’s break, don’t you? Your timing is so good that I have to wonder if you’ve installed secret cameras in my office.”

-But it shouldn’t be that late in the UK? I didn’t think you’d be taking a break for the day so early, Master. Could it be that things are not as hectic as we thought?

“On the contrary, Wiggins. The situation on this side is too hectic for a prolonged rest, so I try to get quick breaks every now and then.”

-I see. My apologies for this interruption, then.

The Master chuckled softly.

Wiggins still sounded crafty and maybe even slimy. Although, it wasn't just the way he talked. The man himself really was a crafty old fox, wasn't he?

“So? To what, or whom, do I owe this pleasure of speaking to you, Wiggins?”

-Although I should be speaking to you in person regarding this topic, doing so would take you away from your important duties, so I decided that a phone call would have to suffice for now, sir. Please forgive me on this one.

“That’s a fairly long preamble, isn’t it? I didn’t think you’d have it in you.”

-Think of it as my way of showing you consideration, sir.

“Rather than showing me anything, please hurry up and get to the topic. The worst kind of guest to me right now is one who needlessly wastes my limited time. And you’re getting perilously close to crossing the line.”

-I see! Then, let's not waste any more time.

“Yes, let’s.”

Despite saying he'd get right to the topic at hand, Wiggins began hesitating in silence. However, the Master didn't urge Wiggins on.

When nicely put, Wiggins enjoyed the gift of gab. When not-so-nicely put, he had the sly tongue of a snake. Since a man like that was having trouble finding the right words, the “favor” in his mind must be quite challenging in nature.

The key word here was “challenging.”

Was Wiggins’ hesitation due to the possibility of the Master finding the request challenging? Or was it because Wiggins found the request too challenging to ask?

The Master couldn’t help but get curious. Even if it was only for a brief moment, he still felt healed by focusing on something like this instead of all the work piling up on his desk!

“Wiggins, you don’t have to force yourself. Take your time, and...”

-Thank you, but I’m fine. Let me stop beating around the bush.

The Master grimaced.

‘Hey! I’m not fine, okay!’

Taking a little more time wouldn’t hurt anyone, so...

-Master!

Unfortunately, Wiggins was never the type to listen to others, now was he!

-Please teach me!

“...?”

The Master made a weird expression while quickly taking the phone away from his ear. And then, his suspicious gaze confirmed the caller’s ID on the device’s screen.

‘It is Wiggins, isn’t it?’

The look of surprise quickly spread on the Master’s face.

He fake-coughed, then pressed the phone to his ear again. He tried to laugh genially while replying to Wiggins. “My apologies, Wiggins. It seems I misheard you just now. Do you mind repeating what you said?”

-Of course. Master, I'd like you to impart your teachings to me.

Nope, the Master didn’t mishear anything. At least, he wasn’t the type to mishear things for the second time, anyway!

A weird smile formed on the Master’s lips. “It’s a bit embarrassing to say this since it feels like I’m going back on what I said earlier, but... I’m now convinced that this topic shouldn’t be discussed over the phone, Wiggins. If you have time right now, why don’t you come over? I'll open the gate for you.”

Wiggins replied without a moment’s hesitation.

-I’m on my way, Master.

“Good. Then, let’s talk afterward.”

The Master ended the call and got up urgently.

‘At this rate...’

The Master was already swamped with work as it was. But now, the situation was about to devolve into a battle between knocking off for the day on time or catching some quick Zs by the office's temporary bed.

‘...It seems I’ll have to go with the latter, then?’

That saddened the Master a little, but oddly enough, he felt good about it, too.

After all, the reward for his troubles might be something rather amusing.

While chuckling softly, the Master headed to the gate connecting the two continents.