Descent of the Demon Master

The atmosphere inside the room was subdued. Depressed.

Knight Besley leaned against the wall while sensing the depressed air through his skin.

Imprisonment. Captivity. It didn't matter which term was used since all of them should fit this situation quite well.

Although words like “detention” and “placed under watch” were thrown around to describe this situation, everyone in this room tacitly agreed that this was imprisonment.

Knight Besley glanced at the exit. It was an ordinary wooden door with no magical reinforcement done to it.

Anyone here could've easily broken that door down in less than a second if they wanted to… Yet, that door still successfully confined these Round Table's agents. No wonder Besley felt like laughing out loud at the absurdity of this arrangement.

Besley represented his country. He possessed enough strength to make the world kneel before him. Yet he was still being held back by a flimsy wooden door that even an ordinary man could kick wide open!

What an irony this was.

‘What will happen to the Round Table now?’

Knight Besley's thoughts were complicated. Messy. He glanced around and saw others making similar expressions as him.

They all looked nervous or lamenting their powerlessness. Some were even clearly frightened out of their wits.

“Fuu-woo…”

A deep sigh leaked out of Besley’s mouth.

‘Well, it’s not like I don’t understand why.’

Even Knight Besley hadn't overcome the effects of that incredible battle from earlier, after all! Merely closing his eyes reawakened the memories of Kang Jin-Ho relentlessly attacking him. The impact from that battle was already this bad for Besley, so how much more worse would it be for everybody else?

‘Will we be able to get over this trauma?’

Knight Besley wasn’t confident of it.

Kang Jin-Ho gifted a deep and lasting trauma to all the members of the Round Table.

Besley and others could accept losing to that man. However, the legends of the Round Table, the Elder Knights, working together to attack Kang Jin-Ho only to meet gruesome ends left behind a mental shock too powerful for the Round Table's people to overcome.

Kang Jin-Ho was indeed an extraordinary martial artist.

The entrance of a warrior with unimaginable strength saddled all the Knights and the members of the knight orders with “doubt.”

No one among this crowd was willingly staying locked up behind that flimsy wooden door because they were waiting for the upcoming events. No, they… Instead of the door, they were being crushed by the inescapable doubt and debilitating powerlessness.

‘Or, soul-crushing fear.’

Besley sighed, then rubbed his face.

Even he was scared. The creature calling himself Kang Jin-Ho had implanted this powerful fear in Besley's heart. The story must be the same for everyone in this room.

Would he be able to fight back in the future?

‘No, I don’t think so.’

The opportunity to fight back was long gone by now. Besley knew he could no longer raise his weapon against Kang Jin-Ho. Merely the thought of opposing that monster made Besley’s hands and legs shake in fear. How was he supposed to fight when his body was reacting this way?

“Excuse me… Knight, sir?”

Knight Besley woke up from his thoughts. He glanced to the side and noticed one of the members from his own knight order staring back at him while making a hard-to-read expression.

“My apologies, sir, but… What will happen to us?”

Everyone's attention focused on Besley just then. Unsurprising, since this was the first conversation after their imprisonment had begun.

However, the first thing this young man decided to ask after half a day of weighty silence was that question. Unfortunately for everyone in this room, Besley also didn’t have a good answer.

“Well…” Knight Besley sighed deeply. “My apologies, but I cannot give you any definitive answer. After all, I also don’t know what is going on outside this room.”

“Is it okay for us to stay here like this?”

“It should be. The Master is… Mm.” Knight Besley shook his head. He just realized he shouldn’t say anything about that.

The people responsible for kicking the Master out were the Knights, which included Besley. In that case, how could he hope for the Master to come and save them from this predicament!

How shameless could he be?

Unfortunately, the Master was the only person who could realistically get all the imprisoned people out of here. No one was more qualified to represent the Round Table than him, after all!

“...Did we really lose, sir?”

That question came out of nowhere. However, it was also not a surprise to hear it. And this question perfectly encapsulated the powerlessness the knight orders currently felt.

These highly trained fighters never got a chance to fight the enemy properly. Leveaux didn’t want to break the Round Table’s rules before ascending to the Master’s position, so he forced all the knight orders to be on standby. And when they did get deployed, the battle came to a grinding halt only after a few exchanges of moves so that everyone at the scene could stand in awe and spectate Kang Jin-Ho’s fight against the Elder Knights.

After that incredible battle, everyone was herded into different rooms like this one and got locked up.

This series of events led to a disconnect of sorts between what was happening to these people and what they felt about this situation.

Besley groaned.

‘Yes, I know you must all be confused.’

This confusion wasn't born out of ignorance. No, these people all knew the truth but didn't want to accept it. That was the source of their confusion.

Unfortunately, none of them possessed the courage to openly suggest that they should try to fight back.

‘How did the Round Table fall so low?’

What a tragic turn of events this was.

Besley addressed others in the room. “It’s time to accept what needs to be accepted. Yes, we have lost.”

Instilling hope with half-baked optimism was worse than not saying anything. One had to rationally and objectively face up to their reality.

“But, sir…”

“I know it's disappointing. However, do not despair. The Round Table has tasted defeat numerous times throughout its history. Not only defeats, but many times it also faced total destruction. Even then, the Round Table continued to exist for over a millennium because its agents continued to inherit its noble purpose! Do not forget that, all of you!”

“…”

“Yes, we've lost. But we won't stay defeated forever. We only need to rise up again. That is all we have to do.”

“Yes, sir…”

The response Besley got was lukewarm at best.

But that made sense. Even Besley didn't think his speech would be enough to allay the fears and concerns in these people's hearts, anyway.

The continued existence of the Round Table now depended on the whims of the Martial Assembly… and Kang Jin-Ho!

Just as Besley’s thoughts reached that far…

Knock, knock!

‘Mm? Did someone knock on the door?’

Besley stared in flabbergast at the flimsy wooden door.

A knock? Even if that thing was a door, Besley and others were supposed to be locked up in here. Who would politely knock in that case? Wasn’t this manner overkill?

The door creaked open a little, and a person's head peeked over the edge.

“Mm?” Knight Besley opened his eyes wider and stared at the new visitor.

‘...Wiggins?’

As it turned out, the person responsible for knocking was former representative Knight of Britain, Wiggins.

He smiled and addressed the crowd. “My apologies for the long wait, everyone. It’s fine for you to come out now.”

“Come… out?” Knight Besley blinked his eyes, his flabbergast growing even larger. “N-no, hold on! Knight Wi… No, Mister Wiggins! Did I hear you correctly? Did you say we can go outside now?”

Wiggins nonchalantly waved his hand as a greeting. “Oh, Sir Besley! I should say it’s been a while, yes?”

“No, before that! Can you answer…”

“Yes, yes. You are free to come and go as you please now that the first round of negotiations has been concluded.”

Negotiations? What negotiations? Besley's confusion intensified.

Even if the negotiations were over, the situation shouldn't change all that much. Besley's group couldn’t be the only one being freed, so the “freedom” must’ve been granted to everyone else, too.

However, was the Martial Assembly really ballsy enough to free all these walking, talking human killing machines called martial artists? Did they not fear the consequences?

“Mister Wiggins, I… I don’t know what you’re scheming this time.”

Wiggins chuckled. “We never imprisoned you in the first place, Sir Besley. Are you telling me that you even lack the strength to open that door?”

“N-no, of course not. But…”

“We believe the Round Table's knight orders wouldn't suddenly start rampaging around just because we left some doors open. If we thought you would, we wouldn't have bothered with this cumbersome arrangement in the first place.

“As for the Martial Assembly's people… We will back off and out of your hair for the time being. As such, you can breathe easy and get some rest.”

“But, how…”

Knight Besley just couldn’t figure out what Wiggins… No, what the Martial Assembly was thinking of here. At least he had a hunch that the negotiation between the Master of the Round Table and the Martial Assembly yielded positive results.

“Oh, and Sir Besley?”

“Yes?”

“Can we speak in private?” Wiggins grinned affably, then stepped outside the room first.

Knight Besley grew slightly stupefied at that. He falteringly got up, then scanned his surroundings before following Wiggins outside.

***

“Sir Besley, please summon other Knights currently not in the HQ.”

Besley furrowed his brow. “...Knights, you say?”

“Yes,” Wiggins coolly nodded. “Summoning them back here should satisfy the minimum required number of Knights to select a new Master. We're hoping to speed up the voting process as much as possible, you see?”

“I see. Then, the candidate is?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Besley slowly nodded at Wiggins’ reply. Under the current circumstances, only one person met all the criteria to become the next Master. Even so…

“Since something like this has never happened before, I'm not sure how the Round Table's rules will apply in this particular situation. We've already voted in the new Master after the previous Master was impeached, so to see the impeached candidate regain his position…”

Wiggins chuckled. “We’ve already finished checking the laws of the Round Table. And we didn’t find any clauses forbidding a person from becoming the Master again even after they gave the position up previously. Of course, it all depends on the will of the Knights.”

“Mm…!” Besley slowly nodded. If that’s the case… “E-even so, the Master will…?”

“Yes.” Wiggins smiled like the world's nicest, kindest uncle at Besley. “It is the most appropriate outcome, after all.”

Knight Besley could hardly get his thoughts in a line. He genuinely believed that Wiggins would forcibly climb to the Master's position and take over the Round Table. But that expectation was grandly thrown out the window.

“Mister Wiggins, I’ve said this before, but… I genuinely do not know what you’re scheming this time.”

“I’m not scheming anything, so you don’t have to be so on guard, Sir Besley. The Martial Assembly merely didn’t want to see Leveaux taking over the Round Table. That’s all.”

“…”

“Regardless of what, though, Leveaux was the legitimate Master chosen through the Round Table's process. We owe you our unreserved apology for removing your Master through force. However, I hope you understand that this was the best way to protect the Round Table.”

Wiggins’ speech made him out to be a noble warrior who sacrificed so much to safeguard the Round Table’s future. But Besley wasn’t a fool. He knew this situation wasn’t as straightforward as that.

“How can I trust you, Mister Wiggins? Do not take me for a fool who can’t think of the possibility of all the Knights overseas getting executed the moment they set foot in the HQ.”

Wiggins shook his head. “We won't do something so unnecessary as that. Sir Besley, it seems you see yourself as irreplaceable, that your position of the Knight means something heaven-defying. Unfortunately, a Knight is just a job title that can always be replenished with fresh blood. One Knight losing their life will prompt their country to simply select a replacement.

“What you're thinking of would be a pointless exercise unless we already have a say in each nation's Knight selection process.”

“Mm…”

“It's fine if you don't trust me. However, I'm sure you do trust the Master. He's currently at his office, trying to deal with matters requiring urgent attention. If you're still unsure, I recommend you speak to him directly.”

“If you say so…” Besley slowly nodded. “Then, I shall summon the other Knights. Urgently.”

“Thank you. I’ll leave it to you, then.” Wiggins nodded, then turned around to leave. However… “Oh, before I go…?”

“Yes?”

“Knight orders are free to come and go as they please. Whether they go home, choose to stay here, or head to a nearby pub to gulp down a mug of beer or two to calm their restlessness, it doesn't matter. We will leave that to your discretion.”

“...I see.”

“However, the incoming Knights of the Round Table must stay in the main hall. We need to start the voting process right away as soon as everyone is here, you see. And finally…”

“Yes?”

“I'm saying this for your own good, Sir Besley. Please restrict the knight orders from approaching the dorms by the south gate. That place is currently teeming with very grumpy, easily irritated people looking for trouble, you see? Let us do our best to avoid creating unnecessary headaches.”

Besley didn't need to ask who those grumpy people were to figure it out. “Understood. I'll see to it on my end.”

“Good. Thank you. Then, we’ll speak again later.”

“H-hold, Mister Wiggins!” Knight Besley urgently stopped Wiggins from walking away. “There's something I need to ask you.”

“Of course. Please ask away.”

“Even if the Knights are here, you still don't have the guarantee of the Master regaining his position. If things don't unfold as you envisioned… What will you do?”

“You don't have to worry about that. He will get selected.” Wiggins grinned brightly. “Using the former Master's authority, we've agreed to allow an observer to join the voting process for this one time. So, the Assembly Master of the Korean Martial Assembly will attend the selection process and observe it from the sideline.”

“…!”

“I hope it’ll be a fruitful learning experience for everyone involved. Well, then.”

Knight Besley was left totally speechless as Wiggins walked away. Yes, it’d be a learning experience, alright.

Besley eventually shook his head in helplessness. Even as he did so, he grew curious about how the remaining Knights would react after finally clapping their eyes on Kang Jin-Ho.

‘Hah. I must've lost my bloody mind.'

To think he actually was anticipating that! It seemed he had gone insane from this experience, too!

Knight Besley groaned loudly, then returned to the room behind him.