Descent of the Demon Master

“B-but how are you here, sir…!” The sentry manning the prison gasped in shock.

“I won’t beat around the bush, young man,” said Wiggins, his voice firm. His expression was even more determined.

The sentry saw that look on Wiggins’ face and reflexively stumbled back.

“Young man, you know who I am, yes?”

“….Yes, sir, Knight Wiggins.”

“No, just call me Wiggins. Remember that I cannot be called a Knight anymore.”

The sentry nervously swallowed his saliva while nodding. He was smart enough to realize that Wiggins implied two things with that statement.

Firstly, he was declaring that he no longer was a member of the Round Table. And secondly, that freed him from going out of his way to spare the sentry's life!

“Opening this prison’s entrance won’t be difficult for me, although I’ll have to waste a few hours doing so. So, it’s time for you to choose,” Wiggins pointed at the large gate behind the sentry. “Are you going to throw your life away to buy a little bit of time? Or will you concede and open the gate right away?”

The way the sentry remembered Wiggins, the former Knight wasn’t the type to issue such a forceful threat. That was why he got so taken aback. His trembling eyes shifted to the Garter Knight Order behind Wiggins.

‘Why are the Garters here, too?’

The sentry might have considered other options had Wiggins shown up here with some other people. But the story changed with the Garter Knight Order.

After all, the Garter Knight Order was Britain’s pride, its symbol. They obeyed the representative Knight’s command to crush Britain’s enemies. Such a group of renowned warriors were not escorting Knight Chadwick, but Wiggins!

Didn't that indicate they viewed Wiggins as their representative Knight?

‘What the hell do you expect from me?! I’m just a sentry, you know!’

The sentry powerlessly nodded back at Wiggins. His duty might be to guard this doorway, but doing that against these people would be pointless. It was as Wiggins said, after all. Even if the sentry died defending this doorway, Wiggins would've eventually unlocked it anyway.

Wiggins was one of the best mages the sentry knew, after all!

The sentry didn't want to throw his life away to delay Wiggins coming in contact with the Master for a couple of hours at most. Of course, he tried very hard to overlook the possibility of reinforcements arriving within those couple of hours, forcing Wiggins to stop and back off.

“I won’t stop you, sir,” said the sentry.

Wiggins nodded. “You made the right call.”

The sentry glanced at the lead knight of the Garters. The latter nodded slightly, indicating that he'd speak in defense of the sentry if things went sideways later.

Now that he had secured at least some safety net, the sentry carefully took out a set of keys from his inner pocket and handed it over to Wiggins.

Wiggins immediately placed the key against the magic circle engraved on the door.

Whiiiiiir! Rumble!

That was when a mechanical noise that didn’t match the décor suddenly resounded out before the doorway opened to left and right. Wiggins lightly patted the sentry on the shoulder before rushing inside the doorway.

The unpleasant acrid stench stabbed into Wiggins’ nose. That didn’t stop him from sprinting at full power down the staircase to reach the bottom floor. He hurriedly turned his head toward the far-most cell.

“…! Master!” Wiggins confirmed the Master’s figure inside the cell and rushed up to it. He grabbed the steel bars and leaned closer to look.

The Master, leaning against an old bed, slowly opened his eyes. “...Is that you, Wiggins?”

“Yes, Master! I’m here. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“...I see. So, you really did come.” The Master’s expression rapidly filled with remorse.

Wiggins showing up here was more or less a foregone conclusion. He was never a man to miss a golden opportunity, after all. Even knowing that, though… The Master wished Wiggins wouldn’t come.

Or maybe he did want Wiggins to come.

The Master’s thoughts were too messy for him to figure out what he really wanted.

“Since you’re here… That means that man has come, too.”

“Master, I’ll get you out of there right away!”

“...A day of sorrow, isn’t it?” The Master’s expression was unreadable as he stared at the steel bars.

The one who imprisoned the Master here was Leveaux. No, more correctly, it was the Round Table under Leveaux's control. Even if that man had played dirty, he had taken over the organization, making his actions legitimate in the Round Table's view.

In other words… The Master was about to go against the Round Table’s command with the enemy’s assistance!

The Master quietly muttered, “But I don’t have any right to say no, now do I?”

“Master…!” Wiggins bit his lip when he heard that muttering.

He might have come here out of necessity, but that did not diminish the respect he had for the Master. Wiggins could guess the profound weight of the dilemma the Master must be under.

“Master, you taught me that one mustn't let the qualms over the means blind them from reaching their ultimate goal.”

“This is why people need to be more careful with what they espouse if they don't want to get bitten by it later,” said the Master with a low cackle, then slowly nodded. “Open the cell, Wiggins. I'll leave this place. I'm sure the tide of the events has already turned by now. In that case… I should at least try to fulfill my duties.”

Wiggins firmly nodded, then yanked his sword out. “Please step back, Master. It might get a bit rowdy.”

“...Hold on, Wiggins.”

“Yes?”

“The keys to the cell. They are right behind you.”

“...Oh.” Wiggins sheepishly glanced behind him. Lo and behold, there really were sets of keys dangling on the wall!

“Let’s not waste time on unnecessary demonstrations of strength, Wiggins. Please fetch the keys and open this cell. Don’t damage these bars as they are also the Round Table’s valuable assets.”

“O-of course…” Wiggins grew even more sheepish from that simple chiding, then trotted over to fetch the keys from the wall. While opening the cell, he couldn't win against this awkwardness and said something he shouldn't have. “I shall have a word with the sentries afterward, Master. To think they'd carelessly leave keys around where anyone can take them!”

The Master tutted. “Magic circles around here stop us from using mana, anyway. How can any of the prisoners get a hold of those keys, then? Stop spewing nonsense and open the cell, Wiggins.”

“...Of course.” Wiggins nodded, his expression strange.

Why did it feel like the Master’s personality had gotten a bit… worse after going through some hardship?

“What is the situation like?” The Master asked while stepping outside the cell.

Wiggins’ expression stiffened. “Leveaux has opened the Knights temple.”

“Hmm…” The Master became solemn. “It seems… Leveaux has made an unwise choice.”

Opening the temple was the absolute last-ditch option available for the Round Table. Elder Knights were noble warriors who willingly gave up on their lives to continuously protect the Round Table. But that protection didn't just mean they'd stop encroaching threats against the organization and go back to slumber afterward. No, they would also cleanse the Round Table!

Regardless of how it happened, the invading enemies reaching the core of the Round Table would be judged as the current Master's and Knights' incompetence. And those Elder Knights would never forgive such a significant flaw!

Whether the Elder Knights won or Kang Jin-Ho emerged victorious… Leveaux clearly had no future left either way!

“Let us hurry, Wiggins,” said the Master.

“Of course.”

The Master’s steps were heavy. It felt like his feet were glued to the floor and didn’t want to move… But he simply couldn’t just sit back and pretend nothing untoward was going on.

‘I do not know what I can do to fix this situation, but…!’

The crisis had already reached a point of no return. Stopping it now was already impossible. Even so, the Master knew he had to confirm the outcome with his own two eyes.

Whether this crisis would lead to the Round Table’s dissolution or its revival… It was his duty to bear witness to this historic moment!

***

Knight Besley was currently under a sense of inexplicable disharmony.

How should he describe what he could see?

‘Hmm. How about…’

This out-of-place feeling was similar to a scene from an old movie somehow coming to life. Even though the scene was familiar, it should not exist in reality… At least, that was what Besley felt.

That was how bizarre this sight was.

Clack, click!

The sight of the Elder Knights clad in deeply rusted armor walking up the stairs in a disciplined… No, not just disciplined but also an oddly carefree manner roused a feeling of unease in all the witnesses. Even Knight Besley was creeped out rather than awed or felt endless respect towards the Elder Knights by this scene.

Click, clack!

Everyone silently observed the unfolding spectacle. Whether they knew what was going on or had precisely zero idea, these witnesses could all guess that the knights in ancient armor were not your average knights.

Eventually, all eleven Elder Knights reached the top of the stairs. Their speed was slow enough to feel languid. Relaxed. Rather than charging at full speed to counter the enemy, they seemed more focused on ensuring their formation remained pristine.

Only after all the Elder Knights reached the hall did Leveaux show up from the stairwell. He looked desperate while rushing down to the temple, yet now he looked relaxed. Nay, triumphant, even!

Besley couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly at this sight. He had no thoughts of criticizing Leveaux for abandoning his comrades and fleeing into the temple. Demanding others to lose to their emotions and die along with everyone would be rather stupid, after all.

Regardless of what, though, it was not right for Leveaux to make such a face when he knew many of his fellow Knights sacrificed their lives to facilitate his getaway. Absolutely not right!

‘If the Master was still in his position, he wouldn’t have made that face.’

At least the Master knew what shame was, didn't he?

Besley gritted his teeth, hard. Of course he knew. He knew he had no right to blame others here. After all, didn’t he and his fellow Knights conspire to drive out the former Master and install Leveaux as the replacement?

Even if that was true, wasn't this outcome just too bitter and soul-draining?

Knight Besley, his expression now distorted from rage at how hollow it all felt, glared murderously at Leveaux.

As if to indicate that they had sensed the boiling emotion in Besley, the Elder Knights all turned their heads in perfect unison to stare at him.

“Are you a Knight, too?”

Knight Besley shuddered a little. The Elder Knight’s voice sounded hoarse. Unpleasantly raspy. However, that wasn’t the reason for Besley shuddering like this. No, it was because he picked up all the contempt and ridicule in the Elder Knight’s tone!

“It seems the Round Table's standards have fallen to the pits. To think someone like that is a Knight…”

“Judging from his energy signature, he seems to hail from the Kingdom of Bohemia.”

“It’s not just him. Others are also nothing much to speak of.”

Not just ridicule, but even a hint of anger began seeping into the Elder Knights’ voices now.

“Breathing in the outside air after eons of time should be a joyous occasion, but these so-called Knights are turning our joy into sorrow.”

“No need to be so disappointed, Knight Gawain. Didn’t we feel the same about three hundred years ago? This situation indicates the world requires less and less from a Knight of our caliber. Give it a few centuries, and the lineage of proud Knights might get severed for good.”

“A cause for our lamentation, indeed. To think these unworthy would call themselves Knights in this era…!”

Their insults cut deeper than any blade known to man, but Knight Besley couldn’t bring himself to impudently argue back. That was because he knew all too well who these weird people were.

The Elder Knights!

These people were Knights even before Besley was born. No, that wasn’t right. They were already Knights even before Besley’s nation was officially founded.

These Knights earned the right to dedicate their lives to the Round Table with their vastly superior martial prowess. And they gladly accepted this indescribably unforgiving task on top of that. Such people were insulting him, so how could Besley voice his displeasure?

Besides…

‘Dammit. They aren’t wrong, anyway!’

Besley could sense it. He could sense how powerful and imposing these Elder Knights were! Just staring at them led to the creeping sensation of his soul freezing up. He could tell because he was a Knight, too!

“How bizarre…” One of the Elder Knights spoke calmly. “The current Round Table does not have anyone worthy to be called a Knight. But the warrior deserving of our acknowledgment is actually over there.”

Elder Knights all focused their attention on Kang Jin-Ho next. Pure white light burned coldly from their eyes as they stared at their enemy standing there with his swords resting by his sides!

“Indeed, you are right!”

“An enemy, but worthy!”

“However, an enemy is still an enemy!”

“And only death awaits our enemy!”

“Only death awaits our enemy!”

The deafening roar of the Elder Knights poured out on Kang Jin-Ho.

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