Descent of the Demon Master

Lee Hyeon-Su slowly clamped his slack jaw shut.

The stacks of documents before his eyes were... literally super-clean. No, with how things were, maybe 'clean' should be replaced with 'beautiful' instead! That was how perfectly organized these stacks were.

“All this...?” Lee Hyeon-Su hurriedly raised his head and stared at the man responsible for bringing these documents to his office. And that man, a perfect role model of a well-groomed middle-aged gentleman sporting graying hair and beard, was the former knight of the Round Table, Wiggins. Lee Hyeon-Su finished his question while staring at Wiggins' relaxed smile. “D-did you finish all this, Mister Wiggins?”

“It wasn't that difficult, Mister Lee,” Wiggins shrugged his shoulders. “If I'm being honest, it was Elena who had to go through a torrid time, not me. After all, translating Korean into English and compiling all these documents require a lot of elbow grease, don't they? However, the job of organizing them is fairly straightforward, young man. So, if you wish to flatter someone for this work, you should offer it to my daughter. As for me, I should thank your fluency in English for eliminating the need to re-translate these files back to Korean.”

“Y-you don't have to do that. I should be the one to thank you and your daughter. I'm already grateful that you two decided to help me out like this, so for you to do such an exceptional job…” Lee Hyeon-Su smiled brightly and spoke, then let out another impressed sigh escape his mouth at the sight of all the impeccably-filed documents.

Most of the hands-on administrators Lee Hyeon-Su ran into so far were unworthy of that job title regardless of their abilities. Those folks simply regurgitated what they learned, never tried to improve or revolutionize clear-and-present inefficiencies in their work and tried to turn a blind eye to all the inconveniences arising from the systems in place while labeling them as 'tradition' and 'customs' of their workplace.

And these people also had the gall to repeatedly rebuke Lee Hyeon-Su for creating unnecessary extra annoyance when all they needed to do was follow the established protocol!

Lee Hyeon-Su was genuinely disgusted by such people. He was not gracious enough to respect a bunch of idiots who didn't bother to put in the required effort but still complained about not getting the recognition.

However! The documents before his eyes were an eye-opener for Lee Hyeon-Su in various meanings.

Staring at the perfectly arranged rows of numbers and letters on these documents reminded him of a professional cleaner sweeping, mopping, and dusting a super-messy pigsty of a room until everything was flawless.

“Mister Wiggins, did you often do this kind of work back in England?”

“Yes. This is what the duty of a knight usually entails. My title might sound all grandiose and full of pomp and circumstance, but in reality... Well, let's just say I was more of a handyman than anything else. I was tasked with resolving all sorts of jobs, you see? Unless you condition yourself to systematically deal with such administrative work, you will never finish your assignments on time.”

“Does that mean you...”

“Yes. This was what my 'everyday' looked like.”

Lee Hyeon-Su nodded after being genuinely impressed by what he heard. Although, he was still a bit rueful that there was no time for him to swim in the warm emotions of finally meeting an administrator worthy of his respect. “In that case... My apologies, but can I ask for your help on a few other matters?”

“Of course. No need to apologize. However, I hope you understand that everything has its price.”

“Price...? As in...?”

“My dear daughter is under severe and immense stress as we speak. So, to help her vent some steam and improve her mood... You must prepare a pint of ice cream. And I don't have to tell you to prepare this country's finest, now do I?”

“I will prepare a gallon of it if I must, Mister Wiggins!”

A smile bloomed on Lee Hyeon-Su's face for the first time in a while. The workload he was saddled with right now was undoubtedly murderous. However, the amount of work Lee Hyeon-Su had to deal with before Wiggins lent his assistance could really have killed someone!

At least with Wiggins taking some of the load off his shoulders, Lee Hyeon-Su might get three hours of sleep for the next few days!

“I'm always happy to help, but... I have to say, Mister Lee, your workload is abnormal. And extremely inefficient, too. You might think dealing with everything on your own instead of delegating to other people will save you time, but that's not true. There is a clear limit to how much stamina humans can possibly have. No matter how good you are as a martial artist, maintaining over twenty hours of focus is impossible.”

Lee Hyeon-Su's smile grew bitter as he listened. Obviously, he was already well aware of what Wiggins had pointed out. The problem here, though... He didn't have the authority to scout the necessary workers and create a team of his own.

Kang Jin-Ho would have no problem granting that permission, but... Considering Lee Hyeon-Su's relationship with Bang Jin-Hun and the others, it was still not the right time.

After shaking his head a little, Lee Hyeon-Su sighed deeply. “Thank you for your advice, Mister Wiggins.”

“Hmm...” Wiggins cocked an eyebrow at Lee Hyeon-Su's response, then contemplatively nodded as if he had figured it all out. “I see, I see. Indeed, the struggle for political influence is never easy.”

“...”

“Still, I'd like to commend you for getting the upper hand, young man.”

For some reason, looking at that good-natured smile on Wiggins' face instilled this sense of peace in Lee Hyeon-Su. Any other person treating him this way, as if he was a little kid, would've roused displeasure almost immediately, but that wasn't the case with Wiggins. In fact, Lee Hyeon-Su didn't mind being treated like an infant by Wiggins when the former knight boasted years of experience on top of his unbelievable strength.

The sight of the neat documents even eliminated the hints of a childish rebellious streak in Lee Hyeon-Su's heart, too.

“Thank you, Mister Wiggins. I really mean it.”

“No problem. But... Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“I'm sorry? But, uh... The favors I asked you about just now...”

“Oh. No, I meant besides those.”

Lee Hyeon-Su stopped talking and solemnly stared at Wiggins. At a casual glance, nothing seemed different about this Englishman from when he first entered this office. Even so, something about the glint in Wiggins' eyes felt a little different now to Lee Hyeon-Su. Those eyes seemed good-natured and affable only a second ago. But now?

“Mister Wiggins... No, Knight Wiggins,” Lee Hyeon-Su cautiously spoke up but fell into a dilemma soon afterward.

Slyly ending the conversation before it could go anywhere was one of Lee Hyeon-Su's preferred responses, but doing so now seemed rather disrespectful to someone of Wiggins' caliber. So, Lee Hyeon-Su decided to be more upfront about this topic. That was the right thing to do after Wiggins offered help first.

“It's not like I'm silently enduring this situation because of a lack of options. It's just that... Everything in the Martial Assembly is basically under Mister Jin-Ho's influence. If he wishes for the status quo to remain as-is, I will abide by it.”

“Mm? What a strange thing to say. Didn't my lord already announce the incoming changes?”

“Yes, he did. However, we are unable to alter the direction of those changes.”ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ Noᴠᴇlꜰire.nᴇt

Or, should he say what a unique young man?

Despite believing himself to be an extremely rational person who always pursued rational solutions to everything he did, it seemed the East's idea of the master-servant relationship had been ingrained deeply in Lee Hyeon-Su's psyche.

Was this young man aware of the dichotomy existing within his personality? If not...

“Do you mind if I ask you something, Mister Lee?”

“No. Please go ahead.”

“Has my lord ever tried to micromanage you? At least that you're aware of?”

“...?” Lee Hyeon-Su didn't immediately answer and hesitated.

Wiggins nodded as if to say he understood Lee Hyeon-Su's hesitancy. Without waiting for an answer, the former knight continued to speak. “The idea of following your boss is easy enough, but the methods of following are definitely not. You can basically lump the methods into two all-encompassing categories. Do you passively do as told? Or actively step up to open up the path for your boss? Mister Lee, which of the two methods do you prefer?”

If he were asked this question in the past, Lee Hyeon-Su would've confidently answered that, indeed, he preferred the latter category. But now... Somehow, he had become a man with too many things to worry about to say he'd actively do something first.

“Mister Lee, my lord isn't as details-oriented as you think. Or maybe he is. Even if he is, though, we can be certain that my lord isn't detailed about how... our 'work' should pan out. So, let me ask you something else. Has my lord ever told you not to do anything that might negatively affect the organization's atmosphere and cohesiveness?”

Wiggins asked that question since he was deeply confident of the answer was a 'no'. Indeed, Lee Hyeon-Su couldn't come up with a different answer since Kang Jin-Ho had never told him that.

“Even so...”

“Listen, young man,” Wiggins smiled brightly. “I don't have a lot of time left on this planet. You young folks wield the absolute weapon called youth, but someone at my age won't be able to stay on active duty for long.”

“But you seemed to have several more decades of life left in you, at least to my eyes.”

“Those several more decades are simply not enough for me. I have far too many things I'd like to accomplish, you see? That is why I'll tell you this. This organization is far too unwieldy and inefficient. And its command structure is too complicated and fractured to effectively and speedily carry out my lord's instructions. It needs to be more streamlined. Simplified.”

Lee Hyeon-Su's eyes narrowed, the light in them getting a little sharper. “May I ask what for?”

“Hmm...” Wiggins casually shrugged his shoulders, then took up an empty chair in front of Lee Hyeon-Su's desk. After comfortably settling in, he slid his hand inside his suit jacket to smoothly pull out a cigar case. “Do you mind if I smoke in here?”

“Oh, no. Please go ahead.”

“Would you like to join me?”

“I will.”

“Then, a cigar, perhaps?”

“My apologies. I'm not the biggest fan of cigars, you see...” Lee Hyeon-Su took out his packet of cigarettes from his inner pocket.

He refrained from smoking for the past few years but had to take it up again recently after the extreme stress had gotten to him. Plus, all the heavy smokers in his circle of acquaintances were already puffing away in his presence without care, anyway.

“You see, this thing called cigar? Once you light it up, you need to take your time savoring it, forcing you to be more relaxed. Languid,” said Wiggins while snipping the tip of the cigar. He then leisurely lit the tip and mouthed it.

“But you seem to be in a hurry this time?” Lee Hyeon-Su tilted his head.

“Well, you know it's not possible to be laidback and unhurried all the time. Sometimes, even things requiring a relaxed approach require a speedy resolution. For instance, the situation you now find yourself in.”

Lee Hyeon-Su didn't say anything to that and simply lit his cigarette.

“I'm not a fan of beating around the bush, Mister Lee. If I was as laidback and easy-going as you think, I wouldn't have left the Round Table to join this organization. Do you understand now? And I get why you're uncomfortable with what I'm telling you. You're most likely worried about me trying to control the Martial Assembly for my personal gain.”

“I won't deny that, yes.”

“Such worries are needless. Stupid, even. The Martial Assembly belongs to my lord. Do I look ballsy enough to take what's my lord's and wield it as my own? I don't know how you really perceive me, Mister Lee, but to my lord... I must be no better than an insect he could easily squash to death if I dare step out of the line.”

“N-no, I'm sure that's not...”

Wiggins chuckled unhurriedly. “It is unfortunate, but I still haven't built the 'bond' you have with my lord. Let's be honest, shall we? My lord doesn't consider you as a simple subordinate. You are one of the participants in the idea of 'family' my lord wishes to create, but I am not. My lord and I are tied by a simple contract. That's it.”

Wiggins shrugged his shoulders again and stopped talking there to take a long, deep puff at his cigar.

“Of course, I will surely form a bond with my lord in due course. Listen, Mister Lee. There is only one reason why I'm telling you all this. I see a need to transform this organization. I must prove my worth to my lord by reshaping this organization into something more effective and proactive. The unpleasant truth of the matter is that my lord's interest in working with me is fuelled by his curiosity about Western martial arts, which happened to be somewhat different from his own techniques. However, if my techniques don't offer much of help in improving the Martial Assembly's overall combat prowess, his interest in me will immediately evaporate. Since that's the situation, I can't be expected to put my faith in my lord's continued interest, now can I?”

Lee Hyeon-Su slowly nodded, then narrowed his eyes again. “I see. Then, why did you choose me to share your thoughts, Mister Wiggins?”

“You are a reasonable man. And also blessed with the authority and the right types of abilities to put plans in motion. That is why.”

Lee Hyeon-Su stared coldly at Wiggins for a little while, then slowly enunciated every word as clearly as humanly possible. “What is it that you want from me?”

“No, no, no. Your question is incorrectly framed, so let me help you with that. Now tell me, Mister Lee. What can I do... for you?”

As he said those words, the smile on Wiggins' face deepened.