Chapter 606. Overwhelmed, Again (1)
“Why?!” Director Choi cried out fitfully. “Why?! Why is someone like you aiding that bastard! Why!”
Wiggins chuckled loudly. “You're asking a cliched question now.”
A rat driven to a corner was bound to struggle like crazy. And that was what Director Choi was doing right now. When facing an enemy his strength couldn't do anything about, he instinctively resorted to verbal persuasion tactics. That was the only remaining way.
Unfortunately, there was simply no way Wiggins would be persuaded by that.
“Isn't it obvious? I want to assist my lord.”
“You... You want to assist him?!”
“Yes,” Wiggins coolly nodded.
Director Choi grimaced deeply. “But, why?! Just what... What has Kang Jin-Ho done for you to assist him?!”
“Hmm. In moments like this, I'm supposed to say he's a great man that your tiny little brain can't possibly comprehend, but... If I'm being honest, it's not quite like that.”
“Say what...?”
The former knight of the Round Table smirked chillingly. “The truth be told, I'm not following my lord because he's an incredible human being. I mean, what era are we even living in now? Why would I risk my neck just because my leader happens to be someone amazing?”
“Y-you're supposed to be a knight, yet it sounds like you've sold that knight's honor down the river already!”
“Knight's honor? You must mean chivalry, then? I assure you, it's not what you think. The code of chivalry is more like a guideline passed down in the hope of forcing those knights with questionable personalities to conduct themselves like upstanding members of society. That's all. As in, fellas, don't make the rest of us look bad and try to conduct yourselves this way. However, can you even enforce things like that? When there isn't a reason to actually stick to such a code in the first place? But then, the code of chivalry is brought up in several works of literature, and people start thinking, 'Oh, so all knights adhere to such ideals.' It's all nothing more than people's delusions.”
“...!”
Wiggins casually shrugged. “Let's be brutally honest here, shall we? Why would folks making a living out of wielding swords care much about honor? And how well do you think they'd abide by the laws of the land? From birth, we're just a bunch of bastards. Learn to be at peace with that fact, and it'll make your life so, so much easier. So, what's the story like in the East, then?”
“You... You crazy bastard!”
“Tsk... I guess words can't get through to you, then?” Wiggins ruefully smacked his lips. “In any case, that's the situation. Simply put, the path my lord is pursuing happens to align with mine rather nicely. And he's the leading type, while I'm the following type. Since I'm hitching a ride on his train, it's only natural that I treat him as my superior, no?”
“Does that mean... You have not submitted to him?”
“I respect my lord,” said Wiggins as if he was stating the obvious. “And that, Director Choi, is enough. Mister Jin-Ho is my boss, so I work for him. And he compensates me accordingly. Things like camaraderie or loyalty strong enough to put my life on the line are not exactly my style per se.”
“Does Kang Jin-Ho see things that way, too?”
“Not sure. I don't think my lord views our relationship that way.”
“Y-you see?! You see? Your relationship with him will soon break apart at this rate! I'm telling you!” Director Choi roared as conviction set in his heart.
An organization was supposed to not operate that way. Without loyalty, the subordinates would want to avoid doing things they didn't feel like doing. If no one wanted to do such jobs, how could the organization they belonged to operate as intended?
If everyone clamored to get the nicest, poshest job available, who would be left to handle the nasty, demeaning work?
At least these Yeongnam Group elders had been brought together by their resolute loyalty toward Kim Seok-Il. They knew their former leader wasn't exactly the nicest human being in the world, but what did that matter? A leader of the organization didn't need to be a nice person, but a capable one.
Director Choi continued to roar. “You! You've made the wrong choice! You think Kang Jin-Ho would allow a mindset like yours in his group?!”
Wiggins cocked an eyebrow. “It sounds like you're mistaken about something here. So, let me clarify it for you. My lord is much more straightforward and unfettered than I am.”
“...What?”
“My lord doesn't see our relationship as one of master-servant contract, okay? Even if I stay for a little while before telling him I'd like to leave, he'll let me go without raising a fuss. Can you even call something like that a contract? In my case, it's far closer to my lord trying to accommodate me as much as he can.”
“W-what are you even...?”
Wiggins dismissively waved his hand. “Sounds like you won't understand even if I keep explaining it to you, especially with that rigid brain of yours. Still, do remember this. There are many different types of organizations in this world. The one you think is right isn't always correct, in other words.”
Director Choi clamped his mouth shut.
Wiggins shrugged again after noticing the confused and chaotic expression on Director Choi's face.
'Hah... It feels like I've turned into a chatterbox today.'
After joining the Assembly, Wiggins hadn't had many opportunities to chat with someone besides Elena. Kang Jin-Ho was never a talkative person, to begin with. Meanwhile, other acquaintances were always occupied with mountains of work.
As Wiggins hadn't received any clear assignment, he was forced to live like a cultivating hermit and stare at a wall for quite some time. Maybe he was talking so much now as an adverse reaction to that experience, or...
“...Or, I've simply become a chatterbox.” Wiggins exaggeratedly swung his longsword around. “Well, it doesn't really matter. Besides, what we need to discuss is this one thing, anyway. Are you going to surrender now? Or get beaten up and writhe in agony on the ground? Your choice.”
“Surrender?” Director Choi smirked in dismay. “Don't make me laugh! There is no such thing as surrender in my vocabulary! Even if we bury our bones here tonight, we will never surrender to the likes of you! If we can't kill you, we'll at least rip off your arm! If we can't even do that... We'll deplete your stamina here, at least!”
“Well, I'll applaud you for your guts, but you sound rather illogical right now. Well, that also doesn't matter. We're all prepared before coming here, after all.” Wiggins leisurely walked up to Director Choi. “However, I should warn you about this little thing. Mister, you... are going to regret your choice soon.”
An odious smirk formed on Wiggins' lips.
***
“Is it finally over?” Elena asked.
“Hmm... It seems that way.”
Elena scanned the collapsed Yeongnam Group people on the ground and frowned deeply. “Dad?”
“Yes?”
“You seem to have gotten weaker.”
Wiggins flinched nastily at that. “Y-you think so? But, uh, I think you got that impression because I didn't use magic with my sword.”
“No, Dad. The past you wouldn't have taken this long to finish these people off.”
“Well, no. The thing is, I took my time and fooled around a bit since there was no rush.”
“Really...?”
“...Of course.” Wiggins coughed softly while avoiding Elena's probing gaze. Even he had to acknowledge that he had gotten a lot weaker than his younger self. For one, he couldn't wield his sword as accurately as he'd liked.
'To think I got weaker after becoming a knight...!'
The criminal level of administrative work he had to take on as a knight must be the culprit for this situation. Even the world's greatest treasure sword would rust and rot away if not polished and taken care of regularly. So, someone as strong as Wiggins would still gradually lose what he had by failing to train himself regularly.
“By the way, Dad?” Elena cautiously asked.
“Mm? What's wrong?”
“Are you sure you're weaker than Mister Jin-Ho?”
Wiggins tilted his head. “Why do you ask?”
“No matter how I look at it, I don't think he's stronger than you, you know?”
“Didn't you tell me never to provoke Kang Jin-Ho?”
Elena furrowed her brow. “Well, back then, I never thought an actual knight would personally come to South Korea, you know? I mean, knights usually don't do such things, right? And I thought any careless approach would set off the nuke called Kang Jin-Ho. If I knew you'd personally come, I might have changed my tune.”
Wiggins smiled contentedly. “Aha. So you were giving me a favorable evaluation, then? I'm grateful, Elena.”
“I'm not giving you a favorable anything, Dad.”
“No, you have. You evaluated me as my lord's equal, after all.” Wiggins nodded contemplatively. Actually, Elena had evaluated Wiggins to be stronger than Kang Jin-Ho, but there was no need to point that out. “I guess it looks that way to you on the surface. My way of combat is... flashier and more diverse than how my lord fights, after all.”
“No, Dad. I'm not basing my evaluation on your flashiness. I'll be honest. I just can't see any opening with you. That's why I thought you couldn't possibly lose to Mister Jin-Ho.”
“I see, I see. I get what you're trying to say.”
“So? What's your answer, Dad?”
Wiggins frowned as if he was thinking about his answer before nodding slightly. “You could say my odds of victory are close to zero.”
“Zero?” Elena's eyes quaked slightly. She did expect her father to exaggerate a bit, but that reply was not within her expectations. Was the gap between Kang Jin-Ho and Wiggins that severe?
“Let's say it'll be a bad match-up for me. Yes, I can resort to various methods to attack my lord, but none of them will damage him. However, I won't be swift enough to evade his sword.”
“...That bad?”
“Well, if we fight now... Hmm, I wonder? Maybe the odds wouldn't be completely zero? If we fight a hundred times, I might eke out a win five... maybe six times? No, no, forget that. I can't win.” Wiggins slowly shook his head.
“If my lord is the same person as back when fighting Sir Vator, then I might have had a chance at winning. A battle is never a sure thing, after all. Being stronger doesn't always guarantee your victory. Your condition on the day and other situational factors could influence the outcome greatly. So, my odds of victory shouldn't be zero, but... Now? Not anymore. My lord has gotten even stronger through his battle with Sir Vator. Actually, he was getting stronger in the middle of the fight itself! The current me can't possibly win against my lord. Besides...”
Wiggins stopped there and chose not to continue.
'He must be getting stronger as we speak, too. As if... He's trying to regain what he had lost.'
The rate of Kang Jin-Ho's strength improving didn't make any logical sense.
The truth about strength was unforgiving. If anyone could get stronger by training hard, no one in the world would be a weakling. However, that did not happen. People didn't grow stronger proportionally to the amount of effort they had put into training, and that only made people even more obsessed about becoming stronger.
As an example, one should consider the situation with pro athletes. Could every athlete become the world's best simply through their effort alone? How far they could go in life through effort alone had already been half-decided before their birth. That was called innate talent. And to make that talent bloom, one had to put in the necessary effort into training.
The crazy thing about Kang Jin-Ho's cultivation was that he shattered the accepted standards of talent and effort. Despite not training all that hard, he was still getting stronger every day with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Such was his rate of improvement that merely watching it from the sideline would send a deathly chill down Wiggins' spine.
“Observing my lord's improvement sometimes leaves me with this empty feeling, Elena,” Wiggins chuckled hollowly. “Even I can't estimate just how much stronger he'd get.”
“Really?” Elena's brows rose up.
“Yes, really. Having observed countless martial artists in my lifetime, I can more or less estimate how much stronger a martial artist might get. But... How should I put this? My lord is beyond my ability to estimate. The truth is, he doesn't have a speck of talent, you see?”
“I'm sorry? Mister Jin-Ho... has no talent?”
“Yes. Basically, he's someone who shouldn't be strong but somehow is. And incredibly strong, to boot. That's why I can't tell just how much stronger he'd get.”
“M-mm...?” Elena tilted her head this way and that after failing to understand her father.
Wiggins gently smiled while studying his daughter's reaction. As she was now, Elena should find this topic difficult to understand.
“In any case, your work here is over, Elena. You should leave this place to me and go.”
“I'm sorry? You're chasing me away?”
Wiggins innocently tilted his head and looked at his daughter. “Yes. Why? Is there something else you must do here?”
Elena faltered slightly. “...No, not really. But, uh...”
“And you need to inform the Chevaliers waiting outside about what happened here. I'm sure they are dying to know what has transpired.”
“Yes, that's... true. Then, what will you do, Dad?”
“I still have things to do here. For now, you should return to the HQ with Chevaliers.”
“Understood. Then, later.” Elena briefly nodded, then headed toward the exit.
Wiggins smiled warmly while watching her leave. And only after her figure had disappeared through the exit did he turn his attention back to his victims.
“Hmmmph...!” Wiggins grandly stretched his limbs, then cracked his neck from side to side. 'Mm... I better start training again. To think moving only this much is enough to make me ache all over...!'
While reflecting on his previous lazy self, Wiggins leisurely walked up to the painfully moaning Director Choi collapsed on the ground. The warm smile on Wiggins' lips disappeared by then as if it was never there to begin with.
Once he reached Director Choi, Wiggins quietly muttered. “Now, then. Get up.”
His voice sounded cold and goosebump-inducing as if someone other than Wiggins had said it.
Director Choi shuddered in fear when that voice entered his hearing.
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