Chapter 1014. Sorting Out (4)
Kang Jin-Ho sucked in the cigar smoke again, then leisurely exhaled it.
The Master curiously asked, “...What do you think? Is it to your liking?”
“Well, it's not exactly my style, but...” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled slightly. “I've never been the type to care about how a cigarette tastes, you see? I guess it's just okay.”
“Ah... I see,” said the Master, his expression cramped.
To think he’d hand over a cigar costing over three hundred dollars each to a man who didn’t know how to appreciate it!
The Master felt a hint of heartburn in his chest just then.
Even heavenly treasures had their destined owners. As a matter of fact, a treasure would be meaningless to someone who didn’t know its true worth.
While being reminded of that painful fact, the Master tried to smile. “First of all, I'd like to thank you for agreeing to meet me, Assembly Master Kang.”
The Master bowed while still sitting down.
He wasn’t just paying lip service here.
Back when the Master visited South Korea, the two men held an... official conference as equals. But the situation had changed rather greatly since then. In less than a few days, the gap in status between the two had widened to an unbelievable degree.
Kang Jin-Ho no longer had any reason to personally speak to the Master. He could've easily let his wishes known through an intermediary, like Wiggins. Even so, he still agreed to a face-to-face chat without a fuss. The Master was genuinely grateful for that.
Kang Jin-Ho relaxedly responded to that show of appreciation with a brief nod.
“Well, then... Assembly Master Kang?” The Master grew somber as he stared straight at Kang Jin-Ho. “I wish to ask you a question if you don’t mind.”
“Sure. Go ahead.”
“Why did you spare me?”
“...” Kang Jin-Ho's gaze became withdrawn, unreadable. “Hmm. I'd appreciate it if you could make your question a little clearer.”
“It's just that I have a hard time understanding your motivation,” said the Master, his gaze not moving an inch away from Kang Jin-Ho's face. “You have succeeded in neutralizing the Round Table. No one here is capable of stopping you now. Even if this organization is an alliance of various countries, having its HQ occupied by an outside force is still a significant development. Wouldn't you agree, sir?”
Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes. “So? What are you saying?”
“If I was you... I’d have exploited this situation by eliminating me and installing Wiggins in my position instead.”
Kang Jin-Ho silently listened while staring back at the Master.
“It doesn’t matter even if others resist since you possess the necessary strength to silence any opposition. This should be the best available option for you.”
Kang Jin-Ho lazily sucked in the cigar smoke. Unlike regular cigarettes, the smoke wafting out of his nostrils and mouth was far thicker and richer.
“Well, at least you know,” Kang Jin-Ho casually replied.
“...”
“However, why are you telling me all this? Are you trying to dig your own grave?”
“It’s because I believe you and Wiggins already know about all this. Yet you still spared me. Meaning, you must have a different plan in mind. And I’d like to know what that plan is.”
“You think I’d tell you?”
“Yes, I do,” the Master replied, unfazed.
Kang Jin-Ho leaned back against the couch. “And why do you think I will?”
“It's because I'm not worthy enough to take part in your scheme,” said the Master. That self-mocking came out of nowhere. “Maybe I could have held a different opinion of myself had I not witnessed what you did here. However, I have. And now, it is impossible for me to not evaluate myself this way.
“It pains me to admit this, but I am not worthy enough to be used as a part of your scheme, Assembly Master Kang.”
Kang Jin-Ho silently glanced at Wiggins, prompting the latter to shrug helplessly and respond. “I told you, my lord, that you’re dealing with a crafty customer.”
“...Your warnings weren’t enough to get me prepared, that’s why,” Kang Jin-Ho sighed deeply.
The Master of the Round Table was willing to lower himself to the pits and grovel. But that attitude was making it so much harder to deal with him. It was unknown if this was a deliberate ploy or purely a coincidence. Regardless of what, though, Kang Jin-Ho had to admit that it was rather effective.
“You really want to know?”
“Yes.”
“My reason's simple. Killing you has more cons than pros."
The Master frowned slightly. “...May I trouble you for a more in-depth explanation?”
“It's as I said,” Kang Jin-Ho replied disinterestedly. “Yeah, I could've done what you said by leaving Wiggins here to rule over the Round Table. And he certainly knows how to wring this place out for all its worth, too.”
Wiggins sheepishly scratched his cheek. “My lord, please don't openly reveal that you see me as a villain. I'll have you know, I'm not a bad person at heart.”
Kang Jin-Ho stared at the Master. “He will, right?”
The Master nodded. “Yes, he most certainly will.”
The two men summarily dismissed Wiggins’ protest without a second’s hesitation.
“However, so what?” Kang Jin-Ho shrugged casually.
“...I don’t follow?”
“I don’t know what you really think about this situation, but to me? The Round Table isn’t worth the trouble. How will ruling over an organization half a world away benefit me? Were you thinking of sending aid or something?”
“...” The Master stared in stupefaction at Kang Jin-Ho.
There was no denying that Kang Jin-Ho used his strength to utterly crush the Round Table. Even if he had done that while the Round Table couldn't properly utilize its combat force, it'd still be foolish to downplay his achievements.
One must not forget that the combined strength of the Elder Knights rivaled or exceeded the total combat power of the Round Table. Since Kang Jin-Ho defeated them all by himself, only a fool would dare underestimate his capabilities now.
That didn't mean the Round Table had suddenly morphed into a pushover, though.
Even in its current form, only a handful of other factions and organizations boasted a similar level of strength as the Round Table. So, for Kang Jin-Ho to say this?
The Master’s pride wasn’t hurt by that claim. He realized this was simply a problem of awareness. Or the lack thereof.
“I... am not sure if I should be defending the Round Table's honor like this, but! Allow me to be honest with you. I cannot fathom why you'd say such a thing. The depths of the Round Table's strength are profound, sir. If it hadn't been for your presence, the Martial Assembly would've never even entertained the idea of assaulting the Round Table.”
“Sure, I get that,” Kang Jin-Ho coolly nodded, not even bothering to reject the notion.
It was true that the Round Table was an aging lion with dull fangs and cracked claws, but the Martial Assembly was also nothing more than a freshly hatched little chick.
The story might be different if Kang Jin-Ho and Co. were given a bit more time to improve the Assembly's situation, but for now? The Korean Martial Assembly still heavily relied on the directors led by Kang Jin-Ho.
Without its Assembly Master accompanying them, the Assembly’s fighters would’ve been utterly and mercilessly wiped out by the Elder Knights. Even if those monstrous ancient warriors weren’t in the picture, would the Assembly’s people be strong enough to break through the Round Table’s defenses? Not likely. No, it’d be impossible.
That might be all true, but the Master still missed the point here.
Kang Jin-Ho tutted. “Even if the Round Table is powerful and all, how will that help us?”
“...I beg your pardon?”
“Does being strong mean you can dispatch a large army to a location on the other side of the planet?”
The Master faltered when he heard that. “Well, that is... Mm...”
The Round Table dispatched the Chevaliers to eliminate Kang Jin-Ho. That was one knight order. A combat force of that scale should have been enough to kill one person.
But the problem with this arrangement was that, once the knight order failed to eliminate the target, the Round Table no longer had another realistic solution to deal with the situation.
Dispatching an even stronger combat force would put too much strain on the Round Table's resources. In a way, this dilemma was similar to what the United States of America was experiencing.
The US of A boasted the world's most powerful army. Even so, the scale of a combat force it could dispatch to fight in a war on the other side of the globe was extremely limited.
The higher the number of soldiers dispatched, the costlier their upkeep would be. And it'd mean fewer soldiers stationed in other parts of the world, potentially leading to an instability in the overall balance.
The same story applied to the Round Table.
The organization called the Round Table was massive in scope. And something as big required a ton of funds to maintain. And this maintenance also required a lot of combat power on top.
Worse still, countless events happening all over the world meant a lot of the Round Table's combatants weren't even present in Europe.
In that kind of situation... Even the Round Table would buckle from the strain if it focused too much of its combat strength in one location. The story wouldn't change much for the foreseeable future even if Wiggins was left in charge.
The Master had an epiphany just then.
‘Ah... I couldn't see this problem because I'm a part of the Round Table.'
What if China or Japan decided to invade South Korea? The best the Round Table could do was select a handful of elites and dispatch them as reinforcements. And then, sit here on the other side of the globe and suck on its thumb while doing nothing of note.
“S-still! Even if we can only dispatch a small number of combatants, they will be some of the best we have.”
Kang Jin-Ho tutted again. “But the issue with that is... You can’t even appoint those elites in the first place.”
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“I beg your pardon?”
“Things would get weird for you if you were to pick just two, maybe three, people from each country, right?”
“...!” The Master reflexively nodded away.
Kang Jin-Ho had pointed out the Round Table's fundamental issue.
The Round Table was a coalition of various European nations. At least the Knights at the top were open to dialogue and tried their best to be reasonable. However, expecting the same mindset from the knight orders and regular soldiers was asking for a miracle.
Combatants from various nations coming together would always birth various problems.
“Neighboring countries” didn't mean amiable relationships, after all. Since times immemorial, countries in close proximity never saw eye to eye. They fought countless wars throughout history, which fostered deep-seated grudges and bad blood.
Unsurprisingly, having more soldiers led to worse effectiveness. That was why the Round Table resorted to dispatching a combat force with members from one nation.
In that case, what if the Round Table picked the elites from several different countries, like what Kang Jin-Ho said? Without a doubt, these warriors wouldn't be able to display their full might. After all, they would implode first even before they had a chance to fight!
Imagine what might happen if a coalition force consisting of South Korea, China, and Japan refused to work together. It'd be easy enough to picture the potential chaos.
To make matters worse, martial artists were several times more proud than ordinary soldiers. Of course, “pride” was putting things nicely. The correct terms would be more in the camps of “arrogant” and “self-righteous.”
“...I now understand what you mean,” the Master muttered while nodding away in agreement. He wanted to refute Kang Jin-Ho's evaluation, but it was too accurate for him to do anything. “Even though you are right, sir... The Round Table's worth doesn't just lie in its military strength.
“The information network we have in place throughout the world, not to mention our relationships with other agencies and governments, and our financial wherewithal will easily exceed your expectations.”
“Sure. But Wiggins isn’t the only person who can look after such things, right?”
“...”
“Right?” Kang Jin-Ho grinned brightly. He was implying that the Master would do that job for him.
The Master gravely studied Kang Jin-Ho's expression. That certainly was a smile, but... The Master had a strong hunch that if he said no right now, that smile would disappear instantly.
‘The only thing missing here is a threatening knife, huh...’
The Master grimaced subtly.
Kang Jin-Ho didn’t even need to raise the volume of his voice or even emit some of his incredible aura. His previous demonstration alone was enough to oppress the Master, after all!
The Master had already witnessed how cruel and excessively violent Kang Jin-Ho would get once he decided to get involved. Which meant...
“...Assembly Master Kang,” the Master bit his lower lip before breaking his silence. “What you're saying is that you want full cooperation from me and the Round Table. Am I correct?”
“Well, sure. That would be nice,” Kang Jin-Ho nonchalantly nodded.
“Then...” The Master sucked in a deep breath. “What will you do if I refuse your demand?”
What a dumb question that was. The Master already knew what the reply would be, after all. Even so, he needed to hear it. He needed to hear what Kang Jin-Ho would say.
The Master felt like he had just placed his head inside the mouth of a drooling tiger!
As if to mock his determination, however, the reply he got was completely outside of his expectations.
Kang Jin-Ho nonchalantly replied, “I’m not planning to do anything, though?”
“...?” The Master blinked in stupefaction and stared at Kang Jin-Ho. What was this man even talking about? Not planning to do anything? What did that even mean? “T-then, what will you do?”
“We’ll have to go back home,” Kang Jin-Ho grunted in disinterest before leaning against the couch.
The Master’s jaw fell. “T-then, why did you even come here?”
Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Wiggins, prompting the latter to reply while making a weird face. “Excuse me, Master?”
“Y-yes?”
“Please don't misunderstand what I'm about to say. I'm pretty sure you'll think it's completely ridiculous and inconceivable, but this is the truth.”
“Stop beating around the bush and tell me, Wiggins!”
Wiggins sighed. “My lord... He only came to Europe to resolve my grudge. That’s it.”
“Your... grudge?”
“Yes. He said he’d punch the living daylights out of Knight Leveaux.”
“...”
The Master remained slack-jawed as he alternated his gaze between Wiggins and Kang Jin-Ho. Eventually, though, he blurted out something he shouldn’t have.
“Are you completely insane?!”
Wiggins frowned deeply. “But... That's supposed to be a secret, though...?”
“...!”
These bastards, they are... They are genuinely nuts!
Without a doubt!