There was a child here. A young child.
The Master silently stared at this young child. This boy held a small wooden sword in one hand and a staff in the other.
-You're being unreasonable, boy.
-That is not achievable by human means.
Someone tried to take away the wooden sword and staff from the boy. However, he vehemently resisted by swinging around his tiny hands. When he did that, fewer and fewer faceless people tried to take the boy's weapons away.
Eventually, only one figure remained, and it addressed the boy.
-It will get difficult for you.
-The path you will walk on is undoubtedly harsh and unforgiving.
-There is an easier path. In that case, why do you persist with this difficult path?
The boy raised his head and smiled brightly. His smile, so pure and innocent...
"Why? Because it looks cool!"
The Master's eyes stung. Light was flooding in from somewhere. He reflexively raised his hand to shield his eyes.
His consciousness was slowly but surely returning to him.
The first thing he felt was a dull pain. It felt like every joint in his body was misaligned and creaking.
'That is horrifying...'
Rather than the joy of still being alive, the pained screams coming from various parts of his body invaded his consciousness far more urgently.
"You're awake," said a familiar voice coming from the bedside. It belonged to Wiggins.
The Master calmly replied, "...I'm not sure if waking up is a blessing or not."
"It's not as bad as you make it out to be, Master. You only briefly lost consciousness, after all."
"If that is true... Then, why does it feel like my body is about to break down into pieces?" The Master grunted, then slowly pushed his upper torso up while rubbing his eyes. R
The surroundings seemed somewhat familiar.
'Am I back in the hotel suite?'
It seemed he was in the suite his entourage had booked. The Master was grateful for not waking up in some hospital room or worse, inside the Assembly HQ. Advertising his pathetic side everywhere would've been too humiliating for him to handle, after all!
'For sure, it's such a shame to lose Wiggins to the Assembly. Considering how good he is at his job...'
The Master silently glanced at Wiggins sitting near the bed.
"You should take care, Master. Your body hasn't healed fully yet."
"Didn't you say I lost my consciousness only briefly? It sounds like you're changing your story already."
"That's what I've been told about demonic qi, unfortunately. Apparently, once it burrows into a person's body, demonic qi doesn't leave any outward wounds but causes significant internal injuries. Getting a thorough medical examination will not reveal anything, but the victim's life force will still continue to weaken until they die."
The Master cocked an eyebrow. "...Does that mean I'm dying as we speak?"
"I don't think that's the case, Master. I'm simply informing you of how demonic qi works. Besides, my lord isn't the type to patiently wait for someone to die that slowly."
If Kang Jin-Ho wanted someone dead, he'd have already cracked their skull open!
Wiggins held back the last part of his explanation. He figured there was no need to bring it up.
The Master wasn't a moron, so he should know that the only reason he was still breathing like this was thanks to Kang Jin-Ho's mercy. Of course, obnoxiously pointing out stuff like that was uncalled for in this situation.
The Master pensively muttered, "I see. So, this means I was beaten, then?"
"That's a bit of a surprise," Wiggins grinned brightly. "Don't tell me you were hoping for a famous win."
"No one can predict the future, Wiggins," The Master replied while pushing away the blanket. He staggered a little while getting off the bed, then gingerly headed to the nearest couch. "You can never truly predict what will happen during a fierce battle."
"Mm...!"
"Even if the odds of victory is a thousand to one, or even a million to one... Who can be sure that Lady Luck won't sing for you today? At this very moment? Miracles happen often enough in this world, Wiggins. And there is no guarantee that another miracle won't happen here."
Wiggins silently nodded away. That argument might sound far-fetched, but was it really when it came out of the Master's mouth?
"Resigning yourself to defeat just because you fall behind in terms of strength is a wrong attitude for a martial artist, Wiggins. In other words, even if you're about to fight an opponent you'd lose nine hundred ninety-nine times out of a thousand, you must still never let your guard down. Only then are you qualified to be called a true martial artist."
Wiggins was genuinely impressed just then.
What an obvious thing to say that was. Countless people would proudly yap about stuff like that. However, you could scour the entire world and still not find many who were willing to take what they knew and put it into practice.
Wiggins curiously asked, "Then, did you think you stood a chance of victory?"
"Of course not."
"...I beg your pardon?"
"This is what humans are like, now isn't it? No one can perfectly explain their decisions. Isn't that why we have dedicated people studying human behaviors to figure out why we do certain things? However, even after centuries of efforts from various great scholars, we still haven't gotten close to figuring out what compels humans to make certain decisions."
"Yes, that is true."
"So, you shouldn't think that you know the answer," the Master cackled slightly loudly. "After all, the honest truth is that no one knows why we behave this way. Why we make these decisions. Even worse... People themselves don't understand why we are like this, making such choices."
Wiggins sighed grandly. "Master... I only wanted to know what made you do that."
"I'd also like to know," said the Master while leaning back against the couch.
Result-wise, there was no doubt that the Master's decision to fight Kang Jin-Ho was a reckless move. Such behavior should never have come from the man occupying the role of the Master of the Round Table.
Even though he perfectly understood that, the Master still chose to fight Kang Jin-Ho. He could think of many reasons for making this choice. Competitive streak, securing benefits, and also...
'...And jealousy, too.'
The Master didn't feel jealous of the newer, younger suns rising up. He lived in a far too different world to feel that kind of emotion from them, after all. If he saw a new young blood rising through the ranks, the Master would most likely watch this spectacle like a content grandfather.
However, Kang Jin-Ho was different. First of all, he wasn't a youngster.
Once upon a time, the Master was also a sun radiating so blindingly in the heavens, just like Kang Jin-Ho. In those days, the Master wouldn't have felt such a petty thing as jealousy at Kang Jin-Ho.
However, the Master was the setting sun now. On the other hand, Kang Jin-Ho was still high up in the heavens, still radiating brilliantly as ever. That was where his jealousy stemmed from.
However, this jealousy was still not quite enough to completely explain away the Master's behavior.
'Maybe I... I was searching for something.'
And that something could have been an escape path that might drastically alter the situation the Master was trapped in.
"So..." Wiggins cautiously asked, "Are you feeling better now, Master?"
A faint smirk etched on the Master's lips.
'This is why I can never hate you, Wiggins.'
Obviously, Wiggins had no idea what compelled the Master to behave this way. Maybe he wouldn't have been able to understand even if he knew. However, he still asked a question that accurately went to the core of the issue.
"Wiggins, how could you ask a victim of a beating that question? It seems you need to take a long, hard look at yourself," the Master playfully scolded Wiggins.
"Well, one of the things life has taught me is that..."
"Mm?"
"Sometimes, a complete and utter defeat will feel better than a messy victory."
"Hah..." The Master stared in dismay at Wiggins before chuckling helplessly. "Yes, that might be true. Maybe... Yes, indeed. That could be."
The Master began tapping his knee with his fingertips. Wiggins didn't say anything and silently waited for the Master to finish organizing his thoughts.
A short while later, the Master glanced at Wiggins and broke the silence. "Well, then."
"Yes?"
"Why don't we get to the main topic? The one you've been dying to talk to me about?"
"..."
The Master casually shrugged. "I'm sure you didn't wait for me to wake up just to confirm my well-being. So? What do you wish to tell me?"
"Master, I..."
"Look here, Wiggins."
Wiggins subtly raised his head to look away.
However, the Master still locked his gaze on Wiggins' face. "You know me too well, Wiggins. And I know you just as well, too. So, let us not waste each other's time with unnecessary small talk. Aren't we both very busy men?"
"...If you insist," Wiggins sighed deeply. "I only wanted to ask one question, anyway. What will you do now, Master?"
"What will I do...?"
What a vague question that was. Even so, this vagueness still couldn't disguise the crux of the question. Wiggins was demanding to know what the Master would do about South Korea once he returned to Britain.
"What will you do if my replies are not in your favor?"
"Master..." Wiggins stared contemplatively at the Master. "As you've alluded to, yes, I know you too well. And I also know that your individual actions are completely unrelated to what the Round Table would decide to do."
"Hmm...!"
"If you were to mobilize the Round Table, I'm certain you'd deploy all the available combat personnel."
"Yes, I would."
"That story probably won't change much even if you had died in this place. If I'm being honest..." Wiggins muttered, his gaze getting sharper and sharper. "I'd prefer to handle the Round Table without you around to guide it."
The atmosphere in the room rapidly froze up.