Descent of the Demon Master
Chapter 1114. Intimidating (4)

Chapter 1114. Intimidating (4)

“Urghhh...!”

Lee Hyeon-Su grandly stretched his limbs and yawned.

‘Well, I’m done with today’s work, so...’

He quietly scanned the neatly organized piles of documents.

‘For sure, being here has helped me.’

He finally understood why Wiggins insisted on dispatching him here. Lee Hyeon-Su didn’t want to admit it, but working so closely within the Round Table’s system had been an invaluable experience so far.

Being here helped him come up with ideas on how to manage the Martial Assembly later on.

“Hmm...”

Lee Hyeon-Su pulled out his phone.

-Hello?

“Hey. How are things on your side?”

-Isn’t it obvious? We’re dying over here, of course.

Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled wryly. The person on the phone was Lee Hyeon-Ju.

-We didn’t have much to worry about when the Assembly Master was still around, but with his absence, we’re now inundated with all sorts of problems.

“I see. Hang in there for a bit longer. Folks should be back from the training soon.”

-I know. If it weren’t for that, I’d have already resigned and run away to somewhere far away, you know! We should be fine for three, maybe four days, so don’t worry about us.

“Me, worry? Never. When there’s someone super reliable subbing for me over on that side?”

He heard Lee Hyeon-Ju’s pained groan.

-That's the story over here, but what about you? How are things on that side?

“I’ve learned so many new things I want to implement later on with the Assembly. Looks like we’ll be kept busy for a while once I return.”

Even now, Lee Hyeon-Su adjusted the Martial Assembly's system bit by bit every day after work, but none of those qualified as a major overhaul. He figured they should time the system overhaul to coincide with the triumphant return of the trainees from Jaegyeong's education program.

‘It’s been like this every single time, hasn’t it?’

Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled helplessly. This was how life was supposed to be, though, now wasn't it?

By changing a little here and there, and repeating that process over and over again, people would eventually mature and move forward with their lives. Sometimes, you'd stray into the wrong path and retread your steps.

Regardless of what, though, you'd still be maturing as a person in the end.

It was just that Lee Hyeon-Su would most likely get ground to fine dust by the responsibilities associated with that change.

-Keep doing your best.

“Yeah, I will.”

-Oh, and I heard there are plenty of pretty blondes on that side. Do anything dumb, and I'm going to yank your head off. Remember that, okay?

“...”

-I’m hanging up now. It’s still hectic on this side, after all.

“Y-yes, ma’am.”

Lee Hyeon-Su ended the call as a cramped smile formed on his face. He couldn’t even go outside, so where and how would he even run into plenty of pretty blondes?

‘Oh, hang on. There is one here, isn’t it?’

The face of the Master’s personal secretary suddenly popped up in Lee Hyeon-Su’s mind.

‘N-no, wait. Let’s not even think about her!’

Even though he knew death could come for him at any second, he'd still dearly love to avoid the fate of getting his head pulled clean off by Lee Hyeon-Ju!

‘I mean, it didn’t sound like a joke, so...’

Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled helplessly again, then got up.

“Mm...!”

He still had lots of things to do. Although the work the Master had assigned to him was dealt with, Lee Hyeon-Su didn’t come here to merely do that and relax till the end of the day. Nothing would change by doing that, after all!

He should use his spare time to analyze the overall situation of the Round Table.

If there was something he could get out of this place, he should aggressively pursue it.

Like a kid obsessively licking the popsicle stick even after finishing the ice cream, Lee Hyeon-Su thoroughly analyzed the Round Table over and over again.

‘After all, this is an alliance, nothing more.’

In an alliance, the parties involved worked together. They might be allies, but being a family was out of the question. Things could go wrong, and parties could have a falling out at any given moment in an alliance.

For example, the Martial Assembly was supposed to be in an “alliance” of sorts with the Crimson King’s faction. But who would let their guard down because they had signed some pieces of paper?

A strategist like him must prepare for all eventualities.

Lee Hyeon-Su had even considered the possibility of the Master betraying the Assembly. His job was to produce the best-possible outcome even in such a situation.

As such, he should learn as much as possible when given the opportunity to analyze and dissect information on the Round Table.

‘Still, what an astronomical number this is.’

The deeper he looked, the more surprised Lee Hyeon-Su got.

The Round Table's financial muscle surpassed the Martial Assembly's so much that comparing the two would be a total waste of his time. Although, that probably shouldn't have surprised him.

The Martial Assembly was still a new faction, after all, that hadn’t even been around for fifty years. And it had only been thirty years since the organization began butting into the matters of the surface world in earnest. So, it should be commended for amassing wealth that rivaled most large corporations in such a short time.

On the other hand, the Round Table's history stretched well past a thousand years, and then some!

“Connections to one’s government are crucial, then.”

The Round Table owned several business entities. However, they were registered under different people on the surface world. Such a thing wouldn’t have been possible without the assistance from various nations and even the European Union.

Just like the Martial Assembly, the Round Table enjoyed an intimate relationship with the outside world and its movers and shakers. Lee Hyeon-Su had been a believer of strictly separating the martial world from the surface world, so finding out that that boundary was almost as good as non-existent in other parts of the world made him feel rather stupid.

‘Lee Hyeon-Ju did a good thing.’

If she hadn't recommended the legalization of the Martial Assembly, the organization would have been stuck in the same rut, going nowhere fast. Or, maybe it could be scrambling madly in order to try something by now.

Knowing he had reliable, dependable allies to fall back on filled him up with a warm, fuzzy feeling.

His reminiscence was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door. Lee Hyeon-Su glanced at the doorway. “Come in.”

The Master’s secretary smartly stepped inside, and Lee Hyeon-Su reflexively broke into a bright smile at the sight of her long platinum-blonde hair.

‘...! Oopsie! I mustn’t smile.’

His head might get pulled clean off, after all!

“Mister Lee? The Master of the Round Table was looking for you,” said the secretary with a small bow.

“Oh. Is his training already finished?”

“I do not know. I only received his command to bring you over, you see.”

“I see. Then, please wait a bit.”

Lee Hyeon-Su returned to the desk and began wrapping up the work on the computer. After turning the device off, he got up to leave.

“Where to?”

“Allow me to guide you,” said the secretary.

“Huh? You don’t have to, you know...?”

“No, it’s a part of my job, sir,” the secretary smiled gently, then took the lead.

‘Haaah. Well, this is a bit...’

He should not be feeling this way, though! Lee Hyeon-Su forcibly suppressed a fatherly smile from breaking out on his face.

Was he smiling because a beautiful woman was accompanying him? No, it wasn’t that.

‘I mean, this is how I should have been treated all along.’

Lee Hyeon-Su was undoubtedly an important asset, a high-ranking officer, of the Martial Assembly. Since he was an important executive from an influential organization like the Martial Assembly, shouldn’t he be treated as a VIP, too?

‘I mean, let’s be brutally honest, okay?’

Lee Hyeon-Su’s importance and influence within the Martial Assembly easily surpassed the Knights’ within the Round Table. But the Assembly’s treatment toward him was considerably poorer than what the Knights got from the Round Table.

However, that was not the case in this place.

The Round Table definitely treated Lee Hyeon-Su as someone important. Sure, this organization hadn't treated him like a top VIP, but the overall attitude still conveyed their utmost respect toward him. And how cautious they were around him, too!

By now, he got used to being punted around by his “subordinates” due to mountains of work back in the Assembly and also by his superiors due to their bizarre personalities. So, even a small gesture of consideration was enough to rouse a smile of satisfaction from the poor Lee Hyeon-Su!

‘It’s not like I’m expecting my own private plane, you know. And I’m not even asking for billions in my wages, either!’

Knights received such benefits as par for the course. Obviously, the difference in the financial situation between the two organizations meant Lee Hyeon-Su couldn't demand such benefits for himself, but still! Shouldn't the Assembly at least help him out with a company car?! Just one measly car!

He wasn’t even asking for a chauffeur-driven limo, either. Just a regular car would do!

“Tsk...” Lee Hyeon-Su subconsciously tutted away.

The secretary glanced back at him. “Is there a problem, Mister Lee?”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing,” Lee Hyeon-Su replied with a wry smile. “Uhm, excuse me? Sorry about this, but can you tell me your name?”

“It’s Michelle.”

“Oh. Is it a Miss?”

“Just Michelle is fine.”

“Okay. Will do, Michelle.” Lee Hyeon-Su smiled awkwardly.

Even though he had been working right next to her for a while, this was the first time he heard her name. Some part of the blame lay with how busy he was, but the truth leaned far closer to him not being all that interested until now.

“Excuse me, Michelle... Are you also a martial artist?”

Michelle looked a little surprised by that question. “Yes, I am. You didn’t know?”

“Oh, uh, yes. My realm as a martial artist is at rock-bottom, you see...”

“Yes, I am. I have to be, since it’s a part of my job to protect the Master in times of crisis.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Although the notion of protecting the Master with my meager skills is rather laughable, you can never tell what might happen in this day and age.”

“I totally agree with you.”

This was the reason why Lee Hyeon-Su also placed guards around Kang Jin-Ho.

The strong didn't necessarily win every time in the modern era. In fact, the weak could employ various schemes to plunge the strong into moments of deadly crises.

By having a wall of competent people around you, at least you’d stand a decent chance of emerging unscathed from such moments.

Michelle suddenly said, “I’m grateful to you, Mister Lee.”

“I’m sorry?”

“The Master's job has gotten considerably easier after your arrival. I can only imagine you're one of the most competent persons in existence.”

“Ahaha. You’re being too generous, Michelle.”

Lee Hyeon-Su guffawed happily away.

‘Yes, praise me some more. Praise me!’

Koreans were strangers to compliments and praises. As if they were suffering from a mysterious phenomenon where praising other people burned their mouths or some such, it was extremely uncommon to hear Koreans praising you for a job well done.

However, people on this side of the globe were far more honest in expressing their sentiments. And that was why Lee Hyeon-Su could enjoy these small moments of luxury.

“What puzzles me, though, is how competent you are, Mister Lee. I can’t quite understand why someone as competent as you would come to the Round Table to learn more about management.”

“That’s because my specialty is something else, you see?”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes,” Lee Hyeon-Su coolly nodded. “I’ve learned quite a lot by being here.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

That was when Lee Hyeon-Su abruptly realized they had walked quite some distance already.

‘How can an underground space be this huge?’

Only through the Round Table’s considerable wealth could such a space be constructed. If the Assembly were to start a construction project of a similar scale... It’d probably focus only on that project, unable to do anything else, for a good few years.

Such was the vastness of this underground space that Lee Hyeon-Su still couldn't go anywhere in the Round Table without a guide. Worse still, thanks to the unique nature of underground space, it was hard to figure out where he was.

Michelle glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

Lee Hyeon-Su nodded. “Sure, go ahead.”

“What kind of a person is Mister Kang, your Assembly Master?”

“Eh, well...” Lee Hyeon-Su scratched his head. “That’s a tricky question to answer, unfortunately. It’s difficult to define him one way or the other, you see?”

“I thought you’ve been serving him for a long time, though?”

“Not at all. It hasn’t been that long. I’d say less than a year, actually.”

“Really? But you two seemed very close?”

“Well, yes. Time spent together isn't that important, you see. You don't have to have worked together for long to start trusting each other.”

Michelle smiled brightly. “I see. I'm also pretty new to this job, as a secretary serving the Master.”

“Oh, I didn’t know.”

“Still, my opinion is slightly different from yours.”

“What do you mean?”

Michelle coolly shrugged. “I still think that time plays an important factor in people's trust. Certainly, trust can be earned or lost depending on people's disposition. However, knowing how much someone has dedicated their time for you should be just as important, in my opinion. In that sense, I think the Master doesn’t trust me enough just yet.”

“Mm...” Lee Hyeon-Su rubbed his chin. He wanted to say she was wrong, but disagreeing with her now would be against etiquette. “I’m sure time can solve that, as you say.”

“I hope so. Ah, we’ve arrived.”

“Oh...”

Michelle stood near the wall of the corridor and pointed toward a large doorway. Lee Hyeon-Su didn't recognize this place.

“Where are we?”

“It’s a lounge, sir. Please head inside.”

“Oh, of course...?” Lee Hyeon-Su tilted his head slightly while approaching the doorway. The Master had never summoned him to a lounge before, so why now?

Just as he opened the door, though, he felt a powerful force suddenly shoving him forward, not giving him enough time to confirm the situation inside.

“Huhk?!”

Bang!

The loud noise of the door slamming shut came from behind him. Lee Hyeon-Su instinctively realized something was wrong and hurriedly looked up.

“...!”

That was when he spotted a Knight who could be described as someone familiar or a total stranger depending on the situation.

Knight Kramer smiled brightly back at Lee Hyeon-Su.

Lee Hyeon-Su slowly looked behind him. “Uhm, excuse me... Michelle?”

She shook her head. “It’s a shame, really. If only I had more time, I could have earned the Master's full trust, but that will have to stop here.”

“Hah, haha...” Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled awkwardly. His situation didn’t seem good at all.

Kramer growled. “So, you’re Hyeon-Su Lee?”

“Aha, yes. We meet again, Sir Kramer.” Lee Hyeon-Su politely smiled.

“Hoh? Aren’t you more polite now? Why aren’t you as forthright and insolent as during the meeting?”

“...Can I?”

“Obviously not.”

“...”

Kramer smirked deeply. “The soundproofing of this place is top-notch. So, you can resist all you want. We’re here to take you with us, you see? So, why don’t we start by sewing your mouth shut?”

Kramer shot up to his feet, then began striding toward Lee Hyeon-Su.