Descent of the Demon Master

“What's the situation?”

“It's obvious, innit? I mean… No one's gonna come this way, anyway.”

“Watch what you say, bro. You’ll get into deep sh*t if one of Knight Leveaux’s people hears you.”

“Goddamn baguette-eating bastards…!”

Kendrick could only groan while glancing at Wilshere gritting his teeth away.

‘It’s not like I don’t understand his sentiment, but…’

Dissatisfaction among the Round Table's agents was running rampant right now. And its source could be traced back to the start of an unreasonably taxing guard duty for everyone here.

The area surrounding the Round Table's HQ was a dense forest meant to give off the impression that nothing but ancient trees existed here. Unless the visitor was specifically coming to the HQ, they would never guess that the base of a powerful organization existed in such a verdant forest. After all, believing that something man-made existed inside a seemingly uninhabited forest would be the domain of a nutjob, now wouldn't it?

First of all, there was poor visibility to contend with. The excessively dense foliage pretty much blocked the view in every direction. Without traveling on the road specifically constructed by the Round Table, one wouldn't even be able to guess where they were going.

Any enemy with a functioning brain would never go through the dense forest to invade the Round Table. So, for Kendrick and his pals to stand guard like this?

‘Fine. I don’t mind that. But…!’

Increasing security was all good and well. The Round Table was at one of its most vulnerable points in history right now, and everyone here should know that.

However, it was still difficult to accept an unreasonable order that forced this many people to guard the impossibly dense forest. What a primitive way of doing things this was, throwing bodies at a problem since no one could see anything! Quite literally!

Worse still, the one who issued this dumb order was…

“...Why do we have to listen to that idiot French bastard, anyway?” Wilshere grunted in irritation, prompting Kendrick to reflexively nod away. Even though he knew he shouldn't do that!

Of course, the one who issued this order was ostensibly Knight Chadwick. However, nobody here was dumb enough to believe that. They all knew who really was responsible for this unreasonableness.

‘A stinking Frenchman is busy ordering us Brits around, huh?’

All these guards might be agents of the Round Table, but the one holding the authority to command them was Britain’s representative Knight, not the organization itself.

The representative Knight position was filled by the candidate voted by these agents. And the Round Table worked as a mediator, a middleman of sorts, to connect Knights from different nations. And once the members of the Round Table reached a consensus, Knights carried out the group’s will.

Simply put, the Round Table couldn't issue direct orders to these agents, at least in principle.

Of course, something similar to this situation had happened in the past. There were times when the Round Table would ignore the chain of command and directly issue commands to the agents. However, the opposition to the deviation from the norm wasn't as severe or noticeable back then.

The reason was simple enough to understand, though. The Master back then was also a Brit, like everyone here. And before taking on the mantle of the Master, he was also Britain's representative Knight. In fact, he was Wiggins’ predecessor, wasn't he?

Even before these agents had joined the Round Table, the Master was the proud British Knight. So, to these agents, heeding his orders was par for the course. They felt no repulsion at all.

However, the circumstances had changed radically in the last few days.

‘Besides, that man, Leveaux? He isn't even the official Master of the Round Table!’

Kendrick furrowed his brow. He didn’t even want to think about it as doing so irritated him to no end, but… But he was still prepared to force himself to understand the orders if Knight Leveaux was the official Master. The decisions made by the collective were also the decisions the agents “made,” now weren’t they?

It was the same principle as an EU member nation abiding by the decision made by the EU's parliament, even if it didn't like the outcome. A nation like that had little choice but to do so.

Of course, this wasn’t something a man from England, a country that left the EU because it didn’t like those decisions, should be saying. Still, shouldn’t he try his best to abide by the decisions as long as he was an agent of the organization?

However, Knight Leveaux was not the Master yet. He was merely one of the Knights representing his country. In that case, why should these agents follow that man’s orders?

Wilshere grumbled again. “Just what is Knight Chadwick even thinking?”

“...I told you to watch what you say, didn’t I?”

“But, bro! Look at this situation!”

Kendrick sighed again. He might be trying to talk down his friend, but his sentiments weren’t all that different, now weren’t they?

“Everyone here knows the real Master has been detained against his will, right?! However, look at us! Instead of rescuing him, we gotta strengthen the security to prevent some unknown parties from attempting a rescue?! How the hell does that even make sense!” Wilshere angrily spat out.

Kendrick slowly shook his head. “I’m sure Knight Chadwick knows what he’s doing.”

“Really? Then, what is he doing? Busy licking that French bastard’s shoes?!”

“I told you to watch your mouth, Wilshere.”

“...Goddamn it! If… If Knight Wiggins was still around! He’d never allow such nonsense in the first place! With him around, the Master would’ve never been kicked out of his position, too!”

This time, Kendrick chose not to respond. But inwardly? He thought Wilshere was completely correct. Knight Wiggins would have been…

‘...Even though he's a traitor.’

Knight Wiggins was nothing more than a traitor to his people and country. If that man possessed even a modicum of patriotism for his mother nation, he wouldn't have chosen the wicked option of forsaking the Round Table and England and then joining some minor nation in East Asia!

Even so, Kendrick had to agree with his friend here.

If Wiggins, not Chadwick, was Britain's representative Knight, the current situation would've never come to be. Even if he couldn't stop the Master's impeachment, Wiggins at least would have prevented Knight Leveaux from wielding Britain's combat force like his own plaything!

‘Dammit. Just what is Knight Chadwick even thinking?’

Was he seriously planning to submit to Knight Leveaux?

Kendrick chewed on his lips. This wasn't a matter solvable through rational thinking.

People of France would always be… difficult to get along with for a Brit. One could argue that, in this age of global unity and integration, such trivial emotions shouldn’t lead to international friction, but… But what could Kendrick do when his heart didn’t want to accept it despite his head telling it to?

‘So… If Knight Leveaux does become the next Master, we must follow his orders without question, right?’

What a horrifying prospect that was.

Kendrick leaned against the nearest tree. His thoughts were too chaotic to focus on this meaningless guard duty.

‘Since when did things start to go wrong like this?’

Even though Kendrick tried not to, his mind kept wandering back to the topic of Knight… No, the former Knight, Wiggins!

If only Wiggins hadn't abandoned the Round Table! This situation would've never happened in the first place. Everyone assumed that once the Master retired and relinquished his position, Knight Wiggins would naturally take over, after all!

The result of losing the tacitly confirmed successor led to the Master also losing his grip on the Round Table. In other words, all these crises could be traced back to that starting point!

Wilshere grumbled again. “Dammit! That bastard is obviously trying to punk us by making us stand here doing nothing!”

Kendrick groaned. “Bro, keep it down, okay? Please.”

“I'm not saying anything wrong, though! Let's be real here, okay? Just who in their right mind would invade the Round Table? Sure, fine. This place needs people to guard the perimeters. I get that. But how does it make sense to deploy every available personnel but not give them enough time to get some rest?!”

“…”

“If Leveaux was a Brit, I'd have reported him to the employment tribunal for workplace harassment!”

“...Bro. It’ll be over by tomorrow, okay?”

“That is exactly why I’m holding back, okay! If that bastard had told us to do this for two more days? I’m telling you, I’d just forget about it and go home!”

‘How nice if we could do that, though…’

Kendrick wryly grinned. Obviously, going against the orders and heading home was out of the question. After all, the Round Table was not an organization operated in a more… modern mindset. Ideals and rules applicable to regular companies or organizations meant nothing in the Round Table!

Being absent without proper authorization would have been grounds for immediate dismissal in most companies. However, such a thing in the martial world meant one would have to risk their life.

Wilshere obviously knew this yet still complained bitterly away. It could only mean his dissatisfaction had reached a boiling point. And he was probably not the only one feeling this way.

The guards gathering up during brief breaks hardly conversed with one another. They were trying to hold back since nobody wanted to open a floodgate of complaints. They knew that even the smallest verbal spark could lead to a bad outcome for them.

“Anyways… Not much time till our shift ends, so hold on for a bit longer, okay?” Kendrick sighed and spoke to his friend.

“That's not gonna help! We only get one-hour breaks, anyway! Bloody hell…! I haven't slept in three days, man. Three days of nonstop work! We might be martial artists, but shouldn't the higher-ups still give us enough time to recover?”

“...You’ll get plenty of time to sleep tomorrow.”

“Kendrick, you… You’ve been siding with the higher-ups for a while now, you know that? Did they speak to you on the side or something?”

“Hey, you dumbass. Get a grip, okay?”

“Tsk…” Wilshere unhappily shook his head while turning around to leave.

Kendrick groaned softly at this sight.

‘There is no way the situation is great for us.’

It wasn't as if Kendrick couldn't understand why Knight Chadwick chose this option. Chadwick siding with Leveaux alone would not have been enough to impeach the Master. No, they would've required other Knights to agree. In other words, the tide had already turned against the Master by the time the Knights voted to impeach him.

The Round Table should already have been in Knight Leveaux's palm even before the Master got impeached. That seemed like the logical chain of events. In that case, it would have been a terrible idea for Chadwick to be at odds with Knight Leveaux.

After all, the head of an organization should never let their pride and emotions control him!

Kendrick understood all that. Yes, he did. Even then…

‘I guess I’m still an immature brat, then.’

His head might understand everything, but his heart still refused to. If it was up to his emotions, Kendrick would’ve much preferred to see Knight Chadwick be a man and raise the flag of opposition!

Doing so could have resulted in the worst imaginable outcome for Britain at large, but… But, at least Kendrick and others would not be suffering from this sticky feeling of helplessness and defeat!

‘Just one more day. That’s it!’

Once they navigated past one more day, everything should settle down. Then, maybe things could…

Just as Kendrick’s thoughts reached that far…!

Hiss, crackle!

His walkie-talkie suddenly spat out unpleasantly sharp noises.

Kendrick sobered up instantly. “What was that?!”

Most of the time, agents contacted each other through their phones. That was because everyone agreed to use the radios only for emergency situations. So, this couldn't be a prank from one of Kendrick's colleagues…!

-This is Falcon Seven!

Where was that agent’s location, again? Kendrick hurriedly searched through the map of the area he had memorized earlier. Falcon Seven should be assigned to a spot furthest to the left from here.

-Some people are approaching. I have not confirmed the identities of the approaching individuals yet.

“...Someone’s approaching?” Kendrick’s eyes grew wider.

His watch said the time was three o'clock in the morning. Even if the guard reporting in was stationed by the edge of the forest, it'd still be unthinkable for regular people to approach that location in the dead of the night!

‘Could they be a group of lost mountain trekkers?’

That could be one of the possibilities. However, that possibility was quickly snuffed out by the next radio call.

-I count many individuals! Their approach speed is abnormally fast! I'm moving to intercept!

Kendrick gripped the walkie-talkie tighter and pressed the call button. “Guards in the nearest positions! Go provide backup to Falcon Seven, now! Other posts, be on standby!”

-Roger!

As the walkie-talkie hissed and crackled again, Kendrick’s heart began racing.

‘Enemies?’

That was the only logical conclusion that fit the situation. Several individuals moving deeper into a seemingly uninhabited forest in the middle of the night? And at an abnormal speed, too?

No matter how Kendrick tried to analyze this development, it could mean only one thing. These unknown individuals must be aiming for the Round Table!

However, who would do that? Who in their right minds would target the Round Table in the middle of England? No one dared to raid the Round Table’s HQ ever since it started ruling over Europe. So… who could it be?!

‘No, hang on. It could be that Falcon Seven is mistaken?’

Despite accurately assessing the situation, Kendrick's brain still had a hard time accepting that enemies would brazenly raid the Round Table like this.

Unfortunately, he had no choice but to accept it as fact soon.

Hiss, crackle!

Yet more sharp noises from the radio dug into Kendrick’s hearing.

-This is Falcon Eleven! I see them! Enemies are coming!

‘Wait, what? Eleven?’

But, wasn’t it Falcon Seven just now? So why was it Eleven now? Besides, wasn’t Falcon Eleven stationed far behind Seven’s position?

In that case, what happened to Falcon Seven? What about the ones who had rushed to that location to provide backup?

‘Just what the hell is going on here…?!’

-T-they are coming! Nooo! They are here! Uwahk?! Uwaaaaaaaaaahk!

A horrifying scream burst out of the radio’s speaker to instantly chill Kendrick’s blood.

It seemed that something utterly inconceivable was unfolding in this forest!

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