Descent of the Demon Master

‘Gimme a freaking break!’

The gravest threat known to man had come to find Adlington today.

London's streets still looked familiar, of course. A Briton walking through the avenues of the capital city of his home country wouldn't be enough to rouse this feeling of crisis, though. After all, he lived in this city. This was his home.

This place was more or less familiar enough for him to walk around blindfolded if he had to!

What troubled him, then, wasn’t the fact that he found himself walking in London. No, it was the presence of a certain man right behind him!

‘What can I even do in this situation?! What do you expect from me?!’

This crisis began with an innocuous little request.

Adlington was like everyone else in the Round Table. He was “imprisoned” in a room only to be freed without a fuss. So, he decided to kick back and relax… only for one certain Mister Wiggins to summon him.

Adlington’s heart stopped beating for a second, then. After all, it was one and only Knight Wiggins!

That was how much influence Wiggins still had over Adlington… No, not just Adlington, but the Garter Knight Order he was a part of!

Wiggins was already Britain's representative Knight by the time Adlington joined the Garter Knight Order. And he remained in that vital position while Adlington faithfully served his role in the knight order.

Expecting all of his relationships and connections to wrap up neatly after Wiggins abandoned his post would be unrealistic and unreasonable.

Besides, the current Wiggins had become an even more important individual than when he was Britain's representative Knight. And even more terrifying to deal with, too!

Talking in private with a man like that had to be one of the fastest ways to shorten one’s lifespan!

Adlington was understandably tense about the meeting, but what Wiggins said to him was well outside of his expectations. And it was also seemingly… not that important?

“Mister Adlington, I remembered you live in London. Is that still true?”

Should Adlington be moved or puzzled by this situation? He was not an outstanding member of the Garter Knight Order, after all.

He couldn't help but feel a tiny bit moved by Wiggins' meticulous attention to detail that allowed him to remember such things about some no-name member of the Round Table. But Adlington's puzzlement overrode the other emotions. Why would Wiggins even remember such a thing, anyway?

When Adlington said yes, he still lived in London, Wiggins cheerfully clapped and nodded.

“Do you mind if I ask you for a favor?”

A favor, he said…

What a nebulous way of putting things, that. Although Wiggins said it was a favor, it was obviously a command. And heeding the command of someone who had abandoned the Round Table would lead to a delicate situation, to say the least.

However, the Garter Knight Order captain Wilson accompanying Adlington nodded away, indicating that it should be fine. Which allowed the latter to not hold back and reply forthrightly.

“Sir! If it’s within my powers, I will do my best to fulfill your request!”

Wiggins smiled radiantly at that reply and explained the situation.

“Good. But there is no need to be that determined, Mister Adlington. The favor itself is extremely simple in nature, after all. Since you know London well, I'd like you to guide someone around the city for a little while. That is all.”

‘Damn it. I should’ve said no back then…!’

Adlington bitterly admonished himself for readily biting the bait like a moron. No, forget admonishing, he began cursing himself for being too damn hasty!

Before saying yes, he should’ve at least asked first who he was supposed to guide around!

Adlington’s faltering gaze cautiously shifted behind him.

‘…! Hiiiiiieeeek?!’

...And when he confirmed Kang Jin-Ho’s disinterested face not too far behind him, Adlington’s heart began pounding like crazy out of nervousness.

‘Bloody hell! What the hell do you want from me!’

Again, Adlington cursed himself. If he only knew the person requiring a guide was none other than Kang Jin-Ho! Adlington would’ve refused the assignment even if he had to break his own legs!

How was Adlington supposed to guide someone capable of inducing a heart attack merely by locking eyes, even by accident?!

Adlington resumed staring ahead of him, his face as pale as a sheet of paper. Why did everything around him look so foreign to him today?

He always went past these streets on his way home every day, but for some reason… He couldn’t notice anything today. This feeling was kind of like…

‘...Walking through Hell?’

One didn’t have to look far to find Hell. After all, being next to a devil would instantly turn any place into Hell, anyway!

Adlington was there to witness Kang Jin-Ho slaughtering the Elder Knights. But he didn’t have to see that to be this scared.

From his perspective, even Knight Leveaux was like the tall sky way above his head. But he saw Kang Jin-Ho crush Leveaux to death with one hand. That was enough to instill this incredible fear in Adlington’s heart.

If Leveaux was the tall sky, what did that make Kang Jin-Ho, the man responsible for crushing the throat of that sky? How should he be described as?

“U-uhm, excuse… me…?” Adlington forced himself to break his silence. His voice came out quivering meekly, though.

He figured he must say something, anything, to change this crushing atmosphere and all the awkwardness he felt.

“Y-you wanted to buy souvenirs, yes?”

“Mhm,” Kang Jin-Ho coolly nodded.

“B-b-but, what kind of souvenirs?”

“...Mm, not sure.”

That… sounded rather irresponsible! A man who wanted to buy gifts had no idea what he should buy? What was Adlington supposed to do in this case?!

“S-sir? Surely, you must have something in mind?”

“Mm…?”

Adlington didn’t have to hear Kang Jin-Ho’s answer to know what was what.

“T-then, how about, uh, who you’re buying this souvenir for…?”

Kang Jin-Ho weightily nodded. “It’s for a woman, and…”

“A woman!”

“She’s almost thirty… No, maybe not… Huh?” Kang Jin-Ho suddenly began tilting his head in confusion.

Adlington was smart enough to figure out the general outline of the situation from that confused head tilting.

‘It looks like he wants to buy something for a younger woman he has feelings for.’

A hint of a grin crept into the corners of Adlington's lips.

‘I guess… He’s more human than I thought?’

When Adlington realized that this terrifying man was trying to buy gifts to seduce a woman, Kang Jin-Ho’s image in his mind seemed to transform a little.

With a little bit of weight lifted off his mind, Adlington nodded slightly and tried to help out. “I see. It seems you wish to buy gifts for a lady you’re trying to get closer to. In that case…”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “She is already my girlfriend, though?”

“…”

It became a tad harder to figure Kang Jin-Ho out now.

‘What the hell? How can you not know your own girlfriend’s age?’

Of course, anyone could tell that Kang Jin-Ho was a natural born… macho meathead. Even so, shouldn't he at least know something that basic about his own girlfriend?

‘Am I now supposed to view him more as a human being since he has a girlfriend? Or am I supposed to be even more scared of him since he can't even remember his own girlfriend's age!’

Whatever the case might be… Kang Jin-Ho was an indecipherable mystery, alright!

“S-so, a gift for your girlfriend, sir?”

“Mm!” Kang Jin-Ho nodded again without saying anything else.

Adlington fell into a bit of a dilemma here. Regardless of what the actual truth was, what they were trying to do hadn’t changed. They were still looking for a gift meant for Kang Jin-Ho’s girlfriend.

In that case, what should Adlington recommend?

‘...How am I supposed to know that?!’

Whether a martial artist hailed from South Korea or Britain, that individual would still be a martial artist at the end of the day. And all martial artists usually invested far too much of their time into one aspect of their lives.

Those who enjoyed the closest lifestyle as the martial artists in Britain could very well be the infamous hooligans.

Anyone who devoted too much of their time and energy to one thing was bound to lack sociability. Thanks to this inevitable rule of life, even Adlington had not dated anyone seriously until now.

He was already pushing forty, yet the extent of his romantic experiences was meeting someone a couple of times before getting kicked to the curbside.

That was his life experience, so how was he supposed to recommend gifts for someone else’s girlfriend?

“W-well! Since your girlfriend is young, how about a handbag, sir? Such a thing could be a wonderful gift if she doesn’t own any bags from famous brands.”

Adlington wouldn’t have recommended something like that to an ordinary person. However, Kang Jin-Ho was the boss of the Korean Martial Assembly. His financial muscle should be at a level Adlington couldn’t even dream of.

A man’s spending should match his means. In that case, the finest wares Britain could offer might be…

Kang Jin-Ho suddenly groaned. “Well, she acts, so…”

“...I beg your pardon?”

“She’s a celebrity, you see…”

“Oh…” Adlington instantly figured out what Kang Jin-Ho was trying to say. “Y-your girlfriend is a famous actress back home?”

“Mm.”

“A famous actress, which means… Oh.”

That woman must be overflowing with wares from famous brands, then!

Even in Britain, actresses with any level of renown were super-sensitive about their fashion. So much so that they had separate rooms built in their homes just to store their bags and other fashion accessories from well-known brands.

Although Adlington didn't have any information regarding South Korean actresses, the story should be pretty much the same on that side, too!

‘T-then…?’

Adlington scanned Kang Jin-Ho’s attire from top to bottom.

‘...Nope, that isn’t going to work.’

Even after combining Kang Jin-Ho’s fashion sense with Adlington’s, there was simply no way for these two men to pick a bag that could satisfy the lofty standards of a famous actress. That would be an exercise in futility.

The odds were their excessive monetary spending would only be rewarded with a bout of intense insults instead! Truly the worst outcome imaginable, then.

So, in short…

“Sir, the gift you have in mind isn’t that expensive but should still be uniquely British so that it would satisfy the high standards of your actress girlfriend? And you have no idea what it could be?”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “You got it.”

“…”

Adlington nearly cried out, What the hell do you want from me, you lunatic!

Where would anyone find such a thing in this world?

Adlington sensed his blood pressure level shooting through the roof. He just realized his task put Mission: Impossible to shame!

Of course, Choi Yeon-Ha didn't care about receiving something from Kang Jin-Ho in the first place. Even if Kang Jin-Ho brought her a can of British Cola, she'd still be moved to tears by the mere fact that someone like him hadn't forgotten about her!

However, how was Adlington supposed to know that?

“T-then… Shall we head to a place where ordinary tourists go to pick up souvenirs?”

“Mm,” Kang Jin-Ho coolly nodded again.

Adlington sighed inwardly at this sight.

‘Damn. This image is so much different from what's in my mind…'

Talking to Kang Jin-Ho helped Adlington realize that this scary man was quite different from what he thought.

Kang Jin-Ho seemed like a machine born for killing back when he was crushing the Elder Knights. A machine that didn't have an ounce of blood or tears in his system!

‘No, not a killing machine, but…’

But, more like the devil or the Demon King! Those descriptions might be more accurate than a killing machine. In any case…

Kang Jin-Ho back then didn’t seem like a human being at all. Merely looking at him was enough to tighten Adlington’s family jewels to the point of nearly wetting himself.

However, now that the two of them had chatted somewhat…

Why did Kang Jin-Ho seem like an ordinary youth? Not just any, but someone who was a bit of an introvert, too?

‘But that can’t be true. Right?’

There was no way that this was Kang Jin-Ho’s true nature. An introvert shouldn’t be capable of going berserk like that in front of so many people!

‘Besides, what does it matter?’

Adlington’s world was a galaxy apart from Kang Jin-Ho’s. Even if they were both denizens of the martial world, the difference between them was akin to a rookie intern and that of the chairman of the board.

They might commute and work in the same building, and maybe run into each other in the corridors, but that didn't mean they lived in the same world.

Adlington’s job was to finish this task as soon as possible and return to his blissfully small world!

“We’re here, sir!” Adlington declared urgently.

The location they had reached after a lengthy walk was… the famed British Museum.

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Hmm…?”

“W-well, there’s a gift shop inside, you see…?”

“…” Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow and stared weirdly at Adlington.

The latter sheepishly lowered his head to avoid meeting Kang Jin-Ho’s questioning gaze. “T-this is the best I can do, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly nodded, then leisurely strode toward the gift shop.

“Fuu-woooo…” Adlington sighed deeply. He could actually feel his lifespan getting shorter just now.

***

“Mm…!”

Once he had stepped inside the gift shop, Kang Jin-Ho began scanning the wares on display. However…

There were lots of things here. Lots, lots of things!

That was when Kang Jin-Ho realized he was facing a serious problem.

‘I’m supposed to choose something from here?’

Kang Jin-Ho’s eyes powerfully quaked. He certainly could see many things. And he must pick some things as souvenirs, but what should he go for?

Even ordinary folks would stumble in this quest. For someone who was totally uninterested in such things? It was worse than Mission: Impossible!

‘Should I ask for a salesman’s help or something?’

Kang Jin-Ho frowned deeply. He could see plenty of tourist-like people in the shop. And the shop assistants were helping them pick souvenirs. In that case, maybe it was faster to ask for their help…?

“...Huh? It can’t be?”

That was when Kang Jin-Ho heard someone’s surprised gasp coming from behind.

“No… way? It’s… really you.”

That was spoken in Korean. Maybe a Korean tourist, then…?

“Jin-Ho? Kang Jin-Ho?”

Kang Jin-Ho was surprised to hear his name being blurted out like that and hurriedly turned around to look. And his eyes opened wider after confirming the identity of the person behind him.

“Han… Se-Yeon?”

Someone he didn’t expect to see was standing there.