Chapter 557. Taking a Leap (2)

The Master of the Round Table remained adamant. “I said, what you propose is unrealistic. It’s preposterous!”

“But, Master! Do you not find this situation very strange?” Knight Leveaux passionately argued back.

However, the Master remained firm in his stance. “Knight Wiggins is not that kind of a man. There must be a good explanation.”

Knight Leveaux shook his head. “Master... Even if something has happened to him, Knight Wiggins should've contacted us by now!”

A hint of displeasure crept up on the Master's exposed jaw area. Despite his black mask hiding most of his expression, the Master's displeasure was so great that nothing could've hidden it. “Did I not say this already? Knight Wiggins is not that kind of a man.”

“Master...!” Knight Leveaux's cold eyes landed on the Master. “I urge you to recognize your position better.”

“...What did you say, Knight Leveaux?”

“It's fine for you to trust someone on a personal level. However, you are the Master of the Round Table. You must not let your personal feelings cloud your judgment and ignore this suspicious development.”

The Master tightly clenched his fists. Starting from his shoulder right down to his hands... They all trembled in rage. He remained silent for a long while as if to keep the boiling anger in check, then finally nodded weightily. “Yes... Knight Leveaux's words are indeed correct.”

Knight Leveaux narrowed his eyes while staring at the Master.

'Should I say... as expected of him?'

Every member of the Round Table was supposed to be of equal standing, but that wasn't really true. There was an unspoken hierarchy here, too. It was human nature to do so, after all!

Regardless of what, Knight Leveaux was an underling of the Master at the end of the day. And it spoke volumes about the Master's benevolence that he'd face an underling's criticism like this without losing his temper.

“Private matters are just that, private. One should not mix them up with official matters. Regardless of what I think of Knight Wiggins, we must do everything in our power to find the truth. That is our official duty," The Master addressed the rest of the Round Table's knights, but his voice seemed a little powerless. “So, all contact with Knight Wiggins in South Korea has been cut off... It's possible that he has experienced some kind of a mishap. Or..”

When the Master couldn't finish his sentence and hesitated, Knight Leveaux stepped up instead. “We can't rule out the possibility of betrayal.”

“...Yes. Indeed,” the Master muttered, the end of his reply blurring as if merely saying it pained him.

“That is why I acted on my own initiative before this conference, Master. I've already issued an order to our Pawns residing in South Korea to search for Knight Wiggins. And, once they find him... They are to figure out where he stands, Master. They will stop at nothing and use all means possible!”

“Mm...” the Master slowly nodded. “However, Knight Leveaux?”

“Yes, Master?”

“Objectively speaking, the odds of Knight Wiggins meeting some kind of a mishap is somewhat higher than his betrayal. In that case, what do you all think about dispatching a combat force to South Korea just in case?”

“That is not a bad idea, Master. Regardless of what happened to Knight Wiggins, we'd need combatants on the ground, after all.”

The Master quietly stared at Knight Leveaux. Indeed, they needed combatants to be there. Either to assist Knight Wiggins experiencing some kind of unknown crisis or... Or, to eliminate him if he really had become a traitor.This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.

“However, Master. This issue is not as straightforward as that,” said Knight Leveaux.

“Because of Kang Jin-Ho?”

“Yes. We've already suffered a painful loss at his hands. And what we did is practically the same as a declaration of war. In this situation, the safety of our agents cannot be guaranteed. Which means we must dispatch combatants strong enough to survive in South Korea, but..”

“...That is the same as acting on our declaration and actually waging war.”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

The Master groaned deeply, his words tinged with irritation. “So, our hands are tied? Is that it?”

“Master...”

“I already know,” the Master briefly waved his hand as if to dismiss any concerns. “I'll task Knight Leveaux with uncovering the current situation with Knight Wiggins. Knight Leveaux, you must use every means available to discover what happened to Knight Wiggins, as this matter could be more urgent than we've bargained for.”

“Understood, Master. Leave it to me.”

“Very well. Let's conclude our conference here. We will decide on the next course of action after acquiring additional information.”

The Master got up first, allowing the other knights in their assigned positions to also stand up. However, Knight Leveaux remained sitting right until the end. As he sat there with his arms crossed, his eyes became colder and more withdrawn.

***

“That stupid old fart...!”

Knight Leveaux angrily growled as he headed to the airport. The Master of the Round Table usually didn't display any emotions, but today... He certainly allowed too many of them to slip past his control. And Knight Leveaux was deeply unhappy about that. Because it indicated how much faith the Master had in Knight Wiggins.

Having high hopes naturally meant the ensuing disappointment would hurt just as badly. Obviously, Knight Leveaux deeply respected the Master's abilities. Anyone committing themselves to the Round Table's cause would never make light of the Master's strength.

But what made this particular situation unbearable to Knight Leveaux was that the man he personally acknowledged trusted somebody else. If Knights Leveaux and Wiggins were to be compared category by category, anyone with a functioning brain would choose Leveaux. In terms of achievements, capabilities, and even strength, Leveaux was superior!

Knight Wiggins couldn't even be considered Leveaux's rival. Everyone knew this, so why did that old fart still place so much faith in Wiggins, not Leveaux!

“...Because they are all Brits.”

In the end, it all boiled down to one's nationality. Knight Leveaux couldn't think of any other reason besides the Master and Wiggins hailing from the same country.

'Unfortunately for you, Master... Things won't go according to your plan.'

The Master probably wanted to hand over his position to someone from his own country. While he was in charge, the Master could feed Knight Wiggins with one achievement after another. That would've improved the odds of succession happening the way he desired.

However, things would change now.

'Because... Wiggins will stop existing pretty soon.'

To Knight Leveaux, this was a golden opportunity. He had already acquired the information of Knight Wiggins willingly heading to South Korea's Martial Assembly. Although Leveaux wasn't sure what that damn Englishman was scheming, this turn of events meant he could eliminate Wiggins now. Killing that man would be the best result Leveaux could ask for. If that couldn't be done, forcing Wiggins out of the Round Table should still be easier than taking candy away from a baby!

A new knight from the UK would fill the void left behind by Wiggins' departure, but that should not matter at the end of the day. It was impossible for a new member to push Knight Leveaux aside to stand first in line to succeed the Round Table's Master position.

“Hmph. It seems that the heavens themselves are preparing the Master's throne for me.”

Losing Chevaliers fatally damaged Leveaux's reputation and prestige. He did his best to minimize the impact of the crisis through timely interventions, but... his reputation could not recover to its past level.

However, a ray of hope appeared in this moment of crisis after Knight Wiggins committed a fatal mistake. And Leveaux had no thoughts of letting this chance slip through his fingers.

“Well, then... Why don't you show us how you struggle, Knight Wiggins?”

***

“What happened, Vincent?” Wiggins got up after noticing Vincent's pale face. “And what do you mean by there's no need?”

Vincent faltered a little and hesitated before letting out a long sigh. “I think I may have made a mistake, sir.”

“Vincent, give us an explanation first. We can always worry about who to blame later.”

“I've contacted France... No, the Round Table.”

“You contacted the organization?”

“Yes,” Vincent nodded while pulling out a phone from his pocket. “My apologies for trying to handle this matter on my own. However, I had to re-open the line of communication with the Round Table in consideration of our future.”

Wiggins furrowed his brow slightly as he listened.

'It must be Leveaux, then...?'

Since the commander of the Chevaliers wanted to contact the Round Table, he'd have done so through the knight in charge of their order. But that... was an act of sheer rashness!

However, it wasn't as if Wiggins couldn't sympathize with Vincent on this matter. Wiggins might have willingly chosen to side with the Martial Assembly, but the Chevaliers' situation wasn't like that. It'd be more accurate to say it was beyond their control. However, as long as their issue with the Round Table was sorted out, they could go home whenever they wanted. Since that was the Chevaliers' story... No wonder Vincent thought he had to contact the Round Table.

“Mm... Vincent, I wish you’d have informed me first before contacting the Round Table.”

“My apologies.”

“No, it's fine. I understand where you're coming from. Not reaching out to the Round Table despite being free would've become a big headache for you after returning to France later, anyway. It is my fault for not thinking that far ahead and giving you an appropriate command in time.”

“Knight, sir...”

“Let's not talk about this matter anymore. Besides, it's not like we can play the blame game in our current situation, anyway. I'm not your direct superior, to begin with.” Wiggins casually waved his hand to extricate himself from this weighty topic.

Technically speaking, he no longer held the authority to order the Chevaliers around. Wiggins had left the Round Table, after all. Vincent and his men were free to do whatever they pleased.

“So, what did the Round Table say?” Wiggins asked while sitting back down.

“The Round Table has... No, the Knight Leveaux, he...”

“It's fine either way. Whichever you prefer, Vincent. I'm sure Knight Leveaux is basically the Round Table to you, anyway.”

“Yes, you're... right, sir,” Vincent sighed softly before explaining the situation. “He demands to know the position of you and Pawn Elena. To find out where your allegiance lies. He wants to know why you left your country without permission, why you're currently residing in the Martial Assembly, and why you still haven't reported any of this to the Round Table.”

“My allegiance...” Wiggins' expression froze. He slowly rubbed his chin. “I'd have done this sooner or later. But I didn't expect the other side to demand it first. Tell me, those demands sound rather hostile... I'm not imagining it, now am I?”

“No, sir. You're not.”

“Knight Leveaux must've said something else to you privately... No, my apologies. I shouldn't be prying into this.”

“No, sir. I was thinking of telling you, anyway,” said Vincent as he stared at Wiggins, his expression stiff. He was still an agent of the Round Table, while Wiggins was technically a traitor. And Vincent worked for Leveaux, while Wiggins was a rival to his boss.

However, Vincent owed a debt of gratitude easily exceeding all those hurdles. While the Round Table and Knight Leveaux had abandoned Vincent and his men, only Wiggins bravely stepped into the enemy's camp to rescue them. As a man of honor, Vincent could not forsake this debt.

Wiggins was quick to read the room, so he tried to dissuade Vincent. “No, Vincent. You don't have to force yourself. Speaking to me like this should already place a considerable burden on your shoulders. That is the last thing I want to do. Allow me to decline your offer.”

However, Vincent ignored that and carried on. “Knight Leveaux wanted to be informed first regarding where your allegiance lies before it's delivered to the Round Table in the official capacity. And he also mentioned that we shouldn't worry about the welfare of our families as he's been looking after them for a while now.”

“Stinking son of a b*tch.” Wiggins' expression crumpled at this treachery. Even an idiot could tell why Leveaux brought up the families of Chevaliers in this situation. “Is this how a noble knight is supposed to act?!”

Wiggins and Leveaux were bitter rivals. However, that didn't mean Wiggins held zero respect for his French counterpart. They both were knights of the Round Table, after all! As they were noble knights representing their respective nations, Wiggins believed Leveaux could be trusted as a fellow knight even if their perspectives clashed regularly.

Did Knight Leveaux change? If not, then...

'...Am I the blind one here?'

Had he always been blind to the fact that once the luster of the knight was hidden away, only such treachery remained? This was the moment of his absolute faith in the Round Table and its knights crumbling into pieces.

“How do you want to proceed, sir?” Vincent cautiously asked.

“There's no need to think too deeply about this, Vincent,” Wiggins smirked softly. “I'll humor Knight Leveaux's request. After I speak to my lord first, of course.”

Wiggins fearlessly got up as the growing anticipation of how his new liege would respond to this new issue began filling him up.