CH 482

Bang Jin-Hun brought a group of martial artists with him, and they did an admirable job 'cleaning' the island. They diligently removed the corpses, then set about erasing all traces of the battle. More boats arrived after the clean-up process, and the Chevaliers were ferried back to the mainland on them.

After arriving in the harbor town and disembarking from the boat, Bang Jin-Hun glanced at the foreigners and frowned slightly. “Do we need to take all these people with us?”

Kang Jin-Ho coolly nodded. “Of course.”

Meanwhile, Vincent couldn't say anything while nervously scanning his surroundings. 'Dammit!'

He couldn't see an escape route. The first thing greeting them after arriving on land was a proverbial sea of Korean martial artists filling up the harbor. Sure, escape was already impossible with Kang Jin-Ho around, but this sight robbed Vincent of even the last slim ray of hope in his heart.

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow while studying the sea of martial artists. “Isn't this a bit of an overkill?”

“We need this many in case something unexpected happens, you know? That punk, Lee Hyeon-Su, has this tendency to keep it down and hush-hush with only a handful of people involved. Probably got that from that as*hole, Kim Seok-Il. That dude was extremely averse to dispatching a large group for a mission, you see? Kinda like a dictator who's too damn afraid of a coup d'etat, I guess?”

“...I did think he was a bit too hung up on that, yes,” Kang Jin-Ho briefly nodded.

“That's why... Lee Hyeon-Su is also too used to doing things that way. He'll try to mobilize only a handful of people on jobs requiring a whole dang group.”

Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly nodded. It was efficient for a small group to perform the tasks that usually required a much larger one. However, the ability to respond when something unexpected occurs would inevitably suffer as a result. If one had spare manpower available, why not use it?

“By the way... Is it okay to not tie these punks up? Will they obediently follow us to the Assembly?”

“I think they will,” Kang Jin-Ho smirked faintly while glancing at the Chevaliers standing in rank-and-file not too far away. “If not... If they try to run, that will be amusing in its own way.”

All the Chevaliers hurriedly lowered their heads to avoid that piercing light burning in Kang Jin-Ho's eyes. Vincent was one of them. 'Escape from here? Are you messing with me?'

If any of the captured Chevaliers tried to flee, they would have to contend with Kang Jin-Ho, who was probably still thirsting for more blood. Who would be insane enough to try that?

“In that case... For now, I'll have them taken to the Assembly and confined there.”

“Please do,” Kang Jin-Ho replied.

Bang Jin-Hun signaled to his men, and the martial artists monitoring the Chevaliers began herding them away. While watching this weird scene unfold, Kang Jin-Ho and Bang Jin-Hun mouthed a cigarette each.

“So... What will you do with those folks, Mister Jin-Ho?”

“Mm... Not sure yet,” Kang Jin-Ho smiled sheepishly. “Even if I want them captured, I haven't made up my mind on how to use them.”

“Hah. How irresponsible of you.” Bang Jin-Hun chuckled quietly.

“...Should I just kill them?” Kang Jin-Ho nonchalantly asked.

Bang Jin-Hun's lips trembled just then, and he almost dropped his cigarette. 'Holy sh*t. I'd have taken that as a joke if it came from someone else...'

Unfortunately, Kang Jin-Ho was being serious. It was moments like these that made Bang Jin-Hun curious about just what the hell was going on inside Kang Jin-Ho's head.

“Nope. Let's let them live,” Bang Jin-Hun replied while adjusting his cigarette.

If he said, “Yes, get rid of them all!” then Kang Jin-Ho would've unhesitantly cut all those foreigners' heads off. Unsurprisingly, Bang Jin-Hun didn't have it in him to watch that happen.

'Is this why dictators inevitably lose their sanity toward the end of their reigns?'

To be able to kill dozens of people with just one word... Now that was one hefty burden to shoulder. A lot more than Bang Jin-Hun bargained for, at least. Just thinking about it alone froze his tongue. It felt like his lips didn't want to part.

Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders. “If they are alive, surely I will find some uses for them later on. Besides, they seem to know a strange technique, too. As for uncovering more info... We'll leave that to Lee Hyeon-Su.”

Just as he finished saying that...

“Hey! Let me go! I'm not a part of the Chevaliers!”

To access the premium content, go to [ pawread.com ].

A sharp yell of a woman rang out somewhere behind the duo. Kang Jin-Ho and Bang Jin-Hun looked back and spotted Elena resisting fiercely against the Korean martial artists trying to drag her away.

“I said, I'm not part of those men! Don't you understand what I'm saying?! Mister Kang! Mister Jin-Ho!”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned grandly when Elena urgently called out to him. 'Well, she is technically not the same as those men...'

The Chevaliers showed up to kill Kang Jin-Ho, yes, but Elena showed up to prevent them from getting killed by Kang Jin-Ho. They were all... about the same in Kang Jin-Ho's eyes, so he didn't really care where Elena ended up. However, he still realized she shouldn't be treated the same as the Chevaliers.

“Let her go, please,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

The Korean martial artists released Elena and backed off. That gave Elena the chance to quickly jog toward Kang Jin-Ho.

She bowed her head slightly. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” said Kang Jin-Ho. And that was the end of their conversation.

Elena was frustrated by how Kang Jin-Ho stopped talking there. At the very least, the Chevaliers and Elena had some tenable connection. But they were now all dragged away, leaving her alone in the midst of the violent Korean martial artists clearly vying for blood.

Since no one told her what to do in a situation like this, Elena couldn't help but feel like a lone soldier stuck in an enemy camp with sharp weapons pointing at her.

Elena usually found the Chevaliers as utterly insufferable buffoons. But their presence would've been greatly appreciated in this situation. That was how unbearable she felt right now.

'Seriously, doesn't he have any consideration?'

Elena was deeply unhappy. There weren't enough words to adequately vent her piled-up dissatisfaction, which was a good thing since she wouldn't dare mouth them off in front of Kang Jin-Ho, anyway!

He was way too frightening for that!

“What should I do from now on, Mister Jin-Ho?” Elena asked.

What she chose to do in this situation was confront the problem head-on. If she didn't know, she only had to ask.

How many people ruined themselves by failing to do this simple thing? Elena put on a layer of 'shamelessness' on her expression and brazenly asked Kang Jin-Ho.

“Mm, I'm not sure myself. What do we do with you?”

Unfortunately for Elena, it seemed Kang Jin-Ho wasn't all that invested in her future course of action. As a matter of fact, his expression failed to hide his thoughts of, 'How do I get rid of this useless woman?'

Eventually, though, Kang Jin-Ho seemed to have thought of something for her to do. “Okay. For now, go and tell them what happened.”

Elena blinked her eyes. “I'm sorry?”

“Someone has to deliver the news to your higher-ups, right? Only then will they think of a response.”

“...Hang on a minute. You want me to tell my superiors exactly what happened here?”

“Yes,” Kang Jin-Ho relaxedly nodded away.

Elena was momentarily left stupefied. 'What is this man even saying?'

Usually, people in Kang Jin-Ho's position would do whatever it took to hide all the information about themselves. In this world, knowledge—therefore, information—was power. Nothing was riskier than exposing everything about oneself in such a world. But now...

Kang Jin-Ho was telling Elena to report everything she had witnessed about this situation to the Round Table. Without even batting an eyelid, too!

Elena hurriedly sobered up and cautiously asked, “O-okay, so... Let me see if I got this right. You want me to inform the Round Table that the Chevaliers have been captured alive while trying to attack you, and then... let you know how they respond? Is that right?”

“Yes. That's right.”

A sudden bout of awkward silence ensued.

'Okay, uh... so...' Elena faltered slightly before a gentle and calm smile spread across her face. 'Yup, let's stop worrying about this.'

It was useless to rack her brain here. These recent events confirmed that Kang Jin-Ho was smarter than Elena, anyway. By a lot, too. Even if Kang Jin-Ho's actions initially seemed thoughtless, there always had been a hidden intent behind them all.

This event was a good example. If Kang Jin-Ho hadn't made a suitable move at the perfect time to bait the Chevaliers and the Nanahoshi-gumi to follow him to a deserted island, even he would've wasted some time dealing with them individually.

Although Elena wasn't sure whether this ploy was Kang Jin-Ho's idea or someone else was acting like the brain of this operation... Did that matter, anyway?

Even if this plan was the handiwork of Kang Jin-Ho's adviser, what mattered was the fact that Kang Jin-Ho was willing to listen. Unless the relationship between the two could be severed, it'd be the same thing as Kang Jin-Ho being scarily smart.

In that case, Elena should just do as Kang Jin-Ho told her. That seemed to be the best option available right now.

After clearing her throat, Elena cautiously asked, “To contact my people, I must return to my lodging, though... Is it fine for me to stop by there for a little while?”

“Mm? Of course,” Kang Jin-Ho slightly tilted his head.

“Do you mind reducing the number of people monitoring me? If I have too big of an entourage, other agents might end up contacting the Round Table first, and that will cause a problematic mix-up.”

“Monitor you?” Kang Jin-Ho's head tiling intensified as if he didn't understand what Elena was saying.

That was when Elena suddenly had an epiphany. “W-wait. Are you letting me go alone?”

“Of course. Do you need to take someone with you?”

“N-no, that's not... Uh, well...”

He was really letting her go? Just like that? Without any conditions, too?

Of course, Kang Jin-Ho wouldn't gain much by dragging Elena away. Even so, she was one of the ways to contact the Round Table. Most importantly, though, didn't she secretly monitor Kang Jin-Ho all this time?

Yet, to think he'd let her go scot-free? This was unthinkable from her perspective. Elena sucked in a deep breath.

'Stop worrying about this, okay!'

Elena told herself to stop trying to judge Kang Jin-Ho through the lens of common sense or rational thinking. That would only invite disasters. Elena shouldn't be judging him but figuring him out as he was.

“Kuh-hum. Then... Is there anything you'd like to say to the Round Table, Mister Jin-Ho?”

Kang Jin-Ho smiled faintly at Elena's question. “Tell them that I'm looking forward to it.”

“...You're looking forward to it?”

“Yes, I am.” Kang Jin-Ho leisurely exhaled the cigarette smoke before finishing what he wanted to say. “I'm looking forward to all the fun conditions your people will come up with as the price for your men's lives.”

Elena's jaw slowly dropped at how happy-go-lucky Kang Jin-Ho's expression was.

***

“Mister Jin-Ho, is it fine to let her go like that?” Bang Jin-Hun frowned slightly as he watched Elena drive away on her bike parked near the dock.

Of course, he understood that that blonde woman hadn't done anything really bad. Still, he wasn't sure about letting someone like her go when she knew so much about what had happened.

Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders. “Well, it's not like we have uses for her, anyway.”

“That's true, but...” Bang Jin-Hun's frown deepened in worry.

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled softly at that worried expression on the Assembly Master's face. Obviously, Kang Jin-Ho didn't let Elena leave without a plan.

He let her go because there was only so much Elena could do in this situation. First of all, she didn't have the power to resolve this situation. Her higher-ups would have the last say in how they responded to this latest development.

In that case, it'd be better to let her go and create a stable connection with her superiors back in Europe. That would ensure their response would reach Kang Jin-Ho a little bit sooner. Besides, judging from Elena's personality... It might be more beneficial for Kang Jin-Ho to let her act as freely as she'd like.

Bang Jin-Hun groaned. “I don't understand what the heck is going on with this situation. Why are we suddenly dealing with a bunch of Frenchmen? Why were they trying to hit you, Mister Jin-Ho?”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly shook his head. “They probably thought I was an eyesore.”

“Eh? They tried to eliminate you just for such a dumb reason? And by sending a group of fighters like that, too?”

“Mister Jin-Hun, sometimes I wonder if you really are a martial artist.”

“Eh? What do you mean?”

Kang Jin-Ho explained without changing his expression. “You don't need a reason to kill someone, Mister Jin-Hun.”

“...!” Bang Jin-Hun suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He'd have dismissed such a saying coming from a random person as nonsense. But he couldn't do that when it came from Kang Jin-Ho's mouth. The weight of those words was in another realm when it was Kang Jin-Ho saying that.

Kang Jin-Ho continued with his explanation. “It's just that... You have consequences to deal with.”

“Consequences, you say?”

“Yes,” Kang Jin-Ho faintly smiled while mouthing a fresh cigarette. 'Indeed. Consequences for targeting me.'

The fact of the matter was this: the other side targeted Kang Jin-Ho first, even though he wasn't hostile toward that group.

Kang Jin-Ho wasn't the type to ever forget such a thing. This world might be complicated, but... Sometimes, the simplest of the simple principles was all the motivation needed for the world to keep turning around.

All actions had consequences. And soon, the Round Table would have to deal with the consequences of targeting Kang Jin-Ho's life.

If Elena had accurately grasped Kang Jin-Ho's intention, then her superiors should offer appropriate compensation... In return for their lives. However, what if they don't?

'No need to think about it at length.'

Then, Kang Jin-Ho would make them pay the 'original' consequences for trying to kill him. That was all.

Kang Jin-Ho suddenly thought that he had gotten a lot softer these days. If it was the past him, he wouldn't even have entertained the notion of substituting the compensation that only blood could pay with something else.

Even if he made this choice after looking at the problem from various angles, would the 'Kang Jin-Ho' from when he just returned to the modern era make the same choice?

'Have I become wiser or softer? I can't really tell...'

Whichever it was, it still couldn't hide the fact that Kang Jin-Ho had changed.

“Where will you go now? Would you like to head back to the Martial Assembly with us?” Bang Jin-Hun asked.

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. “No. I'll head out on my own. For now, please keep your eyes on our new guests. And explain to Lee Hyeon-Su what happened on the island.”

“Okay, understood. Have a safe trip.”

Kang Jin-Ho slightly bowed to Bang Jin-Hun to say goodbye and headed to his parked Lamborghini. The realization of how he had changed suddenly made him want to go somewhere.

After climbing into his blood-red ride, Kang Jin-Ho carefully depressed the accelerator.