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Chapter 470: Clashing (5)

“I\'m the official agent dispatched to South Korea by the Round Table itself. Of course I have all the qualifications to speak to you.”

“In that case, you should know that we\'re here to fulfill the Round Table\'s noble mission on this land,” Vincent clicked his tongue. “Since when did field agents earn the right to question and interfere with the Round Table\'s commands? Or is this how Knight Wiggins has taught you?”

“Please refrain from insulting my father. Or I\'ll be forced to rip that misshapen nose off your face.”

“Looks like the love between family members is still going strong even if your relationship with your father is famously terrible. I have to say... I still have a hard time understanding you Brits\' way of thinking.”

“Who cares about one\'s nationality? Everyone\'s equal in the Round Table, after all. Or am I mistaken? I had no idea you\'d bring up such an uncivilized notion like one\'s nationality on an occasion like this.”

“Did you just say I\'m uncivilized?”

“Don\'t tell me you were going to deny it?” Elena cocked an eyebrow and asked back provocatively. Despite Vincent\'s murderous glare, she didn\'t back down an inch.

“...Indeed, I was out of line just now. I accept it\'s my fault. Please excuse me, Pawn Elena,” Vincent bowed his head sharply like a practiced gentleman. Although lowering his head to a much-younger girl was humiliating, not admitting his mistake and trying to weasel his way out of responsibilities was even more shameful for a distinguished knight like him.

.

“No, please raise your head. I also spoke too harshly, forgetting my station.” Elena quickly backed off in a slight fluster at Vincent\'s well-mannered apology. “However... I give you my word, sir. I\'m not throwing a childish tantrum. Kang Jin-Ho is far more dangerous than you\'re led to believe. He must not be provoked no matter what.”

Vincent narrowed his eyes. “Did you also report this to Knight Wiggins?”

“Yes. More vigorously than you can imagine.”

“I see. However, this is the reality, Pawn Elena,” said Vincent in a firm voice. “The command from the higher-ups is to eliminate Kang Jin-Ho. Obviously, I have no idea what you said to Knight Wiggins. But it wouldn\'t have mattered as your observation would\'ve been rejected outright by the Round Table.”

“...It\'d fall on deaf ears, yes.” Elena bit on her lower lip. Even though she tried to emphasize how dangerous Kang Jin-Ho was...! \'This couldn\'t have been his feelings about me!\'

Her father\'s negative feelings toward his daughter couldn\'t have been the reason for this situation, could it? An intelligence operative like Elena had reported all of her findings, yet a bad decision like this was still made. Since that was the case, she couldn\'t help but suspect Knight Wiggins\' incompetence instead.

After making up her mind, Elena spoke up again. “Can you deliver a message to Knight Leveaux?”

Vincent cocked an eyebrow. “Knight Leveaux? Why?”

“Because it\'s urgent,” Elena\'s voice became graver. “Knight Wiggins has completely misread the situation. His evaluation of Kang Jin-Ho is as wrong as it can get. That man must not be provoked.”

“And why do you think that way, Pawn Elena?”

“He\'s a nuke, that\'s why.”

“Looks like you\'re under a mistaken assumption,” Vincent sighed quietly. “Our job is to eliminate that nuke. I get what you\'re trying to say here, Pawn Elena. But your opinion sounds more and more like a plea to eliminate that bomb as soon as possible.”

“But...! Eliminating him won\'t be easy at all.”

“Even though Chevaliers have come?”

“...!” Elena clamped her mouth shut.

Vincent continued to speak. “Forty Chevaliers have been dispatched for this mission, Pawn Elena. Not just any, but the formal members, too. Yet, you believe this measure is still inadequate to eliminate one individual?”

“Your target has a sizable faction backing him.”

“Yes, that is true. However…” Vincent tapped at the report in his hand. “According to this report, Kang Jin-Ho supposedly prefers to travel without an entourage. If true, we\'ll be able to target him, then. So, let me ask you this, Pawn Elena. Who compiled this report?”

Elena grimaced. “...I did.”

“Now that is quite a surprise, isn’t it?” Vincent theatrically threw his arms in the air. “There seem to be discrepancies between this report, the one you have compiled, and what your mouth is saying to me. So, what am I supposed to believe here? Now tell me, Pawn Elena. Which of the two do I listen to? Is your mouth wrong? Or is your report junk?”

Elena couldn\'t immediately reply and silently chewed on her lip. Her report was a compilation of only facts. And she had determined earlier that a knight order should be enough to eliminate Kang Jin-Ho, too. However...!

\'How do I explain this anxiety in my heart?\'

Elena\'s anxiousness shot through the roof at the sight of the Chevaliers. In the past, their mere presence alone was enough to shock Elena. She even thought why France, known for their slick sophistry and not much else, had to be blessed with such a mighty knight order, but now...

But now, why did these people look so untrustworthy?! Was it because she had run into Kang Jin-Ho?

“...Monsieur Vincent,” Elena quietly muttered.

“Yes, please speak.”

“What I\'m about to say may sound strange to you. Maybe, it might even come across as disparaging and underestimating the might of Chevaliers. However, I swear to you, that is not my intention.”

“...Hmm.”

“However, please reconsider this mission. Kang Jin-Ho truly is not an individual we must provoke. Please, you must speak to Knight Leveaux. Convince him that Knight Wiggins has made a mistake. What we need to deal with Kang Jin-Ho isn\'t an extreme measure but a conciliatory policy.”

“Mm...”

“And... there is one more thing.”

Vincent cocked an eyebrow. “There\'s something else?”

“Yes. I\'ve noticed that there is another party monitoring Kang Jin-Ho.”

“...What did you say?”

“In my view, either China or Japan has already made a move, Monsieur Vincent. If we target Kang Jin-Ho in this situation, then I assure you, our men will clash with this unidentified party.”

Vincent roughly massaged his forehead. Everything he heard so far seemed to worsen his migraine. “How certain are you about this?”

“Very.”

“...I see. Thank you for your counsel, Pawn Elena. You\'re dismissed for now.”

“But, Monsieur Vincent...!”

“I said, you\'re dismissed. I heard your opinion and recommendation on this matter. However, you\'ve already overstepped your boundary.” Vincent tutted while shaking his head. However, Elena didn\'t leave the room, only standing there and chewing on her lip. Vincent frowned before groaning loudly. “I assure you, you can relax. Let me be honest, Pawn Elena. I don\'t have much respect for you Brits. However, I do value pawns and their opinions. Your opinion comes from the place of an intelligence operative based on the intel you\'ve personally confirmed. Ignoring that fact and making my own independent judgment is foolish, to say the least. So, I promise you. Everything you\'ve said, including your opinion, will be reported to Knight Leveaux immediately.”

Elena sighed in relief. “Thank you, Monsieur Vincent.”

“Now, can you leave? Also... Keep monitoring Kang Jin-Ho. Keep us updated in real-time who he comes in contact with and where he\'s moving toward.”

“Understood,” Elena bowed deeply before exiting the room.

Vincent tutted softly. “Tsk...”

Mathieu brought a cup of black tea. “Sir. Here\'s your Mariage Frères.”

“...I\'d have preferred black coffee, actually.”

“Sir? But you wanted tea until a few minutes ago...?”

“I\'ve suddenly lost appetite for tea after talking to the Brit girl,” Vincent groaned and shook his head. “It\'s mystifying to me that Elena is a Brit. Calling her an Italian might be much more convincing.”

“Sir, that\'s regional discrimination.”

“It\'s just between us, so gloss over it.” Vincent dismissively waved his hand.

Mathieu chuckled while putting the teacup on the table. “What will you do now, sir?”

“I\'ll report it, of course.”

“Does that mean you believe her opinion, sir?”

“No,” Vincent resolutely shook his head. “Words of a mere pawn... And from an incompetent Brit, no less? I\'m not stupid enough to fall for that. However, one thing is for certain... And that is the terrible relationship between Pawn Elena and Knight Wiggins. Report this to Knight Leveaux, and he might use this information to his advantage.”

“You\'ve made a wise call, sir. But what about Kang Jin-Ho?”

“Eliminate him, of course.”

Mathieu\'s expression grew a little concerned at Vincent\'s unhesitant reply. What Elena said moments ago kept repeating itself in his head. “Sir... Putting aside the interpretation of the information for now, we shouldn\'t deny the fact that the intel gathered by Pawn Elena is trustworthy. I\'m concerned about the information of an unknown third party monitoring Kang Jin-Ho.”

“Hmm...” Vincent slowly nodded as if he, too, agreed that this new information was worthy of consideration. “Yes. Indeed, that could be a problem. On the other hand, it might not be.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“We at the Round Table have this... tendency of being scared. Being scared about causing international incidents, that is. Let\'s be honest here, shall we? The unknown party monitoring Kang Jin-Ho can\'t be members of his fan club. They are obviously not sticking around to snap paparazzi shots of him. Or do you think my assumptions are wrong?”

“No, sir. I think you\'re right.”

“In that case, they are also targeting him. An enemy of my enemy can become my friend. Even if they learned about our existence in the middle of whatever they were thinking of doing... I don\'t see any trouble there as long as they understand we also want Kang Jin-Ho eliminated.”

“Mm? This issue can\'t be that simple, sir.”

“No. It is simple,” Vincent curtly cut his subordinate off. “The other interested parties must have something to gain by getting rid of Kang Jin-Ho. However, we\'re not like them. We\'ll immediately withdraw from Korea after eliminating Kang Jin-Ho. As long as we make them understand that, they won\'t try to stop us.”

“...That sounds reasonable.” Mathieu slowly nodded, realizing that perhaps Vincent was right about this one. No wonder Vincent was the captain of the Chevaliers when he was wise enough to directly get to the heart of the matter like this! “Sir. In that case, what will be your orders?”

“Nothing has changed for us,” Vincent got up from the sofa and spoke in a firm, heroic tone. “We\'ve collected all the necessary intel. What comes after that... is making our move. We eliminate Kang Jin-Ho at the earliest possible opportunity. And as swiftly as possible! As long as the situation permits us to leave no traces behind, we will act regardless of when! Consult Pawn Elena\'s intel, but we shall also operate our independent information network. Target Kang Jin-Ho when he\'s alone!”

Mathieu grimly nodded. “Yes, sir. We shall follow your orders.”

“We must succeed, Mathieu. Success will solidify Knight Leveaux\'s position in the Round Table. That will increase the odds of men from our noble France dominating the next generation of the Round Table! Not those roast beef-eating uncultured buffoons!”

“Of course, sir!” Mathieu smartly saluted before exiting the room.

Vincent muttered to no one in particular in this empty room. “To think she was so scared of a mere Asian...”

Elena was supposed to be Knight Wiggins\' daughter, so how could she lack awareness of her station this badly? No wonder the Round Table had grown so soft recently with such weaklings acting as the core of the organization!

The only way for the Round Table to regain its honor was for Knight Leveaux to take over the leadership position. Vincent resolved himself once more while leaving the room to inspect his gear.

***

“Hmph...!” Elena snorted derisively. “I knew you\'d be a disappointment.”

The French were infamous for saying one thing while thinking the other. Elena obviously wasn\'t dumb enough to trust Vincent\'s words at face value. A listening device she had carried in her shoe and left behind in Vincent\'s room did its job and transmitted the \'discussion\' between the two men to Elena\'s ear.

“So... What should I do about this?” Elena\'s glare deepened. “...Well, I guess there is no other choice but to meet Kang Jin-Ho first before these idiots can cause a serious problem.”

Realistically speaking, Elena couldn\'t stop the Round Table even if she wanted to. All the channels of communication she contacted had rejected her opinion. This left her with the last option of acting independently.

“Fuu...” Elena\'s figure shuddered when she recalled Kang Jin-Ho. The idea of talking to him alone was as burdensome as anything she could imagine, but what choice did she have? This was the only way to save the world, after all.

“So, how should I approach him, then?”

Call him first? Or show up before him without warning like the last time?

If not, make it look like she ran into him coincidentally? Did she need to spill some coffee on his shirt or something?

Elena took out her phone and speed-dialed a number. “...It\'s me. Can you find out where Mister Kang Jin-Ho currently is?”

The reply came her way instantly.

“Say what?” Elena\'s eyes widened. “The Yellow Sea? Why? Why did he suddenly go there?”

Why the Yellow Sea, though? Wasn\'t this too sudden? However, the news only got worse from there.

“A-alone?!” Elena\'s cheeks twitched uncontrollably. “T-this information...! You haven\'t told anyone yet, have you?”

The following reply made her yell without even realizing it.

“Didn\'t I tell you to inform me first whenever you receive crucial information?! Why did you give it to the Chevaliers, too?!”

Elena was dismayed by this absurd turn of events, but time wasn\'t on her side right now.

—Get the men ready to depart! Right now!

The earpiece connected to the listening device spat Vincent\'s urgent-sounding voice into Elena\'s ear. The Chevaliers had learned about Kang Jin-Ho\'s movements and were getting ready to mobilize... to kill him!

\'We\'re fu*ked!\'

Elena held her face in despair. In the end, she couldn\'t stop anything.

This crisis was rapidly barreling toward the worst resolution imaginable.