Debuff Master
Chapter 901

Chapter 901

“Siegfried van Proa.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty?”

“It seems another Adventurer following in your footsteps has been crowned as king.”

There was something subtle, as if hinting, in Emperor Stuttgart’s tone.

‘Ah, of course... He wouldn’t be pleased,’ Siegfried could more or less guess what was going through the emperor’s mind.

In this world, the only person who had the authority to grant an Adventurer the title of king was Emperor Stuttgart himself.

In other words, Cain established a nation and crowned himself king without the emperor’s permission.

There was no way that would sit well with Emperor Stuttgart.

“Is that not something that solely Your Imperial Majesty may decide?”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I am more curious whether this Adventurer is truly worthy of such a title.”

Siegfried immediately understood what the emperor meant. ‘So, he’s pissed that Cain had crowned himself king without permission, but he’s at least willing to give him a chance to explain himself. Well, if Cain fails to impress the emperor, then he will probably wipe his kingdom off the map.’

What if Cain made even the slightest mistake and annoyed Emperor Stuttgart? The Arkasas Kingdom would be setting a new world record for the shortest-lived nation in history.

Of course, the Guinness World Records didn't exist in this world.

“In any case, I shall go and meet this Cain myself,” Emperor Stuttgart said.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. May you have a pleasant meeting,” Siegfried replied with a bow.

“We shall meet again next week.”

With those parting words, Emperor Stuttgart turned and walked off to meet Cain.

‘I wonder what Cain is even going to say?’ Siegfried was dying to eavesdrop on their conversation.

But he held himself back.

If he got caught using the Night Stalkers to listen in on their conversation, then all the trust he painstakingly built with Emperor Stuttgart until now would go up in flames.

All in an instant at that...

‘Oh well, it’s not my problem. I should just mind my own business.’

Pushing all thoughts aside, Siegfried made his way toward the warp gate leading back to the Proatine Kingdom.

***

When Siegfried left the Palace of Blood...

“I am honored to be in the presence of the most exalted ruler of the great Marchioni Empire.”

Cain prostrated himself, bowing deeply toward Emperor Stuttgart.

Cain had removed his mask or helmet for this occasion.

Why?

It was all because he was in the presence of Emperor Stuttgart.

Daring to cover his face with a helmet or mask would have been an act of insult, and he would have been executed on the spot before even setting foot inside the throne room.

Ironically, Emperor Stuttgart was not interested in this Adventurer named Cain, so he did not care at all whether he revealed his face or not.

“So you're the Adventurer, Cain?” Emperor Stuttgart asked.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty,” Cain replied with a bow.

“What business do you have that you requested an audience with me?”

Cain lowered his head and said, “I have come... to for a punishment, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“Hmm? A punishment?”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“I suppose you have a reason to come all the way here just to request to be punished?”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. I have experienced a great war in the southern region of the Nurburg Continent while the great Marchioni Empire was in turmoil caused by the civil war.”

“Go on.”

“In the midst of that war, countless civilians suffered, and countless soldiers perished too. Therefore, I...” Cain took a deep breath before continuing.

He proceeded to explain why he founded a nation and crowned himself king, how the devastation of war left the southern region in chaos, and how he sought to bring order to the chaos.

But that was not all...

Cain was brutally honest with Emperor Stuttgart.

“The truth is... I have long harbored ambitions of becoming a king. When the world fell into turmoil, I saw an opportunity to both restore order and to achieve my ambitions. Therefore, I seized that opportunity.”

“You’re quite the honest one,” Emperor Stuttgart said with a smile after seeing that Cain did not dare to lie to him. Then, he said, “So, in the end... You founded a kingdom and ascended the throne without my permission, and that is why you’ve come seeking punishment.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“Tell me, then. What punishment do you seek from me?” Emperor Stuttgart asked. Then, he said with a smile yet a chilling tone, “You didn’t come all the way just to ask me to erase your newly-founded kingdom from the map, did you?”

“I beg for Your Imperial Majesty’s grace and mercy,” Cain exclaimed, pressing himself against the floor. Then, he said, “If I may be frank with Your Imperial Majesty, I do not wish for such a severe punishment.”

“Then what is it you seek?”

Cain raised his head and said firmly, “The Kingdom of Arkasas and I, Cain, will be Your Imperial Majesty’s loyal hound.”

“A loyal hound?”

“Your Imperial Majesty’s will shall be my bidding. No matter what it is.”

“Even if it means having to endure the harshest of trials and pain?”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty,” Cain said, resolute. Then, he bowed low to the ground again and continued, “If Your Imperial Majesty grants me your benevolent mercy, I will do anything my lord commands.”

“I like that. You have offended me, but your honesty has pleased me,” Emperor Stuttgart said with a nod.

“I am eternally grateful, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“As a matter of fact, there is something that requires attention. I must say your timing is rather convenient.”

“Please, command me, my lord. And I shall obey.”

“The civil war is not over yet. It will not be truly settled until every last one of the rebels has been eradicated.”

“I certainly agree, my lord.”

“I am placing you in charge of eliminating the remaining rebels.”

“My lord! I will devote myself to fulfilling Your Imperial Majesty’s will!”

Cain immediately agreed and accepted Emperor Stuttgart’s command.

‘This is my chance,’ he thought.

This was exactly what he needed.

He would not only earn the emperor’s forgiveness but also achieve a great military feat, gaining him favor in the eyes of the world’s most powerful person.

“Once I send my imperial decree, you are to march on the rebels’ stronghold and establish a forward base. Can you do that?”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“Good,” Emperor Stuttgart said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Cain was completely oblivious about one thing. The so-called rebel stronghold was actually located in another world, the Coral Race’s world.

“And one more thing. Once you’ve secured the forward base, Siegfried van Proa will be joining you,” Emperor Stuttgart added.

“What?”

“He will serve in my stead as the supreme commander and lead all of you into battle.”

It was then.

‘Are you fucking kidding me?!’

Cain ended up cursing inwardly. No matter how much blood and sweat he poured into this mission, Siegfried van Proa would be swooping in and claiming all the glory in the end.

‘Damn it... I guess I have no choice...’

He was infuriated, but he had no other choice but to swallow his pride and accept the emperor’s command.

Why?

It was all because if he showed even a hint of displeasure here, not only would his life be forfeit, but the entire Arkasas Kingdom would be wiped off the map in an instant.

***

Upon returning to the Proatine Kingdom, Siegfried met with Michele and recounted everything that had happened to the latter.

“You have done an incredible job, Your Majesty. Thanks to your efforts, our kingdom’s national interests have expanded significantly,” Michele said.

His face was filled with deep admiration, clearly moved by Siegfried’s exploits.

“Oh? Really?”

“Our trade surplus has increased by over seven hundred percent.”

“What?!”

Siegfried was floored by Michele’s report.

Before Siegfried left the Proatine Kingdom to join the Marchioni Empire’s civil war, Michele had anticipated Emperor Stuttgart’s intentions. After consulting with Siegfried, he began trade operations based on the assumption that the empire would emerge victorious from the war.

As a result, the Proatine Kingdom’s trade surplus was already guaranteed, but he did not expect it to skyrocket by a staggering seven hundred percent.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yeah?”

“With this trade revenue, we have secured enough funds to cover five years’ worth of our budget.”

“What?!”

“That is based on this year’s estimate. If we maintain things as they are now, we can afford not to collect taxes for the next five years.”

“Wow...”

Siegfried could not even fathom just how much money they had raked in this time. The Proatine Kingdom was still a small rising power, but its annual budget was no small amount, and they actually had five years’ worth of surplus money in their coffers?

It seemed that the coin he had bet on really went to the moon.

On the other hand, the nations and private investors who backed the rebel faction should have suffered catastrophic losses by now. Most of them were probably testing the water temperature of the Piaro River by now.

“With this level of surplus, we could urbanize the entirety of our kingdom’s territory, Your Majesty.”

“Wow...”

“We can also accelerate research in various technologies and invest in weapons development to strengthen our military.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Then proceed everything at once. Ah, but make sure to discuss the budget with Sir Schmidt and get it done.”

“Understood.”

“Good work.”

With that, Siegfried turned and made his way toward Quandt’s workshop.

He wanted to show Quandt the weapons used by the Coralites and also check on the progress of the research being conducted on the Omnistone.

“Welcome, Your Majesty.”

As always, Quandt greeted him warmly.

“I was just researching the Omnistone.”

“Really? How’s it going?”

“With the Omnistone, I believe I can forge a new set of armor for Your Majesty.”

“Ooooh!”

Siegfried was thrilled by the news. It was about time he replaced the gear set that Yong Seol-Hwa had crafted for him.

Sure, it had been serving him well so far, but there was no telling when he would face even stronger enemies.

Thus, slacking on upgrading his gear was not something he could afford to do.

“If you give me some time, I will create an armor set befitting Your Majesty!” Quandt exclaimed with confidence.

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” Siegfried replied with a smile.

Then, he proceeded to open his inventory and took out the weapons used by the Coralites.

“Oh!”

The moment Quandt laid eyes on the Lightswords, his eyes sparkled with fascination even before Siegfried could explain anything.

“These weapons... they are not of this world,” Quandt said.

“Correct,” Siegfried nodded. Then, he explained, “They belong to an otherworldly race called the Coral Race. They call them Lightswords.”

“This material composition, the finishing, the structure... I have never seen anything like this.”

Even Quandt found the weapon used by the Coralites, the Lightswords, to be strange.

“Can you analyze them?” Siegfried asked.

“Of course! Encountering something like this sparks my curiosity! Hahaha!” Quandt replied with a burst of boisterous laughter.

“Then what about this?” Siegfried asked. He pulled out the Robe of the Dead from his Inventory and showed it to Quandt.

“T-That is...!” Quandt gasped, his eyes widening in shock.

“Yup, that’s right. I swiped it while capturing Giorgetto!” Siegfried said, grinning mischievously.

He truly had nerves of steel, judging from how he had stolen an imperial treasure.

“This... is a treasure woven from the feathers of the Black Phoenix, a mythical beast.”

“The Black Phoenix? Aren’t phoenixes usually red?”

When it came to a phoenix, most people would imagine it as a majestic bird engulfed in flames.

“Normally, yes. But there exists a creature known to be a higher species of phoenix. It is considered to be a top-tier even among mythical beasts. Rather than a lifeform, it is closer to being a law of the universe.”

“Huh?”

“This robe...” Quandt muttered. Then, he continued, “It was crafted from the feathers of a three-legged crow.”

“A three-legged crow...?” Siegfried tilted his head slightly. Then, he murmured, “Are you talking about the Three-Legged Crow?”

As far as he knew, the only three-legged crow he knew was the Apparition of the Three-Legged Crow.