Debuff Master

Chapter 757

“Did something happen to Acheron-nim?” Siegfried asked, sounding concerned.

“Ah, it’s not a big deal,” Cheon Woo-Jin replied with a nonchalant tone. Then, he added, “She collapsed yesterday afternoon.”

“What? Acheron-nim collapsed? Isn’t she supposed to be immortal?”

Siegfried was stunned. The idea that Acheron, who had achieved eternal life through the Philosopher’s Stone, could just suddenly collapse like that was inconceivable.

“How can an immortal NPC just collapse like that?” Siegfried asked.

“But yeah, she did,” Cheon Woo-Jin replied with a shrug.

“How?”

“Out of nowhere. She just started bleeding from her nose and then just collapsed.”

“So... why?”

“It seems controlling the Fated Censer wasn’t as easy as we thought it would be.”

“Hmm?”

“She said that the Fated Censer being highly unstable made it incredibly challenging to keep it under control.”

“Hmm... I guess that makes sense.”

“We have to find it quickly. There’s a high chance the Fated Censer will be destroyed, and the soul fragments will scatter again if we don’t locate it within a month.”

“...!”

“We really need to hurry.”

“Alright, got it.”

“We will cooperate to the best of our abilities, so start searching immediately. If anything seems suspicious, feel free to tear whatever it is apart. Feiogh is ours now, so it shouldn’t be a problem at all.”

“Thanks.”

“If you’re really grateful, then...” Siegfried trailed his words, hoping to squeeze something out of him.

Unfortunately for him, Cheon Woo-Jin vanished like a ghost, just like how he appeared, and Siegfried could not extort anything out of him due to that.

“Damn it!” Siegfried cursed, frustrated after getting one-upped by Cheon Woo-Jin.

It seemed that Cheon Woo-Jin, whether intentionally or not, managed to be the one to dine and dash this time.

Siegfried gnashed his teeth and growled, “Just you wait. I’ll get you next time.”

***

The war had ended, but there was still much to be done. As the head of the Proatine Alliance, Siegfried had just come to an agreement with the Rozermoore Alliance.

It was only natural for them to negotiate and agree on things, as the Rozermoore Alliance had supported the Proatine Alliance during the war by hitting the Zavala Kingdom in different places.

The Proatine Alliance and the Rozermoore Alliance had agreed on the following...

1. The Zavala Kingdom’s lands shall be divided equally, with fifty percent going to the Rozermoore Alliance and the other fifty percent going to the Proatine Alliance.

2. The Proatine Kingdom shall retain ownership of Garnet City and the Iron Cradle, while the rest of the lands shall be fairly divided among the members of the Proatine Alliance.

3. The capital city of the Zavala Kingdom, Feiogh, shall be ruled by the Proatine Alliance for six months. Then, its ownership shall be transferred to the Rozermoore Alliance.

4. All gold and treasures obtained from the Iron Palace shall belong to the Proatine Kingdom.

5. The technology possessed by the Zavala Kingdom shall be shared with all participants of both alliances.

6. The Rozermoore Alliance shall be responsible for securing and stabilizing the Zavala Kingdom. The Proatine Kingdom shall support this operation by dispatching the Iron Fleet.

The terms were mutually agreeable, and Siegfried was pleased with them as well. He had no plans of expanding his territory unnecessarily, nor did he want to forcibly integrate the Zavala Kingdom’s population into his own kingdom.

The Proatine Kingdom was small in population, but it was a kingdom of peaceful citizens with minor social conflicts. He had no interest in swelling their numbers by absorbing the citizens of the Zavala Kingdom, which could lead to social unrest and further complications later down the line.

Furthermore, he had no desire to spend his time hunting down the Zavala Kingdom’s scattered remnants or their provincial feudal lords, which was the reason he was willing to make concessions, as the Rozermoore Alliance was more than willing to take on the task of controlling the Zavala Kingdom’s territories.

Of course, while the specifics of the agreement still need to be ironed out between the representatives of both sides at a later date, the general terms of the agreement had already been established.

— A fine deal, I must say, King Siegfried.

King Gregory of the Rozermoore Alliance smiled at Siegfried through the communication crystal. Clearly, he was pleased by their deal.

“I think so, too,” Siegfried replied with a smile.

— Our alliance hopes to continue this pleasant relationship and nurture a deep lasting bond with your kingdom.

“Oh, you flatter me too much, King Gregory.”

— We look forward to working together! Hahaha!

“Likewise, and thank you.”

— Oh, by the way, King Siegfried...

“Yes?”

— Just out of curiosity... do you happen to need a concubine?

“Pardon...?”

— I am aware that you already have a queen and are set to marry Emperor Stuttgart’s younger sister. But we all know that Emperor Stuttgart might fall at any moment now. Surely you’re aware that the Marchioni Empire is on the verge of collapse, no?

— Ah, I’m not saying that Emperor Stuttgart is doomed or anything, but—well, my point is...

King Gregory rambled on and hesitated for a while before finally going to the point.

— Why cling to a sinking ship? Wouldn’t it be better to solidify our alliance instead? And honestly, the emperor’s half-sister... Well, let’s just say she’s quite the notorious troublemaker.

— I believe you’d be far better off with my daughter, as not only me but everyone can’t speak highly enough of her!

King Gregory listed down the virtues of his daughter, Princess Arin, in hopes of convincing Siegfried to agree to a diplomatic marriage.

The reason for this was quite simple—the Proatine Kingdom’s military prowess had finally been unveiled, and it had become a force to be reckoned with after this war.

News of Siegfried possessing three Masters and a Great Wizard at his command was well-known among the participants of this war, and this was a force that would earn him respect almost instantly anywhere on the continent.

— Also, my Arin recently won first place in the Spelling Bee in the whole continent! She’s truly a genius!

Siegfried interrupted the king and asked, “Excuse me? The Spelling Bee? May I ask how old Princess Arin is?”

— She turned seven this year.

“...”

— Don’t worry about such trivial matters. We can formalize an engagement now, and then, once she comes of age, you can marry her. It’ll only be ten years—no, even earlier if you wish! What’s the harm in waiting?

“I will be hanging up now.”

— W-Wait! King Siegfried!

“I’m not a criminal, thank you very much.”

Without another word, Siegfried unilaterally ended the communication.

Bzzt! Bzzt!

King Gregory tried to reconnect, but his efforts were in vain.

“Add him to the list of people I don’t wish to talk to,” Siegfried commanded.

“Certainly, sire,” the communications officer promptly placed King Gregory on the "do not answer" list.

“Damn it... What do they take me for?” Siegfried grumbled with a scoff.

He understood that the cultural norms of the continent were vastly different from the real world, but he could not bring himself to agree to an engagement with a girl just seven years old, regardless of whether this was just a game or not.

Unless, of course, he was seven years old, too...

***

After swiftly handling the urgent matters that required his attention postwar, Siegfried immediately returned to the Proatine Kingdom. He was eager to reunite with Brunhilde and Verdandi—the two people he missed dearly.

Moreover, as the king, he was obligated to attend the victory parade in the streets of Preussen to celebrate their hard-won victory.

As he made his way back to the Proatine Kingdom, a series of messages popped up in front of his eyes.

[Alert: Your Divine Power has permanently increased by 16!]

[Alert: Your Divine Power has permanently increased by 86!]

[Alert: Your Divine Power has permanently increased by 2.2!]

[Alert: Your Divine Power has permanently increased by 31.3!]

(omitted...)

[Alert: Your Divine Power has permanently increased by 9!]

His Divine Power was increasing at an astonishing rate.

“Why is this increasing again?” Siegfried muttered, sounding baffled.

“Kyu? What’s wrong, owner punk?” Hamchi asked.

“My Divine Power just keeps going up.”

“Kyu?! Are you a... divine, owner punk?”

“No?”

Even if it was a joke, Siegfried could not bring himself to describe himself as a divine being.

“Me? Divine?”

“Kyuu! Exactly! But if owner punk is not a divine being, then why is your Divine Power increasing?!”

“Who knows...? Maybe I am... a little holy?”

In the end, Siegfried could only scratch his head while looking baffled.

Ding!

Just then, another series of messages popped up in front of his eyes.

[Alert: A temple has been destroyed!]

[Alert: A holy artifact has been destroyed!]

[Alert: The connection with your followers has been severed!]

[Alert: Your Divine Power has permanently decreased by 50!]

[Alert: Your Divine Power has permanently decreased by 50!]

(omitted...)

[Alert: Your Divine Power has permanently decreased by 50!]

The Divine Power that was skyrocketing just a moment ago dropped drastically.

“A temple? A holy artifact? What the hell is that supposed to mean...?” Siegfried muttered under his breath in sheer disbelief.

He was slowly getting fed up with these incomprehensible messages, so he set any notifications related to the Divine Power to be ignored for thirty days out of frustration.

“Some people might think that I’m some cult leader or something...” he grumbled. He had neither a temple nor a holy artifact. In fact, he didn't even have anyone who could pass as his follower with whom a connection could be severed.

Thus, the notifications seemed completely nonsensical to him. Of course, he could still remember Deus’ cryptic words, which hinted there was definitely a reason behind all this, but for now, he had no clue how to decipher it.

In the end, he decided that the truth would eventually reveal itself and ignored it for now.

“Forget about it. Let’s go.”

“Kyuuu!”

With Hamchi at his side, Siegfried joined up with the Proatine Kingdom’s knights and elite soldiers as they marched toward the capital city, Preussen.

“Long live His Majesty the King!”

“Long live the Proatine King!”

“Hail to the king!”

A multitude had already flooded the streets of Preussen, celebrating Siegfried’s triumphant return with fervor. The people of the capital city were not the only ones here, as many had journeyed from across the kingdom to witness this grand event.

This was only natural, as the small kingdom deemed by many as insignificant and weak had emerged victorious in the war against a great power, the mighty Zavala Kingdom.

Through a series of astonishing victories that most would deem nothing short of a miracle, the Proatine Kingdom secured victory in a war against one of the continent’s great powers, and this victory ignited a profound sense of patriotism among the people.

Back where Siegfried—no, Han Tae-Sung was from, this phenomenon would be called getting high on patriotism.

Finally, Siegfried entered Preussen, and he was met with the roaring cheers of the people. Petals scattered in the air were carried by the cool breeze, covering the streets as if it was still spring, and a red carpet stretched all the way to the palace while the flags of the kingdom fluttered proudly at every turn.

Mounted on a white horse, Siegfried rode through the streets reverberating with jubilant cheers.

“Long live His Majesty the King!”

“Long live the Proatine King!”

“Hail to the king!”

“You are the light and salt of this world, Your Majesty!”

“I will readily give my life for you, my lord!”

The citizens praised and blessed Siegfried, and some even started worshiping and venerating him as if he were some deity.

However, he deserved every bit of this, as he had achieved something unprecedented—a feat that would be immortalized in the history of the continent. Thus, he deserved to enjoy the reverence and adoration of the people. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

‘Well, this is the joy of being a king, aye?’ Siegfried thought, savoring the moment with a smile.

The long procession continued until he arrived at the palace gates.

“Welcome back, dear!”

“Father!”

“Kwing! Kwing!”

Brunhilde, Verdandi, and the now-family pet, Kwing Kwing, waiting for him at the palace gates.

Siegfried smiled brightly and dismounted from his horse before proceeding to walk into the welcome embrace of his loving family.

***

While the Proatine Kingdom celebrated their victory, the Guardians were meticulously combing through every inch of Feiogh. Their agents scoured every corner of the vast great city, hoping to find any trace of the last soul fragment.

But so far, they came up empty-handed; their exhaustive search yielded not even a single clue.

Meanwhile, Oscar furrowed her brows after receiving a concerning report from the deputy commander, Carell.

“Desertions?”

“Yes, Supreme Commander.”

“I can’t believe it...”

Oscar found the report hard to accept. According to Carell, two squadrons of the Proatine Kingdom had mysteriously gone missing without leaving a single trace.