Debuff Master

Chapter 619

The cobwebs, dust, and stench of mold proved that the room had long been forgotten.

“Your Majesty, our reception room is currently undergoing repairs, so I beg for your understanding and benevolence on this matter.”

The butler who guided Siegfried to the room sounded very respectful, but it was obvious from his eyes and expression that he was looking down on Siegfried.

This was a classic case of a donkey in a lion’s skin. Even the butler prided himself on serving a noble of the Marchioni Empire that he dared to look down on Siegfried, who was a king of a weak and poor kingdom.

Siegfried was not bothered by the butler’s tone. Instead, he smiled and replied, “I understand that things happen.”

“I will prepare tea and some snacks for Your Majesty.”

“Thank you.”

The butler left the room to prepare tea and snacks.

“Tsk... I should improve my reputation or something...” Siegfried grumbled while pouting.

“Kyu?”

“I know my kingdom is weak and small, but how can they treat me like this? I know they’re doing it on purpose... But there should be limits, no?!”

Unfortunately, Siegfried was mistaken this time. The Proatine Kingdom was currently rumored to be a new rising powerhouse on the continent, and many nations had already noticed it.

The kingdom had been trying to hide its true strength all this while, but the major nations on the continent were not fools. They had collected information regarding the Proatine Kingdom and had an idea of what the kingdom was truly capable of.

The Proatine Kingdom being small and weak was not why Siegfried was being treated this way. The only reason they dared to treat him this way was that the Espadrille Province used to be under the Marchioni Empire’s rule.

The pride and arrogance of those living in the empire was something that even Siegfried would not be able to easily fathom, no matter how knowledgeable he was with BNW.

“Kyuuu! Weren’t you prepared for this, though?!”

“Yeah, I was,” Siegfried replied with a shrug. Then, he said, “I’m doing great by just not killing them outright, right?”

“Kyuuu! You’re the bigger man!”

“It’s not that I’m the bigger man. I just have a plan, that’s all.”

“Kyu?”

“I have no expectations to begin with, so that’s why I’m not upset at all. Besides, I’m the fool if I get mad here. After all, I still decided to come here, even though I know what kind of people they are.”

“Kyuuu! That makes sense!”

“Anyway, I don’t see anything out of the ordinary here,” Siegfried said while leaning back on his hands with interlocked fingers. Then, he added, “I should investigate and see if the soul fragment is here, but there’s nothing much here except for that ruthless feudal lord.”

“Kyu! Hamchi thinks so, too!”

“Tsk... The soul fragment isn’t here either... It’s very different from before. The previous soul fragments had basically announced where they were, but this one is too quiet.”

The energy contained within the Soul Fragment of Apocalius was equivalent to that of a nuclear power plant, so it was bound to affect its surroundings and cause all sorts of weird phenomena.

However, the fact that there was nothing extraordinary going on in the Espadrille Territory despite the presence of a soul fragment was truly strange.

The butler opened the door without knocking. He came into the small shabby room and said, “Here is your tea and snacks. I am afraid to inform Your Majesty that the lord is currently busy with other affairs, so he is unable to receive you. I hope for Your Majesty’s kind understanding on the matter.”

“It is alright. I can wait for him,” Siegfried replied nonchalantly.

“Then please wait here,” the butler said with a bow before leaving.

“Hey, Hamchi.”

“Kyu?”

“Let’s nap for a bit.”

“Kyu? N-Nap?! Right now?!”

“He seems dead-set on making a full out of us by making us wait, so we might as well sleep, right? It’s our loss if we keep waiting and get all worked up.”

Siegfried knew what Viscount Anterlock was up to even without meeting him.

“Kyuuu! Owner punk is really smart!”

“Did you really just realize?”

“Kyuuu!”

“Anyway, let’s go get some sleep now.”

“Kyu! Alright!”

That was how Siegfried and Hamchi slept hunched over the table, just like students sleeping in class.

***

A few hours later, Siegfried and Hamchi finally got to meet Viscount Anterlock, who was receiving them while seated on his throne.

‘Tsk... What a pathetic fool.’ Viscount Anterlock clicked his tongue and thought that the king was nothing but a fool who couldn\'t stand up for himself.

“What did you say that brat is doing?”

“That is... He and his hamster are sleeping, my lord...”

“What? A king is sleeping in that dumpster of a storage room while waiting for his subordinate, but he didn’t even raise his voice or complain?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Haha! What a spineless fool! He’s nothing but a pushover!”

In fact, Siegfried still had marks on his face, dried saliva on the corner of his mouth, disheveled hair, and his eyes were still half open. Anyone could tell that he had just woken up.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Viscount Anterlock.”

The viscount greeted Siegfried in an arrogant tone that was no different from committing treason.

“My name is Siegfried van Proa.”

“I apologize for making Your Majesty wait. I could not accommodate you, as you came without any prior notice.”

“It is fine.”

“But may I ask what business you have with me?”

“That is...” Siegfried proceeded to explain his plans just as he did with the others.

But as expected, Viscount Anterlock wasn\'t someone he could reason with.

“It is not that I cannot relate to what Your Majesty is saying, but is the world truly that easy? I know that you mean well for the people, but the people are Marchionis until down to their bone marrow, so why would they shift their loyalty to a weak and small kingdom over some gold invested?

"A lion would rather starve to death than eat rotten meat, Your Majesty.”

“But viscount, the Espadrille Province is no longer a part of the empire after His Imperial Majesty gifted it to me. This is now a part of the Proatine Kingdom and—”

“I will pay my taxes and tributes.”

“...”

“The Proatine Kingdom is not as mighty as the Marchioni Empire, so I doubt you could justify levying the same percentage of taxes. I will see to it that the Proatine Kingdom faithfully receives the amount I deem appropriate, so please mind your own business and do not get involved in our affairs,” Viscount Anterlock said with his hand on the sword on his waist.

He was blatantly threatening Siegfried. He was clearly saying that he wasn\'t afraid to cut him down, regardless of whether he was a king or not.

“Your Majesty, I wish to inform you that we, the people of the empire, really don’t like to be messed with.”

“Hmm...”

“It is getting late, so please go and rest.”

Viscount Anterlock one-sidedly dismissed Siegfried and left the reception room.

***

Siegfried left the Chateau Territory and headed for another territory after receiving poor treatment and insults from Viscount Anterlock.

Right after his departure...

“He did not get mad once, even after you treated him so poorly?”

– Yes, Count Gunther.

Count Gunther received a call from Viscount Anterlock to report on what happened.

– I believe it was not that he did not get mad but rather he could not get mad.

“I guess you’re right. There’s no way he could raise his voice at us, nobles of the empire, when he’s just a king of a weak and poor kingdom, right? Kekeke!”

– Precisely, Count Gunther.

“So he didn’t say anything and left for another place?”

– Yes.

“Alright,” Count Gunther said with a nod. Then, he clicked his tongue and said, “Tsk... He should have just given up after suffering such humiliation.”

– Perhaps he is just being foolish and stubborn?

“That’s the biggest possibility. Anyway, I understand,” Count Gunther said and ended the call. He seemed displeased about something and grumbled under his breath, “It seems the gift I’ve prepared for him has yet to arrive, judging by how he’s still fearlessly roaming around...”

He did not like the fact that there had been no assassination attempts on Siegfried, but he decided to be patient, as it had not been that long since the request was made.

Meanwhile, Siegfried continued his journey across the Espadrille Province, convincing some of the nobles while getting scorned by others.

A week later...

“I apologize, but the lord is currently training alone, so we have no way of contacting him. But I will see to it that Your Majesty’s message gets delivered the moment he returns.”

Siegfried went to the Capucines Territory ruled by Count Arial, but he couldn\'t meet the latter. However, he had received a somewhat positive response from the count’s subordinate, so he headed for the final destination of his tour of the Espadrille Province, the Cabochon Territory, which was ruled by the de facto ruler of the entire province, Count Gunther.

“I, Count Gunther, greet Your Majesty.”

Surprisingly, Count Gunther greeted Siegfried with the utmost respect.

“The name is Siegfried van Proa.”

“I apologize for not coming to find Your Majesty even after hearing you were currently in the Espadrille Province.”

“No need to apologize for that.”

“I thank Your Majesty for visiting me and providing me with the opportunity to host you.”

Siegfried was honestly surprised by Count Gunther’s attitude.

‘What is this guy plotting...?’

He couldn\'t put a finger on what the count was thinking, but he did not get swept up in his pace either.

‘Oh well, I just have to finish my big picture,’ he thought with a shrug and was about to take out his card, but...

“Your Majesty," Count Gunther said, beating Siegfried to the punch.

“Yes?”

“I have heard that Your Majesty has been going around meeting the nobles and requesting their cooperation.”

“Yes, I was...?”

“So I was thinking...”

“...?”

“I will summon all of the nobles and convene a meeting. It would be easier for Your Majesty to meet everyone together rather than meeting them one by one.”

It was then.

‘Alright! Yes! Woooooo!’ Siegfried cheered and jumped for joy inwardly after the count had mentioned what he wanted all along. He was planning to lure Count Gunther to gather all of the nobles of the Espadrille Province in one place, as it was the big picture that he was drawing in his head.

But who would have known that Count Gunther would give him what he wanted even before he asked for it and even before he had done anything for it?

“I-I will be really grateful if you do that for me, count,” Siegfried said in a slightly trembling voice.

It was then.

‘Bwahaha! What a fool! It seems you’re dying to get publicly humiliated!’ Count Gunther cheered inwardly.

Just like Siegfried, he was elated after his proposal was accepted without any resistance. The count planned to pressure Siegfried, humiliate him, and insult him in front of all of the nobles of the Espadrille Province.

After making a public spectacle of Siegfried, Count Gunther was planning to make it clear that the Espadrille Province didn\'t wish to be ruled by the Proatine Kingdom, and any attempt to rule it could result in armed rebellion.

“I am honored that Your Majesty accepted my offer,” Count Gunther said, putting on the best fake smile he could muster.

“Not at all! I am grateful for your consideration and generosity, Count Gunther,” Siegfried replied, putting on the best fake grin he could possibly come up with.

The two men revealed fake smiles and shook each other\'s hands, seemingly oblivious to the other party\'s agenda.