Debuff Master

Chapter 1162

Right after Siegfried tidied his uniform, the de facto leader of the Corals, Chancellor Maximus, walked into the cramped office.

‘What the hell? Why are you here?’ Siegfried froze.

He had been racking his brain to get close to Maximus, but the latter himself had walked straight to him with his own two feet.

No matter how he looked at it, there was no reason for the chancellor to personally pay a visit to some random newbie imperial guard.

“So, you’re Mindrius, yes?” Maximus asked, glancing at Siegfried.

“Yes, my lord! I am Mindrius!” Siegfried replied, straightening up before bowing in proper Coral fashion.

“So the rumors were true…”

“Pardon me, my lord?”

“They said one of the new imperial guards had the Cradle of Sun. So it was you.”

By Cradle of Sun, Maximus was talking about none other than Siegfried’s smooth, polished, bald head that reflected light off of it. Among the Corals, a gleaming head reflecting sunlight was poetically described as the resting place of the sun.

“Ah, yes… That would be me, my lord.”

“A young man like you has already climbed so high in rankings. Not only are you handsome, but you have also received His Imperial Majesty’s blessing.”

“I am unworthy of such high praises, my lord.”

“Well, you probably don’t remember meeting His Imperial Majesty, as you were most likely unconscious when you were carried away to receive the Forced Blooming.”

“That is correct, my lord.”

“Anyway, could you serve me a cup of tea?” Maximus asked, glancing around the tiny office.

“It would be an honor, my lord!”

“Good. Then I’ll have a seat right here.”

Maximus pulled up a chair and sat down.

‘But… I have no idea how to brew tea…’ Siegfried panicked.

He was at a loss, as he had to serve Maximus tea, but he had no idea if the tea in this place was the same tea as the one back on the continent. If he got things wrong here, then he could blow his cover completely.

‘Ah, screw it. Whatever happens, happens. I’ll just bust my way out of here if I get caught.’

Siegfried stealthily opened his Inventory, pulled out a thermos, and poured its contents into a teacup.

Steam rose gently from the teacup, and he carefully placed it before Maximus.

“P-Please accept this humble tea, my lord.”

“Hoho! Don’t worry about it. Who expects a knight like you to serve fancy tea?” Maximus replied with a chuckle as he accepted the teacup.

“Hahaha…”

“Mmhm! This fragrance is spectacular! What’s this made of? I have never smelled anything like this before.”

“Ah, I took this from those vile invaders while on the battlefield, my lord,” Siegfried replied, bowing his head slightly.

“Oh? A spoil of war, you say?”

“Yes, my lord. I tried a sip out of curiosity, and it tasted really good. I have been drinking it since then.”

“Is that so? What do those vile invaders call this?”

“I believe they called it Mint Chocolate Latte, my lord.”

It was then.

‘Kyaaaak! Have you lost your goddamn mind, owner punk?! Couldn’t you find anything better than that brewed sewer garbage?! Seriously?! Mint chocolate?! Of all things?! Only you like that crap! Everyone hates it! That shit is poison!’

Siegfried had to hurriedly shove his hand inside his pocket to stop Hamchi from shrieking.

Who could have known that he was crazy enough to suggest a drink that most people would spit on?

Hamchi noticed long ago that Siegfried had this bad habit of thinking that everyone liked the same thing he liked. Unfortunately, his bad habit came out this time yet again, and he served mint chocolate latte to Maximus, which could easily be a terrible move that could jeopardize this entire operation.

“Oooh! Let me have a taste,” Maximus said, raising the teacup to his lips and taking a sip of the mint chocolate latte.

Gulp!

Both Siegfried and Hamchi held their breaths, waiting for Maximus’ reaction.

Three, two, and one—

“…!”

Maximus’ eyes went wide, bulging as if they would pop out of their sockets at any moment now.

‘What?! He doesn’t like it?! But how?!’

‘Kyaaak! It’s over! We’re screwed now!’

Siegfried and Hamchi were shocked, but the reason behind their astonishment was starkly different.

“Ahhh…!” Maximus’ expression turned into that of extreme bliss. “This is… the taste of the heavens…!”

It was a huge success.

Nobody could say if the mint chocolate latte suited the palate of the Corals or if Chancellor Maximus was just weird, but one thing was certain—the Chancellor loved the mint chocolate latte he was served.

***

“This tangy, sharp, and sweet flavor…! Where in the world did you find a drink like this? Unbelievable! Such a rare and unique taste!”

“Eh…?”

“This would be perfect with some crispy grubs!”

Maximus looked around the cramped office, spotted a small jar, and pulled out its contents.

The contents of the jar were none other than the crispy fried grubs he mentioned just now, and he threw all of the grubs in the jar into the mint chocolate latte.

Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!

Then, he chugged down the mint chocolate latte crispy grub drink like it was the best thing in the world.

‘Erm… That’s a bit too much even by my standards,’ Siegfried thought, forcing himself to keep his expression as neutral as possible while watching Maximus chug down the drink and chew the grubs as if they were chocolate chips.

“Could you get more of this drink for me?”

“Certainly, my lord!”

“I will buy them from you.”

“I have acquired plenty of them from the battlefield and will gladly offer them as gifts to you, my lord!”

“No, that won’t do. If I, as the chancellor, take something for free, it’s no different from outright stealing. I insist on paying you, and you will be paid well, Mindrius.”

“I am deeply honored, my lord! But if I may ask… what brings you here to see me…?”

“Ah, that… I heard about you, and well… what I mean is… erm…” Maximus murmured, averting his eyes and looking slightly embarrassed.

Siegfried immediately caught on and leaned forward, presenting his shiny scalp as he said, “Would you like to touch it, my lord?”

“Ahem! T-Thank you,” Maximus replied with a cough. Then, he reached out and placed his hand and muttered, “Mmm… Smooth. Very smooth.”

“…”

“Soft too… Not rough at all… It’s the perfect texture.”

Maximus caressed—no, he was fondling Siegfried’s scalp at this point and shamelessly indulging himself.

‘For crying out loud. I can’t believe this,’ Siegfried thought.

He wanted nothing more than to laugh in disbelief at how ridiculous this whole thing was. He had been so sure that his cover was blown, yet the chancellor himself had come to rub his head.

“Good… Very good…” Maximus muttered. Then, he asked, “You don’t have a proper post assigned yet, do you?”

“No, my lord. I am still new, so I have not been assigned yet. For now, I am just patrolling inside the command center,” Siegfried replied.

“An imperial guard like you just wandering around on patrol? What a waste.”

“I am merely a knight in the lowest-ranking unit, my lord.”

“Are you any good?”

“Pardon me, my lord?”

“If you can prove your skills, I could bring you in as one of my personal guards.”

“…!”

“But if that bald, smooth, shiny, pleasant-to-touch head is all you have, then just forget about it.”

Siegfried was caught off guard by the sudden recruitment offer that he nearly burst out laughing.

“In my opinion, a handsome knight like you staying as an imperial guard will attract too much attention. In fact, you might just end up as eye candy for others and not get the chance to advance up the ladder,” Maximus said. Then, he added, “Wouldn’t you rather become one of my men and have a real shot at things?”

“Yes, I do, but…”

“Of course, it must be a difficult choice for you. After all, serving as an imperial guard of His Imperial Majesty is already an honor in itself.”

“No, not at all, my lord.”

‘Hot damn! A golden opportunity just dropped right on my lap!’

He had been racking his brain trying to come up with a way to get close to Maximus, and now the man was personally recruiting him to be one of his personal guards.

“If I may speak frankly, my lord… I am proud to serve as the Almighty Emperor’s imperial guard. But surely, there are far stronger and nobler knights than me in the ranks of the imperial guards.”

“That’s true. His Imperial Majesty has the Imperial Vanguard, after all.”

The Imperial Vanguard was the strongest order of knights among the Corals. Each of the knights was on the same level as a Grandmaster.

“I would rather serve at my lord’s side and use my humble skills to the fullest rather than stay where I am and wait for my turn, which might never come,” Siegfried said resolutely.

“Oh? Is that truly what you want?” Maximus raised a brow and asked.

“Yes, Lord Chancellor.”

“Very good. If that’s your decision, then prove yourself to me,” Maximus said, flashing a satisfied smile.

“Yes, sir!”

“I’ll arrange something this evening. Be ready to prove your worth.”

“I am deeply honored by the opportunity to show—”

It was then.

[Alert: Warning! Warning!]

[Alert: The duration of transformation is almost over!]

[Alert: Transformation will end in 60 seconds!]

[Alert: 59 seconds remaining!]

[Alert: 58 seconds remaining!]

[Alert: 57 seconds remaining!]

The twenty-four-hour time limit was almost over, and the transformation would disappear in less than a minute.

‘Oh shit! What do I do?!’ Siegfried panicked.

Just then, one of the knights standing guard leaned in to whisper to Maximus.

“It is time for the strategy meeting, Lord Chancellor.”

“Ah, is it already time? I must get going then.”

“Are you leaving already, my lord?”

“I’m busy, so I must go. I’ll send word about your trial later, so wait for it.”

“As you command, my lord!”

“Good, good. It was good meeting you, Mindrius.”

“It was an honor, my lord.”

“Then, I’ll be off now.”

As soon as Maximus and his knights stepped out of the room—

Poof!

Siegfried’s disguise was undone.

“Phew!”

He grabbed his chest and let out a deep sigh of relief, trying to calm his pounding heart.

If his transformation had been undone even a second earlier, then he would have gotten caught red-handed. To make matters worse, he would have been caught red-handed by some of the most powerful knights among the Corals in a cramped room.

***

‘I really need to keep a better eye on the transformation duration,’ Siegfried thought as he tore another page off of the Polymorph Spell Tome: Coral Imperial Guard.

Wooong…!

He donned his disguise once more, as not having his disguise right in the middle of the enemy base would be disastrous. This place was crawling with powerful Coral Warriors so strong that even he was not confident that he could get out alive if he got caught.

One mistake was all it would take for him to be cut down before he could even attempt to escape.

‘Focus. Don’t slip up.’

He reminded himself to stay focused. He flipped open the book, Understanding the Coral Race, manual once again.

Proving himself in training and earning a spot at Maximus’ side was indeed a tremendous opportunity, but that would also mean that he would need to be far more careful with his actions from now on.

One slip-up and it was over. He had to stay focused until he found out where the Coral Emperor was hiding. To do that, he needed to act exactly like a Coral.

“Kyu? Are you studying right now, owner punk?”

“Yeah. We both could lose our heads if I mess up now, so I should cram every last bit of information while I can.”

“Kyuuu! It’s good to see you reading for once, owner punk! It’s the first time I’m seeing you use a book for anything other than to put a pot of ramyun on it!”

“Shut up. Don’t get on my nerves right now.”

“Kyu?”

“My head’s about to split open from all this reading. Don’t start with me now.”

While he might have gotten lucky winning Maximus’ favor, he still felt like he was walking a tightrope over a pit of burning coals.

‘First of all, I need to become one of Maximus’ personal guards. Then, I’ll turn him into an Irradiator and extract the Coral Emperor’s location out of him.’

Now armed with a clear plan, Siegfried buried himself in the manual. He needed to arm himself with as much knowledge as possible, as it would all be over the moment he made even a single mistake.

Just like that, hours passed as he studied the Corals’ every quirk.

Knock! Knock!

“Mindrius.”

One of Maximus’ personal guards knocked on the door.

“Are you free in an hour?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good. Be at the training ground in an hour. Chancellor Maximus wants to see what you’re capable of.”

“Undestood!”

“Oh, and one more thing. The Chancellor has ordered the test to be done like real combat, so you will be using a real sword.”

“A… real sword?”

“That’s right. Bring your lightsword.”

“Understood.”

“See you then.”

As soon as the guard left…

“A lightsword…? W-What the hell am I gonna do?! Where the fuck am I gonna get a lighsword?!” Siegfried cried out in panic, grabbing his head with both hands.

The Polymorph Spell Tome: Coral Imperial Guard gave him the perfect disguise, but it hadn’t provided him with the trademark weapon of the Corals, the lightsword.