Debuff Master

Chapter 1213

Siegfried rushed over to the workshop.

Once he got there, he stopped in his tracks and muttered, “W-What the hell is this…?”

An entire side of the workshop had been blown apart.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

To make matters worse, a small vortex was spinning out from the wreckage, growing larger and larger.

‘Danger!’

Siegfried’s instincts screamed that a catastrophe would be unleashed if he were to leave the vortex unchecked, so he lunged forward without hesitation.

Whooooosh! Whoooosh!

The vortex was coming from the Eye of the Storm—an item he had entrusted to Quandt.

It looked as though the Eye of the Storm would shatter at any moment now, and the sealed powers of Gricale would be unleashed on the world once again if that were allowed to happen.

Not only would the imperial palace be reduced to rubble in the blink of an eye, but the entire imperial capital city, Preussen, would be devastated by it as well.

Eventually, the winds would ravage the entire Proatine Empire, too.

‘No! I can’t allow that to happen!’

Siegfried grabbed the Eye of the Storm.

Whooooosh!

Vicious winds lashed out, threatening to rip him apart into pieces.

‘Stay down!’

He poured a massive amount of Primordial Force into suppressing the Eye of the Storm. Suppressing the Eye of the Storm proved far more difficult than he thought it would be.

The energy condensed within the Eye of the Storm was so immense that even Siegfried struggled to keep it from rampaging.

Shhwaaa…

Just then, the Eye of the Storm started to calm down.

Fortunately, he had come just in time and suppressed it before it rampaged and spiraled out of control.

At least for now, the danger was subdued.

“Phew!”

Siegfried let out a sigh of relief and sat on the ground.

He had drained every last drop of stamina in an effort to force the Eye of the Storm into submission.

“That was really close…”

“Ughh…” Quandt groaned and slowly sat on the floor.

The other dwarves in the workshop also groaned and got up.

“Are you all right?” Siegfried asked.

“I… I am fine, sire. Ughh…”

Fortunately, Quandt looked exhausted but not gravely injured.

None of the other blacksmiths seemed to have gotten seriously harmed either.

Considering that the Eye of the Storm almost went on a rampage, it was indeed a miracle that nobody got hurt.

“What happened here?” Siegfried asked.

“There was a mishap while handling the Eye of the Storm,” Quandt replied.

“Huh? You made a mistake?”

Siegfried was surprised by what he heard. Not only was Quandt one of the most skilled craftsmen alive, but he was already considered a Legendary Blacksmith by most.

Thus, the idea that he made a mistake when handling a material was truly surprising.

“Excluding the Rod of God, all the other materials are things I have never worked with before. Unfortunately, I am inexperienced with them,” Quandt explained with a weary smile. Then, he added, “Even a monkey will fall from a tree. And if it’s a tree the monkey had never climbed before—one with a strange shape—then it’s all the more likely it could fall.”

“I see… Yeah, I get what you mean,” Siegfried replied with a nod.

“The forging process itself is unlike anything I have ever attempted before. Crafting a Universal-rated artifact is… definitely not an easy thing. Haha…”

“You have my deepest respect. I cannot even begin to imagine how difficult this is for you. I only ask that you take care of your safety and health at all times.”

“Hahaha!” Quandt laughed heartily and brushed away the soot on him. His clothes were torn, and the smoke blackened his face, yet his spirit seemed far from weary.

In fact, he looked far more invigorated than before.

“What would a Universal-rated artifact be if it weren’t crafted without struggle? It would be no fun at all if it were too easy!”

“Eh?”

“Crafting an item of this caliber will require not only one’s sweat and blood, but also one’s very soul. Some setbacks are to be expected! Bwahaha!”

“Haha…”

“Worry not, sire.”

“But still… I can’t help but worry about you.”

“Bwahaha! Your concern only strengthens my resolve!”

With renewed vigor, Quandt clapped the dust from his hands and bellowed at the other craftsmen, “What are you standing around for?! Get moving and clean this mess up if you’re still alive!”

“Yes, sir!”

The dwarves instantly leapt into motion and cleared the wreckage with impressive efficiency.

‘This guy’s passion is truly something else,’ Siegfried thought, shaking his head with a smile.

After that, he left the workshop and made his way back toward the banquet hall.

Quandt’s renewed spirit had reassured him.

Siegfried had no doubt that Quandt would complete the Universal-rated artifact, and he would wield it on the battlefield one day.

***

“Hoho! Is that so?”

“Yes, sire.”

“Kekekeke!”

The next day, Siegfried burst out laughing in delight after receiving the report that the Marchioni Empire was struggling against the epidemic sweeping across its lands.

The ecstasy he felt sent shivers down his spine, one quite similar to the thrill he once felt whenever he tormented Chae Hyung-Seok back in the day.

How could he not be thrilled?

This was the third time in a row he had dealt a crippling blow to the Marchioni Empire.

The first was by suppressing Gricale’s storm, the second by redirecting the eruption of Dragonhead Mountain at them. As for the third time, it was unleashing a plague throughout the empire.

The most powerful empire on the continent, boasting a history of being unchallenged and unrivaled for the last five hundred years, had suffered three devastating setbacks in rapid succession.

And the best of all? Siegfried had erased all traces of being involved in them, so the Marchioni Empire had not an inkling that he was involved with those incidents.

For now, the truth had to be hidden. Once it came to light, it would be remembered as an achievement worthy of being recorded in the annals of history.

“Ahhhh~! It feels like I’ve gotten rid of a decade-old debt in one payment! Kekeke!”

“Is it truly that satisfying, sire?” Michele asked with a smile.

“Don’t you feel the same? This feels so refreshing, as if I’m drinking ice-cold soda on a scorching hot day! Refreshing, perfect, and hits the spot!”

With that, Siegfried reached into his inventory and pulled out his favorite drink—the Mint Chocolate Ade.

Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!

He chugged the whole bottle down in one go.

“Ahhh! Perfect! Hey, do you want a bottle?”

“I must decline,” Michele replied, shaking his head. Then, he thought inwardly, ‘Ughh… That is absolutely revolting.’

Though he admired and respected Siegfried more than anyone else, there were limits to what he was willing to do. One of those limits was tasting Mint Chocolate Ade, as it was something Michele just couldn’t respect.

“Are you sure you don’t wanna try it?”

“I am certain.”

“Tsk, tsk… You’re really missing out, you know? This drink is the nectar of the gods,” Siegfried muttered, giving him a pitying look.

“I believe you mean the toothpaste of gods?”

“T-Toothpaste?! How dare you call this refreshing sweet drink a toothpaste!”

“Then please, enjoy as much as you like. I shall pass.”

“Such ignorance! Tsk, tsk… You’re like a poor soul blind to the truth. Do you know what kimchi is? In my world, it’s a staple food of my people. And if you put it on top of mint-chocolate chip ice cream—ah…! The bliss! You can’t imagine how good it tastes!”

“Good. I have no desire to imagine such a thing,” Michele replied with a relieved look.

Hamchi froze and wondered, ‘W-What did he just say…? Is owner punk even human? How can he call such a disgusting combination delicious?’

Hamchi often mingled with other Korean Adventurers, so he knew what kimchi was. In fact, he had even tasted it, as a similar dish was made by some of the Adventurers on the continent.

When he pictured kimchi being paired with mint-chocolate ice cream, he nearly puked.

Shockingly, Siegfried himself occasionally enjoyed the combination of kimchi and mint-chocolate ice cream in real life.

“Ahem… Anyway, make sure to keep the project on track without delays.”

“As you command, sire.”

“Good. Then I’ll be off raiding a few Ancient Dungeons.”

With that, Siegfried turned toward the nearest warp gate leading to an Ancient Dungeon.

***

“Your Imperial Majesty!”

On his way to the warp gate, Ninetail called out and hurriedly ran after him.

“Huh?” Siegfried looked back. Then, he stopped and waited for her to catch up, “What is it? Did something happen?”

“Yes,” Ninetail replied with a nod.

“What happened?”

“By any chance, do you still have Lord Beggarius’ will?”

“Oh right… He did leave his will behind.”

Beggarius was the tragic hero who had perished with honor on the battlefield.

He was known as the leader of a group of beggars, but in truth, he was actually of imperial bloodline. However, he was forced to conceal his identity as a member of the Marchioni Imperial Family and live his entire life as a beggar.

Why?

It was all because Emperor Stuttgart would surely kill him without any hesitation if his lineage somehow came to light.

Before Beggarius’ passing, he entrusted his will to Shakiro, and Shakiro entrusted it to Siegfried. However, Siegfried had never been able to read it, as the will was encrypted and indecipherable.

[The Beggar King’s Last Will]

[The last will written by the Beggar King before his death. It was entrusted to Shakiro for safekeeping.]

[It seems to hold an incredible secret.]

[Type: Document]

[Rating: Legendary]

[Durability: 1/1]

[Warning: The contents of this will must never be leaked to the outside world.]

“Are you talking about this one?” Siegfried asked, pulling out the Beggar King’s Last Will from his inventory.

“Yes, that is it.”

“Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden, though?”

“I stumbled across something intriguing while gathering intel.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“I have a hunch. Anyway, do you mind if I take a look at that?”

“Sure, go ahead,” Siegfried replied with a shrug. Then, he handed her the will and said, “I tried reading it, but I couldn’t make sense of it. I’ve never seen those strange letters before.”

“This will is not encrypted in the same manner as most secret documents. It is written in a script that only a very select few can read.”

“Is it because it’s encrypted with a special code?”

“No, that is not the case, sire. Only those belonging to the Posteriore lineage can read this script.”

“Ah…”

Siegfried immediately understood what she meant by only a select few being able to read it. How many from the Posteriore lineage, the Marchioni Empire’s imperial family, were still out there?

There were dozens or hundreds of them before, but nearly all had been purged now.

Only Emperor Stuttgart and Princess Irene remained from the Posteriore lineage. In other words, this was indeed a language that only a select few could read; only two people could read it, in fact.

“In the past, the emperors of the Marchioni Empire believed that the imperial household deserved their own privileges, something that would set them apart from others. So, they invented a language and script only they could use.”

“Seriously? They went that far?”

“Since around four hundred years ago, every conversation or letter between them was written in this language. While we can say that they did this for the sake of secrecy, I think it is also a testament to their obsession with exclusivity.”

“Wow… What a miserable way to live.”

Siegfried himself was an emperor, but he had no desire for such bothersome privileges.

Perhaps because he had risen from the very bottom, but he had no patience nor desire for these kinds of pretentious things.

“So? Can you read it?”

“Yes, I can.”

“Huh? How? I thought you just said that only those from the imperial household can read it?”

“Yes, I did say that.”

“Then how can you read it? Perhaps are you…”

“I can read it because…” Ninetail said with a straight face, trailing her words. Then, she smiled and continued, “I made sure to learn it from Princess Irene before she returned to the Marchioni Empire.”

“What?!”

“I was always curious about the strange script they used, so I asked her. And she taught me quite readily, too.”

“Amazing… So you’re collecting intel at every opportunity available, huh?”

“This is just standard in our industry.”

“You’re really impressive, you know that?” Siegfried said, meaning every word just now.

Ninetail’s intel gathering had saved the Proatine Empire from disaster time and time again.

If it hadn’t been for her probing into the Marchioni Empire’s secrets, the Proatine Empire would have never been alerted to the dark conspiracy Emperor Stuttgart was planning against the Proatine Empire.

Though she wasn’t known to the public, Siegfried considered her one of the true heroes of the Proatine Empire.

“So? What does it say?”

“Give me a second.”

Ninetail began reading through the Beggar King’s Last Will.

Two minutes later, Siegfried asked, “So? What’s written there?”

Ninetail grimaced for a while. Then, she looked up at him and said, “Erm… I believe this says that… another member of the Posteriore household is still alive and in hiding somewhere.”