Debuff Master

Chapter 1233

“Greetings, Your Imperial Majesty.”

Irene immediately responded to the summons and entered the palace.

“Welcome,” Emperor Stuttgart said.

Irene knelt respectfully on one knee and paid her respects to the emperor.

This was how she would always greet the emperor whenever she was summoned.

While she was an infamous troublemaker known to be impossible to control, she had always been meek and obedient in front of the emperor.

Most people wondered if it had anything to do with them being related by blood, but that was far from the truth. In Irene’s eyes, Emperor Stuttgart was the very embodiment of terror, the avatar of ruthlessness.

The emperor was someone who massacred his entire family, including his distant relatives, just to claim the throne. While he had spared Irene and her mother, he could kill Irene at any moment, and her mother would also suffer the same fate.

All of that could happen with just a flick of his hand.

Thus, Irene could only fear and act respectfully toward Emperor Stuttgart. Even though Emperor Stuttgart treated Irene well and was fond of her, she still greatly feared him.

Why? It was all because she witnessed how he killed the entire Posteriore Family. No matter how kind and fond he was of her, she couldn’t help but feel cautious around him.

In addition, Irene was now an Irradiator under Siegfried’s control, a spy acting on behalf of the Proatine Empire. Thus, she couldn’t help but be all the more wary of Emperor Stuttgart.

“How have you been lately?” he asked.

“I have been well, Your Imperial Majesty,” Irene replied.

“Does coming back home bring you peace? You had been stationed in the Proatine Empire for too long.”

“Yes, it does, my lord. The Proatine Empire is like a rural backwater province, so it brings me great joy to be back in our great empire.”

Ironically, Irene was telling the truth.

The imperial capital of the Proatine Empire, Preussen, was modest in size compared to its national power.

It was so humble that it hardly felt like the imperial capital of the second most powerful nation on the continent, especially when compared to the grand metropolis built by the Marchioni Empire.

“You’ve done well. I apologize for forcing you to serve in places unsuitable for you,” Emperor Stuttgart said.

“It is an honor to be of use to my lord and our great empire,” Irene replied with a bow.

“How is your mother faring?”

“She is faring well, thanks to my lord’s graces. Your humble servant is always grateful for my lord’s kindness.”

“I see…”

Emperor Stuttgart paused briefly and gazed out the window.

A gentle breeze blew across the garden. Though the scorching midsummer sun was high up in the sky, the wind felt refreshingly cool. After a moment, Emperor Stuttgart took a sip of his iced drink and turned his gaze back to Irene.

“Irene.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“I need you.”

“…”

“For the prosperity and glory of our great empire, I wish for your patriotic service.”

“…Your Imperial Majesty.”

Irene understood what Emperor Stuttgart meant immediately and lowered her head.

‘So… It has come to this…’ she thought, tears streaming down her face.

Though she was now an Irradiator, she was not a mere puppet.

Siegfried had spared her and allowed her to retain her conscience and identity, as long as she did not harm the Proatine Empire.

“I am sorry. The situation is too dire. I wish I could grant you more favor, but circumstances do not allow it,” Emperor Stuttgart added.

The favor he was talking about meant keeping Irene and her mother alive.

To Emperor Stuttgart, sparing them was a form of favor.

“What… is it I must do…?” Irene asked.

“You will know soon enough,” Emperor Stuttgart replied.

This answer meant that he had no plans to explicitly tell her what she needed to do.

Why?

It was all because such vile inhumane deeds weren’t something that could be spoken of by the dignified empire of the great Marchioni Empire, and the loyal retainers always handled such matters.

“I will promise you that your mother will be well cared for. Do not worry about her.”

“Your grace is… immeasurable…”

“Go home and make preparations. I will give you time to settle things. Would three days be sufficient?”

“Yes, my lord…”

Irene accepted the emperor’s offer.

It made little difference whether she died now or three days later, but she wanted, at the very least, to see her beloved mother one last time before dying.

“Very well. You may go.”

“Your grace is immeasurable, my lord.”

Irene wiped her tears and retreated from Emperor Stuttgart’s presence.

Once Irene was no longer in sight, Emperor Stuttgart took another sip of his iced drink while looking around and admiring nature.

“It was a wise decision to spare her.”

“I knew she would be useful later. But I didn’t think she would be this useful.”

Emperor Stuttgart felt no emotion toward Irene at all.

Others thought that he had spared her on a whim or due to some lingering attachment, but those were far from the truth. He had spared her just in case she would serve as a useful political tool, and in this case, the decision to spare her had proven to be wise and prudent.

In Emperor Stuttgart’s eyes, Irene von Posteriore was nothing more and nothing less than a tool.

***

Irene immediately headed home after leaving the imperial palace.

She didn’t cry inside the carriage on the way home.

The brief tears she had shed in the emperor’s presence were all she could muster.

When she was young, she witnessed how her entire family was slaughtered and brutally tortured, and those gruesome scenes hardened her; she simply didn’t have many tears to shed.

‘So, the day has come after all…’

Irene had known for a very long time that this day would eventually come. She knew that she was always at the mercy of the emperor, so she was always prepared to have her head taken at any moment.

Thus, she remained composed even with death looming right before her eyes.

“We have arrived, Your Highness.”

Before long, the carriage arrived at a luxurious mansion, and an attendant opened the door.

‘Hm? Ah…’

Irene noticed that the attendant’s expression was colder than usual.

He had served closely as her attendant for more than a decade now, but the ever-smiling face was nowhere to be seen. Clearly, he was someone planted by the emperor to keep watch over her.

‘I guess it makes sense…’ she thought, accepting the reality.

She knew very well that not a single person was loyal to her in this vast empire.

‘I must see my mother tomorrow.’

She entered the mansion and quietly lay on her bed to collect her thoughts.

Though Emperor Stuttgart had granted her three days to sort things out, she had little to sort out.

After all, what was the point of sorting things out when death was inevitable?

Moreover, she didn’t really have anyone she trusted enough to pour her heart into except for her mother.

There was no real need for her to sort things out.

Well, there was one thing.

‘I want to see Master…’

Why did Siegfried’s face suddenly pop up in her mind?

Irene couldn’t say for sure, but it was probably because he was the only person in this vast continent that she felt like she could trust and rely on.

‘I won’t even get to see him once before I die. Maybe I should’ve just forced myself on him while I had the chance,’ she thought, flashing a wry smile.

“Your Highness,” someone suddenly whispered into her ear.

“…!”

Irene leapt up and cried out, but she couldn’t do so.

“Mmpf!”

The figure appeared behind her and covered her mouth.

“It’s me.”

“…?”

“You know me, right? Ninetail, the Director of the Proatine Empire’s Intelligence Bureau.”

“…!”

“Calm down first. But please, don’t make any noise.”

Ninetail slowly let go of her mouth. Then, they started conversing using the sign language reserved solely for the Posteriore imperial family.

‘Did Emperor Stuttgart order your death?’

‘How did you know?’

‘I anticipated it and have been monitoring the situation here.’

‘I was planning to report it, but the circumstances made it impossible.’

‘I infiltrated in advance because I suspected as much.’

Irene was shocked to hear that Ninetail had already infiltrated her mansion.

Well, infiltrating Irene’s mansion was trivial for her, as she was capable enough to steal one of Emperor Stuttgart’s treasure possessions.

‘Don’t worry. I will keep you alive.’

‘Huh? How?’

‘His Imperial Majesty does not wish for Your Highness to be unhappy.’

‘R-Really?’

‘His Imperial Majesty placed you under his control solely to protect the Proatine Empire’s national interests; it’s not because he hates you. He is a compassionate person and would not wish for you to suffer as a political tool.’

‘I see… I never thought someone would protect me.’

‘Do not doubt His Imperial Majesty. Pretend to be arranging your affairs for now. We will handle everything else.’

‘Okay.’

Irene nodded.

‘Then, I will visit you again later.’

With that, Ninetail jumped toward the ceiling and vanished.

‘Can I… really live?’

For the first time in a long while, hope sprouted in Irene’s heart.

The thought of being saved by Siegfried and surviving this ordeal swept away the despair she felt moments ago.

***

Ding!

A notification popped up before Siegfried’s eyes.

[Path to Invincibility]

[A faint path visible only to those who seek the true martial path.]

[This is a trial to achieve true invincibility.]

[If one passes this trial, then it may be possible to obtain the power of invincibility.]

[Type: Special Quest]

[Level Requirement: 650+]

[Progress: 0%]

[Reward: +200 Levels]

[List:]

– N/A

– N/A

– N/A

[Note 1: Clearing this quest will not be easy.]

[Note 2: It might require a lifetime to complete it.]

The reason the “Path to Invincibility” quest had appeared was simple.

Siegfried was enlightened by King Leonid’s words about the life of a true warrior.

‘This… is another wall.’

Siegfried realized that the Path to Invincibility was not a normal quest; it was a quest that represented a wall that one had to overcome to advance beyond the realm of Grandmaster.

He knew this better than anyone, as he had already surpassed two walls to reach his current realm.

‘But what comes after Grandmaster?’ he wondered. However, it was no exaggeration to say that no one truly knew. Historically, no one had officially surpassed the realm of Grandmaster and reached a higher realm.

No one except one—Deus. Deus, the Level 999 Hidden NPC, had reached that state and obtained the power of invincibility.

A mere mortal had come close to becoming a god.