Debuff Master - Chapter 1128
Chapter 1128
“M-My lord! I wish to remain as your humble servant—”
“Call me Elder Brother.”
“I could never, my lord…!”
“Go on. Try it.”
“Forgive me, my lord. I would never dare to commit such disrespect to my liege.”
“Hm? Are you rejecting my request, Siegfried von Proa?”
“M-My lord!”
“I told you I wish to take you as my sworn brother, Siegfried von Proa. I have no brothers or sisters left except for Irene—she is the only family I have left.”
“Yes, I am aware of that, my lord.”
“And yet you still refuse to be my sworn brother? Despite knowing all that?”
“N-No, my lord… I just…” Siegfried stammered as he began to sweat nervously, clearly flustered. He had something on his mind, but he would not dare to express it out loud.
‘That’s because you fucking killed all of them! What if you’re gonna do the same to me too?!’
Emperor Stuttgart was a ruthless person who killed every single one of the Marchioni Empire’s imperial bloodline with his own hands. No matter how nice he acted toward Siegfried now, the man’s nature was not bound to change.
“Do I have to beg you? Must I plead before you will accept my request, Siegfried von Proa? What must I do to make you call me your brother?” Emperor Stuttgart asked.
“I… I will do it,” Siegfried replied, finally giving in.
He knew that rejecting the emperor’s request after what he said would be rude and could incur the emperor’s wrath.
“Will you truly?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Then, try calling me Elder Brother.”
“…Your Imperial—” Siegfried cut himself off and quickly added in a barely audible voice, “…E-Elder Brother.”
“Hm?”
“Elder Brother Majesty…”
Just like that, Siegfried ended up calling Emperor Stuttgart a strange hybrid of both titles—Elder Brother and Imperial Majesty.
“Elder Brother Majesty, is it? Hmm… Quite the strange title,” Emperor Stuttgart muttered. Then, he smiled and said, “But it doesn’t sound bad. I rather like it.”
“Your grace is immeasurable.”
“Then, I suppose I now have a reliable brother?”
“We are not bound by blood, but I will honor my lord as my sworn elder brother, Elder Brother Majesty.”
“Excellent,” Emperor Stuttgart said with a smile. Then, he addressed the crowd in the banquet hall, “All of you are witnesses! From this moment, Siegfried von Proa is my sworn brother. Though we do not share blood, our bond shall be thicker than blood.”
“A thousand congratulations, Your Imperial Majesty!”
“A thousand congratulations, Your Imperial Majesty!”
“A thousand congratulations, Your Imperial Majesty!”
The nobles and officials of the Marchioni Empire bowed and replied in unison.
‘I can’t believe this… I really became sworn brothers with Emperor Stuttgart,’ Siegfried thought, stunned by what happened. Then, the political calculator in his head started running into overdrive, ‘Hmm… If I think about this from a political angle. I am the beloved hero of the people… and now he’s become my elder brother?
‘Hold on, was this his plan all along?’
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Emperor Stuttgart was now officially the elder brother of Siegfried von Proa, the hero who saved the world and was now being deified by the people.
The fact that Emperor Stuttgart was the elder brother of such a hero gave him a huge boost to his authority and legitimacy.
On the other hand, nothing much changed for Siegfried.
Why?
It was all because he no longer needed to borrow the name of Emperor Stuttgart to give weight to his name now. His fame, popularity, and accomplishments had already eclipsed what a mere title could offer.
In short, this whole brotherhood only served to elevate Emperor Stuttgart’s reputation.
‘Michele was right all along. The emperor might be wary of me,’ Siegfried thought.
He decided that he had to remain vigilant at all times now. After all, he knew firsthand just how cold and merciless power could be. No matter how warm and friendly Emperor Stuttgart appeared to be, he was still the most powerful man on the continent.
One could never know when that power would reveal its true face—a face ruthless enough to wipe out his family.
***
As the banquet drew to a close…
“Siegfried, my brother.” Emperor Stuttgart turned toward Siegfried, raised his glass, and smiled warmly. His cheeks were flushed red from the alcohol.
“Yes, Elder Brother Majesty,” Siegfried responded with a bow.
“Having such a dependable brother like you truly puts me at ease. Thank you for protecting our world from the invasion of the fallen angels.”
“Not at all, Elder Brother Majesty,” Siegfried shook his head in response. Then, he said, “Elder Brother Majesty is fighting to protect our world from the Coral Race. I should be the one thanking you. If not for your valiant efforts that stopped those aliens from invading our world, how could I possibly fight and defeat the fallen angels?”
“Hoho! Is that so?”
“It is all Elder Brother Majesty’s grace.”
“You’re far too modest, brother,” Emperor Stuttgart smiled. Then, he said, “You truly are a—”
“Your Imperial Majesty,” Duke Neighdelberg stepped forward and whispered something to the emperor.
The duke whispered as quietly as possible, but Siegfried’s sharp hearing caught every word of it.
“Urgent report from the Coral Race Expeditionary Forces, sire. The landing operation has failed. Five dragons have fallen, and the Dragon Lord is badly wounded. The whereabouts of the Sword Emperor and Daode Tianzun are currently unknown.”
“Well, that sobered me up,” Emperor Stuttgart muttered. Then, he stood up slowly and addressed the crowd, “The banquet is over. Return to your homes and rest.”
Right afterward, he turned his gaze to Siegfried. The flush on the emperor’s face had vanished without a trace. It seemed that the grim news from the expeditionary forces had completely cleared his head.
“Would you come with me, brother?”
“Yes, Elder Brother Majesty.”
Siegfried obediently followed the emperor, as he, too, was curious about what was happening on the Coral Planet.
***
After they arrived at a private chamber…
“Most of the strategic facilities and defense weapons on the Coral Planet have been destroyed thanks to the dragons’ efforts. Some of the dragons suffered heavy damage and are no longer capable of participating in combat, but the overall outlook still remains positive.
“That said, the failed landing operation is a painful loss to our forces,” Duke Neighdelberg reported.
“I see… And the current battle forecast?” Emperor Stuttgart asked.
“It appears that things will now shift to ground combat, mostly fought by infantry.”
“Hmm… So it will be close combat now.”
“The issue lies in the enemy’s battle prowess. As Your Imperial Majesty is aware, even their average soldiers are comparable to the best of our knights.”
“So what you’re saying is that we need more powerful warriors.”
“Yes, sire.”
Siegfried listened closely and realized that things were not going well on the Coral Planet.
“If I may interrupt, is it true that Daode Tianzun and the Sword Emperor have gone missing?” Siegfried asked, carefully.
“That’s what the report says,” Emperor Stuttgart checked the report and replied with a nod. Then, he added, “The expedition was stable with them around… This is a serious setback.”
“Then, would it be all right if I went?”
“You? But your duties lie with the postwar recovery and domestic governance.”
“Even so, they are like mentors to me. I cannot just sit back and relax while they are missing out there.”
“But you’re an emperor now.”
“I am still an Adventurer. And to be honest, I have always been curious about the Coral Planet myself. If Elder Brother Majesty permits me to go, then I will go and search for them.”
“To hear you say that… I can only be grateful if you do that, brother.”
At that moment, a notification popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.
[Old Warriors Never Die]
[Find Betelgeuse and Daode Tianzun, who have gone missing during the secret mission on the Coral Planet.]
[Type: Time Attack Quest]
[Progress: 0% (0/2)]
[Time Remaining: 240 hours]
[Reward: SS-Grade Stone of Transcendence]
[Warning: You will fail this quest if you are too late! Act quickly!]
“I shall reward you handsomely if you travel to the Coral Planet, locate our two lost heroes, and offer support,” Emperor Stuttgart said.
‘Jackpot!’ Siegfried cheered inwardly.
A SS-Grade Stone of Transcendence was an extremely valuable item that instantly raised the user’s level by twenty upon use.
Siegfried’s next goal was to hit Level 500 and achieve his third class advancement, which meant that anything that could help him level up was very important.
Thus, this was the perfect reward for him.
“Also…”
Emperor Stuttgart opened his Inventory and pulled out a flask filled with a lemon-colored liquid. He extended it to Siegfried and said, “Take it. It’s a gift for you, brother.”
“What is this?”
“You will see.”
“I am deeply grateful, Elder Brother Majesty.”
Siegfried immediately flashed his Rune of Insight to analyze the flask.
[Ultra High-Grade Growth Simulant]
[A potent stimulant that rapidly accelerates one’s growth.]
[Type: Consumable]
[Rating: Legendary]
[Effect: +35% EXP gain for 240 hours]
“Whoa!”
Siegfried’s eyes widened in shock. A thirty-five percent boost to experience points gained for ten days straight was massive. With this stimulant, he could level up at lightning speed while hunting on the Coral Planet.
‘Perfect! The Middle Realm has settled down now, so I can leave the postwar recovery efforts in capable hands and head to the Coral Planet.’
Siegfried made up his mind and bowed deeply to Emperor Stuttgart.
“Your grace is immeasurable, Elder Brother Majesty! I am deeply honored!”
***
While Siegfried was deep in conversation with Emperor Stuttgart in the game world…
[LIVE: BNW Season 2]
A livestream suddenly appeared on the main page of G-Tube, and it grabbed the attention of gamers everywhere. It was not an official livestream from the BNW’s development team. It was a personal stream run by a single individual.
Who was the owner of the channel?
He was known as the worst troublemaker and degenerate in the history of South Korea’s gaming scene, a talented prodigy with the personality of the devil.
His name was Lee Geon.
For over a decade, Lee Geon had left a mark on South Korea’s gaming scene, and the notorious things he had committed over the years were far too numerous to even keep track of.
Some would probably ask just how bad some mischief carried out in a game could be, but the things Lee Geon had done were on an entirely different level.
Account boosting, scams, dungeon monopolization, bug exploitation, harassment, slander, trolling, and the list went on.
Doing any of these would be more than enough to have a person shunned from the community, but they were routine for Lee Geon. Yet even among his many scandals, there was one incident that left the ultimate stain on his record.
It happened three years ago.
Lee Geon had finally made it onto the pro-gaming scene of the AOS game, League of Legends. It took him a whole year to carefully fix the public’s opinion of him, helping him to barely secure a spot as a professional player.
However, he pulled off a stunt that shocked the entire industry on the day of his debut match.
He did not show up for the game. Instead, he turned on his personal stream and took a nap on camera. As if that was not bad enough, what he said afterward was even more outrageous.
“I didn’t feel like playing with a bunch of noobs, so I just didn’t go. To be honest, I’d wreck every single one of them if I were to play, and that would be boring as hell, right? Let the noobs play amongst themselves. I already make a crap-ton of money, so I don’t need this pro gamer stuff.”
The fallout was immediate.
The South Korean pro gaming community was thrown into an uproar, and it took direct intervention from the gaming association to permanently ban Lee Geon before the uproar finally subsided.
And now, that very same Lee Geon was streaming, and the title of his stream was “BNW Season 2.”
Naturally, this captured the attention of the viewers.
“It’s been a while, right? It’s been like, what, three years since that incident? I haven’t streamed since. Are you wondering what I’ve been up to? Well, what the hell do you think? Playing BNW, obviously.”
He answered the questions popping up in the chat as if catching up with old friends.
“My in-game name? Come on, you all know it. Don’t play dumb. It doesn’t matter what game I play, I’m just insanely good at it. Top ten in any ranking? That’s just standard for me.”
The chat was instantly flooded with questions asking for his in-game name.
“Oh, you wanna know my in-game name? What else would it be?” Lee Geon said with a shrug. Then, he revealed a twisted grin and said, “My name is Beowulf.”
