Debuff Master - Chapter 1167

Chapter 1167

Siegfried wiped out every last one of the chimeras, and then he tore another page off of the Polymorph Spell Tome: Coral Imperial Guard to transform into his disguise.

Then, he headed to where Maximus was hiding.

“What’s going on here, owner punk? Kyuuu?” Hamchi asked, who had been hiding in his pocket.

“How should I know? I think I just got stabbed in the back hard. I’m about to really lose it, so let’s talk about it later,” Siegfried replied curtly.

“Kyuuu! Got it!” Hamchi replied and dove straight back into the pocket.

Siegfried’s mind was a hot mess upon uncovering the true colors of the Marchioni Empire.

‘Damn it… What am I supposed to do now?’

He couldn’t decide whether to keep pushing through with his plan to turn Maximus into an Irradiator and crush the Corals or pull out of this altogether.

‘This is so annoying…’

Soon, Siegfried made his way to where Maximus was hiding.

“Good job, Mindrius. I’m glad you’re not hurt,” Maximus said when he saw Siegfried covered in blood.

“I merely did my duty, my lord,” Siegfried replied with a nod.

“What exactly are you?” Maximus asked.

“P-Pardon me?”

“I was watching from afar. You’re no Coral.”

It seemed that Maximus saw how Siegfried had massacred the chimeras.

“You look like one of the invaders based on your appearance… What are you planning?”

Surprisingly, Maximus didn’t seem too surprised to learn that Siegfried was not a Coral.

“Oh? You’re not surprised? Hahaha…” Siegfried replied awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

“I was indeed surprised. But what good would it do to make a fuss now? My life’s in your hands anyway.”

“Well, I guess that makes sense.”

“Why would an invader like you attack your own kind? Why save me from them? Is this some sort of scheme?”

“No, it’s nothing like that,” Siegfried replied with a shrug. Then, he said, “Ah, I guess I have no choice but to introduce myself. My name is… Siegfried von Proa.”

“G-Great heavens…!”

Maximus was stunned to learn that the new imperial guard who had been protecting him was actually the so-called demon among the invaders who had massacred more Corals than anyone else.

Siegfried’s notoriety had spread so far that he had become the one they feared the most among the invaders.

“I infiltrated your side to find out where the Coral Emperor is hiding.”

“S-Such a thing…!”

“But I changed my mind after hearing what you and the duke discussed at the negotiation table.”

“What do you mean by that?

“The Marchioni Empire lied to me.”

Siegfried proceeded to explain everything that had happened, how the Marchioni Empire’s supposed righteous justification for the Coral Planet Expedition was nothing more than a sham.

“I’m the ruler of a vassal state of the Marchioni Empire. I’m basically a mercenary working for them. But now that I know the truth, I can’t keep doing what they’re asking me to do.”

“I see…”

“Even if I took you and the Coral Emperor out, it would only fill up the Marchioni Empire’s coffers. They would probably throw me a bone or two, but I had no idea that they had been using me, at least, that was the case until the negotiations earlier.”

“So what do you plan to do?”

“Let’s get out of here first. Then we can talk properly. I’m sure your people don’t want to become slaves, and I sure don’t want to keep being used by someone else.”

“Understood.”

In the end, Maximus chose to trust Siegfried.

Why?

It was all because Siegfried could have easily subdued him and turned him into a brainwashed slave to extract the information he needed. The fact that Siegfried had not done so was more than enough reason for him to trust this man.

“The Marchioni Empire has deceived the whole world. They used other nations and races for their own gain. So there’s no way I’m letting them win this war against you.”

“That makes sense.”

“I’m actually really shocked after learning the truth. Hold on… Now that I think about it, my empire might be the next target after you guys.”

“That is…”

“Anyway, let’s get moving. We have to get out of here before anything else.”

With that, Siegfried picked up Maximus again and ran into the trees.

***

Around the same time…

“What? You lost Chancellor Maximus?”

Duke Neighdelberg’s face twisted with anger when he heard the report. He was planning to eliminate Maximus at this summit and launch an all-out offensive while the Corals were in chaos.

However, his plan had failed, so it was only natural for him to be furious.

“Tsk… That was the only chance we had to get rid of him easily,” Duke Neighdelberg grumbled in frustration, clicking his tongue.

They had launched a surprise attack during a negotiation, so there was no way they could ever convince them to negotiate ever again.

A scheme that could only be used once had ended in failure.

“Apologies, Your Excellency.”

“It can’t be helped. They’re bound to collapse sooner or later anyway. Now that the Adventurers have joined the war, the Corals’ fate is as good as sealed. It might take time, but we just need to wait a little more.”

“Indeed, sir.”

The duke turned on his heel and commanded, “We’re heading back. See to it that the Adventurers’ rewards are increased. That way, they will be motivated to attack much fiercer.”

“As you command, Your Excellency!”

“Ah, tell them to capture the young Corals alive if possible. We need to train them as slaves from a young age, don’t you think so?”

“Indeed, sir!”

“Before this year is over, this planet, too, shall be filled with the empire’s glory.”

With that, Duke Neighdelberg returned to the command center. He was frustrated at the fact that he failed to eliminate Maximus, but he brushed aside any lingering regret. After all, he held no doubt that the Marchioni Empire would triumph against the Corals and subdue them sooner or later.

***

Siegfried successfully managed to bring Maximus safely back to the capital.

“We must launch an all-out offensive immediately!”

“Those vile invaders!”

“Such dishonorable creatures!”

“We must report this matter to the Almighty Emperor at once and send in a massive force of elite knights to crush them!”

The Coral Council was in an uproar.

Every single one of the Corals had fire in their eyes after hearing the despicable act committed by the Marchioni Empire.

“I need some time to think first, so please, try to be composed for now. We will speak again at tomorrow’s meeting. I am… a bit tired,” Maximus addressed the council, barely managing to calm them down.

He used the excuse that he was exhausted from narrowly escaping death to adjourn the council for the time being.

Then, he sat down privately with Siegfried.

Both Siegfried and Maximus had much to discuss now that their interests were aligned.

“So, what do you plan to do now?” Maximus asked.

“I have to lay low for now,” Siegfried replied. Then, he explained, “As I mentioned earlier, the Marchioni Empire is the most powerful nation in our world. Even the Proatine Empire that I rule is just a vassal.”

“I see…”

“Defying the Marchioni Empire outright is… to be honest, no different from committing suicide.”

“Are they really that powerful?”

“I can’t even begin to grasp the full extent of the Marchioni Empire’s power myself.”

“Ah…”

“Honestly, I don’t know what to do now. I know they can’t be trusted, so I’ll have to be wary around them. But it doesn’t sit right with me to keep helping them to colonize this place either.”

“I understand what you mean.”

“Well, at least there’s still one way to bring the Marchioni Empire down, so that’s something.”

“Hm? What is this method?”

“Do you know the dragons?”

“Of course I do.”

Maximus obviously knew about the dragons, as they were the reason the Corals were in this position in the first place.

The Corals possessed battleships that even the Marchioni Empire struggled to fight against.

However, those mighty battleships were lost the moment the dragons joined the expedition. Of course, those dragons only joined the expedition due to the empire’s trickery.

Of course, the dragons themselves had taken massive losses and were now on the brink of extinction.

“How could I not know about the dragons? Those fearsome creatures from your world were truly astonishing. To think that a single one of them could destroy multiple battleships… Our battleships were our pride and strength. If it weren’t for the dragons, we wouldn’t be in this corner in the first place.”

“I plan to tell the dragons the truth.”

“…!”

“The Creator had tasked the dragons with the mission to protect the world from external threats, not to invade other worlds. Once they discovered that they were deceived, their rage would wipe out the Marchioni Empire in an instant.”

What Siegfried said was true, as the dragons had joined the war to protect the Middle Realm against the Corals. They were, in no way, risking their lives to fatten the Marchioni Empire’s coffers.

If they learned the truth that they had been deceived and exploited by the Marchioni Empire, then their wrath would undoubtedly rain down on the empire.

“I am personally acquainted with Elder Gerog, the leader of the dragons.”

“A-Are you truly?!”

“Yes, I am. In fact, I’m an honorary dragon myself. I’m not a true dragon, but they recognize me as one of their own. I’m sure they will believe me.”

“Then there is hope!”

Maximus’ face beamed with desperate hope. He looked like someone who was clutching at a lifeline thrown at him. This war would end once Siegfried had revealed the truth to the dragons, and that would also be the day the Marchioni Empire would fall.

“For now, just stay put and wait. I’ll go see Elder Gerog and the other dragons.”

“Understood. I will do my best to calm my people down.”

“I’ll come back and tell you what happened.”

With that, Siegfried parted ways with Maximus, returned to the command center, and boarded a transport vessel bound for the continent.

***

Siegfried headed straight to Gerog’s lair upon his return

“Kyuuu! Are you really going to snitch on them, owner punk?” Hamchi asked.

“Why not? Think about it for a second, man. If we leave the Marchioni Empire alone and they extract all those resources from the Coral Planet, how powerful do you think they will get?

“They’re already far stronger than us, and they’ll get even more powerful than they already are if we let that happen. With all those resources, they could crush our empire in a single day if they wanted to do so.”

“Kyuu?”

“Think about it, Hamchi. Who do you think are the only ones on the continent capable of standing up against the Marchioni Empire?”

“Kyuu?”

“It’s us. We’re the only ones.”

“Kyuuu! That’s right!”

“Now imagine what they think of us. Sure, they have decided to leave us alone for now because they need us with this expedition. But soon enough, they will turn their swords on us.”

Siegfried no longer trusted the Marchioni Empire, so he decided to tell the truth to the dragons and have them repay the empire for their treacherous betrayal in full.

Of course, this was not just about rage or betrayal. This was for the sake of survival, too.

Siegfried knew he had to stop the empire’s rampage before it was too late. Once they had extracted all of the resources on the Coral Planet and became even stronger, no one could stop the empire by then.

“Elder! Elder!”

As soon as he reached the lair, Siegfried called out for Gerog.

However, he soon sensed that something was off.

“What the hell…?”

Siegfried tilted his head when he saw that Gerog’s lair was dark, which was unlike its usual state.

“Is he sleeping…?” Siegfried muttered nervously.

Why?

It was all because waking up a sleeping dragon was considered extremely disrespectful.

Still, Siegfried decided that he had to take the risk and rouse the sleeping dragon.

Why?

Given the situation, he had to deliver the truth to the dragons no matter what.

“Elder! Elder! It’s me, Siegfried! Are you sleeping?” Siegfried shouted and opened the door to Gerog’s chamber.

“…!”

Siegfried froze on the spot, stunned speechless by what he saw beyond the door.