Debuff Master - Chapter 1171
Chapter 1171
Siegfried passed the time by looking around the Coral Emperor’s secret residence and taking a well-deserved break while waiting for Oscar, who was on the way to the Coral Planet.
A transport vessel traveled to the Coral Planet every twelve hours, and since it took Oscar quite a while to reach all the way to where Siegfried was currently located, he had some free time on his hands.
Thanks to that, Siegfried was able to log out, get some sleep, have a meal with Yong Seol-Hwa, and even watch a movie with her.
After that, he logged back in and met up with Oscar.
“Thank you for coming all this way, Dame Oscar.”
“I will come wherever my lord calls for me,” Oscar replied with a bow. Then, she asked, “How may I be of service to my lord?”
“Oh, it’s nothing much. Can you verify what he’s saying for me?” Siegfried asked, gesturing toward the Coral Emperor.
“As you command, sire,” Oscar replied and drew the Sword of Truth: Fragarach.
“I know it is not customary, but please understand. This is simply to verify what you told me. You will not be attacked, harmed, or disrespected,” Siegfried said, informing the Coral Emperor just in case he might take offense at having a weapon drawn at him.
“It is fine, Savior,” the Coral Emperor replied with a nod and simply smiled, even though he knew the blade would soon be pressed near his neck.
‘Is this guy telling the truth? Is he being fully honest with me?’ Siegfried wondered.
He thought that perhaps the Coral Emperor was indeed telling the truth based on how composed he was.
However, he couldn’t afford to trust someone blindly.
‘No, I can’t let my guard down. This guy is the emperor of a planet, so I have to be careful dealing with him. I can’t be used and deceived again,’ he thought. With that resolve, he ordered Osar to proceed with the verification.
“Do you intend to use us for your own gains?” Oscar asked.
“No. I seek only cooperation for mutual survival. I have no thought of using you.”
“Do you plan to lead the Ancient Corals to invade our world after you repel the invasion?”
“Never. That will not happen.”
“But what if it does after you are gone?”
“I will prepare safe measures in place.”
“What is your true goal?”
“I wish for the prosperity of my people—a peace without the threat of war lurking around them.”
Oscar was relentless with her questions. She grilled the Coral Emperor for nearly three hours, sometimes asking the questions she had already asked. She verified whether the answers matched, just in case the Coral Emperor somehow managed to lie.
But in the end…
“It does not appear the Coral Emperor is lying, sire,” Oscar said, reporting her findings to Siegfried.
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Yes, sire.”
“That’s good then.”
Siegfried, who had been busy playing Hardstone with Hamchi in another room, came back to meet the Coral Emperor after hearing Oscar’s report.
The Coral Emperor looked a bit worn out after enduring three hours of nonstop questioning. He had already said his health was poor due to overusing his powers and did not have much time left, so it was no wonder he was exhausted.
The Coral Emperor asked, “Do you believe me now, Savior?”
“Yes,” Siegfried replied with a nod. Then, he added with a shrug, “At this point, not believing you would just be rude.”
“I am glad that you can finally believe me, Savior,” the Coral Emperor replied with a smile. Then, he asked, “Will you now… do what I am about to teach you?”
“Well, it’s not that hard but…” Siegfried hesitated.
The Coral Emperor was originally his main assassination target, so he had already planned to kill him, anyway. The fact that he did not have much time left and would die soon made things easier for Siegfried.
However, taking another person’s life was never an easy thing to do, especially after discovering the truth.
The Coral Emperor gently smiled and said, “It is fine, Savior. My life is almost at its end anyway. And I cannot even use Forced Blooming anymore.”
It was the smile of a leader who had surpassed the fear of death, a smile that only thought of his people’s future.
***
The Coral Emperor brought in a young Coral and introduced him to Siegfried.
“This is my son, Savior. He will ascend the throne after me.”
The Coral Emperor’s son looked to be in his youth. Considering that the Corals had an average lifespan of about two hundred years, he was probably only about thirty to forty years old, which was still young for his kind.
“Greet him. He is the Savior who will help your father save our people,” the Coral Emperor instructed his son.
“It is an honor to meet you, Savior. My name is Theodosius.”
The prince of the Corals, Theodosius, bowed low before Siegfried and kissed his foot.
Since the emperor himself had shown Siegfried the utmost courtesy, it was only natural that his son would offer the same level of respect.
“Hello, I’m Siegfried von Proa,” Siegfried replied, helping the Coral Prince to his feet.
“Learn well from him, my son. He is a great man,” the Coral Emperor told his son.
“Yes, Father.”
“From now on, you must trust him completely, follow him, and rely on him.”
“Yes, Father. I will do as you command.”
Siegfried noticed something in the Coral Emperor’s gaze as he looked at his son.
‘Ah…’
The Coral Emperor was worried for his son.
‘Yeah, it’s only normal that he will worry. His son will become a hostage of the Marchioni Empire and suffer so much… How could he not worry?’
The life of a hostage was without a doubt harsh, so a father would be filled with worry for his son, who would have to endure countless hardships in the near future.
“Please take care of him after he ascends the throne, Savior.”
“Of course,” Siegfried replied with a nod. Then, he said, “I will do what I can to protect him. If necessary, I will even consider rescuing him from the Marchioni Empire.”
“Thank you, Savior.”
Surprisingly, Theodosius showed no signs of being shaken, even though his father was discussing his own death with Siegfried.
He remained expressionless and stayed quiet, which showed just how mature he already was.
Well, this much was to be expected of the prince of an entire planet.
The Coral Emperor spread his arms wide and said, “Now, please… Send me off, Savior.”
“Y-Your Imperial Majesty! Your Imperial Majesty!”
“N-Nooo! Your Imperial Majesty!”
All the nearby Corals threw themselves to the ground and wailed in despair.
“Do not grieve for I am giving what little remains of my life for the future of our people. Now, the time has come… All of you, leave us now.”
With a calm yet firm voice, the Coral Emperor dismissed his ministers, attendants, and even his own son.
The Coral Emperor turned to Siegfried and said, “Please, do not be burdened by this, Savior. I am truly at peace with this.”
Siegfried lowered his head slightly and replied, “Then… I will make it quick and painless.”
This was his way of showing respect for this noble figure, a leader who willingly gave up his life for his people’s future.
“I will begin.”
With those words—
Shiiing…!
—Siegfried transformed his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a saber and swung it at the Coral Emperor’s neck.
Shwiiiik!
A flash of light flickered.
***
The Marchioni Imperial Army’s camp was thrown into chaos the next afternoon.
Everyone was shocked—no, they were beyond shocked by what they were witnessing.
“H-His Imperial Majesty brought back the Coral Emperor’s head!”
“Emperor Siegfried von Proa has slain the Coral Emperor!”
“The Coral Emperor is dead!”
The camp was thrown into uproar the moment Siegfried returned with the Coral Emperor’s head. He had succeeded in assassinating the leader of the Corals, who was worshipped like a living god, and even brought back the head as proof for all to see.
This was an achievement that would go down in history.
Of course, there were those who were skeptical at first.
Assassinating the Coral Emperor and returning alive with the head as a trophy was considered impossible. It was so outrageous that they doubted whether the head was real or not.
Naturally, these doubts slowly gained traction, causing the troops to debate whether the head really belonged to the Coral Emperor or not.
However, those debates were silenced not long after.
“T-The Almighty Emperor…!”
“No! Nooo!”
“Ah… It’s over… We’re done…”
When the Corals in captivity at the camp recognized the Coral Emperor’s face, they broke down screaming. In fact, some even took their own lives out of despair.
All their doubt vanished upon seeing the Coral’s reaction.
Now, it was undeniable that Siegfried truly had brought back the Coral Emperor’s head.
“Long live Emperor Siegfried von Proa!”
“Long live the Proatine Empire!”
“Long live the Marchioni Empire!”
The soldiers shouted and cheered for Siegfried, crying at the top of their lungs in triumphant joy.
Siegfried had already earned immense respect among the empire’s soldiers thanks to the numerous achievements he gained in battle. Now that he had even brought down the Coral Emperor, it was inevitable for the soldiers to treat him with reverence.
In fact, rather than the Marchioni Empire’s Imperial Army, the army looked like Siegfried’s own private army.
“I offer the Coral Emperor’s head to my sworn elder brother, His Imperial Majesty! Long live His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Stuttgart von Posteriore!”
Even then, Siegfried made sure to publicly show his loyalty to Emperor Stuttgart, showing everyone that he was not only the Marchioni Empire’s greatest war hero but also its most loyal servant.
Of course, Siegfried was merely going along with the script the Coral Emperor had prepared while he was still alive.
With morale soaring, the Marchioni Imperial Army won battle after battle against the Corals. The Corals had become nothing more than a disorganized mob, as their morale shattered upon learning of their emperor’s death.
With the Immortal War Hero, Siegfried von Proa, leading the charge, the Corals were steamrolled by the imperial army.
A week later…
“Your Imperial Majesty! The new Coral Emperor has surrendered!”
While he was at the command center, Siegfried finally received word of the Coral Race’s declaration of surrender.
Everything was playing out exactly as he and the Coral Emperor had discussed.
‘The Coral Emperor was right. Now I have the Marchioni Imperial Army’s full support. They won’t dare make a move against me once the ancient monsters that escaped from Purgatory start rampaging on the continent.’
Siegfried was once again impressed by the Coral Emperor’s foresight.
“Will you be joining us at the meeting, Your Imperial Majesty?” Duke Neighdelberg asked.
The duke had rushed over to the Coral Planet after hearing the latest news.
‘So you were in bed with that bastard, Lee Geon,’ Siegfried thought, his eyes gleaming coldly at the duke.
Oscar had brought Siegfried the information that Ninetail had uncovered, so he was now aware of the duke’s dirty dealings with Lee Geon.
‘Snakes like you will always get what’s coming.’
Gnashing his teeth, Siegfried recalled a famous line from a classic movie, which perfectly fitted the duke.
Of course, he didn’t let his emotions show for now.
“Hm? Do I really need to join? Haha!” Siegfried asked with a laugh.
“You are the symbol of our victory, the one who slayed the Coral Emperor. The Marchioni Empire would be grateful if you could attend the meeting,” Duke Neighdelberg said, bowing politely.
“Ah, is that so? Then I will just tag along like a sack of rice,” Siegfried replied with a shrug.
“Thank you for joining us.”
The duke led the way to the meeting with the Corals while completely oblivious to Siegfried’s thoughts. While it would be strange to have Siegfried tag along, the duke had other reasons for doing so.
He once used the peace talks as bait to set a trap and assassinate Chancellor Maximus, a scheme that even he acknowledged was truly underhanded.
It was only natural that he, too, would be wary of going into enemy territory for negotiations, just in case they used his underhanded schemes against him.
Thus, he decided to bring along Siegfried for this meeting for his own protection.
In other words, the duke was bringing Siegfried as his own bodyguard.
‘He’s scared.’
Siegfried saw straight through the duke and smirked. Of course, he kept his mouth shut and played along as if he knew nothing. The one thing he had to do right now was bid his time and fool the Marchioni Empire.
Once he was ready, he would do what he did best and stab them in the back at the perfect moment.
