Debuff Master

“My plan is…” Siegfried muttered before he smirked and said, “I will get involved not as King Siegfried van Proa but as the Adventurer Siegfried.”

“…!”

Michele was stunned. He as if a hammer smacked the back of his head after hearing Siegfried’s plan.

“Problem solved, right? Haven’t you heard of the newly passed Siegfried Law? An Adventurer may not switch sides after choosing a faction in a civil war, and no nation is allowed to seek retribution from an Adventurer for joining a civil war,” Siegfried proudly said.

Siegfried then shrugged and continued. “I will be joining the civil war on Taycan’s side as an Adventurer. That should protect our kingdom from any retribution, right? But what if Taycan’s side loses? That’s the end of it. I joined as an Adventurer, so that Taranis or whatever his name is can’t possibly do anything against me. I’ll just feign ignorance if he comes complaining.”

Michele was in awe at Siegfried’s reasoning. “That is indeed a wise plan. Your Majesty will be able to help Taycan without reservation using that plan.”

“See? I told you I had a plan.”

“So, are you going to join the Kyiv Kingdom succession war on Taycan’s side?”

“Yeah, I probably should,” Siegfried replied. There was no way he was going to miss such a golden opportunity to clear his main quest, Master’s Regret.

“Then I shall relay Your Majesty's intention to help Taycan through the Thieves’ Guild.”

“Sure.”Nᴇw chapters are publɪshed on ɴoᴠel ꜰɪre.nᴇt

“This is indeed a grave matter, but we can spare an hour or two so…”

Michele narrowed his eyes and said, “You may return and finish what you had to do.”

“F-Finish what I had to do…?”

“I am saying this as I am aware I have interrupted Your Majesty’s time with the queen.”

“Then, I wish you a pleasant time,” Michele said before he bowed and left the office.

Two hours? That was more than enough time for him to finish what he had started!

“Honey! I’m coming!” Siegfried shouted as he ran as fast as he could to Brunhilde.

***

King Aaron’s death caused a massive shockwave to sweep across the Kyiv Kingdom. He was still young when he ascended the throne. The Kyiv Kingdom’s previous king had died of illness, which allowed King Aaron, the heir to the throne, to become king.

King Aaron was a gifted young man. He immediately stabilized the royal palace, enforced the authority of the crown, and enacted numerous political reforms that had a positive impact on the kingdom. Also, he did not delay his marriage and was blessed with heirs to pass the throne onto.

However, there was one problem with his reign, which was Duke Taranis.

Duke Taranis was the younger brother of the previous king, and he was the staunchest political opponent of King Aaron. He possessed a pretty faction that King Aaron couldn't quite cull his influence within the kingdom. Duke Taranis would sometimes be successful in driving a wedge in some of King Aaron’s political reforms.

Still, the faction of King Aaron and Duke Taranis were locked in a stalemate, with neither side budging an inch. However, the news of King Aaron’s death during the World Peace Conference signaled the start of Duke Taranis’ rebellion.

This was the golden opportunity for Duke Taranis to seize the throne. After all, King Aaron’s heir, the crown prince, was only five years old.

Duke Taranis managed to gain a sizable support within the kingdom, as he had the legitimacy to back up his rebellion. He was of royal descent as well, and he used to be the second-in-line for the throne.

“I’m not a fan of meddling in other people’s affairs, but…” Siegfried grumbled before setting off for the Kyiv Kingdom.

However, he could not miss this golden opportunity to tick one of the requirements to clear Master’s Regret. Moreover, defeating Duke Taranis, who was a more powerful Descendant of Thunder God Vajra, was going to be all the more meaningful to both him and Deus.

“Shall we go?”

Siegfried stepped foot into the Warp Gate, and it felt like ages since he last stepped into one together with Hamchi.

Gringore was currently out on a continent tour, which was actually one of Michele’s clever tricks for the kingdom to earn gold from other nations, so it was difficult to see him these days.

Siegfried had no qualms with Gringore’s absence, as the Phantom Singer was a class that gained Experience Points and leveled up the bigger his crowd, and he was earning a ton of gold while he was at it. Still, he couldn't help but feel that something was amiss now that he was about to set out on an adventure without the annoying scribe.

“What are you thinking of, owner punk?!”

“Forget about it. Let’s go,” Siegfried shook his head and was about to activate the warp gate.

It was then.

“Your Majesty!” Michele shouted and ran as fast as he could toward the warp gate, and then he shouted, “Your destination has changed!”

“My destination? Wasn’t I supposed to go to Taycan’s house?”

“No!”

“Then?”

“Some of the southern nobles have sided with Duke Taranis and have attacked the rear of the Royal Faction!”

The Kyiv Kingdom was currently divided into the Royal Faction led by Taycan’s family, and the Rebel Faction led by Duke Taranis. The Royal Faction controlled the southern region, while the Rebel Faction controlled the northern region.

But some of the southern nobles had actually defected to the Rebel Faction? Their defection meant the rear of the Royal Faction was exposed to their enemy!

“Really? But what does that have to do with me?”

“The Royal Faction transporting supplies required for the war has been ambushed by the Rebel Forces and some of the southern nobles who defected near the Bayaba Territory.”

“So you want me to go to the Bayaba Territory?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Okay.”

Siegfried immediately changed his destination to the Bayaba Territory.

[Kyiv Kingdom Southern Region: Bayaba Territory]

The Warp Gate unleashed a blinding flash of light and whisked Siegfried away to the Kyiv Kingdom.

But…

“Hurry! Hurry!”

“We need more mortars! Hurry up!”

“The enemies are coming! Gather quickly!”

The Bayaba Territory was already at war and under siege by enemy forces.

***

The Bayaba Territory was under siege by the army of the nobles who had defected to the Rebel Faction.

Deafening explosions echoed without any signs of stopping.

A rain of arrows followed suit.

“You traitors!”

The Bayaba Territory Soldiers bravely defended the walls from the invaders.

“This is a mess…” Siegfried muttered while rubbing his nose.

The Warp Gate flashed again.

“Hyung-nim!” Seung-Gu exclaimed as he emerged from the warp gate.

“Huh? Why are you here, Seung-Gu?”

“Michele sent me to help you out, hyung-nim.”

“Yes! Hyung-nim!”

Siegfried, Hamchi, and Seung-Gu ran to the battlefield.

“Hey, Hamchi!”

“Stay on the walls and buff me!”

Siegfried jumped over the walls while receiving Hamchi’s buffs.

He landed straight in the middle of the enemies gathered outside the gate.

“Oh? What’s Taycan doing here?”

He found Taycan in front of the gate as soon as he landed.

Taycan was using his trademark electricity currents to keep the enemies back, and he was truly a warrior capable of instilling fear into the hearts of his enemies. He was single-handedly stalling the enemy knights and stopping troops from scaling the walls.

“Hey, Taycan!”

“S-Siegfried!” Taycan seemed to be taken by surprise as he stuttered in response before he asked, “Did you come here to help me?!”

“Then do I look like a graphic ghost to you?”

“Graphic…? What ghost?”

One shot, one kill!

Siegfried had to admit that Taycan was extremely powerful in one-on-one combat. He grilled the knights attacking him with ease using his lightning. However, Taycan was struggling when numerous opponents came at him at the same time, and it seemed that he didn't possess any AoE skills.

What did that mean?

He was about to use his skill, but…

Hamchi ran on his Magic Wheel and buffed Siegfried.

Siegfried felt like he was overwhelming with power. He bent his knees slightly and jumped into the air before slamming Horse Fly into the ground the moment he landed.

Splitting Heaven and Earth activated the moment Horse Fly hit the ground, and thousands of enemies were swept away by the Debuff Master’s AoE skill.

However, Siegfried didn't stop there.

He immediately activated Irradiate and dove deeper behind enemy lines.

The enemies exposed to Irradiate couldn't even attack as they fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth.

More than a few enemies would die whenever Siegfried swung Horse Fly.

“Halt!”

Just then, dozens of high-level knights appeared and surrounded Siegfried. Every single one of them seemed to possess a certain level of poison resistance, as they seemed unaffected by Irradiate.

What was he supposed to do here

The flames of Blaze Field swallowed the knights and…

…A blinding light flashed and froze them in the blink of an eye.

What happened next?

Siegfried threw Horse Fly using Flying Sword and smashed the heads of the frozen knights one by one.

The frozen knights broke into numerous ice fragments as if they were marble statues.

“M-Monster!”

“It’s the devil! The devil is here!”

“They are insanely strong…!”

The enemies shuddered, and their morale plummeted to the ground after seeing Siegfried and Taycan's might.

“D-Don’t come near me! Don’t come!”

One of the knights fortunate enough to survive the onslaught screamed at the top of his lungs and tried to crawl away to safety.

Of course, Siegfried threw Horse Fly and smashed his head open.

He pointed Horse Fly at the enemy soldiers and threatened, “Anyone that stands in front of me from now on will die. But if you guys insist on fighting… Well, don’t tell me that I didn’t warn you.”

He then scratched the side of his head with Horse Fly, which was dripping with the blood and brain matter of its victims.

A chill traveled down the spines of the enemy soldiers, and the fear that had gripped their hearts immobilized them. The same word popped up in their heads after seeing him scratch the side of his head with his bloodied hammer, and that word was…

Yes, he looked like a psychopathic serial killer right now in the eyes of the enemy soldiers.

“Re…!” The enemy commander finally snapped out from the crippling fear gripping his heart and gave the command. “Retreat! All forces, retreat!”