Debuff Master

Chapter 694

“Therefore, I bestow the following reward upon Siegfried van Proa,” Emperor Stuttgart said. Then, he looked at Siegfried and said, “Heed my words, Siegfried van Proa.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty!”

“The World Peace Council recognizes your contributions to world peace and therefore grants you ten tons of gold.”

“H-Huh? W-What?!” Siegfried shrieked, nearly fainting.

Ten tons of gold? It was a tremendous amount of gold when considering that South Korea’s average gold reserve was only around a hundred tons.

The price of in-game gold had dropped recently, but ten tons was still more than enough to buy several buildings in Gangnam.

As Siegfried had experienced time and time again, the grace of His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor, was truly on a whole new level compared to others.

“The gold will be collected from all nations in the World Peace Council in proportion to their usual contributions. This is something that you deserve, as you have greatly contributed to world peace.”

“I-I am deeply grateful, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“Moreover, this fact will be publicly announced around the world to commemorate your great achievements so that the people may know of your bravery.”

“I am once again deeply grateful.”

“And...” Emperor Stuttgart did not stop there. “It is unacceptable that the hero who saved the world would be honored with merely ten tons of gold. Thus, Siegfried van Proa, I grant you...”

"Gulp!" Siegfried unconsciously gulped a mouthful of his own saliva. He could not help but wait in anticipation, as he had no idea what the emperor was going to say next.

“I grant you a pardon issued by the World Peace Council.”

“A-A pardon?!”

“The pardon is a special amnesty that absolves you of any crimes. Of course, certain serious offenses will not be overlooked. This is only applicable to you and you only, Siegfried van Proa.”

“I am deeply grateful, sire!” Siegfried exclaimed. He felt overwhelmed as soon as he heard that the emperor was granting him pardon.

‘Awesome! It means I can be forgiven at least once if I mess up!’

He had always been worried about when and what kind of major incident he'd inadvertently cause, but his worry had vanished into thin air upon officially receiving a pardon.

In other words, he was "free" to cause one major accident.

“Additionally, Siegfried van Proa...” Emperor Stuttgart continued, announcing the final reward prepared.

***

After the trial, Siegfried was dragged off to prison and locked up. Emperor Stuttgart had given him rewards and had commended him for his services, but he didn't pardon him from the one-day prison sentence handed down to him.

“Though Siegfried van Proa’s contributions to world peace are truly commendable, challenging the authority of this council without any prior consultation is of poor judgement. Therefore, I hereby sentence Siegfried van Proa to one day of imprisonment and three lashes.”

Siegfried had received great rewards and managed to secure a pardon for the prisoners he helped escape, but he still had to serve one day in jail and receive three lashes as punishment for disrespecting the council’s authority.

Of course, he could not utter any complaints about this decision, as the punishment was more than fair—no, he ought to be happy with his sentence. Unfortunately, Siegfried looked far from happy about his punishment.

“Ugh... What am I going to do...?” Siegfried groaned while pacing back and forth inside the cell. Then, he tugged at his hair in frustration, thinking of the emperor’s final reward, and grumbled, “No, that’s not it... Ah, why now, of all times...?”

It was then.

“His Imperial Majesty the Emperor has arrived.”

Siegfried received a visit from Emperor Stuttgart.

“Your Imperial Majesty,” Siegfried greeted the emperor with proper respect.

“How are you holding up?” Emperor Stuttgart asked with a slightly playful expression.

“I am forever grateful for Your Imperial Majesty’s grace.”

“It sounds like you’re doing quite well here.”

“N-No, not at all, sire...”

“That’s a shame.”

“Pardon me, my lord...?”

“I would have let you rest here for a year or so if you had said you were doing well.”

“N-No! I want to get out of here as soon as possible, my lord!” Siegfried hurriedly shouted in response. He knew Emperor Stuttgart was just joking, but his heart thumped wildly, as the emperor was fully capable of imprisoning someone like him indefinitely if he wanted to do so.

It didn't matter whether there were any credible charges against him or not, as the emperor was powerful enough to lock him up on a whim.

“It was just a joke.”

“Your Imperial Majesty’s grace is truly immeasurable...”

“By the way,” Emperor Stuttgart said before pausing for a moment. Then, he continued, “I wanted to thank you.”

“Huh? Thank me?”

“I know that you’ve been working hard behind the scenes for the sake of this world.”

“I am not sure if I follow...”

“A ruler of a great empire like the Marchioni Empire must have eyes and ears everywhere,” Emperor Stuttgart said with a smile.

Siegfried simply scratched his head in sheer confusion.

“I’m aware that you’ve been active in many places, not just in this recent incident.”

“Ah...”

“Thank you.”

“Eh?”

Siegfried could not believe his ears. He never imagined he would hear a word of thanks from the emperor of the most powerful nation in the world.

“There are many incidents I wish I could personally intervene in, but unfortunately, I don’t have the capacity to do so right now.

“M-My lord? Are you saying that even you have limitations?”

“Do you think I’m omnipotent and omniscient?” Emperor Stuttgart asked with a laugh. Then, he explained, “There are countless incidents occurring across this vast continent that you aren’t even aware of. You Adventurers rely on your information network from the other world... Was it the internet?”

Emperor Stuttgart was an NPC, but it seemed he knew quite a lot about Earth.

“Even with that information network, it’s impossible to share all the incidents and accidents occurring on the continent.”

“I understand what Your Imperial Majesty means,” Siegfried replied, nodding in agreement.

BNW had close to five hundred million users by now, and the number of NPCs was severalfold more than that. Reporting every single incident that occurred in such a vast world on game forums or video streaming platforms like G-Tube was simply impossible.

“For example... We still haven’t obtained any clues regarding the incident that occurred during the last hunting tournament.”

“Even with the empire’s information network?”

“Regrettably.”

“I see...”

“Anyway, I’m relying on you because I, too, have roles to play that must not draw any attention. That’s why I wanted to thank you.”

“Your grace is immeasurable, sire,” Siegfried bowed and said. Then, he thought, ‘So even the world’s most powerful person isn’t omnipotent...’

This was sort of ironic on his end, as being the leader of the world’s most powerful nation truly didn't mean having the divine power of a god.

“I would tell you if I knew the one behind the evil religious group you’re fighting.”

“Please leave them to me, Your Imperial Majesty. I will do my best in fighting against them.”

“That’s reassuring to hear. Well then, I’ll be counting on you even more from now on.”

“Your grace is immeasurable, sire.”

“I will be taking my leave now. We will meet again soon, Siegfried van Proa.”

With those words, Emperor Stuttgart left the prison and disappeared.

“But what exactly is going on...? If even the emperor is too busy to deal with the Church of Osric, then...?”

Siegfried could not help but be curious about what the emperor was so preoccupied with, but he soon erased those thoughts from his mind. Dealing with the Church of Osric was one of his top priorities, and they were enough to fill his plate to the brim.

***

The next morning, Siegfried received three lashes at the execution grounds of the World Peace Council. This was merely a symbolic form of punishment, and someone as powerful as Siegfried would not be hurt by getting three lashes.

But...

“First!”

The soldier swung the cane.

Chwaaak!

A sound like the ripping of paper rang the moment the cane struck Siegfried’s back.

“Aaack! W-What kind of cane is that? Why does it hurt so much?!” Siegfried screamed.

Before he could even turn to look, the second lash was already flying toward his back.

“Second!”

Chwaaak!

“Aaargh!” Siegfried screamed again after the second.

“Third!”

Smack!

“...!”

The pain was so intense that Siegfried couldn't even scream. It was only later did he realized that the cane they used to lash him was out of the ordinary.

[Piercing Blackthorn Cane]

[A magic cane made from a branch of the Blackthorn Tree.]

[It completely ignores Defense and deals True Damage to its target.]

[However, the damage it deals is similar to a normal cane, making it a non-lethal weapon.]

[Type: Weapon]

[Rating: Unique]

[Attack Power: 150]

[Durability: 5,000/5,000]

[Effects: Ignore Defense, +500% Pain inflicted upon hitting enemies.]

The Piercing Blackthorn Cane had the strange effect of bypassing physical defenses, but it only had one hundred fifty Attack Power, making it not an ideal weapon. Someone as strong as Siegfried wouldn't die from the cane even if he was struck continuously for a whole week, but the pain he felt from each strike caused excruciating pain.

“U-Ughhh...!” Siegfried grabbed his swollen, throbbing backside while leaving the execution grounds.

“Kyuu! Owner punk!”

“Hyung-nim!”

Hamchi and Seung-Gu rushed over to him.

“Eat this first, owner punk! Kyuuu!”

Hamchi said, handing him a block of white tofu[1].

“Huh? Where did you get tofu from? They have this here?” Siegfried asked, sounding flustered.

“I asked some Adventurers for the recipe! Kyuuu!”

“Eh?”

“Just eat it! Kyuuu!”

“Alright, thanks.”

Siegfried stuffed the block of tofu into his mouth.

“You did well, hyung-nim.”

“What the hell do you mean by I did well? Cut the crap, and let’s go.”

“Okay, hyung-nim. Allow me to escort you.”

Siegfried, Hamchi, and Seung-Gu returned to the Proatine Kingdom.

***

What awaited Siegfried upon his return to the Proatine Kingdom was something he did not expect...

“Long live His Majesty the King!”

“Long live the king!”

“Three cheers for His Majesty, King Siegfried van Proa!”

“Long live the Proatine Kingdom!”

The citizens of Preussen came out to the streets, cheering and showing their respect to Siegfried.

“Long live His Majesty the King!”

“Long live the Proatine Kingdom!”

Siegfried looked utterly confused by the grand welcome he was receiving.

“W-What’s going on?” Siegfried asked, sounding flustered and taken aback.

Seung-Gu grinned and replied, “Word has spread throughout the entire continent that you stopped the demons’ invasion, hyung-nim.”

“Really? Word spread in just a single day?”

“The Marchioni Empire has issued an official statement regarding your achievement and announced it throughout the continent. And Emperor Stuttgart gave an edict to every member nation of the World Peace Council to inform their people of your achievements.”

“Oh...” Siegfried muttered after hearing the explanation. Then, he said, “Then am I now a—”

It was then.

Ding!

A message popped up in front of his eyes.

[Alert: Congratulations!]

[Alert: You have earned a new title!]

[Alert: You have earned the title of Not Quite Legendary, but a Legendary Hero!]

He was about to check the effects of his new title when another string of messages popped up in front of his eyes.

[Alert: Congratulations!]

[Alert: The love and respect of citizens of the Proatine Kingdom toward you have reached MAXl!]

[Alert: A new energy source, Divine Power, has been generated!]

[Alert: Your Divine Power has permanently increased by 0.01!]

[Alert: Your Divine Power has permanently increased by 0.01!]

[Alert: Your Divine Power has permanently increased by 0.01!]

[Alert: Your Divine Power has permanently increased by 0.01!]

(omitted...)

[Alert: Your Divine Power has permanently increased by 0.01!]

1. This comes from Korean culture where an inmate released is given white tofu as a symbol of living a clean life from now on. ☜