Debuff Master-Chapter 825

“Ahem!” Metatron cleared his throat. He was feeling flustered by Chaos’ unexpected suggestion.

What was going to happen if he returned to the Demon Realm right now? Ascending the throne would be a matter of time.

With the Demon Sword: Avenger in his possession, there was no doubt he could claim the title of "Demon Lord" with ease. His father, the Demon Lord of Vengeance, would undoubtedly rejoice and willingly relinquish his throne.

Why would he not?

Nearly four hundred fifty years ago, Vernas had attempted to invade the continent, only to be thoroughly crushed by Deus. Not only had he lost the Avenger, but he had been bedridden since then.

His greatest wish was for one of his sons to recover the Avenger and ascend as the next demon lord as soon as possible, then perhaps become the Demon King.

“Master! This is an opportunity!” Chaos urged.

“But Chaos, a demon’s contract cannot simply be broken like that. Even if I become a demon lord, it will still be enforceable.”

“Why should that matter, my lord?!”

“Hmm?”

“Return to the demon realm, claim the throne, and simply never come back to this place!”

“...!”

“Besides, His Majesty is merely human. At best, he will live another fifty years—maybe a hundred if he’s lucky. After that, you can come back and conquer this place without any interference.”

“Oh!”

Chaos presented an incredibly logical and pragmatic argument that made Metatron groan and be visibly torn by the tempting suggestion.

After a moment’s thought, however, he still shook his head.

“No, Chaos. Let us not entertain such thoughts. Focus on the task at hand.”

“But my lord! This is the perfect chance for—!”

“You fool! You short-sighted idiot!”

“...!”

“You know nothing, Chaos!”

“W-What do you mean by that, my lord...?” Chaos muttered, bewildered by Metatron’s sudden anger.

“Do you take His Majesty for a fool, Chaos?”

“M-My lord...?”

“What do you think will happen if I flee to the demon realm with the Avenger?”

“Well, naturally, my lord would ascend the throne and bask in wealth and glory that is rightfully—”

“You imbecile!”

Smack!

Metatron smacked Chaos on the head.

“Ack! M-My lord! What was that for?!”

“If I go to the demon realm and become a demon lord. Do you think His Majesty won’t come after me?”

“W-What?” Chaos stammered, his mouth agape.

Who was Siegfried van Proa? He was the most tenacious, cunning, and merciless man that existed. He was someone who never gave up once he set his sights on something.

If Metatron dared to take the Avenger and run, Siegfried would undoubtedly pursue him all the way to the Demon Realm.

What would happen after that?

A chill ran down Chaos’ spine as he imagined the consequences of that decision.

“Chaos. Do you want the entirety of the seventh domain to fall into His Majesty’s hands?”

“N-No! Absolutely not!” Chaos retorted at the top of his lungs.

“If I return to the demon realm and claim the throne, our seventh domain will become a mere vassal of the Proatine Kingdom. Is that what you want, Chaos?”

“N-Not at all, my lord! Forgive my short-sightedness!” Chaos cried out, dropping to his knees and bowing low to the ground.

“His Majesty is not someone to be underestimated, Chaos,” Metatron said in a solemn voice.

“Yes, my lord.”

“For all we know, entrusting me with the Avenger may very well be a test of my loyalty.”

“A test?!”

“If I were to flee with the Avenger, His Majesty would likely conquer the entire seventh domain without any hesitation.”

“Ah...!”

“His Majesty is not only a formidable warrior, but he is also a terrifyingly cunning strategist. He’s someone you can never let your guard down with.”

“I understand, my lord! I shall etch that in my brain!”

“Phew! The mere thought of my momentary lapse in judgement sends chills down my spine.”

“No, my lord. The fault lies entirely with me for suggesting something so careless!”

“It’s fine, Chaos. Your advice was out of concern for me and my future, was it not? Arise now.”

“My lord...”

“All is well. Though I may be bound as His Majesty’s servant for now, what is a few hundred years in the grand scheme of things?”

“Absolutely, my lord!”

“For now, fulfilling my duty to the utmost is what matters most.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Chaos bowed deeply, and his loyalty burned brighter than ever as he looked at Metatron with sparkling eyes.

***

Meanwhile, Siegfried was heading to the Green Isles with Hamchi using the High-Speed Sea Route Passage.

“Kyuuu! Hey, owner punk!”

“Hmm? Nom nom... This is sweet, not bad.”

Siegfried was peeling and eating tangerines in the ship's cabin when Hamchi called out to him. Ever since his ordeal with scurvy during the battle against the ghost of Pirate King Freydlief, he had developed the habit of eating tangerines whenever he was on a ship.

“Kyuu! Aren’t you worried, owner punk?!”

“Worried about what? Nom nom...”

“Kyuu! You gave that demonic sword to Metatron, didn’t you?!”

“So what? Nom nom...”

“What if Metatron runs off with the demon sword?!”

“Well, that would be great for me.”

“Kyuuu?!”

“If he takes it and becomes a demon lord, wouldn’t that work in my favor? A demon lord would just end up as my slave.”

Siegfried had foreseen exactly what Metatron might try to do with the Avenger, which was why he handed it over without a second’s hesitation.

Siegfried would profit handsomely if Metatron were to run away with it.

“Kyuuu?!”

Hamchi’s eyes widened after hearing Siegfried’s nonchalant response.

“Kyuuu! So you baited Metatron?!”

“Not really? If he gets greedy, he’s screwed. But if he works hard and follows orders, then he gets a raise. Nom nom...” Siegfried replied, munching on another piece of tangerine.

“Kyuuuu?!”

“Life is just a series of choices, no?”

“Kyuuu! That’s true!”

Nom nom...

“Kyuuu! Then, owner punk!”

“What?”

“Why not just make Metatron the Demon King and take over the Demon Realm for yourself?!”

“Eh? That wouldn’t work,” Siegfried replied, shaking his head.

“Kyuuu? Why not?”

“Metatron’s a demon, after all. Do you think he would want to see his entire race turned into slaves by a human like me?”

“Kyuu?”

“Even if I pushed him to do it, he wouldn’t agree. He’s actually nicer than he looks, so there’s no way he would sacrifice the Demon Realm and turn it into a vassal of the Proatine Kingdom just for his own gain.”

“Kyuuu! You really know Metatron well, owner punk! You’re a Metatron Expert!”

Nom nom...

Read 𝓁atest chapters at fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm Only.

“Anyway, don’t worry about it. He will do his job.”

“Kyuuu! Got it!”

Feeling reassured, Hamchi joined Siegfried in peeling and eating tangerines.

Suddenly, Siegfried narrowed his eyes, deep in thought, as he murmured, “Hmm... I do need the Demon King’s heart, though...”

He recalled that upgrading the +15 Vanquisher’s Grasp into its next stage required the Demon King’s heart.

In other words, if Metatron ever ran off with the Demon Sword: Avenger and become the Demon King using it, not only would the seventh domain become a complete vassal of the Proatine Kingdom, but Metatron himself would end up as a material for Siegfried’s weapon as well.

***

As soon as Siegfried arrived at the Green Isles, he wasted no time and sought out Captain Bellatrix.

“Welcome, Your Majesty.”

Surprisingly, Bellatrix’s appearance was nothing short of disastrous. Her eyes were hollow with dark circles underneath. Her once pristine hair was now tangled, matted, dry, and disheveled. Her skin and lips had become rough and parched.

It was astonishing that a person could deteriorate so quickly in such a short span of time.

‘Hehe! Just as I expected,’ Siegfried thought, smirking inwardly.

He could not help but be satisfied after his predictions were correct. Bellatrix was, without a doubt, buried under a mountain of paperwork, leaving no room for her to even sleep properly.

Bellatrix had been living as a pirate; she relied on her sword and pistol to survive on the open seas. For someone like her to suddenly drown in administrative duties was, without a doubt, going to end in burnout.

“It’s rough, isn’t it?” Siegfried asked with a grin.

“To be honest...” Bellatrix murmured. Then, she ran her fingers over her pistol on the desk and sighed, “I... feel like I want to die...”

“W-What? It’s that bad?”

“Sometimes, I wonder what would happen if I burned all these documents to ashes.”

“Haha... Ha...”

“But what brings Your Majesty here? As you can see, I am a bit... busy,” Bellatrix said, her bloodshot eyes darted to the stacks of documents before shaking uncontrollably as if she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I won’t take much of your time. I just have a quick question.”

“Ask away, Your Majesty.”

“Where can I find the Praystones?”

“Praystones? Ah, you must mean the Wishstones.”

“Wishstones?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. We call them Wishstones around here because they’re said to carry the hopes and dreams of those holding it.”

“Oh, I see. Where can I find these Wishstones?”

“Well... There used to be mines centuries ago, but they have all been depleted.”

“Depleted?!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Then where the hell am I supposed to find them?!”

“H-Honestly, I am not sure. Perhaps we might stumble upon an untapped deposit if we were to search every single island in the archipelago, but that’s hardly practical.”

“This is turning out to be more complicated than I thought it would be...” Siegfried grimaced and grumbled, frustration evident on his face.

Praystones were critical to completing his epic quest, so learning that they were depleted made him understandably annoyed.

“Damn it... Then where can I find—”

It was then.

Rumble!

A holy light radiated from Siegfried’s body.

Ding!

Followed by a message popping up before his eyes.

[Great King’s Blessed Lands]

[The ancient magic Force of the Lord will bless the territory under Siegfried van Proa while he is sitting on the throne.]

[Type: Passive]

[Effect: Talent Recognition, Resource Prospecting, Talent Enhancement, Abundant Harvest]

[Talent Recognition: Increased chances of finding talented individuals.]

[Resource Prospecting: The hidden resources within the territory will start to appear.]

[Talent Enhancement: The stats of the citizens will increase, and the officials will experience exponential growth.]

[Abundant Harvest: The territory will always have abundant harvests, and all crops will be immune to insects and pestilence.]

The Green Isles had officially become a part of the Proatine Kingdom ever since Siegfried was crowned the Pirate King. Naturally, the buff that he possessed as king would be effective on the isles, too.

“Y-Your Majesty...?”

Bellatrix was visibly alarmed when she saw Siegfried emitting a divine glow. Although she was a rogue Pirate Lord, the miraculous phenomenon still left her utterly speechless and in awe.

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” Siegfried said casually, brushing it off.

“P-Pardon...?” Bellatrix stammered, looking at him in sheer disbelief. Then, she thought, ‘How the hell am I supposed to not worry about that?! What was that just now?!’

“Well, it’s unfortunate, but I guess there’s no helping it,” Siegfried said with a sigh.

“Unfortunate? No helping it...?”

“I’ll just have to find them myself.”

“But discovering a deposit of rare minerals is not an easy task, Your Majesty.”

“There are thousands of islands, so I’m sure one of them has what I’m looking for.”

“That is... far too optimistic...”

“Ah, come one. There’s gotta be one, right?” Siegfried said with a shrug, brushing off her concern. Then, he turned to leave and waved his hand, “Well, I’ll be off now. Hang in there, Captain! You’re doing great!”

Bellatrix stood frozen, looking extremely bewildered.

Once Siegfried disappeared from her sight, she murmured under her breath, “...Take care, Your Majesty.”

Not that it mattered to him...

“Hehe! Time for some treasure hunting!” Siegfried exclaimed with a grin, his steps light and full of energy.

Whenever he explored new territories, he would often uncover hidden resources, especially mines. Each discovery of such hidden resources brought him and the Proatine Kingdom tremendous profits.

‘Yeah, this is my land now, so why not take this chance to do a thorough sweep?’ he thought. With that, Siegfried resolved to search every nook and cranny of the Green Isles for the Praystones and uncover any other hidden treasures the isles might hold.