Debuff Master

Chapter 693

The beating began.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Siegfried knocked down the knights blocking his way in the blink of an eye.

“Stop whining and get up! I’m sure you don’t want to get caught up in the bombardment, right? What are you waiting for? Let’s go, everyone!” Siegfried said and ran toward the docks.

“You’re breaking prisoners out without the World Peace Council’s approval! You’re defying the will of the entire continent! Are you sure you can handle the consequences?!” the knight captain yelled at him.

Defying the World Peace Council meant making an enemy of tantamount to making an enemy of every nation on the continent.

However, Siegfried did not even bat an eye.

“I know. I can handle it,” he replied with a shrug.

“W-What?!”

“Look, can you stop yelling and get out of here with your men? I’m really sorry for getting in the way of your duty.”

“You’ve absolutely lost your mind...”

“No, I haven’t,” Siegfried said before he turned toward the docks and made a run for it.

The escape was now underway.

Siegfried and the inmates boarded the Aqua Runner that the Proatine Forces had brought to the island.

[Alert: 3 seconds!]

[Alert: 2 seconds!]

[Alert: 1 second!]

The timer struck zero.

[Alert: Bombardment Commencing!]

The Immortal Armada of the Marchioni Empire launched its attack. Unlike the common airships on the continent that relied on artillery shells, the fleet’s cannons shot out laser beams powered by magical stones.

The massive cannons locked onto the island before spitting fire at the same time, generating a deafening sound that thundered throughout the skies.

Zziiiiing!

The thousands of laser beams from the Immortal Armada cut through the island before illuminating everything with a brilliant flash of light.

The Fortress of Hell was obliterated before the Demon Lord of Deception, Dantalion, could even open the Gates of Hell. The lasers didn't just cut through the island—they erased it from existence like a doctor burning away at a mole with pinpoint precision.

“That is... freaking insane...” Siegfried muttered while watching the bombardment in awe.

The sheer might of the Immortal Armada was on a completely different level. Most nations on the continent relied on shells or bombs to attack their enemies, but the Marchioni Empire had just vaporized an entire island with laser beams.

“So that’s what it means to be the strongest superpower in the entire world...” Siegfried muttered, completely shocked and speechless by what he witnessed.

He was not the only one left speechless by the empire’s display of might. The knights and soldiers on the warships of various other nations were equally speechless after witnessing the sheer power gap between them and the empire.

“Oh my god...”

“Is this even possible...?”

“They can do something like this...?”

“W-We’re centuries behind in technology!”

The bombardment was a complete success.

The Fortress of Hell was literally vaporized, and the Marchioni Empire managed to show its might to the entire world.

Siegfried was still in shock, but he quickly regained his composure and led the prisoners toward their escape point.

They arrived at the dock, and just as Siegfried confirmed the last prisoner stepping onto the dock—

[Alert: You have completed the Quest – Great Escape!]

He smiled in satisfaction upon reading the message that popped up in front of his eyes.

But just as he did...

“Seize him!”

The peacekeeping forces of the World Peace Council[1] surrounded Siegfried and the prisoners.

“King Siegfried van Proa!” shouted a knight commander, stepping forward into the scene. “You have broken out the prisoners without the council’s approval! You've also assaulted the peacekeeping knights on duty! Do you admit to these crimes?”

“I do.”

“What?!”

The knight commander was stunned by how easily Siegfried had admitted his crimes.

“S-So... y-you admit to all of these crimes...?”

“Yup.”

“T-Then...”

The knight commander seemed flustered by the unexpected response, but he shook his head and commanded his men. “Arrest King Siegfried van Proa and the prisoners!”

“Yes, sir!”

Siegfried and the prisoners just barely managed to escape the island but were immediately captured by the World Peace Council upon reaching the docks.

“Kyuuu! We got caught! What do we do now, owner punk?!”

“Relax,” Siegfried said, patting Hamchi’s head. Then, he confidently said, “Everything’s going to be fine.”

“Kyu?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Siegfried reassured Hamchi before turning himself to the peacekeeping knights without putting up any resistance.

“Let’s go,” he said.

Thus, Siegfried was taken away by the World Peace Council with his fate uncertain.

***

Siegfried was immediately transferred to the capital of the Marchioni Empire, where the headquarters of the World Peace Council was located. Then, he was put on trial the very next day, which was oddly quick.

The leaders of many different countries attended the trial as jurors, and the judge presiding over the trial was none other than Count Neighdelberg, who was standing in for Emperor Stuttgart.

Neighdelberg was the NPC who had previously crowned Siegfried as the King of the Proatine Kingdom on behalf of Emperor Stuttgart. At that time, he had the rank of baron, but his rank had risen significantly in the past year and a half, as he now held the rank of count.

“The trial for the charges set forth against King Siegfried van Proa will be presided over by me, Count Neighdelberg, on behalf of His Imperial Majesty,” Count Neighdelberg began, promptly starting the trial. Then, he looked at Siegfried and said, “King Siegfried van Proa.”

“Yes, Your Honor?” Siegfried responded.

“Do you admit to all the crimes brought against you?”

“Yes, I admit to them.”

Siegfried did not bother hiding his wrongdoings.

Why?

It was all because they were all facts.

There was no way to deny them, as he was undeniably at fault.

“Good, that will make this trial proceed smoother,” Count Neighdelberg said with a smile. Then, he immediately delivered the verdict, “Since the defendant has admitted to the crimes, I will hereby make the judgment without a jury vote. And the verdict is... guilty!”

Thus, Siegfried was found guilty by the World Peace Council.

“Therefore, I hereby sentence King Siegfried van Proa to one day of imprisonment for his crimes!”

“Huh?”

“One day of imprisonment?”

“Did I hear him right? Did he say one day?”

The jurors began to grow rowdy after the sentence of one day in imprisonment was delivered.

“I object!” Duke Sirakusa shouted. He was attending the trial as the representative from the Kingdom of Kavala.

‘Oh, it’s that scumbag,’ Siegfried thought after immediately recognizing Duke Sirakusa. He was the same piece of garbage who had cruelly abused Mary, the mother of Arnayan and the wife of Nanuqsa.

“Please speak,” Count Neighdelberg gave the duke permission to speak.

“That basta—” Duke Sirakusa growled.

“Please be respectful when addressing the criminal,” Count Neighdelberg interrupted.

“Hm?”

“Though he might be here as a criminal on trial, he is still a king, a monarch of a nation. He was personally crowned under the authority of His Imperial Majesty, so I would appreciate it if you'd address him with proper respect.”

“Ahem!” Duke Sirakusa grunted, clearly displeased by Count Neighdelberg’s remark.

However, he did not protest at all, as Count Neighdelberg had emphasized that Emperor Stuttgart had personally crowned Siegfried. Objecting too strongly regarding the matter could lead to severe consequences; both Duke Sirakusa and the Kingdom of Kavala would have to pay a heavy price by then.

“Very well, I shall amend my words,” Duke Sirakusa replied.

“Thank you.”

“Nonetheless, a sentence of one day in prison? Does that even make sense?” Duke Sirakusa growled.

“What do you mean?” Count Neighdelberg asked.

“Siegfried van Proa has directly challenged the authority of the World Peace Council,” Duke Sirakusa exclaimed, pointing at Siegfried as he spoke. Then, he looked at the jurors and said, “Moreover, he assaulted knights who were carrying official duties under the orders of this council!”

“Yes, that is correct,” Count Neighdelberg replied.

“But a sentence of one day in prison? Is that even a punishment? By rights, this criminal should be executed and hung on the gallows! His entire family should be dragged out and beheaded; their heads should be hung by the gates!”

“Wow, you’re really scaring me, saying all that right in front of me,” Siegfried snarked, feeling amused by the outrageous remarks.

However, Duke Sirakusa flat-out ignored his sarcasm and addressed Count Neighdelberg.

“That would be the proper and fitting punishment. If we are to consider his royal status, then toning it down to twenty years of imprisonment would be reasonable, would it not? And as for the other prisoners who escaped with him, they should be hanged!”

Several other representatives began giving support to the duke’s argument.

“That’s right!”

“How can a mere king of a small and weak kingdom dare to challenge the authority of the council?! This is no more than a joke of a punishment!”

However, not everyone agreed on punishing Siegfried so harshly.

“What nonsense are you talking about?!”

“This is preposterous! I cannot agree with punishing King Siegfried van Proa more than he already is getting punished!”

“This is a fair punishment! The judge has given the verdict!”

President Angele of Stone Island, Saintess Janette of the Holy Constantine Empire, and Queen Arsha of the Macallan Kingdom raised their voices in opposition.

The vocal opposition of the three prominent female leaders caused the other representatives who had close relationships with Siegfried to begin vocally opposing the call for harsher punishment.

Thus, the courtroom quickly devolved into chaos, with leaders of each nation clashing over how to handle Siegfried’s sentence.

“Haha... What a mess,” Siegfried muttered, rubbing his nose in amusement as he watched the courtroom bicker on how to punish him.

It was then.

Creak...!

The courtroom doors swung open.

“His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Stuttgart, has arrived!” the court attendant shouted.

And with that, Emperor Stuttgart, who claimed to be too busy to attend, made his grand entrance into the courtroom...

***

A deafening silence descended upon the courtroom as soon as Emperor Stuttgart walked in.

Thud... Thud...

Emperor Stuttgart looked around the courtroom.

“Looks like everyone is getting along well today,” Emperor Stuttgart said.

Siegfried couldn't quite understand what the emperor was seeing for him to say that everyone was getting along. However, the emperor was actually sarcastically pointing out how the monarchs were always at each other’s throats whenever they met.

“We greet Your Imperial Majesty!”

“We greet Your Imperial Majesty!”

“We greet Your Imperial Majesty!”

Everyone in the courtroom greeted Emperor Stuttgart in unison. He was the ruler of all rulers, so it was only natural for them to revere him. Plus, the firepower demonstrated by the Immortal Armada was bound to put everyone in their places with the emperor’s presence alone.

“I had some free time, so I decided to stop by... but it seems there’s some disagreement over the verdict,” Emperor Stuttgart said with his gaze fixated on Duke Sirakusa.

“...”

Duke Sirakusa did not dare utter a single word—no, he could not utter a single word while under the emperor’s piercing gaze.

“I do agree that disagreements can happen. But let me ask you just one thing. What do you think would happen if the Gate of Hell were allowed to open?” Emperor Stuttgart asked. Then, he took a seat at the highest place in the courtroom, replacing Count Neighdelberg as the judge.

“Who uncovered the plot of the Demon Lord of Deception, Dantalion, and alerted the World Peace Council? Who destroyed the nearly completed Gate of Hell, preventing them from running amok throughout our continent?”

Everyone who had been clamoring for harsher punishments for Siegfried suddenly had nothing to say. All of them fell silent as if they grew mute in the span of a few seconds. It was undeniable. The world would have been dragged into a great war against the demons if it had not been for Siegfried.

“I understand that many of you do not look favorably upon Siegfried van Proa, but shouldn't we acknowledge the contributions he has made to this world? While he may have committed minor transgressions, I believe his service to the peace of this world should be recognized.”

It was then...

Ding!

A message popped up in front of his eyes.

[Alert: Prepare yourself!]

[Alert: Emperor Stuttgart is about to reward you!]

‘Here it comes!’ Siegfried exclaimed inwardly as his eyes turned into dollar signs.

Badump! Badump! Badump!

Siegfried's heart started pounding, thumping as if it was trying to free itself from the cage surrounding it.

Why?

It was all because the rewards granted by the emperor were in a completely different league. He—the ruler of the world’s most powerful nation—bestowed gifts far grander than any other NPC in the world.

And Siegfried knew that very well...

1. Previously translated as World Peace Conference. The author has started treating the conference as a group rather than just a meeting, so I decided to change it to World Peace Council from now on. ☜