Debuff Master

Chapter 616

‘Owner punk can be really smart at times... Kyuuu...’ Hamchi thought while watching the exchange between Siegfried and Viscount Roberto. He could not help but be in awe upon witnessing how Siegfried had easily won the debate.

Why did Hamchi think that Siegfried had won the debate?

It was all because Viscount Roberto no longer had any other choice but to cooperate with Siegfried after the latter had stated that the projects were going to enhance and enrich the lives of the populace.

How was Viscount Roberto supposed to go against a king who wanted to invest in building cities, roads, dams, fortresses, and military training centers for the people?

With what reasoning could he go against such a great cause—against such a great justification?

On top of that, the Proatine Kingdom didn't lack the money necessary for these undertakings; the kingdom was in the middle of an economic boom, which filled their coffers flush with gold.

What would happen outcome if Viscount Roberto were to go against the great cause Siegfried laid out?

It would be the start of his downfall and his end. The people would accuse him of being an unfit lord who had dared to go against his king to prioritize his own benefits over theirs, and history showed that the end of such nobles was never pretty.

Had history not proven that those who had lost the public's support often met tragic ends?

As if that was not enough, Siegfried was a king, yet he politely requested the help of his subject, Viscount Roberto, and even went as far as bowing to seek his cooperation.

Siegfried’s actions were what history would depict as the attitude of a righteous ruler, and it was impossible for Viscount Roberto to go against the will of a righteous ruler.

‘Kyuu... He’s really something when it comes to things like this,’ Hamchi thought while shaking his head.

“W-Why would you do something like this, sire?!” Viscount Roberto exclaimed and hurriedly rushed over to Siegfried. Then, he tried to prop him up and said, “How can a king bow his head to his subject? You should not do so, Your Majesty!”

It was then.

Siegfried smirked and thought, ‘Gotcha.’

Of course, he tried his best not to show his emotions and enjoyed his victory inwardly, only for himself.

However, Siegfried wasn't over yet. He looked up at Viscount Roberto and said in a solemn yet serious voice, “I can bow a thousand times over if it means my people can live peacefully and prosperously.”

“Y-Your Majesty...”

“Viscount Roberto,” Siegfried said, grabbing the viscount’s hands tightly. Then, he looked him straight in the eyes and said, “I need your power, viscount! Please help me!”

“N-No! Why are you doing this, sire?! You should not do this!”

“Not at all! I can do much more than this if it is for my beloved people!”

“Your Majesty...!”

Viscount Roberto was at a loss after seeing Siegfried’s humbleness and sincerity. On the other hand, Siegfried did not relent and continued begging the viscount, and he even went as far as bowing flat on the ground to the flustered viscount.

The king and the viscount went back and forth for quite a while, and it was only after a long while that they finally reached an agreement.

Viscount Roberto knelt on one knee and said, “Your Majesty. I, your humble servant, hereby accept my liege’s command.”

“A-Ah...! Viscount Roberto...!”

“How could I go against Your Majesty’s great cause? I, Roberto, swear loyalty to Your Majesty and this kingdom from here onward.”

It was then.

Ding!

A string of messages popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.

[Alert: Congratulations!]

[Alert: Viscount Roberto’s affinity for you has explosively increased!]

[Alert: You have moved Viscount Roberto’s heart!]

[Alert: Viscount Roberto has sworn absolute loyalty to you!]

Siegfried successfully managed to make Viscount Roberto defect to his side and swear absolute loyalty to him.

“Please, get up, viscount,” Siegfried said as he helped him to his feet.

“Your Majesty...”

“Thank you so much for opening your heart to me.”

“Not at all, sire. I am ashamed for being so clueless of Your Majesty’s intentions and only thinking ill of Your Majesty.”

“Anyone would think like you did, viscount. Please do not rebuke yourself, as we are all just humans.”

“Your Majesty...”

“May I have the honor of dining with you today, viscount?”

“Certainly, sire. I will ask my people to prepare the best our territory has to offer!”

And that was how Viscount Roberto ended up preparing a grand feast for Siegfried...

The two men spent a pleasant time together.

***

Siegfried and Viscount Roberto chatted about numerous things while dining, and it went without saying that information regarding the Espadrille Province flowed out from the viscount’s mouth.

Of course, Siegfried did not forget about his other main quest and asked if there was anything out of the ordinary in the province in recent days.

“Hmm... I cannot think of any bizarre occurrences as of recent.”

“I see.”

Siegfried hadn't gotten the answer he wanted, but he decided to let that be and ask about the nobles of the Espadrille Province.

“May you tell me about the lords of these lands?”

“Hmm...”

“I plan to meet every single lord and convince them just as I convinced you, viscount. If required, I am willing to grovel at their feet, too.”

“Your Majesty...” Viscount Roberto muttered while looking at him with eyes full of emotions. Then, he said, “Your Majesty is the king of a weak and tiny nation, but you are truly a righteous ruler.”

“You are praising me too much. I am merely doing my duty to the people, for the people.”

“But there are a few dangerous individuals among the lords of these lands. I would advise Your Majesty to be cautious with them at all times.”

“I suppose there would be some.”

“Therefore, it would be dangerous for Your Majesty to meet all of the–”

“No,” Siegfried shook his head. Then, he said, “It does not matter whether they hold a grudge against me or are just disgruntled by what happened. I plan to be fair to everyone and hear them out one by one.”

“Haha...” Viscount Roberto laughed weakly. He was rendered speechless by Siegfried’s words and could only look at him in awe and reverence. Then, the viscount said, “If Your Majesty so insists... Please allow me to share everything I know regarding the nobles of these lands.”

“Thank you, viscount.”

“Firstly, Your Majesty has to be aware of the most powerful noble in the Espadrille Province, Count Gunther, who happens to hold the biggest territory here,” Viscount Roberto said. Then, he proceeded to provide information regarding each and every one of the nobles.

‘Hmm... I don’t think this will be difficult at all,’ Siegfried thought after hearing the details of the nobles. He did not think that seizing control of the Espadrille Province would be difficult based on what he had heard from Viscount Roberto.

There were two reasons he came to this conclusion. The first one was that most of the nobles in the province were just provincial nobles. They didn't have enough influence to get involved with the politics of the empire, and the second reason was that the nobles did not seem to hold any significant grudge toward him.

Why?

It was all because there would be no significant difference in their lives, whether they served under Siegfried’s rule or under Emperor Stuttgart’s rule. In fact, there were some nobles who thought that being under the Proatine Kingdom was an opportunity for them.

Every single one of these nobles had no hopes of going up the ranks, as the empire’s political landscape was far too fierce for them, who held little influence over anything. But it was a different story now, as the Proatine Kingdom was like a land of opportunities that might allow them to dream of going up the ranks.

Thus, Siegfried believed that he could make the nobles commit to the Proatine Kingdom just like he did with Viscount Roberto.

However, it was a completely different matter when it came to the nobles like Count Gunther, who once held influence in the empire’s political landscape, only for their house to lose it and get exiled to the outskirts of the empire.

Those nobles had settled down in the Espadrille Province, had gained control over it, and were dreaming of returning to the empire’s political sphere once again to regain their houses’ former glories. They were nobles of the empire through and through, and they held great pride over being the empire’s nobles.

It went without saying that these nobles loathed the Proatine Kingdom after being transferred to its rule.

‘Hmm... I can convince half of them, but the other half will be the problematic ones...’ Siegfried started drawing a rough plan on how he should tackle the issue.

Then, he proceeded to ask about the other pillar of the Espadrille Province.

“What about the House of Grey?”

“The House of Grey has called the Espadrille Province their home for the last four hundred years. They ruled over their territory back then when the Marchioni Empire was a kingdom and continued ruling over it until today. Your Majesty can think of them as the native rulers of these lands.”

“Then they should hold significant influence and power, right?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

“Eh?”

“The House of Grey have always kept to themselves and have never voiced their opinion regarding anything.”

“Hmm...”

“Even their latest head, Count Arial, has entered into seclusion to train in the art of magic, so they have not shown any particular reaction to this incident.”

“I see. Thank you very much for the invaluable information, viscount.”

“Not at all, sire.”

“Come to think of it, I noticed that here in the Marmont Territory...” Siegfried proceeded to shift the topic to the viscount’s territory and spent the rest of the evening talking about what could benefit it.

***

Siegfried left the Marmont Territory the next day...

“Please take care of yourself, sire.”

“Thank you for your concern, viscount. I shall see you again soon.”

Siegfried bid goodbye to Viscount Roberto and set out for the next territory.

“Hoho!” Viscount Roberto let out a laugh while watching him disappear into the horizon. Then, he said, “I thought he was unworthy of being a ruler because of his background as an Adventurer, but he has the qualities of a righteous ruler.”

The viscount was completely bewitched by Siegfried that he would believe everything he said from now on. He had reached a point where he could no longer think properly when it came to anything regarding Siegfried.

Of course, the viscount would probably not have sworn loyalty so easily if he witnessed his infamy and how he would always doze off during meetings...

A few hours later, Viscount Roberto heard that Count Gunther had called him, so he went to the communications room.

– I heard the brat visited you.

“Y-You've heard already, Count Gunther?”

– Hohoho! Is there anything I’m not aware of? So, how did your meeting go with that brat? Did everything go well?

“Y-Yes...”

– How was it?

“He begged me to cooperate with him.”

– And what did you tell him?

“I told him that I would think about it.”

– Hoho! And what did he say?

Count Gunther was all smiles, one-sidedly thinking that “I will think about it” meant that Viscount Roberto had rejected Siegfried’s request.

“He thanked me and ate the feast I prepared for him.”

– Did he mention where he will be going next?

“No, he only mentioned that he would be meeting the other feudal lords and left.”

– Hmm... That’s too bad.

“Pardon me?”

– No, it’s nothing.

Count Gunther simply shook his head and proceeded to end the call.

– Alright. Ah, before I forget, I suppose you don’t have plans to cooperate with that brat, do you?

“Not at all, Count Gunther,” Viscount Roberto lied with a straight face.

His response was only reasonable, as he had already pledged loyalty to Siegfried, so there was no reason for him to tell the truth to Count Gunther when the count openly expressed his loathing for Siegfried and even went as far as wanting to kill him.

– Good. Go enjoy the rest of your day, then.

“Have a nice day, Count Gunther.”

Beep!

Right after the call ended.

“Hmm...”

Count Gunther was slightly disappointed upon learning that Viscount Roberto had no idea where Siegfried was heading, but he soon grinned from ear to ear.

“That lowly Adventurer dares to wander around the Espadrille Province without any fear? Hahaha! This is the perfect opportunity to feed him to the wolves!” Count Gunther exclaimed with a burst of laughter. Then, he called his trusted servant, a knight named Bruno, and whispered, “Put a hit on that brat with the Mercenary Guild.”

“But my lord! If the kingdom holds us responsible for that then—”

“Fool! A king is going around with just one hamster and without any knights! Who’s responsible for what? Ha?! It’s not like he will be killed in our territory!”

“Y-Yes, my lord!”

“This is a highly classified matter. Spend as much gold as needed, but make sure that this will remain a secret!”

“Yes, my lord!” Bruno replied with a bow and hurriedly left to carry out Count Gunther’s command.