Debuff Master

Chapter 707

[Amelia de Dreadfall]

[A Lady of the Dreadfall Viscounty.]

[She has been frail since childhood and is currently unable to use her legs.]

[She has to rely on a wheelchair or other means of transportation for mobility.]

[Type: NPC]

[Affiliation: Dreadfall Viscounty]

[Level: 9]

[Age: 23]

[Gender: Female]

[Title: Frail Beauty]

Daytona’s wife turned out to be an NPC, and she appeared to be in bad condition. She had a small frame, standing about one hundred fifty-five centimeters tall, with pale skin that was almost ghostly white and lips tinged blue.

One could see that she was in alarmingly poor health even without the wheelchair.

“Oh my, we have a guest?” Amelia asked.

“Yes, His Majesty Siegfried von Proa has come to visit us,” Daytona replied.

“Oh! Isn’t His Majesty Siegfried von Proa the one who recently thwarted the invasion of the demons?”

“Yes, he did. Why don’t you greet him?”

“Hello, Your Majesty. It is a great honor to meet you. I am Amelia de Dreadfall. I apologize for not being able to stand and greet you properly due to my condition,” Amelia smiled and greeted him with a graceful nod.

“Oh! No need for that!” Siegfried replied, flustered by her gracious demeanor. Then, he hurriedly returned her greeting, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Siegfried van Proa, and I am here today to meet your husband.”

“Oh, I must be getting in the way then.”

“Not at all! Please, join us.”

“It must be an important matter. How could I possibly intrude?”

“It’s really fine.”

“If Your Majesty says so, then I will gladly stay.”

Siegfried ended up having tea with both Daytona and Amelia.

‘Ah, he married an NPC, too,’ Siegfried thought, feeling a strange sense of kinship with Daytona. After all, he himself was married to an NPC, so it seemed natural that he would feel a sense of camaraderie with him.

“As I mentioned earlier... I am afraid I will not be able to join you,” Daytona said, rejecting Siegfried’s offer.

“I understand,” Siegfried replied. He did not ask for an explanation, as it was obvious to him that the reason for Daytona’s hesitation was Amelia’s poor health.

“Forgive me for asking, but may I know what you two were discussing?” Amelia asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing important. We have an event upcoming in the kingdom, and I thought it would be great if your husband could participate,” Siegfried replied.

“Your Majesty... you’re not very good at lying, are you?” Amelia said, still sounding graceful.

Siegfried was flustered upon getting caught off guard. ‘W-What? But I’m actually really good at lying, so...’

What he did not realize was that while he excelled at lying driven by malice or his own gain, he was terrible at telling white lies.

“Once again, I’m holding you back...” Amelia uttered; her downcast face was filled with sorrow as she looked at Daytona. Her tone and the sadness in her eyes were unmistakable.

Daytona was an Adventurer, and she deeply disliked the fact that her poor health caused him to be stuck in their home rather than roaming freely as he ought to do so as an Adventurer.

“No, it’s not like that. I enjoy being by your side,” Daytona said, holding her hand tightly and comforting her.

“But...”

“Don’t blame yourself. We promised each other, remember?”

“I’m sorry...”

“Don’t say that. What I want most is to be here with you.”

It was clear that Daytona truly loved Amelia from the bottom of his heart judging from how he treated her not as just an NPC but as a real person.

‘Ah...’ Siegfried unexpectedly found himself feeling melancholic at the sight of their relationship.

There was no doubt that Daytona was deeply immersed in the game. This was the side-effect often talked about regarding virtual reality games, where the line between fantasy and reality would start to blur for the gamer.

For some, the game would become their reality, and the real world would become merely a resting place between their gaming sessions.

Siegfried could not judge Daytona, as he himself was deeply immersed in BNW as well.

“I seem to have intruded on your life,” Siegfried said, standing up. Then, he gave a slight bow and added, “I apologize for imposing on you.”

“Not at all, Siegfried,” Daytona responded, shaking his head. Then, he flashed a somewhat bitter smile and said, “I’m sorry I couldn’t accept your offer—”

Amelia suddenly lost consciousness, and her head slumped forward.

“Honey!” Daytona cried out, rushing to catch her and supporting her neck to prevent it from bending at an awkward angle. Then, he infused his mana into her body slowly as if trying to cure her.

“What happened?” Siegfried asked in concern.

“My wife’s health is deteriorating... She’s getting worse by the day,” Daytona replied solemnly.

“Does she have an illness?”

“We aren’t sure. All we know is that her body is gradually stiffening, and she faints several times a day just like what just happened.”

“I see...”

“That’s why I can’t be away from home for long.”

“I understand. You need to be here to care for your wife.”

“Thank you for understanding. Most people would—”

Siegfried interrupted him and said, “Say that you’re addicted to the game or mock you for being too immersed in it.”

“Haha...”

“I know that feeling very well. I’m actually married to an NPC, too.”

“Huh?”

“I even have a daughter. Haha... Hahaha...” Siegfried said, laughing awkwardly and scratching the back of his head in hopes of lightening the mood.

Unfortunately, Daytona’s response was completely different from what he expected.

“I’m envious...”

“E-Eh?!”

“Amelia and I can’t have children...”

Siegfried realized just then. ‘T-This guy... he has completely lost himself in the game...’

The fact that someone would react with envy at the mention of having children with an NPC meant that they were clearly and perhaps dangerously immersed in the virtual reality world.

***

Ten minutes later, Siegfried and Daytona laid Amelia on the bed and resumed their conversation.

“This seems really serious,” Siegfried muttered.

“She’s fainting more frequently these days...” Daytona said with concern.

“Is there no way to treat her?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“...”

“The doctors say she has about a year left,” Daytona added in a somber voice.

“...!”

“I just want to be by her side during the time she has left.”

Siegfried finally understood why Daytona had earned the title of Romantic and Romantist of the Century.

“Hey, would it be alright if I tried to help?” Siegfried asked carefully.

“Help? How?”

“I can’t promise anything, but I know a few people who might be able to help.”

“Really?” Daytona asked, his eyes lighting up.

“I mean, if you love her that much, then isn’t it worth trying everything we can?”

“Of course! I’ll do anything as long as there’s even a glimmer of hope!”

“Then come with me.”

“Right now?”

“Yes.”

“But...”

“There’s still hope, and we need to act fast.”

“Alright, I’ll go.”

With that, Siegfried, Daytona, and the unconscious Amelia made their way to the Proatine Kingdom. From there, they contacted the Constantine Holy Empire to seek help from Saintess Janette.

Of course, she responded immediately and rushed over to examine Amelia.

‘T-The Saintess...? His network is really impressive,’

Daytona thought in awe of Siegfried’s connections.

The Saintess was not only a powerful figure within the Constantine Holy Empire, but she was also the representative of the Nameless God. Calling someone of her stature to come and take a look at a patient was something even the top Rankers would find difficult to do.

“Hmm... This is difficult,” Saintess Janette said after examining Amelia.

“Her condition is really bad, isn’t it...?” Daytona asked nervously.

“Yes, it’s quite serious. Her body has been accumulating an abnormal amount of negative mana since she was a child. An ordinary person with her condition couldn't have survived into adulthood. The fact that she's still alive is a miracle.”

“Is there... any way to save her?” Daytona asked.

“I can heal her, but all that will do is delay her death. I believe I can extend her life by about a year with my powers, but that’s it.”

“T-That’s amazing! Thank you! I can’t thank you enough!” Daytona exclaimed and repeatedly thanked the Saintess.

The thought of having an extra year with Amelia filled him with hope.

“I am glad I could at least buy her some more time,” Saintess Janette replied humbly. Then, she added, “You must truly love her.”

“Yes, I do. I love her with all my heart,” he replied, smiling brightly.

“If that is truly how you feel, then...” Saintess Janette said, trailing the end of her words as if recalling something difficult.

“I-Is there... a way?” Daytona asked.

“There is, but... it will be extremely difficult,” Saintess Janette replied hesitantly.

“Please tell me! I will do anything to save her!”

It was then.

“I’ll help too! What’s the solution?” Siegfried jumped in.

Surprisingly, he was not offering to help Daytona out of any ulterior motives or his own benefit. He wanted to help out of a purely personal decision, as seeing Daytona’s deep love for an NPC was something he could not help but empathize with.

How could he laugh at the man’s sincere efforts to save his loved one even though she was an NPC when he was in love with an NPC too?

“You will need... the heart of an Ancient Red Dragon,” Saintess Janette said.

“W-What...?” Siegfried muttered, utterly shocked by what he heard.

Even if every single armed force of the Proatine Kingdom were to join a raid against an Ancient Red Dragon, it would still be impossible for them to defeat such a being. Their chances of winning weren't just zero; the dragon would crush them without a doubt.

“You only need a small piece. But what dragon would willingly give a part of their heart to a human?” Saintess Janette added. Then, she bit her lips and said, “Hunting an Ancient Red Dragon is no different from committing suicide. That is the reason why it will be difficult...”

“Ah...” Daytona muttered, his hope seemingly slowly started to fade at her words.

There were no successful cases of any Adventurer—no, no one on the continent had ever successfully hunted down an Ancient Red Dragon, but it was a different story when it came to ordinary dragons.

There was one rare and bizarre case that happened two years ago. It happened before Siegfried became the Debuff Master, and it was a raid to hunt down a two-thousand-year-old dragon.

Dozens of Rankers and thousands of Adventurers joined the raid, which was a testament to the might of a dragon.

In other words, hunting a dragon was not something that Daytona could even dare to do, regardless of his level.

“I... I will try my best to get it. I will, no matter what it takes,” Daytona said, tightly clenching his fists.

It was then.

“Wait a second,” Siegfried said. Then, he turned to the Saintess and asked, “Did you say a piece of an Ancient Red Dragon would work?”

“That’s correct.”

“How big of a piece are we talking about?”

“Just a small amount will do.”

“I mean... how small does it have to be?”

Saintess Janette held up her thumb and indicated the size of her nail.

“About this much should be enough. The heart of an Ancient Red Dragon is so densely packed with mana that a tiny piece of it would be enough.”

“Are you sure that’s all you need?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, wait here for a moment.”

Siegfried bolted out of the room and headed straight for the lake where Deus and the First Red Dragon, Vulcanus, often spent their time relaxing.

“Hello, Master!” Siegfried called out.

“Oh, hello there. What brings you here?” Deus asked with a brow raised.

“I have business with Elder Vulcanus.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Thank you, Master!” Siegfried exclaimed with a bow before turning to Vulcanus, who was busy hooking worms to the fishing hook.

“Elder.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“I apologize, but...”

“...?”

“May you please give me a small piece of your heart?”

“Eh?” Vulcanus muttered out of disbelief. He doubted his ears for a second before his expression slowly crumpled in anger. ‘Has this human finally gone mad?’

Vulcanus was sincerely wondering whether Siegfried had truly gone mad or not. He didn't expect, even in his wildest dreams, that a mere human would ask for a piece of his heart.