Debuff Master

Chapter 761

The leaders' reaction was only natural. Siegfried, the mortal enemy of the Zavala Kingdom and the one who had brought the great power to its knees, was standing right at their doorstep, so it wasn't strange for them to be terrified.

‘Should we run?’

‘What the hell happened?’

‘How did he find us?’

‘Is he here to attack us?’

The leaders wavered between fleeing and fighting back after getting caught off guard.

Unfortunately, fleeing seemed impossible, while attacking Siegfried van Proa was surely not something they were capable of.

After all, Siegfried van Proa was renowned for his combat prowess and was the hero who had repelled the demon invasion.

Thus, the leader stood frozen in place while at an utter loss on what to do.

“You all look a bit startled,” Siegfried said with a smile. Then, he leisurely raised his hands and continued, “Look, I understand why you’re so surprised. But I’m not here to fight. Please, relax. I only came here to have a chat.”

“A-A chat? You’re our enemy! To you, we’re just rebels to be hunted down and killed! What’s there to discuss?!” Andre lashed out.

“Would I have come all this way if I didn’t want to talk?” Siegfried retorted sharply, raising a brow.

“T-That...!”

“I think you should realize that I could have eliminated every single one of you if I wanted to,” Siegfried said nonchalantly. Then, he looked at one of the leaders and asked, “Isn’t that right?”

Swish...!

Just then, the face of one of the leaders began to peel away to reveal a beautiful woman with cat-like features.

“W-What?!”

“No way! Viscountess Postel?!”

“Oh no...!”

The leaders were in shock upon realizing that one of their own, Viscountess Postel, had been an unfamiliar woman in disguise all along.

Siegfried ignored their reactions and continued, “If I wanted you dead, I’d have done so already, and quite easily at that.”

“Your Majesty,” Ninetail greeted with a graceful bow.

“Good job.”

“Oh, it was nothing.”

“But ease up a little, will you?”

“Hmm? Ease up on what?” Ninetail asked in response, feigning innocence.

“Oh, please. I saw you looting that treasure room while I was in the heat of battle.”

“Hehehe...”

“I can understand why you wanna loot, but have some restraint, will you? We need funds for our men’s bonuses, and money is tight these days. Besides, for someone who already has plenty, why cling to more?”

“Oh, you know my fondness for jewels and artworks is so...” Ninetail replied with a weak excuse.

“At least take it easy.”

“I will, sire. And by the way, may I borrow Sir Gringore for a bit?”

“Why?”

“I need his expertise to appraise some of the artworks.”

“Go ahead.”

“Thank you, sire.”

Siegfried shook his head, exasperated, after his short conversation with Ninetail. Then, he turned his gaze back to the leaders.

“See? I could have killed you at any time I wanted.”

The leaders fell silent after realizing that Siegfried meant what he said. He had the power to kill them any time he pleased, but he had chosen to spare them instead.

“What... What do you want?” Andre asked, his voice trembling.

“A chat and a cup of tea. That’s all I want from you right now,” Siegfried replied with a smile.

“All right, you may take a seat...”

In the end, Count Andre reluctantly invited Siegfried to sit down and join them for tea.

***

Siegfried took a sip of the tea while sitting at the same table as the leaders.

“To be blunt, there’s no connection between our kingdom and the recent disappearances,” he said.

“How can we believe you?” Andre asked, his tone sounding defiant. Then, he further accused, “It was only after you people came that—”

Siegfried cut him off and handed a document, “Here, take a look at this first. This is the list of our soldiers who disappeared over the past week, along with the details of the ongoing investigation. Please, read it first.”

“Hmm...”

Andre and the other leaders reviewed the document Siegfried passed to them.

“And what does this prove?” Andre asked.

“It shows that we’re both in the same situation. We’re also investigating the disappearances of our men,” Siegfried replied calmly.

“I don’t trust you. Your story and those documents are a very convincing argument, but we’re no fools. Did you really think you could trick us with some paperwork and smooth talk?” Andre sneered, shaking his head in disgust.

“I understand,” Siegfried replied with a shrug.

He understood how they felt, as everyone in the Zavala Kingdom harbored intense hatred and mistrust toward their occupiers, the Proatine Kingdom, so there was no way they would believe him even if he swore to tell the truth.

In a sense, they were beyond the reach of mere words.

“But if I could prove I’m not lying, would you believe me then?”

“And how would you be doing that?”

“Dame Oscar here wields a sword imbued with the power to reveal the truth,” Siegfried said, gesturing to her. Then, he added, “We will demonstrate its authenticity first, and then you can ask my men if we’re lying or not.”

“Ahem!”

Andre cleared his throat before looking at the other leaders.

“What do you all think?”

The other leaders chimed in.

“Perhaps it’s worth verifying, just in case?”

“They’re going to these lengths, so there’s no harm in giving them a chance.”

With the leaders agreeing one by one, Count Andre had no other choice but to accept Siegfried’s proposal.

“Ha!

A sword that forces one to speak the truth? That’s ridiculous. But I’ll give you a chance to prove yourself at least,” Andre said with a scoff.

“Sure,” Siegfried replied with a shrug. Then, he turned to his side and said, “Dame Oscar.”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Show them.”

“As you command, sire.”

Oscar raised her sword, Fragarach, to Count Andre’s neck and asked, “Have you ever cheated on your beloved wife?”

“Y-Yes, with that baker’s assistant from that shop I frequent—ah!” Andre blurted out. Then, his eyes widened with horror as he panicked, “N-No! I swear I’ve never—argh!”

Count Andre tried his best to resist, but it was futile. In the hands of Oscar, Fragarach forced the target to speak nothing but the truth and resisting was pointless.

“I... I’ve met with the baker’s assistant numerous times... And it was... quite, uh... luscious—oh no!”

In the end, Andre unwillingly revealed his most intimate secrets before his comrades.

“Ahem...”

“Well, I certainly didn’t expect that...”

“What a despicable fella!”

“Does your wife know about this?”

The leaders clicked their tongues and looked at him with scornful eyes.

“N-No! It’s all lies! Can’t you see they’re using black magic on me?!” Andre lashed out, desperately trying to defend himself.

“Hmm...”

“Is it black magic or the truth?”

The leaders were torn, as they were not sure what to believe.

“Dame Oscar, please continue,” Siegfried commanded.

“As you command, sire,” Oscar replied with a bow.

Then, following his orders, Oscar used Fragarach to reveal the secrets of the other leaders. One by one, she questioned them about their most private matters, and they found themselves confessing the truth without being able to resist.

About thirty minutes later...

“Ah...”

“Hmm...”

“Ahen...”

The leaders were completely speechless after involuntarily revealing their most shameful secret.

***

There was a saying about how the truth was often cruel.

Faced with the embarrassment of revealing their most shameful secrets, the leaders were utterly speechless and could no longer retort.

“Now that you have seen that it truly works, we will now be testing one of our own to tell the truth,” Siegfried said confidently. Then, he signaled for Oscar to point the Fragarach to one of the military police investigators who were accompanying them.

“Did our kingdom abduct the citizens of Feiogh to be used for black magic purposes?” Oscar asked.

“No, the kingdom did no such thing.”

“Is it true that our soldiers have also gone missing?”

“Yes, it is true.”

With the verification complete, Siegfried looked at the leaders and said, “Now, as you witnessed just now, our kingdom has no connection to the disappearances happening all over Feiogh.”

“...”

“I am aware that your people despise us for winning the war and conquering the Zavala Kingdom, but that is a whole different issue.”

“Ahem!”

“If this riot continues, our kingdom will have no other choice but to use force. If needed, we could also consider deploying the Iron Fleet and obliterating all of Feiogh.”

“A-Are you threatening us?!”

“W-What?!”

“H-How dare you?!”

“No, I’m just stating facts,” Siegfried said bluntly. Then, he continued, “Our kingdom does not harm unarmed civilians, but if the civilians arm themselves and act as insurgents, then... We have no choice but to respond with force.

"If necessary, I will and will not hesitate to use the Iron Fleet to do that.”

“S-So, what are you suggesting? What do you want us to do?” one of the leaders asked.

“Help us appease the people and calm them down,” Siegfried replied.

“What do you plan to do after we help you calm the people down?”

“We have to find the perpetrator behind these disappearances.”

“Hmm...”

“Forget about resistance and freedom. Don’t you think we have to resolve this incident first? If this riot continues, then not only will we not find the culprit, but there will be more victims.”

Siegfried left things at that and enjoyed his tea while chatting with Hamchi.

On the other hand, the leaders were busy debating on how to proceed further after the bombshell that Siegfried had dropped on them.

Around ten minutes later...

“Very well. We will help you persuade the people,” Andre said.

“Good. I’ll leave the people to you guys then,” Siegfried replied with a smirk.

“But what comes after we calm the people down?”

“We will find the perpetrator. I’m sure that bastard is roaming about somewhere in this huge city,” Siegfried said with an icy smirk and an air of confidence.

***

The leaders wasted no time trying to calm the people down.

Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, their words fell on deaf ears. Most of the people suspected them, believing they had either been tricked or even bought by the Proatine Kingdom.

Shouts of insult and accusations were hurled all over, and the leaders were slowly branded as traitors by the people.

It was only when Oscar demonstrated the powers of Fragarach again and again that the people’s anger waned.

Even the people of Feiogh had heard of Oscar’s reputation as a noble knight, and the fact that she wielded a legendary sword further gave her credibility.

Slowly but surely, the riots subsided, allowing Siegfried to quash the unrest without needing to spill any blood.

Feiogh's situation eventually stabilized, and Siegfried immediately imposed martial law as soon as the peace returned. He forbade people from wandering outside and announced that any new disappearances had to be promptly reported to the authorities.

Then, he commanded the Proatine soldiers to patrol in three-man groups, and each person in a group was provided a flare for signaling. The same was done for the Guardians, but they were patrolling in pairs rather than in threes.

Siegfried did not stop there. He commanded the Proatine Kingdom’s air force to patrol the skies, and even the Iron Fleet took to the skies, imposing its aura over the entirety of Feiogh.

Witnessing such a dedicated and organized effort, the citizens of Feiogh began to change their minds.

After all, would the Proatine Kingdom need to put on such a huge search for those that disappeared if they were truly the culprits behind the disappearances of the people?

***

On that night, Siegfried soared above Feiogh with his +10 Black Crow Wingsuit. He scanned the city below while Hamchi was perched on his back, and they came down from time to time to take a break before taking to the skies to patrol once again.

Just as he finished another sweep—

Shwooong... Poof!

A signal flare shot up about ten kilometers from where he was located.

“Over there!” Siegfried exclaimed, pointing at the flare. Then, he spread his +10 Black Crow Wingsuit open and flew toward the flare at full speed.