Debuff Master

Chapter 792

In the dead of night and beneath the glow of the moon covered by the clouds, a solitary figure knelt on the cold stone pavement of a seaside village's plaza. A young girl with her hands clasped tightly in prayer whispered fervent pleas to a statue before her.

The statue’s nameplate read…

[Hero’s Monument: Siegfried van Proa]

Erected by Emperor Stuttgart of the Marchioni Empire, the statue commemorated the king who had once saved the world from a demonic invasion.

The salty sea breeze swept across the village square as the girl knelt beneath the statue’s imposing gaze.

Tonight, just as every night, she fervently prayed to the statue of the hero king.

“Hero, please… Help us… Just once, I beg you,” she begged, her voice fragile.

Sshhh…!

Without any warning, the statue emitted a faint light.

The girl peeked, startled by the brilliance that was now illuminating the square. Then, she gasped at the sight of the impossible. The statue depicting Siegfried van Proa was glowing in a radiant light.

Fwoosh!

A golden radiant light split the clouds up above, bathing the entire plaza in light. Then, the beam descended like divine providence, illuminating the figure of a man slowly descending from the sky.

His silhouette was crowned with a radiant halo, and his form mirrored the statue’s very image. The man's resonant voice sounded calm as he asked, “Are you the one who called me?”

The girl trembled, unable to answer. She was not stunned by disbelief that rendered her speechless and unable to respond—no, it was something far more shocking than that.

‘T-This can’t be right!’ she cried out inwardly.

The hero she had prayed for was finally standing before her, but he was dressed in brightly colored rabbit pajamas.

***

‘It worked?!’

Siegfried couldn't believe that the pocket watch, the Seeker of Faith, had actually worked this time. He marveled at the success of it, as it allowed him to descend in spectacular fashion to the person calling upon his statue.

‘Descending from the sky, halo and all. I think this really makes me look like a hero,’ he mused.

His musings were interrupted by the familiar sound of the quest notification.

[Alert: You have completed the Quest – Who is it? Who Dares To Call Out To Me?]

[Alert: A new Quest – Conversation With the Girl has begun!]

[Conversation With the Girl]

[Speak to the girl who prayed to you.]

[Type: Epic Quest]

[Progress: 0% (0/1)]

Siegfried turned his attention to the girl and asked gently, “Are you the one who summoned me?”

The girl glanced up and responded, “I… I prayed to the Hero.”

“And?”

The girl trembled, and tears welled in her eyes. “But… you’re not him…”

Siegfried blinked a few times, confused. Then, he asked, “What do you mean by that?”

“I prayed to King Siegfried van Proa, the Hero King who saved us from the demonic invasion,” she explained.

“Yes, that’s me,” Siegfried said confidently.

“But… the Hero would never…” she said, her voice cracking. Then, she cried out, “...Wear those pajamas!”

“Oh shit…”

Realization struck Siegfried like a bolt of lightning. He had rushed here without changing, and he was still dressed in the matching rabbit pajamas designed for him by Brunhilde and Verdandi.

“W-Wait, give me a second,” Siegfried stammered.

He hastily jumped behind the statue to swap into his proper gear.

‘Argh! This is the most humiliating thing ever! I can’t believe this!’

Once fully dressed, he walked out with his arms spread wide.

“Ta-dah! Siegfried van Proa has arrived!”

“...You’re still lying! You’re not him! I prayed so hard, and you’re just pretending!” the girl wailed.

“No, really! I am Siegfried van Proa! I was just… sleeping and forgot to change!” Siegfried waved his arms, trying desperately to calm her down.

After a while, she finally calmed down and quieted, but doubt was still lingering in her eyes.

“Are you… really him?”

“Of course,” Siegfried replied with a warm smile. Then, he said, “I am the King of the Proatine Kingdom, Siegfried van Proa.”

The girl hesitated before offering a clumsy bow that commoners would usually make before royalty.

“I-It is an honor, Your Majesty.”

Siegfried reached out and propped her up before asking, “No need for that. So, what’s your name?”

“My name is Mischa,” Mischa replied timidly.

“Okay, Mischa. Now, why did you call me?” he asked.

Mischa’s eyes shimmered with emotion as she explained why she had been praying so desperately to the statue. Specifically, the statue of Siegfried van Proa, the Hero.

***

Mischa lived with her father, a fisherman, in a quiet coastal village. Their life, although modest, was filled with happiness. Despite the loss of her mother and the struggles that came with poverty, Mischa cherished the days with her father.

But one fateful day, everything changed. Her father went out to sea, just as he always did to fish, but this time, he was captured by pirates and had never returned since then.

Desperate, Mischa begged the local lord to send soldiers to eliminate the pirates, but her pleas were in vain. The pirates were far too powerful and highly mobile that even the lord had given up on defeating them.

To make matters worse, the kingdom was in turmoil, and the royal court could not afford to dispatch its navy to deal with the pirates.

With nowhere else to turn, Mischa sought help from the Temple of the Sea God, devoted to Neptune.

Unfortunately, they refused to assist her as well. After all, sending their holy knights into battle to save a mere fisherman from a small fishing village was not worth their time or effort.

Abandoned by all, Mischa clung to the last shred of hope.

Every night, she prayed to the statue of the hero who had saved the continent from the demonic invasion, Siegfried van Proa, in hopes that he'd hear her prayers and rescue her father from the pirates.

“I see… So that’s what happened,” Siegfried said softly, nodding as he listened to her story.

Ding!

Suddenly, a quest message popped up in front of his eyes.

[Alert: You have completed the Quest – Conversation With the Girl!]

[Alert: A new quest has been triggered!]

[Alert: You have received the Quest – On a Mission! Hero to the Rescue!]

[On a Mission! Hero to the Rescue!]

[Eliminate the pirates and rescue Mischa’s father.]

[Type: Chain Epic Quest]

[Reward: +300 Divine Power]

The reward was pitiful.

For the effort required to defeat a band of pirates, the payoff seemed laughably small.

‘But it’s an Epic Quest. They always pay off in the end,’ Siegfried thought. He knew from his years of experience playing BNW that linked quests often began with modest rewards but would always lead to something greater.

Besides, he had another reason to accept the quest. He needed to investigate the mysteries surrounding his Divine Power.

Most importantly, he could not simply ignore Mischa's plight. The nightly prayers she offered to his statue out of sheer desperation had touched his heart deeply.

Thus, he made up his mind and smiled warmly at the child. “All right. I will help you."

“R-Really?” Mishca stammered, and her eyes widened with disbelief.

“Of course.”

“A-Ah…! Thank you, Your Majesty…!”

Tears welled up in her eyes, and all the sorrow and fear she had been holding back spilled out as if the floodgates of her eyes were opened.

“Thank you so much… Thank you…”

“It’s okay now. I’ll help you, and you will see your father again soon,” Siegfried reassured her, stroking her head gently.

“Okay!” Mischa nodded. There were tears streaming down her cheeks, but she was finally smiling.

“It’s getting late. Let’s go to your house for now,” Siegfried said.

“This way, Your Majesty,” Mischa replied, leading him toward her humble home.

***

The next day, Siegfried logged into the game early in the morning.

[Southwestern Nurburg Continent: Barnacle Village]

After closing the notification window that displayed his current location, Siegfried looked around. Mischa’s house was more pitiful than humble, and it was barely more than a shabby shack.

There were dried fishes hanging from the ceiling, swaying gently along with the salty sea breeze. The bed was old and worn, and he could feel a faint itch crawling on his skin, indicating that there were fleas lurking in the sheets.

“Good morning, Your Majesty.”

Mischa approached, bringing a tray with a bowl of soup and a piece of bread she had prepared in advance.

The soup was made with dried fish and reeked of a strong fishy smell. It lacked any other ingredients and was clearly devoid of nutrition. The bread looked hard as a rock, almost like stale biscuits, with patches of green mold forming on the surface.

“This… is all I have to offer,” Mishca said, lowering her head in shame while her trembling hands held out the tray.

“This is more than enough. Thank you,” Siegfried replied and took the tray from her hands.

Without hesitation, he dunked the moldy bread into the soup and devoured it. Then, he slurped down the remaining broth, purposely making loud slurping noises while at it.

“That was delicious.”

“R-Really?”

“Of course! All food is the same once digested, right?” With a chuckle, Siegfried rose from the bed. “All right then, time to go find your father.”

“I will escort you to the docks, Your Majesty.”

“No need to worry about me. I’ll manage on my own. You just stay here and wait,” Siegfried said, smiling warmly.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I’ll see you later.”

“Please take care and return safely.”

Siegfried left Mischa behind and made his way through Barnacle Village toward the dock.

The village had a gloomy atmosphere, as its air was heavy with despair. Unsurprisingly, it was not hard to see why, as the pirates had been ravaging the surrounding seas lately, making the lives of the coastal villagers miserable.

The pirates hadn't attacked the remote village directly, but the real problem was something else. They had seized control of the sea, cutting off the villagers from their livelihood. Venturing out to sea became a dangerous gamble, as anyone who came across the pirates and got captured would surely end up as a slave.

“What the hell are the king and local lords doing? Are they just lazing around or something?” Siegfried grumbled in disbelief.

How could they sit idly by while their people suffered like this? As a self-proclaimed benevolent ruler, Siegfried found such negligence to be incomprehensible.

“Tsk…” Siegfried clicked his tongue and continued his stroll through the village. Ten minutes later, he arrived at a small dock, where a handful of tiny wooden fishing boats bobbed like toys on the waves.

‘But how am I supposed to find the pirates’ den in this vast ocean? The sea is too wide for even Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance to work…’

Just as he began contemplating the daunting challenge ahead—

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A group of fishermen came stampeding toward him, and they seemed evidently terrified.

“Huh?”

Siegfried was startled by their sudden appearance and braced himself. He considered the possibility that they had mistaken him for a threat and were about to attack him.

But that was not the case…

“Pirates! Pirates!”

“Run! Hurry!”

“Run for your lives!”

“The pirates are here!”

The fishermen were screaming while running away, and there was a palpable panic in the air. It turned out that they were not coming after him but were fleeing for their lives.

“Huh? Did they just say pirates?” Siegfried muttered. He tilted his head in confusion and blinked a few times. Then, he ignored the fleeing villagers and gazed out toward the horizon, squinting his eyes.

Ten kilometers away, pirate ships adorned with flags of skulls and crossbones were speeding toward the Barnacle Village.

Siegfried’s eyes shot wide open upon spotting the pirate ships.

Then…

“YIPPEE!” he screamed out of sheer joy and excitement.