Debuff Master

Chapter 666

Siegfried headed back to the fully repaired Huracan with Arnayan in hopes of clearing the "Melt the Frozen Heart!" quest.

Arnayan shared numerous stories about her mother while they were on the way to the continent. Unfortunately, there was not that much information she could provide that could prove to be of help in finding her mother.

Arnayan's mother was the child of one of the dukes of the Kavala Kingdom; she was probably in her late thirties to late forties; she was born with the talent to control water magic and was shipwrecked in the Arctic Pangea after a storm.

‘But this is more than enough,’ Siegfried concluded that the pieces of information that Arnayan could provide were enough to find Arnayan’s mother. Besides, there were going to be a handful of daughters of dukes in a kingdom, and he could meet most of them within a single day if he was lucky.

In addition, how many people had the innate talent born for water magic?

“But why did your mother return to the continent?”

“That's...” Arnayan proceeded to explain the reason she was separated from her mother. She was around five years old at that time when her mother returned to the Nurburg Continent to meet her family and share news of her marriage to them.

Nanuqsa wanted to go with her and introduce himself to her family, but he couldn't do so due to the laws of the Blanc Clan, which stated that the chieftain—Nanuqsa—could not leave the Arctic Pangea.

“I will be right back. Be a good girl and listen to your father, okay?”

Those were the words that her mother said before she left, and that was the last time she had ever seen her.

Arnayan’s mother neither returned nor sent a single letter to them.

In other words, she had abandoned her husband and daughter.

Unfortunately, there was nothing Nanuqsa could do about it. The laws of the Blanc Clan dictated that both the chieftain and his kinsmen were forbidden from ever leaving the Arctic Pangea, which was the reason Arnayan’s mother went to the continent alone.

The betrayal made Nanuqsa loathe Continentals and Arnayan’s mother.

“So that happened?”

“Did Mother really leave? Did she abandon father and me?”

“I'm not sure...”

Siegfried had no idea what he ought to say. He could neither give her hope nor tell her something negative about her current situation.

“I guess we will only find out after meeting her, right?”

“Yes...”

“Get some sleep for now. It will be a long journey,” Siegfried said. Then, he asked, “But I thought you cannot leave the Arctic Pangea according to the laws of your clan?”

“That is...”

“There must be some restriction, right?”

“I hear we will get cursed but I am mixed-blood. I am okay. I will do anything to find Mother.”

“Hmm...”

“Let’s go.”

“Sure.”

Siegfried decided to take Arnayan with him to the continent upon seeing her resolve to find her mother.

‘It’s her life anyway,’ Siegfried thought. He was not sure if the curse really existed and if she wouldn't be affected by it, as she was a mixed-blood, but he decided to respect her wishes.

Besides, how was he supposed to stop her desire to find her mother and see the continent? He had a strong feeling that she would leave the Arctic Pangea sooner or later anyway, so he figured it was best he let her tag along with him.

“Captain,” Siegfried called out.

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Please send word to the kingdom to prepare an accessory imbued with translation magic, as I’m having a hard time understanding Arnayan-nim. Also, tell them to have some healers on standby just in case.

“As you command, sire.”

Siegfried and Arnayan headed for the Nurberg Continent.

***

On that same afternoon...

“T-Too beautiful...”

Arnayan could not hide her awe. She was mesmerized by the beauty of the continent.

“World not white! Many many colors!”

“Well, I guess? It should be different from the Arctic Pangea that is always covered in snow,” Siegfried replied with a shrug. Then, he thought, ‘It must be fascinating for her after seeing only snow her entire life.’

Thirty minutes later, the super airship safely landed in the airport of the Proatine Kingdom.

Fortunately, Arnayan did not show any strange symptoms, so it was possible that the curse wouldn't affect those who were mixed-blood. Of course, there was also a chance that it had yet to appear.

“Please wear this around your neck,” Siegfried said.

“What this?”

“It is an artifact that will translate what you say to the common language of the continent.”

“Amazing!”

“Try wearing it.”

Arnayan put on the necklace and asked, “Can you hear me?”

“I can hear you loud and clear.”

“What about my pronunciation?”

“You are very clear.”

“This is really amazing! Does the continent have lots of amazing things like this one?”

“It sure does,” Siegfried replied with a smile. Then, he explained, “This is the kingdom I rule. We will be going to my palace, so please make yourself at home and let the maids assist you.”

“Kingdom? Rule? Are you a chieftain, too?”

“Well, I guess you can put it that way?”

“Oh...”

“Please feel free to look around. I will go and try to find any clues regarding your mother,” Siegfried said. Then, he commanded the soldiers, “She is a very important guest, so please treat her with utmost respect and protect her with your lives.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Siegfried headed straight to see Michele after putting Arnayan in the soldiers’ care.

“Are you having fun fishing?”

“It is a hobby that kills time pretty well.”

Siegfried ran into Deus and Vulcanus, who were fishing by the lake.

Unsurprisingly, Vulcanus was carrying all sorts of fishing gear on his back while following Deus around. On the other hand, Deus was walking leisurely with his hands behind his back.

‘He calls him Elder Brother, but he’s no different from a servant. What’s the point of becoming brothers if that’s what he’s going to do? Sigh... I pity that dragon. He’s trying hard to keep up appearances just because of his pride,’ Siegfried thought while shaking his head.

Siegfried then approached Deus and greeted him, “Hello, Master.”

“Oh? Where were you?”

“I just returned from the Arctic Pangea, master.”

Vulcanus suddenly raised a brow and chimed in, “The Arctic Pangea? Hmm... That individual is sleeping there.”

“Huh? That individual? Do you know something about that place, Elder?”

“Ah, it’s nothing big. It's just that... the crazy black guy is sleeping there,” Vulcanus replied with a shrug.

“Eh? Crazy black guy?”

“The First Black Dragon, Inkarthus. He's also known as the Crazy Black Dragon.”

“Huh...?”

“He’s nothing short of crazy. He was born a dragon but could not contain his own madness that he later started getting worshiped as an evil god,” Vulcanus said with a faint smile.

“Oh?”

“In the end, the numerous religions on the continent combined their strength to subjugate him, and he ended up getting sealed in the Arctic Pangea. The incident eventually drove him even more mad, and he swore to destroy this entire world.”

“They could not kill him?”

“The First Dragon is not something that can be easily killed nor can they die even if they wanted to die.”

“Oh...”

“We are too—”

It was then.

“Should I grant you death, elder brother? This younger brother of yours will gladly grant the death that you are dearly longing for,” Deus asked with a strange look.

“N-No!” Vulcanus exclaimed, frivolously waving his hand. Then, he said, “Why would I want to die when it hadn't been that long since I woke up? I still want to see how the world has changed. Haha! Hahaha... Haha... Ha...”

“Then please just shut the hell up and carry my things. Why are you being so talkative today, elder brother?”

“Y-Yeah, I got it...”

In the end, the ancient red dragon, Vulcanus, sweated profusely and followed quietly behind Deus.

“I hope you catch a lot today, Master.”

“Okay.”

Siegfried gave one last bow as Deus went toward his usual fishing spot.

‘The First Black Dragon, Inkarthus is sleeping there? Was that what she meant by 'holy place'? If that’s the case then... It must be those Church of Osric bastards!’ Siegfried realized what the Church of Osric was trying to do at the Arctic Pangea.

The Church of Osric's single goal was the destruction of the world. In other words, there was a high chance that they were trying to awaken the so-called "evil god" First Black Dragon, Inkarthus, to achieve their goals.

The problem was that Nanuqsa and the Blanc Clan were completely oblivious to what was happening at the heart of the Arctic Pangea. They were also unwilling to listen to Siegfried's words.

‘The First Black Dragon will be around Level 900 minimum. I have to act fast.’

Siegfried knew that this was a race against time, so he had to find Arnayan’s mother and bring her back to the Arctic Pangea as soon as possible. That was the only way he'd be able to convince Nanuqsa to let him investigate what was happening in the Arctic Pangea.

‘I have to hurry up.’

Siegfried headed straight for the Proatine Kingdom’s intelligence department rather than Michele.

***

“What? Your Majesty came all the way here just to ask that?”

The head of the intelligence department, Ninetail, grimaced after Siegfried requested information regarding Arnayan’s mother.

“Hmm?”

“Sigh... Hey, look here,” Ninetail said, letting out a sigh.

“I’m the king and you’re my subject.”

“Okay. Hey, look here, Your Majesty.”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you not get the feeling that Your Majesty is royally looking down on your own intelligence department?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The Zavala Kingdom has already been identified as a potential threat, so we have established our own spy network in it.”

“Oh? But why?”

“The reason is so obvious!” Ninetail grimaced and raised her voice. Then, she slammed the table and said, “The Zavala Kingdom is a powerful kingdom right next door! Who knows when we would get into an argument with them? If they’re not a potential threat, then what are they?!”

“Y-Yeah, I guess you’re right...”

“And I am very certain that a report regarding this matter has been submitted and it has been discussed in the general assembly too. But why does it seem Your Majesty is oblivious to it?”

“T-That is...”

“Even though you signed and stamped your royal seal on the report?”

“I don’t really read the reports... I just sign and stamp them...”

“Your Majesty.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think I have to keep using my abilities as the legendary Phantom Thief to infiltrate numerous kingdoms and steal their classified information for someone like you?”

“M-My bad...” Siegfried muttered while averting the glare full of contempt being shot at him. The fact that he did not even read the report submitted by his subject was something worthy to be held in contempt for.

“Sigh... Here you go. The woman you are looking for is the wife of Duke Sirakusa,” Ninetail said with a sigh, handing an envelope to him.

“Wife of Duke Sirakusa?”

“She was a child of the Ashenuna Family, and she is now Duke Sirakusa’s wife.”

“Eh?”

“The details are in the envelope.”

“Oh? Okay.”

Siegfried opened the envelope and read the files.

The details could be summarized into the following points...

1. Arnayan’s mother was Marie de Ashenuna, and she was quite powerful herself.

2. She went on vacation to the southern region, where she suddenly went missing, but she returned safely a few years ago.

3. She was married to Duke Sirakusa by the Ashenuna Family in a strategic marriage.

4. Nothing is known about her whereabouts for an entire year upon her return to the continent.

5. She is currently Duke Sirakusa’s wife, and they have no children.

“Ah, a strategic marriage...”

Siegfried had a feeling he now knew why Arnayan’s mother, Marie de Ashenuna, did not return to the Arctic Pangea. There was a high possibility that she was forced into a political marriage for the sake of her household.

‘Let’s go meet her first,’ Siegfried thought. He could speculate all he wanted, but every second counted right now, so he had to hurry up and meet Duke Sirakusa’s wife.

***

On that same evening, Siegfried infiltrated deep into the Sirakusa Dukedom’s with Ninetail’s help. He had no other choice other than to sneak in, as there was no way he could meet a neighboring country’s duke’s wife without drawing any attention.

Thus, he and Ninetail decided to sneak into the dukedom and meet Marie de Ashenuna in secret, and they were currently hiding in the ceiling right above the duchess’ bedroom.

They drilled a small peephole to spy on her until an opportunity presented itself.

Around two hours later.

Bam! Bam!

They heard a ruckus coming from outside the bedroom.

Baaam!

The door opened and slammed close.

Slap!

“You bitch,” Duke Sirakusa cursed after slapping his own wife—no, Arnayan’s mother.

The slap was so strong that her head turned sideways from the force. She had a mana restricting anklet on her ankle, so she could not do anything other than helplessly get slapped by the duke.

“I’m sure I told you to act happy in social gatherings.”

“...”

“It’s already shitty enough that I have to live with a filthy woman like you. But you dare act like that in front of others? I wouldn’t have married you if I didn’t need your family’s help,” Duke Sirakusa growled in anger.

“...”

“You disgusting wench. The day I no longer have any need for the Ashenuna Family will be the day of your death.”

Duke Sirakusa stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut.

Baaam!

Tears started flowing down the duchess’ eyes.

“Sniff...”

She tried her best to hide her tears and not make a single sound.

It was then.

“Excuse me?”

“...!”

The duchess stopped crying and flinched from surprise when someone hanging upside down suddenly appeared beside her.