‘Is it possible for a person to change this much in just three months...?’

Siegfried was dumbfounded to see Viscount Ralph suddenly change this much. The man once hailed as the romantic of the century had surrounded himself with half-naked women.

On top of that, every dish and drink prepared for the so-called banquet of ecstasy was outrageously expensive.

‘This is insane... How much money did he blow on all of this?’

Siegfried could tell from a single glance that the banquet alone would easily exceed the annual budget of the small provincial fief. In fact, a feast of this scale would only be thrown once a year for even larger cities.

And to hire half-naked hostesses on top of that?

Viscount Ralph had, without a doubt, spent a fortune on this banquet alone.

“So what does my lord think of this banquet of ecstasy? Is it to my lord’s liking?” Viscount Ralph asked in a sly tone. Then, he grinned and added, “I was not sure which pleasure my lord enjoys, so I prepared everything.”

“...”

“Tonight, please allow this humble servant to give my lord a taste of heavenly pleasures! I have arranged for the most skilled women to please my—!”

It was then.

“Come outside with me for a second,” Siegfried said, grabbing the viscount by the scruff of his neck.

“Y-Your Imperial Majesty?!”

“Let’s talk in private.”

Siegfried dragged Viscount Ralph to a secluded spot.

“Hey, why are you acting like this all of a sudden?” Siegfried asked.

“Pardon?” Viscount Ralph blinked. Then, he tilted his head in confusion and asked, “What does my lord mean by that...?”

“This isn’t who you are, Viscount Ralph.”

“I only wished to properly entertain the great hero who saved the—”

Siegfried cut him off and said, “You know very well that I hate these kinds of things.”

“...”

“I’m not sure what you ate, but there’s definitely something wrong with—”

Swoosh!

Before Siegfried could finish speaking, something tiny, no bigger than a grain of rice, jumped from Ralph and made a beeline for Siegfried.

“...!”

Siegfried flinched in shock but caught the tiny object between his two fingers.

It was so tiny that anyone else wouldn't notice it, and even if they somehow noticed it, reacting in time would be impossible. However, Siegfried was no ordinary person. He noticed it and reacted instantly to it.

Well, saying that he reacted wasn't quite right, as he himself couldn’t react to it. The only reason he managed to catch the tiny object was all thanks to the automatic defense system of the Invincible Spear Art.

‘What’s this thing? Eh? A flea...?’ Siegfried observed the tiny thing caught between his fingers.

The tiny thing was red in color, but it definitely resembled a flea.

[Blood Flea of Greed]

[A flea that corrupts those it bites.]

[Those bitten will exploit the people they govern.]

[Type: Monster]

[Race: Flea]

[Level: 250]

[Class: Exploiting Parasite]

[Note 1: This monster rapidly changes its host’s behavior.]

[Note 2: Those bitten will rarely realize they have been bitten.]

[Note 3: This monster will only bite leaders or public officials.]

‘I knew it. This flea is responsible for this whole mess,’ Siegfried realized why the viscount had changed so drastically.

Anyone could be corrupted, and once they gave in to temptation, their fall would be swift.

For someone as upright as Viscount Ralph to turn like this was unnatural.

“Viscount Ralph.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty?”

“Hold still for a moment.”

Siegfried immediately cast Embrace of Despair and placed a powerful, slow debuff on the viscount.

“...!”

Viscount Ralph froze. He was unable to utter another word after being subjected to the debuff. Siegfried stepped closer to the viscount and combed through his hair, just like a monkey grooming another for fleas.

Splat! Splat! Splat!

He plucked Blood Fleas of Greed from the viscount’s scalp and crushed them one by one between his fingers.

Splat! Splat! Splat!

All in all, he squashed seven of them.

Ding!

[Alert: You have gained Experience Points!]

[Alert: You have gained Experience Points!]

[Alert: You have gained Experience Points!]

[Alert: You have gained Experience Points!]

[Alert: You have gained Experience Points!]

[Alert: You have gained Experience Points!]

[Alert: You have gained Experience Points!]

As expected of monsters, they granted Experience Points upon being killed.

‘There’s no guarantee those damn fleas are only on his head. I have to search him thoroughly,’ Siegfried thought.

Without hesitation, he stripped the viscount of his clothes before proceeding to inspect his bare naked body for any more fleas.

Of course, the viscount was still unable to move due to the overwhelming debuff aura weighing down on him.

“W-What the hell are you doing...? Kyuu...?” Hamchi froze at the shocking sight before him. He had been left behind in the banquet hall and had decided to come looking for Siegfried. “O-Owner punk...? What are you doing with that guy...? Kyu?”

“Huh?” Siegfried turned around and blinked a few times.

“Why did you strip Viscount Ralph... and why are you groping him? K-Kyuuu?! D-Don’t tell me...! Is that your thing?! Kyuuuuu!”

Siegfried hurriedly shouted in response, “N-No! I was just checking whether—”

“Kyuuuu! Did you switch lanes or have you always been—!”

“Shut up! I said I didn’t!”

“Kyuuu?! You have always been like that?! So that really is your thing?!”

“It’s not!”

“K-Kyuuu... H-Hamchi is fine. Hamchi respects owner punk’s preferences.”

“I said I’m not!”

“Hamchi won’t judge. But stay away from Hamchi. Kyuuu!”

Having been caught in the act, Siegfried had no choice but to endure Hamchi’s teasing for quite some time. After all, what Siegfried was doing looked exactly like that from a third person’s view.

Hamchi had found him in a secluded spot with the viscount, where he had stripped the viscount stark naked and was even groping him. There was only one way to interpret what he was doing.

***

“Kyuuu! So that’s what happened?”

“Do you think I’m crazy? Why the hell would I do something like that?!”

“Kyuuu! Why not? There’s no shame in it!”

“I’m not into men, okay?”

“Okay! Hamchi trusts owner punk! Kyuuu! Owner punk loves women!”

“What the hell are you even saying right now?”

“Kyuuu! Owner punk is an infamous lecher!”

“Jeez... Anyway, I’m not into that, got it?”

“Kyuuu! Got it!”

“And even if I did swing that way, do you honestly think I would really be groping the body of some middle-aged man in an open place like this?”

“That’s true! Kyuuu!”

“Stop making it sound weird and just keep watch. If someone else sees what I’m doing, they will really get the wrong idea.”

“Kyuuu! Roger!”

Leaving Hamchi on lookout duty, Siegfried thoroughly searched the viscount’s body.

Fortunately, he didn't find any more Blood Flea of Greed.

Thud!

Viscount Ralph suddenly collapsed. The fleas that had been sucking his blood and controlling him had disappeared, and he ended up losing consciousness as a result.

“Tsk...”

Siegfried clicked his tongue and dressed the viscount before summoning the guards.

“The viscount was momentarily controlled by a demon and lost his reason. Escort him to his chambers and have him treated.”

“As you command, sire!”

“Also, inform the viscount’s family of what I said just now,” Siegfried instructed. Then, he added, “And bring me the travel records of everyone who entered this place. Make sure to include every single one who has entered those gates.”

“As you command, sire!”

While the Blood Fleas of Greed were the direct cause, they were nothing more than tools used to control the viscount.

What Siegfried needed to uncover was their source, as unless he found out where those fleas that had corrupted the viscount had come from, it would be impossible to resolve this matter.

A few hours later.

“Hmm...”

Siegfried had pored over the domain’s records from the last three months until today, but nothing out of the ordinary stood out, except for one thing.

Viscount Ralph had received a visitor, a so-called wise man named Akrapovic. This wise man had recently gained quite a reputation for his wisdom in the region. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

‘I’ve never heard of him before,’ Siegfried thought, making a mental note of the name for later.

Then, he left the place and headed to his next destination. The petitions of matters related to corrupt officials weren't just limited to Viscount Ralph’s territory. Siegfried had to investigate numerous other places as well.

***

The next place was no different.

Just like Viscount Ralph, the lord of this place had once been a man of integrity and upright character. Unfortunately, the lord was already corrupted when Siegfried saw him.

“ZzZzz... Zzzz...”

The lord lay in his chamber, drooling in his sleep. He was sprawled across the floor, covered in piles of gold coins.

“Tsk... What an ugly sight,” Siegfried grumbled under his breath.

He couldn’t help but click his tongue at the lord who was so corrupted by greed that he literally slept on a pile of gold coins.

Siegfried stepped toward the lord and stripped his clothes off.

“Y-Your Imperial Majesty...?! H-Hiiiik! P-Please do not do this to me...!”

“What the hell do you mean by that?!” Siegfried shouted in anger.

“P-Please restrain yourself...! Ahng~! N-No matter how strong your lust is, you must not—”

“Shut the fuck up!” Siegfried screamed. Then, he threw a punch straight into the lord’s solar plexus, knocking him out cold.

“Ghhhk!”

“Tsk... Damn it... This is seriously starting to piss me off! Do I look like the type to pounce on him?! Why the hell would I pounce on middle-aged men?!” Siegfried raged and grumbled.

However, the lord was not entirely wrong from his perspective.

Why?

It was all because he had been sleeping soundly when the emperor suddenly appeared and started stripping him. He was even told to shut up while the emperor was groping him.

How else could the lord interpret what was happening to him?

“H-His Imperial Majesty... has opened his eyes to men?!”

“So that was his preference all along?”

“Were the rumors just a smokescreen to hide his true preference?”

“I’m not sure what’s going on. But that’s just wrong...”

Even the guards stationed at the lord’s chamber misunderstood the scene before them.

“Kyuuu! It’s not that! Owner punk is looking for the flea sucking the lord’s blood and controlling him! Don’t misunderstand!”

Fortunately, Hamchi stepped in to defend him, clearing up the misunderstanding.

“Phew!”

In mere seconds, Siegfried successfully removed every last Blood Flea of Greed clinging to the lord’s body.

Unfortunately for him, one was attached deep between the lord’s buttocks, forcing him to put his hands between the latter's cheeks.

“Bring me the records of everyone who entered from when the lord started showing unusual behavior,” Siegfried ordered while wiping his hand.

“As you command, sire!”

He investigated the people who visited around the time when the lord started to become strange.

“Hm?” Siegfried raised a brow after spotting a familiar name.

The record noted that the lord’s sudden change had begun after meeting a so-called wise man named Akrapovic.

‘This guy is suspicious,’ Siegfried concluded.

Then, he left the domain and made his way back to the imperial palace. Without wasting any time, he immediately summoned the agents from the intelligence bureau and ordered them to investigate the wise man named Akrapovic.

Since the same name had already surfaced twice, he felt no need to investigate the other places.

Why?

It was all because he was certain that Akrapovic was clearly the one spreading the Blood Fleas of Greed; he was most likely to be a demonic monster who had escaped from an Ancient Dungeon.

“He is a scholar in his mid-sixties and has spent many years buried in studies. He had recently emerged into the world, sire. For the past several months, he has wandered from place to place, meeting lords and nobles to share his wisdom and give counsel to them. Aside from that, nothing else stands out about him.”

An intelligence agent reported their findings regarding the wise man named Akrapovic.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, sire.”

“Where is he now?”

“His exact location is uncertain at the moment, but we can locate him within twelve hours.”

“Put out a warrant for him as well. That man is the reason why our nobles have suddenly started being corrupt.”

“As you command, sire!”

While the intelligence bureau was searching for Akrapovic’s whereabouts, Siegfried spent time playing with Verdandi, having tea with Brunhilde, and paying his respects to Deus.

About seven hours later...

“We have located Akrapovic, sire.”

“Tell me where. I’ll go at once.”

After receiving the report, Siegfried immediately stepped onto the warp gate.

The intelligence bureau had determined that Akrapovic was currently in a major city of the Proatine Empire, having a meeting with its mayor.

Akrapovic was now widely known as a wise sage within the empire. His advice was always spot-on, his solutions ingenious, and his guidance invaluable in shaping new policies.

Naturally, the empire’s officials sought him out and were eager to hear his counsel.

Due to that, Akrapovic had gained easy access to the upper echelons of the Proatine Empire's leadership.

‘Using wisdom as a lure to corrupt them... what a scary bastard.’

With that thought, Siegfried stormed the city hall and headed straight for the mayor’s office, where the mayor and Akrapovic were having a meeting.

“Loyalty! Salute to His Imperial Majesty!”

“Loyalty! Salute to His Imperial Majesty!”

“Loyalty! Salute to His Imperial Majesty!”

The civil officials, knights, and guards working in the city hall all bowed deeply or saluted the moment Siegfried appeared.

“Thank you for your hard work as always. Please, carry on with your tasks,” Siegfried said, brushing past them quickly.

He stood right in front of the mayor’s office and—

Bam!

—kicked the door down.