Debuff Master-Chapter 913

Irene’s arrival at the palace was so shocking that even the Grand Chamberlain’s composure was shattered in an instant.

A troublemaker? A tomboy?

These playful monikers were far too mild to describe Irene. novelbuddy-cσ๓

Villainess, demon, brat from hell, arrogant tyrant, and many others.

In fact, she was often referred to by the maids and servants as the most insane woman in history.

However, the real problem was that there was no way to stop her.

Irene was the sole remaining member of the imperial bloodline, aside from Emperor Stuttgart himself. She was the emperor’s beloved half-sister and the person he cherished the most in the world.

In other words, her rank was so high that nobody dared to restrain her.

Well, of course, she listened to Emperor Stuttgart.

Unfortunately, the emperor could not be with her around the clock, which meant that she would inevitably cause trouble sooner or later.

“T-This is a state of emergency!” the Grand Chamberlain announced after hearing that Irene had arrived. Ironically, he scolded his subordinate for being overly dramatic and causing a ruckus a while ago, just for him to do the same.

“Inform every servant and maid at once that Her Highness has entered the palace!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Tell them to be extremely careful! If they make even the smallest mistake while dealing with Her Highness, they will wish that they were dead.”

“S-Sir!”

And so, the servants and maids of the Marchioni Empire braced themselves for their own version of war upon hearing that Irene von Posteriore had arrived. No, this was literally no different than war on the battlefield.

For the servants and maids, dealing with Irene von Posteriore was no different from fighting for their very lives.

***

Siegfried was to join in the victory parade celebrating the imperial army’s triumphant return.

The procession, led by Emperor Stuttgart himself, was to follow a straight path from the entrance of the capital all the way to the Palace of Blood.

“But what happened to Giorgetto?” Siegfried asked the knight commander.

“The rebel leader, Giorgetto... had his skin and flesh completely peeled off, Your Majesty.”

“Huh? Excuse me?”

“After that, he was paraded around the capital while still alive.”

“A-Alive?! But I thought you said his skin and flesh were peeled off of him!”

“They used some sort of magical procedures to keep his organs alive and his face recognizable.”

“Hiiiik?!”

Siegfried shrieked in horror after hearing what had happened to Giorgetto. He could not imagine what Giorgetto looked like while he was being paraded around, and neither did he want to form any mental image of it.

“After that, they let beetles devour the little flesh remaining on him along with his brain and organs.”

“Haha... Hahaha...”

“And once only the bones were left, they placed it in a mortar and ground to dust so–”

“O-Okay, I’ve heard enough. Please, stop...”

Siegfried finally understood how traitors were dealt with in the Marchioni Empire. They showed that they were capable of unimaginable cruelty, which would serve as a warning to those who even thought of rebelling.

Unfortunately, human greed knew no bounds, and people were bound to repeat the same mistakes. Thus, it was impossible to stop rebellions from occurring forever.

After all, even Emperor Stuttgart seized the throne and ascended it through rebellion.

‘This place is really brutal...’ Siegfried thought.

He understood why such cruel measures were necessary, but he was still overwhelmed by the fact that they were capable of such ruthlessness.

One hour later, Siegfried joined Emperor Stuttgart at the capital’s entrance for the parade.

“Siegfried van Proa.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty?”

“Get on.”

“I am deeply honored, my lord.”

Siegfried was granted the privilege of riding in Emperor Stuttgart’s golden carriage.

Of course, the highest and most prominent seat belonged to the emperor, but just being on the carriage itself was already a tremendous honor.

The victory parade was truly magnificent, and the empire visibly spared no expense in preparing it.

“Long live His Imperial Majesty!”

“Long live the Marchioni Empire!”

The entire population of the capital, which numbered roughly forty million, filled the streets and raised their voices in unison.

Siegfried was no stranger to these kinds of gatherings, but even he was overwhelmed by the sheer scale of it all.

Meanwhile, Cain trudged along at the very end of the parade, not even allowed to mount a horse.

While Siegfried basked in glory beside Emperor Stuttgart, he was left trailing behind, walking on foot.

Once the parade was over.

“The great Marchioni Empire shall never fall! The Marchioni Empire shall reign eternal!”

Emperor Stuttgart gave a speech in front of the Palace of Blood.

“Hear me, citizens of the empire! Here stands the hero who captured the rebel leader, Giorgetto!”

Then, Emperor Stuttgart personally introduced Siegfried to the crowd.

Waaaaaah!

The crowd erupted into wild cheers and applause for Siegfried.

“This man, King Siegfried van Proa, is my loyal vassal. Not only did he defend this world from the invasion of the demons, but he also captured the rebel leader, Giorgetto! Today, I hereby declare that King Siegfried van Proa is now my sworn brother!”

With that proclamation, Siegfried’s social status skyrocketed after becoming Emperor Stuttgart’s sworn brother.

But that was not all...

“Furthermore, the Proatine Kingdom shall be recognized as a brother nation to the Marchioni Empire! From this day forth, our blood alliance shall be unbreakable!”

With that declaration, Emperor Stuttgart elevated the Proatine Kingdom from a mere vassal state to a blood ally of the Marchioni Empire.

This proclamation solidified the Proatine Kingdom’s position as an emerging power on the world stage.

“I am eternally grateful to Your Imperial Majesty’s boundless grace,” Siegfried said, kneeling with one knee on the ground and bowing his head deeply before the emperor.

Meanwhile, he was trying his best not to let his thoughts out, ‘Long live the emperor! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! Loyalty! Loyalty! Loyalty!’

Siegfried was so overwhelmed with gratitude that he wanted to bow face down and lie flat on the ground to show just how much he respected the emperor.

“At this moment, I, the emperor–”

Just then, when Emperor Stuttgart was about to speak—

Ding!

A message popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.

[Alert: Prepare yourself!]

[Alert: Emperor Stuttgart is about to grant you a reward!]

Siegfried’s anticipation soared, and he swallowed a hard lump stuck in his throat in excitement.

“I hereby appoint Siegfried van Proa... as the Inquisitor Executioner.”

It was then.

“...!”

Everyone who heard Emperor Stuttgart’s words froze in shock.

‘Huh?’ Siegfried looked around, puzzled by the sudden change in atmosphere.

The tension in the air was palpable, and everyone looked visibly shocked.

***

Siegfried could not understand why everyone was reacting so dramatically all of a sudden.

‘Huh? What’s with all these shocked faces?’

Unable to contain his curiosity, he decided to gather his courage and ask Emperor Stuttgart directly.

“Y-Your Imperial Majesty? May I inquire as to what is an Inquisitor Executioner...?” he whispered in the smallest voice possible.

Emperor Stuttgart closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with one hand before saying, “Siegfried van Proa.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“Please educate yourself.”

“M-My lord...?”

“I understand that you’re from another world, but you’re still a king. How can you not know something this basic?”

“A-Apologies, my lord...”

At that moment, Duke Randoll approached Siegfried and began to explain. It was not the emperor’s job to give such a detailed explanation to his subjects, after all.

“Your Majesty, an Inquisitor Executioner is an official position granted by the World Peace Council.”

“Oh?”

“They possess full judiciary powers to investigate, arrest, put on trial, and execute criminals for all types of crimes committed.”

“W-What?”

“They are basically a judicial institution in the flesh.”

“I see...”

“Every criminal in this world shudders when hearing their title. Also, they have the authority to arrest Adventurers as well, so it would most likely be the same for them as well.”

“Whoa!”

Hearing this, Siegfried realized just how amazing the title of Inquisitor Executioner was.

“Do you understand now, Siegfried van Proa?” Emperor Stuttgart asked.

“Yes, my lord.”

“Then may I continue?”

“C-Certainly, my lord.”

“I hereby appoint you as an Inquisitor Executioner and bestow upon you the symbol of it, the Minerva’s Eyepatch.”

An attendant stepped forward and handed Siegfried a golden eyepatch.

[Alert: You have obtained Minerva’s Left Eyepatch!]

[Minerva’s Left Eyepatch]

[A golden eyepatch symbolizing Minerva, the mythical figure said to have created the first laws after creation.]

[This golden eyepatch may only be worn on the left eye.]

[When looking at a criminal while wearing this golden eyepatch, it analyzes the laws of the World Peace Council and automatically passes judgement.]

[Type: Accessory]

[Rating: Legendary]

[Durability: 50,000/50,000]

[Effects: +500% Charisma, +500% Prestige, Eye of Judgement activates automatically when looking at a criminal.]

‘Oh? I don’t have to investigate or study law?’ Siegfried realized how incredibly convenient the item was and casually stored it in his inventory.

“Your grace is immeasurable, my lord.”

“Also, as an Inquisitor Executioner, you will need the means to restrain Adventurers. Therefore, I hereby bestow upon you this binding rope.”

The second item Emperor Stuttgart bestowed upon Siegfried looked like an ordinary rope, but...

[Absolute Binding Rope]

[A binding rope newly developed by the Marchioni Empire.]

[It is designed specifically to restrain Adventurers.]

[The Adventurers cannot escape from this rope even if they log out from the game.]

[Type: Secondary Weapon]

[Rating: Legendary]

[Effect: Guarantees 100% restraint when the target’s HP is below 10%. (It is impossible to completely restrain the target if their HP is above 10%)]

“Your grace is immeasurable, my lord,” Siegfried said with a deep bow before storing the Absolute Binding Rope in his inventory.

With his new title as an Inquisitor Executioner, Siegfried now possessed the authority and power to judge anyone, whether they were an NPC or an Adventurer, as long as they were criminals.

Of course, this authority was strictly limited to criminals, so he could not abuse it for his personal gains.

“And furthermore. I shall deploy the entirety of the Imperial Army’s 8th Corps to the Proatine Kingdom. The 8th Corps will be lent to Siegfried van Proa and his kingdom free of charge for the next ten years.”

“...!”

“In addition, I bestow upon you five hundred tons of gold and a Pouch of Transcendent Seeds to support the agricultural development of the Proatine Kingdom.”

“M-My lord...!” Siegfried gasped, his mouth wide open in disbelief. Then, he roared at the top of his lungs, “Your grace is... IMMEASURABRUUUU!”

BAAAM!

Siegfried slammed his forehead against the floor, bowing at the emperor’s feet.

The five hundred tons of gold was indeed awesome, but receiving military assistance in the form of the Imperial Army’s one whole corps being stationed in the Proatine Kingdom was even more amazing.

A single one of the Imperial Army’s corps was equivalent to at least three corps from a great power’s army.

To receive such an overwhelming military might free of charge for a decade meant that the military power of the Proatine Kingdom would be at least doubled–no, even tripled almost instantly.”

As if those were not enough, the Pouch of Transcendent Seeds was said to contain the seeds of various mystical herbs and crops. If the Proatine Kingdom properly cultivated them, then it could yield massive profits from its fruits.

Well, the exact content of the pouch was a mystery until they opened it, but it was without a doubt going to be amazing, too.

“Your Imperial Majesty! This humble servant of my lord is forever grateful! Loyalty! Loyalty! Loyalty! Forever loyalty!” Siegfried exclaimed, bowing repeatedly at the emperor’s feet.

He was so overcome with emotions that he could barely contain himself even while in the presence of the emperor.

In his eyes, Emperor Stuttgart was a tree that kept on giving, a benevolent ruler who often bestowed immeasurable grace to his subjects.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel