Debuff Master
Chapter 931

Chapter 931

“Whoa... Damn... Tsk...”

Tae-Sung clicked his tongue while looking at the scene of the accident.

A compact car had slammed into the rear right side of his Rolls-Royce Phantom, completely shattering its taillight.

A Rolls-Royce Phantom with options easily exceeded one billion won.

However, the rear bumper and taillight of such an expensive car had actually been destroyed?

The repair cost alone would be astronomical. It would, without a doubt, be in the tens of millions, and it would be just the estimates.

Just then, Tae-Sung’s chief bodyguard approached him.

“What happened?” Tae-Sung asked.

“It looks like the car was speeding downhill,” the chief bodyguard replied, gesturing toward the road in front of the real estate office.

‘Ugh... This is why you need to have underground parking...’ Tae-Sung grumbled inwardly.

“What about the driver?”

“Fortunately, they don’t seem to be seriously injured.”

“Then just let them go and ask our insurance company to repair our car.”

“Pardon...?”

The chief bodyguard was momentarily taken aback, doubting his ears. After all, the accident was entirely the compact car’s fault without a shred of doubt.

After all, the Rolls-Royce Phantom was parked properly in a designated parking spot when it got hit.

“My car’s ridiculously expensive. The driver must be scared out of their mind right now. And his insurance premium is gonna skyrocket if we settle this with both insurance companies. Anyway, just let it slide.”

“Young Master...?”

“I don’t need reporters making a fuss over this.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Despite being young, rich, and successful, Tae-Sung did not let it go to his head. He was not oblivious to the plight of others, and he was willing to take a hit for others at times.

Besides, he knew that driving beside a high-end car out onto the road could be intimidating for regular drivers, not to mention driving into one.

“You should really be more careful when driving in narrow streets like—”

It was then.

“Argh!”

The driver of the compact car groaned, stepping out while clutching the back of his neck.

‘Huh?’ Tae-Sung’s eyes narrowed.

It turned out that the driver of the compact car was none other than Chae Hyung-Seok.

“Ah, fuck! This is so annoying!” Chae Hyung-Seok groaned in frustration after realizing that he had caused an accident.

But then—

“W-What the hell? This... isn’t this my car?!” Chae Hyung-Seok exclaimed with a trembling voice.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom he had just crashed into wasn't just any car; it was the very car he once owned and was forced to sell after going through financial difficulties.

A few weeks ago, Tae-Sung snagged the Rolls-Royce Phantom that had been put up for sale in the used car market, and it turned out to be Chae Hyung-Seok’s old ride.

“Chief.”

“Yes?”

“Forget what I said earlier.”

“Haha... Hahaha...”

“File an insurance claim. Get compensation for the repairs, the rental costs for a replacement car while this one is in the shop, and the depreciation in value due to the accident.”

“Y-Yes, Young Master.”

“Oh, and also. Sell the damn thing once the repairs are done. That thing’s bad luck,” Tae-Sung added, pointing at the car.

It would have been fine if he hadn't known about it, but now that he was aware, he couldn’t shake off the bad taste in his mouth.

Having Chae Hyung-Seok’s old car? No thanks.

After giving the orders to his chief bodyguard, Tae-Sung turned toward Chae Hyung-Seok and walked over.

“Hey! Hyung-Seok!”

“H-Han... Tae-Sung...?”

“Wow! What a surprise! Are you okay, man?”

“F-Fuck off!”

“Hey, come on! Don’t be like that!”

“I said fuck off!”

As soon as he recognized Tae-Sung, Chae Hyung-Seok immediately bolted.

‘Where do you think you’re going?’

Tae-Sung had no intention of letting Chae Hyung-Seok go.

Why?

It was all because just two days ago, Chae Hyung-Seok had attacked Elondel, where Lohengrin, Brunhilde, and Verdandi were located.

He tried to kill them just to get revenge on him.

So, as far as Tae-Sung was concerned, Chae Hyung-Seok had to suffer.

***

Once Tae-Sung was done with his land shopping, he headed straight home and logged into the game.

“Welcome back, Your Majesty.”

The chamberlain greeted Siegfried.

“Hello, good afternoon.”

“Her Majesty has awakened.”

“Oh really? I’ll go to her right away.”

Hearing that Brunhilde had woken up, Siegfried rushed over to her chambers.

“Hello, dear,” Brunhilde greeted him.

Her face was haggard, her lips pale and bluish. It seemed the ordeal of getting possessed by an archangel had drained her severely. On top of that, the wounds she suffered in the battle against Credos had further weakened her. free.w e bn.ov(e)l(.)com

“I’m sorry, honey,” Siegfried said, gently clasping her hands.

“Don’t be sorry. You came to save us, didn’t you?” Brunhilde replied with a smile.

Even her faint smile was breathtakingly beautiful.

“I’m just glad that no one got hurt,” Brunhilde added.

“Nobody should get hurt,” Siegfried said firmly. Then, he added, “I promise that I won’t let something like this ever happen again.”

“I agree. I will become stronger too,” Brunhilde suddenly said.

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“I’ve neglected my training for too long. But not anymore. No matter how little time I have, I will dedicate myself to my training. I will reach the level of a Master and grow stronger. I have to protect our family.”

“Ah!”

Siegfried was moved by her resolve to push herself to the very limit in order to protect their family.

“I will help you. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

Siegfried promised to support Brunhilde’s training with everything he had.

“Thank you, my love.”

“Honey...”

They gazed into each other’s eyes—

“We will take our leave.”

The attendants quickly excused themselves after reading the mood in the room.

And then...

Boom! Boom!

A fierce storm erupted over the royal palace.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ba-da-boom! Bam! Ratta-ta-ta!

Boom! Boom! Pow!

Awooooo!

Woof! Woof!

Oh yeah!

Meanwhile...

“What the hell?”

In her chambers within the royal palace, Irene furrowed her brows at the sudden roaring of thunder echoing throughout the halls. She looked out the window and saw that the sky was clear.

***

After playing Mommy and Daddy...

“Oh, right.”

Siegfried explained to Brunhilde the circumstances that led to Irene staying at the royal palace. fr eewe(b)nove.l.co\m

“I’m sorry. There was nothing I could do.”

“It’s fine, dear.”

“Eh?!”

Siegfried was shocked by how easily Brunhilde accepted the situation.

Why was she so calm?

Irene’s presence in the palace was no different from another woman intruding into her own home and aiming at her man.

“Are you... really okay with this?”

“I trust you.”

“...!”

“And right now, we need the Marchioni Empire. To protect our child from the angels, we need the empire’s help.”

“Huh?”

“It pains me that she harbors feelings for you... but at this moment, we don’t have the luxury of worrying about that. Our family’s safety and the well-being of the kingdom will come first.”

“No way...” Siegfried muttered, surprised at her words. Then, he asked, “Are you saying... we should use her?”

“If you want to call it that, then so be it. But right now, we are in no position to refuse Emperor Stuttgart’s proposal. So, it’s best to maintain the status quo... at least until we become strong enough that we no longer have to care about the empire’s influence.”

“Ah...”

Siegfried finally grasped Brunhilde’s intentions.

As a queen and a mother, she had chosen practicality over personal feelings.

“Let’s grow stronger together.”

“Yes, my love.”

With that, Siegfried and Brunhilde embraced each other tightly, vowing to become even stronger.

The situation was difficult in more ways than one, but they would face the crisis together.

***

The next thing in Siegfried’s to-do list was to go to Mount Amon with Brunhilde to destroy the Holy Sword: Phoenix.

But before going to Mount Amon, he paid another visit to Quandt’s workshop.

Why?

It was all because Brunhilde needed a new weapon, one that would become her trusted companion in battle.

“Is it possible to craft her something quickly? Just something temporary she could use for now.”

“I can have it ready in a day or two if it’s only meant to be temporary. But I cannot guarantee its durability, so you will need to have a proper one made eventually.”

“Please, I will appreciate it.”

“Then I will get to it at once.”

With that, Siegfried requested a new weapon for Brunhilde and moved on to other important matters.

First on the list was dealing with Ganeva the Third of the Sacon Kingdom. He would love to subject the man to horrific torture before publicly executing him, but he held back.

‘He’s still a king, after all. His ransom must be worth a fortune, so killing him outright will be a waste.’

Being the shrewd businessman he was, he decided to sell Ganeva the Third back to the Sacon Kingdom for a hefty sum.

‘Now, this is what you call reselling! Mwahaha!’

He couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear at the thought of making easy money using Ganeva the Third, and he proceeded to contact the Sacon Kingdom.

Unfortunately, his hopes of making easy money were shattered in an instant.

— Ah, I am afraid I must apologize regarding that matter.

King Hawkes, who ascended the throne after Ganeva the Third, seemed rather unbothered by the whole situation. Even when Siegfried offered to negotiate ransom for Ganeva the Third, King Hawkes’ own father, there was little enthusiasm in his response.

— I appreciate your offer, but given the circumstances... I am afraid I must decline.

“Huh? What do you mean by that?” Siegfried asked, surprised by the response he received.

— I trust I do not need to spell things out for you.

“...?”

– As you might be aware, my father was taken away by the dragons because of his tyranny.

“Yes, I guess that’s what happened...?”

— And since I have already ascended the throne and officially deposed him, bringing him back now would... cause a huge problem over here.

“Ah...” Siegfried nodded, understanding the situation.

Not only was Ganeva the Third a terrible person, but he also seemed to have done a really awful job raising his children.

– So, the official stance of the Sacon Kingdom is that... since my father has already been dethroned...

“You refuse to negotiate?”

— I hope you'll understand our predicament on the matter.

“So, you’re saying I can turn him into stew and eat him for all you care?”

— Huh?!

King Hawkes recoiled in shock, horrified that Siegfried might just be a cannibal.

– S-Surely you wouldn’t actually... boil my father and eat him...?

“It’s just an expression, you idiot!”

— Hahaha...

King Hawkes laughed awkwardly while wiping away the sweat on his forehead, looking clearly relieved.

‘Does this guy I’m some cannibal or what?’ Siegfried grumbled inwardly, offended by the misunderstanding.

“So, you really won’t negotiate?”

— I cannot justify paying a ransom for a deposed king.

It was clear that King Hawkes had no intention of getting his father back.

‘This ungrateful bastard!’ Siegfried felt extremely irritated at his lack of filial piety.

But then again, this was not all that surprising.

There was little room for sentiments when it came to power. For King Hawkes, it was far more convenient if Ganeva the Third remained gone for good, as it would only cause political problems if he were brought back to the kingdom.

Not to mention, paying a hefty ransom would cause a strain on the kingdom, too.

“Come on, I’ll give you a discount,” Siegfried said, making another attempt to strike a deal.

— I apologize, but... we will not be negotiating.

“Ah, is that so? Okay, I’ll be hanging up now,” Siegfried said, smirking icily.

Beep!

Once the call ended...

“Not buying? Hehehe! That’s fine. I’ve got other ways to make money off this guy,” Siegfried muttered with a sinister grin.

Even though Ganeva the Third had lost all value as a bargaining chip, it was not about to stop Siegfried from extracting what he could out of him. The Sacon Kingdom was still a powerful nation, so he could squeeze a fortune out of them if he played his cards right.

‘I spent a ton of money recently, so I need to make some money.’

With that in mind, Siegfried flashed an ominous grin as he planned his next move.

He spent ninety billion won in real life, so he was not about to give up on making money off of Ganeva the Third.

Not in the slightest...