abcnovels
Chapter 413
Chapter 413
Chapter 413
Ziiiing!
The Great Champion’s Belt on Siegfried’s waist continued to inundate the large monster with its golden laser beam until it died. The use of mana was still restricted here, but he could use the laser beam skill of the Great Champion’s Belt.
‘Wow! Who would’ve known that this would come in handy?!’ Siegfried exclaimed inwardly, extremely satisfied with the belt’s option.
He was initially skeptical that the active skill of the Great Champion’s Belt would ever become useful to him, so he had never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that it would prove extremely useful in places where the use of mana was restricted.
The only problem with this extremely useful skill was the fact that he looked incredibly stupid while using it. The active skill of the Great Champion’s Belt, Energy Buster, could only be used while the belt was wrapped around the user’s waist.
Thus, Siegfried was forced to put on the ridiculously flashy Great Champion’s Belt around his waist and thrust his hips out to shoot the laser beam. To make matters worse, he had to move his hips around to aim the golden laser beam.
To make matters worse, the golden laser beam looked like it was coming out from his nether region...
Ziiiing!
It looked as if he was aiming the golden laser beam with his thing and—
Thud!
The large monster fell to the ground!
Siegfried rushed over to the emperor’s side and knelt.
“Your Imperial Majesty.”
The Proatine Kingdom was a vassal state of the Marchioni Empire. This meant that Emperor Stuttgart was Siegfried’s lord, and it was only normal for him to pay his respects to Emperor Stuttgart.
“I, Siegfried van Proa, greets Your Imperial Majesty,” Siegfried said while secretly waiting for the emperor’s praises.
Unfortunately...
“...” Emperor Stuttgart did not respond.
“Y-Your Imperial Majesty...?”
“...”
“I am here, sire. I am here to save you—“
“I know,” Emperor Stuttgart finally broke his silence and replied. Then, he paused for a moment and muttered, “But...”
“Yes, sire?”
“Did you really have to appear like that?”
“What do you mean by that, sire...?“ Siegfried asked. He couldn't understand the emperor's reaction. However, everyone else completely understood the emperor’s lackluster response.
“...”
In fact, even the gravely injured Marquis Randoll narrowed his eyes and looked at Siegfried as if he were pathetic.
“Sigh...” Oscar let out a sigh.
“Geez... This owner punk...” Hamchi grumbled while shaking his head.
“Siegfried van Proa”
“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty!”
“I am grateful you have come to save me.”
“It is my pleasure, sire!”
“But...” Emperor Stuttgart muttered before he closed his eyes and asked, “Did you really have to do that?”
“Pardon me, sire...?”
“I hope you will maintain your dignity as a king.”
“What do you mean by—“
“I cannot understand if you must fight that way. I am well aware of your reputation for having endless stamina, but are you so proud of it that you would show your manhood off even during battles...?”
“...”
“Your actions have utterly baffled me, Siegfried van Proa,” Emperor Stuttgart said, and then he covered his face while in anguish and added, “I am seriously considering sending the empire’s best etiquette teacher...”
The reason the emperor seemed so troubled and distant was due to Siegfried’s manly entrance.
“Anyway, thank you for saving me, Siegfried van Proa.”
“Ah, it is my pleasure...?” Siegfried replied while scratching the back of his head as he still had not figured out why the emperor seemed so awkward around him.
“Dame Oscar!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“I will leave Sir Randoll to you.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Oscar replied before she instantly got to work on applying first aid to the marquis.
Then, a string of messages popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.
[Alert: You have secured Emperor Stuttgart!]
[Alert: The progress of the Quest – Emperor Rescue Operation has progressed by 50%!]
[Alert: Now! All you have to do is escort Emperor Stuttgart safely out of the hunting ground!]
Siegfried waved his hand over the messages and assisted the emperor to his feet.
“Your wounds are deep, sire. May I have your permission to clean and tend to your wounds?”
“You may.”
Siegfried took out all sorts of potions and first aid tools from his inventory as soon as the emperor gave his permission, and he got to work on applying first aid to the emperor’s wounds.
“It is all done, sire.”
“Thank you,” Emperor Stuttgart said before he looked at him and added, “You are better than my knights.”
“Not at all, sire! Haha...” Siegfried replied with an awkward laugh before he took a step to the side and said, “I will be protecting you from now on. What should I do from now on, Your Imperial Majesty?”
“My soldiers should be searching the hunting ground right now, but it will not be easy for them to find us in this vast place. Also, we have strayed too far from where the signal flare was initially shot,” Emperor Stuttgart replied.
“Yes, I agree, sire.”
“Siegfried van Proa.”
“Yes, my lord?”
“How long can you hold out?”
“I have no idea, sire... It will depend on how strong the enemy is...”
He could not tell for sure. He managed to defeat the monsters that appeared until now, thanks to the Great Champion’s Belt, but there was no guarantee he would be able to do so if a powerful one appeared.
“I see...”
“But why did you ask, sire?”
“I am planning to place my bet on you.”
“Pardon me...?”
“My army will arrive in thirty minutes the moment I shoot another signal flare.”
“Hmm...”
“And the magic circle restricting the use of mana will be lifted in thirty minutes as well.”
“Ah!”
“However...”
“The monsters will be attracted by the signal flare?”
“That is correct,” Emperor Stuttgart replied with a nod.
“The Imperial Soldiers will not be able to locate Your Imperial Majesty if we wander around, but that also means we are clueless about what kind of powerful monster will get attracted if Your Imperial Majesty shoots the flare.”
“Precisely...”
Siegfried was right. Emperor Stuttgart was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The monsters were going to come after them the moment the signal flare was shot, but their meeting with the Imperial Soldiers was going to be delayed if they refrained from using the flare. They could end up getting killed by the monsters even before the Imperial Soldiers could find them or before the magic circle restricting mana was dispelled.
“Your Imperial Majesty, would my lord be pleased to stake your bet on me?” Siegfried asked in a firm voice.
“Hmm... Are you telling me to bet my life on the king of the weak and tiny nation I have crowned myself?” Emperor Stuttgart asked while looking at him with intrigue.
“Was my lord not considering it?”
“I guess I was.”
“I will protect my lord even if my life depends on it.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“Then, I will place my life in your hands,” Emperor Stuttgart replied. He immediately raised his hand and shot a flare into the sky.
Swoosh!
The flare flew high up into the sky before it exploded and illuminated the sky.
Boom!
Ding!
A message appeared in front of Siegfried’s eyes.
***
Right after the flare exploded.
[Alert: The Quest – Emperor Rescue Operation has changed to Chain Quest – Protect the Emperor!]
The quest details were updated.
[Protect the Emperor!]
[Protect Emperor Stuttgart until the imperial forces arrive!]
[Type: Special Chain Quest]
[Progress: 0%]
[Reward: Immeasurable]
[Warning: This quest will fail if you fail to protect Emperor Stuttgart.]
Siegfried looked around after checking the updated quest details, and he found a small mound made out of stones.
“Hey, Hamchi.”
“Kyu?”
“Go dig that,” Siegfried said while pointing at the mound.
“Kyuuu?”
“Just dig it if I tell you to. Make sure it’s wide enough to fit three or four people.”
“Okay! Kyu!”
Hamchi dashed to the mound and began digging.
Two minutes later, Hamchi was finally done digging a makeshift cave out of the stony mound wide enough to fit three or four people, just as Siegfried requested.
Siegfried led Emperor Stuttgart to the makeshift cave and said, “It is too shabby and is not suited for Your Imperial Majesty’s glory, but my lord’s survival is of utmost importance right now, so I implore my lord to enter inside.”
“Sure.”
“Please enter with His Imperial Majesty, Marquis Randoll,” Siegfried requested the marquis too. Then, he stood guard in front of the entrance with Hamchi and Oscar by his side.
And right on time...
“Grrr!”
“Kieeee!”
“Kyaaak!”
A swarm of monsters appeared on the horizon, and every single one of them had the same Test Subject floating above their heads.
***
The battle commenced.
[Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!]
[Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!]
[Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!]
Siegfried killed the monsters approaching the mound. He took off the Great Champion’s Belt and used Belt Shot from time to time or used Energy Buster while swinging Horse Fly.
Emperor Stuttgart's eyes were fixed on Siegfried as he called out, “Randoll.”
“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty?”
“How many people on the continent can fight like that without mana?”
“As far as I know... Perhaps there will be less than twenty on the entire continent, sire,” Marquis Randoll replied.
“Really? Is that your opinion as a Master?”
“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty,” Marquis Randoll replied with a nod before he added, “He is the embodiment of what a genius is...”
“A genius, you say...”
“Even I am not confident of winning against him if we dueled without mana.”
“You are quite generous with your praises.”
“I am merely speaking the truth, sire. Who can fight like that without mana? I believe it is only a matter of time before King Siegfried van Proa steps into the realm of a Master.”
Marquis Randoll couldn't help but spare no praises after seeing Siegfried fight like a berserker possessed by the Martial God. Well, he looked impressive from a bystander's point of view, but Siegfried, Hamchi, and Oscar were on the verge of dying.
‘This is driving me nuts!’ Siegfried exclaimed inwardly.
Yes, he did possess near-infinite stamina, but even his amazing stamina started dwindling after fighting, fighting, and fighting nonstop.
[Alert: 25 minutes and 11 seconds remaining before the mana restriction is lifted...]
[Alert: 25 minutes and 10 seconds remaining before the mana restriction is lifted...]
[Alert: 25 minutes and 9 seconds remaining before the mana restriction is lifted...]
And the fact that they still had to hold out for twenty-five more minutes before they could use their mana made things even more difficult.
‘I will hold on! I will have both riches and glory in twenty-five minutes!’ Siegfried exclaimed inwardly as a mighty conflagration erupted in both of his eyes.
The immeasurable rewards to be bestowed by the emperor motivated him to hold out for twenty-five minutes until he could finally use his mana.
[Alert: 5 seconds remaining before the mana restriction is lifted!]
[Alert: 4...!]
[Alert: 3...!]
Only a few seconds were left before he could finally use his mana again.
“I’m in pain... It’s so painful... Make it stop...”
Then, a monster that looked different from the others whined as it pushed its way through the swarm of monsters.
[Test Subject: Chimera 474]
[A mysterious creature born as a result of a secret biological experiment.]
[It possesses a bit of intelligence, and it is quite difficult to face.]
[Type: Monster]
[Level: 260]
[Class: Skill Revenger]
[Titles: Hideous Mutant, Killing Machine]
The Test Subject: Chimera 474 was a humanoid monster with half of its body rotten, but it was slightly different from a ghoul or a zombie. To put it into words, it looked more hideous than a ghoul or a zombie.
‘Should I care? Nope!’ Siegfried was unfazed despite Test Subject: Chimera 474's hideous looks.
[Alert: 1 second!]
[Alert: Mana restriction has been lifted!]
[Alert: You can now use your mana!]
Siegfried could feel his mana surge throughout his body the moment the restriction was lifted.
“You’re all fucked,” Siegfried said with a grin as he tightly gripped Horse Fly. He slammed Horse Fly into the ground and used Splitting Heaven and Earth to send every single monster into the air.
Rumble!
“Kyaaaaaaakh!” Test Subject: Chimera 474 responded by unleashing an ear-splitting shriek. Its eyes turned red, and a storm of energy burst out of it.