Chapter 412

Chapter 412

Pukeok!

Another Test Subject D39 collapsed after having its head smashed in by the Great Champion’s Belt.

“Sigh...” Siegfried let out a sigh.

He was not letting out a sigh because he was tired. He possessed near-infinite stamina after consuming the Powergra Deus had given him as a wedding gift, so he usually wouldn't get exhausted unless he was pushed to his limits.

He felt frustrated.

“If only I could use my mana... Sigh...”

Mana was the source of power in this world, and it was inevitable for him to feel frustrated without being able to use mana. Fortunately, he had the Great Champion’s Belt, which was making up for his inability to use mana at the moment.

“Dame Oscar.”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Please take care of him,” Siegfried said while pointing at the king trembling on the ground.

“As you command, Your Majesty.”

“As for this guy...” Siegfried muttered as he walked over to the dead knight and said, “May you rest in peace.”

The only thing he could do was pray for the dead knight, as he had no means to bring a dead NPC back to life.

Then, he turned around and said, “Let’s prioritize—“

Swoosh!

A bright red flare shot up into the sky around twenty kilometers from where Siegfried and his party were located, and it flew for a few kilometers before exploding and illuminating the entire sky.

“...!”

The Imperial Guards of the Marchioni Empire surrounding the perimeter of the hunting ground immediately went into action.

“State of Emergency!”

“All knights mobilize to the hunting ground!”

“Move out!”

The dozens of knight orders rushed to the hunting ground, and the Imperial Magicians hurriedly channeled their spells to dispel the magic circle restricting the use of mana.

Of course, there was no way Siegfried would know what was going on.

“Was that a signal flare?” Siegfried muttered while looking up at the sky.

“Yes, that was indeed a signal flare. What should we do, Your Majesty?”

“Hmm...” Siegfried pondered for a while before making up his mind, “Well, we can’t get caught up in whatever this is, so let’s head toward the hunting ground entrance where we came from—“

Ding!

A message popped up in front of his eyes before he could even finish speaking.

[Alert: You have obtained a Quest – Emperor Rescue Operation!]

Siegfried immediately went through the quest contents.

[Emperor Rescue Operation]

[Rescue Emperor Stuttgart and escort him safely to the hunting ground entrance.]

[Type: Special Quest]

[Progress: 0% (0/1)]

[Reward: Immeasurable]

[Warning: You will not receive any rewards if the emperor dies or someone else rescues him. You are advised to move as quickly as possible.]

The quest to rescue the most powerful man on the continent, Emperor Stuttgart von Posteriore, stated that it would be giving immeasurable rewards. Siegfried didn't really find it strange as the life of the emperor of the most powerful empire was truly immeasurable.

‘Oh! I have to clear this quest!’ Siegfried exclaimed inwardly as his eyes turned into dollar signs.

Ding!

Then, another message popped up in front of his dollar-signed eyes.

[Alert: The Marchioni Empire Imperial Mages have started dispelling the magic circle restricting the use of mana!]

[Alert: There is one hour remaining before the magic circle is dispelled!]

It was a message informing him that using mana would be made possible anywhere within the imperial capital city once the one hour was up. Of course, this didn't really matter, as the numerous rulers spread across the hunting ground were currently dying one by one at the hands of the monsters.

They would be annihilated by the time the magic circle was dispelled. Therefore, taking action right now was the correct choice rather than waiting for the magic circle to be dispelled.

“Can you find Emperor Stuttgart’s scent, Hamchi?”

“Kyu! Don’t worry! Emperor Stuttgart has a unique scent!”

“Really?”

“He smells luxurious! It’s the most luxurious smell Hamchi has ever sniffed! Kyu! I can’t put it into words, but he smells like luxury itself! Kyuuuu!”

“Good! Let’s go!”

“Sniff! Sniff! Over here! Kyuuu!” Hamchi cried out as he tracked the emperor’s scent.

“Let’s go, Dame Oscar!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Siegfried and Oscar chased after Hamchi, who was running while tracking Emperor Stuttgart down.

***

The Imperial Guards and knight orders of the Marchioni Empire were deployed, but they couldn't immediately address the danger. The emperor’s private hunting grounds were half the size of Seoul, and a lot of time was still needed for the mana restriction magic circle to be dispelled.

“Please escape, sire! I will hold this monster back!” Marquis Randoll exclaimed as he stood between the emperor and the monster.

“Your Imperial Majesty!”

“My lord!”

“Protect the emperor!”

The knights stationed within the hunting ground just in case of any accidents emerged and surrounded the emperor.

Marquis Randoll immediately commanded the knights, “Ten of you stay and protect His Imperial Majesty! The rest of you, follow me! We have to hold that monster back until His Imperial Majesty gets to safety!”

“Will you be alright, Randoll?” Emperor Stuttgart asked.

“You are the beacon light of this world, sire. Please do not concern yourself with me and focus only on protecting yourself.”

“Okay, I will,” Emperor Stuttgart replied.

The emperor did not hesitate to leave the marquis behind. It was amazing how he did not hesitate even in the slightest when he stood to lose Marquis Randoll, who was a Master and one of the Five Star Heavens on the continent.

He was the emperor who ruled over the most powerful empire on the continent, and he knew his life was of utmost importance.

“Please come this way, sire! We will protect you!” The knights entrusted with escorting the emperor led the way.

However, the ember of hope lasted only for a while, as it was quickly extinguished by a group of monsters.

“Grrr...!”

“Kireuk! Kireuk!”

“Kiiieeee!”

The group of monsters emerged from the bushes and blocked the emperor’s path of retreat. The group was completely surrounded by monsters, which was the worst-case scenario for Emperor Stuttgart.

***

The knights protecting Emperor Stuttgart were decimated without being able to put up a proper fight, and this was probably an adverse side-effect of mana.

Elites born into powerful families usually learned to control mana at a young age, which meant that they would slowly grow dependent on mana the older they became. It made sense; after all, mana would allow them to move in ways normal people would consider supernatural.

The fact that they had learned to control mana at such a young age meant that by the time they became adults, they were already extremely proficient at using mana at just about anything.

Unfortunately, it also meant that they couldn't move normally without mana; their movements would end up unnatural without it. These knights couldn't display their full potential in the absence of mana due to their overdependence on mana.

Unfortunately, it resulted in a tragedy.

“Ack!”

“Argh!”

“Aaaack!”

The Marchioni Empire Knights were slaughtered by the monsters in an instant, and Marquis Randoll was left all alone to fight against the large monster that had devoured the Dragonsteed Aventador.

“Kuheoook!” Marquis Randoll finally screamed after having his right arm chewed off by the monster.

One of the Five Star Heavens of the continent, Marquis Randoll, lost his right arm, which was his dominant sword hand.

Now, only Emperor Stuttgart could fight.

“Y-Your Imperial... Majesty!“

“Randoll.”

“H-Hurry! Please run away...!”

“I don’t think that will be possible,” Emperor Stuttgart replied with a troubled smile.

Where was he supposed to run?

The hideous monsters were prowling toward him while salivating at him, and the monsters made sure to surround him completely so as to not give him any chance of escaping.

To make matters worse, the emperor’s last hope, Marquis Randoll, had just lost his dominant right hand.

The emperor was in dire straits.

“S-Sire...!”

“Thank you for being by my side, Randoll.”

“Please do not give up! Your Imperial Maj—“

It was then.

“Grwaaaa!”

The large, hideous-looking monster rushed at Marquis Randoll to finish him off.

“...!” Marquis Randoll knew he could not evade the incoming attack. He lost his right arm, his left leg was broken, he was exhausted, and his body no longer listened to him.

“My lord, I, Randoll, was honored to serve Your Imperial Majesty,” Marquis Randoll used his last words to pay one last respect to his liege.

The large, hideous-looking monster opened its jaws to devour the marquis whole.

“Kyaaaak!”

“I am ashamed I was unable to protect Your Imperial Majesty until the very end—“

Ziiiiing!

A blinding golden ray shot from somewhere pierced the back of the monster, which was about to devour the marquis.

“...!”

“...!”

The emperor and the marquis turned toward where the blinding golden ray had come from. A scumbag was standing with his arms on his waist, and his back was bent to push his hips forward.

Ziiiiing!

“I apologize for being late! Your Imperial Majesty!” Siegfried shouted at the emperor as the Great Champion’s Belt on his waist spat another golden laser beam.