Chapter 630

Chapter 630

“What should we do?” Cheon Woo-Jin asked.

“What else can we do? We’ll chase after him,” Siegfried replied with a shrug.

“But do you know where he went?”

“It’s gotta be the Capucines Territory, no?”

“Oh?”

“We have to find out where he went. If he really went to the Capucines Territory, then our men over there would be in danger. I have to warn them to evacuate before something happens,” Siegfried grimaced and said. Then, he shouted, “Signalman!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Call our men at the Capucines Territory immediately.”

“Yes, sire!”

The signalman hurriedly sent a transmission to the Capucines Territory.

Meanwhile, The captain of the Proatine Marines, First Lieutenant Kevin, had received a call from the Paraffin Territory.

“A call from His Majesty has arrived!”

“Line secured!”

“Greetings, Your Majesty! First Lieutenant Kevin at your service!”

— How are things in the Capucines Territory?

“Count Arial has arrived with a huge crowd and—”

“...!” First Lieutenant Kevin was shocked upon seeing Count Arial. ‘Something’s off!’

Kevin immediately noticed that he was in danger and tried to draw his sword, but it was too late.

“Die,” Count Arial said.

“Kuheok!” Kevin groaned and clutched his chest before collapsing to the floor.

Thud...! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Kevin and the other marines suffered cardiac arrest at Count Arial's single world. It was as if the count had used a legendary spell, Power Word Kill, that could kill a target by just uttering a single word.

— First Lieutenant Kevin! Report your current situation!

Siegfried shouted at the communication orb after Kevin suddenly disappeared from view, and someone finally appeared on the screen.

However, the one that came on was not Kevin but Count Arial.

“Siegfried van Proa,” Count Arial said, smiling icily and staring straight at him.

— You bastard...!

Siegfried growled at the count. His anger had reached its maximum threshold after seeing one of his men killed right in front of his eyes.

“You do try whatever you want, but it will all be futile, Siegfried van Proa,” Count Arial said with a smug smirk.

— Do you really think so?

“I am God.”

— You’re God...

“Only divine punishment awaits those who dare go against a god. Aren’t you aware of that?”

— Keke... Kekeke!

“...?”

— You’re quite the funny bastard.

Siegfried snickered in response, which was proof that he had already gone over his threshold.

— Hey, you fucking brainwashing cult bastard.

It had been a long time since he cursed.

— I’m going to teach you a lesson soon, so just sit tight and wait.

This sudden declaration of a state of emergency would definitely shock anyone, as this was the first time Siegfried had done something like this.

Michele raised his hand and asked, “May you please enlighten us on what is happening, Your Majesty?”

“I believe all of you remember the otherworldly demonic creature, Apocalius, that came to this world.”

Siegfried mentioned Apocalius to his subjects and explained that Count Arial had absorbed one of its soul fragments. In addition, he did not forget to mention that the count had raised the dead and used that to deceive the people into following him.

“Then what do you think about forming a coalition with the powerful kingdoms and—” Michele suggested.

“No,” Siegfried cut him off. Then, he explained, “The soul fragment is immensely powerful. We have no idea what it's capable of doing, and we can't let it fall into the hands of an influential being.

"If a major kingdom uses their technology to try and extract the powers of the soul fragments... The other kingdoms won’t sit idly and watch that happen. If that happens, then the entire continent will be engulfed in turmoil and war.”

“Hmm...”

“We should not trust anyone when it comes to retrieving and destroying the soul fragments. This is a classified mission only our kingdom and the Guardians should be aware of, and we can’t seek help from anyone aside from a few trustworthy Adventurers.”

“I understand, sire.”

“I apologize for putting such a heavy burden on all of you,” Siegfried said. Then, he explained his honest thoughts regarding the matter, “Our kingdom is not that powerful; we are still an up-and-rising kingdom, but I've brought too much burden to it despite lacking myself.”

He was ready to carry this heavy burden of protecting BNW from the worst-case scenario as an Adventurer.

But what about the Proatine Kingdom?

It was a completely different matter for the Proatine Kingdom and its citizens. They were forced to fight against the danger that threatened to destroy the world just because they were the citizens of a kingdom ruled by an Adventurer who possessed an Epic Code.

“Not at all, Your Majesty. You are our king, so it is only right for the kingdom to follow your will. Also, we are aware that Your Majesty is fighting for world peace and for the safety of your people, so how can we refuse the honor of fighting alongside you?” Michele replied.

Then, Oscar knelt on one knee and said, “I, Oscar, will choose to fight alongside Your Majesty until my last dying breath, and I will keep fighting even after my death.”

The rest of the subjects knelt on one knee.

“Your Majesty’s will is the kingdom’s will.”

“Please do as Your Majesty sees fit.”

“The people will follow Your Majesty’s decision, and they will find it an honor to do so.”

Fortunately, the Proatine Kingdom’s officials chose to follow Siegfried’s will even though this was a task with so little honor that nobody on the continent would recognize.

Siegfried almost cried at their words, but he held his tears in. Then, he addressed them, “Alright, I will no longer mention anything about that. From this moment onward, I hereby declare Count Arial the head of the rebels, and we will surround the Capucines Territory. This is the official start... of the Proatine Kingdom’s civil war.”

A civil war...

Just like that, the first civil war since the founding of the Proatine Kingdom was declared.

The supreme commander of the Proatine Forces, Oscar, said, “I shall command our men to be ready to mobilize, sire.”

“Yes, Dame Oscar. Instruct our men to completely encircle the Capucines Territory and make sure no one gets in or out.”

“I shall carry out Your Majesty’s commands without fail.”

“Also, there’s one thing that you should keep in mind at all times, Dame Oscar.”

“What is it, sire?”

Siegfried smiled and said, “The Proatine Forces will not be participating in this war, so make sure to avoid any clashes with the enemy and just focus on encircling the Capucines Territory.”

“Pardon me, my lord? This is our kingdom’s civil war yet our own army will not be participating?” Oscar asked, doubting her ears.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“But why...?”

It was then.

“I am once again amazed by Your Majesty’s wisdom,” Michele said with a bow as if he understood Siegfried’s intentions.

‘This little punk. He's pesky at times, but he’s the only one who really understands me,’ Siegfried thought with a smile.

“Sir Michele. What is His Majesty’s will?” Oscar asked.

“That, Dame Oscar... His Majesty is planning to use the established religions on the continent to deal with the rebels,” Michele replied.

“...!”

Every single official in the meeting room was stunned by Michele's words as soon as they came out of his mouth. Siegfried’s plan was so impeccable that they were at a loss for words.