Debuff Master-Chapter 835

About thirty minutes earlier...

“Ugh...”

The Silver Dragon, Keanus, writhed in agony inside its lair. It was unable to escape due to the unique passive skill of the Dragon Slayer that afflicted some sort of curse on dragons.

At first, the condition felt like a cold, but as time passed, it drained all of its strength, leaving it unable to fly or even crawl.

“No... this can’t be happening...”

Keanus fought desperately to survive, but its struggles only intensified the crippling effect. Eventually, it succumbed to the despair of being trapped in its lair and waiting to be hunted like helpless prey.

“Is this... how I’m going to die?”

Fearing the arrival of the Dragon Slayer, Keanus braced for its demise.

Wooong!

A sudden surge of vitality coursed through it. Its deteriorating condition began to reverse, and mana flowed freely throughout it once again.

“What is this?!”

Keanus was bewildered, yet it immediately cast a wide-area scanning spell to assess the situation outside its lair. Then, what it discovered left it stunned. Someone had removed the Dragon Slayer from the Green Isles.

No, the individual had actually killed the Dragon Slayer.

“Oh! Who could it be? Who would save me?”

Keanus emerged from its lair upon making sure that the coast was clear. It was determined to find his savior.

“Who are you?”

Arriving at the waters of the Wailing Canyon, it began searching for its benefactor, but it hesitated.

‘Hmm... There are too many ears listening here,’ he thought.

Dragons were proud and arrogant creatures, so they loathed the idea of admitting their vulnerabilities. This was especially true when they would have to admit it before members of a lesser species, such as human beings.

‘Ugh... What should I even say then?’ Caught between gratitude and its draconic pride, Keanus struggled to find the right words. “Ahem... So who exactly—”

“...?!” Keanus’ gaze landed on the deck of an enormous ship. More specifically, it landed on one individual that appeared to be an Ancient Black Dragon in human guise. Of course, this misunderstanding arose because of the Inkarthus’ Heart residing within Siegfried’s mana hall.

‘Gasp! Such an overwhelming aura!’ Keanus exclaimed inwardly.

It was floored by the sheer magnitude of power emanating from Siegfried.

‘C-Could it be?!’

The presence Siegfried was emitting was so potent that Keanus began to suspect that the human could be the Dragon Lord merely in disguise.

‘But wait... Even a Dragon Lord wouldn’t have the power to slay a Dragon Slayer so easily. Could he be... something else?’ Keanus wondered. The bizarre situation made it feel increasingly baffled; its mind was clouded by the powerful dragon aura emanating from Siegfried.

‘Hmm... But what now? I can’t just reveal his identity. It seems he’s enjoying it a bit...’

While Keanus was at a loss on what to do, Siegfried suddenly broke the silence.

O Great and Mighty One!"

Siegfried, being an expert when it came to handling dragons, immediately prostrated himself before Keanus. On top of that, he used his title "Despicable Treacherous Retainer" to run his glib tongue.

When it came to dragons, there was no better and more effective strategy than starting things off with a ton of flattery.

***

Ding!

Standing before Keanus, Siegfried’s title, "Despicable Treacherous Retainer," shone vividly above his head.

[Despicable Treacherous Retainer]

[A title given to those who excel at currying favors with those more powerful than them.]

[Type: Title]

[Rating: Unique]

[Effect: +25% Success rate when currying favor with NPCs.]

Siegfried had indeed saved the Silver Dragon, but he had decided to play it safe and bow down, as the other party was still a dragon.

‘What?! The Black Dragon Lord is bowing to me?!’

On the other hand, Keanus was completely shocked. It was still under the impression that Siegfried was a Black Dragon roleplaying as a human for fun.

‘W-What should I do?!’

Keanus was at a complete loss. Treating this individual like an ordinary human would surely seem disrespectful, but addressing them formally as a Dragon Lord could spoil things.

“Ahem... Erm... Well, that is...” Keanus stammered.

“Great and Mighty One! What brings your noble presence to this humble place?”

“Erm... That is...”

“Mighty One! If I have found favor in your eyes, please allow this lowly insignificant creature to offer you the finest hospitality imaginable!”

“F-Finest hospitality?!”

“Though I am unworthy to even ask why you have graced us with your mighty presence, my only wish is to serve you with utmost devotion!”

“Very well, then. Ahem!”

“Great One! Please grant me the honor of tending to your every need!”

“I-I accept!”

Keanus assumed that the Black Dragon Lord wanted to converse in private, so it eagerly nodded and played along.

“I have not come out of anger! I was merely curious about the commotion.”

“O Mighty One! My deepest and sincerest apologies! Please forgive this insignificant being!” Siegfried cried out, slamming his forehead into the deck and prostrating himself dramatically before the dragon.

“Please forgive us!”

“Please forgive us!”

“Please forgive us!”

The surrounding humans immediately followed suit and bowed deeply while begging for forgiveness.

‘W-What’s happening?!’ Keanus froze.

It was now thoroughly convinced that the Black Dragon Lord was teasing it, and it had to play along no matter what. Thus, struggling to maintain composure, it tried to act as dignified as it possibly could.

“Hahaha! Worry not, humans! I am not here to punish you! I merely stopped by out of curiosity.”

“O Mighty One! Your mercy and grace are boundless!” Siegfried cried out dramatically.

“G-Grace?! No, preposterous! Your mercy humbles us all!”

Keanus noticed Siegfried’s distinctive hat and decided to steer the conversation away.

“Hmm... Judging by your attire, you must be the new Pirate King.”

“Yes, I am indeed, Mighty One!”

“Very well! As the new Pirate King, I have important matters to discuss with you! Will you grant me some of your time?”

“Not just some time, Mighty One! I will gladly dedicate centuries to you!”

“Excellent! Let us speak in private then!”

“As you wish!”

With a satisfied nod, Keanus used a warp spell that teleported itself and Siegfried to a secluded location.

‘Ah, so this is a dragon’s lair...’ Siegfried thought, glancing around.

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

He noticed the extravagant interior and realized he was warped to Keanus’ lair.

A voice greeted Siegfried, saying, “Welcome, my lord.”

To Siegfried’s shock, Keanus was now in the form of a human woman. She was kneeling on one knee and was bowing deeply before him.

“W-What?! Mighty One!” Siegfried cried out, utterly flabbergasted.

Before he could process the situation, he instinctively threw himself to the floor and groveled so hard that he slammed his forehead into the marble surface, causing him to bleed.

“Why would one so great as yourself kneel before an insignificant creature like me, Mighty One?!”

“A-Aah!”

It was Keanus’ turn to panic. Despite the private setting, the Black Dragon Lord was still fully immersed in his role as a human, causing her to be flustered and unsure of how to proceed.

“My lord, this is too much!” She hurriedly helped Siegfried to his feet. “I understand your desire for entertainment, but this is my lair. Here, you may reveal your true self without any worries, my lord.”

“Huh?!”

“I am already aware that my lord is simply indulging in role-playing.”

“Role-playing?!”

“There is no need to tease me any further, my lord. Surely you are the Black Dragon Lord.”

“Wait, what...?”

Siegfried’s confusion deepened when the dragon mistakenly identified him as a Dragon Lord. Sensing that something was extremely wrong, he decided to clarify things before this small misunderstanding grew into proportions beyond his control.

“Mighty One! I am not a dragon.”

“My lord, you will only fluster me further if you persist in this.”

“I am serious! I am really not a dragon!”

“My lord, I might not be as aged as you are, but I am sensitive enough to feel the overwhelming presence radiating from your heart.”

“Eh? My heart...?”

“Yes, the sheer intensity of your heart’s presence. It’s unmistakable!”

“Ah...”

Siegfried finally understood the reason behind the misunderstanding.

‘It’s Inkarthus’ Dragon Heart in my mana hall.’

Siegfried realized that the dragon had sensed the power of the Ancient Black Dragon’s heart stored within him.

“About that... I am really not a dragon. Please, allow me to tell you what is exactly going on...” Siegfried began his recount.

***

After Siegfried was done explaining...

“I will say it again. I am not a dragon, so I implore you to stop misunderstanding!”

“This is... unbelievable...”

Keanus found it hard to believe what she heard just now.

A human had actually absorbed the heart of the First Black Dragon? It was unprecedented and borderline impossible.

However, Siegfried’s explanation was so detailed that Keanus had no choice but to believe it, and the fact that he had defeated the Dragon Slayer further supported his claim of not being a dragon himself.

“I see... So you’re truly not a dragon,” Keanus said at last, her voice sounding reluctant.

“Yes, Great One. I merely prevented the Dragon Slayer from disturbing your slumber and harming you.”

“Oh...”

“I deeply apologize for causing this misunderstanding. Please, I beg for your forgiveness, O Great and Benevolent One!”

Siegfried showed his utmost respect and humility toward Keanus with his glib tongue.

“There is no need to apologize. You saved my life from the Dragon Slayer, so you are my savior,” Keanus said with a warm smile as she gently clasped his hands.

“But I am nothing more than a humble human—”

Before he could finish, it happened.

What happened?

Keanus leaned in, pushing her lips against his.

‘A-Ah, no! This can’t...!’ he exclaimed inwardly.

Caught completely off guard, Siegfried froze in place and was stunned by what happened all of a sudden.

Thankfully, it was not a kiss with a tongue or anything intimate. Keanus, as a lady, merely offered a kiss to express her gratitude to the one who had saved her.

But for Siegfried, this was a HUGE problem.

He was a married man and was fiercely loyal to his wife. He had no intention of ever straying from his vows or being involved with any other woman.

‘P-Please, s-stop...!’ he screamed inwardly.

Despite knowing Keanus was a dragon, he could not bring himself to push her away lest he incur her wrath.

All he could do was close his eyes as tightly as possible and pray for this unwanted gift to end as soon as possible.

***

While Siegfried was busy getting kissed by a female dragon...

“Ah, this is nice. I could really get used to these kinds of relaxing moments.”

Ninetails was relaxing in the royal palace, enjoying a cup of tea with Brunhilde.

She would occasionally spend time with Brunhilde whenever she was not too busy with her work. They would sip tea while chatting away, spilling the tea.

“You’ve been so busy lately. Why don’t you take a few days off for a vacation?” Brunhilde asked with a smile.

“I would love to, but with all the work His Majesty has dumped on me, the very thought of going on a vacation feels impossible.”

“Is he really making you work that much?”

“He is! His Majesty is the very definition of an abusive boss!” Ninetails exclaimed in exaggerated frustration.

“I’ll talk to him and tell him to give you a few days of vacation.”

“Really?!”

“Yes.”

“Oh! I will be endlessly grateful if you do!”

Ninetails beamed with genuine joy at Brunhilde’s promise to secure her some time off.

Just then...

“By the way, Your Majesty... Are you not worried at all?” Ninetails asked, suddenly changing the subject.

“Worried? About what?”

“That His Majesty might take a concubine, perhaps?”

“That... Not at all. I’m not worried in the slightest,” Brunhilde replied with a smile.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I trust His Majesty completely.”

“What if, by any chance, another woman enters His Majesty’s life?”

“Well...” Brunhilde muttered with a smile.

Gasp!

Ninetails instinctively realized that her smile was very different from the one earlier.

“I would understand, of course. His Majesty is the king of this kingdom, after all. I’m not a petty, narrow-minded woman who will make noise over something like that.”

However, Ninetails was not buying it.

‘That’s just a fancy way of saying she’ll break his legs.’

Ninetails also didn't miss the fact that Brunhilde’s gaze had drifted toward the display case by the window, where the Holy Sword: Phoenix was displayed.