Debuff Master-Chapter 837

[Alert: You have obtained the Class – Heroic Monarch!]

[Alert: Being the Heroic Monarch designates you as the founder and leader of the Church of Heroes, a savior destined to bring salvation and prosperity to the world!]

The newly acquired class, Heroic Monarch, was a non-combat class, meaning Siegfried’s combat style would be completely unaffected by it.

[Heroic Monarch]

[A class granted to the founder and leader of the Church of Heroes.]

[This class excels at embracing and guiding noble and brave heroes in the world. The Heroic Monarch can harness Divine Power through the Church of Heroes and use them to perform miracles.]

[Role: Religious Leader, Supporter]

[Rating: Legendary]

[Primary Weapon: Flexible]

[Primary Armor: Flexible]

The new class, Heroic Monarch, was a perfect complementary class that did not affect Siegfried’s primary class, the Debuff Master.

[Class Potential]

[Leadership: ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬜]

[Utility: ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛]

[Charisma: ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬜]

[Miracles: ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛]

[Support: ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬜⬜]

The fact that even the attributes of the class were unrelated to combat was quite interesting, too.

“Wow, this is pretty cool,” Siegfried murmured while reading through the detailed description of his new class.

Just as he was about to continue reading, a message interrupted him.

Ding!

[Alert: Your followers have been promoted into priests of the Church of Heroes!]

[Alert: These priests will serve as emissaries that will spread your teachings across the continent!]

Since Siegfried had become the Heroic Monarch, it was a given that his followers had become priests dedicated to the Church of Heroes.

[Alert: Would you like to learn about the basic skills of the Heroic Monarch and the use of Divine Power?]

Another message popped up in front of his eyes…

“Sounds great,” Siegfried muttered with a smile.

He was eager to learn about the mechanics of his new class, but he could not afford that luxury just yet.

“Your Majesty!”

“We pledge our lives to follow your teachings!”

“All hail the virtuous king!”

The spectacle of Siegfried and his followers glowing in radiant light sent the citizens into a frenzy.

“Haha… Hahaha…”

Siegfried laughed and scratched the back of his head awkwardly as the overzealous crowd showered him with fervent praise. He broke out into a cold sweat as he muttered a few vague words of encouragement to the crowd before hurriedly excusing himself.

He had just returned to the palace, so he wanted to spend time with Brunhilde and Verdandi. Of course, he also wanted to study his new class, Heroic Monarch, in peace.

***

As usual, Brunhilde greeted Siegfried warmly and with shining eyes.

“Welcome back. Thank you for your hard work, darling,” she said with a tender smile.

“Not at all. You’ve had it much tougher having to raise our child while managing the kingdom during my absence,” Siegfried replied, sounding a bit guilty.

He had to travel around the continent frequently, so Brunhilde often had to shoulder the responsibilities of ruling the Proatine Kingdom in his absence. Brunhilde’s days were packed with all sorts of duties, so she had little time to breathe on most days.

“Sorry. I feel like I’m always dumping my responsibilities on you,” Siegfried apologized.

“What are you talking about? We are a team, so your work is my work. I love you, my dear,” Brunhilde said with a soft laugh. Then, she leaned into him and whispered a few sweet words as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

‘My wife is truly the best. I love her so much,’ Siegfried thought, pulling her closer into his embrace.

Just then…

“Darling?”

Brunhilde shifted slightly, pulling back just enough to look into his eyes. She looked calm and curious at the same time.

“Did something… happen while you were away?”

“Huh?”

Siegfried blinked, surprised by the unexpected question.

“What do you mean by that? I just got back from the Green Isles on a work trip—”

Brunhilde gently cut him off, “It’s your scent.”

“My scent?”

“Yes, it’s different. That’s why I asked.”

Siegfried tilted his head in confusion for a second before realizing what she was talking about.

“Ah! That’s probably it. I fired off quite a few cannons during the last battle, so the smell of gunpowder must have stuck with me. Plus, I was at sea for a while, so there’s probably a hint of saltwater, too,” he explained with a casual chuckle.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Brunhilde said, shaking her head firmly.

“Huh? Then what are you talking about?”

Brunhilde's eyes narrowed into slits as she softly asked, “Why do you smell like another woman?”

It was then.

‘W-WHAT?!’

Siegfried froze, and his mind raced as the meaning of her words hit him like a lightning bolt.

Then, it dawned on him.

The Silver Dragon…

During their last encounter, Keanus embraced him and even kissed him. Her unique scent had to have gotten stuck on him.

“Have you…” Brunhilde said, her voice trailing with a hint of sadness. Then, she looked at him with a faint melancholic smile and asked, “found yourself another woman?”

“N-No! That’s not it at all! Let me explain!” Siegfried exclaimed, flailing his arms in protest and shaking his head frivolously. Then, he looked at her straight in the eyes and said firmly, “It’s not what you think it—”

“Wait,” Brunhilde said, raising her hand to stop him.

Instead of listening to his frantic explanation, she turned away from him.

“Let’s talk about this later,” she said calmly.

“D-Darling!”

“I don’t want to hear anything about it right now.”

“Please, wait! Brunhilde!”

He reached out, grabbing her wrist in a desperate bid to hold her and stop her from leaving.

However, Brunhilde was a Level 299 knight, so with just one swift motion…

Whoosh!

She effortlessly slipped from his grasp by twisting herself just in time.

Then, turning her head slightly, she glanced at him and said, “Give me some time.”

“No, Darling! It’s not what you think it–”

“Goodbye, for now.”

With those words, Brunhilde disappeared, leaving Siegfried standing alone in the empty hall.

“Argh! It’s really not what you think it is!” Siegfried groaned in frustration.

He could feel his chest tightening due to the misunderstanding, but he knew that no matter what he said right now, his words would not reach her at all.

‘She needs time…’ he thought, letting out a sigh. He decided it was best to let her calm down first before trying to explain again.

‘Once she’s had a few hours to think… I guess we should be able to talk things out,’ he thought, reassuring himself. After all, sometimes a little time and space were the best remedies for misunderstandings.

‘Alright, let’s leave it at that for now,’ he thought coolly.

Unfortunately, his head still felt like a ferocious storm was raging inside of it.

Still, he decided to push his worries aside and head to a quiet place where he could focus on learning more about his newly acquired class, the Heroic Monarch.

***

The Heroic Monarch class came equipped with several unique abilities that used Divine Power.

The first skill, Listen, allowed Siegfried to hear the prayers of his followers. The second, Respond, enabled him to answer those prayers by sending telepathic messages.

Lastly, Descent, a skill reminiscent of the Seeker of Faith, and it allowed him to manifest his presence to his followers.

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However, these skills were designed to assist Siegfried in managing the Church of Heroes. They were only useful for addressing the petitions of his believers, appointing priests or paladins, and handling the church's daily affairs.

The skill set of the class looked lackluster when looking at these three skills, but the true essence of the Heroic Monarch lay elsewhere, mainly in its core abilities, which were categorized as Miracles.

The Miracles set had a variety of powerful skills.

[Heroic Monarch: Miracles]

[The Heroic Monarch can utilize Divine Power to perform miracles!]

[Spirit of Unyielding Resolve]

[Unyielding Warrior]

[Hero Time]

Due to Siegfried’s low level, he still couldn't see all of the skills in this category.

‘Spirit of Unyielding Resolve? Ah, it must be a buff skill that can be used when my allies are in a pinch,’ Siegfried thought.

The Spirit of Unyielding Resolve granted a ten percent boost to all stats of all allies, including the Heroic Monarch, during unfavorable situations.

The other two skills—Unyielding Warrior and Hero Time—were most likely the same buff that had activated during the war against the Zavala Kingdom. Unfortunately, the problem with these Miracle skills was the fact that they all had activation conditions.

Upon closer examination, Siegfried realized that these skills would only activate whenever his allies were at a disadvantage or were facing a genuine crisis.

Governed by the Law of Causality, the system automatically managed the activation of the Miracle skills. In other words, Siegfried couldn't trigger them on demand.

‘It doesn’t matter. They’re nice to have but not essential,’ Siegfried thought. He was not to be concerned by the limitation of his new skills.

After all, his true power lay elsewhere.

He was, first and foremost, the Debuff Master. The miracles were just an added boost, so he was satisfied as long as they were activated occasionally to get him or his allies out of a pinch from time to time.

‘Let’s take one step at a time. For now, becoming a Master is my top priority.’

He firmly believed that his debuffs were his greatest weapon, so with unwavering determination, he resolved to stay focused on his path as the Debuff Master. Siegfried had long engraved Deus’ teachings in his heart, so he refused to be distracted.

‘Oh right, I guess it’s time to visit Master and then smooth things over with Brunhilde.’

With that thought, Siegfried began moving, and his steps were steady due to his renewed resolve.

***

Siegfried paid respects to Deus, who imparted wisdom to him once again.

“The most powerful force in existence is the will of sentient beings. Now, you’ve reached a point where you can harness not only your own will but also the strongest force others possess—their will.”

“Yes, Master.”

“From now on, you are someone who gathers the will of others to perform miracles. Keep your heart devout and treasure that power.”

“I will, Master.”

Siegfried took these words to heart and engraved them once again deeply into his soul.

“You’ve hit a wall, haven’t you, my disciple?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Keep pushing yourself. The more obstacles you face, the closer you’ll come to reaching a new level of enlightenment.”

“Yes, Master!”

“And one more thing,” Deus said, narrowing his eyes. Then, he glared at Siegfried and added, “Keep it moderate.”

“Pardon…?”

“If you’re going to do something, either keep it discreet or stop making such a scene. Honestly, what do you think you’re doing?”

“M-Master? I… I am not sure what you mean by–”

“Don’t play innocent with me. You’ve been causing all kinds of unnecessary troubles, haven’t you?”

“M-Master…?”

“Enough! Go on, get out of here.”

With a wave of his hand, Deus dismissed Siegfried as if he were shooing away a bothersome fly.

“...?” Siegfried was completely dumbfounded, unable to understand Deus' words.

However, he knew better than to press the issue, so he decided to leave it at that. Arguing would likely only earn him an earful—or worse, a smack on the head.

‘What’s gotten into him?’ he wondered.

However, his curiosity wouldn't last that long, as he would soon come to understand what Deus meant.

How?

Well, the royal palace was notorious for being a hotbed of rumors, and information here traveled faster than the ones delivered by the swiftest messengers on the continent.

On his way to find Brunhilde, Siegfried’s sharp ears picked up countless rumors about him circulating in real-time. He finally realized the meaning behind Deus’ cryptic words.

"His Majesty is having an affair!"

"Seriously? I guess that explains why he’s always sneaking out!"

"I heard he got cozy with a new lady, but he didn’t even take a bath before embracing Her Majesty!"

'What?! What a piece of trash!"

'Her Majesty was completely heartbroken!"

'How could he do such a thing?!"

"I think it’s because Her Majesty is too kind!"

"That must be it! I bet he’s taking advantage of her kindness!"

But that was not the worst of it…

"Ugh! What a disgrace!"

"I knew it! Everyone said he was a notorious lecher!"

"And now it’s clear!"

"Run! It’s His Majesty! He might force you into his harem."

Siegfried heard rumors labeling him a scoundrel, a disgrace, a pervert, a piece of trash, and even a despicable lecher, and those rumors were everywhere in the royal palace.

Fueled by the latest misunderstanding, the baseless rumors about him being a womanizer and a degenerate in the past had resurfaced with vengeance.

‘N-No! That’s not true! It’s not what you think it is!’

The maids in the palace whispered as they cast disgusted glances his way. They were looking at him with contempt and repulse.

Siegfried wanted to disappear on the spot or hide in a hole somewhere.

‘I need to clear this misunderstanding up before anything else!’

Siegfried ran as fast as he could toward where Brunhilde was located. He had to clear the misunderstanding before things could spiral out of control, which would certainly deal irreparable damage to his already damaged reputation.