Chapter 1164

Siegfried’s mistake of bowing his head out of habit had made him immediately suspicious in the eyes of the imperial guard captain.

He bowed just like he always would, and his cover was about to be blown.

“You... Why did you do what the invaders do?”

The captain of the imperial guards narrowed his eyes at Siegfried. Doubt and suspicion were unmistakable in his voice.

“T-That is...” Siegfried stammered in response, unable to come up with any good excuse on the spot.

“What is the meaning of this?!”

“Doing what those damn invaders do right in the heart of our command center?!”

“How dare he!”

“Drag him out!”

The other imperial guards erupted one after another, denouncing Siegfried’s actions.

From the Corals’ perspective, what he did was nothing short of outrageous.

The captain pressed him again, asking, “Answer the question, Mindrius. Why did you bow like an invader?”

“That was...

erm...”

Once more, Siegfried struggled to come up with an explanation for his actions, and he was at a total loss for words.

Ding!

Just then, a small icon the shape of a tongue popped up above his head.

[God of Flattery]

[A title bestowed upon those who use their glib tongue to turn flattery into an art.]

[Type: Title]

[Rating: Legendary]

[Effect: When flattering NPCs that are stronger than you, the likelihood of winning them over is increased by 500%]

Of course, Siegfried had more than just this title. He also had the title "Legendary Swindler," which made his lies and tricks work like a charm on NPCs.

‘

Screw it! I’ll bluff my way through this shit!’

With that resolve, Siegfried finally started talking.

“What I have displayed just now is the result of my studies, Captain.”

“

Hm?

Studies? What do you mean by that, Mindrius?”

“It is something I learned from an invader I captured.”

“What did you say?”

“His name was Leonid. Among the invaders, he was a master of hand-to-hand combat.”

“So?”

“I gave him a little water and food, and in exchange, I learned these techniques from him. But when using them, he insisted I also follow their customs. That is the reason why, without realizing it, I...”

“So you’re saying that you, an imperial guard, learned how to fight from an invader?”

“That was before I became an imperial guard of the Almighty Emperor. And besides, what does it matter where the knowledge comes from if it brings glory and prosperity to our people?”

“

Hm?

”

“Know your enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. To defeat the enemy, you must first understand them. While I was on the battlefield, I saw many invaders lose their weapons. But they overcame it with martial arts to subdue our warriors. I believe there are things we can learn from them.”

“

Ahem!”

“As you saw, I can still protect the Lord Chancellor even if I lose my lightsword.”

“You’re not wrong, but...”

“It was my fault for being careless. Please forgive me, Captain!”

Siegfried immediately threw himself to the ground, bowing deeply in true Coral fashion. His head was pressed to the ground, and his arms were stretched out.

According to the book,

Understanding the Coral Race,

this was called the full head-drown sprawl, which was how the Corals begged for forgiveness.

“

Ahem!”

Seeing the

sincere

apology, the captain’s stern face softened slightly.

“I see... So that’s what happened.”

“Well, everyone makes mistakes, right?”

“He’s still young.”

Even the other imperial guards who had been about to drag him to the interrogation room for suspicion of treason were now nodding in agreement. Siegfried’s shameless but convincing lie clearly swayed them.

His title had given him the boost he needed to push the absurd excuse over the line.

“Well said, Mindrius. There is merit in learning from the invaders,” the captain said with a nod. Then, he announced, “The test is over! You have passed the test!”

“Thank you, Captain!”

“But mind your conduct from now on. You’ve got the looks and the skill, but it’s all for nothing if your character fails.”

“I will keep that in mind, Captain!”

“All right, dismissed!”

Thanks to his scheming and glib tongue, Siegfried managed to secure a position as one of the personal guards of Maximus, who was the only one who knew the Coral Emperor’s whereabouts.

***

“

Phew!

I think that just shaved ten years off my life...”

Back in the office, Siegfried nearly collapsed after letting out a sigh of relief.

He had just barely managed to avert a disaster that could have exposed his identity, so his heart was still pounding like crazy.

“

Kyuuu!

Good job, owner punk! That was a close one!”

“Yeah, it was.”

“So you’re gonna watch for a chance to turn Maximus into your slave?

Kyuuu!”

“I have to. This is a golden opportunity that might never come again. If I can just enslave Maximus, then this war is as good as won,” Siegfried replied with a nod.

He was not wrong at all. If he could turn Maximus, the one commanding the entire military forces of the Corals, into an Irradiator, then it would only be a matter of time before he learned the exact location of the Coral Emperor.

In addition, he would be able to influence all Coral strategies and tactics as he wanted. With the commander of the army in control, Siegfried could bring down the Corals in one decisive blow.

He could also use Maximus to influence the strategy and tactics used by the Corals. He could steer their armies into ambushes, causing them to be slaughtered en masse by the Marchioni Imperial Army.

With the enemy commander in his pocket, it would be possible for Siegfried to bring down the entire Coral species at will.

“Maximus seems to trust me for now. I’ll just have to wait for an opportunity. But I’m sure there won’t be that many chances, though. If I’m lucky, maybe one or two... or none at all,” Siegfried muttered to himself, remembering that he only had eight days left.

Within those eight days, he had to turn his target into an Irradiator without raising any suspicions from Maximus and his personal guards, who surrounded him around the clock.

If by some stroke of luck he managed to get a chance to turn Maximus into an Irradiator, then he absolutely couldn’t afford to waste it.

Why?

It was all because that single chance could decide whether this war would end or would drag on.

‘

I better go over the manual once again,’

Siegfried thought.

He opened the book,

Understanding the Coral Race,

and forced himself to study again.

After that close call with the bow, he had learned his lesson and swore to be extra careful from now on. He stayed up late into the night, reading every page he could, before finally logging out for a quick nap.

Once he logged back in, he got ready to work as an official member of Maximus’ personal guards.

To Siegfried’s surprise, his first assigned position was to guard Maximus.

“I’ve heard plenty of talk about you swirling around. They say your skills are the real deal,” Maximus said.

The chancellor greeted Siegfried with a warm smile as soon as he showed up for duty.

“I am deeply honored to serve you, my lord,” Siegfried replied.

He made sure to form the "ㄴ" shape with his arms in proper Coral fashion and greeted Maximus.

“

Oh?

Is it really an honor? Going from being one of the emperor’s imperial guards down to my personal guard is basically a demotion for you.”

“Not at all. I would rather work on my feet than waste away. If it is our people’s glory, what does it matter what position I hold?”

“

Haha!

Well said! With people like you around, our future looks bright indeed!” Maximus exclaimed with a chuckle.

He seemed clearly impressed by Siegfried’s response, which was a pure lie, of course.

“I am humbled by my lord’s kindness. I am certain that all warriors of our glorious race feel the same way.”

“

Oh?

Not only are you handsome and skilled, but you’re modest too?

Hoho!”

“

Hahaha...”

“I’m keeping you close. I feel like I’ve gained an excellent subordinate today!”

“I will serve you with my life, Lord Chancellor!”

“Good, good! Excellent!”

Surprisingly, Maximus was warming up to Siegfried faster than expected.

This was no surprise, as Siegfried had the title "Old Man Romance ❤".

[Old Man Romance ❤]

[Do you want to be secret friends with ajusshi?]

[A title awarded to those loved by old men.]

[Type: Title]

[Rating: Unique]

[Effect: +250% Affinity from old NPCs]

By Coral standards, Maximus was definitely considered middle-aged, so the title’s effect was working overtime on him.

“I look forward to working with you, Mindrius.”

“Yes, Lord Chancellor! I will guard you with my life!”

“I trust you will.”

A few hours later—

“Get ready to mobilize. In three hours, the Lord Chancellor will hold talks with the invaders.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Oh, and... Mindrius.”

“Yes, Captain!”

Siegfried snapped to attention when his alias was called.

‘

Aw, crap! He’s gonna pull me from the mission, isn’t he? Damn it!’

This meeting was the perfect chance to eavesdrop on the Coral-Marchioni negotiations, so Siegfried couldn’t afford to miss it.

However, the captain’s words were not what he expected.

“You don’t know our tactics yet since you’re new.”

“Y-Yes, sir...” Siegfried replied, trying to hide his disappointment. Then, he grumbled inwardly, ‘

Ah, damn it... They’re benching me, aren’t they?’

“But...”

‘

Huh? What?’

The captain went on, “The Lord Chancellor himself has ordered you to be deployed on this mission.”

“What...?”

“Your duty is to stay by his side at all times. Don’t worry about tactics or what. Your only job is to guard the Lord Chancellor up close at all times.”

“Yes, captain!”

“I trust you’re skilled, but guarding the Lord Chancellor is an extremely important task, Mindrius. So don’t let us down.”

“Please leave it to me! You have nothing to worry about!”

Just like that, Siegfried had secured a front-row seat at the Coral-Marchioni negotiations.

***

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The negotiations between the Marchioni Empire and the Coral Race were held right between the two camps—a neutral zone designated just for this purpose.

Last time, the Marcioni Empire had taken the risk of coming all the way to the capital of the Corals to meet their emperor. So this time, the Corals agreed to compromise and meet halfway on neutral ground instead.

Both parties were allowed to bring exactly one hundred guards each, no more, no less.

The talks themselves, however, were to be a one-on-one dialogue between the representatives. Chancellor Maximus for the Corals and Duke Neighdelberg for the Marchioni Empire.

Siegfried joined the negotiation talks as a member of Maximus’ personal guards, and he was not just any guard, but the one stationed right beside him. He was so close to Maximus, in fact, that he was allowed inside the very tent where the talks were taking place.

‘

Ah, so that’s why they brought me in...’

As soon as he stepped into the negotiation tent, Siegfried realized exactly why he had been included in this operation despite being new.

Inside the tent, no one, neither Coral nor human, was permitted to carry a weapon.

The concept of hand-to-hand combat was foreign to the Corals, so the hand-to-hand combat martial arts that Siegfried showed off during the sparring proved to be highly valuable.

No matter how elite the other imperial guards were, they would be far less useful than Siegfried in a place where weapons were forbidden.

‘

I just hit the jackpot!’

Siegfried cheered inwardly but maintained a poker face.

He stuck close to Maximus and remained serious while subtly hinting that he was deeply honored to be assigned this duty.

At long last, the negotiations began.

As soon as the negotiations started, Siegfried felt that something was off.

Something about the exchange between the two parties was not adding up.

“As mentioned during our last meeting, our people do not wish for this war to continue. We have sent you multiple official requests for a ceasefire since then, but why have we received no response, Duke Neighdelberg?” Maximus asked, sounding exasperated.

“I already explained the Marchioni Empire’s position last time, did I not? The Marchioni Empire is not interested in a white peace,” Duke Neighdelberg replied, his voice cold.

“Then are you saying that the Marchioni Empire wishes to continue this war indefinitely?”

“Why not? We have the advantage, so why should we bother with a peace treaty? If you really want peace so badly, you are more than welcome to sign the agreement we sent you before.”

“That agreement was no treaty! That was a slave contract! Do you take us for fools?! Have you even read what your empire demanded? Your empire was demanding that our entire planet be reduced to a mere colony!” Maximus exclaimed, slamming his palm on the table.

“

Hoho!

Would you rather your species go extinct?” Duke Neighdelberg asked with a faint, mocking chuckle.

‘

Huh? Hold on... Something’s not adding up here,'

Siegfried thought, his mind stalling for a second as he listened to the exchange.

According to what he was told, the Marchioni Empire had proposed the ceasefire first. Unfortunately, the Corals had rejected it, which was why the war was still ongoing.

From what he just heard, it didn't seem to be the case at all.

‘

Hmm... Let’s just keep listening. Maybe just a bit longer.’

Siegfried decided to wait and see where the conversation was going. After all, there was an old saying to hold one’s tongue until one had heard the whole story. And that was exactly what Siegfried was planning to do right now.