Chapter 1208

Siegfried’s forces successfully infiltrated up to the middle slope of Dragonhead Mountain.

After turning the sentries and guards into Irradiators, they quickly secured the area and started their operation.

The dwarves and the laborers began their main task, which was to dig a tunnel into the mountain.

The tunnel directed into the middle slope would create a massive fracture leading toward the Marchioni Empire’s territory hidden beneath the surface of the mountain. When the volcano erupted, the lava would flow in that direction.

“Defend this position at all costs. If anyone approaches, try to subdue them and quietly bring them to me rather than killing them. The key to the success of this operation is being undetected by the enemy.”

“Yes, sire!”

After ordering the Proatine Force agents to defend the worksite, Siegfried took Duke Decimato and headed for the summit, where the magic circle had been drawn.

Their goal was to infiltrate and alter the coordinates drawn on the magic circle.

“Let’s move quietly for now. It will take some time for me to turn them all into an Irradiator,” Siegfried said.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty,” Duke Decimato replied.

Disguised as an elderly magician and his apprentice, Siegfried and Duke Decimato mixed themselves among the Marchioni Empire’s magicians.

With nearly thirty thousand magicians deployed on the mountain, no one suspected them.

The magicians hardly knew one another, unless they belonged to the same squad, so they paid little attention to who was who.

“Just wander around a bit and pretend to be busy.”

“What will you do, sire?”

“I will linger near the magic circle where the coordinates are being set.”

“Please be careful, sire.”

“You too.”

After splitting up, Siegfried made his way toward the core section of the massive magic circle that stretched throughout the summit of Dragonhead Mountain. This was the part of the magic circle that would decide the coordinates where the eruption would go.

However, the defenses were so tight that infiltration seemed nearly impossible.

“Halt!”

When Siegfried drew near, a knight blocked his path.

“State your identity and affiliation.”

“

Ah,

well... I am one of the magicians brought to draw the magic circle, but I lost my way going to the area I was assigned to.”

“This is a restricted area. Turn back and return to your post immediately.”

“My apologies.”

Siegfried had no choice but to retreat without even getting a glimpse of the magic circle.

‘

Damn... It’s really airtight.’

The restricted zone was guarded so heavily that even Siegfried couldn’t force his way through.

The knights basically formed a human wall around the circle, making it airtight. Even if he somehow managed to sneak in, it would be nearly impossible to tamper with the magic circle.

‘

This looks hopeless...’

For now, he withdrew rather than pushing his way in. Then, he began circling the perimeter in search of another opening. Unfortunately, getting anywhere near the magic circle seemed impossible, no matter how long he searched for a way in.

‘

This isn’t going to be easy...’

To make matters worse, only five magicians were working on the magic circle. This part of the magic circle was the most crucial part, so only the highest-ranking magicians were assigned to handle it.

This meant that both Siegfried and Duke Decimato would stick out like a sore thumb, even if they somehow managed to slip past the knights.

‘

I’ll have to keep an eye on them for a few days and wait for an opportunity...’

With that thought in mind, Siegfried decided to pull back for now and regroup with Duke Decimato. He had about ten days before the eruption was triggered, so time was not an issue right now.

Thus, he committed to gathering information during the ten days that he had.

***

Meanwhile, Plague roamed the major cities of the Marchioni Empire and scattered his virus just as Siegfried commanded him to.

As instructed, he concentrated on places with the highest population density and the highest traffic of people.

In particular, he targeted the areas around warp gates that led to other regions.

‘

The more people move, the wider and faster the virus spreads.’

Just as Siegfried taught him, Plague loitered near each city’s warp gates and spread his virus. He made sure to keep his virus non-lethal during this time to prevent any ominous rumors of an epidemic.

‘

The incubation period is key. The longer the incubation period, the more the hosts will spread it without realizing they are infected. Yes, this is why he said I had to adjust the lethality of my virus. Potency isn’t everything! What matters is spreading it steadily!’

Plague had opened his eyes to a whole new world after receiving Siegfried’s teachings.

Thanks to this, the citizens of the Marchioni Empire had no idea that they had been infected with a fatal disease and went about their daily lives as unsuspecting hosts.

Plague didn't even need to travel much, as those infected were diligently spreading the virus on his behalf wherever they went.

And so, a nightmare was silently creeping upon the people of the Marchioni Empire, who were living out their days in peace, completely unaware of the plague looming over them.

A horrible pandemic was about to strike, and it would be remembered as the Marchioni Empire’s Age of Pestilence.

‘

Now then, shall I head to the capital city?’

After making his rounds in the other major cities, Plague finally turned his steps toward the empire’s capital, which was the largest and grandest of all the cities.

The capital city alone had nearly fifty million residents, and the total population easily exceeded one hundred million if taking into account the nearby surrounding cities, towns, and settlements.

This region was, without a doubt, the most densely populated place in the entire continent, and spreading the virus there would guarantee tens of millions of deaths.

To someone like Plague, the Lord of Pestilence, it was nothing short of a goldmine.

“

Lalala~”

Already giddy at the thought of unleashing a pandemic right in the heart of the Marchioni Empire, Plague hummed a cheerful tune while skipping toward the capital city.

***

Siegfried and Duke Decimato stayed at Dragonhead Mountain for over a week, watching and waiting for an opening to present itself.

Unfortunately, entering the restricted area was utterly impossible.

Even though they had spent nearly twenty-four hours a day surveilling the area, they came to the conclusion that infiltrating it was simply impossible.

‘

Isn’t there some other way...?’

While he was racking his brain, Siegfried suddenly thought of an idea.

“Hey, Hamchi.”

“

Kyu?”

“Turn into a mouse and sneak in there. Go do some scouting for me.”

“

Kyuuu!

Roger that!”

Siegfried sent Hamchi into the restricted area to gather intel.

On that same night...

“

Kyuuu!

I’m back, owner punk!”

Hamchi returned and reported the situation on the inside.

“Were there any spots we could exploit?” Siegfried asked.

“

Kyuuu!

There was one!”

“Oh?! Really?!

“

Kyuuu!

Yes!”

“Where is it?”

“Right here!

Kyuuu!”

Hamchi pointed at the map of Dragonhead Mountain.

“The edge of the restricted area is a cliff!

Kyuu!”

“And? What’s so special about it?”

“There’s a toilet there!

Kyuuu!”

“...”

“All the old mages working in the restricted area use it!

Kyuuu!”

A toilet was essential if a large group of people were to gather in one place.

If it had only been a handful of people hiking up the mountain, then they could just dig a hole in the woods and relieve themselves in it.

However, tens of thousands of people were stationed here for days, so toilets were something that they could not compromise on.

Without a toilet, they would be forced to wander deep into the forests where predators lurked just to relieve themselves. In addition, the excrement piling up would start emitting a horrible stench, attract vermin, and cause a disease outbreak.

“So they built the toilets right at the edge of the cliff?”

“

Kyuu!

Exactly!”

“The cliff is so steep you can just go and let it drop! Bombs away!

Kyuuu!”

“...That’s actually not bad.”

It was indeed crude and filthy, but it was something that could be used as an infiltration route.

If he were to climb up from below and wait inside the toilet, then he could ambush those unfortunate enough to relieve themselves while he was there.

‘

That’s it.’

Thanks to Hamchi’s intel, Siegfried finally found the gap that he needed to get near the magicians working within the restricted area.

“You really did great this time, Hamchi.”

“

Kyu?”

“This is going to be easier than I thought.”

“Don’t tell me... you’re planning to sneak in through the toilet...?

Kyu?”

“Well, there’s no other way, right? If that’s what it takes, then so be it.”

“

Kyuuu!

Has your taste evolved from sewers to toilets now? Or is it because you want to see some hairy old men’s asses?”

“What was that, you damn punk? You think I want to do this? I’m only doing it because I have no other choice!”

“

Kyu?”

“Damn it! I never thought I would have to infiltrate through a toilet and wait to ambush some wrinkly old men!

Ughhh!”

Clutching his hair as though the very thought pained him, Siegfried could only lament the lack of alternative options. He would have to climb the cliff in the dead of the night and slip into the toilet.

Of course, it went without saying that this was not some porta-potty with a nice porcelain toilet. It was the most primitive kind of toilet, one where the user would squat over a hole and let their waste drop straight into it.

***

“

Sigh...”

Siegfried looked up at the cliff that was close to eighty meters high and let out a deep sigh.

He could see the floor of the makeshift toilet up there, at the very top.

‘

This is absolutely disgusting...’

The ground where he stood was littered with the waste of those stationed in the restricted area. There was human excrement, urine, and maggots crawling around. Just breathing in this place was so revolting that Siegfried lost all desire to infiltrate the toilet.

Perhaps it was because he happened to be standing in the middle of a cesspit, but...

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Flies came buzzing out of nowhere and swarmed him.

Siegfried had earned numerous grand titles in recent months, such as "Grandmaster," "the Invincible Emperor," and "the Demon King," but these cursed flies still buzzed around him.

‘

I hate this. I hate my life. What did I do wrong in my previous life? Why? Just why?’

Unfortunately, this was something he had to do. If he wanted to save the Proatine Empire and exact vengeance on the Marchioni Empire, then this was the only option he had.

Thus, suppressing the urge to run away, Siegfried pressed himself against the shit-stained cliff and started to fly upward.

Shwoooong...!

Something suddenly came flying at him from above, aiming straight at his face.

“...!”

He was caught completely off guard, as he hadn't expected an attack here of all places.

If not for his reflexes, he would have failed to dodge the

projectile

in time and taken a direct hit to his face. He was flying up so quickly that he barely managed to dodge the

projectile

at the last fraction of a second.

“

Hiiiik!”

The projectile, which was actually a long brown shit shat by someone, skimmed right past the tip of his nose, making him flinch in horror.

“T-That was a close one...” he muttered in relief. Apparently, someone above had just finished their business and unknowingly dropped their excrement on Siegfried.

Ding!

A notification window popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.

[Alert: Congratulations!]

[Alert: You have acquired a new title!]

The newly acquired title was...

[I Evaded Because It Was Filthy, Not Because I Was Scared!]

[Type: Title]

[Rating: Unique]

[Effects: +15% Evasion, +45% Luck]

“...”

Siegfried was left speechless after reading the title description. Who knew he could earn a title for dodging poop of all things? Still, he did not complain this time, as the effects were far too good to complain about.

With that, he stopped grumbling and continued flying upward toward the toilet.

Once inside, he would lie in wait, and when a magician from the restricted area came to relieve themselves, he would grab them and fill them up with his radioactive microbes, turning them into his slaves.