Chapter 527

The Huracan was shaken by the impact.

“What now?! Why does something happen whenever I’m on my airship?!” Siegfried cursed in anger. He could not help but wonder if there was some sort of jinx whenever he flew on an airship judging by how often he either crashed or encountered an unfortunate accident.

“Captain! What happened?!” Siegfried asked for a report from the captain.

“I have no idea, Your Majesty! There seems to be no damage based on our system reports!”

“Then what in the–”

It was then.

“

H-Hiiiik!”

Siegfried shrieked in horror after seeing a face outside the window right beside the flight deck’s door. He was so shocked that he ended up falling on his butt.

Thud!

“W-What the hell is that?! Get it off! Use the wipers!” Siegfried shouted.

Obviously, there was no such thing as wipers on an airship.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The man wearing aviator goggles and an aviator leather cap knocked on the window while shouting something. There was no way whatever he was shouting could be heard inside, so Siegfried had to rely on lipreading to tell what the man was saying.

Siegfried squinted and focused. “Yo... Maj... ty? Sieg... F... Fried? Op... pen? Open? Da... Doe?

Eh?

He wants me to open the door?”

Surprisingly, Siegfried managed to read the man’s mouth and understand what he was saying. He walked over to the door and opened it.

“

Huff... Huff...!”

The man wearing aviator goggles huffed and puffed as soon as he entered the airship.

“K-King Siegfried? Would you be His Majesty, King Siegfried?”

“Y-Yeah, that’s me. But who are you?”

“I am a pilot belonging to the Ninth Air Force Strike Squadron of the Marchioni Empire, Cork!”

“So...? Why were you clinging onto my airship?”

“I was on my hippogryph waiting for Your Majesty, but your airship was too fast for my hippogryph to fly alongside it,” Cork replied before pointing at the hippogryph hovering outside.

“Why were you waiting for me? Also, did you really have to make such a dramatic entrance?

Hahaha...

”

“I come bearing a message from His Imperial Majesty for you, King Siegfried.”

“Oh? But you could have waited until the airship landed, right? There was no need to jump and cling for your dear life–”

“No, Your Majesty. We have a duty to deliver His Imperial Majesty’s words the moment we see the recipient even if it means we have to put our life on the line!”

“W-What dedication. Do you really have to go that far...?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Okay, then please give me His Imperial Majesty’s message.”

“Certainly,” Cork replied with a bow. Then, he took out a scroll with the seal of the empire and said in a commanding voice, “King Siegfried van Proa. Kneel and show your respect for His Imperial Majesty!”

“Sure,” Siegfried replied and knelt on one knee to receive the emperor’s message.

Cork unrolled the scroll and started reading, “Dear, Siegfried van Proa.”

Emperor Stuttgart’s message was read out.

Dear, Siegfried van Proa.

Duke Randoll has informed me of your exploits just now.

You never fail to surprise me.

I heard that you safeguarded one of my favorite artworks, the Portrait of Evil Ghost.

It is truly a shame that you failed to apprehend the Phantom Thief, but do not be disheartened by it, as I, as the emperor, highly value your achievements.

In addition, I have not forgotten what you have done for the empire in the World Peace Conference.

Thus, I have decided to bestow you with a modest yet fair reward.

Siegfried van Proa.

I, in my authority as the emperor, hereby bestow upon you the territories surrounding the Proatine Kingdom, the Cronasia Plains, and a portion of the lower stream of the Piaro River, which is the lifeline of the continent.

I have contemplated night and day thinking of a befitting reward for you, and I have thought that no greater reward would a ruler covet than territory. Therefore, I sincerely hope that you will be pleased by this modest gift.

Lo and behold, the territory of the Proatine Kingdom has greatly expanded, and I hope that you will continue to become a righteous ruler, caring for his people.

I look forward to seeing you again.

I shall end my letter with well wishes for you and your journeys.

Signed,

The 16th Emperor of the Marchioni Empire

Emperor Stuttgart von Posteriore

“Thank you for your grace, Your Imperial Majesty,” Siegfried said before he bowed to the floor. Then, he asked Cork, “Is that all of it?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Then...”

“I shall excuse myself now, Your Majesty. It was an honor to meet you,” Cork said. He retreated a few steps and bowed with utmost respect before jumping down from the Huracan.

Whoosh!

A hippogryph swooped and caught him, and they flew into the distance.

As for Siegfried...

“Your mouth! You and your big mouth!

Argh!”

Siegfried screamed and convulsed in agony.

***

“

Kyu?”

Hamchi tilted his head in confusion. Then, he asked, “Owner punk! What’s wrong? Shouldn’t you be happy with the reward?!”

The captain was of the same opinion, “Congratulations, Your Majesty! The emperor has bestowed upon our kingdom territory twice our current size! But... Why does Your Majesty seem to be displeased by it?”

The lands surrounding the Proatine Kingdom were all forests, so there was nothing special about it. However, it was a different story for the Cronasia Plains. These plains stretched far into the horizon, and it was known as the northwestern region’s food basket, cultivating tons and tons of grains every year.

On top of that, the lifeline of the continent, the Piaro River ran through the continent and was vital to both trade and agriculture.

The Cronasia Plains and the lower stream of the Piaro River were extremely valuable territories that the Proatine Kingdom would have to wage countless wars that could endanger the kingdom and still fail to obtain.

Shockingly, these two invaluable territories simply fell on Siegfried’s lap as a reward from the emperor.

However, Siegfried could not care less about that. Instead, he was annoyed to the max and was grimacing like a hobgoblin right now.

“Is this a reward? He’s telling me to go fuck myself!”

“Pardon me, sire?”

“Damn it! This big mouth of mine! I should be careful what I wish for!

Argh!

” Siegfried raged while recalling what he said earlier.

“Damn it! I’m going to expand my borders one day!”

The words he said out of anger earlier ended up becoming reality. Who would have thought his words would come true within the same day?

Siegfried hated the workload that would follow once his territory expanded, so he felt this was a cause for mourning rather than a celebration.

“

Aaah...”

he gasped lifelessly while imagining the mountain of documents awaiting him.

A ruler’s misery would increase the more people and land he obtained—or so he believed.

‘

Don’t tell me... Is he really trying to screw me over?’

Siegfried wondered.

“Why not just give me gold... I would’ve wanted... gold... cash is king...”

“Y-Your Majesty! Please compose yourself!”

“

Aaaaaaaah!”

Siegfried convulsed and foamed at the mouth.

***

After the short episode that was excruciatingly painful and stressful, the Huracan finally landed at Centropica.

Siegfried headed straight to the Aphrodite Merchant Company’s building and requested a meeting with its head, who went by the name of Iris.

“How may I help you?”

“I would like to meet the head of this merchant company.”

“May I ask for your good name, sir?”

“My name is King Siegfried van Proa, and I am the king of the Proatine Kingdom.”

“Please wait a moment.”

Siegfried waited for around thirty minutes.

“Iris-nim is currently at her residence.”

“Really? Wait, does that mean I can meet her or not?”

“Certainly, Iris-nim has accepted Your Majesty’s request for a meeting. We will prepare a carriage shortly.”

“Thank you.”

Twenty minutes later, Siegfried found himself outside a modest mansion located on the outskirts of Centropica. The mansion was indeed too humble to be the residence of a merchant owning her own merchant company.

Knock! Knock!

Siegfried knocked on the door.

“Please wait!”

A woman’s voice responded, and the door opened a few seconds later.

“Hello, King Siegfried van Proa. My name is Iris, and I am the head of the Aphrodite Merchant Company.”

The woman who opened the door turned out to be the person he was looking for, and she greeted him courteously.

“Hello, my name is Siegfried van Proa,” he replied courteously.

Meanwhile, he closely inspected her from head to toe. He had met numerous beauties in his

life,

but her charm was certainly quite a unique one. Her hair had a tinge of purple, her eyes were blue like the sea, and her skin was milky white.

She was definitely a beauty even in Siegfried’s eyes.

Of course, Siegfried wasn't interested in such beauties. What he was interested in was something else, and he flashed his Rune of Insight while pretending to courteously greet her.

[Iris]

[The head of the Aphrodite Merchant Company.]

[She is one of the leading merchants when it comes to the art industry, and she has good connections with numerous nobles and rulers all over the continent.]

[Although she is not renowned as an artist, she is still an artist.]

[Type: NPC]

[Level: 15]

[Class: Skillful Merchant]

[Note: She does not enjoy socializing and prefers to live like a recluse.]

Siegfried did not find out much about her with the Rune of Insight.

‘

Yeah, not that surprising. There are many ways to fool this rune,’

Siegfried was not particularly disappointed with the information that he had received from the Rune of Insight.

The Rune of Insight was not perfect, and most Adventurers knew that. Anyone with a certain skill could shield their information from the Rune of Insight, and an Adventurer could not fully scan someone with a higher level than them.

“May I come in?” Siegfried asked.

“Certainly, Your Majesty,” Iris replied before taking a step back to make way for him to enter.

“Thank you.”

“Would you like to have a cup of tea?”

“I will be grateful.”

“Please, this way.”

Siegfried and Hamchi followed Iris to the living room.

The interior of the mansion was as modest as its exterior. There were a few vases with wildflowers in them, old weathered wallpapers, and furniture that looked dated yet still stylish.

Most people would imagine a large mansion lavishly decorated with numerous servants when they imagine a successful merchant’s residence, but this was far from what one would expect from the residence of a successful merchant.

“Please make yourselves comfortable while I prepare to serve tea.”

“Okay.”

Siegfried racked his brain to come up with a way to find out Iris’ true identity.

‘

I’m certain she will feign ignorance. Or maybe not...? Should I just ask her directly? Ah, this is so difficult...’

e found it difficult to proceed when he wasn't even sure if Iris was indeed the owner of the Emerald Tablet, Acheron.

‘

What should I do...?’

Iris brought tea and some snacks while he was busy racking his brains trying to come up with a plan to figure out her true identity.

“I hope this is to your liking,” Iris said.

“I am fine with anything. I am not the picky type when it comes to food. Thank you very much,” Siegfried replied.

They proceeded to talk about a few generic things, but that was about it. Their conversation was not going anywhere nor was it fruitful at all, and it felt like things were slowly starting to get awkward between them as silence started to set in.

Iris broke the silence and cut straight to the chase, “Is there anything Your Majesty wishes to discuss with me?”

“Ah, I do.”

“May I ask what that is?”

“Before that, may I take a look at the paintings you have painted?” Siegfried asked.

“My... p-paintings?” Iris stuttered in response.

Surprisingly, she looked quite flustered by his request.