Chapter 740

“What’s your name?” Siegfried asked.

“Clemence de Alfven. I am a viscount of the Zavala Kingdom as well as the Lieutenant General of the—” the commander replied.

"I'm not interested in that," Siegfried cut him off and asked, “So this attack is a gift from King Frederick, right? Is this his way of sending a message after failing to conquer O’Toul Fortress?”

“I have no idea. I simply follow orders and fulfill the duties assigned to me. The mind of His Majesty, King Frederick, is beyond what any officer can comprehend.”

“

Huh?

”

“Just kill me. Only the death sentence awaits me if I return alive, anyway. And even if I somehow manage to get a pardon, my military career is over. I’d rather die honorably on the battlefield than suffer such humiliation...”

“Oh, that was my plan all along, don’t worry. Well, I don’t mind sparing you, but you know too much about our kingdom’s secrets.”

“Secrets? Are you talking about the fact that the Sword Emperor, Betelgeuse, and Archmage, Daode Tianzun, reside in this tiny kingdom of yours?”

“Yup.”

“But how in the world is that even possible? How could a minor kingdom like this harbor such powerful individuals? Even the Marchioni Empire doesn’t have this much individual firepower!” Clemence exclaimed, looking directly at Siegfried.

Siegfried just shrugged and replied, “I guess you can say... connections?”

“C-Connections...?”

“I just somehow got to know them. I didn’t really try to befriend them or anything. It just happened.”

“That’s impossible! How could you command them with mere connections?!”

“Who said anything about me commanding them? They’re just... people I know. Let me ask you this, then. Is everyone beneath the king automatically a subordinate in your world?

Geez...

That sounds like a serious lack of imagination to me.”

“Are you even listening to the nonsense you’re spouting?”

“I already told you. They’re just my acquaintances, not my subordinates.”

“Is it possible that... you’re actually a dragon?”

“

Huh?

A dragon? Me?” Siegfried asked, pointing at himself while narrowing his eyes out of disbelief.

“Are you a dragon disguised as an Adventurer merely enjoying this world for fun? Is this all a game to you?”

To clarify, the "game" here referred to how dragons, usually over three thousand years old, enjoyed polymorphing into another creature just to experience life from their perspective rather than an actual "video game."

In other words, Clemence was asking if Siegfried was a dragon hiding in the human form of an Adventurer just to have some fun.

“What are you babbling about? I’m not a dragon,” Siegfried replied, his face scrunched up.

“I can understand you commanding such powerful individuals as your servants if you are a dragon enjoying your game, but... To masquerade as a weak kingdom and manipulate other kingdoms around you? That’s taking it too far! Even for a dragon, that’s just—”

“Enough!” Siegfried snapped, cutting him off. Then, he grumbled, “Why am I a dragon? Are you really going to continue spouting that nonsense?”

Unfortunately, those words fell on deaf ears as Clemence smiled weakly and muttered to himself, “Ah, so this is how it ends... The prosperous and mighty Zavala Kingdom will perish at a dragon’s hands...”

“Hey, shut up,” Siegfried growled, rising from his throne. Then, he placed his hand on the commander’s head and said with a grin, “You’re going to be my gift to your king.”

“W-What are you going to do—” Clemence cried out.

However, Siegfried simply ignored him.

‘

If I inject these radioactive microbes into his body, send him back to Frederick as a present, and...’

Siegfried pictured himself sending the commander’s severed head in a box to Frederick and turning the Zavala Kingdom’s royal court into hell.

In other words, he was planning to turn Clemence into a ticking time bomb.

‘

Hehehe... This will be perfect,’

Siegfried thought, grinning in delight at his ingenious idea.

Then, he pumped his radioactive microbes into the commander’s brain, focusing on creating a marble-sized sphere with them.

“

U-Urgh...!”

Clemence groaned. Blood trickled from his nose, and his eyes rolled back into his skull. His body was trying to refuse the toxins invading his brain, but it was to no avail.

Ding!

Then, a message popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.

[Alert: You have obtained a new skill!]

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

While pumping radioactive microbes into Clemence's brain, Siegfried proceeded to read the system message.

***

[Alert: A new skill has been created – Radiation Ghoul!]

[Alert: You may check the information about this skill by navigating to My Info and then My Skills page!]

Siegfried navigated to "My Info," and he finally saw the skill's description.

[Radiation Ghoul]

[Inject radioactive microbes into the brain of a subdued enemy, transforming them into ghouls.]

[Radiation Ghouls are perfect slaves, as they are unable to disobey commands. They can survive for a maximum of 168 hours.]

[A Radiation Ghoul can gather all of its mana and activate the skill, Nuclear Bomb, causing a massive explosion.]

[If 168 hours pass without activating Nuclear Bomb, the Radiation Ghoul will automatically use the skill and self-destruct.]

[Radiation Ghouls retain all memories, personality, and intelligence from their human life, making them hard to distinguish from ordinary humans.]

[Type: Active Skill]

[Energy Cost: 500 Radioactive Energy]

[Max Limit: None]

[Effect Radius: Scales with the ghoul’s mana.]

[Damage: Scales with the ghoul’s mana.]

“Oh? This is quite interesting,” Siegfried muttered with a grin after reading the details of his new skill.

Obtaining a skill this powerful was definitely a pleasant surprise. In BNW, making specific actions could trigger quests or unlock new skills, and the acquisition of Radiation Ghoul was a perfect example of that.

“Alright, perfect,” Siegfried said, immediately using his new skill. Then, he injected more radioactive microbes into the commander’s brain.

A minute later, a dull

thud

echoed as Clemence collapsed, but he immediately got back up.

[Alert: You have successfully created a Radiation Ghoul!]

[Alert: You may create additional Radiation Ghouls as needed!]

Clemence rose slowly like a zombie, and he knelt on one knee as he gazed at Siegfried, who was busy reading the messages in front of his eyes.

It had only been mere seconds since he was turned into a Radiation Ghoul, so Clemence’s eyes were still glowing in an ominous green hue, brimming with toxic energy.

“Hello, Master,” Clemence said.

“

Oh?

” Siegfried raised a brow, impressed by his new skill.

“I am at your command. Give the order, and I shall obey.”

The newborn Radiation Ghoul seemed ready to fulfill Siegfried’s every command, even if he commanded him to self-destruct and die.

“An order...” Siegfried pondered for a moment. Then, he grinned and said, “Alright, here’s what you’re going to do.”

“I await your command, Master.”

“Allow me to explain,” Siegfried said with a mischievous grin.

Then, he proceeded to give his instructions to Clemence, the Radiation Ghoul.

***

Two days later, The Zavala Kingdom grew increasingly anxious for news from the fleet they dispatched to the Proatine Kingdom.

However, to their dismay, they failed to get anything even through their intelligence agents, as the Proatine Kingdom’s capital city, Preussen, was so intensely fortified with incredibly tight security that it was impossible to sneak into it.

The capital was protected by spatial distortion magic that even the Zavala Kingdom’s magicians had to exhaust their mana, causing them to collapse, just to send the fleet past it.

The Zavala Kingdom intelligence agents attempted to sneak into the city using disguises, but neither they nor the Adventurers could get anywhere near the city, as guards employed rigorous identity verification.

Everything within thirty kilometers of the perimeter of the capital city was kept under strict control.

Thus, the Zavala Kingdom was completely in the dark regarding whether the mission had succeeded or failed.

“Perhaps it would be best to wait a little longer, Your Majesty. Surely, some news will come soon.”

“Indeed... There will be a reaction one way or another, whether they succeeded in abducting or killing either the queen or the princess.”

At that moment, an officer rushed in and reported.

“Your Majesty! Lieutenant General Clemence has returned from his mission!”

“What?”

“He narrowly survived but reports that he has failed the mission.”

“Failed?”

“Yes, sire!”

“Where is he now?”

“He is receiving treatment, sire!”

“Summon him at once.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

King Frederick immediately summoned Lieutenant General Clemence to hear his report of the operation. He had no plans of forgiving Clemence, as he had recently reprimanded his troops for their lax discipline and incompetence during the failed siege of the O’Toul Fortress.

His prestige would be on the line if he somehow forgave Clemence even though the latter had failed his mission.

Roughly thirty minutes later...

“I greet the Lion of Zavala,” said Clemence while bowing low before King Frederick. He looked badly beaten and bruised—a testament to the hardship he had to endure just to return from his mission.

“I hear that you failed your mission,” King Frederick said icily.

“Please... grant me death, sire...”

“I fully intend to do just that. But first, I expect you to finish your report as a soldier. Only then, may you face your death,” King Frederick said coldly, and his icy glare was fixed on the defeated commander.

“Y-Your grace is immeasurable, sire...”

Clemence thanked the king first before giving a full account of what transpired.

“The Proatine Kingdom’s anti-air cannons destroyed our aging airships.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Even our ironclad warship could not withstand the focused artillery fire and was shot down.”

“But the airships contained poison gas, did they not?”

“Unfortunately, sire, a magic circle embedded above Preussen activated and dispelled the toxic gas completely.”

“What about the Ironblood Knights?”

“We managed to escape as the mothership went down and made it into the palace. But with so few men left, we were in no position to complete the mission.”

“So you’re saying...” King Frederick muttered. Then, anger crept into his voice as he growled, “Not only did you fail to release the poison, but was thwarted even before you could attempt to abduct their queen and princess?”

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty. And I bear full responsibility for that,” Clemence said, prostrating before the king. Then, he added, “I was prepared to die fighting the enemy, but I thought I should at least deliver a report of what happened before I passed.

"Now that my report is complete, I am ready to face my punishment. I consider it an honor to die as a soldier in the line of duty.”

“...”

King Frederick was seething with rage, but he held back. Killing one of his men in a fit of rage was no way to honor a soldier who—despite failing his mission—had braved death to deliver his report and was now embracing his punishment with dignity.

‘I guess I have no other choice. Such a shame this good soldier has to be wasted...’

King Frederick thought. Then, he quelled his anger and asked, “Lieutenant General Clemence.”

“Yes, sire.”

“Do you have any last words?”

Those words from King Frederick were the cue for the nearby knight to unsheathe his sword and prepare for the execution. The trial would end here, with an immediate execution in the throne room as soon as Clemence had uttered his final words.

“Yes, I do, Your Majesty,” Clemence answered slowly. Then, he looked up straight at King Frederick and said his last words, “Long live the Grand Kingdom of Proatine!”

“...?”

King Frederick and his officials doubted what they were hearing.

Long live the Grand Kingdom of Proatine? Surely, this man meant to say, "long live the Grand Kingdom of Zavala," right?

“What did you just say...?” King Frederick asked, and a shiver went down his spine. He glared at Clemence, wondering whether fear of death had caused the soldier to lose his mind.

And then he finally saw it.

“...!”

Alarm bells blared in King Frederick's head as soon as he saw the ominous green glow in Clemence’s eyes. He instinctively knew that something had gone terribly wrong, but it was already too late.

“Long live—” Clemence uttered once again. Then, he smirked and uttered his last words, “—the Proatine Kingdom!”

BOOM!

Clemence’s body exploded right there and then, and the massive explosion pervaded the Zavala Kingdom’s throne room.