Chapter 932

Siegfried immediately summoned Ganeva the Third.

“Let the prisoner raise his head,” Oscar commanded.

The badly battered and bruised Ganeva the Third barely managed to lift his head and look at Siegfried.

“K-King Siegfried...!”

“Oh no! Look at you! What is this? Why make things so uncomfortable between us? You’re making it look like I’m some sort of brute! Are you happy? Does it make you feel good?”

“I... I apologize...!”

“But what should we do now? I contacted the Sacon Kingdom, but they refused to negotiate for your release.”

“W-What do you mean by that?!”

“They’ve already decided to crown the prince as the new king.

Ah,

no, they’ve already completed the coronation.”

“T-Those damned bastards!” Ganeva the Third seethed, recalling how his subjects sold him out to the dragons.

“They even officially deposed you, you know?”

“D-Deposed?!”

“They’re using the excuse that you ruled tyrannically and got yourself captured by dragons to solidify the new king’s legitimacy. Even your son seemed pretty indifferent about the whole thing.”

“T-That little...!” Ganeva the Third trembled with rage.

Being abandoned by his retainers already infuriated him, but he understood them.

Why?

It was all because he assumed that they had no choice after being intimidated by the overwhelming presence of the dragons.

But refusing to even negotiate his ransom? That was crossing the line.

At this point, it was clear that they had never been loyal to him, and it was highly likely that they had been plotting to depose him. However, the ultimate betrayal came in the form of his son unwilling to even negotiate for his release.

How could a son not even attempt to negotiate for his father’s release?

Clearly, the bastard had been eager to ascend the throne.

“You know what? I even offered them a discount, but they still said no.”

“T-That ungrateful little...!”

While Ganeva the Third was trembling in fury and spitting out curses after curses...

“Which brings me to my next point...” Siegfried said. Then, he leaned in and whispered in a low, enticing voice, “It’s time for you to reclaim your throne, don’t you think so?”

It was the devil’s whisper.

“W-What do you mean by that?”

“Hey, come on! Don’t act as if you don’t know what I’m saying!”

“Hmm?

”

“Now’s the perfect timing! Make a grand return, whip that brat of yours, and round up those backstabbing officials!”

“T-That’s...!”

Ganeva the Third’s eyes shot wide open. He knew that reclaiming the throne was not just a possibility if Siegfried helped him.

“So, what do you say? Will you negotiate with me and reclaim your crown? Or will you rot away as a slave in my mines, forsaken by his own subjects and son?”

“Well, obviously... I have no other choice but to accept your offer, right?” Ganeva the Third replied firmly.

“Excellent,” Siegfried said with a smile.

“

Ahem!”

“Then here’s the deal. I’ll reinstate you on the throne, but in return, you will cede some land to me.

Hmm...

What about this territory right here?” Siegfried said, unfolding a map and pointing to a region of the Sacon Kingdom.

The region he pointed to was not just

some land;

it was equivalent to a fifth of the Sacon Kingdom’s entire territory.

“You have a deal,” Ganeva the Third accepted without any hesitation.

Surrendering a fifth of his kingdom in exchange for his life and the throne was a small price to pay. However, the biggest thing he would be gaining from this deal was exacting revenge on his unfilial son and the treacherous ministers.

This was an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone—no, it was killing a flock of birds with one stone.

“I accept your offer, King Siegfried.”

“A wise decision!”

Siegfried smirked and extended a hand that Ganeva the Third shook firmly.

***

A few hours later...

Siegfried, accompanied by the Silver Dragon, Keanus, set off for the capital of the Sacon Kingdom with Ganeva the Third in tow.

Dragons rarely involved themselves in the petty affairs of humans.

However, Keanus was the guardian dragon of the Proatine Kingdom. Since this was not an attack on the Sacon Kingdom but rather a show of force, she had no qualms about accepting Siegfried’s request.

“A d-dragon! A dragon has appeared!”

“The dragons are back!”

“They’re back! Ruuun!”

Meanwhile, the Sacon Kingdom’s royal palace was thrown into utter chaos upon seeing Keanus.

The kingdom was still in the midst of recovering from the previous dragon attack, and the last thing anyone expected was another

visit

so soon.

Keanus landed on the palace, crushing parts of it, before roaring, “Hawkes! Come out here at once, you scoundrel!”

“G-Great One!” King Hawkes rushed out in a panic upon hearing that the Silver Dragon was calling for him.

Following closely behind him was a group of high-ranking officials.

Just like with Ganeva the Third last time, the ministers seemed to have pushed their king forward once again.

“H-Have you summoned me, Great One? I am Hawkes!” King Hawkes exclaimed, prostrating before Keanus.

“You disgraceful, unfilial scoundrel!”

“...!”

“Our dragons showed mercy to your father, and yet you dared to reject negotiating his return?!”

“T-That was...!”

“Such disgraceful treachery! Unforgivable!” Keanus snarled and lifted her massive talon to grab the back of King Hawkes’ neck.

“G-Great One! I was wrong! P-Please, forgive me!

A-Aaaah!”

“Your unfilial treachery is beyond redemption! From this day forward, you shall spend the rest of your treacherous life cleaning my lair!”

“

A-Aaaaack!”

And just like that, King Hawkes found himself getting

promoted

once again just after ascending the throne. His new job title was an even more prominent one—the Silver Dragon’s personal janitor.

“Your Majesty! We will never forget your sacrifice!”

“We will never forget you!”

The Sacon Kingdom’s ministers sent off their new king without much resistance, just as they had done when they cast aside Ganeva the Third.

Siegfried watched what was happening and whispered, “Hey, Keanus. Those guys are pretty revolting, don’t you think so? Tossing not only one but two kings aside just to save their own skin. There’s not an ounce of loyalty in them.”

“You vile, disloyal worms! I don’t see a single ounce of loyalty among you! How dare you call yourselves subjects?!”

“G-Great One! We merely—!”

“Silence!”

“...!”

“You have betrayed your sacred oath of allegiance to your king! You are nothing but treacherous insects! I cannot tolerate your presence any longer! You shall join this unfilial scoundrel in cleaning my lair until the last of your days!”

“G-Great One! We were wrong! Please, spare us!”

“Silence!” Keanus bellowed before teleporting King—no, Janitor Hawkes and the ministers straight to her lair.

Just like that, the Sacon Kingdom lost its king and its entire cabinet of ministers in an instant.

Siegfried turned to Ganeva the Third and said, “Well then, you can go back to being king.”

“

A-Ah,

y-yes...” Ganeva the Third stammered in response.

Thanks to this turn of events, Siegfried managed to claim a fifth of the Sacon Kingdom’s territory without a single battle, which was equivalent to the ninety billion won he had spent in the real world.

It was then.

Ding!

He obtained a new title.

[Alert: You have obtained the title Miracle Negotiator!]

[Miracle Negotiator]

[No bloodshed will occur if you hand over your gold willingly.]

[A title granted to those who have successfully forced one-sided terms on others.]

[Type: Title]

[Rating: Unique]

[Effect: +30% Chance to force unfair terms on others.]

Siegfried managed to obtain this title because instead of waiting for King Hawkes to buy Ganeva the Third back, he simply changed the buyer.

‘

Not bad at all. Negotiations should always favor me, right? Hohoho!’

With that, Siegfried swallowed a fifth of the Sacon Kingdom’s land and returned to the Proatine Kingdom with Keanus.

***

The next morning, Tae-Sung logged into BNW first thing in the morning and headed straight to Quandt’s workshop.

Upon arrival, he stumbled upon an unusual sight.

“

Hiyah! Hiyaaah!”

Verdandi was in Siegfried’s private training ground, diligently swinging a wooden training sword in her tiny hands.

She was fully immersed in her training, and she looked pretty serious.

And...

“Yes! That’s it! Good job!

Hohoho!”

Shockingly, the one training her was none other than Deus.

“Hello, Master,” Siegfried greeted with a bow.

He couldn’t just walk past the training ground when Deus was there, so he decided to pay his respects.

“You’re here,” Deus replied, not even sparing him a glance. His eyes remained fixed on Verdandi alone.

“

Hiyah! Hiyah! Haaap!”

Even though her father had arrived, Verdandi remained completely focused on her training.

“My granddaughter wanted to learn swordsmanship, so I decided to teach her a thing or two.”

“Thank you, Master.”

“

Bah

, what nonsense. A naturally gifted child came to me on her own, saying that she wants to become stronger. What else can bring me greater joy in this world?”

“S-She really said that?”

“She’s a strong one,” Deus said, his eyes dripping with affection. Then, he added, “After everything that child has been through, she could’ve easily lived with fear. But instead, she dusted herself off and came asking me to teach her swordsmanship.”

“

Ah...

”

“Tell me, isn’t that admirable? How could I refuse such a request?” Deus said with a huge smile. Then, he cast a sideways glance and grumbled, “Compared to you, she’s completely different.”

“

Hahaha...”

Siegfried laughed and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

However, he was not upset in the slightest. Deus, who was probably the pickiest master ever, was sparing no praises for Verdandi.

As a doting father, there was nothing that could make Siegfried happier.

“My gifted granddaughter and I have no time to waste chatting with the likes of you. Go on your way now,” Deus said, shooing him away.

“Yes, Master,” Siegfried replied with a bow before quickly stepping away.

He knew from experience that he would get a skull-smashing flick to the forehead if he loitered around even after getting shooed away. There were times he almost died after getting flicked on the forehead, so he was not about to experience that again.

‘

The sword should be finished by now, right?’

Besides, Siegfried was planning to head to Mount Amon with Brunhilde as soon as her replacement weapon was complete.

“Your Majesty! Your Majestyyy!”

Just then—

“An urgent report, sire!”

A messenger came running toward Siegfried.

“What is it?” Siegfried asked.

The messenger dropped to one knee and reported, “Your Majesty! The Northern Great Rift has started rampaging once again!”

“...!”

“Cheon Woo-Jin has urgently sent word to Your Majesty! He requests immediate assistance at the Northern Great Rift!”

“Damn it...” Siegfried grimaced, his expression hardening.

He was wondering when the rift would rampage again, and it seemed that the inevitable had finally arrived.