Rogue Villain-Chapter 274: Making A Deal With The Devil

Before long, Ackster’s head had mostly recovered along with his torso. It was just his limbs that lagged behind.

"Ugh. Did I grow colorblind, or why did you change color, crocodile?"

Trana frowned. She still couldn’t make sense of the strange creature in her hand. By all appearances, it was a fully functioning and alive human. There was nothing special about him, such as him being dead, a vampire, or of a strange bloodline. However, what he had just done was something ordinary humans couldn’t do.

"I’m a different dragon. My name is Trana."

’Shit.’

Ackstre groaned. He couldn’t even defeat a single dragon, at least not before the other showed up, and he was pretty tired and beaten up now. Fortunately, he was still clear-headed enough to realize Trana didn’t seem to be about to eat him or something.

"You wanna fight?"

Still, Ackster had no intention of backing down. His skills and the pieces of Viztar inside him were working like a pack of bulls to restore him to his prime condition, and Ackster could still use Limit Breaker and Unstoppable to do the impossible.

"No, thank you. I would actually prefer not to see you ever again. But I have something to ask you."

Ackster raised an eyebrow in doubt.

"...Sure."

Trana turned her hand so Ackster could see Kargas and, more specifically, the broken handle in his hand.

"That thing. Can you give it to me?"

Ackster furrowed his brow as he looked at the large blue dragon with clear but greedy eyes. Trana’s first impression was a lot better than Viztar’s, even if only because she didn’t appear to be as much of a musclehead. But that also meant she was more dangerous, as proven by Viztar’s beaten-dog-like attitude behind Trana.

"Technically, I can. But if I say I don’t want to, what will you do? Or rather, what can I do to stop you from taking it?"

"Surely, you jest."

Trana scoffed, thinking that Ackster’s fear was ridiculous.

"...You’re serious?"

"Why wouldn’t I be? I wouldn’t exactly say this situation is something to joke about."

"Don’t you know what that thing is?"

"It’s a broken trident. Sturdy, of course, but still, it’s just a broken weapon."

"A trident? Do you happen to know who it belonged to?"

"Yeah."

"Do you mind telling me?"

Ackster had a feeling he was starting to understand a little bit more about how Trana worked and thought.

"If I do, what can you do for me?"

"That depends...What do you want?"

"Good question."

Ackster grew silent. He hadn’t really thought about that. He wanted to stop The Hero from killing him and everyone else in Millmeria by destroying the world. And he was willing to do whatever it took to do that. But was he supposed to ask Trana for help with that when he was pretty sure a dragon other than Mastrax would only get in the way?

Although the dragons were strong, they weren’t at the same level as The Hero and The Calamity. At worst, they would only become nourishment for The Hero to become stronger.

"I want to get stronger."

Trana scrunched up her face, which, considering her draconic appearance, was terrifying. But Ackster could tell it was mostly from something like disgust and not because she was angry.

’Rude.’

"I don’t think I want to help you with that."

Ackster could feel a hint of wariness in her tone.

"Ah, if you’re worried I’ll come back and try to eat Viztar again, don’t be. I won’t need to if I’m already strong enough."

Trana thought in rumbling silence for a while before speaking again.

"If you promise not to get close to me and tell me more about that broken trident, I will help you get stronger. Within reason, of course.

"Of course."

"But, if you give me the trident, I will do whatever you want, save for a couple of things."

"Tempting offer, but I would like to hold onto the broken trident. I’m pretty sure I’ll need it in the future."

"That’s a given."

Trana nodded as if it was obvious.

"Information like that is going to be important for me growing stronger, just so you know."

Trana nodded.

"All right. That’s a deal, then."

Trana closed her eyes for a moment, and Ackster heard a faint sound of something like a padlock clicking shut.

"What was that?"

Ackster looked around to see if he could locate the source of the sound.

"You heard that?"

"Yeah?"

"Interesting. It took me several millennia to hear stuff like that. How old are you?"

"Dunno, twenty maybe."

Trana furrowed her brow.

"I can tell you’ve undergone a bodily rebirth. But I don’t think you mean twenty hundred or twenty thousand."

"Nope. I should be around twenty years by now. I don’t really keep track of things like that. I might be a little older. A little."

Trana sighed deeply.

"What kind of monster are you? Are you even human?"

"I’m pretty sure I am still a human."

Ackster himself had had his doubts, considering what he had done and what his body was capable of.

"But you didn’t say what that was right now."

"Right. I guess this could help you grow stronger. What you just heard was most likely my Covenant taking effect. What sound did you hear?"

"Something like a lock snapping shut."

"Interesting."

Ackster had a lot more he wanted to ask, but he could feel several tense gazes piercing him from behind and one from the other side of Trana.

Viztar, Tararat, Kargas, and some of the dragonlings from the Council Hall were looking at him from various distances.

’Shit.’

Ackster’s paranoia, which had only let itself be suppressed to come back stronger, did just that. Ackster belatedly realized that his hunger for power and reliable comrades had made him cause way too big of a commotion.

Ackster turned to look at everyone he knew.

"Hey, can you kill me?"

Trana raised an eyebrow. She smiled.