Rogue Villain-Chapter 281: Guest

At the same time as he spoke, a pale-skinned and black-haired man in a long robe that covered his body revealed himself to Ackster and Trana. He also had slit pupils that looked at Ackster with a peculiar glow.

"Malzar! I thought you would still be hiding like a rat after Killgara beat the shit out of you."

’He said I interfered with his plans, right? What plans?’

Ackster’s head remained calm as he tried to piece together the situation. Trana’s hostility made it clear that Malzar was an enemy, or at least someone to be wary of. Ackster didn’t want to confront him without knowing why or how to deal with him.

If Trana looked at Malzar with that attitude, it could only mean he was about as strong as her. If that were the case, Ackster didn’t stand a chance against him.

"Me? Hiding like a rat? I guess that’s how you would interpret it. But, no. I was simply biding my time and making a few preparations. However, as soon as I left on an errand..." Malzar looked at Ackster. "Someone decided to interfere. Why?"

"No reason. It just seemed like it would be fun to fuck your plans over."

Ackster had no idea what Malzar’s plans were, but if he were the type to plan and scheme, he would be less effective in combat if he followed his emotions. Ackster wouldn’t have provoked him if he was alone, but he had Trana next to him and Mara behind them. They shouldn’t be at a disadvantage.

*Be careful. Malzar uses curses.*

Ackster made no show of having heard Trana’s voice, but he appreciated it. And he had Curse Resistance. This situation was an opportunity to train it.

"Are you saying you knew what I had in mind for this decrepit Land?"

"Of course. It’s obvious as daylight."

Ackster’s mind raced before coming to a halt as he realized the most likely and obvious scheme Malzar could have laid.

"Revenge."

Ackster pieced together the clues he already had with the final puzzle piece of Trana’s greeting.

Kargas’ mother died, presumably in childbirth, without Killgara ever making an appearance. Then, Kargas’ fate and power as a Dragon Slayer were revealed at the same time as the dragonling race was unable to conceive and give birth to new generations.

Kargas was driven out and went mad while the dragonlings harbored and fostered their resentment over the years.

Kargas grew stronger while hunting draconic beings, both fictive and real, while the dragonlings hated Kargas more and more for each year they were unable to give birth to a new generation.

"Of course, I don’t know the details."

Ackster wasn’t sure when Killgara beat the shit out of Malzar, so he didn’t know the order of events. But he had an idea.

"But you were planning to use Killgara’s son, Kargas the Dragon Slayer, to drench this Land in the blood of the dragonlings. I’m guessing for a sacrificial ritual to take revenge on the other dragons for shunning and bullying you."

"...you!"

"Am I right?"

"How did you know?"

"It’s obvious from a glance. Anyone with half a brain could tell. I’m starting to understand why you aren’t liked, Malzar. Even without anyone stepping in, your plan would have never succeeded."

Malzar’s face tensed up in a grimace of suppressed rage.

"...What do you mean? My plan might not have been flawless, and you might have guessed most of it, but it was still likely to succeed."

"No way. The Guild would have prevented anything from happening. And if not that, Kargas would have broken free of your curse as soon as he got strong enough. All it took were a couple of choice words and he regained his sanity. He could have done that on his own when he would be strong enough to target the Land of Dragons."

Ackster shook his head as if disappointed in Malzar.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Did you really think your magic would work that well on the Dragon Slayer? Haven’t you studied up on your mortal enemy at all?"

Ackster barely had time to finish before a heavy weight struck his chest, and he collapsed to the ground with distorted senses and melting insides.

"Ackster!"

’Shit. I should have told her not to use my real name.’

"My Lord!"

’Careful, Mara. This guy’s dangerous.’

Ackster closed his eyes and reinforced his body and senses with mana while flooding himself with vitality to stave off and help his recovery skills against the curse gnawing away at him.

"Malzar! You dare attack someone under my protection?!"

Trana took to the sky and charged toward Malzar. The curse Malzar threw out was powerful enough to get rid of almost every human. Fortunately, Ackster was one of the exceedingly rare exceptions that would survive it. But Trana wasn’t going to give Malzar the chance to try again.

However, she had a nagging feeling at the back of her mind that something was off. Malzar wasn’t this rash. And while they were similar in terms of strength, Malzar hadn’t won against her in a direct confrontation before, so he would never challenge her like this unless he had something to rely on.

Still, letting Ackster suffer in the hands of Malzar was very anti-thetical to helping him grow stronger. Well, he did grow from suffering, but Trana wasn’t going to let Malzar act out in front of her, especially when she didn’t know what he had planned.

Trana charged her fire, its blue light spilling from her open jaws.

Malzar snorted.

"Hmph. It seems my preparations weren’t in vain. Not even you can stand in my way now, Trana."

An ominous power shielded Malzar’s body when Trana let her fire fly. Trana’s blue stream of lightning-filled fire bounced off of Malzar’s shield.

"What?"

"Surprised? This is power beyond your imagination."

"Really? I have a pretty vivid imagination, you know?"

Trana flapped her wings and gathered a power in her mouth that caused the nearby area to freeze from the pressure. The blinding light made everything else seem dark.

’Tararat should take notes.’

Ackster looked at the power of a true Breath with admiration.