Rogue Villain-Chapter 296: Inspiring

Although Kargas had gained a lot of strength after slaying Killgara, it wasn’t difficult for him to control it. If anything, he had an easier time controlling and bringing out the full scope of his Dragon Slayer abilities after reaching initial maturity.

So, he could suppress his magic defense that worked like a charm against magic from dragons and dragon-related beings. Otherwise, Mara, whose magic had grown closer to that of a dragon’s after her life-threatening training and Trana’s guidance, would never have been able to bring Kargas along with them in the sky.

Kargas could move around quickly enough on the ground to almost keep up with them. But it wasn’t efficient, especially if they were going to cross a vast ocean to get to Tenger.

"Dragon Slayer, you have been to Tenger before, right? What is it like?"

Mara respected Ackster too much to ask him questions to satisfy her curiosity. Kargas, on the other hand, was someone who had joined their group after them and had to rely on her for travel. She wasn’t rude, but her tone of voice didn’t leave many options for Kargas to stay silent or not give an answer.

"I’m sorry, Mara, but I don’t have many memories of my past. Almost everything that happened when I was...mentally unstable is a blur."

"I see."

"It should be better now, but it was a nice place before the Blood Moon disaster struck. It’s different from the Land of Dragons. The average strength is lower, but the land itself is richer. At least, that’s how it was before the Blood Moon disaster. I’m not sure how far it spread or what’s happened since then except that a few places still have green forests."

Ackster hadn’t been in Tenger since he stopped by to help Wilma with a ruin exploration, and they had flown high up in the sky, so he hadn’t seen much of the continent. But from what he had seen, the land was recovering well.

"Thank you for telling me, My lord."

"It’s nothing. Feel free to ask me anything that’s on your mind, though I may not answer some things."

"Then...You said we were looking for more party members in Tenger. Who are we looking for?"

"Well, we’re going to check if they’re qualified. But in Tenger, we’re looking for a fallen angel by the name of Karandiel."

Ackster didn’t see a reason to hide this information when talking to Mara and Kargas. Both of them trusted him, and they would find out sooner or later if Karandiel was qualified.

Ackster had no reason to think she wouldn’t be, but it wasn’t impossible. If Ackster hadn’t meddled, Kargas might not have grown strong enough in time.

It was also possible that Karandiel had run out of luck and died.

Wilma had hinted at her survival, but that was a long time ago.

"Ah, we’re also going to look for Mio. I left them with Wilma in case things went south in the Land of Dragons."

Mara sighed in relief.

"I was worried when I didn’t see them anywhere. You’re so thoughtful, My lord."

Ackster, Mara, and Kargas continued to chat to and fro as they flew toward Tenger at break-neck speed. They wouldn’t learn a lot about each other. But Ackster was satisfied as long as Kargas and Mara could cooperate smoothly in the future despite Kargas being antithetical to Mara’s existence.

After a few days of non-stop traveling, they arrived at the edge of Tenger. Since they didn’t know where to begin looking, they chose a nearby city with a big enough Guild branch to have any useful information.

"My lord, didn’t you say the average strength was lower than in the Land of Dragons?"

Ackster was also confused, and he didn’t answer Mara’s question as they entered the city. Of course, none of the adventures were strong enough to hold a candle to either of them. But they were a lot stronger than Ackster had expected, even considering they were closer to the edge of the continent than the center.

"...Yeah. This isn’t what I expected."

It was strange, but it wasn’t enough to force them to investigate, so Ackster and the other two went to the Guild branch in the center of the city, where Ackster used code Wilma had taught him to have the receptionist pass a message.

He had never had to use it before since Wilma had a tendency to find him or be where he was headed. Ackster was a little worried that their relationship had completely soured after what he pulled in the Land of Dragons. But he was still a special operative of the Guild, at least on paper. And last he checked, Wilma was his handler.

She might not be waiting for him, but if Ackster asked to meet, she wouldn’t refuse.

Since it seemed like it might take a while, Ackster and the others investigated the city to see if they could find a reason for why every single adventurer walked around with the smell of blood covering their weapons and a fierceness in their step that came from well-founded confidence in their strength.

With Mara’s magic, they didn’t have to worry about catching attention, and it didn’t take long before they could conclude one thing. It was due to the Blood Moon disaster.

When the Blood Moon disaster struck, the entire continent had been on the brink of collapse. If not for The Hero and several others stepping up and barely fighting through an endless amount of blood slaves and various dark magicks to defeat the Blood Moon Avatars, the continent would have been doomed. The force the avatars would have gained from an entire continent would have been enough to start on the track of world domination. They probably wouldn’t have conquered places with absolute might.

But beings at Kargas and Mara’s level of strength were rare, much less someone like Ackster or even the Sword God. They also rarely stuck to one location.

But, in the end, the Blood Moon waned, and normalcy returned. However, the people who survived couldn’t forget the despair they had felt. Some succumbed to that despair. But many, inspired by the brave champions who defeated the Blood Moon disaster, strove to grasp the strength to defend their own home.

The Hero was one person. But he was a person blessed since birth with unnatural power. He was also followed by unsavory rumors of his cold heart and ruthlessness.

Instead, there was one person especially who stood out as a savior, who shone a light upon the darkness of Tenger in its times of need. It helped that the person was a beautiful woman with golden white hair and an almost divine air around her. She was like an angel sent from the heavens.