Struggling as a Villain

It was a lazy afternoon on the second day of the journey.

Richard was lying in the carriage while Lilia drove it. There was not anything they could do other than travel, eat and sleep. Lilia said that they would reach the Sage Temple by tonight at some point.

Now that he thinks about it, "Why is it called Sage's temple? And who was this Sage?"

His voice was loud enough to be heard by Lilia.

She actively kept her eyes on her surroundings while her hands controlled the horse's speed and her mouth moved to answer her master,

"Do you know the history of the seven great heroes, my lord?"

Richard got up and sat near the window before responding, "The first awakened beings who showed the strength that could rival a deity? Yeah, I know."

The seven heroes or saviours are the beings who fought against the first wave of Ambrobates in the past and also the ones who stabilized the planet when it was nearing its extermination.

The first Monarch ranked Ambrobate—The Hades was also defeated by their unified strength. And after achieving that feat, they gained the title of Seven Great Heroes.

At that time, the planet was divided into small kingdoms. However, due to the strength of the seven, they were able to establish a broader range of rules, which came to be known as the First Seven Empires.

Later, their descendants took over the throne after the Heroes disappeared, and until now, the descendants of those Heroes rule over their respective continents.

This much was in Richard's knowledge but nothing about the Sages.

But thankfully his maid was much wiser than him,

"Young Master, this world always balances things out so the existence of the world doesn't get jeopardized. Like to fight against Aembr and Ambrobates, we awakened Ether. Just like that, to look over each Hero, some individuals existed with strength to rival the Saviors."

Richard frowned, digesting all the information before asking, "To monitor the Heroes? But why?"

"Strength and authority is a very dangerous drug, my lord. It can make one addicted to it and make the person greedy for more."

For a moment, Richard thought she was taunting him, but thinking closely, he knew she was just referring to the past. Hopefully.

Putting his mind away from himself, he asked her, "So to ensure that the Heroes don't stray from their paths, these seven Sages existed?"

"Indeed, my lord." Lilia nodded with a smile.

Richard hummed for a moment as he rubbed his chin in thoughtfulness.

Suddenly he remembered something which made him frown, "So if these Sages had the strength to rival the Heroes, then why aren't they that famous? Why don't many know about the Sages Temples?"

"Because people always deemed Sages as the enemy of mankind."

Lilia paused since there was a steep elevation and the horses were panicking a little. She sent a slight calming wave through mental interference and helped them calm down.

Once they returned to a thicker track, she continued, "People used to treat their Heroes as gods. They worshipped them and were even willing to sacrifice themselves for the Seven. In such a case, if someone were to rise and declare that they wouldn't hesitate to kill their god if they made a mistake, how do you think people would react?"

Richard was not expecting that. The ones who never brought destruction upon the world and solely existed to keep things under control were regarded as evil.

Truly absurd.

"So, did any of those Seven Heroes become evil?"

Lilia looked hesitant to respond, which confused Richard.

After a brief pause, she finally stated, "Umm...there was one; The Inferno Warden. There is no evident proof, nor is it mentioned in any books, but there are stories that the Inferno Warden became so desperate for power to surpass the other six heroes that he....sacrificed his humanity."

"What the...?! Sacrifice? But how?" Richard asked; both in curiosity and surprise.

Lilia was now hesitating a lot which urged Richard to add, "Just tell me whatever it is. Not like I am going to report a complaint against you."

Lilia could only dryly smile at that. However, she didn't make him wait for long and said,

"Young Master...Inferno Warden was an Elementalist and the best one in history. However, because of the lack of physical strength, he decided to dive into a state where he could become one with the flames."

A frown marred her face as the figure of Richard during Albert's case came into her mind, as she continued, "Sacrificing his humanity, he himself became the element he had mastered. And by doing so, he lost something crucial."

"Sanity." With his brows drawn close, Richard finished what she intended to say.

Lilia slowly nodded, "Indeed. And that's why the Sage, responsible for monitoring the Warden, had to keep him inside an unbreakable dome for three hundred years until the flames were extinguished. In that state, which the Warden attained, he couldn't be killed by any method.

In short, for those three hundred years, the Warden was immortal, and if he hadn't been captured, he might still be alive today."

Richard became silent upon hearing that.

The story was familiar but not something he read in his previous life. The Inferno Warden wasn't one of those Heroes on which the story focused. However, that wasn't making him concerned. Rather, it was the familiarity of the Warden's situation to himself.

"Lilia....did I look insane while killing Albert?"

The answer never arrived. Lilia had no intention of responding to him, and truth be told, her silence made him anxious

The journey continued after that, in silence.

—–—–—–—–—***—–—–—–—–—–

The sky was covered in darkness with the distant twinkling star creating a very pleasant atmosphere. The crescent moon hung in the sky like a pearl for decoration.

Having such an atmosphere, one could only wish for a warm blanket and good food to enjoy the scenery from the top of the mountain.

However, when Richard and Lilia reached their destination they weren't allowed to relax at all.

Reason?

The Temple of Sage was clustered with numerous presences, and none of them was human.

"There are at least two dozen on them inside." Standing outside the ancient runic temple, which seemed abandoned for ages, Lilia uttered under her breath as she got prepared to slay every obstacle.

However, before she could move, Richard stopped her.

"But young master?"

"Lilia, why am I here?"

The maid tilted her head before replying, "To train....oh." She soon understood what he was trying to imply here.

Richard nodded before he took out the steel batons he was carrying around his waist.

Ambrobates are sensitive towards Ether and Richard does not have much control over his magic. And that allowed the inhumane entities to sense his presence and slowly make their way out of the temple.

"Mountain goats," Lilia uttered under her breath as she saw the humanoid figure of the monsters who stood on their hooves like creatures out of horror films.

Standing over seven feet tall, their bodies are a grotesque fusion of man and beast, covered in patches of matted fur and jagged, stone-like skin. Their elongated limbs end in razor-sharp claws, and their eyes burn with a malevolent, otherworldly glow. The twisted horns atop their heads curve menacingly, while their gaping mouths reveal rows of serrated teeth.

Their skin was burnt black and they were radiating a nasty scent that Richard identified as Aembr.

This was the first time he would be fighting against Ambrobates without any assistance. And he was extremely excited about it.

With a menacing smile turning the edges of his lips upward, he launched himself towards the mindless beasts.

Asphalt shattered where he stood, and like a bloodthirsty demon, Richard lunged at the nearest Bate, both hands raised high.

The E-rank beast couldn't track Richard's accelerated movements. As Richard materialized before it, the mutated goat instinctively raised its front paws to counterattack. The batons clashed with the monster's claws, and a deafening explosion ensued, hurling the beast back towards the temple with bone-crushing force.

Richard grinned at the results and thanked his mother inwardly for gifting him this enchanted weapon that changed kinetic force into explosive force and the batons were the trigger.

The other monsters stabilized themselves on their hooves, and the nearest one jumped on its feet to attack Richard with its rock-solid head.

If a moment of delay had shown, the goat would have split his head open. However, thanks to the training with Lilia, his detection has grown significantly, and within a certain range, he can detect any malicious intent approaching.

*Ting*

Bringing the batons in a cross, Richard was thrown away because of the truck-like force the monster applied with its headbutt. He wasn't allowed to regain his bearings before the one standing behind Richard tried to bite his shoulder.

Richard spun on his feet like a whirlwind and struck the baton into the goat's massive crown.

**BOOOOOOM**

Thanks to the headbutt earlier, his body accumulated enough kinetic force to create another explosion, and this time the head of the monster was ripped open—splattering the brain matter and raw blood all around.

"Heh~blood...it has been so long..." Richard wiped his face with his hands and that smirk never left his face.

Lilia shivered while standing in one corner, seeing that smile. Her face was unnaturally red and steam seemed to be leaking through the gap of her supple lips. This side of her master was really...terrifying but sexy.

'Ha....young master...'

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A/M:- Her 'M' side showing up. I hope you liked the chapter. I hope the battle scene was good. As I said before, well, this type of story is new to me, so give me some time to become better.

Thank you.