Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 550

A few days after the meeting with the Fox Clan's influential families...

I was in my room at the mansion that had become the Baldia family's garrison in the capital, Forneus. After finishing reading a certain report, I let out a deep sigh and muttered, "As I thought..."

The illegal funds we had planned to collect from the wealthy families, including Remos, who had enriched themselves during the previous regime, had been stolen by a group calling themselves the "Golden Dawn." This incident had occurred in various regions.

Documents from Remos and the other wealthy families arrived one after another, stating, "Due to the above reasons, we can no longer provide the funds. We deeply regret this."

I had encountered the Golden Dawn before coming here. Their leader was a Fox Clan man who called himself Marvellous. Well, he was most likely Gabriel, Remos's son.

The group he led was a mix of Fox Clan and Human  race members, and I even recognized some of their faces.

Marvellous, the leader, had said, "The Golden Dawn is concerned about the future of the Fox Clan," but collaborating with the wealthy families who had enriched themselves was the complete opposite of their stated mission. They might as well change their group's name to "Twilight Darkness."

Still, I never expected the illegal funds to be hidden  with  such a method.

Even though these wealthy families had enriched themselves during the previous regime, they had been entrusted with parts of the Fox Clan's territory. If they truly cared about saving the people suffering from hunger and poverty and considering the future of the Fox Clan as a whole, they should have reluctantly provided the illegal funds.

At the very least, that's what I had thought.

"If they had just fudged the numbers a bit, I might have let it slide," I mused.

But the self-preservation and selfishness of these wealthy families never ceased to amaze me.

If this was their answer, then there was no need for us to hold back. We had given them a chance to change, after all.

Just as I tossed the report onto the desk, there was a polite knock on the door, and Diana's voice called out, "Lord Rid, Lord Amon has arrived and is waiting in the guest room."

"Got it. I'll be right there," I replied.

After tidying up the documents on the desk, I hurried to the guest room.

◇

"Rid, I apologize."

As I entered the guest room, Amon, who had been seated, stood up and bowed deeply alongside his guard, Karaba.

"No, no. There's no need for you and Karaba to apologize."

"But their disobedience is a result of my lack of strength."

"I also apologize. Their actions are a disgrace to the Fox Clan," Karaba added.

I had already informed Amon about our encounter with the Golden Dawn and the high likelihood that their leader, Marvellous, was Gabriel. That's why they had quickly realized that the wealthy families were behind this charade.

I smiled and asked them to raise their heads.

"Well, I think we've gained a good justification for our actions."

"J-justification...?" Amon and Karaba exchanged puzzled looks, tilting their heads.

I then explained our future plans.

It wasn't that we hadn't considered the possibility that the opposing wealthy families might refuse to provide the funds we were collecting. However, I hadn't expected them to go so far as to stage this entire charade to hide all the funds.

If we couldn't collect the funds, it would hinder the "Five-Year Plan for the Reconstruction of the Fox Clan." Remos and the others understood this, which was why they had hidden all the funds. In other words, they were fully aware of what they were doing.

Outwardly, they supported the plan we had proposed, but behind the scenes, they were hiding the funds to sabotage the plan and bring down Amon as the clan leader, or at least weaken his position.

However, the net of justice is vast, and though its mesh may be wide, it lets nothing through.

They might think they've slipped through our net for now, but even if they escape temporarily, they will eventually be caught and face judgment.

"With that in mind, we'll conduct a thorough land survey of all the Fox Clan territories. With Aria and the Baldia Knights' help, we should be able to do it in a short time. Of course, the top priority will be the territories of the wealthy families who were attacked."

"I see. If it's to root out the thieves, even Remos and the others won't be able to refuse. This will also allow us to get a clear picture of the territory management, which has been vague until now."

"Exactly," I nodded in response to Amon's reply.

The information lost when the clan leader's mansion burned down wasn't just limited to transaction records. Various pieces of information about the Fox Clan territories were also lost.

Even the information Rafa had copied and stored had many gaps, so a land survey of the Fox Clan territories was necessary at some point. Remos and the others had been dragging their feet to delay this.

But if it's to hunt down the thieves who stole the funds intended for the reconstruction of the Fox Clan, they won't be able to refuse.

"This is what happens when schemers are outsmarted by their own schemes. They may think they've protected their hidden funds, but in the end, they'll lose everything."

If they reject our outstretched hand, then we have no reason to hold back. In fact, it would be more troublesome if they were as cunning as some of the marquises and nobles, skillfully cooperating while hiding their true intentions.

Now that we have a justification, we can crush them thoroughly.

When they lose everything due to their greed, what kind of expressions will they have?

The thought of it is both amusing and fascinating.

I struggled to suppress a laugh, my throat making a strange noise, when I noticed Amon and Karaba's faces twitching.

"Huh? What's wrong with you two?"

"N-nothing. It's just that you seem to be enjoying yourself quite a bit."

"I had no idea Lord Rid could laugh like that," Karaba added.

"Huh?"

I tilted my head and glanced at Diana, who cleared her throat.

"From an outsider's perspective, it looked quite villainous."

"Really? Was I making that face again?"

Lately, I've been deep in thought often, and apparently, I've been making a villainous face without realizing it. This might be related to the future judgment I'll face, and honestly, it's making me a bit anxious.

I hurriedly touched my cheeks to relax my expression when Diana interjected, "However..."

"It's better to be feared than underestimated. Additionally, Lord Rid's face is quite charming and well-proportioned, so there's no need to worry."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Yes, of course," Diana replied with a beaming smile.

I gave her a skeptical look, and she nodded with a grin.

"Ah, but I think I understand," Amon said, breaking into a smile.

"Indeed, it might be just right for Rid to have a slightly intimidating expression."

"Come on, there's no way a villainous face is better than my usual one," I protested, pouting.

Diana and Amon burst into laughter, their shoulders shaking.

I let out a deep sigh at their antics, then refocused and continued discussing our plans for dealing with Remos and the others.