Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 565

After completing the baggage inspection at the Narrow Fortress located at the border between the Fox tribe  territory and the Baldia territory, our group passed through the gate and finally entered the Valdia territory.

During the inspection, the knights offered to exempt us, but among the beastfolk, there are those who use 'Transformation Techniques'. I made it clear that no one should be lax in the inspection, and we carried out the usual procedure. At that time, I remember the surprised expressions on the faces of the children of the noble families.

Under the old Grandark regime, privileged classes were given various preferential treatments, so my actions might have seemed unusual to them. Normally, we would head straight to the mansion, but this time we brought along the children who will bear the future of the Foxkin territory and the cadet candidates for the industrial district. We took a slight detour to show them around the towns, agricultural areas, and industrial zones within the Valdia territory.

Most of the children of the noble families are in their early to mid-teens. The reason for this is that after the condemnation of Gureas Grandark, Gareth and Elba executed the heirs of the noble families they considered anti-regime on false charges. Recently, the talented children of the nobles supporting Ammon were used as pawns in meetings with the Valdia family and were exhausted in the vanguard at the battle of the Narrow Fortress. As a result, the children of the nobles supporting Ammon now are mostly young children who were not sent to war.

However, from our conversations, it seems that the children of the nobles are very enthusiastic about the reconstruction of the Foxkin territory and have a high mental age. They must have experienced the deaths of close family members, war, and oppressive rule in quick succession, which prevented them from remaining 'young children'.

The main purpose of bringing everyone to baldia was to broaden their horizons, but I also hope that it will heal their hearts and lighten their spirits a little. The cadet candidates for the industrial district are mostly young people from the general populace, ranging from late teens to early thirties. They were heavily taxed under the old regime, had their families taken hostage, and were forced to work tirelessly in weapon production. They were given only the minimum necessary food to survive, had fixed times for waking and sleeping, and were subjected to the abuse of the noble families while being told to be grateful for the opportunity to work and eat.

Hearing this, I was reminded of the black companies from my previous life. Those companies also treated people as disposable tools with low wages and near-illegal labor conditions, exploiting young people with little social experience, which became a social problem. 'Strong-arm management' is no way to run a business. It's just exploiting and discarding people. Young talent is the future of a company... no, a country or territory. If those who do not value this stand at the top, surely the country or territory will face a painful backlash in the near future.

The cadet candidates were initially physically and mentally exhausted, but now they are strongly motivated to illuminate the future of the Foxkin territory and are actively learning new technologies. If they maintain their current mindset and Ammon remains at the top, the Foxkin territory should become a good neighbor for Valdia.

In fact, the children of the noble families, upon seeing the vibrant towns, large-scale and efficient agricultural areas, and rapidly developing industrial zones in Baldia, asked with shining eyes, "Will the Fox  tribe  territory be able to develop like this someday?" The cadet candidates marveled at the high level of architectural technology and the efficient agricultural methods. Most of all, they were astonished to see the young Fox tribe children supporting Baldia's industry.

It was already known to the children of the noble families and the cadet candidates that the young Fox tribe  children, led by the dwarves Ellen and Alex, were supporting Baldia's industry. However, they might have been somewhat skeptical. As the saying goes, 'Seeing is believing,' and experiencing it firsthand must have been a good stimulus.

After finishing the tour of the territory, we began moving to the new mansion of the Valdia family. By the way, the renovation of the main mansion is not yet complete. In fact, they decided to use this opportunity to renovate the aging parts of the main mansion and add various facilities. For the time being, the Valdia family will be staying in the new mansion.

The children of the noble families and the cadet candidates were guided to the guesthouse near the new mansion. The interior of this guesthouse is decorated no less than the new mansion, and except for its smaller size, the facilities are the same. They seemed to have expected to be taken to a town lodging, so when they were dropped off in front of the guesthouse, they all looked wide-eyed. The sight was a bit amusing, and I couldn't help but laugh—that's a secret.

This was also to broaden their horizons and envision the future of the Foxkin territory. There is a saying, 'Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster.' This applies to matters big and small, from individuals to countries. Most of the people brought to Valdia for training had never left their own territory before. In other words, they only knew 'themselves' and could not know otherwise. But now, it's different. Next to the Foxkin territory is Valdia, and they can now 'know another country.'

Moreover, with Ammon's engagement to Baldia's adopted daughter Tis, the Grandark and Baldia families have become neighbors with blood ties. In the future, the exchange of people and goods between the two families will increase. I want those who will bear the future to know the strengths and weaknesses of both the Foxkin and Valdia territories, think of ways to develop mutually, and put them into practice.

With these thoughts in mind, I conducted this training. After briefly explaining the guesthouse, I entrusted the management to the deputy head maid Frau and the maids, and I headed back to the new mansion.

Looking out the window of the towed carriage connected to the charcoal car, the surroundings were bathed in the red hues of dusk. "Lord Rid, thank you for the tour," said Diana, sitting in front of me, narrowing her eyes and bowing slightly. "Thank you. But I'm glad everyone seemed happy," I replied. "Yes. I'm sure your feelings were conveyed," she said, then with a slightly worried expression, added, "But... Lord Rid, you've been working non-stop since you went to the Foxkin territory. You could have left the tour to someone else."

"Yeah, but still," I glanced at the Baldia scenery outside the window and turned back to Diana. "I love Baldia more than anyone here. So, once I started talking, I couldn't stop." Seeing the Fox  tribe  territory made me realize once again how developed and prosperous Baldia is. But that's not because of my memories from my previous life. It's because my father... no, not just my father, but the successive heads of the Baldia family have protected the territory and its people for generations. Being away from Valdia for a while must have strengthened that feeling in me.

Feeling suddenly embarrassed, I scratched my cheek to brush it off. Diana looked puzzled for a moment, then chuckled and smiled. "Lord Rid, you should definitely tell Lord Riner and Lady Nanaly  those words. I'm sure they would be delighted." "Yeah, yeah. But saying it to their faces is a bit embarrassing," I said, though the image of my father and mother's happy faces floated in my mind. As Diana said, they would surely be pleased. But since it's embarrassing to say it in front of everyone, maybe I'll tell them secretly.