Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 582

"I haven't been here long, coming from the imperial capital. Even so, I'm truly amazed by the speed of Baldia's development. At the same time, I also feel a sense of unease."

"Unease, huh?"

When I nodded in response, Kiel leaned in closer with a serious expression and said, "Yes, that's right."

"If this development continues, in the near future, there will be those who take notice, both within and outside the empire. I think you're well aware of that from the incident with the fox people, but I want to remind you to stay vigilant."

"O-okay. But Kiel, what do you think about Baldia's development?"

"Me?"

He blinked in confusion for a moment, but then narrowed his eyes, smiled, and puffed out his chest.

"Of course, I want Baldia to continue developing rapidly."

"Eh, but..."

Tilting my head at his sudden change in tone, Kiel seemed to understand my confusion and shook his head, cutting me off.

"It's not that the development itself is precarious. I only meant that Rid, you're a bit too lenient in handling things."

"W-what, lenient?"

As I stood there dumbfounded, he glanced subtly at Fara and Asuka, who were chatting amiably nearby.

"I understand the feeling of being swayed by those you trust. But sometimes, that can lead to big problems, so I want you to be careful, Rid. Well, I suppose that's part of your charm, something my elder brother lacks."

"Charm? Are you complimenting me?"

"Yes, I am. In the future, I hope to act as a mediator between the imperial capital and Baldia—no, between my elder brother, who will become emperor, and Rid, who will become the margrave of the frontier."

"A mediator, huh?"

Kiel has made it clear that he has no interest in becoming emperor, but there are still a number of imperial nobles who want to push him into that position for their own gain.

That's why he came to Baldia from the imperial capital.

There are various ulterior motives behind his engagement with Mel, and both my father and I have our own thoughts on the matter.

However, it's also true that there were bad actors, both within and outside the empire, lurking in the shadows, eagerly targeting Mel.

Kiel's engagement with Mel was partly intended to act as a 'bug repellent.'

"Wait a minute."

At that moment, the various words Kiel had spoken earlier started to connect in my mind.

Kiel wants to mediate between me and David in the future.

Does that mean the charm he sees in me is...?

"What's wrong, Rid?"

"...Kiel. You're not thinking that in the future, I'd be easier to manipulate than David, are you?"

When I gave him a sharp look, he playfully closed one eye, stuck out his tongue slightly, and said, "Oh, you caught me?"

It was the classic 'tehepero' expression.

And his expression looked exactly like Empress Matilda's.

'Kiel sometimes makes expressions that resemble Empress Matilda's.'

At that moment, I recalled the words Valery had told me back in the imperial capital.

So, David resembles Emperor Irwin, and Kiel resembles Empress Matilda.

I let out a deep sigh and glared at him sharply.

"In the future, no matter what you say, I won't just nod along easily, you know."

"Rid, it's a joke, just a joke. Don't be so angry."

"I'm not angry."

As I puffed out my cheeks and turned away, I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten.

"Oh, right. Rubens, could you come here for a moment?"

"Yes, what is it?"

Before training began, I took a small wooden box I had entrusted to Danae and handed it to Rubens as he approached.

"Lord Rid, what is this?"

"It's a gift to celebrate Diana's pregnancy. Open the box."

"Y-yes."

When Rubens carefully opened the lid of the wooden box, he found an ornate pocket watch inside.

It was a special order from Ellen and Alex.

Some time ago, when Mel, Diana, and I visited Cross's house to see his baby, Claude, I had given Cross a pocket watch as a gift for the birth, saying, 'A watch that begins to mark time with the birth of your child.' I remembered Diana looking a bit envious at the time.

Well, to be precise, she wasn't so much looking at the pocket watch as she was at Claude.

"...So, that's the story. Will you accept it?"

After briefly explaining the background and thought process behind the gift, Rubens's eyes began to well up.

"Thank you. I will gladly accept it."

He straightened his posture, bowed deeply, and spoke.

"U-uh, I didn't expect you to be so happy about it. Oh, but there's one thing I want you to promise me."

"Of course. I will do anything for you, Lord Rid."

Rubens puffed out his chest, but I grinned and relaxed my expression.

"You said it. A man doesn't go back on his word, Rubens."

"Of course not."

"Then promise me this."

I took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye.

"No matter what mission you undertake in the future, you must survive and not throw your life away. And you must never make Diana sad. Got it?"

When I said this, Rubens's eyes widened, but he quickly composed himself.

"Understood. I will fulfill that promise, no matter what."

"Good. I knew you'd say that, Rubens."

As the vice-captain of the Baldia Knights, Rubens will face even greater challenges and life-threatening situations than before.

Much like the late Cross.

But no matter what crisis comes, the most important thing is the determination to keep living and never give up.

I'm sure Rubens understands the true meaning of this promise.

And Diana, who will likely hear about the pocket watch through Rubens, will probably grasp my intentions right away.

"Lord Rid, thank you once again. This is truly a wonderful gift."

"Y-you don't have to be so formal about it."

As I told Rubens to raise his head, Kiel, who had been watching our exchange, let out a thoughtful hum and said, "By the way..."

"At first glance, you have a cute, almost girlish face, a gentle demeanor, and you're skilled in various martial arts and magic, aren't you?"

No one present understood what he was getting at, and we all tilted our heads in confusion.

Then Kiel chuckled and grinned mischievously.

"At some point, someone might mistake Rid for a girl and fall in love at first sight. You might even get a marriage proposal or something."

"Huh..."

I was dumbfounded by the sudden remark, but quickly understood what he meant and raised my voice. "That's impossible! There's no way that would happen!"

But Kiel just shrugged and smirked.

"Who knows? From a distance, Rid could easily be mistaken for a girl. It's not entirely out of the question."

"Absolutely not. It's impossible. Even if, by some wild chance, someone were to mistake me..."

Just as I was about to retort, a girl with deep blue hair appeared silently behind Kiel, her cold, intimidating smile radiating a dark aura.

I was so terrified that I lost my words.

Perhaps due to the magical energy emanating from her, the surrounding air grew cold, sending a chill down my spine.