Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 599

The petite, fair-skinned woman who stepped out of the towed vehicle with an exasperated expression had rounded ears protruding from her head and her gray hair tied back in a wide, flowing manner. Her sharp, serious eyes were framed by dark pupils.

Judging by her appearance, she seemed to be of the Rat folk  , but since I had no memory of meeting her before, this must have been our first encounter.

In any case, with Gyobu, Sekhmetos, and Johan all here, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something unpleasant was about to happen.

I glanced casually into the towed vehicle, but it seemed no one else was inside.

"Um, excuse me, but who might you be...?" I asked hesitantly.

She cleared her throat and straightened up. "It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord Ridd. I am Luva Gandarsika, the chief of the Rat folk tribe. To everyone here, I apologize for the sudden visit, especially with the Beast King Sekhmetos in tow. I hope we haven’t startled you."

With that, Luva bowed politely.

Wow, so there really are people among the beastfolk chieftains who can greet others normally. I couldn’t help but feel a bit moved by this, given the series of events so far, but that wasn’t the real issue here.

The real problem was why they were here, despite this being a meeting with Gyobu.

I took a deep breath, cleared my throat, and decided to reset the conversation.

"The pleasure is mine. I had been hoping to greet all of you at some point. Let me reintroduce myself—I’m Ridd Baldia."

Still somewhat flustered, I shook hands with Luva and Sekhmetos. Then, Johan smoothly extended his hand.

"...And you as well, Lord Johan."

"Just Johan is fine. No need for formalities. In return, I’ll call you Ridd casually."

"Got it," I replied in a deliberately flat tone, which made him burst out laughing.

"What’s with that? You’re funny, Ridd."

"Thanks, I guess," I muttered, letting out a small sigh.

At that moment, Amon cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention.

"Today was supposed to be a meeting with Lord Gyobu. Why are Lord Sekhmetos and Lady Luva here as well?"

"Ah, my apologies. This was unexpected for me too, actually..." Gyobu began, looking somewhat embarrassed.

According to him, the day before he was set to depart for the Fox folk territory, Sekhmetos and Luva’s group had arrived unannounced at the Raccoonfolk territory. Their reason was that they wanted to hear about the recent developments in the Foxfolk lands.

Gyobu explained that the old regime of the Foxfolk nobility had been successively replaced, and trade with Baldia had become increasingly active. He mentioned that they had opened a bottle of 'sake' imported from Baldia and, while drinking, marveled at the technology and culinary culture.

The 'sake' had also played a role in winning over Rafa during the battle at Hazama Fortress. Now, she was given priority to receive several bottles each month.

Recently, the general sale of sake had begun, and it quickly became a hit both domestically and internationally. After presenting it to the emperor and empress through Chris, a contract was made to regularly purchase several bottles each month, further boosting its popularity.

It was supposed to be quite hard to obtain, so it was impressive that they managed to get their hands on it. Probably, the Raccoonfolk had some connections with the Barst or imperial nobles.

However, while sake was delicious, it was also quite strong. The label clearly warned that it was a very potent drink and advised against overconsumption. But the three of them ignored the warning and kept drinking, eventually becoming pleasantly tipsy.

The fact that they only reached a 'pleasant tipsiness' after drinking for a while suggested they had quite a high tolerance for alcohol.

Feeling in good spirits, Gyobu apparently let something slip.

"Tomorrow, I’m heading to the Fox folk territory. I’m planning to ask them to supply this sake to the Raccoon folk  territory as well."

"What? You’ve already received a response from them?" Sekhmetos’s brow furrowed deeply.

"To summon you, Gyobu, before even consulting me, the Beast King, is unacceptable. Very well, I shall accompany you to the Foxfolk territory tomorrow. Luva, you’re coming too."

"I don’t mind, but isn’t this a bit sudden? It might cause some trouble and leave a bad impression."

"Don’t worry. I’m the Beast King. I can go wherever I please within the kingdom. Besides, if we send a fast horse to notify them at the border, there should be no issue. Gyobu, make the arrangements."

"Oh dear. I’ve really put my foot in it this time," Gyobu muttered, shrugging his shoulders, while Luva looked on with an exasperated expression.

"...And that’s how we ended up here. I’ve never been drunk before, but sake really is as strong as the warning label says. I must’ve been careless that time."

"I see," I replied, still processing the explanation.

Gyobu finished his story with an awkward smile, spreading his hands. Amon, who had asked the question, looked thoroughly unimpressed.

In my mind, I couldn’t help but think, "That’s definitely a lie."

While his explanation seemed to make sense on the surface, logically, it was impossible for Sekhmetos, as the Beast King, to suddenly leave the capital. Even if he could, and even if he had visited the Raccoonfolk territory and learned of Gyobu’s plans to head to the Foxfolk lands the next day, it was still highly unlikely that he would overturn all his prior commitments to come here. The presence of Luva, the Ratfolk chieftain, was also suspicious.

Luva wasn’t just close to Sekhmetos; she was also deeply involved in the political affairs of the beastfolk. Essentially, she was the Beast King’s right hand. For her to be here as well suggested that this was all part of their plan.

Most likely, they had caught wind that Amon and I were trying to postpone a meeting with the Beast King and decided to take matters into their own hands.

However, their exact motives were still unclear.

"Well, everyone, we can’t stay here forever. Shall we move along?" Sekhmetos suggested.

"Indeed. This way, please," Amon replied, nodding and leading the group forward.

"My, my, things have gotten quite complicated, haven’t they?" Rafa chimed in, speaking as if it were someone else’s problem.

"Did you perhaps foresee this happening?"

Almost everyone from Baldia and the Foxfolk was gathered here. While it was unusual for such a large group to welcome Gyobu, Rafa had strongly suggested the attendees, so this was the result.

"No, not exactly. But I did think Gyobu might pull something like this."

"...You could’ve warned me, you know."

She smirked mischievously. "Oh, but where’s the fun in that? Life is exciting because of the unexpected. I’m looking forward to what happens next, Ridd."

With that, Rafa narrowed her eyes and walked toward the mansion.

"...What exactly are you expecting?" I muttered, shaking my head and sighing.

Just then, I heard someone call out, "Brother Ridd!"

Turning around, I saw Tis and Citri, both puffing out their cheeks in displeasure.

"What’s wrong, you two?"

"Even if it’s a boy, it’s still not okay!"

"That’s right. Even if it’s someone of the same gender, it’s still infidelity!"

"Wha...?! I’ve told you, I’m only interested in Fara! I don’t have eyes for anyone else!" I raised my voice in frustration.

"Ridd, it’s fine, really," a voice called out.

I turned to see Johan, grinning and showing off his white fangs.

"I told you, I’m fine with you and your wife’s daughter."

"That’s not fine at all. It’s completely not fine!"

One unexpected event after another had unfolded, culminating in an unplanned encounter with Johan Bestia, one of the romanceable characters from the game . And for some reason, he seemed to have taken a liking to me in a rather peculiar way.

With problems piling up, even I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.