Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 611

"Won't you stop, Ilia?"

A gentle yet thorny, heavy voice echoed, and she gasped, bowing her head in apology. "M-my apologies."

Holst smiled, saying, "Good girl," and then turned his gaze back to me.

"I apologize. Ilia was very close to her sister, Aria."

"No, I think it's a natural reaction, knowing that her long-lost sister is in another country. Aria was also very concerned about Lady Ilia."

By the way, none of the children from the Second Knight Order were brought to the royal capital.

Under the circumstances where the personalities of the various tribal leaders were not well understood, it was judged difficult to handle any problems that might arise.

Moreover, the children sold from their homeland must have various feelings towards the tribal leaders.

This was also to avoid any sudden and unnecessary conflicts in advance.

After responding to Holst, I turned my gaze to Ilia.

"It's not just Aria. Elia, Shia, Saria. All of Lady Ilia's sisters have been worried about you. They were concerned that you might have overexerted yourself for our sake."

"I didn't overexert myself. They're the ones who left on their own."

Though I intended to speak gently, Ilia, contrary to her words, began to falter and step back.

Upon closer inspection, her face was stiff, and she seemed unwell.

"Uh, are you okay?"

"Stop it, don't come near me. My head hurts. I hate you, I hate you."

"Eh...⁉"

I had intended to express concern, but I was met with a glare and a rejection as she clutched her head.

It seemed that Ilia truly disliked me from the bottom of her heart.

This was the first time I had been spoken to so clearly, and it felt like a thorn had been driven into my heart.

"I apologize. This child is a bit emotionally unstable. Ibi, take Ilia and leave first."

"Understood."

At Holst's instruction, Ibi nodded and led Ilia away from the scene.

Startled, I watched Ibi's retreating back and waved.

"Lord Ibi. Next time, if there's a chance, please let me hear your singing. And Lady Ilia, if you want to meet Aria and the others, please visit the Fox Clan territory anytime."

"...Thank you."

Ibi stopped and bowed to me, then began walking again with Ilia.

As the two left, Johan spoke up. "By the way, Holst."

"Mother said all the tribal leaders should gather in the conference room. Even if you saw Ridd, why did you come here? Did you have some business?"

"Ah, yes. I had a request for Lord Ridd before the meeting."

"A request, you say?"

At Johan's question, Holst nodded, narrowing his eyes and turning his gaze towards me.

Wary of what he might say, I tilted my head with an innocent expression.

"Regarding Ilia's sisters earlier. Could you return Aria and the others to the Padgury family?"

His words, spoken with a smile, instantly froze the atmosphere, making it tense.

Glancing around to assess the situation, Johan tilted his head in confusion.

The dragon warriors of the royal guard standing beside him seemed to exude an awkward atmosphere, as if saying, "Please stop here," and were watching our reaction out of the corner of their eyes.

Amon's expression remained unchanged, but his eyebrows twitched, and he heightened his vigilance.

Rafa narrowed his eyes with amusement, while Dynas and Capella stood silently behind me with expressionless faces.

Tink stood in a protective position in front of Tis and Citri.

After a brief pause, I took a deep breath, narrowed my eyes, and smiled.

"...I'm sorry, but I must decline."

"Please don't make such a scary face. I'm not forcing you."

Holst gave a wry smile, then changed the subject. "However, there's something I want you to know."

"The fact that Aria and the others were sold to Balst was done without my knowledge."

"Without your knowledge? What do you mean?"

"Well, this is a bit embarrassing to admit..."

When I asked, he scratched his cheek and began to speak reluctantly.

At that time, Ilia was the most outstanding among Aria and her sisters in terms of ability.

He had kept Ilia by his side, but Aria and the others were entrusted to a branch family's noble.

However, that noble was swayed by Gales and Elba's sweet words and sold Aria and the others to Balst for personal gain.

"...And so, it's a shameful story, but I only became aware of this matter long after the Baldia family had taken Aria and the others under their protection."

Holst wore a deeply regretful expression, but the story he told was slightly different from what Aria and the others had said.

When Aria and the others were in the Bird Clan territory, they were under the care of a noble, and it was true that they were taken to Balst by that noble.

But at that time, the noble had laughed and told Aria and the others, "This is Lord Holst's order."

From his demeanor, it seemed that Holst might not be aware that the noble had told Aria and the others that it was his doing.

"I have punished the noble accordingly, but I caused those children a lot of pain. I truly regret it. That's why I wanted to talk to the Baldia family if I had the chance."

"I see."

Listening to Holst's voice, I was somehow overcome with a feeling that I shouldn't doubt him, that I should believe him.

What was most eerie was that it felt pleasant, and no sense of disgust arose.

Gradually, it felt like a fog was covering my consciousness, and my head became fuzzy.

Looking at him, Holst was smiling with a face full of benevolence.

That face gradually overlapped with my father's and mother's.

No, perhaps what he was saying was correct, and what Aria and the others were saying was wrong.

After all, my father and mother wouldn't lie.

"Lord Ridd. Stay alert."

"...⁉"

Suddenly, a hand was placed on my shoulder, and I heard Capella's voice. A slight electric pain ran through my body.

Then, the fog in my head cleared, and my consciousness became sharp again.

Coming to my senses, I was shocked that I had even momentarily thought, "What Holst is saying is true."

And when I looked at Holst's face again, the benevolent smile he wore sent a chill down my spine, and I was overwhelmed with an indescribable sense of disgust.

There was no doubt.

Though I didn't know how, Holst had used some kind of hypnotic technique on me face-to-face.

This guy made my blood boil, but there was no objective evidence that he had done anything.

I maintained a calm demeanor and smiled back.

"Regardless of the circumstances, they were deeply hurt by the fact that they were driven out of your territory and sold. They have only recently begun to heal from those wounds, but I have never heard them express a desire to return to your territory. Please understand."

"I see. Then, please tell Aria and the others, 'Our family is always waiting for your return.'"

"That much is fine. I'll convey it to them."

As I answered, Holst smiled warmly.

"Then, I shall take my leave. I apologize for keeping everyone with this chit-chat. Let's meet again at the meeting."

He bowed and then turned on his heel, leaving the scene.

The aura emanating from Holst's back was different from that of Gales, Elba, the imperial nobles, or the Renalute nobles.

It was just an indescribable sense of unease.

The tribal leaders' meeting was not going to be straightforward.

With such thoughts, our group stepped into the guest room we were guided to.