Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 612

"Then, rest here until you're called."

Johan smiled, showing his fang.

The guest room we were led to was decorated in a white theme, exuding a solemn atmosphere similar to the corridors of the castle.

"Thank you for guiding us."

"Don't mention it. More importantly..."

As I stepped forward to express our gratitude on behalf of everyone, Johan shook his head and smiled, his gaze shifting to behind me.

"Hey, Citri. Won't you come to my room?"

"N-no, thank you."

She shook her head vigorously and hid behind Amon.

"Thank you for the invitation, but the tribal chief meeting is about to begin. Besides, as you can see, Citri is quite startled, so please forgive us."

"O-oh, I see. That's a shame."

Johan, who had been told this with a smile by Amon, drooped his ears and shoulders and left the guest room with the dragon warriors, looking dejected.

Once the sound of the door closing and Johan's footsteps faded away, we all let out a deep sigh and sat down on the sofas and chairs provided in the room.

"My, my. Everyone seems so tired even before the meeting."

The only one who was still smiling brightly was Rafa.

She picked up a glass from the guest room and began browsing through the various bottles of liquor lined up on the shelf.

After selecting the one that seemed the best, Rafa sat down on a single-person sofa, crossed her legs, and began drinking alone, her expression relaxed.

"Oh, this is surprisingly good. It's not as good as the sake Ridd gives me, though."

As the sound of her pouring liquor into the glass echoed in the room, Capella spoke up. "Lord Ridd, may I?"

"Ah, sorry. I forgot to thank you earlier. Thank you for that."

"Not at all, it was nothing."

As our exchange drew the attention of everyone in the room, he continued, "About earlier..."

"At that time, I sensed something unpleasant and instinctively activated 'Forced Mana Conversion Awareness.' The fact that Lord Ridd was able to regain consciousness suggests that Holst was indeed casting a spell."

"I thought so."

I nodded in agreement, placing my hand on my chin as I pondered.

'Forced Mana Conversion Awareness' is a special magic developed by Sandra.

Its original purpose is to forcibly impart the sensation of mana conversion to those who have not yet learned it.

During my conversation with Holst, I felt as if a fog was clouding my consciousness.

That was likely because he was trying to send his own mana into me and manipulate me in some way.

Thanks to Capella channeling her mana into me, Holst's mana that had entered me was either erased or neutralized.

In any case, the fact that 'Forced Mana Conversion Awareness' can be used as a countermeasure against mental manipulation, brainwashing, or hypnosis is a significant discovery.

"Ridd, I know you're deep in thought, but could you explain it in a way that we can all understand? I could tell that Holst was doing something to you, but I couldn't grasp the specifics."

"Ah, right. Well, this is just a hypothesis based on what I felt..."

I nodded at Amon's question and explained how, during my conversation with Holst, I felt as if a fog was clouding my consciousness, and I almost came to believe that everything he said was true.

"...So, yeah. I think it was some kind of mental manipulation, like hypnosis or brainwashing magic."

"If that's true, this could become an international issue. This is a serious matter."

Amon stood up, raising his voice, but I shook my head.

"It's frustrating, but we have no evidence. It would just turn into a he-said-she-said situation."

"...You're right about that."

Perhaps my words cooled his head, as Amon plopped back down onto the sofa and let out a deep sigh.

"I had the impression that Holst was doing something to Ridd, but I didn't feel anything. That suggests the effective range must be quite narrow, don't you think?"

"I agree with Lord Amon's opinion."

Next to join the conversation was Dynas, who had a stern expression.

"At that time, standing next to Lord Ridd were Lord Amon, Lady Capella, and myself. However, none of us felt the 'fog clouding the consciousness' that Lord Ridd described. Looking back at Holst's gaze and manner of speaking, it seems the spell was specifically targeted at Lord Ridd."

"Mental manipulation, hypnosis, brainwashing... The fact that such magic exists is chilling."

As Dynias finished speaking, Tink expressed her disgust.

"I had no idea. I can't believe Lord Ridd was subjected to something so terrifying..."

"Me neither. All I noticed was that Lord Holst seemed to smile a lot in front of Lord Ridd."

Tis and Citri, having grasped the situation from our conversation, turned pale, the color draining from their faces.

Tink, noticing this, moved closer to them and gently patted their heads.

"Lord Ridd, we'll be in the inner room."

Tink's gaze was directed toward the door leading to the inner part of the guest room.

When Johan first showed us around, he explained that the inner room was a resting area.

It contained two large beds, along with sofas and tables.

"Alright. Sorry for scaring you two."

"Not at all, please don't worry about it."

"We're sorry for not being of more help."

The two, accompanied by Tink, headed into the inner room, and as the sound of the door closing echoed, I turned my gaze to the woman who was still drinking alone.

"Rafa, how much do you know about Holst?"

When I asked with a suspicious tone, she took a sip of her drink like it was water, exhaled, and shrugged.

"Who knows? I don't know much myself. But it's well-known among us that any spy sent to investigate that territory, regardless of their country or origin, never returns. Did I mention that before?"

"No, not that. I mean, what Holst tried to do to me."

As I emphasized my tone, the atmosphere in the room grew heavier.

But she showed no concern and continued drinking alone.

"In my line of work, I sometimes do similar things, but I've never seen such an overt and immediately effective method before. I'd love to learn how he does it."

She casually dropped this terrifying statement, but as someone currently in charge of the Fox Tribe's covert operations, it wasn't entirely unexpected.

If she had known about that method, she would likely have already been using it gleefully, but there was no sign of that in her behavior so far.

It seemed Rafa genuinely didn't know.

I sighed, placing my hand on my forehead and shaking my head.

"I don't think the entire Bird Tribe is evil, but 'Holst Padgory' is definitely someone to keep a close eye on."

I almost wanted to call him a 'potential enemy,' but as the saying goes, 'walls have ears and screens have eyes,' so it's best not to make such bold statements here.

"Indeed. It's better to be cautious."

Dynas nodded in agreement, and Capella also nodded, saying, "I agree."

"My former superior was skilled in that kind of interrogation, but I've never heard of such magic. I'll contact him as soon as I return."

The 'former superior' he referred to was Zach Riverstone, the head of Renalt's covert operations, the ninja corps.

Given his long-standing expertise in the underworld, it's possible he has information about Holst Padgory or the Bird Tribe that we don't.

"Understood. I'd appreciate it if you could do that."

As I nodded, Amon tilted his head and said, "Sorry, Ridd, but who is Capella's former superior?"

"I'm a bit curious about that too."

Following him, Rafa smirked.

She probably had some idea, but we had never properly explained Capella's past to her.

When I glanced at Capella, wondering what to do, he bowed slightly.

"Lord Ridd, since this is a good opportunity, may I explain it myself?"

"Sure. It'll help with our future coordination."

"Understood. Then..."

Capella straightened up and began explaining to Amon and Rafa that he had once been a member of Renalt's dark side.