Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 617

"Silence. And sneaking off like that doesn't sound good to others."

Sekmetos's calm yet oppressive voice made the air in the room grow heavy, causing the tribal chiefs to frown.

"As you all know, the engagement between Amon Granduke and Tis Baldia has already been announced. The Fox tribe are now relatives of the Baldia family of the Empire. In that case, the only suitable match would be Johan, the eldest son of the current Beast King."

Vene, Azteca, and Jeti showed expressions of dissatisfaction, but they seemed to understand what she was implying.

With sighs and clicks of their tongues, the three of them plopped back into their seats.

Rather than it being a "suitable match," it would be more accurate to say that "we can't refuse."

If it were a proposal from other tribal chiefs, a polite refusal would suffice.

However, if it's a proposal from the Beast King, it's not something that can be easily declined.

"This is a matter for the Beast Kingdom, and any statements from the Baldia family, which belongs to the Empire, would be seen as interference in internal affairs."

When the current Beast King said this to our faces during the talks, we had no room to maneuver.

Citri's wishes aside, the fact that Sekmetos, the Beast King, formally proposed the marriage alliance was likely the biggest reason we couldn't refuse.

"Well, isn't this a good thing?"

The gentle, admonishing voice came from Horst, who was smiling.

"Regardless, we've formed a connection with the Baldia family, which is rapidly developing in the Empire. Even if it's through the Beast King or the Fox tribe , we now have a foundation to benefit from it as well. The next step is to build friendly relations with each tribe. Isn't that right, Lord Amon, Lord Ridd?"

He narrowed his eyes and turned his gaze toward us.

Whether it was just a helping hand or if there was something more behind it, his gaze was truly unsettling.

But with all eyes on us now, it's also the perfect opportunity to take the lead.

I'm curious about Horst's intentions, but I'll take the bait for now.

"...Indeed."

I nodded in agreement and looked around at the tribal chiefs.

Then, I signaled to Amon and cleared my throat.

"As the head of the family , I believe that the engagement between Johan Bestia and Citri Granduke, following the union of my sister Tis and Amon, is a favorable match. Furthermore, our family would like to take this opportunity to increase trade with the territories of each tribe."

As I spoke, the expressions of the tribal chiefs changed.

According to our preliminary investigations, the economic situation in Zveera is not favorable overall.

Due to skirmishes with the unproductive Toga, domestic resources are being consumed, leading to shortages of various supplies across the country.

As a result, prices of various goods in Zveera have been rising year by year.

In other words, inflation is progressing.

The fact that people from various tribes are gathering for large-scale slave trades led by Elba and Gales is also closely related to these domestic circumstances.

"Lord Sekmetos, I have prepared some materials summarizing my proposal in advance. May I distribute them to everyone here?"

I received a stack of documents from Capella, who was standing behind me, and held them up for everyone to see.

"Interesting. Please, go ahead."

"Thank you."

I bowed slightly and asked Capella and Tink to distribute the documents.

As the two of them calmly handed out the materials, Azteca's voice rang out, "Ouch!?"

I looked over to see Tink pinching his hand, her veins bulging.

"Lord Azteca, it seems you have a bit of a bad habit."

"Hehe. A beauty from the Empire is rare in Zveera, so I couldn't help myself."

As Azteca relaxed his expression, I deliberately cleared my throat.

"By the way, that woman is also connected to our family. Please refrain from disrespectful behavior."

I used the term "connected" to avoid unnecessary scrutiny, but Azteca's eyes only lit up more.

"Oh? Then that makes it even better. How about becoming my woman? I'm not interested in young girls, but a mature woman like you is more than welcome."

"I'm sorry, but I'm already married, so I must respectfully decline."

Tink stated firmly, and Azteca began to laugh. "You've got spirit. I like you even more now."

Sighing, I couldn't help but feel exasperated. That kind of old man was common in my previous life's business dealings too.

Just as I was sighing in disbelief, I felt an intense murderous aura from beside me, sending a chill down my spine.

Startled, I cautiously glanced sideways to see Amon giving a very cold stare.

"Azteca, Lady Tink is a guest of the Baldia family, and thus a guest of the Granduke family. Please refrain from any disrespectful behavior."

"It's a joke, just a joke. Don't look so scary."

"A joke, you say? However, there are things that cannot be excused as jokes, so please refrain from such behavior in the future."

Amon's pointed remark made Azteca shrug and play it off, but Amon continued to smile and exert pressure.

Amon, I didn't know you could make such a face.

As I was surprised, Tink bowed slightly and resumed distributing the documents.

Soon, the materials reached the hands of all the tribal chiefs present.

"...This is quite high-quality 'paper.' Was this also produced in Baldia?"

Ruba, after feeling the texture of the documents handed to him, looked at me with interest.

"You have a keen eye. Indeed, it is. Our family has been focusing on paper production technology, and we are on track to achieve mass production in the near future."

As I answered, murmurs of approval could be heard from the tribal chiefs.

From what I've researched, no country in this world has yet established the technology for mass-producing 'paper.'

In Renarute, a type of paper similar to Japanese washi is produced from bamboo, but it's expensive and hasn't reached the level of mass production to spread across countries.

Moreover, since most of the production is done manually, creating a system for mass production is inherently difficult.

I've seen some mechanization using water wheels, but even that is small-scale.

In the forest-rich Astoria Kingdom, ruled by elves, paper made from wood is produced, but it hasn't reached mass production either.

It seems that various types of paper are made in different countries, but the reality is that paper is neither cheap nor abundant enough to reach all commoners.

Of course, if you want to buy it, it's available to anyone, but among commoners, only artists or those studying writing would buy paper. Adventurers might be another group.

Even though it's somewhat expensive, it's prioritized for use in national, territorial, and merchant operations, so I see paper often in my surroundings.

Considering that the development of Baldia requires improving literacy rates among the populace, including the Second Knight Order and knight trainees, I invested early in paper production technology using funds from establishing charcoal production.

Recently, by combining developed storage magic stones, thermal power generation, electric motors, and magic, we've been making progress toward mechanization through trial and error.

This is largely thanks to the cooperation of my father, Ellen, Alex, and Chris, with whom I shared knowledge from my previous life.

The 'paper' used in the documents distributed to the tribal chiefs was made through this process.

Taking control of the meeting isn't just about verbal battles.

By showcasing overwhelming technological prowess, we can demonstrate the benefits of forming friendly relations with the Baldia and Granduke families.

Presenting physical evidence through the documents has made them lean forward, more interested in hearing what we have to say.

The 'hook' has been somewhat successful, and the start is going well.

"Depending on our future relations with all of you, our family is considering establishing various production bases in the Foxkin territory."

As I mentioned 'production bases,' the tribal chiefs' expressions shifted slightly, their eyebrows and ears twitching.

"Oh, that's quite interesting. Please, do tell us more."

"Of course. Let me explain using the materials you have in hand."

As Sekmetos smirked, I began to speak.