Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 622

"It's settled then. I will promptly prepare a personal letter in my own handwriting addressed to Lord Reiner Baldia, the head of the Baldia family and the Margrave of the frontier. Lord Ridd, please ensure that this letter reaches your father, Margrave Reiner, without fail."

I let out a deep sigh and bowed slightly to Sekmetos.

"...Understood. I will deliver it with full responsibility."

Still, this has turned into quite a strange situation.

Not only are we participating in the Beast King Battle, but I never imagined that the Baldia family would be invited as guests.

It's not uncommon for foreign guests to be invited to a nation's grand festivals, no matter the world.

However, what bothers me is that it was *that* Horst Padgri who suggested inviting the Baldia family.

He’s the one who tried to use some kind of magic to hypnotize me in front of the guest room.

He might be plotting something nefarious.

I glance at him subtly out of the corner of my eye, but he’s just smiling warmly, his eyes narrowed.

I don’t sense any malice or suspicious intent.

But that, in itself, feels unsettling, and a feeling akin to disgust wells up inside me.

Horst Padgri... what exactly is he thinking?

"Mother, I’ve also come up with a good idea."

Suddenly, Johan’s cheerful voice echoed through the conference hall, drawing the attention of everyone present, including me.

"What’s gotten into you all of a sudden, Johan?"

As Sekmetos tilted her head and asked, Johan flashed a smile, revealing his fangs.

"Even though it’s just a preliminary match, Ridd and I will be facing each other on a grand stage, meaning there will be a winner and a loser. Among beastmen, it’s customary for the loser to obey the winner. So, if I lose, how about we agree that whoever becomes the Beast King will unconditionally accept all the conditions ridd and his side demand?"

His outlandish proposal caused the tribal chiefs to frown, and the atmosphere grew tense.

The 'preferential tax treatment' I requested is a matter of great importance to Zveira’s national interests, so their reaction is understandable.

On the other hand, it’s also a crucial issue for the Baldia family, as it directly ties into their long-term benefits.

Naturally, they want to secure the best possible terms.

If I win against Johan, it might give us an advantage in negotiations, so it’s worth considering.

But still, this feels far too much like a gamble.

"Haha. It’s an interesting proposal, but betting the future of the nation on our match seems a bit too much, don’t you think?"

As I forced a wry smile, Sekmetos nodded in agreement.

"By the way, Johan, if you win, what do you intend to demand from the Baldia side?"

"Yes. What I would ask of Ridd is..."

What is he about to say?

As I braced myself, Johan shyly glanced between Citri and me.

"Ridd’s blood."

"Huh? My blood?"

I tilted my head, not understanding what he meant, and Johan cleared his throat.

"If I win, with the aim of strengthening the relationship between  Our country and the Baldia family—or rather, the Empire—I propose that we agree to a marriage between Ridd’s future child and the child of the Beast King. How does that sound?"

He declared this with a confident, triumphant expression, but internally, I groaned and slumped my shoulders.

"Haah... There’s no way I can make such a promise."

As I shook my head, feeling utterly drained, Sekmetos suddenly burst out laughing.

"lady Sekmetos...?"

While I was left dumbfounded, she stopped laughing and began gently patting Johan’s head.

"That’s an interesting idea, Johan. Very well, let’s add 1that condition."

"Really?! Thank you, Mother!"

"W-wait a minute!"

Johan smiled happily, but I quickly interjected.

"I can’t allow such a thing to be decided so arbitrarily. First of all, I’m merely a noble of the Empire. Even if I were to have a child in the future, any engagement with someone from your nation would require the Emperor’s permission. Therefore, even if my father were here, he absolutely couldn’t agree to such a promise."

"Well, that’s generally true."

Sekmetos nodded but then smirked mischievously.

"However, an engagement between the Beast King’s child and the child of an Imperial noble would signify an alliance between the Empire and  best country . Even if it’s a future prospect, forming alliances with both Renarute and Zveira would significantly boost the Empire’s presence on the continent. Politically, it’s hardly a bad proposition."

"Th-that’s..."

Currently, under Emperor Irwin, the Empire’s foreign policy is centered around 'overwhelming national strength to subdue other nations without fighting.' Her argument aligns with that to some extent.

As I hesitated, Sekmetos continued, "And..."

"Whether this proposal is accepted or not isn’t for Lidd or Margrave Reiner to decide. It’s up to the Emperor of the Empire. If Johan wins, we’ll send a letter to the Baldia family stating that they’ve already agreed to the terms. After that, it’s the Emperor’s decision."

"But what if His Majesty refuses?"

When I asked, she shrugged playfully.

"Then nothing. Well, our goodwill toward the Empire might decrease, though."

Sekmetos chuckled after saying this.

"However, all of this is just hypothetical, contingent on Johan winning. If Lord Ridd wins, it’s a non-issue."

"Haha, Sekmetos is right, Lord Ridd Baldia."

The one who chimed in was Asteca, the horse-tribe chief, who was grinning broadly.

"Hey, didn’t you just hear it? 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.' If you want to build a cooperative relationship with us, you’d better show some resolve."

"Well, I wouldn’t call it an equal exchange, but if you want results, you’ll need to offer something in return."

Asteca’s words prompted Jeti, the monkey-tribe chief, to shrug, followed by Vene, the rabbit-tribe chief, who nodded in agreement.

"There’s a saying, 'using a shrimp to catch a sea bream.' But the one being caught isn’t going to feel good about it."

As she said this and looked around, the other tribal chiefs nodded in unison.

"Lord Lidd, for the sake of settling this matter, let’s just accept the conditions for now."

"...Are you serious?"

I whispered back to Dynas, who had discreetly advised me, and he nodded with a serious expression.

"If we drag this out any longer, they might come up with even more unreasonable demands."

"I agree with Lord Dynias."

Capella chimed in, glancing at Sekmetos and the others before continuing.

"Given the current atmosphere, the other tribal chiefs might start proposing various conditions. If Lord Lidd wins, it would be safer to wrap this up before they introduce more demands."

"...Understood."

I nodded, let out a deep sigh, and turned to Sekmetos and Johan.

"Then, I will report the newly proposed future conditions to my father. However, please understand that these conditions cannot be decided solely by me or my father."

"Of course, I understand. The details will be discussed after the outcome of the match between Johan and Lord Ridd."

Sekmetos nodded with a pleased smile.

Meanwhile, Johan, standing beside her, was beaming with excitement, his eyes shining with anticipation.

"Ridd, I won’t lose to you."

"That’s my line, Johan."

I smiled as our eyes met.