Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 637

"The last candidate is you."

Tink pointed not at Fara, but at the person standing behind her.

"Ah, Asuna?!"

As Fara exclaimed in surprise, Tink nodded with a smile.

"If we're talking about someone of the right age with many connections, Lady Asuna also fits the bill."

"That's impossible."

Asuna let out a deep sigh, looking exasperated.

But Tink remained smiling.

"Still, Lady Asuna. You must have received help from Alex with weapons and decorations. Haven't you received gifts from him at times?"

"Is that true, Asuna?"

Fara leaned forward with keen interest, but Asuna remained calm and shook her head.

"It's true that Alex has helped me, and I have received gifts from him. However, I haven't noticed any intentions or emotions like what Tink mentioned."

"Even if Lady Asuna thinks so, Lord Alex might feel differently."

As Tink's eyes gleamed with amusement, Asuna glanced at me and Fara and continued, "No."

"Having observed the two of you up close, I can confidently say that Lord Alex does not harbor such feelings for me."

"Eh..."

Caught off guard by Asuna's response, Fara and I exchanged puzzled looks.

Then, both of our faces flushed red.

"Thank you for the meal, as always."

"My, Lady Asuna, you say that quite often."

As Asuna gently narrowed her eyes, Tink smirked.

"P-Please don't tease us both."

Fara, looking visibly flustered, twitched her ears slightly as she spoke. Asuna and Tink, in perfect sync, bowed and said, "Our apologies."

"Haha... It's up to anyone to decide who they like. No matter who Alex likes, I'll support him."

I let out a dry laugh, and Capella bowed her head, saying, "Thank you."

"If Lord Ridd supports him from the shadows, I'm sure Alex would be delighted."

"Don't exaggerate. Supporting him just means watching over him, not doing anything special. Besides..."

I cleared my throat and looked straight at Capella.

"Even if it's Alex, I won't forgive him if he two-times and makes Danae or others cry."

"Understood. I'll subtly convey that to him."

"Well, I don't think he's the type to two-time, though."

The conversation had taken a strange turn, but Alex is a straightforward, earnest, and sincere person.

If he were to start dating someone, he would undoubtedly cherish that person above all else.

Just as I shrugged my shoulders in resignation, Asuna cleared her throat.

"I think it's about time we head to the dining hall. Everyone must be waiting."

"Ah, you're right. Lord Ridd, let's go."

"Yeah."

Nodding at Fara's words, we left the hallway and made our way to the dining hall.

◇

Upon arriving at the dining hall, we found Father, along with Mel and others who had come to greet us, as well as Citri and Tis, all engaged in lively conversation.

"What took you so long?"

"My apologies. We were chatting in the hallway for a bit."

As Father pointed out our tardiness, Fara and I took our seats at the large dining table, where a warm breakfast was soon served.

In the Foxkin territory, they try to provide meals as similar to ours as possible.

However, as the table filled with rice, bread, egg dishes, miso soup, meat dishes, and more, I couldn't help but feel that it still didn't quite match up to Baldia.

The conversation with Fara and the others over breakfast was lively.

The main topics revolved around the situation in the Foxkin territory and our exploits, with me, Citri, and Tis taking turns to answer.

However, I kept my participation in the Beast King Battle, decided at the tribal council meeting, under wraps for now.

Whenever the conversation veered in that direction, Father occasionally shot sharp glances my way.

Fara and the others seemed to sense his gaze and the tension, quickly changing the subject whenever I hesitated or stumbled over my words.

As for Baldia during my absence, the number of visitors from both within and outside the country continued to grow daily.

Recently, many have been coming from Astoria, Gardland, Toga, and Barst, apparently.

Their primary goals seem to be acquiring daily necessities that are hard to find outside Baldia, experiencing our food culture, and assessing the extent of Baldia's development.

However, with the increase in people coming and going, problems have also become more frequent. Father's First Knight Order and Fara's Second Knight Order, which she manages in his stead, have been busier than ever.

With Dainas, the captain of the First Knight Order, currently in the Foxkin territory, Rubens, the vice-captain, has been working closely with Father to strengthen enforcement in Baldia.

Having married Diana and recently becoming a father, Rubens seems to have grown more responsible and motivated than before.

Sley Rezner, the Foxkin warrior who sought to serve under Father in the Foxkin territory, has been successfully recruited into the Baldia family and is now part of the First Knight Order.

He's been working alongside Rubens and has proven to be a valuable asset, just as expected.

In the Second Knight Order, Kiel and Mel, seeing how busy Fara has been, offered to help out. With Father's permission, they've been assisting with administrative tasks.

Initially, Kiel was met with skepticism from the younger members of the Second Knight Order, but after demonstrating the courage, martial arts, and magic he honed through training with Father and me, he's now on good terms with everyone.

"The headband battle, huh? That was quite interesting and fun. I heard you came up with that, Ridd."

"It's not really something worth calling an idea."

As Kiel narrowed his eyes, I scratched my cheek and smiled wryly.

To earn the trust of the Second Knight Order, Kiel apparently engaged in a headband battle with the vice-captain's team.

Although he lost, his bravery and demeanor convinced the members that he was worthy of their trust.

"But for Kiel, a member of the royal family, to participate in a headband battle... I'm surprised Father allowed it."

"Well, that's..."

When I glanced at Father and asked, Kiel looked somewhat embarrassed and averted his eyes.

Mel also seemed a bit awkward.

What's going on?

As I tilted my head in confusion, a deep sigh came from somewhere.

"I only approved Fara's assistance. I did not approve the headband battle. That was a post-facto report from Kiel and Mel."

"Eh...?"

Blinking at Father's words, Fara let out a muffled laugh.