Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 645

"Lord Rid. Your footwork is a bit lacking, wouldn't you say?"

"You're one to talk. You don't even give me an opening to get close."

Facing Curtis, who stood with his arms crossed—completely unarmed—I puffed out my cheeks, panting heavily as I gripped a wooden sword in one hand.

Right now, I was in the middle of close-quarters combat training with Curtis, the commander of the Second Knight Order, in the training grounds of the new estate.

The difference from usual was that, as part of our preparations for the fight against Johan, I was only using body-enhancement-type techniques.

But Curtis—the former head of the prestigious martial house of Lanmark, grandfather to Asuna, and a man who once led Renalute's armies—was overwhelmingly powerful, treating me like a child.

Well, I am still a kid, but still.

"Lord Rid, do your best!"

Hearing that adorable voice, I glanced sideways to see not just Fara and Asuna, but also Sandra, Jessica, and Capella—along with the other deputy-level members of the Second Knight Order—cheering me on from a short distance away.

But they weren’t just here to support me.

The combat-oriented members, like Asuna, had gathered to ensure a variety of opponents for training, while Fara and Sandra were on standby with mana recovery potions, ready to provide support.

Several days had passed since Mother and Fara were invited by the Beast King of Zveela to the upcoming war, where members of the Baldia Knight Order—myself included—would participate in a preliminary battle before the main event.

I had also informed them that if I lost to my opponent, Johan Bestia, it would mean an arranged marriage between the Baldia family and the tribe that produced the current Beast King.

The engagement itself was only known to a select few within the Baldia household.

But everyone was aware that I would be fighting in the preliminary match of the Beast King War—a battle where the pride of both the Empire and House Baldia was at stake, one I absolutely could not afford to lose.

Normally, after returning from the Foxkin territory, I’d be buried under paperwork and reports piled up during my absence. But this time, my training took priority.

Most of my usual administrative duties had been taken over by the butler, Galun, with Fara handling the necessary reviews.

Thanks to that, I’d been able to dedicate nearly all of my time these past few days to training.

Given the circumstances, I couldn’t afford to look weak in front of everyone.

Wiping the sweat from my forehead with my sleeve, I stood back up and raised my wooden sword into a proper stance, locking eyes with Curtis.

Seeing this, he smirked arrogantly.

"Your spirit remains as sharp as ever. However, Lord Rid—openings are typically born from an opponent’s carelessness, overconfidence, or sheer coincidence. In a one-on-one situation like this, you can’t expect them to just appear."

"I get what you’re saying. But what am I supposed to do about it?"

Against a normal opponent, I could create distractions to force an opening.

But against close-combat specialists like Father or Curtis, no matter what I tried, it was nearly impossible to create a real opening.

"Then allow me to demonstrate."

"Demonstrate…?"

As my eyebrow twitched, Curtis gave a satisfied nod.

"If you wish to create an opening, you must do something unexpected—something flashy, something your opponent could never anticipate. Like… this."

With that, he slowly raised his right foot.

The moment I tensed, holding my breath, Curtis murmured "Tatami-Gaeshi" and brought his foot down.

The next instant, the ground beneath me split apart, the earth itself rising like a flipped tatami mat.

"Wha—?!"

The sheer absurdity of it forced a strangled yelp out of me—and from the sound of it, the spectators were just as shocked, their cheers turning into gasps of disbelief.

Renalute had a culture similar to Japan’s, so the existence of a technique called Tatami-Gaeshi wasn’t that strange.

But literally flipping the ground like a tatami mat was going too far!

As the earth beneath me tilted at an extreme angle, staying upright became impossible.

"At this rate—!"

I needed to jump back and regain my footing, but when I tried to locate Curtis, he was nowhere in sight.

"Huh…? Where—?"

The moment I turned my head in confusion, a presence behind me sent a chill down my spine.

"Lord Rid, where are you looking? I’m right here."

"Tch—!"

I spun around and swung my wooden sword on reflex, but Curtis effortlessly blocked it with a black, magic-infused cloth.

His signature technique—Demon Cloth Arts—allowed him to manipulate ordinary fabric like whips, rods, or spears by imbuing it with mana.

"This is what it means to catch your opponent off-guard and create an opening. Do you understand now?"

"Yeah, I’ll take notes. How about this?"

I grinned and stabbed my wooden sword into his shadow.

Instantly, Curtis’ expression darkened.

"This is… a Riverton technique?!"

"Yep. Capella’s personal instruction—the dark-attribute spell Shadow Bind."

Shadow Bind was a dark-attribute spell favored by Renalute’s covert operatives.

By stabbing a weapon infused with dark mana into an opponent’s shadow, it could briefly immobilize them.

Of course, its effectiveness depended on the target’s mana reserves and physical abilities.

"Normally, you’d break free from this restraint instantly. But since I caught you off-guard, you can’t shake it off right away. Right?"

As I raised my right hand into a knife-hand strike, crimson flames of mana flickered to life around it.

"I see. You’ve bested me this time."

"Curtis. This match is mine. Shakunetsu Masōken—Scorching Demon Armament Fist!"

I thrust my hand toward his solar plexus—but Curtis, now wreathed in black mana, caught my strike midair.

"A shame. You were just one step short."

"...That’s a little unsportsmanlike, don’t you think?"

Looking closer, I realized his entire body was now cloaked in black mana.

He must’ve activated his dark-attribute Body Enhancement: Moonlight at the last second.

"Not at all. Consider it part of the lesson. Against a superior opponent, using a well-known spell will only lead to immediate countermeasures like this. It would’ve worked on anyone else—you simply picked the wrong foe."

Narrowing his eyes, Curtis suddenly scooped me up into his arms.

"Wha—?!"

"Pardon me."

Holding me securely, he leaped away just as the ground beneath us crumbled.

We landed right where Fara and the others were watching.

After gently setting me down, Fara rushed over with a worried expression.

"Lord Rid, are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah. I’m fine."

"I’m glad. Here, drink this right away."

Letting out a relieved sigh, she promptly handed me several small black pills and a cup of water.

The pills were mana recovery medicine, but… was it just me, or did the herbal smell seem stronger than usual?

When I glanced at Sandra, who was standing nearby, she flashed me a sly grin.