Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 650

Several days had passed since returning to Baldia.

As the day of departure for the Foxkin territory approached once again, I found myself in the mansion’s parlor today, discussing matters with Chris from the Christie Trading Company.

Inside the room, aside from Chris and me sitting on the sofa across the table, Emma and Tink were also present.

The tribal chief meeting had been eventful, but no matter what happened, I couldn’t let the hard-earned connections with each chief go to waste.

With the goal of expanding trade routes between Baldia and the Foxkin in the future, I had been explaining the circumstances to Chris.

"...And that’s how it is. I expect things will only get busier from here."

"Understood. I’ll make sure we’re ready to respond immediately, no matter what happens."

Once my explanation was mostly finished, Chris nodded but then added, "Still..."

"I’d heard rumors that Lord Amon, the new Foxkin tribal chief, and Lord Rid of Baldia had been making quite a name for themselves, but it seems they were true."

"Oh? What kind of rumors?"

"They’re fairly well-known among the merchant circles."

As I leaned forward, Chris relaxed her lips with a soft chuckle.

According to her, the corrupt nobles in the Foxkin territory that we had purged had ties to trading companies in the Empire, Balst, and Toga—several of which had recently gone under.

The most talked about were the ones from Balst, apparently.

Whispers suggested that some of those companies had connections to Balst’s royal family.

Though the truth was unclear, their collapse had supposedly strengthened the influence of the sixth prince, Ariados Balst, who had previously been considered the least likely to inherit the throne.

Because of this, merchants had quickly spread tales of *"Baldia’s Maverick running wild alongside the Foxkin’s new tribal chief."*

I was surprised to hear I was being called *"Baldia’s Maverick"* among merchants, but since it would derail the conversation, I decided not to press the issue.

"...That’s how it is. The merchants I know all say the same thing—that the Grandork family’s new chief and Baldia’s unconventional rising star are anything but ordinary."

"Haha. Well, I suppose that’s better than being badmouthed."

I still had a lot I wanted to do, so being treated too cautiously would be a problem.

But it’s better than being underestimated.

As I scratched my cheek with a wry smile, Chris cleared her throat and sharpened her gaze.

"By the way, Lord Rid, I heard the new product—the one we discussed—has been completed. May I expect great things?"

"Of course. Well then, shall we unveil it right away?"

When I stood up, Chris tilted her head in confusion.

"Huh? We’re not seeing it here?"

"Nope. Some of it is portable, but not everything."

I gave her a knowing smile before leading Chris and Emma, who still looked puzzled, to another room.

◇

"Lord Rid, as well as Chris and Emma. We’ve been waiting for you. No—allow me to say it outright. You’ve kept us waiting far too long!"

The moment we entered the room, a bright, energetic voice boomed through the air.

Its owner, Ellen, stood proudly with her hands on her hips, striking a triumphant pose as she pointed dramatically toward the ceiling.

Around her, Alex, Tonaji, and Thomas wore apologetic, awkward smiles.

"Big sis, I get that you’re excited to show it off, but you’re getting a little carried away."

"That’s right, Lady Ellen. Saying we’ve been kept waiting *too long* is a bit much."

"Haha, I’ll have to agree with them on that one."

"O-oh, right. My apologies, Lord Rid. I got a little too excited."

At the chiding from Alex, Tonaji, and Thomas, Ellen stiffened and hastily bowed.

"Don’t worry about it. I want all of you to feel free to focus on your work without hesitation. And it *is* true we kept you waiting—the meeting ran a bit long. Sorry about that."

I shook my head lightly and smiled.

Ellen and Alex, the dwarf siblings now at the heart of Baldia’s development, along with their prized pupils—Tonaji of the Foxkin and Thomas of the Apekin—were all members of the Second Knight Order’s Technical Development Workshop, directly under my command.

That Baldia had progressed so rapidly was undeniably thanks to them bringing my ideas to life.

If anything, *I* should be the one bowing to *them*.

To ensure they could work comfortably, my words held no deception.

"Well, hearing that puts me at ease. You always provide the budget and let us work freely, Lord Rid. You’re truly an amazing person. I’ll follow you for life!"

"Haha. I’m glad you feel that way, Ellen."

It wasn’t exactly *free rein*, but…

Well, if she saw it that way, there was no need to correct her.

"Big sis, let’s get to the main event already."

"Ah, right."

Nodding at Alex’s words, Ellen stepped forward to a table where a chair had been prepared.

On the table sat a large, box-like object covered by a white cloth.

"Now, allow me to formally introduce it. This is the finished product, refined through multiple revisions based on Lord Rid’s original concept and Chris’s feedback. Behold—the *‘Letter-Pressing Buddy’*!"

With a grand flourish, she pulled away the white cloth, revealing a black, box-shaped machine covered in mechanical parts—a very *machine-like* machine.

Notably, the front of the box had an array of buttons, each marked with a character.

Personally, it felt a little nostalgic.

"Here it is—the finished product. With this, paperwork and document drafting will become infinitely easier!"

Chris’s eyes gleamed as she let out a low, amused chuckle and stepped closer to the table.

However, Emma, who seemed unfamiliar with the device, tilted her head in confusion.

"Um, Lady Chris… How does that odd-looking box reduce workload?"

"Ah, right. I never explained it to you, Emma. Well then, let’s have you try it out yourself."

At my prompting, Alex, Tonaji, and Thomas quickly set up a sheet of *‘paper’* into the black box and explained how to use it.

Emma’s eyes widened.

"W-wait, it can really do that?"

"Yes. Go ahead and give it a try."

As Alex smiled, Emma gulped and sat in the chair.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, her hesitant fingers pressed one of the character-marked buttons—and a loud *clack* echoed through the room.

The unfamiliar sound made Emma’s cat ears twitch as she looked around in bewilderment.

"Uh… d-did I break it?"

"Nope. That’s how it’s supposed to work. Just keep pressing buttons—any of them."

"O-okay…"

As Emma pressed more keys, letters were swiftly imprinted onto the paper, while the mechanism holding it gradually shifted to the left.

Once the paper reached its limit, a high-pitched, clear chime—*ding!*—rang out.

Alex immediately explained the next step, and Emma manually slid the paper back to the right before resuming.

After repeating this process a few times, Emma’s hands suddenly stopped—and her entire body began trembling slightly.

What was wrong?

Had the keystrokes or the chime been unpleasant for Beastkin ears?

Worried, I asked, "Uh… you okay?"

In response, Emma shot up from her chair with enough force to nearly knock it over, grabbed my hands, and leaned in urgently.

"Lord Rid. This—this product. Can we start selling it today? *Please.*"

"Uh…"

Her eyes, wide and shimmering with an intensity I’d never seen before, along with the desperate plea in her voice, left me momentarily stunned.

But I could understand how she felt.

After all, this black box—crafted from my original concept, refined with Ellen’s team and Chris’s input—was nothing less than a machine that would revolutionize paperwork and written culture.

In my past life, it was known as a *‘typewriter.’*