Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 654

After leaving the Baldia estate, our group soon passed through the town of Baldia and entered the road leading to Hazama Fortress.

By this point, the estate was no longer visible.

I popped a motion-sickness candy into my mouth and pulled out the letter from my pocket—the one Salvia had given me, containing a message from my father.

By the way, Capella wasn’t inside the carriage since he was driving the tow vehicle.

"Lord Rid, reading in a moving carriage may worsen your motion sickness. If you don’t mind, I could read it aloud for you?"

Tink, seated across from me, wore a concerned expression.

It was a kind offer, but I scratched my cheek and smiled wryly.

"I’d normally take you up on that, but this is a message from Father. There might be things in here that shouldn’t be shared. I appreciate the thought, though."

"Understood. Then, please let me know immediately if you start feeling unwell."

"Got it. I’ll say something if I do."

With that, I broke the seal on the letter, unfolded it, and began reading.

To summarize:

The Baldia family had been invited as guests to the Beast King Tournament. Additionally, regarding my (Rid Baldia’s) match against Johan Bestia in the preliminary round, the Emperor and Empress had apparently given their approval without issue.

In fact, they seemed to view it as an opportunity to mend the strained relations between our nations following the battle at Hazama Fortress.

However, if I were to lose the preliminary match, there was a proposed future marriage alliance between the Baldia family and the tribe that produced the Beast King. Empress Matilda had reportedly reacted with fury, declaring it "utterly unacceptable" and "absolutely forbidden."

As a result, if I won, there would be no problem. But if I lost, while the arrangement would be superficially acknowledged for diplomatic reasons, negotiations would continue behind the scenes.

The Empire was apparently willing to absorb some losses rather than permit a future marriage alliance between the Baldia family and the Beast King.

Of course, neither I nor Father were in favor of such an arrangement either.

But from a political standpoint between nations, it wasn’t without its advantages—if anything, the benefits seemed to outweigh the drawbacks.

Which made Empress Matilda’s outright refusal from the very beginning somewhat surprising.

"...For her to oppose it this strongly, could there be some secret about the Baldias that only the Imperial family knows?"

The Baldia family was one of the noble houses with an illustrious history dating back to the founding of the Magnolia Empire.

Over such a long history, it wouldn’t be strange for certain traditions or information to have been lost or fragmented.

If some of those lost traditions or secrets were preserved by the Imperial family—and if they were of critical importance to the Empire—that would explain Empress Matilda’s vehement opposition.

What felt odd, though, was that while reading the letter, there was no mention of Emperor Irwin opposing the matter as strongly as the Empress had.

Perhaps the two of them had differing levels of concern regarding this issue.

But why would there be such a difference? That part nagged at me.

As I neared the end of the letter, a line caught my eye:

"P.S. I relay Empress Matilda’s words verbatim."

"Rid Baldia, I command you:

In the preliminary match held at the Beast King Tournament, you must secure victory for the Magnolia Empire.

Should you fail—even in the slightest—it will be considered an act of defiance against the Imperial family. All tax privileges currently afforded to the Baldia family will be revoked.

Furthermore, any losses or expenses incurred in negotiations with Zveara will be borne entirely by the Baldia family.

Depending on the circumstances, the Baldia territories may also be placed under direct Imperial control.

Naturally, you—as the one responsible for initiating negotiations with the Beast King—will be held accountable.

If you wish to keep your head, you must win the preliminary match.

This is an Imperial Decree.

I look forward to the exploits of our unconventional maverick.

- Matilda Magnolia"

I was stunned.

If I lost the preliminary match, the Baldia family would lose everything.

The phrase "if you wish to keep your head" practically sounded like a veiled threat of execution.

After surviving the battle at Hazama Fortress and finally seeing hope for Mother’s mana depletion syndrome to be cured, how did things end up like this?

I let out a deep sigh and slumped forward.

"...Why did it come to this?"

"Um, Lord Rid? Are you alright? You’ve gone completely pale."

"Huh? Oh, no, no. I’m fine, just a bit motion-sick."

I narrowed my eyes and scratched my cheek, trying to play it off. Tink, however, seemed to have other thoughts as she stood up.

"Forgive my rudeness," she murmured before kneeling in front of me.

"Eh…?"

Just as I tilted my head in confusion, she gently pulled me into an embrace.

"Lord Rid, you are an incredibly strong person. No matter the hardship, I know you will overcome it. And if you ever find yourself struggling, please rely on those around you. Lady Nanalie, Lord Rainer, and every servant of the Baldia family will support you. Please believe in your own strength."

"...Yeah, you’re right. Thank you."

Wrapped in her kindness and words, my anxiety strangely began to fade.

She was right—this wasn’t the time to wallow in despair.

There were still over two months until the Beast King Tournament.

All I had to do was become strong enough to defeat Johan—maybe even the Beast King and the tribal chiefs—and protect the Baldia family.

...Well, maybe taking on the Beast King and the chiefs was pushing it.

Just then, a deep "Mnyaa~" echoed through the carriage, followed by something soft gently patting my head.

"Huh? Wha—?!"

I frantically looked toward the source of the sound and saw Cookie, in his black kitten form, sitting there innocently.

"You followed us? But what about Biscuit…?"

I slipped out of Tink’s arms and scanned the carriage, but the white kitten was nowhere to be seen.

It seemed Cookie had snuck aboard alone without us noticing.

"Uh, we’re still in Baldia territory—should we stop the charcoal car? That way, you can go back to Biscuit."

"Mnyaa~"

I crouched down to talk to him, but Cookie shook his head slightly.

Apparently, he had followed us on purpose and had no intention of going back.

He hopped onto an empty seat, stretched, yawned, and then curled up into a ball.

"It seems he was worried about you, Lord Rid."

"You think so? That’d make me happy."

I nodded along with Tink’s words while watching Cookie, but he remained curled up, unmoving.

He definitely understood us, but was he really here because he was worried about me?

"Ugh…?!"

Suddenly, my vision swayed, and a dull pain throbbed in my head, making me stagger.

"Lord Rid, are you alright?"

"Guess the letter really did make me motion-sick. I’ll rest for a bit."

"Understood. I’ll only speak if necessary."

"Yeah, thanks."

I reclined my seat, glanced at the curled-up Cookie, and closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep.