Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 659

"With that, this matter is settled. When, where, and to whom should we teach it?"

This person's emotional shifts are intense.

I'm taken aback by how quickly Gyobu switches gears, but I begin with, "Um..."

"Actually, we've brought along a tanuki child from the Baldia family, so we were hoping you could teach them within the next day or two."

"I see. However, we have a banquet planned later today to foster camaraderie. Would tomorrow be acceptable?"

"Yes, that would be fine. I'll let him know then."

Great, that wraps up everything we wanted to accomplish in the meeting with the tanuki tribe. Once Gyobu shares information about their beast transformation tomorrow, we'll be all set.

"Ah, right. There's still some time before the banquet preparations are complete. Please wait in the guest room until then."

"Understood. Thank you all for your time today."

After shaking hands with Gyobu and bowing to the nobles, they responded with applause as a gesture of goodwill.

We can't let our guard down, but it seems the fox tribe, tanuki tribe, and Baldia might get along well.

We leave the conference room and are escorted to the guest room.

However, for some reason, the room contains several easels, with what appear to be artists waiting for us.

"Lord Rid and Lord Amon, correct? By order of Chief Gyobu, as a symbol of cultural exchange and friendship, we are to paint your portraits for the records. Please cooperate. Also, Gyobu added, 'If they refuse, my opinion of Rid and Amon will drastically worsen.'"

"Wh...what?!"

Amidst our stunned silence, Amon and I freeze.

We've been had.

Did he plan this from the start, or prepare it after overhearing Chris and the others?

Gyobu truly is someone you can't let your guard down around.

And so, paintings of Amon and me wearing 'child-sized suikan' robes are recorded for posterity—whether we like it or not.

Dozens of paintings are completed in a short time... Is it just me, or is that excessive?

Upon seeing the finished paintings, Chris and Emma, now in full merchant mode, excitedly exclaim:

"We should sell copies! These will absolutely sell like crazy!"

"Ahaha, I can't decide that on my own. We'd need my parents' approval first."

"Y-yeah. This isn't something we can decide unilaterally. Probably..."

Amon and I both force strained smiles as we gently decline the offer.

◇

After the meeting, once the artists in the guest room finish painting us in the 'child-sized suikan,' Gyobu arrives, announcing, "The fellowship banquet is ready. Let me escort you."

Given the perfect timing, he was likely waiting nearby for the paintings to be done.

He grins smugly as he examines our portraits in the room.

Clearly, he's up to no good.

"...You are absolutely not allowed to sell these."

"Do you really think I'd do something to ruin your impression of me?"

I glare at him skeptically, and Gyobu shrugs. I hope he means it.

The banquet is a standing buffet attended by influential tanuki nobles. Rid, Amon, and Chris are swarmed by guests for quite a while.

The food, mostly Japanese-style, surprises us, but one thing makes us widen our eyes in unison:

Somehow, an ostentatious amount of Baldia's sake is on display.

Baldia's sake is currently a highly sought-after product across the continent.

However, since it's reserved for the imperial family and nobility, domestic distribution is prioritized, leaving limited quantities for export.

Yet, there's enough here for everyone—proof of the tanuki tribe's impressive connections and procurement skills.

This is undoubtedly meant to showcase their friendly ties with Baldia and the fox tribe, as well as their formidable intelligence network.

Once greetings with the nobles wind down, Gyobu approaches and asks, "Come to think of it, where's Rapha?"

Rapha Grandork, Amon's sister, didn't join this diplomatic trip, remaining in the fox tribe territory as acting chief.

This trip serves to establish Amon as the official chief and announce the fox tribe's new leadership structure.

If Rapha had accompanied Amon, her past achievements would have overshadowed him—hence this arrangement.

Leaving Rapha as acting chief also demonstrates the strong trust between her and Amon, reinforcing the stability of the fox tribe's new regime.

This, in turn, attracts commerce and accelerates the tribe's revival, benefiting Baldia as well.

Hearing our explanation, Gyobu laughs heartily. "Rapha as acting chief? Hah! That's unlike her."

Indeed, Rapha had grumbled, "I never wanted to be chief—not even acting chief. This defeats the whole point of making Amon chief," before reluctantly accepting the role.

After chatting with Gyobu, the guests approaching us change—now, young tanuki noblewomen flock to Amon, eager to get closer.

They're persistent and assertive, leaving Amon scrambling to politely decline.

Having experienced similar situations in the empire, I feel a sense of camaraderie but lean in to remind him:

"Don't forget Baldia and Grandork's relationship—and that your fiancée, Tis, is my sister."

"O-of course!"

I smile as Amon nods, his face pale.

After the banquet, we stay overnight in the chief's guest quarters.

The next day, I meet Gyobu with Dan, a tanuki from the Second Knight Corps' special operations unit, to learn about the tanuki tribe's transformation techniques.

I'm wearing my usual empire-style attire.

"To think the three brothers who vanished after causing chaos with their pranks years ago ended up in Baldia. What a surprise," Gyobu remarks, frowning at Dan.

If even the easygoing Gyobu calls their pranks "malicious," I'm curious.

"Dan, what exactly did you and your brothers do?"

"Nothing major. We simply outwitted the foolish nobles who thought themselves clever and exploited their people. We humiliated them and drove them from their lands—until they united and turned the people against us, reducing us to slaves."

"Some might call that a rebellion. The aftermath was a nightmare..."

Dan shrugs nonchalantly, but Gyobu sounds genuinely exasperated.

"Well, that's all in the past. A promise is a promise. I'll uphold my end—so handle your part, Lord Rid."

"Understood. I'll keep my word too."

Their unexpected history made me nervous, but Gyobu proceeds to teach Dan about the tanuki tribe's beast transformation and disguise techniques.

As expected, the transformation has stages. Dan is thrilled. "With this, I can transform even more powerfully and elegantly!"

However, Dan's enthusiasm for disguise techniques borders on recklessness—that's my only concern.

With our business in the tanuki territory concluded, our group departs for our next destination: the ox tribe lands.