Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 689

"Of course. While Baldia belongs to the empire, we don't necessarily march in lockstep with all nobles. As frontier lords, we can keep matters confidential unless absolutely necessary to disclose. Alina, this stays between us—understood?"

"Yes, my lord."

As we nodded, the oppressive magical pressure emanating from Luva dissipated.

"Good. That puts my mind at ease."

She smiled warmly, then immediately winced, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Oww...?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, forgive me. I'm fine now."

Clearing her throat, Luva straightened her posture with renewed composure.

"While variations exist between tribes, beastfolk transformation has three ranks—Common, Mystic, and Divine—each with lower, middle, and upper tiers. That makes nine theoretical stages, though practically speaking, only six matter."

"Practically speaking?"

When I tilted my head, she nodded solemnly.

"The Divine rank belongs to myths and fairy tales. No one in recorded history—not even current chieftains—has reached it."

"I see. Hence the 'practical six stages.'"

However ancient those records might be, if even Beast King Sekmetos hadn't attained it...

"Precisely. Common rank may show minor fur color variations, but Mystic and above standardize appearances. Beyond that, physique and tails transform differently per tribe. Foxfolk gain more tails with each stage—quite visually obvious."

"Fascinating."

Common, Mystic, Divine... This aligned with Marbas' explanation. Then I recalled Elba's final form during our confrontation and began counting fingers. Wait...?

Hadn't Elba manifested nine tails?

"Lord Rid? Something wrong?"

"Ah, nothing. Just noting foxfolk supposedly max out at nine tails."

"Correct. Elba and Gareth—whom you defeated—had seven tails. That puts them at sixth stage, equivalent to chieftains like myself."

"Is that... so..."

"That covers the basics."

While responding normally, my mind reeled.

Beastform stages were crucial indicators of strength among beastfolk. If chieftains represented the sixth stage, then Elba had surpassed them all.

Had he participated in the upcoming Beast King tournament instead of attacking Baldia...

Given his personality, he might've slaughtered rival chieftains under the guise of competition. That might have been the original timeline's course—his ambitions half-realized, strengthening Zubera's survival-of-the-fittest ideology until its villages mirrored the devastated foxfolk settlements I'd witnessed.

"...You've gone pale. What's troubling you?"

"I was remembering Elba. At Narrow Pass Fortress, he manifested nine tails."

"What...?!"

Luva's eyes widened before her expression turned grave.

"That's impossible. That would make him stronger than any chieftain. How did you survive?"

"Ahaha... Not through my strength alone. We only won by combining our forces. Had I fought solo, I'd have lost."

No need to mention my life-shortening gambit. The "combined effort" part wasn't untrue—victory would've been impossible without allies.

"A miraculous triumph then. As someone invested in Zubera's future, let me thank you personally. For stopping him."

"Don't mention it. We'd have clashed eventually regardless..."

Elba was the final boss in Toki Lala's Johan route—considered the game's strongest foe. My interventions likely accelerated events that would've occurred later. Even without my actions, our confrontation might have been inevitable.

"'Eventually'...?"

Luva tilted her head at my phrasing.

"Ah, I mean—even without Narrow Pass, his ambitions would've pitted him against the empire eventually. My house would've borne the brunt."

"I see."

She nodded, seemingly satisfied. Good—crisis averted.

I cleared my throat, steering the conversation onward.

"Shall we begin Alina's training?"

"Very well. I'll demonstrate first."

"Understood!"

Alina snapped a crisp salute before hurrying to Luva's side.

A violent surge of magic erupted as Luva transformed—her body now covered in silver fur, ears enlarging while facial contours subtly shifted. Though her frame remained unchanged, her magical pressure intensified exponentially.

Compared to the towering bear and ox chieftains, her form felt almost reassuring.

"Haven't done this in ages. Now, Alina—your turn."

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

Nervous but determined, Alina activated her beastform, gray fur rippling across her body.

"Oh? Middle Common stage at your age? Promising indeed."

"Thank you! Though our division captains are far stronger."

Alina beamed, but Luva blinked in confusion, glancing my way.

"Our captains are exceptional talents. One's a ratfolk too, but her duties kept her at Baldia."

"Impressive. We'd heard of Baldia's training programs, but seeing is believing. Zubera could learn from this."

Luva sighed ruefully.

Training programs was putting it lightly—our intelligence division's communication magic operations were better left unmentioned. Still, her lament about talent development struck me as ironic.

From what I'd observed during meetings, ratfolk were universally sharp-witted, perceptive, and capable—with calm, sociable personalities to boot. While individual differences existed, their potential seemed limitless compared to our rapid-expansion-induced talent shortage.

"...Lady Luva, how about sending ratfolk students to Baldia? We could even facilitate employment afterward."

"An intriguing proposal. But let's finish this training first."

She smiled before turning to Alina, launching into detailed explanations about stage progression and sensory control.