Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 753

"...I'm sorry, Aria. I never expected Horst to show up."

In the skies above the Avian territory, after we had moved quite far from the airspace where we were observing the battle between the Guardian Ten Wings and the monster horde, and Horst was no longer in sight, I sighed in relief and spoke.

"No, it's okay. I didn't expect him to come either."

Aria's voice was bright, sounding more relieved than before.

Horst Padgry.

According to Ibi, he was too busy dealing with the dungeon to come greet us, yet he had appeared suddenly, saying, "I was clearing out monsters nearby, so I came to check on the situation."

Was he really exterminating monsters nearby?

Or perhaps he noticed our presence and came. His true intentions were unclear.

What bothered me was the dizzying sensation I felt during my conversation with Horst.

I managed to counter it by increasing my Body Enhancement output, but combined with the incident in the royal capital, it was undoubtedly intentional.

*'It may be a warning not to get too close.'*

The words spoken by Dainas, captain of the Baldia Knight Order, in the royal capital resurfaced in my mind.

"Did Horst showing up mean we shouldn't investigate any further?"

I murmured this thoughtfully, and Aria shook her head.

"I don't know either. But that person is very frightening. Even when he was always smiling in front of us, his eyes were always cold and inorganic. Even with the magic you named 'Electric Field,' we couldn't read his heart at all."

"I see..."

I nodded in agreement, glancing sideways in the direction Horst had been.

We were quite far away now, so Horst's figure was, of course, no longer visible.

Yet, I felt an eerie gaze, sending a shiver down my spine.

*Avian eyesight.*

I've heard that especially raptors have exceptional vision, capable of spotting a mouse on the ground from over 300 meters in the air, and under the right conditions, their visual range can extend up to 10 kilometers... but surely not.

"Onii-chan, what's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing. More importantly, let's hurry back to the others. We're later than expected, so they're probably worried."

"Oh, right. Then, let's descend quickly!"

Aria answered and immediately folded her wings slightly, making her body angle more acute.

The moment her flight shifted from active flapping to a gliding descent.

"Okay, here we go—!"

"Huh...?! W-wait...?!"

Startled, I tried to stop her, but it was too late.

Without any chance to object, our speed increased due to the steep descent, and the wind pressure on my body became tremendous.

At this rate, I might not withstand the wind pressure...?!

Instinctively, to alter the airflow, I deployed a magic barrier at a sharp angle.

Shape-wise, think of it as an isosceles triangle.

"Wow! Amazing, Onii-chan's magic barrier. We're getting faster and faster!"

"Y-yeah. But, a little slower would be fine too..."

Not wanting to look pathetic, I put on a brave front. Aria relaxed the corners of her mouth into a grin.

"Onii-chan, here's our chance to go for maximum speed. Keep that barrier up, okay?"

"Eh, you're kidding?!"

The next moment, Aria folded her wings further, making her body angle even more acute.

It was practically a vertical dive.

I embarked on the return journey via an ultra-express ride that would put scream machines to shame. During the vertical dive, an impact hit the magic barrier, accompanied by a bursting sound.

My eyes widened as if my heart might stop, but Aria's eyes sparkled.

"Ahaha! What was that? So fun!"

"...Let's keep this a secret from everyone."

"Ehh?! Why? It was super fun!"

I immediately tried to hush her up, my face pale, but she puffed out her cheeks.

"Because that phenomenon is actually very dangerous. If Tink and Capella find out, they won't just be angry at you and me—it might be worse."

"Ehh?! O-okay. Onii-chan, I won't tell anyone about this."

Mentioning Capella and Tink's names made Aria flinch, and she nodded vigorously.

Are they scarier than I am?

Wait, does that mean Aria sees me as... lenient?

Feeling somewhat unconvinced, I decided to think, *Well, that's just how it is with 'big brother.'*

Merle is somewhat similar, after all.

But that impact and bursting sound probably meant Aria's flight speed had, even if just for a moment, exceeded the speed of sound.

In a way, it was a more chilling event than Horst's appearance...

◇

"Lord Ridd, welcome back. Welcome back, Aria too."

As Aria and I landed on the ground where the Baldia group was waiting, Tink and the others immediately came over to greet us.

"Ehehe. We're back."

"Ahaha. Yeah, we're back..."

Aria smiled brightly and energetically, while I forced a wry smile, feeling somewhat drained.

"Lord Ridd, you seem unusually tired. Did something happen?"

When Capella asked with concern, Amon, who was nearby, furrowed his brow.

"Could it be that the Ten Wings' power was more threatening than imagined?"

"No, no, the Ten Wings' strength was indeed incredible. But I'm tired because we stayed airborne longer than planned. The temperature, air, everything is different up there compared to the ground."

In front of Aria and the others, I couldn't say I was exhausted because 'we exceeded the speed of sound on the way back.' Explaining the concept of exceeding the speed of sound would be a hassle in itself.

"Really, is that how it is? But from the looks of it, you succeeded in observing the Ten Wings' power."

"Yeah, we did. And also..."

"And also...?"

As Amon tilted his head, I glanced around and then leaned close to his ear.

"During our aerial reconnaissance, Horst suddenly appeared."

"What...?!"

As his eyes widened, I looked around once more and nodded.

"But we don't know who might be watching here. Let's talk more inside the trailer house."

"That's true. Understood."

As Amon nodded, I smiled as if nothing happened and looked at Aria.

"Aria, sorry to ask when you're tired, but could you come with me to the trailer house? I want to give a report to Amon and the others."

"Yeah, I underst— I mean, as you wish."

She caught herself, sticking the tip of her tongue out slightly, then straightened her posture and saluted.

Her adorable gesture drew soft chuckles from the surrounding knights.

As she and Amon boarded the trailer house, I signaled Capella with my eyes and called him over, leaning close to his ear.

"...The monster horde was real. And Ibi's claim that the Ten Wings alone could handle it wasn't a lie either."

"Is that so? It seems the Avian tribe indeed possesses unfathomable power."

Capella nodded with his usual expression.

He rarely shows surprise or emotion in response to any report.

It's probably because of his former covert ops background, but reporting to him strangely helps calm my own nerves too.

"Yeah, the reconnaissance was the right call. I think Ibi and the others will return soon. When they do, could you tell everyone to inform me immediately?"

"Understood. I shall relay that to the knights."

"Thank you. After you tell them, come to the trailer house right away. I'd like to hear your opinion too."

"As you command. I shall join you shortly."

He bowed, then walked briskly towards the knights standing guard.

After watching his back, I boarded the trailer house and began my report with Aria.