Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 765

This appears to be a duplicate of an earlier section of the story. Here is the English translation again:

---

"Lord Ridd. Lord Azteca and the assembled clan leaders await you in the hall beyond."

The Horse Tribe maid who had guided us from the guest room stopped before a large double door, turned back, and bowed.

The two brown doors were carved with a picture of a horse rearing and neighing, giving an imposing impression.

At each end of the doors stood armed Horse Tribe warriors, wearing swords and standing at attention.

Amon stood beside me, with Chris, Capella, Tink, and Emma behind us.

"Understood. Thank you for guiding us."

"Not at all. I shall take my leave here."

As the maid bowed and withdrew, one of the Horse Tribe warriors placed a hand on the door handle.

"Then, allow me to guide you to the hall."

"Please do."

As Amon and I nodded, the doors were slowly and carefully opened inward.

At the same time, light from within spilled into the corridor where we stood, and a cheerful, friendly buzz of voices reached us as a clamor.

As the doors opened, the scene inside the hall came into view.

The Horse Tribe clan leaders and those who appeared to be their wives, daughters, and sons seemed to have already gathered.

The Horse Tribe people, both men and women, have two pointed ears standing upright on their heads, and many are tall.

Chief Azteca has brown skin, but the skin tones of the Horse Tribe people here varied: similar to ours, white, light brown, dark brown, and so on.

Among the Horse Tribe children belonging to the Second Knight Order, there's Gedding with brown skin, Maris and Alice with fair skin, and Dio with skin like ours.

It seems the Horse Tribe is a tribe with diverse skin colors.

The adult men have intelligent, chiseled features, but like the clan leaders seen at the meeting, many bore scars on their faces.

Rather than being merely handsome, they left a strong impression of being gallant and robust.

On the other hand, looking at the young sons, each and every one was tall, with beautiful features and a gentlemanly demeanor.

Probably, in my previous life, most of them could have become idols.

The wives and daughters also had a variety of skin tones.

Many had sharp, well-defined features, and combined with their height, they were all slender beauties and beautiful girls.

If times were different, they too might all be golden eggs destined to become models or actresses.

"Announcing the arrival of Lord Ridd, Lord Amon, and their party!"

As the Horse Tribe warrior announced loudly, the gathered Horse Tribe people turned their gazes towards us all at once.

"Oh, Lord Ridd and Lord Amon have arrived!"

"Both of them truly have good countenances."

"Considering the future, we must become closer with both houses."

The men, presumably the heads of the clans, had lights in their eyes—joy, admiration, opportunism, ambition, desire.

"Lord Ridd and Lord Amon, huh? They're the same age as us, yet serving as tribal chief and representative... I wonder what kind of people they are."

"Haha, maybe they're not all that impressive."

"I'd like to race or play tag with them."

The gathered sons seemed close to our age or slightly older.

Their gazes held not ambition or desire, but seemed full of curiosity and interest.

"Mother, are those two the ones rumored as the 'maverick, devoted husband' Lord Ridd and the youngest-ever tribal chief Lord Amon? Both of them are more adorable than I heard."

"Indeed. However, one must not judge by appearances. Those two defeated the former Fox Tribe chief Gales at the Battle of Hazama Fortress and routed Elva, who was said to be closest to becoming the next Beast King. For the sake of our house and the Horse Tribe territory, you must speak with them even if the chances seem slim."

"Yes, understood, Mother."

Hearing the voices of a certain young lady and her mother in the hall, I smiled wryly, internally retorting, 'Hey, you should say that so they can't hear you.'

Looking around, it seemed every wife and daughter had similar ideas, casting glances at Amon and me as if they'd found prey.

I understand their position, but I have Fara.

I'll just have to politely decline here as well, but the fact that the epithet 'maverick, devoted husband' has been added is definitely because news of the 'wood carving incident' from the Bear Tribe territory spread.

The hall was thick with all sorts of intentions, but the increase in epithets was the hardest hit mentally.

No, I don't intend to deny it because it's true, but precisely because it's true, being called that is embarrassing, or rather, makes my heart skip a beat.

Bathed in the undivided attention of the Horse Tribe, as we stepped into the hall feigning composure, a booming voice with a relaxed tone rang out: "Yo, Ridd, Amon! Finally made it, huh?"

Turning towards the direction of the voice, the Horse Tribe people parted ways all at once, and from the back of the hall, Azteca approached, glass in hand.

However, I was taken aback by his appearance.

"What's up, Ridd? Why the wide eyes?"

Azteca grinned smugly.

Understanding that this was a deliberate act, I composed myself, narrowed my eyes, and smiled politely.

"I'm surprised seeing you dressed like that, Azteca. I never imagined you'd change into Imperial-style formal wear."

"Haha, suits me pretty well, don't ya think? It's cultural exchange, after all. Wouldn't be fair making just you and Amon change while I stayed the same, right?"

Saying this, Azteca flaunted his Imperial-style formal wear with a smug look on his face.

During the earlier meeting, he wore Horse Tribe clothing, but now he was clad in Imperial-style formal wear very similar to what Father and Imperial nobles wear.

On top of that, he had neatly tied back his usually loose hair, presenting a completely different impression from before.

"Well, let's skip the tedious formalities. Everyone, today's a free-for-all!"

As Azteca shouted out loudly, a vigorous "Ooh!" echoed in response.

As the hall buzzed with excitement, Horse Tribe servants gracefully brought glasses filled with beverages.

Capella and Tink received them, discreetly checking the scent and color before handing them to me, Amon, Chris, and Emma.

At that moment, the dishes arranged on the large banquet table caught my eye.

I'd wondered if, being the Horse Tribe, there might be many vegetables or fruits, but that wasn't the case.

The arrayed dishes were colorful, centered around fish and meat, along with vegetables and fruits.

Among the tribal territories visited so far, this seemed to have the most variety and vibrancy.

Perhaps because they're in the transport business, their range of ingredients is broader.

Once we all had our glasses, Azteca raised his.

"A toast to the friendship and prosperity of the Baldia and the new Granduke houses, and the Horse Tribe! Cheers!"

"Ooh, cheers!"

The clan leaders responded loudly, downing the drinks in their glasses in one gulp.

Probably alcohol.

A cheerful, friendly clamor began to resonate throughout the hall.

Surveying the scene, Azteca turned back to us and offered his glass.

"Ridd, Amon. Cheers. Looking forward to working with you from now on."

"Yes, likewise."

"Azteca. As a fellow tribal chief, I look forward to working with you."

Soon after the three of us toasted and sipped our drinks, the surrounding clan heads, their sons, wives, and daughters, as if they'd been waiting for this moment, swarmed in.

Maintaining our composure, Amon and I smiled wryly internally as we politely engaged with them, deepening our ties with the Horse Tribe clan leaders at the reception.