Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 22

Chapter 22

'He proposed the revolution for our sake too, not for his own greed.'

From what I'd observed, Hebenia didn't seem to have any strong feelings about the Emperor.

She'd say the Emperor was bad, shortening the insult to 'bastard'—meaning a no-good, absolute bastard—but that was about it.

No one else but Hebenia would dismiss the Emperor of the Empire, whom everyone feared, as insignificant.

'Even with her memories gone, a Clavis is still a Clavis...'

During his time as an imperial knight, Ian had once encountered the head of the Clavis family when he visited the palace.

Those eyes that showed no awe even at the magnificent imperial palace.

That bored expression, as if his time here was wasted.

Those impatient footsteps that betrayed his desire to leave quickly.

Everything was shocking, but what stuck most deeply in Ian's mind that day was the presence of the Clavis family head.

'It was like something beyond human.'

Nothing in the world seemed worthy before the Clavis family head.

A presence that couldn't be easily described in words—dare he say, it was comparable to a god.

A man born with such dignity and authority that everything else seemed to bow before him.

That day, just the visit of the Clavis family head alone made the imperial palace look like the shabbiest, most unremarkable place in the world.

'Come to think of it...'

As Ian focused on the long-forgotten memory, he recalled something he'd overlooked.

'I think I spoke with the Clavis family head that day.'

Why, when everyone else was kneeling, was he standing there facing the Clavis family head?

But his recollection ended there.

Daliss's voice brought Ian back to reality.

"What's this?"

"It's an audio system. You can sing songs with it, and also make announcements to the villagers."

"Announcements?"

"Hmm, for example, like this."

Hebenia picked up the microphone connected to the audio system and lightly cleared her throat.

"Ah, attention residents of Exilium Village. Starting next week, we will begin collecting taxes. The tax rate will be ninety percent..."

From outside, a murmur arose.

"This way, my voice is transmitted outside. You saw those small black boxes installed on the lampposts on your way here, right? The sound comes from those."

"How fascinating."

"Then I'll go clear up the misunderstanding before people actually take it seriously. I'll also do a village patrol on my 'scooter.'"

Hebenia suggested to Flora.

"Want to ride the scooter with me?"

"Scooter?"

"It's like a toy you push with your feet and ride around."

"......"

Flora looked up at Daliss with sparkling eyes.

"Mom, will you be here?"

"Yeah. I'll wait here until our Flora comes back."

"Okay, then oppa, hold this."

Handing the microphone to Ian, Hebenia went outside with Flora.

Watching them, a smile bloomed on Daliss's lips.

"Flora is a good kid. And brave, too."

Daliss turned to Ian.

Ian was fidgeting with the microphone Hebenia had left him.

"She said she wanted to go to her mom, and she bravely endured all the scary things. Be sure to praise her a lot. She's a child who'll succeed at anything she does."

"Thank you for saying that."

"Sister, are you okay now?"

"I'm okay. My mind wasn't right, but my body is healthy."

"Then your memories..."

"I have them."

After coming to her senses through the call with Flora, Daliss had recalled everything she'd been through.

"Honey! Please don't do this! Summoning a demon? That's absurd...!"

"It's not absurd!"

"H-honey..."

"You're the proof! Daliss, you're the proof that demons exist! You, a half-demon!"

"Wh-what are you..."

"If it weren't for that, why would I have married you? Well, I suppose you were decent enough to keep around."

On the day she was forced into the succession ceremony.

Daliss was betrayed by the husband she trusted, learned the secret of her own birth that she hadn't even known, and was thrown into exile under false charges.

'How could I not remember...'

The previous day, Daliss had heard through Hebenia of the Viscount of Deste's death. And what had happened there.

She wasn't sad.

Just regretful.

'I should have asked.'

How he knew the secret even she didn't know, and why he tried to summon a demon.

But for now, she decided to bury it.

"Ian."

The most important thing was something else.

"I remember how you've been taking care of me."

"I wasn't the only one who helped you. Everyone in the village did."

"I'm grateful to everyone, but I'm more grateful to you, Ian. Whenever the guards were about to hit me, you always shielded me with your body."

Whenever the guards tried to harass the mentally unstable Daliss, Ian would step in to protect her and stay by her side.

"Thank you for protecting me."

Daliss expressed her sincere gratitude. Ian, embarrassed, could only scratch the back of his neck endlessly.

"That's why I wanted to say..."

"Sister..."

"I know it's shameless. But I feel like I need to say it now."

"......"

"Stay close to me from now on."

As a friend.

Ian's flushed face returned to its normal color.

"...Of course."

His hand, which had been scratching his neck, fell.

Ian desperately hoped his answer hadn't sounded awkward, and that his arm falling just now had looked natural.

---

[Stay close to me from now on. As a friend.]

[...Of course.]

The adults who had taken a break from farming.

And I, who had been showing off my scooter.

"......"

"......"

We all held our tongues at Ian's heartbreak, broadcast live through the lamppost speakers.

An awkward silence weighed down the village.

"Wow."

Only Flora, riding the pink scooter, was childishly delighted.

"So my mom and Ian oppa are friends? They became friends, right?"

"Yeah..."

A very awkward and sad friendship.

Swallowing the unspoken words, I gave Flora a bittersweet smile.

'Auntie knew too.'

That Ian had feelings for her.

'Well, it was obvious enough for all of us to know.'

But now that she understood her own situation, Aunt Daliss had no room to accept Ian's feelings.

'Anyway, the audio system's performance has been verified.'

To prevent accidents like this, I'd have to write not only usage instructions but also a warning against confessions next to the audio system.

"This is the village chief's first order."

I said.

"Let's keep what we just heard a secret, but let's all give Ian oppa warm looks and unwavering support."

The exile family members nodded with solemn expressions.

'For tomorrow's morning exercise song...'

Love is forgotten by another love.

I decided on the techno remix version.

---

For a while, the village enjoyed a peaceful time.

The only incident was that Ian's one-sided love had failed, and everyone in the neighborhood knew about it.

But thanks to the adults' warm looks and support, Ian was able to quickly overcome the wound of heartbreak.

"So it was definitely not because of my morning exercise song selection..."

"No, it was because of you."

Ian, who had been shelling peas, threw a pea at me.

I opened my mouth wide—aang—and caught it.

"Hmm, tasty!"

"That insufferable seven-year-old...!"

"Don't fight with a kid."

Libby, who was also shelling peas, scolded him.

"Oppa, you've been treating Hebenia too much like a friend lately."

"She's not an ordinary kid. She's so clever."

So clever she's almost like a twenty-five-year-old adult who pays her own taxes, Ian pinpointed my identity.

I nodded.

"Actually, I lived in another world until I was twenty-five, then I returned to this world. In one day, I became a seven-year-old lifetime prisoner..."

"See how she responds? She's not ordinary."

"She's a Clavis."

"Hebenia, have you gotten your memories back?"

"A little."

Their eyes went wide as if this was unexpected.

'There's no need to hide it.'

Trying to hide it with lies might cause bigger problems.

So, just like Ian had reacted earlier, I decided to act shamelessly, so it would seem like a clever child's prank.

"It's not everything, but I remembered that I have an older brother. He looks like me and seemed really kind..."

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

Before I could even finish.

"Kind?"

"That Pertel Clavis?"

Ian and Libby were stunned in turn.

'So my brother's name is Pertel.'

From their reactions, it seemed my brother, like my grandfather, had many issues with his personality and character.

"But he played with me and sang me songs."

Blood is thicker than water, after all.

I taught them the song my brother in the dream had sung to me.

"Power, strategy, and cruel tricks—this is the elegant princess's secret finishing move."

"Oh my, good heavens...!"

"As expected of a Clavis..."

"But isn't it not wrong, though?"

To survive, you need that much.

Leaving the shocked two behind, I rode my scooter parked in the yard to the village hall.

Every neighbor I passed praised me for looking cool as I sped through the wind.

'I've fully adapted to this seven-year-old body now.'

I wasn't at all embarrassed to be doing this at age twenty-five.

"Beep beep."

After neatly parking my scooter in the village chief's exclusive parking spot, I entered the village hall.

"My Lady, you're here..."

When I opened the office door, a haggard-looking Verity was slumped at the desk.

Verity had been working on the paperwork that Bleached Demon had instructed him to do. He'd kept putting it off under the pretext of preparing the village hall, and now the deadline was upon him.

'Working on a laptop...'

I was a little envious.

'As expected, the demons' civilization is similar to the Korea I lived in.'

I fidgeted with the watch on my left hand and said.

"I told you. I said we should do the village hall construction after you finish the paperwork. Now I feel bad."

"It's okay. I work best when the deadline's on fire."

"Eat these while you work."

I took a bowl of peas from my pocket.

It was a snack made by boiling peas, coating them in melted sugar, and letting them harden.

"Ugh, I was just craving something sweet..."

Verity gratefully took the peas and ate them.

"Would you like some too, my Lady?"

"I can't eat anything with sugar because of my weight control."

If I get caught eating it, Libby will scold me terribly.

'Even if I eat it secretly, she always finds out somehow...'

Just thinking of Libby's nagging made me shudder.

Seeing that, Verity said.

"By the way, you've gotten quite skilled at that."

"I think so too."

Just now, I had taken something much larger than my pocket out of my pocket.

It was a new technique using 'opening and closing'—the makeshift subspace pocket.

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