Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 24

Chapter 24

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The schedule for the second trip to Deste was set.

Departure was in two days.

This time, it would again be a forced march through the primeval forest, and the party was set at five, including me and Verity.

Aunt Elva, the apothecary who whispers death.

Uncle Pex, the craftsman who liberates forbidden things.

And Libby, the archmage blessed by a demon.

Aunt Elva wanted to see with her own eyes the herb supply situation.

Uncle Pex, a former magical tool developer, wanted to see Deste territory, the birthplace of magical engineering.

And finally, Libby was going for procurement.

"...Procurement of what?"

Ian, who had been watching Libby pack, asked.

"Materials for a magic staff!"

Libby answered boldly.

"I want to find the materials for my own magic staff myself. That way, I'll be more motivated to train, and I'll take better care of my weapon."

"That's a good idea."

Ian folded his fingers as he recalled the famous monsters that yielded good sword materials.

"But it won't be as easy as you think."

I said cautiously as I packed beside her.

"I'm not saying I'll catch one right away."

Libby was full of enthusiasm, but she could also be realistic.

"It might take years before I can catch one. But I'll get stronger the more I try, so I want to focus on that."

Smiling, she said that if you set a high goal, even half success yields a lot—and she looked quite impressive.

I nodded vigorously in agreement.

"There's no better teacher than experience!"

"I keep telling you, Hebenia really doesn't seem like she's seven."

"I've told you many times—I was twenty-five."

"Then you're older than me..."

"If you're handsome, you're oppa."

"R-really? Am I handsome?"

"Even though you got rejected without even confessing to Aunt Daliss, you're decent enough."

"Puhahaha!"

"...Bad siblings."

Pouting, Ian said he was going to bed and went upstairs.

The remaining two of us also soon returned to our rooms.

I immediately sat at my desk and took out Clavis in One Volume.

I'd developed a habit of reading for thirty minutes before bed.

'The table of contents lists the equivalent of eighteen encyclopedia volumes, yet it all fits in this one book—amazing.'

Today, I read the section on monsters in Part 1: Theory.

[Habi: I've been having nightmares because monsters are so scary.]

[Fairy: Oh my, Habi! Monsters aren't just scary things. If you play your cards right, they can be a chance to live life X-times easier!]

[Habi: Really? Can my life also open up?]

[Fairy: Habi, you're practically a winner in life already. You're a Clavis. But it's good to know about monsters.]

[Habi: Wow! I think I'm not scared of monsters anymore.]

[Fairy: Then I'll explain in detail how much monsters help us! First, monsters are...]

Monsters are delicious.

'It really was delicious...'

The monster meat Ian and I had eaten in the primeval forest.

The moment I bit into it, the juices burst out and filled my mouth, and the meat melted softly, as if it had fulfilled its purpose.

Just as I was marveling at the deep flavor and nutty taste, my mouth was suddenly empty.

And the bones and entrails are sold as expensive medicinal ingredients or materials, while their hide and fur are treated as luxury goods.

[Fairy: That's why monsters are also called living gold mines.]

Among them, monster bones have long been coveted as staff materials by high-ranking mages.

In particular, the bones of a monster called a 'lich' are considered the highest grade.

The monster Libby was targeting was exactly that—a lich.

"Liches are unique monsters."

And then, the next morning.

"Why are they unique?"

"Because they were once human."

Verity explained as he fried bacon for breakfast.

The sizzling sound of meat frying in pork fat made my mouth water.

"A mage who commits suicide by casting a curse on themselves becomes a lich."

"I really don't understand the minds of crazy people. I'll take a big one, please."

"That's why they're crazy. And no, you can't. You're supposed to be controlling your weight."

"Babies are supposed to be chubby to be cute..."

"Seven-year-olds aren't babies, and fatty liver is scary. Instead, have a boiled egg—minus the yolk."

In the end, only a single strip of the smallest bacon and a hollow boiled egg landed on my plate.

I slumped at the table.

Verity moved a bowl of fresh vegetables to the table and continued his explanation.

"Not every mage becomes a lich just because they try. Among accomplished mages, only a lucky few become liches."

"Can you call that lucky?"

"Therefore, hunting a lich is difficult. Very difficult."

"Libby unnie, did you hear that?"

"The energy's drained out of me this morning..."

Libby, who had been mashing boiled potatoes, muttered gloomily.

Ian chuckled and consoled her.

"It's good to know these things in advance. And the liches in the primeval forest aren't ordinary ones—all the monsters there are strong."

"Sir Ian is right."

Verity nodded.

"How strong are they?"

I asked, taking a big bite of vegetables.

"Top-tier, so probably archmage level. They're called Emperador Liches—in the ancient language, it means 'emperor.'"

"Libby unnie, an archmage is the strongest kind of mage, right?"

"Libby, can you hunt one?"

"Hmm, I'd just die."

Libby pouted, sticking out her lips, but soon shrugged and focused on her meal again.

"Like I said, I never expected to catch one right away."

---

On the day we left for the Deste territory.

I put the watch I'd given to Libby on Ian's left wrist.

"According to Verity, even if you hit it with a brick, it won't break, so wear it during training too. We might need to contact you anytime."

Then I went to Uncle Modi.

"Please take care of the village in my place."

"Travel safely, Village Chief."

I chose Uncle Modi, the eldest, as acting village chief to run the village in my absence.

He had an aptitude that anyone could see was that of a second-in-command: 'The Agent Who Follows the Absolute.'

After greeting the other residents, I finally asked Flora.

"Flora, do you want me to buy you something tasty when I come back?"

"Yeah...!"

She could now answer confidently.

'It's good to see her smile.'

Aunt Daliss whispered in Flora's ear.

"Tell her to have a safe trip."

"Have a safe trip!"

"I'll be back!"

Receiving a wonderful send-off, we entered the primeval forest—still dark and menacing.

'But having come here three times now, it's starting to feel quite familiar.'

Verity's blue lantern illuminated the forest.

"To be honest, I'm a physical type, so there are limits to teaching you mental types."

At that, Libby raised her hand to ask a question.

"What exactly are physical and mental types?"

"Physical types are aptitudes that primarily use physical attacks. Sir Ian, the Cold-Blooded Demon Knight, and Aunt Nema, the Bloody Berserker, are prime examples."

We nodded.

"On the other hand, mental types mainly use attacks that utilize mana. Mages and bards are the most typical examples."

"What about apothecaries and craftsmen like me and Pex?"

"They're classified as production types, but the process of awakening their aptitude is the same as mental types."

Physical types naturally awaken their aptitudes through physical training and real combat experience, like Ian.

But mental types require 'enlightenment,' which depends solely on the individual's capability.

"So I will help you reach enlightenment more easily."

And so, wooden clubs were placed in our hands.

Libby tilted her head when she saw my club.

"Why is Hebenia's pink and studded with gems?"

"Because our Lady likes it—it makes her feel like a magical girl."

"You're just teasing her..."

Ignoring my sputtering, Verity continued his explanation.

"How do you access pure mana? Simply by beating monsters with this club!"

What?

Leaving the three stunned humans, Verity immediately changed into his winter school uniform.

The monsters lurking in the darkness, waiting for their chance, immediately sprang out.

"Aaaah, you crazy demon!"

I screamed and created a barrier.

The monsters crashing against the barrier looked brutally menacing.

---

Day two of the primeval forest training camp.

Today too, Verity glanced at the three villagers who had collapsed from exhaustion after beating monsters with wooden clubs all day.

'You've all worked hard.'

Even with him protecting them, it was difficult for Libby, Elva, and Pex—who were practically civilians, unlike Ian—to beat monsters with clubs.

Moreover, their weak blows only enraged the monsters, making them more violent.

In the end, Verity had to finish them off, and the dead monsters were eaten for dinner.

"It's ridiculous to say this after eating it, but is it okay to eat man-eating monsters?"

Hebenia asked, holding a skewer of monster meat.

"They've been trapped in the primeval forest for over a hundred years, so it's fine. They've only eaten clean dew and moss, so there's no gamey taste and they're delicious."

"Mm, like pork fed on green tea."

No wonder it was tasty.

After finishing her meal and even brushing her teeth, Hebenia sat next to the unconscious villagers, fidgeting with her pink club.

"The more I look at it, the more attached I get. If I shape it well, don't you think it could become a fine magic wand?"

"Hahaha!"

Verity burst out laughing.

'Anyway, it's good that she's so spirited.'

The demon placed pillows under the heads of the sleeping villagers and covered them with warm blankets.

'If they knew what those clubs really were, they'd be shocked.'

The clubs Verity had given the villagers were no ordinary items.

They were fragments that had fallen from the roots of the World Tree.

They were precious items brought from the demon world with the permission of the Lords.

Even though they were naturally shed fragments, they were part of the World Tree that made up the universe, so they were sturdier than most weapons.

'And they have a special effect too.'

Purification.

When you beat a monster with the club, the monster's miasma is purified into pure mana. The person wielding the club can then absorb it.

'Not just anyone can absorb pure mana.'

Everything born possesses mana. That's a universal natural phenomenon. And you can only use the mana you're born with.

But very rarely, there are beings born without mana.

'Like the void stones.'

I wonder if they know.

That their bodies are as empty as the void stones they mined as forced labor.

'And that that's why they were framed.'

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