Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 28

Chapter 28

"I-Ian...!"

Molle Livus's eyes trembled.

'Wh-what is this? A nightmare? A hallucination?'

But the crisp air and the warm sunlight filtering through the window were too vivid to deny reality.

Even in his fear, Molle Livus grew increasingly angry.

"Why, why...!"

Why had he grown stronger?

Ian, who should have been suffering in squalor in the exile camp, looked perfectly fine at a glance.

He was even much stronger than the last time Molle Livus remembered him.

Molle Livus, who had survived by reading people, noticed it immediately.

That fact enraged him.

And Ian, reading that foolish jealousy and malice, let out a scoff.

"Wow, as expected of our village chief."

Ian's voice was as cheerful as could be.

But his cold gaze as he glared at the traitor who had framed him, and his fist clenched so tightly around the man's collar that veins bulged, boiled with anger.

"Inviting such a fine person as our village's first guest."

But Ian was a man who could control his emotions.

"Let me escort you to the guest room prepared by our village chief. Fortunately, we finished construction before I went out."

"Wh-where! Where are you dragging me to kill me...!"

"Why would I kill you?"

Ian tilted his head.

"I'm going to keep you alive."

"......"

"Because there's much to find out."

Ian struck Molle Livus's abdomen hard, knocking him unconscious.

---

The plan was simple.

'Use my ability to send Molle Livus to the village.'

First, we poured tomato juice on the herbalist grandfather and asked him to act out a realistic seizure.

Then, we dressed Uncle Pex in an imperial knight uniform obtained through a wish from Verity and had him bring Molle Livus.

Of course, for Uncle Pex's safety, we also gave him a brooch with protective magic—also obtained from my demon butler, Verity.

I, Libby, Aunt Elva, and Verity hid in a corner, waiting for the right moment, and used my ability the moment the target opened the cell door.

Click—.

As soon as Molle Livus disappeared, I closed the passage connecting to the Exilium village hall.

'Will Ian oppa be okay?'

I was worried about Ian's voice from the other end of the call, but he was a wise man, so he would do as I'd instructed.

I just hoped he wouldn't be too upset.

"Huuh..."

Having pushed my ability to its limit, fatigue washed over me.

As I yawned against the drowsiness, I felt something warm trickling down my chin.

Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I saw bright red blood.

'Oh no, again.'

Still, the amount of blood was less than before.

It seemed this power improved with use.

"Stay still."

Aunt Elva applied a hemostatic ointment to a handkerchief and stuffed it into my nostril to stop the bleeding.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"...Does it bleed like this every time you use your power?"

"Just a nosebleed won't kill me!"

Even as I smiled to reassure her, Aunt Elva's stiff expression didn't relax easily.

Meanwhile, Libby, who had been staring in awe, her eyes sparkled.

"Hebenia, you're amazing!"

"Hehe."

I gave a thumbs-up with my nose still plugged with the handkerchief.

Libby clenched her fist at the sight.

"I'll train hard. So next time, I'll fight alongside you!"

"Yeah!"

"So what do we do next?"

Uncle Pex asked as he fidgeted with the awkward knight uniform.

"Are you planning to use that 'one year' the Chief Chamberlain mentioned?"

I nodded.

"I want to avoid the Chief Chamberlain as much as possible. He's the one I'm most afraid of."

While eavesdropping on the conversation between the Chief Chamberlain and Molle Livus.

We all thought the same thing, even if we didn't say it.

The person we needed to be most careful of was none other than the Chief Chamberlain.

'He said he'd come back in a year.'

So within that time, we either had to secure the Deste territory or find a new base to replace it.

I asked Verity.

"What kind of person is the Chief Chamberlain?"

"I don't know the details either."

Verity frowned.

"But it's clear he's no ordinary man. I've separately requested that the agency gather information on him, so I'll let you know when I find out."

"If I fought the Chief Chamberlain, who would win?"

"Even ten of you wouldn't be enough, I'm afraid."

"Sigh, if only the Emperor and the Chief Chamberlain loved each other so much that they had a public mating display in the main square and fell into ruin, things would be so much easier..."

"Correction. Judging by the way you talk, you alone could win."

I reaffirmed the hierarchy by jabbing Verity in the side with my finger.

"Then, is it all over...?"

The herbalist grandfather, who had been silent all along, asked.

Though he'd received Aunt Elva's first aid, his visibly tired complexion worried me.

Right now, the grandfather needed proper treatment.

"Just three more things."

I said, folding my fingers one by one.

"One, we need to subdue Molle Livus's remaining men in the mansion."

"I think I can handle that."

At Verity's words, I nodded.

"I'll make it a wish. Subdue them all and lock them in the dungeon here."

"I'll get it done."

Second.

"A replacement to fill Molle Livus's spot."

Fortunately, I already had an idea for that.

"I'll ask Uncle Modi."

"Uncle Modi?"

Uncle Pex's eyes went wide in surprise.

Just then, Libby let out an ah and snapped her fingers.

"The Agent Who Follows the Absolute!"

"Yeah, that's it."

Uncle Modi's aptitude—'The Agent Who Follows the Absolute'—had a ring to it that made it perfect for a substitute.

In fact, I'd already asked him to be acting village chief because of that aptitude.

"...Th-that aptitude is far greater than you think."

Verity muttered regretfully, but I didn't budge.

"It's not urgent right now, so I plan to have him train in the primeval forest to awaken his aptitude quickly when we get back."

"L-look at that evilness...!"

The herbalist grandfather shuddered, saying it was creepy.

"...New brother-in-law, you're not really sick, are you?"

"Ugh! I'm coughing up blood...!"

"I'm really going to leave this old geezer."

And finally, the third.

"The temple."

The temple?

At my final words, everyone tilted their heads.

I grinned and briefly explained the final plan.

"Since it's a temple where an angel descended, wouldn't any miracle have enough plausibility?"

---

Using the Crown Princess's critical health as an excuse, the imperial family had purchased over half of the empire's herbs.

But no one could criticize this abnormal situation.

"If the Clavis were still around..."

Even the invincible Clavis, whom even the birds would descend to greet, had disappeared. Who would dare defy the Emperor?

"I didn't know the Clavis were this important..."

"Turns out the childcare subsidies our company provided were actually from a foundation run by the Clavis."

"There are many like you who only found out after the Clavis were destroyed."

"I thought it was the imperial family doing all that...!"

"Then from now on, all of that will be..."

"Shh, watch your mouth."

At a time when everyone was keeping quiet.

An angel descended.

People who heard the news were drawn to Deste like moths to a flame.

The Deste temple couldn't turn them away.

The priests welcomed the visitors day and night, caring for the sick with healing magic.

"...Maybe this is a punishment."

Priest Saker muttered gloomily.

In a narrow break room, the blue-haired priest lay on a makeshift bed made of three chairs pushed together, his hair messily spread out.

Then he quickly corrected himself.

"I-I don't mean helping people is a punishment...!"

"I know, Saker."

The red-haired priest lying on the opposite makeshift bed muttered.

"You mean this moment of frustration at not being able to help them feels like divine punishment."

"Chel do..."

"I feel the same way..."

On the day the angel descended.

A single holy feather had fallen at the temple.

The priests searched the entire temple for evidence of the miracle.

The feather was found in the central prayer room where the young Second Crown Prince had been staying.

The young prince, who had been fulfilling his duties alone in the narrow, shabby stone chamber, willingly handed over the feather he'd held close to his chest.

"I've done my part, so I'll be going now."

That day.

The priests realized their own shortcomings.

"We, who should be serving the divine even in the lowest places, committed the rudeness of leaving that young prince in such a cramped, old place because of our petty prejudices...!"

Priest Saker clutched his white robes.

His fist, gripping the fabric, trembled violently.

His face, wrinkled like the fabric itself, was painted with regret and shame.

"And the High Priest even...!"

"Oh."

Hebenia pursed her lips into an O.

"At least they're people who can reflect."

"...Huh?"

"What?"

Deep in self-deprecation, the two priests scrambled to their feet.

Chairs clattered over, and they nearly tripped forward as their robes caught under their feet.

Barely managing to steady himself, Priest Saker hurriedly pushed his fallen hair back.

"Wh-who are you?"

There was a little girl.

At a glance, she was a lovable and adorable child.

Her round cheeks and slightly protruding belly gave off a healthy childlike vibe that naturally brought a smile.

Her thick chestnut hair, reminiscent of rich soil, and her emerald-green eyes, like trees growing straight from that soil, were striking.

And the tip of her nose was a little red.

As if she'd just had a nosebleed.

'Who is she?'

'Is she lost?'

Priest Saker and Priest Chel do assumed the visitor's child had wandered in and gotten lost.

"My name is Hebenia Clavis."

But the girl's introduction left them speechless.

"I've come to negotiate with the temple."

The corner of the child's mouth curved up.

"Bring me your leader."

"Th-the High Priest is..."

"After the angel's descent, he's been afflicted with a curse and is recovering."

"...Huh?"

Hebenia squinted one eye.

"The angel descended, and he got cursed?"

"He suddenly started wearing his pants down to his hips to show his underwear, became obsessed with piercings, and tucks a dagger into his waistband."

Priest Saker found himself spilling confidential information without realizing it.

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