Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 3

Chapter 3

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A few days earlier,

the day she had been struck by the guards.

Hebenia made a wish to the demon.

"Please save me and the prisoners."

"You want to be sent outside?"

The demon, summoned once again while bathing, asked.

"No. We're going to stay here."

"I don't understand. If you stay here, you'll surely die..."

"To me, the prisoners are precious, but they are still criminals who committed crimes."

They must pay for their sins by serving out the rest of their sentences here in this exile camp.

"They're going to live happily and enjoy their exile with me forever."

"......"

"I meant that we should repent together and apologize to our victims. I'm also an attempted Crown Princess assassin, even if I was brought here through implication."

Therefore.

Hebenia thought of one plan.

"I heard this exile camp used to be a huge city."

"Yes. It was a fairly large territory."

The demon, understanding Hebenia's intent, relaxed the corner of his mouth.

Just as expected.

"We're going to go inside that forest teeming with man-eating monsters. To where people used to live when this was a large territory."

"You want me to create a new dwelling place here?"

"Yes."

"Then you won't die immediately."

"But that alone won't be enough."

"Right. It won't be enough."

If the prisoners suddenly disappeared, the Empire would surely send people to find them.

"So we need to die once."

"How?"

"......"

Hebenia, who had been speaking fluently, hesitated for the first time.

"I think it's self-defense."

"......"

"And strictly speaking, it's an accident."

Since I'm not the one killing them.

---

It was utter chaos.

"There they are! They're heading toward the exit!"

"They're trying to get out! Catch them immediately!"

"Damn it, if we're caught, we're all dead!"

The prisoners and I ran like mad, and behind us, the guards' shouts flew like arrows.

'They were going to kill us anyway!'

Besides, it turned out all the prisoners were victims who had been framed.

'No wonder they were all so kind for heinous criminals!'

Every time they said they were innocent, I'd dismissed it as typical criminal shamelessness, but now that I knew it was true, I felt terribly sorry.

"Yaah!"

"Get out of the way! Move if you don't want to get hurt!"

The exile family swung the pickaxes they'd grabbed from the mining site and drove back the guards at the entrance.

Even in this situation, they tried their best not to harm others.

And so we made it outside the village.

Beyond the village led straight to a small path. Under the pouring moonlight, the path looked like a glittering yellow carpet.

But on both sides of the path, the dark primeval forest was packed tight—a hell teeming with monsters.

In the thick darkness, it was unmistakable that something was watching us.

The monsters that were said to eat people.

For the first time, the exile family, who hadn't even backed down from the guards, hesitated.

"Keep running!"

At my shout, they came to their senses and ran again.

But unlike them, I was falling farther and farther behind.

My calves ached, and my mouth was filled with the taste of blood. It had gotten to the point where breathing was painful.

'Damn it, is a seven-year-old's body this weak?'

That momentary lag became an opportunity.

For the guards.

"Ah!"

Someone yanked my hair back hard.

The back of my head slammed against the ground and throbbed. Through the pain, I squinted and saw a guard holding a sword to my neck.

The footsteps of the fleeing prisoners stopped instantly.

"That's right. Stop right there."

"Ugh...!"

The guard's hand pressing me down tightened.

"Or do you want something to happen to this precious little lady?"

"You bastard! Let me go!"

I couldn't control my anger and kicked my legs.

"Locking up innocent people! And on top of that, trying to kill them! And now you're taking a child hostage and threatening us, what a great—!"

Thwack—!

My vision spun sideways.

My cheek burned. At the same time, the guard's grip on my neck grew stronger. Beyond my blurring vision, I could see the bite mark on the guard's arm.

'Pathetic bastard.'

He was taking out his grudge because I'd bitten him!

'A coward who only fights little girls.'

The guard was shouting something. Come here now. Or he'd hurt me.

And the prisoners were obediently coming back.

To save me.

Even though they knew they'd be killed if they returned.

'...Fools.'

I slowly moved my limp arm.

My outstretched hand touched something.

"Look, the reason monsters can't enter here is..."

"Because there's a barrier, like this."

The barrier Ian had shown me.

The barrier tried to push my hand away the moment I touched it. But I forced my hand up as if grasping the barrier tightly.

'Please...!'

I bit my lip hard.

I could hear the guards who had stayed in the village running over, shouting, "Kill them all!"

But I didn't hear the sound of the exile family running away.

So I grew anxious.

'Please...!'

My tightly bitten lip split, and a bead of blood formed.

"......Open up, damn it—!"

The moment my hand, clenched around the barrier, turned.

Click—.

The sound of a lock opening filled the primeval forest.

"Little ant, do you know how to open and close?"

"Pardon?"

"Hmm, not yet?"

"So what are you—"

"Then you can learn this time."

"Hey, stop talking to yourself and explain."

The day I summoned the demon for the second time.

When I wished to save the exile family, the long-haired demon, who appeared in his bathtub as always, told me one secret.

"I, I have power like a magical girl...?"

"Not quite a magical girl. It's a power every Clavis possesses."

"What is it? How do you use it? What kind of power is it?"

"Opening and closing."

"Opening and closing?"

"...Opening and closing. Open and close."

Opening and closing.

"......Guh!"

Something hot surged up my throat. I hurriedly pushed away the guard holding me down and vomited it out.

Bright red blood spattered onto the ground.

"Cough! Hack!"

My vision spun, my head pounded. A ringing noise echoed in my ears. All strength drained from my body, as if I'd collapse at any moment.

'Wow, this is killing me.'

Still, I forced strength into my trembling legs and stood up.

I had to make sure the exile family was safe.

But as soon as I took a step, my legs gave out, and my spinning vision finally began to go dark.

Just before my consciousness completely faded, I vaguely saw people running toward me, calling my name.

'Ah, thank goodness.'

I felt genuine relief at their safety.

Someone caught my falling body.

"Look at the state of you."

With the familiar scent of soap, my consciousness faded away.

---

The demon looked at Hebenia in his arms and clicked his tongue.

'...This is unexpected.'

Who would have thought she'd unlock all the barriers of the primeval forest.

'No wonder she's coughing up blood and collapsing.'

What Hebenia had done was far beyond what a seven-year-old who had only awakened her power a few days ago should be capable of.

If the demon hadn't recast the barriers, a disaster of hundreds of man-eating monsters pouring in would have occurred.

Just then.

"U-um...!"

The demon glanced sideways at the brown-haired woman approaching him.

Libby, trembling, mustered her courage and held out both arms.

"H-Hebenia is hurt..."

"......"

"She, she lost a lot of blood, so, she needs to rest..."

"So that's it."

"...Pardon?"

Muttering an incomprehensible remark, the demon handed Hebenia to Libby.

Libby bowed her head in thanks and quickly went to the other prisoners.

"Hebenia!"

"Is she breathing? She is breathing, right?"

"This little one lost so much blood...!"

"She's alive, so don't worry."

At the demon's words, the prisoners visibly relaxed.

Then several of them stood up and approached the demon.

"I've heard that when you summon a demon, you must pay a price."

"Hebenia is still young. So we'll pay instead..."

"The reason you're alive right now."

The demon cut them off and interrupted.

"Is the same as why the little one made her wish."

"Pardon?"

"I've already received my price. Tell the little one to summon me once more when she wakes up."

Having said his piece, the demon snapped his fingers, and a winged eyeball that had been hiding in Hebenia's hair popped out.

The eyeball created a hemispherical barrier around the prisoners and began to move slowly forward.

"Follow it. It will guide you to your new dwelling."

Thus, half of Hebenia's wish had been fulfilled.

'What's left is...'

The demon turned around—and there were the guards, crawling on the ground like worms in fear.

"U-ugh...!"

"Aaaargh!"

The demon walked past them and did not stop them as they fled outside the primeval forest.

Crunch—!

A monster leaping out of the primeval forest swallowed a guard's head.

The screams of those facing death, the roars of hungry monsters—all intertwined and echoed far beyond the forest.

"Oh dear."

Thud, roll.

The demon caught the sound of what had once been someone's head rolling.

The screams of the imperial knights waiting outside the forest as they recognized the head—the demon heard those too.

"An unfortunate accident."

The demon offered no prayers for the dead.

---

"......"

I stared blankly at the clear sunlight streaming through the window.

"Glass window..."

A glass window letting in sunlight.

The soft blanket covering me and the fluffy bed.

Even the lace pajamas I wore instead of the grimy prison uniform.

These were things I'd never seen in the exile camp.

'The wish came true.'

We'd escaped safely to a secure place.

As I let out a sigh of relief, the closed door opened and Libby walked in.

"Li-Libby unnie...?"

"Hebenia!"

Libby, who had been just as scruffy as me, was now clean and almost unrecognizable. Had she always been this pretty?

While I stammered in surprise, Libby went back outside.

Soon, with a clattering noise, the exile family burst through the door.

I was surprised again at how tall and neat they all looked.

"Oh, you poor thing! Do you know how worried we were?"

"We really thought you were going to die..."

"Summoning a demon without any fear! Who knows what could have been taken from you as payment!"

Even in this situation, they only worried about me.

'...They're alive.'

The family who had almost been killed by the guards was alive.

Finally, relief washed over me and the tension drained away.

"Hehe, huu..."

My silly laughter soon turned to sobbing.

Laughter and tears mixed together in a stupid, hiccupping sound.

Thinking it was unbecoming for a twenty-five-year-old, I quickly tried to wipe my eyes with my sleeve...

"......"

"......"

I wasn't the only one.

Before I knew it, the exile family was crying too.

"Waaah! Hwaaah!"

"Sob, sniff...!"

"Goodness...!"

Relief at being alive, resentment at having been framed, and perhaps the anxiety of never being able to leave this place.

All of it swirled together into a sea of tears.

"Hebenia."

Ian brought my hands together as if in prayer.

"Thank you. Truly, truly...!"

Unable to finish his words, Ian just made choked sounds.

It was a mournful cry that moved the hearts of all who heard it.

"Mm..."

I sniffled and leaned my forehead against Ian's hand.

"Thank you too...!"

Thank you for being alive—with those words, we cried our hearts out for a long time.

We fully enjoyed the privilege we'd never had in the exile camp: crying freely without worrying about anyone watching.

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