Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 31

Chapter 31

Head Priest Saikeuf had fallen into the well. But there was no scream for help, no splashing sound of water.

The garden was utterly silent. Only the faint sound of fuzzy yellow tomato flowers swaying in the wind could be heard.

"H-he's gone...!"

"The well's glow has disappeared too."

Priests Saker and Chel do, peering into the dark well, swallowed dryly.

Hebenia, watching them, spoke in a nasal voice.

"Don't worry, he's not dead."

Hebenia was pinching her nose to stop the bleeding.

"He'll be well taken care of as a guest in our village. And for the record, the saintess reflected in the well was just a pretty married woman, so don't get any ideas."

For the record, the golden glow from the well was actually Ian using the 'flashlight' function on his watch.

'Huff, it won't stop.'

Even connecting the village to the Deste mansion just once made her bleed—and she'd done it three times today alone.

The nosebleed that had stopped quickly at first now flowed almost like water.

'Oh no, this is bad...'

Having used her power beyond its limits, her vision was blurring, and she kept yawning from the overwhelming drowsiness.

"...Cough."

Then blood ran down the back of her throat and spurted from her mouth.

"Cough! Hack!"

The incessant coughing quickly covered her mouth and clothes in blood.

"L-let down your head!"

"Spit it all out. It's okay. And relax your body..."

Priest Saker, pale with shock, quickly pinched Hebenia's nose to stop the bleeding.

Priest Chel do knelt on one knee and sat Hebenia on it.

"Oh, I'm fine..."

"Please stop saying you're fine."

"No, really..."

Embarrassed, Hebenia tried to say she was fine once more, but the worried looks in the priests' eyes made her stop.

'...I suppose if I saw a kid bleeding while helping me, I'd feel bad too.'

The nosebleed stopped quickly with healing magic.

Priest Saker drew some well water, wet a handkerchief, and wiped Hebenia's bloodied face.

"So, whenever you use your power..."

Priest Saker hesitated.

"Do you always bleed that much?"

"When I overuse it, I bleed a bit. I'll be fine after a good rest. If this were dangerous, would the Clavis be this skinny?"

With a determined huff, Hebenia forced herself to stand.

But dizziness made her vision spin.

'Oh dear, I need to hold back on using my power today...'

After barely regaining her balance, Hebenia pulled a thick pouch from her cloak.

Inside was sun-dried medicinal herb.

"It's Dulcevia."

Hearing the herb's name, the two priests gaped in astonishment.

The legendary herb, called the panacea, was right before their eyes.

"A skilled apothecary dried it, so it's effective even taken as is."

"By any chance, the ointment applied to Priest Saker's scar..."

"It was made from Dulcevia."

The two priests were speechless at the legendary herb's remarkable efficacy.

I explained to them what to do next.

"Before using healing magic, give them diluted tea made from the herb."

Just enough so that the herb's effects could be masked by healing magic.

"That way, rumors will spread naturally. That something is at the temple where the angel descended."

"Then we'll..."

"Neither confirm nor deny them."

"Pardon?"

"Instead, the other priests will ask you what you gave the patients."

And then.

"Talk about the well. Here's what you should say..."

The more Hebenia spoke, the more Priests Saker and Chel do felt like they were dreaming.

The Empire had long developed through the checks and clashes between two powers: the imperial family and the Clavis.

Between those two beasts, the temple had remained quiet like a frightened rabbit.

But it had faithfully fulfilled its role—caring for the people and sustaining their lives.

And only after the Clavis were destroyed.

The temple realized belatedly.

'The reason we've survived all this time was because the Clavis checked the imperial family and secretly protected the temple.'

Though the Clavis were famously irreligious, they donated vast sums of money, and the temple used those funds to aid the poor.

But as soon as the Clavis disappeared and the balance of power tipped to one side, the Emperor's oppression plunged many into suffering.

'That little Clavis...'

'Is fighting the Emperor alone...!'

The two priests were deeply moved by Hebenia, who helped others without regard for her own well-being.

'I guess I can have two strips of bacon today...?'

The little Clavis, however, was only thinking about getting bacon from her demon butler.

Licking her lips, Hebenia suddenly felt regret.

'Ah, in the end, I ended up giving it away for free, just as Aunt Elva said.'

As someone who wanted to turn even a little into money, this situation was quite unsatisfactory.

"Lady Clavis..."

Just then.

"Why are you going this far?"

Priest Chel do asked in a trembling voice.

"You have no reason to help us. The world knows you as a heinous criminal. You must have endured all kinds of contempt and unfair humiliation..."

"Ch-Chel do..."

Priest Saker fidgeted nervously, signaling his colleague.

"......"

Hebenia stared intently at the two priests. Her unwavering green eyes were as firm as the noble primeval forest.

"Just, well."

The little Clavis shrugged indifferently.

"If I have the means to help, why wouldn't I?"

The villagers.

Magic Milky.

And...

'Senior.'

The people I respect all did the same.

They don't hesitate to help others. That firmness, without weighing gain or loss, is one of the things Hebenia most wants to emulate.

"But as I said earlier, I'll make sure to get my due."

Because I'm the village chief, who must prioritize the village and its residents' interests!

She answered with a hand on her waist, deliberately sounding grumpy, but the two priests were no longer afraid of Hebenia.

She seemed like a savior sent by God to help foolish people like them.

---

"We'll escort you to your destination."

"Shall we lend you a carriage?"

"Please let me go alone. I need to stop by Kyobo Bookstore on the way..."

After finally shaking off the two priests, I left the temple.

Fortunately, as soon as I pulled the cloak tightly and kept quiet, the priests couldn't find me.

Whew, I let out a quiet sigh of relief.

'I appreciate the offer to help, but Libby unnie is waiting with the orphaned siblings for me.'

Thanks to getting rid of the meddling Head Priest and handing over the precious herb, I seemed to have gained the deep trust of Priests Saker and Chel do.

'...Or maybe they're pretending to help while trying to investigate me.'

Having developed a sense of danger, I could now think that far.

'Heh, I'm pretty cool, right? Do I look like a strategist like Zhuge Liang?'

The temple square was still packed with people seeking prayers. I carefully moved through them.

'...In the end, this problem can only be solved by restoring the abnormal herb distribution to normal.'

What I'd done was only a temporary fix.

'The herbs in the village aren't infinite, and even if I made wishes to demons using my blood, the Emperor would notice immediately. And I don't want to do that anyway.'

'So here...'

As I was thinking.

"Hebenia!"

Libby, waiting a short distance from the temple, waved her hand.

Beside her, two children were exchanging awkward glances.

'These must be the orphaned siblings the herbalist grandfather mentioned.'

We planned to bring them to the village too.

Whether Libby had explained well, the children already carried small bundles in their hands.

But their gazes toward me were peculiar.

I wondered why.

"...Hebenia."

Libby called me with a stunned face.

Her expression was unusual. Following her gaze, I looked down and saw bloodstains on my cloak.

Libby quickly checked my clothes hidden beneath the cloak. Her hand trembled as she clutched my blood-soaked front.

'Oh dear.'

I finally got a good look at the blood on my front. It was clearly beyond the scope of a simple nosebleed.

"I had a nosebleed, and it went down the back of my throat, causing a coughing fit."

"......"

"Really. Look, I'm fine."

"You're not fine."

For the first time, Libby's always-energetic voice dropped low.

"Do you even know what your face looks like right now..."

"I won't use my power anymore today."

I quickly said.

"I can't. I'm tired, so I really won't use it."

"......"

"Let's leave here tomorrow. I'm hungry—we've been moving too busily without even having lunch, right?"

"...Fine."

Libby let out a deep sigh, as if letting it slide for now.

"Instead, let me carry you."

Then she lowered herself, showing me her back.

Surprised, I waved my hands, saying I was fine.

"I'm really okay! And I'm still overweight, so I'm heavy..."

"Get on."

At her rare firmness, I hesitated. The boy among the siblings Libby had brought spoke up.

"I think you should get on."

"......"

"You look really hurt."

"R-really...?"

"And that unnie is no joke. Actually, we said we wouldn't go, but she threatened to burn our parents' graves if we didn't follow."

"Th-that, I'll apologize for..."

In the end, I ended up on Libby's back.

Hoping to be as light as possible, I tensed up, but Libby noticed and scolded me to relax.

"Do you think I can't carry one little sister?"

"I feel bad..."

"Don't. And Hebenia, you're light."

Libby chuckled, saying it was no big deal, and started walking slowly.

The pleasant swaying made my eyelids grow heavy.

Feeling it, Libby said.

"Take a nap. I'll wake you when we get to the mansion."

"Be sure to wake me..."

In the end, I willingly surrendered to the battle against my eyelids.

'Piggyback rides feel nice...'

Back in college, 'Senior' used to give me piggyback rides, but this felt completely different.

This must be how a baby feels, sleeping soundly in a cradle.

It had been a long time since I'd felt safe enough to fall asleep without a worry.

'...The me who lived as a Clavis must have known this feeling well, right?'

Young Hebenia, playing with her brother in a lavish mansion.

Actually, I envied the young me I couldn't remember.

'But right now, I'm not jealous at all...'

Today, I too was indulging in happy laziness on a reliable unnie's back.

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