Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 33

Chapter 33

With the greetings to the new residents done, it was time to return to the village.

Before leaving, we went to the square to buy some necessary items.

"You could have just wished for them from me."

"As I said before, this is part of our social reintegration training."

Verity watched Libby and Uncle Pex nervously talking to strangers and slowly nodded.

Just buying one thing made them that tense.

Even Libby, always so energetic and sharp, had a trembling voice.

'I really hate the Emperor.'

I hate him for tormenting the people precious to me.

This time, I bought a lot of books.

"I haven't touched magical tools in so long—I need to start studying again."

"I'll study magic harder too!"

"Have you ever seen such commendable residents...!"

I was so proud of them, like a parent whose children are burning with the desire to study.

'When we get back, I'll build the library first!'

Back at the Deste mansion, we stood in front of Flora's room.

"Oh, by the way, the knights locked in the dungeon..."

"I left them enough food for five days, so they'll be fine for a while. I also searched them thoroughly, so they won't be able to do anything stupid."

My capable demon butler, Verity, had already resolved all my concerns.

Now it was truly time to go home.

"Now, everyone. Look here."

I opened the door to reveal the shabby interior.

"It's miserable, isn't it? You can really see what a bastard the Viscount of Deste was."

Libby and Uncle Pex frowned. They both realized this was Flora's room.

"That bastard Viscount Deste got off too easy."

"I agree, Libby."

"Then I'll turn this room into a wonderful village hall."

Jjan-jjan, jjan-jjan.

Humming childish sound effects, I closed the door.

Then I slowly turned the doorknob to the right.

Click—.

When I opened the door again, what I saw was the pride and heart of Exilium Village—the Village Chief's Office.

Everyone was speechless at the instant change of scenery.

'Even I find it a bit amazing.'

Especially the young siblings, seeing my ability for the first time, were on the verge of fainting.

Both were too stunned to speak properly.

"Wha-how...!"

"Wow! Wowww!"

Pania went pale, while Nulla's face flushed as she bounced around.

Snapping out of it at Nulla's exclamation, Libby and Uncle Pex quickly checked on me.

"Hebenia, are you feeling okay?"

"Did your nose bleed again..."

"I'm fine thanks to the good sleep."

In fact, I felt noticeably stronger than the day before.

'When you push your power to its limits...'

Your capacity for power increases.

I stepped aside, still holding the doorknob.

"Welcome to Exilium!"

---

"Grandfather! Are you feeling okay?"

"Grandfather..."

Pania and Nulla rushed to find the elderly herbalist first.

Sitting in a wheelchair, the old man smiled wryly at the children running toward him.

"I showed you children such an unsightly sight."

He gently stroked the heads of the children, who buried their faces in his thighs and sobbed.

"Pania, you haven't been coughing, have you?"

"After taking the medicine you gave me, I haven't been sick since...!"

"Dulcevia really works well."

The disease Pania had suffered from was 'Crape Myrtle Cold.'

The early symptoms were similar to a common cold.

Then small spots would cover the body, accompanied by high fever, and the eyes would turn yellow.

As time passed, hallucinations would torment the patient, the body would stiffen, and eventually, death would follow.

Since this process happened within a hundred days, people named it after the crape myrtle, a small red flower that blooms for a hundred days.

Fortunately, if caught early, the disease could be cured quickly with medication.

Once recovered, immunity developed and the disease wouldn't strike again.

'The medicine is cheap too—almost no one dies from this disease.'

The elderly herbalist smiled at Pania, who looked at him with reddened eyes.

It was both a reassuring smile and a way to hide his own uneasy feelings.

'Crape Myrtle Cold strikes often in summer.'

The season was already moving into late spring.

'If the herb distribution continues like this...'

Pania was lucky.

If the herbalist hadn't bought Dulcevia from Hebenia and her group, the boy might have died.

And what was even more horrifying was that more unlucky cases like Pania's could continue to occur.

'The young Clavis seems to have joined hands with the temple, so Deste is safe. But other places...'

Just then.

"New brother-in-law!"

The young Clavis trotted over.

That shameless attitude, still calling him 'new brother-in-law,' the large curly hair tied up on both sides, and the innocent smile amidst it all.

'Looking at her like this, she really resembles the Clavis family head.'

That stubborn old man.

A gentleman in appearance but a gangster at heart.

'...When did I ever meet the Clavis family head?'

The herbalist slowly sifted through his memories.

He thought it had been quite a long time ago, but the memory he recalled was from just a year ago.

'We had a chance conversation then...'

As he frowned and desperately tried to dredge up the elusive memory, Hebenia spoke.

"New brother-in-law, are you feeling okay?"

"Yes. But I don't think I can be your new brother-in-law anymore."

"Gasp, why?"

"I got dumped..."

Heok, Hebenia gasped.

"Ian oppa!"

Then she scolded Ian, who was helping carry the shopping.

"Have you no respect for your elders? You should have been the one dumped!"

"What nonsense is that!"

Aghast, Ian quickly tattled about what he'd been through yesterday.

"That old man keeps calling me 'honey,' and at night, he even asked if I'd come to his bed...!"

"There's such a thing as love that starts with skin-to-skin contact."

"...Did you meet another strange angel-like thing out there?"

"Puhahaha!"

Ian was serious, while Verity, who was helping carry the luggage, burst into laughter.

And so, the second visit to the Deste territory came to an end.

The people of Exilium welcomed the new residents.

"Oh my, they look so bright and clever."

"Nulla is the same age as Flora—five. Flora is my daughter. I hope you'll be good friends."

"Ah, hello?"

"Hello!"

Flora and Nulla, the same age, became fast friends.

"New brother-in-law..."

"Don't call me that!"

"...Herbalist grandfather, you'll live with them, right?"

Hebenia changed the form of address after Ian's strong objection.

The elderly herbalist laughed heartily.

"Yes. With things as they are, I'll take responsibility for those children."

"Then stay here."

The house Hebenia introduced was a two-story building with a pretty low stone wall.

It was already furnished inside.

"Oppa, there's a bed! It's so fluffy!"

"Whoa, what's this? A wooden sword!"

"There's a teddy bear too! So cute!"

While Pania and Nulla, full of excitement, were busy exploring the house.

Hebenia stepped out into the garden with the elderly herbalist for a private conversation.

"The Deste territory should be fine for a while, thanks to the temple."

"I saw it yesterday too. You were doing something with that well—does it connect to the temple? Did you create a miracle?"

The herbalist spoke casually, saying he'd been surprised when a priest popped out of the well.

But the old man's wrinkled eyes were full of worry.

"You can't keep relying on that miracle."

"You're right."

Hebenia nodded.

"There's even a possibility that the Emperor might visit Deste directly."

Of course, to prevent that, they'd taken away the informant, Head Priest Saikeuf.

But even that was only a one-time measure.

"We can't control public opinion."

"Then we're back to the root cause again."

The old herbalist clicked his tongue.

"The problem is restoring the herb distribution to normal."

"......"

"When are you going to act?"

"Pardon?"

"I asked when you're going to move."

As Hebenia looked bewildered, the herbalist scoffed and teased her.

"Young Clavis, your face clearly shows you're plotting to resolve this entire situation, and you're at a loss about where to start."

"Eeeng, grandfather..."

Hebenia shivered, playing dumb.

"What does a seven-year-old know?"

"You sound just like the Clavis family head when he's being coy—it's creepy..."

"What kind of person was my grandfather..."

But in the end, Hebenia didn't deny the herbalist's words.

'Because I'm not fully prepared yet.'

Having developed a sense of danger, Hebenia began to be cautious even with herself.

"For now."

Still, Hebenia knew what needed to be done.

"Please cancel the arranged marriage with Ian oppa."

"Then should I get that guy's child and run away?"

"...How do you know about 'hit and run pregnancy,' Grandfather?"

"My late wife used to enjoy those kinds of dramas."

Muttering that she really liked the 'regretful husband' trope, the herbalist fondly remembered his deceased wife.

Watching him, Hebenia quietly returned to the village hall.

[Ah, ah.]

The village chief's grave voice came through the speakers installed throughout the village.

[I am announcing to the villagers. The strategic marriage between Ian oppa and the herbalist grandfather has been cancelled. Once more, the strategic marriage between Ian oppa and the herbalist...]

"...Does she hate me?"

Ian stared blankly at the speakers.

Beside him, Libby burst into cheerful laughter.

"I understand Hebenia. It's like, you just want to tease oppa whenever you see him."

"Siblings are beasts..."

They're just itching to get me.

Ian's shoulders slumped.

---

Though we'd returned to the village safely, there was no time to rest.

"Oh dear, oh dear. The village chief is so busy."

"You'd be less busy if you hadn't made that strange announcement."

Ian pressed my temples firmly but gently as he nagged.

"Ahhh, bliss...!"

"Aish, you're so cute I could bite you."

"It's because Sir Ian indulges her that our Lady acts so cheeky."

I, along with Ian and Verity, headed to the village hall's guest room.

In this special basement, which could only be accessed through the door in the Village Chief's Office, two honored guests were imprisoned behind iron bars.

Molle Livus.

And Head Priest Nughata Saikeuf.

"Now."

I sat in the chair Verity had brought.

"Shall we begin the welcoming ceremony?"

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