Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 41

Chapter 41

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Chihuahua.

"They're dogs that have been specialized in driving away evil since ancient times."

"Grrrrr!"

"Rawr! Grrrr, rawr!"

Verity introduced the dogs with all sincerity, but the displeased Chihuahuas just kept growling.

"The downside is that despite their strong power, their small bodies can't handle it, so they have a bad temper?"

"Rawr! Rawr! Grrr!"

"Growl! Rawr!"

"If you introduce them like that, I'd bark at you to shut up too."

Glancing at the annoying demon butler, I sighed and looked down.

Verity was the one who'd offended them, but the dogs were circling around me threateningly.

'But they're cute...'

The corner of my mouth kept loosening as I looked at them.

"Doggy..."

"So cute..."

The villagers also blushed, gazing lovingly at the dogs.

After years of exile without seeing any furry animals, their excitement was understandable.

"Grrrrr!"

"Rawr! Rawr!"

But the dogs were too fierce for them to easily show their joy.

So they kept their distance.

"Hebenia!"

Libby, who had moved far away, cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted.

"Try showing affection! Pat them, rub their bellies!"

"Unnie, I'll get bitten if I do that."

"It's okay. You can just apply medicine."

"That unnie, talking like it's someone else's problem..."

But she had a point.

'I was their family.'

Even if I don't remember, I have a responsibility to them.

'I have a house now, subordinates, and power!'

I rubbed my palms on my clothes and took several deep breaths.

Then I crouched down to meet their eyes.

"Ah, hello?"

According to something I'd picked up, when meeting a dog for the first time, it's polite to offer a closed fist for them to sniff first.

So I extended my slightly curled right hand.

For the first time, the furballs stopped snapping.

From within the thick fur, where head and tail were indistinguishable, a black, wet nose poked out.

'It, it touched!'

The wet nose touched my hand!

Moved, I looked at Verity, who gave me a bright smile.

"Now try calling their names."

"Names..."

I already had names in mind.

Poppy and Chuchu.

If I ever raised dogs, I'd always wanted two, and I'd always wanted to give them those names.

'Maybe that wish reflects my Clavis days that I don't remember?'

It was a plausible guess.

'But these dogs have a title, right?'

My ancestor had actually given the title to a dog.

'They're dukes, no matter how you look at them. Can they really be named Poppy and Chuchu?'

I decided to give them new names.

When I sat down on the ground, the dogs climbed onto my lap, one on each thigh.

They even licked the back of my hand with their tongues.

"Hehehe!"

"Wow, my Lady's face is ugly..."

"Rawr! Rawr!"

"Grrrr! Woof!"

The moment Verity spoke, the dogs growled.

"Good job!"

I petted them approvingly.

'Were they barking at Verity earlier?'

Had they noticed that my capable but often cheeky demon butler was a bit of a handful? If so, they were excellent dogs.

That made me want to give them even more magnificent names.

'A duke, with fluffy fur, and when standing in the sunlight earlier, they looked truly sacred.'

Chihuahua.

Sacred Chihuahua.

'Sacred Chihuahua, Sacred Chi...'

Just then, a brilliant name came to mind.

"Stephen Chow! How about Stephen Chow? The name has such presence...!"

"Woof! Woof woof! Rawr, grrrr! Woof!"

"Woof! Waaah! Woof woof!"

"Eek!"

Fleeing from the dogs that lunged at me with eyes rolling, I quickly got up and ran.

"I'm sorry! I'm sooorry!"

---

Only after the commotion subsided.

"P-Poppy and Chuchu..."

Exhausted, Hebenia introduced the new family members to the villagers with a dog in each arm.

Panting, it took her a full minute just to say their names.

"Poppy is female, Chuchu is male. For reference, the white one is Poppy. She's the Duchess. So Chuchu is the Duke Consort."

Hebenia set Poppy and Chuchu on the ground.

The villagers flinched, but fortunately, Poppy and Chuchu no longer reacted aggressively.

Catching her breath, Hebenia introduced the villagers to the dogs.

"They're my comrades from the exile camp. They're my precious family and friends, so please don't be too mean to them. They're all wonderful people."

"Hebenia..."

The moved adults teared up.

"Grrrr!"

"Rawr! Rawr!"

But apparently displeased with Hebenia's introduction, Duchess Poppy and Duke Consort Chuchu bared their fangs.

"Huff!"

Hebenia quickly scooped them up and subdued them.

"I told you not to!"

"Rawr! Rawr!"

"Rawr!"

The dogs barked in protest, but with much less force than before.

And that ended the moment Hebenia glared at them sharply.

"Ooh!"

The villagers clapped in surprise and admiration.

As Hebenia basked in their approval, Ian approached.

"How did you do that? Earlier the dogs were..."

"Woof! Woof woof! Grrr, rawr!"

"Rawr! Grrr, rawr! Woof!"

"...I thought we were in big trouble when you were being chased by Duchess Poppy and Duke Consort Chuchu."

The adults had tried to help, but Hebenia said she was fine and went into the house alone with the two dogs.

A few minutes later, when she came out, the hierarchy was established.

"It was a bit touch-and-go."

Hebenia recalled the moment she was chased by the dogs moments earlier, with a wistful look.

"What did you do while we weren't watching...?"

Ian's eyes grew suspicious.

"...You didn't beat them, did you?"

He was worried about the village chief's past record of wanting to experience torture firsthand.

"Ugh, seriously! What do you take me for!"

Pouting, Hebenia gladly told him.

"We fought fair and square."

"...What?"

"I always, no matter who the opponent is! Face them seriously and fight."

In other words, she got down on all fours and fought the dogs.

"And they became this calm."

"Hey, that's...!"

Ian had too much to say.

From nagging about how she could fight a dog, to worrying about her dignity as a human.

The dogs in Hebenia's arms actually looked more haggard than before.

Though their faces were hidden by their fur, they seemed quite exhausted.

'Is that why they're calm?'

Hebenia's actions must have been a shock to the dogs too.

"Now, let's greet the villagers."

And so, the first greeting between the Chihuahua Duke couple and the villagers began.

Poppy and Chuchu were gentle with the children. Even when Flora touched them, they let it be, and they even licked the hands of Pania and Nulla.

But they were ruthless with the adults.

"Your name is Poppy? Nice to meet..."

"Grrrr!"

"Duchess Poppy, Modi of Exilium greets you."

Titles, honorifics, etiquette.

If these three weren't followed, the fangs would come out.

Still, thanks to Hebenia's occasional warnings—"Huff," "Hey"—there were no attacks.

"The Duke has arrived, so we've prepared a doghouse..."

"Growl!"

"...We've constructed an outdoor exclusive resting area."

Watching from a short distance, Verity was enjoying the villagers' amusing sight.

'...Anyway, this is so much fun.'

Though troublesome things kept happening, his conviction that coming here was the right choice remained unshaken.

'By the way, they've all grown a bit, haven't they?'

The villagers willingly lowered themselves and bowed their heads to Poppy and Chuchu.

An ordinary person seeing this scene would be clutching their stomachs laughing.

But Verity saw it differently.

'They recognize the power gap.'

The children perceived Poppy and Chuchu as ordinary dogs. They touched them without hesitation and smiled happily, calling them cute.

But the adults' attitudes were subtly different.

'They're not just being wary of ill-tempered mutts. They've unconsciously sensed that these two are stronger than them.'

They treated Poppy and Chuchu as equals, or even as superiors.

Much like how they treated Verity.

'...Which makes no sense.'

The demon butler's brow furrowed.

'Currently, the village has sixteen residents including children, eleven of whom have transcendent aptitudes, and only six of them have actually trained.'

It made no sense that the other five, who hadn't trained, could also naturally sense the power gap.

'At this rate, Sir Ian's abnormal growth rate needs to be reconsidered too. He wasn't the only exception—all the other villagers are exceptions too.'

When everyone is an exception, that becomes a phenomenon.

And every phenomenon has a cause.

'There's a common denominator that even the villagers don't know about.'

Tap, tap.

Just then, someone tapped Verity's arm.

"My Lady?"

"Let's go to the well."

"The well?"

"I need to prepare before connecting to the Deste Temple. Ah, and the villagers have agreed to take care of Poppy and Chuchu in the meantime."

Hebenia pointed to where the villagers were serving the two Chihuahuas, who had perched on golden cushions.

When Chuchu growled at the finely chopped chicken breast, Pofina bowed repeatedly, saying, "Too tough? I'll boil it even softer next time."

'The hierarchy is clearly established.'

Verity sighed silently.

Arriving at the well, Verity checked his watch.

"Isn't it a bit early?"

"I told you. We need to prepare."

"Ah, the glowing well, you mean?"

Verity was curious how Hebenia would pull it off.

'She'll probably make a wish to me...'

Just as he thought that, Hebenia stretched out her left arm with the watch.

The blue, upright pentagram on the watch face.

"Why?"

Hebenia grinned, enjoying Verity's flustered gaze.

"No matter how you look at it, asking a demon to help a temple isn't quite right, is it?"

"No way...!"

"The prepayment I made earlier—it's time to use it."

Hebenia shouted with vigor.

"Summon!"

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