Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 45

Chapter 45

This righteous yet twisted hobby of mine—a specialty, really—had continued since my days as 'Chae Habin' in Korea.

My track record was quite impressive.

Using the evidence of domestic violence I'd collected, I had squeezed tuition, living expenses, and other compensation out of my family.

'That worked because my family had a good social reputation.'

For the freeloader on a group project who never contributed, I showed the professor our KakaoTalk chat logs to get his grade adjusted.

'You should never expose chat logs during a lecture. Some professors hate that kind of trouble-making.'

So I visited the professor's office in person, calmly explained that it was unavoidable despite my efforts, and asked for understanding.

'There was also that crazy bastard who dumped his work on me when I'd been at the company less than six months.'

That one didn't even require much thought.

"Team leader, sorry to bother you, but could I ask you to do a mid-review? This is my first time handling this kind of work, so I'd like to confirm I'm on the right track..."

"Ah, the senior said he was sick today and took the day off. So I'm asking the team leader to review it..."

I just had to play dumb.

The team leader was horrified that a five-month rookie had been handling the negotiation of new contract terms with a client, and he even praised me for coming to get a review before things escalated.

'If that had blown up, the team leader would have taken all the blame.'

And the senior got chewed out when he returned on Monday.

Turns out, not only had he dumped his work on the rookie, but he'd also taken the weekend off with his annual leave and gone on an overseas trip with his girlfriend.

The senior quietly left the company not long after.

'And yet I was hesitating to have this much fun because of Ian oppa...'

It's not that I won't do it.

'Hmm, but my conscience might bother me a little.'

I know I'm not a good person, but I'm not so heartless as to ignore the goodwill directed at me.

"Ian oppa."

I said honestly.

"I just like tormenting bad people and making them kneel before me..."

"I know."

"Huh?"

"I know you enjoy that kind of mischief with good reason. I've seen enough to know that much."

"Ah, y-you do...?"

I had been seriously pondering how to convince Ian, but the problem was resolved far too easily.

'Well, as long as he doesn't misunderstand, that's fine.'

I was relieved that I could continue acting without hesitation.

"Hebenia."

"Yeah?"

"The resolve I just shared means that no matter what choice you make for the villagers, I'll be with you. So you won't have to bleed alone."

"......"

"Honestly, I'd like you to fix your hobby of tormenting people, but..."

"But?"

"Hmm..."

Ian, back to his usual slightly flustered self, tilted his head and thought for a long time.

After a long deliberation.

"...Still, it must hit bad people hard, right?"

Sighing, Ian made a bitter face.

"Instead, don't torment good people."

"Of course!"

"And if you're going to torment bad people, do it in a way that benefits us."

"Oh my, Sir Ian has finally been corrupted by our Lady."

At Verity's cheerful jab, Ian shrugged.

"Who can beat the village chief?"

"My Lady, I suppose power really does change people."

"Hehe!"

I beamed.

I had finally received official permission from my guardian to torment villains to my heart's content.

---

Speaking of which.

"Let's leave Molle Livus alone for now."

Based on my past experience, I explained to Ian the most effective way to torment someone.

"The best way to deal with someone who expresses their inferiority complex through rank is to ignore them. The biggest blow comes when they realize they're utterly useless."

"Since Head Priest Saikeuf nearly died from the vow of silence..."

Ian muttered as if realizing something.

"He might think he's been placed under a vow too without knowing it. Actually, when I glanced at him earlier, he looked more like a corpse than the undead."

"For a while, you should bring him his meals."

I said.

"Wearing expensive-looking clothes and a valuable sword at your waist."

"To further provoke his inferiority complex?"

"But since he's afraid of the vow, won't he keep his mouth shut even more?"

At Verity's question, I nodded.

"Either way, there's nothing to gain from Molle Livus."

Would the Emperor and Chief Chamberlain have entrusted important information to a man who'd betray his own colleagues for a promotion?

'Absolutely not.'

So Molle Livus's only use was to stay quietly imprisoned here until the Chief Chamberlain returned next year.

"You wicked little cutie."

Ian ruffled my hair.

I smiled foolishly and savored the backhanded compliment.

"Now then..."

Verity brought up the most important topic.

"All that's left is to find the research lab's location."

During the interrogation, the moment I said 'the burned-down research lab,' the vow of silence placed on Head Priest Saikeuf activated.

"That problematic lab Uncle Pex mentioned seems to still be operating."

"Out of sight, out of mind—they used the fire as a cover."

"Could the Clavis have known about this?"

Huh?

I looked at Ian as if to ask what he meant.

Noticing my gaze, Ian gave a plausible reason for his comment.

"The Clavis had been checking the imperial family for a long time. If they knew about this, they probably would have investigated at least once."

"Hmm, that's a valid point."

Verity agreed.

"That wicked old man of the Clavis would certainly be capable of that."

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

A human even a demon would shudder at.

My personality was definitely Clavis genetics.

Anyway, finding the research lab wasn't a big problem.

"Since Uncle Pex remembers it, we can probably find the location quickly. And if not, my Lady can just make a wish."

"Is that possible? Grandfather blocked information related to the imperial family in advance."

"Sir Pex knows about it—and there are likely other villagers who remember the incident too."

So it wouldn't fall under the scope of the Clavis family head's preemptive restrictions, Verity argued.

It sounded plausible, so I nodded.

"What concerns me is the Mage Tower Lord."

Verity muttered irritably as he sent a text to the demon side requesting information.

Ian cautiously asked.

"With our current strength, can we..."

"We can."

Ian and I looked at each other simultaneously.

We'd expected an answer that we'd lose immediately, but Verity said the odds were actually decent.

"First, we have our Lady. If she's determined, the Mage Tower Lord is like dirt under her fingernail."

"I have to fight such a dirty bastard..."

"Sir Ian is also growing stronger, so I'm not too worried."

What Verity was actually worried about was something else.

He said the Mage Tower Lord had likely made a contract with a demon, and he was concerned about how abnormally powerful that might have made him.

"It's rare, but sometimes humans become similar to transcendents through underhanded means."

"Transcendent..."

Uncle Modi's voice came to mind.

"It means a person with power that surpasses human limits. For example, saints, archmages, aura masters..."

Later, when I looked it up in Clavis in One Volume, it said becoming a transcendent was incredibly difficult.

"...Isn't the Mage Tower Lord an archmage?"

"The current Mage Tower Lord isn't at that level. Maybe around 8th tier?"

Mages are divided into nine ranks, each called a tier.

For reference, an archmage is 9th tier.

'The Emp... whatever Lich in the primeval forest was archmage level. So that would be 9th tier.'

The Mage Tower Lord is weaker than a lich.

But since he'd made a contract with a demon, he might have become as strong as the lich in the forest.

"If you fought an archmage, Verity, who would win?"

"Wow, I really have lived a long time, haven't I?"

Verity frowned, saying he'd never been so absurdly insulted in his life.

---

Verity said.

"Do you think I'd lose to a mere 9th-tier mage?"

"But you said they were transcendents."

"Not all transcendents are equal. There are levels among them too. Ugh, this is so humiliating."

For the crime of asking one wrong question, I had to listen to Verity whine all day.

For several days, auditory hallucinations overlapped with all kinds of daily noises: "My Lady has been ignoring me lately, but I'm still strong, aren't I?"

"Even the sound of water when I wash my face in the morning sounds like Verity's voice—'My Lady, bubble bubble, how strong am I, bubble bubble.'"

"Ahahaha!"

During breakfast, Libby, sitting across from me, laughed her head off at my joke.

"Doesn't that just mean you've gotten close to Verity?"

"I can't help it. These days, Verity can't stop teasing me whenever he sees me."

"You've really gotten close."

Libby urged me to eat, scooping some soft scrambled eggs mixed with milk onto my plate.

"Eat up. You'll need your strength today."

"Yeah!"

Today, a historic event was taking place in Exilium Village.

We were harvesting the first crops we'd planted.

After a hearty meal, I put on the colorful floral-patterned bloomers Verity had obtained for me through a wish. I also wore cute little boots.

"Libby unnie, how do I look?"

"Cute, so cute!"

"Hehe."

"Hebenia, how do I look?"

"Very cute and cool!"

Libby had wanted bloomers like mine too, so I'd gifted her a pair with the same pattern.

I also put on a brimmed hat and gloves.

"Hello!"

Arriving at the field, I greeted them loudly.

"Oh my, the village chief is here!"

"Welcome."

"Today's glory is all thanks to the village chief."

"Please come to the center."

"Kyahaha."

Basking in the villagers' admiration, I climbed onto the podium I'd prepared the day before and took the microphone.

"Ah."

I cleared my throat lightly, swept my gaze over the villagers gathered below, and greeted them with my eyes.

"Beloved villagers. Hebenia, your faithful servant and kind errand boy..."

"Stop lying!"

"...Lovely villagers. Hebenia, your master and village ruler, greets you."

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