Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 103

Chapter 103

The angel let out a deep breath, then nodded and took the address book Hebenia handed over.

"Your wishes are always like this, little ant."

"What about my wish?"

"Anything else?"

Instead of answering, the angel asked another question.

"Given your personality, you wouldn't just want that one thing, would you?"

The angel asked irritably, frowning as if to say "am I wrong?"

Hebenia, who had been staring blankly, soon smiled softly.

"Can I make more wishes?"

"Don't act like it's your first time. The only way to get rid of the prepayment you forced on me is to grant as many wishes as possible, you know?"

"Hehe, actually, I have a lot prepared!"

"I'll grant two more."

"Oh, perfect—I just so happen to have two more things to ask for!"

Hebenia stated her remaining wishes.

The angel listened with a reluctant expression, then nodded.

"I'll take care of the first wish within a few days. The second wish can be done as soon as this conversation ends..."

The angel glanced at Hebenia.

"And the last wish?"

"After the second wish is done."

"Deal."

As the angel closed his eyes after finishing the conversation, the cloth that had been wrapped around his beautiful naked form swirled like a whirlwind and shot high into the sky.

The angel vanished along with the cloth, but his gruff voice lingered clearly in Hebenia's ears.

"You did well."

---

An angel descended once more upon the Deste Territory.

It happened during the joint funeral for the undead victims, which the Holy King himself was conducting.

The angel, smiling sadly, emanated a warm radiance, and soon, round, fluffy lights appeared.

Thirty-five lights.

Those who witnessed the miracle were speechless with emotion.

"...The great God."

Holy King Ekklesia, dressed in black mourning attire, said in a choked voice.

"Is leading the souls of the innocent and pure to heaven."

The temple became a sea of tears once more.

However, there was a slight change. A ray of relief had taken root in their endless sorrow.

"...I thought she was taking too long in the bathroom."

Verity, who had been attending the funeral, glanced to the side.

"So this is why she went out."

"Well, you know."

Hebenia, who had excused herself to use the restroom, had returned at some point.

Meeting Verity's eyes, she shrugged.

"While I was draining the main vein, I figured I'd just..."

"Don't use such crude expressions."

After grumbling that she was worse than a drunkard for a moment, Verity praised her.

"Well done."

"I didn't do much."

"......"

"I received their help, so it was only right to repay them."

"......"

Verity stared at Hebenia in silence for a moment.

'Humans are strange.'

Those who commit sins don't feel sorry for their victims—they blame them instead. Saying things like, "Why were you there, making me a criminal?"

On the other hand, it's often those unrelated to the incident who comfort the victims.

They're not saints. They're just ordinary people with a certain level of empathy and altruism.

'It's a matter of whether they exercise it or not.'

The demon, having lived for eons, knows this.

'Altruism. Concepts called cooperation, consideration, and concession.'

Those are the minimum conditions for finite beings to thrive for a long time.

'So you, who disregard that, will never be able to defeat our Lady.'

Even though she's faithful to her desires, our Lady always ends up giving up her own greed for the sake of everyone.

"...What?"

Sensing the gaze, Hebenia glanced sideways and frowned.

Verity was smiling at her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you're admirable."

"If I'm admirable, give me money."

"Sigh, that money-grubbing attitude."

"Hmph, just give me the money and curse me."

Hebenia closed her eyes as if to dismiss him, focusing on paying her respects to the dead.

'Is she a childish twenty-five, or a precocious seven?'

The demon watched her with affectionate eyes, then soon closed his own.

---

A few days after the funeral.

Mysterious rumors began to spread in the Deste Territory, which had yet to recover from its grief.

"They appeared in dreams and said their goodbyes."

"The people who became undead?"

"Oh my, God truly is watching over us!"

The dead were all said to be wearing beautiful, wonderful clothes.

They earnestly told their families, lovers, and friends not to be too sad, and not to give up on happiness and joy in their own lives.

People's hearts ached.

"They were all so kind..."

"Heaven isn't heartless. Why did they have to take such good people..."

"No."

Someone said.

"It wasn't heaven that killed them—it was people."

Thirty-five innocent people had died.

The archangel who appeared at the funeral offered comfort for the grief of those left behind, but couldn't quell their anger.

Rather, it fanned the flames.

"The new Viscount Deste has disappeared."

"He's been arrested, I heard."

"His study was full of terrible books—demon summoning, methods for creating undead..."

"When the holy knights pried up the floorboards, they found a large summoning circle drawn in blood..."

"Human bone fragments were also found in the incinerator. I think it might have been that elderly herbalist—he hasn't been seen since he was dragged away..."

The anger gradually flowed in one direction.

"It's the Emperor's fault."

The traces left by the recent events had carved channels, and the anger simply followed the flow.

It was self-inflicted.

"If they had any sense, would something like this have happened last spring? The entire country suffered!"

"If the Clavis were still around..."

Once ignited, the anger didn't easily subside.

'Rather than subsiding, it will remain an eternal ember, burning on.'

Holy King Ekklesia slowly read the public opinion report compiled by the holy knights.

'Now the Deste Territory has slipped from the imperial family's grasp.'

Thanks to its border location and the advantage of the Magical Engineering Academy, Deste had long been a territory coveted by the imperial family.

They wouldn't have it anymore.

Flip. The Holy King's wrinkled hands, turning the pages, were covered in scars.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

This was a reception room at the temple.

Unlike the temple's usual austerity, it was lavishly decorated, and the Holy King and Crown Prince Pereus sat facing each other.

"I think it would be best for the holy knights of the central headquarters to escort you to the station. For your safety..."

"Deste..."

The Crown Prince, who had been silent with his head lowered, finally spoke.

"Who will get Deste now?"

"......"

"Will it become the temple's possession?"

"That won't happen."

The Holy King slowly shook his head.

"Managing the territory is not within the temple's jurisdiction."

"Then why are you sending more holy knights here? Are you planning to occupy it by force..."

"Thirty-five innocent civilians were turned into undead in a horrific incident."

"It was only thirty-five...!"

"Your Highness."

Knight Commander Rashid, who had been standing behind him, quickly restrained the Crown Prince.

But the words had already left his mouth.

"......"

The Holy King looked at the Crown Prince with a complicated gaze, then closed and opened his eyes as if tired.

"The curse magic that creates undead is a heinous act of blasphemy. Truly, it's the kind of thing that only lowly, shameless heretics would do."

"......"

"Blasphemy is punished by the Church. This is an absolute right granted solely to the Church, as stipulated by imperial law."

Especially in this case.

Too many people had witnessed the undead firsthand.

To investigate the truth of the incident, the temple would dispatch Inquisitors and high-ranking priests to the Deste Territory.

They would only investigate the circumstances and find and punish those responsible.

"To reiterate, managing the territory is not my authority. His Majesty the Emperor will likely appoint a new lord."

"......"

"I simply hope someone comes who can comfort the wounds of this place."

---

Thud!

The reception room door closed roughly.

"...Phew."

Left alone, the Holy King leaned back against the sofa, his posture relaxing.

'To have such venom at such a young age...'

The young Crown Prince was even more twisted than the rumors suggested. And that twist would become a weapon, tormenting and hurting many.

The fists he couldn't hide.

The grinding of his teeth.

His small body, trembling with anger.

"Only thirty-five...?"

A deep furrow formed between the Holy King's brows.

'Without any decent adults around him, he'll surely grow up just like that.'

Slowly adjusting his posture, he looked at the door again.

He'd thought it was firmly closed, but the door was slightly ajar.

The Holy King couldn't help but laugh.

"Your older brother used to play the same kind of prank when he was young."

"I'm not, trying to play a prank?"

A small head popped through the door gap, with a sulky expression.

"I was spying."

"Hahaha!"

"D-don't laugh! I haven't acknowledged Your Holiness as an ally yet..."

The Holy King, who had approached in a few strides, knelt on both knees.

Hebenia's eyes widened in surprise.

"Our princess."

"......"

"You're truly, safe..."

Hebenia felt queasy.

Following Crown Prince Edelros and the Grand Duchess, this was the third person she'd met who genuinely worried about her safety.

Each time, the joy overflowed so much it made her dizzy, and she still couldn't quite get used to it.

Besides, Hebenia found the Holy King's gesture of meeting her at eye level so familiar.

She could easily guess that it was because she'd experienced it often in her forgotten childhood.

"......"

Hebenia lowered her head.

"Actually, I have no memories before coming to the exile camp."

"The change in environment must have been a great shock."

"And I was trying to use Your Holiness. To make you oppose the imperial family in my and the exile family's place..."

"As expected of my granddaughter. You have an extraordinary spirit."

"Because of me, the temple could be in danger. In fact, it's already in danger. The Emperor won't stay silent..."

"That's not your fault."

The Holy King's demeanor changed in an instant.

His warm, melting impression sharpened like a beast that had spotted its prey.

"The temple has always fought against evil."

A sharp killing intent, enough to make one's hair stand on end, flickered in his eyes along with a strange light.

"Opposing the current imperial family is simply the duty of a servant of God. So, our princess..."

The Holy King, holding Hebenia's small hands clasped neatly in front of her belly, said.

"Do whatever you want."

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