Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 107

Chapter 107

"......"

"......"

Olive fell silent, and I pretended not to see anything as I sent the dogs back to the village.

"I'll call you when we're on the train..."

And quickly closed the door.

"My Lady."

Olive asked in a slightly trembling voice.

"What was that just now?"

"Th-they're pursuing the highest tier of human desire..."

"Wasn't Sir Ian among those dancing?"

"Ian oppa is the youngest there..."

"Surely my sister isn't living like that too?"

"Fortunately, your sister willingly lives like that."

"......"

Moved by the news of his sister's well-being, Olive slumped his shoulders and let out a deep sigh.

I half-heartedly patted Olive's leg.

"Now, let's go ride the first-class cabin!"

"Our destination is the south..."

"Same thing!"

---

"Ugh, it's hot..."

For Hebenia, who had enjoyed a two-night, three-day train journey, the scorching summer heat and thick humidity of the south were quite taxing.

The adults following her also frowned at the sudden wave of heat.

"My Lady, come here and wear this hat. It's enchanted to blow cool air, so it'll be less hot."

While Verity took care of Hebenia.

"Sir Olive, where are we headed now?"

Ian, who had dyed his hair black with a magical tool, asked.

Olive pulled a note from his pocket.

"There's a lodging reserved by the central headquarters. We'll rest there briefly, then head to the orphanage."

"By the way, this is quite a large city."

Hebenia, invigorated by the hat, finally had room to look around.

The green fronds of palm trees standing tall despite the heat.

Vibrant, large tropical flowers.

It was a scenery befitting a summer resort.

"It's only natural."

Olive said, flapping his collar.

"T'mari is famous as a resort, but it also has the third-largest trading port in the Empire. This city originally developed through commerce."

"Oho."

Hebenia nodded, listening attentively.

'So that's why there are so many factories in the nearby Int'mari Territory. They transport imported goods from here to the Int'mari factories.'

Olive continued.

"Besides, this place has the famous 'Sanctuary of the Divine Beasts.'"

"The Sanctuary of the Divine Beasts?"

"It's one of the ruins managed by the central headquarters."

It's said that the two wolves—divine beasts that guard God's side—once made their den there.

"Legend has it that after the two divine beasts stayed here for a hundred days, animals began to inhabit the land and water."

"So they bred here."

"......"

"If they're the parents of all animals, they must have mated quite a few times. They must have good stamina. Our Poppy and Chuchu wouldn't lose to them if they..."

"...Let's head to the lodging."

After resting briefly at the lodging Olive led us to.

Click—.

"Uncle Pofina! Uncle Modi! I've arrived in the south, so..."

"Ha! Ha!"

"My feelings for you, village chief, can't be..."

"Stop that and get out here!"

Hebenia used her ability to bring Modi and Pofina over.

"Wait, what are those outfits...?"

"We had stage costumes made."

"How about it? Hebenia, we used those paper men you like as reference..."

"Eek! Don't say that while swaying your hips like that!"

The outfits, which were hardly appropriate for all ages, displeased the village chief.

In the end, they had to change into ordinary clothes before they could enter the lodging.

Verity subtly asked Ian.

"Are you going to wear that too, Sir Ian?"

"......"

"Keep up the good social life."

"Sob..."

Ian could only wipe his tears with his sleeve.

Next, it was Poppy and Chuchu's turn.

The dogs quickly moved into the lodging while Modi and Pofina were changing.

The clever Duke couple didn't bark. Instead, they wagged their tails so hard their hips shook.

But even that powerful wagging.

"I've been waiting. Now, let's put on the harness."

Drooped when they were fitted with chest straps.

Hebenia handed Modi a magical tool to change his appearance and said.

"Int'mari Territory is thirty minutes away by tram. Take a look at the factories, then contact me later. You're wearing the watch, right?"

"Right here."

Modi immediately switched to formal speech after becoming Hebenia's secretary.

Putting the ring-shaped magical tool on his finger, Modi's appearance changed into a fifty-something man.

"Here's some money. And for self-defense, a pruning saw, a machete, a hammer..."

"My Lady, Uncle Modi is going on a business trip, not to commit bloody crimes."

"By the way, when did you pack all this?"

"While you were asleep, oppa."

After Modi left first.

Hebenia and the others also moved to the square.

"Uncle Pofina, how's the seasoning recreation going?"

"Honestly, not that well."

Wearing a wig, Pofina looked around the street stalls and answered.

As he made a slightly troubled expression, people murmured and blushed.

"There are so many chemical ingredients in food. I'm barely making progress with Elva and Pex's help."

Pofina said honestly.

"I won't be able to perfectly recreate the ramen seasoning. There are too many ingredients I've never heard of. Like 'soy sauce' or 'stir-fry seasoning powder'..."

For one thing, he didn't even know what the stir-fry seasoning powder was made of, Pofina grumbled.

As a former famous chef, his pride was hurt by the existence of ingredients he didn't know.

Hebenia glanced at Verity.

Verity slowly shook his head. Seeing that, Hebenia's smile faded slightly.

'Hmm, as expected, it doesn't exist.'

In this world, including the Empire, there is no seasoning called soy sauce.

Even if I could get soy sauce through Verity, I'd have to rely on demons every time I mass-produced it.

"Can't be helped."

But Hebenia didn't see it entirely negatively.

"You never know—maybe a seasoning even better than ramen will be born?"

"Maybe."

"What can't our village's best chef do!"

At that, Pofina's face brightened.

At the same time, screams and cheers erupted from the surroundings.

"Wow, that woman just fainted!"

"It happens often. I hope her remaining life isn't too painful because she fell for me too hard..."

"When you say it like that, it sounds different."

"At this point, I have to say, Sesol, who entered a contract marriage with Pofina, is amazing."

Hebenia and her group parted ways with Pofina here.

"Uncle, here's a subspace bag and money for shopping. If you can get receipts, do—I'll cover the expenses."

"But is it okay to send him alone..."

Verity pointed to the people who had already gathered in groups to admire Pofina.

In the end, Ian decided to escort Pofina.

'Looking at him like that, Uncle Pofina looks like a handsome young master.'

Hebenia remembered his past—how he'd married Sesol to avoid his family's pressure to marry.

'He was from a fairly wealthy merchant family, wasn't he?'

With the two of them gone, the remaining two, the two dogs, and one demon took the tram heading west.

To the place where the kidnapped children had stayed.

---

'Wow...'

Arriving at the orphanage, I was struck by a sense of déjà vu.

'Isn't this just like the abandoned houses in horror movies?'

Overgrown weeds, a rusty iron gate with loose hinges making eerie sounds, a building covered in mold-like stains, and broken windows.

A classic abandoned house.

Topping it off were the children's shoes scattered everywhere.

Olive picked up one of them.

Verity also picked up a long branch and tapped another shoe nearby.

"They're all different sizes. Could they belong to the children who lived here?"

"......"

"What are you thinking, my Lady?"

"It seems like they fled."

"The perpetrators?"

"The children."

And very urgently.

At my words, Verity and Olive's eyes narrowed.

I pointed to the broken windows.

"The broken windows are concentrated in one area."

"Meaning someone who knew the orphanage's layout broke them."

At Verity's words, I nodded.

Just then, Olive asked.

"Why do you assume they fled? The kidnappers or someone else could have taken them."

"The doors and walls."

Compared to the broken windows, the doors were clean.

And the lower parts of the building walls were stained black.

At first I thought it was mold, but the walls were piled with branches like the one Verity had picked up.

"It looks like someone tried to burn down the orphanage."

"The Antema Lab..."

Olive clicked his tongue and gritted his teeth.

To confirm my guess, I moved to where the windows were broken.

"Ugh, why are these windows so high...!"

Just as I was about to stand on my toes to look inside, my body suddenly rose into the air.

Turning around, I saw Olive holding me.

"Thanks."

"Not at all. You were right, my Lady."

A strange glint appeared in Olive's green eyes.

"There are many beds."

"It must have been the children's dormitory."

"Here too."

Verity, checking the next room, said.

Below his feet, Poppy and Chuchu were sniffing the ground with their noses.

"As you guessed, it seems they tried to set a fire, but when they realized the children weren't in the dormitory, they put it out..."

"Woof!"

Just then, Poppy found a matchbox in the weeds.

"They opened the door and went inside..."

The interior was covered in dust.

All the doors leading off the hallway were wide open.

And every drawer and box in each room was open.

All the picture frames were broken on the floor, and some floorboards were pried up.

"They confirmed the children were gone and searched everywhere. Looking for something hidden?"

"Was this a state-run orphanage?"

At my question, Olive shook his head.

"It was run by a private foundation."

"A private foundation?"

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