Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 109

Chapter 109

'A demon being involved means the imperial family is tied to the children's kidnapping.'

God-fucking-damn bastards.

'But the fact that men from here came to the orphanage...'

Suggests that the adult who fled with the children is likely a good person.

'That's a relief, but it's too early to let our guard down.'

Besides, there's a demon inside.

'The demons we've fought so far have all been strong. Especially their abilities—all of them were threatening.'

Charging in recklessly could result in serious injury.

'And we can't openly capture one in front of Sir Olive.'

The captured demon needs to be sent to the demon world using Verity's power.

But showing that to this stubborn Inquisitor is still too risky.

'No choice.'

For now, I'll have to let it go.

'Sigh, when will I ever get that tablet...'

It's disappointing, but what can I do?

There's a higher priority than those trash.

"Poppy, Chuchu."

I held out a shoe I'd picked up at the orphanage to the dogs.

Finding the missing children was the top priority.

---

That afternoon.

We gathered at the lodging and shared the information we'd each gathered.

The T'mari Territory had nearly been in serious danger due to an outbreak of Crape Myrtle Cold in late spring.

They'd managed to suppress it by scrounging up whatever herbs were available and using the Dulcevia medicine secretly sent by the Deste Temple, but drug prices were still high.

"Even the nearby nobles are struggling to get by."

Ian said, shaking his tongue as he spoke.

"What about Uncle Modi?"

"The factories are all in good condition. I plan to visit again tomorrow with Pex, pay the deposit, and proceed with the contract."

"Habi, what about you guys?"

"We..."

The abandoned orphanage.

The missing children.

The three new guests in the village hall.

And the suspicious dugout cave.

I left out the part about the demon because Olive was there, but Verity mouthed, "There was a demon too!" in a hushed voice.

The residents all frowned at once.

"The good news is we found out which direction the children fled."

"Where?"

Ian asked.

"Toward Int'mari Territory."

"What?"

Uncle Modi's eyes widened.

He let out a sympathetic sigh and shook his head weakly.

"That's a thirty-minute tram ride..."

"The dogs remember the scent, so we'll track them tomorrow."

"If we find them, are you going to bring them to the village?"

"Well, probably."

That was my answer, but honestly, I wasn't thrilled.

'I'd rather have an adult who can work...'

Of course, children are precious future workers too, but a newborn village desperately needs adults who can contribute immediately.

I decided to worry about that later.

"I also want to look into the foundation that sponsored the orphanage."

"The fact that the territory stayed quiet even when the orphanage got that bad means someone prevented the news from spreading."

Continuing my thought, Olive pulled something out.

"This is a list of the merchants who donate to the foundation."

"Oh, you're well-prepared."

I scanned the names on the list one by one.

'T'mari has so many merchants. As expected of a place with the empire's third-largest trading port...'

Hmm?

My eyes stopped at one name.

'What the—?'

Cold sweat ran down my back.

Even when walking through the forest to find the orphanage, I hadn't broken a sweat thanks to the magical hat Verity gave me.

"Why are you like that, my Lady? Do you need to pee?"

Without taking my eyes off the list, I pinched the cheeky demon butler's side with my toes.

'Oh no, this is really bad...!'

I glanced up.

And I saw it.

"......"

A certain glamorous young master, sweating just as much as I was.

"Uncle Pofina."

"......"

"When I was consulting with Aunt Sesol about her divorce, I heard your original name is Pofina Octo, right?"

The Octo Trading Company.

Uncle Pofina, the youngest son of a wealthy merchant family.

"The Octo Trading Company is one of the most prominent trading companies in the Empire. Not just in T'mari, but across the south in general..."

Gasp.

Uncle Modi, who had hurriedly closed his mouth, also began to sweat.

Ian too.

Verity too.

Even Olive.

Now everyone had noticed.

"The Octo Trading Company is on the list."

It's possible that the enemy we need to deal with is one of our own residents' family members.

'I knew something like this would happen someday...'

Aunt Prellia's gang.

The gang that my father, the young Clavis lord, had secretly helped create—they all had one thing in common.

They were people who believed in the innocence of the exile family to the end.

'Of course, there were exceptions like Aunt Sesol.'

Anyway, he'd made sure only those who wouldn't betray us were gathered.

'I thought I'd only need to watch out for Ian oppa's family...'

I never expected Uncle Pofina to be the one.

Just then.

"...I see."

Uncle Pofina bit his lip as if steeling himself, and slowly removed his wig.

We quickly looked away.

"Huff, sniff...!"

Uncle Modi covered his mouth with his fist, his shoulders shaking.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

Ian turned away completely, hitting the wall.

"Oh God, why would you give us this trial..."

"Oh God, grant us the patience to endure this hardship..."

Verity looked up as if praying, while Olive bowed his head and called upon God.

'Uncle Pofina!'

How could you take off your wig in such a serious situation!

His voluntarily bald head was sweating like tears, as if the situation was breaking his heart.

Uncle Pofina said.

"Yes, I'm the youngest son of the Octo Trading Company."

"Uncle..."

"But I cut ties with them long ago. When I was standing trial for a false accusation, my father and the Octo Trading Company sent a letter disowning me."

"I'm sorry for making you recall such painful memories, Uncle..."

"No, it was bound to happen when I ran away from home."

Unfortunately, the more I heard about Uncle Pofina's story, the more likely it seemed that the Octo Trading Company had sided with the Emperor.

The fact that they chose the company over their own son suggested their character was questionable.

The room fell silent.

A heavy stillness settled over us. No one dared to speak carelessly.

'What should I do? Should I tell Uncle I'll spare his family during the revolution?'

In the meantime.

"Um, well."

Uncle Modi, who had regained his composure, spoke.

"I heard something in Int'mari Territory. They said the head of the Octo Trading Company is currently staying there."

"Int'mari Territory?"

"Yes."

There was no choice.

'Tomorrow, we'll all have to go there.'

It would be cruel to Uncle Pofina, but it couldn't be helped.

To get close to the Octo Trading Company, we needed someone who knew at least a little bit about it.

---

The atmosphere of Int'mari Territory was completely different from the T'mari below it.

Unlike the bustling tourist destination of T'mari, the upper district of Int'mari was relatively calm and quiet.

Of course, Int'mari still had plenty of people.

"T'mari and Int'mari used to be one."

Ian, dressed in a uniform reminiscent of a knight's escort, read from a small book he'd bought at a souvenir shop.

"A hundred years ago, when the count of T'mari got divorced, he gave his wife half the territory as alimony."

"Whoa, I wish my ex-husband were like that."

"...Don't, say things like that casually."

"Wait—I mean, Habi, really has the strongest mouth."

For the record, we were disguised as the entourage of a tomboyish young lady.

The role of a lovely yet slightly eccentric little lady from a noble family—that was me.

In front of me, two harnessed Chihuahuas strutted proudly, as if guarding me.

And once again, Verity was playing the role of my older brother.

"It was actually a fake divorce."

Olive revealed the hidden history.

The Devivate Empire once had a law that prohibited factories over a certain size from being built in coastal areas.

The count of T'mari, pondering how to develop his territory, came up with the bold idea of splitting his land in half and developing them separately.

"In fact, the couple remarried, and the current Int'mari Territory is managed by the T'mari count's family."

"Oh, that's boring."

I pouted.

"For it to be interesting, one of them should have been blinded by money and stabbed the other in the back."

"My Lady, people don't divorce and remarry for fun."

"I wish my opinion could be reflected next time."

"......"

"We're here."

Uncle Modi pointed to a large building that was our destination.

"Wow."

It was a massive commercial building that made my jaw drop.

'For just a branch office, not even the headquarters...'

A bright red sign above the entrance read 'Octo.'

Flanking the doors, flags bearing a red octopus fluttered in the wind.

"Oh, boiled octopus."

"It's just an octopus."

Uncle Pofina, wearing a long red wig, primly tucked his hair behind his ear.

"Octopus is the smartest and most agile sea creature, and it has many legs. The Octo Trading Company adopted it as its symbol, hoping to thrive like an octopus..."

BANG!

Just then.

The doors of the Octo Trading Company flew open with a loud crash.

We quickly ducked into a nearby alley and peered out.

Through the wide-open double doors, someone walked out with an indignant stride.

A remarkably handsome man.

'Pink hair...'

A harsh voice came from inside the building, like an old man whose throat was damaged from years of smoking.

The handsome young man paid no attention to the shouting behind him.

But he looked quite angry himself, his pretty face twisted in a scowl.

And his profile looked familiar.

"Brother...?"

Uncle Pofina's voice fell from just above my head.

Ah.

Not again.

Am I here to find the orphanage children, or to investigate Uncle Pofina's family affairs?

'Though the latter is more interesting.'

Back   Next