Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 111

Chapter 111

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It all started with Ceblis Octo's sponsorship of the orphanage.

A confirmed bachelor, he began personally sponsoring the orphanage to improve his reputation—since his reputation was directly tied to the Octo Trading Company.

What began as a calculated move took an unexpected turn.

Ceblis grew fond of a pair of orphaned sisters.

"If it's alright, I'd like to formally sponsor these two children."

So he arranged a meeting to get the children's opinion before sponsoring them, but they never showed up.

"The children didn't come—were they sick?"

"They were sent off in a carriage? Since you changed your mind and said you'd adopt them..."

"I did?"

"No, you sent someone...?"

That was when they realized something was wrong.

Ceblis and Edul immediately filed a missing persons report and tracked the carriage.

But days passed, and the investigation never began.

"Later, I found out."

Edul's voice trembled as she testified, her hands clenched tight.

"That the report was never even filed."

"By any chance..."

Pofina, who had been listening quietly, asked.

"Was it Arun and Kanna who did that?"

"......"

"Damn it."

Pofina shot up from his seat and rubbed his face with both hands repeatedly. He looked like he was about to cry.

His reaction made everyone guess who the names belonged to.

'Uncle Pofina's eldest brother and sister.'

Hebenia had checked the Octo Trading Company chairman's name on the list Olive had given her the day before. So those two were the only ones left.

"After that, Mr. Ceblis began investigating, saying the whereabouts of the children who had been adopted earlier were also suspicious."

"...They were all gone."

When Olive spoke the truth, Edul finally buried her face in her hands and sobbed, her shoulders shaking.

"Mr. Ceblis helped me and the children escape the orphanage, away from his siblings' watchful eyes."

"What about the director and the other teachers?"

"They were in on it too. After putting them into a deep sleep with sleeping pills Mr. Ceblis provided, we took the carriage he'd secretly prepared and came here..."

This was no longer a laughing matter.

'A state-sponsored kidnapping.'

Olive crossed his arms and lightly tapped his fingers.

'A crime involving a major trading company behind the scenes...'

The sisters Ceblis had wanted to sponsor were likely the victims rescued from the Antema Lab. Based on Edul's descriptions of the children, it matched perfectly.

And the children who had been adopted earlier—their fate would be hard to confirm.

'There's virtually no chance they're still alive.'

Olive couldn't understand.

'...What exactly is the goal?'

At the Antema Lab, they'd only found traces of human experimentation, not concrete information.

'Every crime has a purpose. Even if that purpose is the despicable pursuit of pleasure, it's something you can at least try to understand.'

The Emperor, though—nothing he did made sense.

'It's too large-scale for simple pleasure. And it's too professional. So there must be a purpose...'

"Ms. Edul."

Just then.

Hebenia's voice broke the heavy silence.

"I have a question."

Edul, who had finally stopped crying, looked up.

And she flinched.

"When you escaped, what did you take from the orphanage?"

"......"

"When I visited the orphanage yesterday, it was a complete mess. From what you've told me, you must have been in too much of a hurry to make that mess. So that mess must have been made by the thugs searching for something."

"......"

"What did you take?"

"Ah, uh...!"

Edul's teeth chattered as she trembled.

Before her stood an adorable seven-year-old girl, yet she felt like a sinner before a supreme, terrifying presence.

The poor woman couldn't even breathe properly, her chest heaving repeatedly.

Unable to lift her head, she quickly bowed it.

"...God."

Edul confessed, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm, I'm sorry..."

For not doing things right.

For the children.

"Sniff, sob, not protecting, huff..."

For being lowly and weak.

Just as her tearful confession grew louder than her breathing.

Pat.

"Shh."

Verity slowly stroked Edul's back.

"It's alright. Close your eyes and breathe along with my touch. Don't take too deep a breath. Even if it's hard, you have to."

"Huff, pant..."

"You're doing well. That's right."

After finally calming down, Edul coughed a few times and steadied her breathing.

Only then did she manage to regain her composure.

'Wha, what was that?'

She looked at Hebenia with an incredulous expression.

"Are you okay?"

Hebenia's face, her eyebrows drooping, showed genuine concern for Edul.

She seemed genuinely startled by Edul's hyperventilation.

'I must have been so startled and sad that I imagined it.'

Feeling embarrassed, Edul smiled and said she was fine. Hebenia's expression lightened.

Edul thought she was simply exhausted and answered the question.

"I brought the ledgers written by the orphanage director."

Her tone had unconsciously become formal.

"They contain records of the children's adoptions and the foundation's funding."

"Ahem, so, the adoption records..."

Modi asked, clearing his throat.

"Were there any suspicious adoptions?"

"I didn't know, but Mr. Ceblis was shocked when he saw them."

"My brother?"

Pofina asked where the ledgers were.

Edul said Ceblis had kept them in the safe.

At that, everyone turned to look at the unconscious Ceblis.

Hebenia frowned.

'Ugh, the medicines Verity gave me always last a full day.'

In the end, they'd have to wait until he woke up to discuss things further. They had no choice but to wait about a day.

"Did the thugs who came to the orphanage come to destroy those ledgers?"

Ian asked Hebenia.

Hebenia pursed her lips, thinking, then tilted her head.

"I'm not convinced it's just that."

"What do you mean?"

"Hmm, well..."

After organizing her thoughts, Hebenia called Edul again.

"Ms. Edul."

"Yes."

"I have a few more questions. If you don't know, just say so."

"Yes, of course..."

"Did any nobles ever visit the orphanage?"

"Ah, yes."

Edul nodded quickly.

"Since T'mari is famous for tourism and leisure, nobles often visited to show their goodwill."

"Among those nobles, was there..."

The Saikeuf family?

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Unfortunately, Edul's answer was "I don't know."

"I was always out on errands when the guests visited. But I remember seeing the name in the ledgers."

And she wasn't lying.

'Poppy and Chuchu are calm.'

The two dogs were still lying quietly at my feet.

If Edul had lied or had any ill intent, they would have growled and lunged.

Ian frowned.

"The Saikeuf family—that's the Head Priest's family, right?"

"Yes."

"Why did you suspect the Saikeuf family?"

"We met the angel they summoned at the Antema Lab."

So they were likely connected to the group that kidnapped the victims brought to the lab.

'I asked just in case, but...'

I never expected to find a lead.

I'd need to see the ledgers to be sure, but it seemed they contained records of those involved in the past incidents.

'Then those thugs had good reason to cause that chaos.'

"My Lady."

Olive called me.

"I think it's best to rest for a while."

His gaze was on Edul. He seemed to be considering her exhaustion from the sudden ordeal.

I nodded and hopped off the chair.

"We'll stay here tonight."

Everyone nodded at my suggestion.

It was rude to stay without the owner's permission, but it was better for us to be here to protect Edul and the children.

'Of all the brothers...'

I glanced at Uncle Pofina, who had been silent all this time.

He must have been deeply shocked—he stood alone, holding his red wig.

Sadly, even in this situation, Uncle Pofina without his wig was truly funny. I bit the inside of my mouth so hard it stung from holding back laughter.

No one could easily approach him.

Uncle Modi and Ian seemed to have decided to wait until he was ready.

"Uncle Modi."

But I was the village chief.

"We need to go sign the factory contract."

"Huh? Ah, right..."

"I'll bring Uncle Pex, so get ready. Let's try to buy up to three factories."

Steeling my resolve, I pushed forward with what needed to be done.

'In times like this, I have to act normal.'

Uncle Modi left with Uncle Pex to look at the factories again. Ian went along as a guard, just in case.

The rest of us cleaned up the messy mansion.

Verity righted the fallen furniture and said.

"Still, I'm glad no one died."

"Today taught me not to kill recklessly. I almost killed innocent people."

"You should never kill people recklessly."

With Ian gone, Olive lectured me with common sense.

After roughly tidying the mansion, we prepared lunch with Edul.

Uncle Pofina helped out.

"I need to move to keep my mind off things."

Wearing a headscarf over his freshly shaved head, he put on an apron and started chopping.

With his dazzling skills, he prepared the ingredients and combined various seasonings and spices, filling the air with a mouthwatering aroma.

I sniffed the air.

"Oh, it's the stew we used to eat in the exile camp!"

"The children downstairs need to eat too. This is the best filling meal I can make quickly."

Standing over the hot stove, Uncle Pofina's face was already beaded with sweat.

I pulled up a chair, climbed on it, and wiped his sweat with a handkerchief.

"I never wanted to make this again—I was so sick of it..."

Uncle Pofina smiled bitterly.

"But making it again, I guess those days weren't entirely bad."

"They were bad!"

Now that life had become easier, the exile family had a tendency to romanticize those times.

No matter how comfortable it was for an exile camp, they were still imprisoned under false charges—it wasn't something to romanticize!

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