Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 112

Chapter 112

'I need to give them a proper lesson.'

Just as I was pondering what precious and wonderful things to give the residents, I heard murmuring from behind.

Turning around, I saw the children from the basement watching Uncle Pofina cook, licking their lips.

Of course, they hadn't fully dropped their guard toward us.

Judging by their cheeky sprouts, they seemed like they'd grow into fine trees.

The tallest boy asked.

"You're not planning to poison us, are you?"

"Should I, if that's your preference?"

"My Lady."

Verity gave me a look.

Sigh, I let out a breath and stood in front of the children.

Then I apologized.

"I'm sorry for scaring you. And for hurting the kind person who saved you. That was clearly our fault."

I admit my mistakes right away.

'I learned that from Magical Girl Milkshake.'

In 'Mamilshe,' there are as many magical girls as there are ingredients in a milkshake, so conflicts between characters are often depicted.

Whenever that happened, our Magic Milky would always say this.

"If you don't speak up, no one will know."

With this short but powerful line, Magic Milky always mediated conflicts and dispelled unnecessary misunderstandings.

"Still, I hope you can trust us."

I said.

"We came to help you. Do you know Chloré and Rira?"

Chloré and Rira.

Those were the names of the young sisters we'd rescued from the Antema Lab.

"Ch-Chloré? Rira?"

"Are they safe? Are they okay?"

"They're our family! We were in the same orphanage!"

"We heard they were adopted by a man here..."

The children forgot their wariness and poured out their worries.

I shook my head.

"Bad people kidnapped them and took them to a dangerous place."

At my words, the children looked frightened.

"Fortunately, the holy knight here rescued them. They're safe now, right?"

"The central headquarters is protecting them. They're healthy, so you don't need to worry."

Olive, perhaps considering the children's feelings, spoke in a rare gentle and kind tone.

'I'm a child too...'

Why was he always so harsh with me?

Regardless of my complaints, the children finally relaxed.

But the older ones seemed to realize they couldn't let their guard down yet.

They were just holding back for the sake of the younger ones.

'Sigh, they've become adults already.'

I recalled how many snacks I'd hidden in my subspace.

'I'd been saving them behind Verity's back...'

But I had no choice.

For the children who would become new residents of the village, I, as village chief, would gladly give everything I had.

---

Uncle Pofina's stew was as delicious as ever.

And the snacks I'd hoarded like a squirrel's acorns managed to lift the children's spirits a little.

"You've been hiding all this?"

I got scolded by Verity.

"I didn't hide that much. And I didn't eat them."

"The problem is that you hoarded enough to feed ten kids, all for yourself, in secret. If you have it, you'll eat it."

"Hmph..."

Honestly, I felt wronged, but I knew Verity's concern for my health was genuine.

So I rebelliously raised my middle finger.

"...At least try to hide it behind your back."

"No."

After that, we also gathered information from the children.

Had there been any suspicious visitors to the orphanage?

"Or was there anything strange when they came to adopt?"

Unfortunately, the children's answers were similar to Edul's.

Just then.

"Uh, um..."

A girl with her hair braided in two pigtails hesitantly raised her hand. She looked mature and innocent.

"There was something a little strange."

"Like what?"

"The orphanage director changed this spring."

This spring.

'That would have been around the time I was sent to exile...'

Around the same time the Clavis were destroyed, the orphanage director had changed.

"I think there were more adoptions after that."

"Oh, that's right."

"Yeah. Usually, there are only three or four a year."

The older children who had been at the orphanage for a long time nodded.

"Actually, I was almost adopted too."

The girl continued.

"But I caught a bad cold right before I was supposed to leave. I was laid up for a few days, and when I recovered..."

Another child had been adopted in her place.

She'd been deeply disappointed, but secretly relieved.

Because she'd never even met the parents who wanted to adopt her.

"Is that child, okay..."

"......"

I couldn't answer.

This wasn't the kind of problem where I could irresponsibly say they'd be fine.

The bodies and countless bones I'd seen at the Antema Lab.

'They're dead.'

Even if they were alive, they wouldn't be unharmed.

Besides, the Antema Lab wasn't the only one. The herbs we found there were laughably small compared to what the imperial family had bought.

'They either stored them elsewhere or distributed them to other labs.'

There were more victims.

Weak, powerless, young people.

Clap—!

I clapped my hands loudly.

The heavy atmosphere vanished instantly.

The startled children and Edul looked at me, and I forced a grin.

"That's why!"

Maybe now was the perfect time.

"Do you want to live in our village?"

"Village?"

"Ixelium Village. It means the most splendid and beautiful, the brightest village in the world."

I pulled a book out of my subspace.

It was a photo album filled with pictures I'd taken.

I'd had the photos printed in advance to use as promotional material for the village, and this seemed like a good chance to test it out.

I handed the album to Uncle Pofina.

"Here, our village's glamorous Uncle Pofina will explain. Uncle, introduce our village to these precious potential new residents!"

"R-right...!"

Uncle Pofina, who had been flustered, soon smiled brightly.

"Now, gather around. I'll show you our village's pride—the village hall."

"Wow!"

"That's an amazing drawing!"

"This is a photograph. It's done with a magical tool..."

The children were amazed by the clear photos, as if the scenery had been cut out.

Thanks to that, they listened with interest to Uncle Pofina's introduction.

Having been confined for so long, they were deeply absorbed in the new stimulation.

Even Olive was among them.

Olive's eyes sparkled when he saw Libby in the photos. No matter how much of a misery sister-con he was, his concern for his sister was genuine.

I watched the scene from a distance, feeling satisfied.

"My Lady."

Verity quietly called me out to the hallway.

Then he asked.

"My Lady, you were very angry earlier, weren't you?"

"Earlier?"

"When you first questioned Ms. Edul."

"Ah, when I asked what she took when she escaped from the orphanage?"

I frowned.

Just thinking about it made my blood boil again.

"Is the Emperor insane? No, if he wants to experiment, he should do it on himself! Why hurt innocent people, especially children like this!"

"......"

"When I meet the Emperor, I'll make sure to leave a bruise on his face no matter what. No, I'll rip out his hip joint like a chicken leg and stick it on his worthless head like an antenna..."

"......"

After fuming for a while, I looked at Verity.

For some reason, his gaze seemed complicated.

"...Should I not rip out his hip joint?"

"No, he's someone who'd deserve it even if you did."

"I won't even use anesthesia!"

"Right, anesthesia would be wasted on him."

Verity gently patted my head.

I frowned.

"What's that for, all of a sudden?"

"Just because. It feels like you're getting stronger."

"Being strong isn't enough..."

Even with the power to help others, there were still more people I couldn't save.

Of course, this kind of thinking gnaws at you. It's the same as overestimating yourself.

And I have no obligation to save everyone.

'But I can't help feeling uncomfortable.'

What's fortunate is.

"What's this?"

"This is the library. There are so many books here. Anyone can read and borrow books here."

"Wow! Amazing!"

"And this is a gym. It's a place where you can exercise. There's a swimming pool underground, so you can play in the water."

"Gym! I want to live in the gym!"

"Teacher Edul! Let's move to Ixelium!"

The children's energetic voices could be heard beyond the door.

'I'm glad I can at least protect them.'

Uncle Pofina's voice also sounded more energetic than before.

'For now, this is enough.'

Seeing the villagers happy and feeling joy from it—I guess I really am becoming a village chief.

---

Verity couldn't just watch Hebenia, who rejoiced in the villagers' happiness as if it were her own, with peace of mind.

'This is a problem.'

The anger Hebenia had shown earlier.

'Is she starting to lose control over her power?'

Hebenia was growing stronger. Faster than Verity had anticipated.

But since she was training to handle her power herself, no major problems had arisen yet.

'So it's not a power issue.'

Emotions.

She's usually good at controlling her emotions, but Hebenia occasionally expresses deep anger.

It was likely due to the domestic violence she'd experienced during her time in Korea. Even if she acted nonchalant, deep wounds remained.

'Especially when the weak are unjustly victimized—she can't stand it.'

He understood her feelings completely.

'If she keeps getting this angry...'

She might end up hurting an innocent person.

Edul had been lucky—Verity had intervened in time. If not, she might have collapsed.

Even the others in the same room had felt considerable fear from Hebenia.

They only endured because they had transcendent aptitudes and were naturally strong Inquisitors.

'I need to find a different training method for my Lady...'

Just then.

"Woof!"

Poppy, who had followed Hebenia out and was wandering the hallway, barked toward the front door.

"Oh dear."

Sensing a presence, Verity said.

"Someone's coming. I hear a carriage."

Judging by the sound of the wheels, it was quite an expensive, high-class carriage.

Verity caught the sound of footsteps disembarking.

"The footsteps are heavy and quick. I can feel impatience."

"A typical old man's footsteps, then."

"It seems to be the chairman of the Octo Trading Company."

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