Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 119

Chapter 119

"Verity."

I grinned, then quickly frowned.

"So I'm not getting that wish again, am I?"

"I'll speak to the Lord on your behalf."

"Don't just speak—make sure to secure the value of my labor."

"Hmm..."

The demon butler could only groan, unable to find the words.

Having vented a little, I relaxed my expression and asked what I was curious about.

"They're the thugs we found when searching near the orphanage, right?"

"Probably. We can't confirm, since they're all dead."

"...Demons aren't allowed to kill in the world they've been summoned to, right?"

"They're not. It's a strict rule."

The voice above me was heavy.

'Even in the demon world, there are worthless ones.'

I fiddled with the watch on my wrist.

'Still, I'm glad I managed to summon Verity safely.'

In my haste, I'd moved alone and left Verity behind.

I only realized it later while riding my scooter, so I ducked into a secluded alley and summoned Verity using the summoning circle registered on my watch.

'Honestly, I didn't even think it would work.'

Summoning a demon I'd already summoned in a different location.

'A butler I can call and use anytime.'

The best.

I stifled a yawn and asked Verity.

"What about Ian oppa and Mr. Ceblis?"

"Sir Ian is hiding in a carriage for now—he drew his sword in front of people. Mr. Ceblis is being questioned as a witness."

"What about the tea party side?"

That was actually what I was most curious about.

'That booming sound that shook the forest.'

I'd heard it before in the primeval forest.

'Poppy and Chuchu.'

The forest had shaken like that when I first met the two dogs.

'I knew they weren't ordinary dogs, but...'

Maybe Poppy and Chuchu were beings beyond my imagination.

'Their true form must be as big as monsters.'

Beasts stronger than monsters.

'Divine beasts...'

The two wolves said to guard God's side.

'...Maybe.'

It was an exaggerated guess, but it seemed plausible. The Clavis wouldn't raise ordinary pets.

Just as I finished my thoughts, Verity said.

"The tea party side is, of course, a mess. Two giant wolves suddenly appeared from the forest and attacked the old temple ruins where the adults were gathered."

"Oh dear. That's terrible."

I replied half-heartedly.

"Sir Olive was delighted, saying the divine beasts had descended in anger at the humans who defiled the sanctuary."

"A fitting reaction for an Inquisitor."

With a sigh, I asked.

"And Arun Octo?"

"We successfully kidnapped him."

Verity and Olive had infiltrated the Sanctuary of the Divine Beasts with me, planning to kidnap Arun Octo.

'It was Verity who suggested I bring Poppy and Chuchu.'

As expected, that refreshingly handsome demon butler knew what the dogs really were.

"Sir Olive should be driving the carriage to the Int'mari mansion right now."

"We'll head there directly too..."

I was about to say we should move, but I paused.

'Edelros.'

I had so many questions for the Crown Prince.

How did he know all of this, and how much did he know about me? I had to ask.

But I couldn't go back to the tea party.

"The magical tool is broken."

"Yeah."

My pink hair and blue eyes had returned to normal.

I pulled a broken ring from my pocket. It was the magical tool that had hidden my dark chestnut hair and green eyes.

"I noticed while I was underwater."

"It must have been overloaded."

Verity picked up a fragment of the broken ring.

"Your ability is growing stronger by the day, and the magical tool can't keep up."

"But I wasn't using magic."

"The Clavis is always an exception."

"......"

"So, with that said."

Verity handed the fragments back to me and asked.

"May I bring in another demon?"

---

Meanwhile.

"Grandfather!"

Rosi burst into tears, hugging Chairman Kommer.

"I was so scared! Waaah!"

"Are you hurt? Let me see."

"Are you okay, Grandfather? Are you hurt?"

Even in her shock, Rosi checked on him.

The chairman hugged his granddaughter, both proud and heartbroken.

The children's area had only experienced an earthquake, but the temple ruins where the adults had gathered was far worse.

Two giant wolf monsters had barged in.

The wolves, one white and one black, trampled the tea party tables with their massive paws, knocked people over, and threatened them with sharp fangs.

The hostess, Countess Reten, nearly died at their paws.

The monsters circled her, as if deciding how to kill her.

"Ah, aah...!"

Countess Reten, deeply traumatized, still hadn't come to her senses.

Her dazed expression suggested she wouldn't recover anytime soon.

"Grandfather."

He snapped out of his thoughts at the call.

Rosi looked around and said.

"Ann, Annabelle is gone..."

"Annabelle?"

"The girl you brought!"

Chairman Kommer finally remembered Hebenia.

'Where is Lady Clavis?'

As he looked around, holding Rosi's hand tightly, a blond boy in a white priestly robe approached.

"That's Crown Prince Edelros."

Rosi whispered.

He already knew, but the chairman patted Rosi's head as if thanking her.

"Kommer Octo greets His Highness Crown Prince Edelros. I apologize for my poor manners given the circumstances."

"Thank you for the courteous greeting. I came to tell you about the girl named Annabelle who was with you."

The Crown Prince clasped his hands politely in front of his belly, looking apologetic.

"It seems she was badly injured."

"Annabelle? Where is she now?"

"I just put her in a carriage and sent her off. I'm sorry for acting on my own."

"Ah..."

Chairman Kommer breathed a secret sigh of relief.

In fact, he had been looking for his eldest son, Arun. But Arun was nowhere to be seen.

'They took him.'

He must have fled without anyone noticing.

"Is Annabelle your relative?"

The Crown Prince asked.

"Ah, yes. She's my closest associate's granddaughter. His wife turned out to be my distant cousin—her hair is proof of that."

"Could you tell her I had a good time?"

"I will."

"I'd like to meet her again, but I'll be staying at the palace from autumn onward."

"Ah."

Chairman Kommer nodded in understanding.

"The annual consecration ceremony is in autumn."

"His Holiness the Holy King will be visiting, so I've agreed to help with the preparations."

"You'll do well."

"Thank you for saying that."

With that, Crown Prince Edelros turned and left.

The young prince entered the tent where the Crown Prince was resting.

After a brief exchange of a few words, he came back out.

He lifted the tent flap himself. No one held it open for him.

And even outside the closed tent, he bowed respectfully to the Crown Prince.

It was a scene that showed just how pitiful his position was.

"......"

But Chairman Kommer saw it a little differently.

The Crown Prince had hidden in the tent for safety, but the Crown Prince had gone around comforting the frightened people one by one.

On the surface, it seemed like a powerless act of piety, but it was a politically astute move with no openings.

'He's formidable.'

And dangerous.

If the Crown Prince had even the slightest support base, today's events would have been a huge gain.

The chairman engraved Crown Prince Edelros deeply in his mind.

"Grandfather..."

Just then, Rosi said.

"I don't see Father either."

---

Right now, I have a bomb in my subspace.

'I accidentally acquired a weapon.'

Since no one's talking about the bomb, I'm keeping it.

As soon as Ceblis finished his questioning, we used the ability to move to Ceblis's mansion in Int'mari.

Greeting us was Olive, sitting on a man dressed in extravagant clothes.

"You're here."

"Yes."

"I still believe you're a saintess."

"I've told you five times already—the saintess is a woman with a daughter. Is the man you're sitting on Arun Octo?"

"Yes."

Olive stood up.

"Cough, ugh!"

Arun Octo was a man overdressed in flashy clothes and jewelry.

He was a decent-looking man, but Uncle Pofina, back in the village, was much prettier.

"Ceblis!"

Arun glared at Ceblis.

"I knew it! It was you!"

"Brother."

"You wanted the Octo Trading Company that badly! Pretending to be kind on the outside, while scheming to betray me!"

"Why did you send the orphanage children to the lab?"

Ceblis asked in a trembling voice.

"Wh-what...?"

Arun's fierce expression crumbled like a sandcastle.

"The orphanage children...!"

Ceblis gritted his teeth, clenching his fist.

"Why did you kill them?"

"......"

"Using the Octo Trading Company to do it!"

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