Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 57

Chapter 57

'Just changing the hair color changes your impression so much.'

And with the elegant uniforms Aunt Nema had made, we looked like members of a powerful household.

As I admired my reflection in the glass window with fascination, Verity informed me of something surprising.

"Uncle Pex tinkered with the magical tools."

"Uncle did?"

"This magical tool evades detection by other tracking devices. We confirmed it through experiments back in the village. As a former magical tool technician, he's quite skilled."

"Wow, our village is full of talented people."

I turned to Aunt Nema and grinned.

"And we have a craftswoman who can make such pretty clothes!"

Aunt Nema blushed with delight.

We left the Deste mansion immediately.

Only then did Aunt Nema voice the question she'd been wanting to ask.

"Those employees we saw earlier—were they the ones you mentioned...?"

"They're undead."

"All of them?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"...Daliss was very sad."

Aunt Nema muttered with a gloomy expression.

Some of the undead employees had been close to Aunt Daliss.

I still vividly remembered her swallowing her tears alone when she heard the news.

'That's why I can never forgive the Emperor.'

Whatever schemes the Antema Research Lab is cooking up, I will stop them and restore the herb distribution to normal.

"Oh, by the way, my Lady."

Verity asked.

"Did you contact that angel who can't put on pants...?"

"I contacted him yesterday."

"You're so shrewd."

The Deste Territory, which we visited again, was still bustling with people.

The line to pray at the temple was even longer than before. Now the line stretched all the way outside the city gates, with no end in sight.

"Those people..."

"Are they all patients?"

Ian and Aunt Nema frowned with pity.

Verity and I, on the other hand, were relieved.

"The atmosphere seems better than before, doesn't it?"

"It does. The priests have more control over the people now. The residents seem more at ease too."

"This is 'better'?"

Ian shook his head faintly in disbelief.

We headed to the temple.

As we got closer, we could overhear the conversations of those in line.

"The priests here don't turn away any patient and use healing magic..."

"After praying and drinking a cup of the medicinal water, your body feels noticeably lighter."

"This is my first time here—medicinal water? Isn't it holy water?"

"Only saints and holy women can make holy water. The medicinal water here is water that the priests have blessed through all-night prayers."

"As expected of a temple where an angel descended, the effect is..."

Eavesdropping on their conversations, it seemed the Deste Temple was hiding the well's miracle and the Dulcevia well, just as I'd requested.

'Well, they have no reason to let it be discovered either.'

The Deste Temple was rapidly rising as a holy site.

As a result, the Deste Territory naturally saw an increase in visitors and income, experiencing an unexpected economic boom.

'...Though it's not something to be happy about.'

It was sad that someone else's suffering was turning into profit.

Just then.

A familiar head of red hair caught my eye.

"Priest! Priest Chel do!"

"My Lady!"

At first, Priest Chel do, dressed in plain clothes, looked at us with suspicion, but soon recognized me and waved his arms like a happy puppy.

A small carriage was prepared behind him.

"You've all had a hard time getting here. I'll take you to the station."

Boarding the carriage, we exchanged light introductions.

"This is Priest Chel do of the Deste Temple. Priest, these two are Ian oppa and Aunt Nema. And this is Verity, my loyal butler."

"May God's blessings be with you. Please, call me Chel do."

After the introductions, Priest Chel do spoke to me.

"Lady Clavis."

"Yes?"

"Did you see the article in the newspaper?"

"You mean the south?"

If it was about the Crape Myrtle Cold outbreak in the south, I knew about it.

But what Priest Chel do brought up was even more serious.

"It's not just the south. There are now outbreaks of Crape Myrtle Cold in other regions too, and some areas have reported a mutated strain."

"What?"

While everyone else was shocked, only Verity narrowed his eyes with a serious expression.

"...It's likely a lie."

Priest Chel do nodded with a grim face.

"It could be true, of course, but it's also possible they're using euphemisms to describe faster transmission due to the inability to get early treatment."

"That means..."

I squinted one eye.

"The situation outside could be even more horrible than we expected."

The Crape Myrtle Cold is just the tip of the iceberg. The real serious problems may not have been revealed yet.

That was exactly what Priest Chel do was worried about.

"It's a miracle that no deaths have been reported yet, but..."

Perhaps they just haven't been reported.

In reality, many people across the country might already be suffering in despair, unable to get herbs.

"Therefore, I have a request for you, Lady."

Priest Chel do asked.

"May we send medicine made from Dulcevia to other regions?"

"Of course. Aren't you short on herbs?"

"Thanks to the soil you gave us, they're growing rapidly. We've been able to stockpile a lot of dried Dulcevia."

The soil from the primeval forest seemed to be working well; the Dulcevia in the fields mixed with it was sprouting like bamboo shoots.

'Even if we destroy the lab and normalize the herb supply, there will be people too sick to be treated with ordinary herbs.'

A disease that could have been cured with cheap herbs can now only be treated with a legendary herb.

'We're using a shovel to fix what a hoe could have handled.'

Damn bastard Emperor.

The Deste Station we arrived at was also crowded with people.

We entered the station, built of sturdy old bricks, and headed for the platform.

"Hebenia, come here."

Ian clicked his tongue at the crowded masses and lifted me up.

With a higher vantage point, I noticed something interesting.

'There are more people getting off.'

And all of them had poor complexions at a glance. They seemed to have come to the temple to grasp at any sliver of hope, unable to get herbs.

A notice was posted on the wall leading to the platform.

[Announcement of Additional Trains]

It announced additional trains to Deste due to the recent increase in visitors.

And at the end of the notice, it said:

[Clavis Railway Company]

Boarding the train with the old-fashioned diamond-shaped lock emblem, we opened the window as soon as we entered our compartment.

Priest Chel do, who had been looking for us outside, approached the window.

"You brought the ring Saker gave you, right?"

"Yes."

I thought of the white jade ring in my pocket.

"Please tell the priest I'm grateful. I'll try not to have to use it."

"Please use it when you need to. Saker will suffer more if you don't."

A piercing whistle sounded.

Station attendants swung their batons, creating distance between the train and the people seeing passengers off.

"I wish you good fortune."

Priest Chel do, a step back, made the sign of the cross.

"Safe travels."

The train departed with a noisy puff of gray smoke.

---

The train tickets Priest Chel do had secured were for first-class compartments.

It was a small space of about one pyeong, with a door and wall leading to the corridor. Curtains for privacy were also provided.

Inside, each wall had a large, plush chair comfortable enough to sleep on.

In the center of the window was a small foldable table, and on the ceiling was a metal shelf for luggage.

"I could sleep up there."

"Don't even think about it."

Ian covered the window on the corridor wall with a curtain.

When I unfolded the table, Ian placed the train schedule Priest Chel do had given him on it.

"At Trans Station, the transfer point, we'll have to wait an hour before taking the train to Antema."

"A whole hour."

"Hebenia, if you fall asleep, I'll leave you behind."

"Then I'll go straight back to the village and tell Libby unnie."

Light banter continued.

The conversation was somewhat intentional.

"Excuse me."

Knock, knock. A conductor knocked and entered.

"I'm here to check your tickets."

"Here you go."

Ian showed the tickets.

The conductor punched a small hole in them and returned them.

"Have a pleasant journey."

With a polite but businesslike farewell, the conductor moved on to the next compartment.

After confirming through the door gap that the conductor had moved on, Ian stepped outside and looked around the other compartments.

"It's full. Most seem to be nobles or wealthy merchants."

"They boarded with us at Deste Station, so they were probably temple visitors."

"Then..."

Click—.

As I closed off the space to create a barrier, Verity cast a spell to block sound from escaping outward.

We could finally speak freely.

"This. Fucking. Emperor. Bastard."

I let out all the curses I'd been holding back.

Surprised by my profanity, Aunt Nema gasped and covered her mouth with both hands.

"Sigh, Hebenia..."

Ian, who had squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, gave me a stern look.

But I didn't back down.

"But the Emperor is so damn unlucky. How many people are suffering because of that bastard? Honestly, cursing him feels like a waste."

"So don't curse."

"...With that reasoning, I guess."

It had taken less than an hour from leaving the village to boarding the train.

In that short time, we'd keenly felt how much madness the Emperor had caused and how the country was falling apart.

"...Still."

I really didn't want to say this, but I felt I had to.

"It's clear the country is going to hell, but it's strangely intact, which is a bit scary and strange."

"What do you mean?"

"Take this train we're on, for example."

"The train?"

Aunt Nema's eyes widened as she pondered my words.

Ian and Verity felt the same.

"This is from the Clavis."

One of the inheritances I should have received.

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