Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 60

Chapter 60

Before Verity began his explanation, I warned him.

"You'd better speak well. Depending on what you say, I might become a volcano goddess, a senior citizen attacker, a filial son, or a depraved beauty."

"And is that something my words can change?"

His explanation started with an introduction to my ability.

"The Clavis have a power that runs in their blood."

"Th-the one that opens spaces?"

Aunt Nema mimicked turning a doorknob with her hand.

It was a habit I often did when using my ability.

Verity nodded.

"Opening and closing. Also called the power to open and shut."

"Isn't that an important secret? I only heard about it through Hebenia."

Ian asked if it was information they were allowed to know.

"It doesn't matter. My Lady has been using her ability openly, and those close to the Clavis are already aware of it."

"What? My ability was supposed to be top-secret."

I said that, but I caught the hidden meaning in Verity's words.

'The Emperor will know too.'

Is that bastard after me to get my ability?

"...Ugh."

Just thinking that the Emperor was after me made me nauseous.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Are you sick?"

"She probably has indigestion from stealing my bread this morning. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

The chatter of the three, who didn't know the real reason, felt a little unfair.

"Anyway, opening and closing is a very tricky and complex power. You've all seen it—my Lady coughing up blood whenever she pushes her ability to the limit."

At that, I fidgeted with my nose.

Just recalling the vivid sensation of warm blood gushing out made my body feel weak.

"For safety, the Clavis developed a method to grow this power in stages. That method is the trial."

The trial consists of three stages, and each time you overcome one, your ability grows by leaps and bounds.

"Hmm."

Fortunately, it wasn't content that would make me turn my back on my family.

"The problem is that these trials are so harsh that even a real demon would be shocked. They set a minimum age of twelve to challenge them."

Oh, never mind.

I retracted my previous thought.

'This is content that would justify turning my back on my family.'

A trial that involves fighting a demon head-on would be tough even for a twelve-year-old.

What I found most frustrating was this.

"Trial or not, why isn't my opinion reflected? It's like self-study that's actually forced study..."

"I don't know about that either."

There was no hint of deceit in Verity's answer.

"However, once a trial is imposed, it cannot be refused. Receiving help from others is also forbidden. That's why I can't assist you."

"Can Ian oppa and Aunt Nema help?"

"They should be able to. Probably."

"What's that! What's the criteria?"

"I'd love to explain it properly, but the Clavis aren't an ordinary family. That's why it's called a trial, not a test..."

"Forget it. I'm done listening."

I waved my hand in the air dismissively.

Nothing would change even if I knew more, and listening further would only upset me.

"Sigh..."

Overwhelmed by the helplessness, I closed my eyes as if escaping reality.

'No matter how strong I am, I'm still just an ordinary human. How am I supposed to fight a demon?'

Our destination is a den of madmen who don't even shy away from human experimentation.

If there are grotesquely modified undead soldiers, it'll be a full-blown zombie movie.

'And I don't even like zombie movies!'

Plus, there's a high chance an angel is hiding in the lab too.

"Is there no way to back out? What if I just cancel the deal?"

"The deal and the trial are separate matters..."

A hollow laugh escaped me.

'They don't seem separate at all.'

Even if Verity doesn't know, the long-haired Lord is an accomplice of the Clavis.

'He proposed the deal to make me accept this trial.'

He was my favorite demon Lord, but he went and stabbed me in the back like this.

I resolved to favor Bleached Demon from now on.

"Wait, a deal?"

Ian asked what this was all about.

I briefly explained the deal I'd made with Verity. Of course, I embellished it a little.

"I agreed to catch demons with my power in exchange for retrieving my belongings from the Clavis mansion."

"That's a terrible deal."

"This oppa thinks just like me. But I had no choice—the Clavis family head already made his move."

"Your grandfather?"

Since he was already notorious for being an eccentric, I used my grandfather's name freely.

'He did also block me from getting imperial information, after all.'

You have to pay the price for making your granddaughter work, old man.

Thanks to that, Ian's gaze toward me clearly read, 'Crazy old man, but he's Hebenia's grandfather, so I can't curse him out.'

"My Lady, what will you do?"

Verity also looked at me with pity, as if I were a fraud victim.

'So that's why his complexion was so bad on the train?'

Worried about my safety, since I can't avoid the trial?

"If you want my opinion, since things have come this far, I recommend taking on the trial. Would the Clavis, as eccentric as they are, really lead their own granddaughter to her grave?"

"This bastard?"

Saying whatever he wanted since it wasn't his problem.

But Verity was right.

The 'brother' I saw in my dream—the only Clavis I remember—seemed to genuinely care for me.

'It probably won't be life-threatening.'

Besides, if I avoid this, I won't be able to restore the abnormal herb distribution.

Even if the Clavis used some trick before their destruction to prevent deaths, there's no telling how long that miracle will last.

'But I came here trusting Verity.'

Can I do it without him?

I wasn't confident.

'I really relied on Verity a lot.'

I felt pitiful all over again.

I just wanted to enjoy a peaceful rural life with the villagers in the exile camp.

But since I kept clashing with the Emperor in the process, I thought, 'Let's show him what's what,' and prepared to fight back with revolution in mind.

'This might be a case of "you reap what you sow," as random as that sounds.'

I must have read too many novels with overpowered protagonists.

'I'm not being punished for drooling over fictional tragedies, am I?'

Worries crashed over me like waves, and I couldn't calm down without thinking such foolish thoughts.

'Honestly, what does this have to do with me?'

As long as our village is safe.

'Whether people outside die from an epidemic or suffer under the Emperor's tyranny...'

But I quickly retracted those selfish thoughts.

'...Damn it, how can I ignore this!'

Help others when they're struggling, share when you have plenty.

'Isn't that just what humans do? I desperately wished for someone to help me like that when I lived in Korea. And I found such people here.'

The villagers I love.

And this world, where their beloved families and friends live—I couldn't just turn a blind eye.

"Ugh...!"

I pressed my clenched fists against my forehead and gritted my teeth.

"When I meet them, I won't let them off—damn Clavis!"

After pouring out my genuine fury toward my family, I took a deep breath and slowly calmed my raging emotions.

'Right, if you can't avoid it, enjoy it.'

Actually, avoiding it would be the best option, but.

'I wouldn't have been able to refuse anyway, knowing my personality.'

Now that I'd changed my mindset, I felt confident I could overcome anything—trial or not.

'...Still, if possible, I'd like a beginner-friendly version.'

Having steeled my resolve, I turned to Ian and Aunt Nema.

Their expressions were quite different.

Ian had the stern face of a knight ready for battle. His tightly pressed lips were filled with the will to stand by my side.

On the other hand.

"......"

Aunt Nema looked terrified, as if she might collapse at the slightest touch.

"Auntie."

I took her hand in both of mine.

"Please stay here."

"Ah..."

"I can't protect you with my power alone. You came here trusting Verity too, right?"

"But with you alone, how..."

"Well, if things go wrong, I'll just use my ability to come right over here."

I smiled and suggested we escape back to Exilium together.

But Aunt Nema never answered that offer.

She just shed tears with a face full of injustice and fear, repeating how sorry she was.

---

"Aunt Nema was severely bullied as a child."

Ian mentioned casually as we walked around Antema Square.

Our hands were full of wrapped gifts. Gifts to share with the villagers.

Since we probably wouldn't have time to shop like this after visiting the lab, we were buying them in advance.

"Because of that, her younger brother got caught up in it and was seriously injured."

"I can never understand people who bully others. Those things don't need to hold their heads up high. They're useless—better to cut them up and throw them in a field for the birds."

"...Aunt Nema nearly beat the bullies to death, and that's when her brother got hurt."

"Everyone makes mistakes."

It was a part of Aunt Nema's past I hadn't heard during our talk.

Only then did I understand her attitude.

'She's already experienced something similar to a rampage in the past.'

Because of the incident where her brother got hurt, Aunt Nema was afraid of becoming a berserker.

"Tch."

It left a bitter taste.

She'd come with us, struggling against her trauma, and now my damn trial threatened to make all her efforts for nothing.

"But is it okay to tell me that?"

It's her personal matter.

I asked carefully as we entered the lodging.

"Everyone from the exile camp knows."

"Whoa, really?"

"Before you came, we used to gather around a campfire every night, reminiscing about the outside world and shedding tears."

"Even without me, exile life was sweet, huh."

That was the first time I'd heard of a retreat-style candlelit ceremony in an exile camp.

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