Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 79

Chapter 79

Verity speculated that all the exiled residents were victims who had suffered unjust fates.

In other words, if it weren't for the Emperor and the Interdimensional Alliance, they would have lived ordinary lives outside.

"There's no benefit in getting them more entangled in this."

"Yeah..."

I could only nod at that.

As the village chief, I must prioritize the villagers' happiness. So Verity's reasoning made sense.

In the end, I lied to Ian and Libby, saying we couldn't investigate further due to the circumstances.

They responded seriously, as if they'd expected something like this.

"Lord Verity, we're ready to help anytime."

"Right. What's family for!"

Verity sincerely thanked them.

After that, Verity spent several days working late nights with barely any sleep.

The lights in the village hall office were always on, and Verity's face went beyond expired juice—it was on the verge of growing mold.

Yet he still checked on me often, fulfilling his duties as a butler.

"Are you sleeping? Watching you is making me tired."

"Just a little more and it'll be done. The evidence we found is enough for now..."

"Poor office worker..."

"Sob..."

Verity finally shed tears.

"I thought serving you would be easy, so I took the job...!"

"There's nothing easy in this world."

After offering a half-hearted comfort.

I focused on what I could do right now.

'At least now I know the enemy's goal and the mastermind.'

My greatest strength is my ability to calmly and objectively assess reality.

I don't dwell on situations I can't change. I know it's far more efficient to use that time to do what I can.

Growing the village.

Caring for the villagers.

'And improving my ability!'

Opening and closing.

Through my previous trial, I learned a new application.

"Hnnn, hmm...!"

At noon on a hot summer day.

I was sitting in the shade of a large tree, sweating as I moved my hands.

Each time, a piece of colored paper in front of me fluttered.

"Just a little more...!"

The paper, floating in the air at eye level, folded in half the more I strained.

"Argh!"

But I collapsed from exhaustion before the paper could fold completely.

"Ugh, so close!"

I slumped to the ground, swallowed my disappointment, and picked up the crumpled paper to examine it.

'It's a mess...'

It was crumpled like a three-year-old had played with it, and the half-folded center line was crooked.

'It's hard.'

I was practicing origami with my barrier.

This was a new training method inspired by the barrier application I'd used to pummel the demon last time, based on a video I'd seen in Korea of surgeons folding paper cranes with tweezers.

If I could create barriers wherever I wanted, in whatever size I wanted.

And if I could manipulate them as precisely as hands.

'It would be an incredible weapon.'

Telekinesis—the ability to touch objects or people without physical contact.

And another thing.

I reached out my arm casually.

A gap the size of my palm opened in the empty air.

Something fell through the bizarrely shimmering violet-black rift, and I caught it deftly.

It was the lemonade Libby had made that morning.

The glass full of ice immediately began to bead with condensation in the heat.

'This side is perfect.'

I had succeeded in creating a subspace.

A subspace.

A virtual space separated from reality,不受 time constraints.

Though the subspace I created was only the size of a bag, its performance was perfect.

'Libby unnie's cold lemonade from this morning is still cold!'

Creating the subspace was much easier than practicing origami with the barrier.

I didn't even need practice—I'd succeeded on my first try.

"Hmm, delicious!"

I shuddered with pleasure at the cold, refreshing lemon flavor.

Instead of putting the empty glass into my subspace pocket, I pointed at a park bench I spotted and said.

"Coordinate confirmation."

Transfer!

The glass instantly moved to the bench. It wobbled precariously before coming to a stop.

Telekinetic movement, subspace—the final application.

Transfer.

Transfer is a technique where I create an entrance and move a specific object to a target location.

'The passage connecting the entrances must not be constrained by time.'

Like a subspace.

That's why Ian's slash and Aunt Nema's strike could reach the demon and angel instantly through transfer.

'Ignoring all constraints of time and space...'

A truly incredible application.

Uncle Pex, an expert in magical tools, said all engineering ultimately operates on the laws of physics.

Even in this world where magic exists, the laws of physics are still important.

"Opening and closing..."

The power to open and close.

"Isn't it time to change that name?"

Should I still call this power 'opening and closing'?

I suddenly felt like I shouldn't.

But even after reading Clavis in One Volume and asking Verity, I couldn't think of a new name for this ability.

Of course, it wasn't an urgent enough issue to rack my brain over, so I quickly moved on to another concern.

"I wonder if I can have three slices of bacon today."

---

After a full week away, Verity returned home without even the strength to cross the threshold. So he just collapsed on the spot.

"Ugh..."

Even for a demon, a week of overtime was grueling.

"Lord Verity, you're back?"

"Welcome back."

Ian helped the fallen Verity to the living room sofa. Libby made a drink with the lemon syrup she'd prepared the day before and handed it to him.

"Thank you, I love you, bless you..."

Slumped comfortably on the sofa, Verity downed the drink in one gulp.

"Is the urgent work done?"

"For now."

Verity set the empty glass on the table.

'Now the problem is...'

The Interdimensional Alliance.

An organization that manages the countless dimensions in the universe.

'...The Lords will handle it.'

I've done my part.

Why dwell on thoughts that only cloud the mind?

Verity decided to leave all worries, concerns, futures, and even stock investments to his superiors. He was grateful to have bosses above him in times like this.

"Hm?"

Verity's eyes caught something interesting.

'Oh, what's this?'

The demon's golden eyes sparkled.

"Sir Ian, you've awakened your aura."

"Ah..."

"Gasp, really?"

Ian scratched the back of his neck, looking embarrassed.

Libby, on the other hand, jumped in surprise and genuinely congratulated him.

"Oppa, that's amazing! So you also have some kind of ring around your heart, like me?"

"I happened to..."

"Aura circles aren't created by accident."

Such good news after being away!

Verity felt his fatigue vanish. The demon sincerely congratulated his human disciple, who had made great strides in his absence.

At his teacher's praise, Ian's face flushed.

"I actually got a sense of it at the Antema Lab."

When Ian fought the angel at the Antema Lab.

He'd realized for the first time that his body was markedly different from before.

Every time he swung his sword, he felt a mysterious sensation.

Something entirely different from circulating blood changed his body, and each time, that unknown flow began to transform as well.

The more it did, the lighter his body felt, and the sword in his hand felt like a part of him. His enemy's movements seemed as slow as falling feathers.

Only after returning to the village did he realize.

That the unknown flow was mana, and that it had transformed into aura during the battle.

He recalled that sensation and tried to form an aura circle around his heart, and he succeeded.

"That's impossible..."

Verity unconsciously denied it. That's how extraordinary Ian's achievement was.

'Creating a circle is incredibly difficult.'

Whether it was aura or mana, creating even a single circle required immense effort and focus.

The environment was also important.

If someone even spoke to you while creating a circle, in the worst case, the backlash could kill you.

'And yet these two accomplished that difficult process so easily...'

Could it be that the others did too?

'I expected fast growth, but this is on another level...!'

Verity, who had been practically a living corpse moments ago, was suddenly overflowing with energy.

The demon wanted to confirm his theory and lifted Ian, who was sitting beside him, to his feet.

Ian, suddenly lifted, opened his eyes wide.

"Sir Ian! May I properly examine your aura circle?"

"Th-that would be an honor."

"Oh, come on, examine my mana circle too."

Libby pouted, saying it was unfair.

But she quickly retracted her words.

"Take off your shirt."

"Pardon?"

"And may I place my hand on your chest and gently stroke it?"

"P-Pardon?"

"Wow, isn't this sexual harassment?"

That's pretty creepy.

Libby leaned back on the sofa, crossing one arm over the backrest, and watched the demon admiring the young man's chest.

'I wonder how Habi would react if she saw this...'

Just then.

"The head and pillar of this house has arrived...!"

BANG! The front door swung open.

Hebenia, sweaty from playing with the village children, froze.

"...Arrived, has."

"......"

"......"

"......"

Squeak—.

Hebenia closed the front door again.

But she quickly reopened it.

Click. She took a picture with her watch.

And closed the door again.

Soon, Hebenia's loud voice, shouting "Villagers!", echoed.

The sound grew fainter, as if she was riding her scooter.

"...Oh dear."

Libby muttered dryly.

"By tomorrow, the whole village will be gossiping about Sir Ian and Verity."

---

But surprisingly.

Hebenia didn't spread what she'd seen to the villagers.

"Tch, boring."

"Hey, don't be disappointed! I have dignity too."

"Oppa's dignity disappeared after you confessed to Aunt Daliss and got rejected, didn't it? You're practically the village punching bag."

"Do you really hate me that much?"

Libby was disappointed, but Ian was genuinely relieved he wouldn't be the subject of teasing again.

But his little sisters weren't that easy.

Hebenia suddenly made a suggestion.

"Oppa, want to have a duel?"

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