Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 84

Chapter 84

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The next morning.

"Stop teasing Poppy and Chuchu. And if you have something like a dog translator, give me one. I'll use it to observe them."

"It's fun to tease them."

Verity installed a 'Woof Translator' app on my watch.

"For your information, the app payment was covered by your wish."

"By the way, how much of my payment is left?"

"Enough that you don't need to worry about it."

Assuming I made three wishes a day, it would last at least 128 years.

"Wow, I'll die before I use them all."

"Don't say such sad things."

Verity joked that I should live at least five thousand years. I laughed and said I'd try. Verity just smiled quietly.

"Oh, by the way, the long-haired Lord contacted me..."

"Did they find out anything from the demon and angel we caught at the Antema Lab?"

"Not that."

Verity widened his eyes in surprise, as if I'd forgotten.

"I told you—if you catch insane demons, he'd bring you one item you left in Korea."

"Ah, right!"

I'd forgotten such an important promise!

I quickly thought about what to ask for.

'I want a tablet the most. But then there's the charger and Wi-Fi to worry about...'

Or maybe ingredients?

'Gasp, ramen! Oh my god, I suddenly have a crazy craving for it!'

How many packs of ramen did I have left at home?

'No, I can't give up my pure heart. At least let me get back the magic wand I spent three hundred on...!'

Falling into a pit of desire, I couldn't let go of anything.

"Is this something worth sweating over?"

"It's important to me...!"

"Then this news will surely be good news for you."

Verity continued.

"The Lord said he'll count the demon you caught as three."

"R-really?"

As my eyes sparkled, Verity burst out laughing.

"Actually, the demon Necro wasn't that strong. But he was a very solid potato stem."

His father was the real mastermind, and they'd even uncovered a secret organization connected to him.

Plus, they'd captured a fallen angel, and the main investigative authority had fallen into the demons' hands.

"Our Lady is just too lovely!"

"Kyahaha!"

Verity and I danced on the spot.

"So, what that means is!"

Verity held up three fingers.

"He said he'll bring you three items!"

"Eek! Kyaaa!"

That meant I could get the tablet, ramen, and magic wand all at once! I could keep my pit of desire filled!

"However."

At Verity's one word, my elated heart plummeted.

Feeling uneasy, I pretended not to hear and fiddled with my watch.

Let's see, should I try out the dog translator?

"I asked the Lord before if the tablet you wanted would work here."

Beep.

[Truly, there is no butler as capable as me. When will this little mouse-dropping of a child ever understand my brilliance?]

The translated words played automatically from the watch.

"......"

"......"

A suffocating silence fell.

"You thought of me as mouse droppings?"

"...I apologize."

Verity apologized as if prostrating himself.

And, still lying flat, he continued.

"He said he'd modify the tablet so you can use it comfortably, with automatic charging and wireless internet connection."

"......"

"Instead, he wants to settle by counting the three items as one..."

"Wouldn't it be possible to just send all three?"

"How?"

"There's an insane demon right in front of me—if I catch and hand over this bastard, I could probably get all my Korean belongings right now?"

"I'm sorry..."

Anyway, I promised to think about it and let him know in a few days, then went looking for Poppy and Chuchu around the village.

'Sigh, that annoying demon.'

Riding my scooter, I pushed off the ground harder than usual.

'When I first met him, I thought he was a refreshing, easygoing flower boy, but these days he's climbed so high he's stuck to the ceiling.'

Still, I couldn't entirely dislike him.

'It's nice that we've gotten so close.'

To me—no, to Chae Habin—'oppa' was a terrible thing.

Someone who'd hit me a lot, a monster who'd curse at me for the smallest things.

But thanks to the oppas I met here, that monster could no longer haunt me.

'...That sounds a bit like a standard line from a certain kind of person.'

But the 'oppa' I use here means a true sibling bond.

'Oh my, oppa and I aren't like that! We're like real siblings—why would you misunderstand? Don't tell me you're projecting?'—totally different from the crazy person who tried to press her chest against Senior's arm while spouting that nonsense.

Of course, Senior screamed, "Eek, your fat cells are touching me!" and pushed her away, so I felt fine about it.

'Ian is a conservative but reliable big brother, and Verity is a little brother whose nagging is proportional to his playfulness.'

Plus, there's Pertel, the Clavis brother who cherishes me and calls me baby.

My bangs fluttered against my forehead in the oncoming wind.

"Hehe!"

Feeling much better, I sincerely wished misfortune upon that crazy person and sped up.

---

Three days into observing Poppy and Chuchu's daily lives.

What started as research on how to treat the Grand Duchess of Stria led to an unexpected discovery.

'They don't spend much time in the village?'

Poppy and Chuchu spent more time in the primeval forest than in the village.

The Duke couple's collars were decorated with the barrier key the long-haired Lord had given them.

Originally, we'd entrusted it to them to take the villagers for training when Verity and I were busy or away.

"Woof woof!"

"Woof!"

"We've been waiting."

Yeah, like that.

For reference, today's training participants were Uncle Pofina, with the aptitude 'Shrine Dancer Who Shakes the Fate of the Stars,' Aunt Deiph, the 'Prophet Who Reads Fate,' and Uncle Aig, the 'Archer Who Guards the World Tree.'

'Uncle Pofina, you're actually wearing a crop top as your training outfit...'

His pants were practically hanging off his hips, revealing his iliac bones.

'Huff, what is this feeling...'

I was genuinely happy that the neighbor uncle had found his happiness, but at the same time, I felt conflicted about having to see this.

"Hnngh, hmm."

"Squeak."

Poppy and Chuchu's reactions were also strange, so I secretly turned on the translator behind them. To prevent any unpleasantness, I turned off the auto-play feature beforehand.

Beep.

[Ah, I want to mate...]

[Sis, don't tell me last night wasn't satisfying?]

[Oh my, you. If it weren't satisfying, would I be acting like this?]

[Hehe, sis, you're up for anything to...!]

Beep, beep.

[Would you like to delete the app?]

['Woof Translator' app has been deleted.]

I quietly turned my scooter around.

A wound that would never heal had been left in my heart.

---

"So, I'd like to make two suggestions."

Anyway, after observing the Duke couple for three days.

"I think it's best to focus on a soft-texture diet, like sous-vide dishes and boiled vegetables, and to prepare a quiet resting space where she can be alone with her thoughts."

I made these two suggestions to Aunt Prellia, based on what had impressed me most.

'There were also things I saw that I didn't need to observe...'

I felt like I understood why Verity said I was hilarious.

Another black mark had been added to my history.

"The day she leaves the Deste Territory is the anniversary of the late Empress's death. She'll be having a hard time, so it's best to take care of her health."

"Come to think of it, it is around this time."

Aunt Prellia smiled bitterly.

She jotted down my two suggestions and said.

"Even I, living in a small but prosperous rural territory, was shocked. I heard that dignified lady fainted at the news of Her Majesty the Empress's passing."

"Oh dear."

I furrowed my brow involuntarily.

Even without experiencing it, I could imagine the sorrow.

"Do you know the Grand Duchess of Stria personally?"

"No. But she's a famous figure."

She came from a prestigious family, and after marriage, as the mistress of a great house, she earned the respect of many women through her positive influence.

She built schools for women, ran a scholarship foundation to help underprivileged children study, and had a refined artistic eye—many of the musicians she sponsored had gone on to great success.

"I heard she was also close to the Grand Duchess of Clavis."

"Huh?"

My eyes widened.

"I have a grandmother too?"

"Didn't you know?"

"Ah, I have no memories of before exile."

When I said I had no memories before exile, Aunt Prellia looked at me with pity for a brief moment. I was used to that reaction, so it didn't bother me.

'Anyway, I did have a grandmother, right?'

The Clavis family head was so intense that I'd completely forgotten about her.

I felt a little sorry.

"Anyway, she was such a remarkable woman..."

Aunt Prellia sighed.

"But after that tragedy, she's been living in seclusion."

"Because of the shock?"

"That, and she also divorced her husband."

"Gasp."

Apparently, the Grand Duchess of Stria had strongly opposed sending her daughter to the imperial palace.

But her husband, the late Duke of Stria, had forced it through, and that caused a major rift in their marriage.

"The current duke is the late Empress's younger brother."

"......"

Huff, why did I think of Olive, the misery sister-con?

"The two of them were said to be such close siblings when they were young."

"Oh dear..."

"And then, the late duke was seriously injured in a carriage accident. The young lord inherited the title after that."

"The accident happened quite conveniently, didn't it?"

"It certainly did."

"......"

Ah, I see.

'So that side had a misery sister-con too.'

Still, it was a sister-con I could hold hands with and say, "Yes, I understand your feelings."

Moreover, this was very important information.

'The Stria family must hate the Emperor to death.'

If so, building a good relationship with the Grand Duchess of Stria during this visit could be a great help later.

'The central headquarters, the Magical Engineering Academy, Stria.'

Just hearing them made them sound like reliable potential allies.

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