Home/The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief of Exile/ch 93

Chapter 93

'Oh, no, why?'

Did she have a bad memory associated with magical engineering?

Startled, I froze like a stone. But my mind was in chaos, like a storm.

'What is it? Did I make a mistake? Gasp, could magical engineering be connected to the late Empress? Damn, that means the academy visit is out the window! Fine, I'll just stow away in the Crown Prince's carriage...!'

Just then.

Whew. The Grand Duchess took a deep breath.

"Little one."

Then she asked me.

"Do you like magical engineering?"

"A-a little."

I answered honestly without thinking.

Noticing the change in my answer, the Grand Duchess lowered the corners of her eyes apologetically.

"Little one."

"Yes."

But why was she suddenly calling me 'little one'?

My curiosity was brief, as I quickly guessed the answer.

'Ah, she's seeing her dead daughter—the late Empress—in me.'

An unbearable guilt mercilessly stabbed my conscience.

I'd approached the Grand Duchess with that intention, but now that it was working, I felt utterly despicable.

"How old are you?"

"Seven..."

"Losing track of time while reading..."

"......"

"How could you..."

Her wrinkled, warm hand gently caressed my under-eyes.

"...Resemble her in that way too."

"......"

I carefully lifted my head, which I'd lowered out of guilt.

My heart sank.

It was then that I first learned that a smile made while thinking of a loved one could be so sorrowful and heartbreaking.

"Go to sleep now. Your aunt will be worried."

"Yes..."

"May this old woman say goodnight to you?"

"Of course."

The Grand Duchess hugged me tightly, but without any pain, and kissed my forehead.

"Sleep well, little one."

"Goodnight..."

I took Ian's hand and headed to my room.

"...Miss."

Ian spoke in a whisper.

"Look back once."

I did as he said, and the Grand Duchess was still standing there, watching me.

"......"

I gave a small wave.

The Grand Duchess waved back.

Her maid said something to her, and she nodded briefly, turning slowly.

Then she returned to her own room.

"......"

"......"

Ian and I said nothing until we reached my room.

Click. As soon as we opened the door and entered, I jumped onto the bed.

Instead of scolding me for lying there without changing into my pajamas, Ian sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked my head.

I sniffled.

"Miss."

Ian's voice fell softly from above.

"The Crown Prince was watching."

---

"Milady."

The maid helped the Grand Duchess into a chair.

"Shall I bring some tea?"

The Grand Duchess shook her head with a sad smile.

"No. If I drink now, I won't be able to sleep."

"Milady, about earlier..."

"Kara, don't nag."

"......"

"I know. Better than anyone."

My daughter is dead.

"I laid her in the coffin with my own hands."

The maid quietly wiped her moist eyes with a handkerchief.

The Grand Duchess herself, though her eyes glistened, didn't shed a single tear. Her eyes were already dry.

'I cried all my tears then.'

On the day she washed her dead daughter, dressed her in her favorite clothes, and laid her in the coffin.

The Grand Duchess, shedding tears of blood, had resolved.

'The tears I shed next...'

Remembering the vow she'd made before her dead daughter, the Grand Duchess forced out a trembling breath.

"...I did something terrible to that child."

Beni was clever and perceptive for her age.

"She said she likes magical engineering."

"Lady Lena and young master Leon were the same."

"Yes, both were talented."

The Grand Duchess chuckled.

Even now, when she closed her eyes, she could clearly see the young siblings bickering over experiments, saying, "You're wrong," "No, I'm right."

"We were happy then."

"......"

"The Magical Engineering Academy..."

The smile on the Grand Duchess's face wavered slightly.

"That child was also interested in the academy."

"Milady..."

"I'm still so immature, even at this age."

"......"

"Why do I feel more affection for a complete stranger than for my own daughter's flesh and blood?"

---

"...Yes, understood."

Beep.

After ending the call, Verity placed the phone on the desk and stretched his arms high.

"Ugh..."

After loosening his stiff body, the demon gently massaged his temples.

"Sigh, exhausting."

"Woof."

Poppy, sitting on the opposite chair, let out a short, displeased bark.

Verity scoffed.

"Barking like that won't scare anyone."

"Grrrr!"

"Oh? That was a call from Sir Ian just now. Don't you want to hear news about my Lady?"

"......"

Poppy, who had been baring her teeth, quickly shut her mouth.

But her eyes remained narrowed.

"Ouch!"

Chuchu, who had approached silently, bit Verity's ankle while he was off guard. Then she trotted over and settled beside Poppy.

'Those damn dogs...'

Verity swallowed his irritation and rubbed the bitten spot with his other foot.

Surprisingly, his anger quickly subsided.

'They must be frustrated and angry too.'

Their owner, reunited with them, didn't remember them, and the 'restrictions' hadn't been fully lifted, so they couldn't protect her properly.

'So it's only natural they're sensitive.'

A large, bright full moon rose over Ixelium Village.

The moonlight that had once created the only passage between the primeval forest and the outside now cast long shadows of a demon and two Chihuahuas.

The demon's shadow moved.

"The Lady said she cried because she felt sorry for deceiving the Grand Duchess."

"She's a kind child."

"In a way, she's the most Clavis-like child of all."

The two shadows across from him wavered.

Verity looked up.

The dogs had jumped onto the desk, tails wagging gracefully as they stepped over the scattered documents.

They were materials from the Antema Lab.

Verity lowered his gaze again.

"How did the Emperor summon demons? The interrogation on our side isn't over yet. It seems breaking the vow is taking time."

"Vow curses are a headache."

"That's probably why the Interdimensional Alliance infiltrated the demon side. Demons hold the most 'divine words' after all."

"In modern terms, magic?"

"Ugh, what if there's more leaked magic...!"

Just as Verity cried out, clutching his head, a small black paw appeared before his eyes.

"General."

The dog's paw pushed something forward.

"This is..."

The contents of the document looked familiar.

[In the case of corpses treated with special drugs, the efficacy of void stones increases...]

It was one of the pieces of evidence Hebenia and Verity had found together when she'd uncovered the Emperor's scheme.

"Humans possess creativity rivaling that of creation itself. It's safe to say that power elevated them to the top of the ecosystem."

"......"

"The Emperor found unawakened transcendents and brought them here to obtain void stones."

"Void stones..."

Completely empty stones.

They can become magic stones or holy stones if they absorb mana or divine power, but it takes time.

"On the day the guards tried to kill us, the last shipment of void stones never made it out of the primeval forest."

Recalling Hebenia's words, Verity reread the research materials in detail.

---

Three days later.

Myself, Ian, Uncle Modi and Aunt Prellia.

And Verity, Uncle Pex, and Uncle Pofina.

The seven of us gathered in the Deste mansion's dungeon for a brief morning meeting.

First up was Uncle Modi.

"My only contact with Knight Commander Rashid was on the first day. He has no intention of giving me any information."

"Molle Livus really couldn't build trust."

Just as expected.

Who would trust someone who betrays their allies out of jealousy?

"There's no surveillance either. Same for the other knights. They're all expendable pawns."

Next was Aunt Prellia.

"I've gotten quite close with the Grand Duchess's maid. She even told me to find a good man. Apparently, Molle Livus has a poor reputation in many ways."

And.

Pausing briefly, she glanced at me.

"As expected, it seems she sees the late Empress in you."

"Tch."

I clicked my tongue.

Then Ian, Uncle Pex, and Uncle Pofina reported in turn.

"The employees are still fine. No undead showing unusual behavior."

"The magical devices are working well. Knight Commander Rashid speaks little, so there's not much to record, but the Crown Prince talks to himself quite a bit."

"While cooking to the Grand Duchess's taste, the Crown Prince started interfering with the kitchen. He said he'd have his own meals prepared separately."

Next was my turn.

"I'm going to the Magical Engineering Academy today."

"I'll accompany you as a guard."

Verity raised his hand beside me.

The academy visit had to succeed, and I'd achieved the goal much faster than expected.

But no one celebrated.

They only looked at me with worried eyes.

'That's understandable.'

After all.

"I never expected the Crown Prince to suggest it first..."

Ian let out a groan and tilted his head slightly. Then he voiced his suspicion.

"As expected, he must have been watching that day?"

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