The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief in Exile - Chapter 100

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 100
“You didn’t buy one?”
“We still have medicine at home…….”
“You should pick one up anyway, just in case.”
The woman who had purchased a first-aid kit glanced around nervously and lowered her voice.
“You never know what might happen.”
Last spring, the abnormal distribution of medicinal herbs had left a profound impact across the entire nation, including Deste Estate.
Herbs that couldn’t be found. Medicine prices that had skyrocketed overnight.
The terror of those days had imprinted itself deeply on the minds of many.
So it was that people found themselves unable to shake the thought of “just in case,” and began ordering first-aid kits.
“And they say that when the medicine in these kits reaches its expiration date, the Sacred Shrine will exchange it for new stock at half price. It’s a special privilege for residents of Deste Estate.”
“Really? Is that true?”
“And on top of that, they don’t just throw away the old medicine—they purify it and reuse it as salve for livestock, or take it for alchemical materials, I’ve heard.”
“Oh, maybe we should buy one too…….”
The eyes of those who had shown interest in the first-aid kits began to gleam.
“They’re reopening orders soon, so wait and buy then. I heard your eldest daughter just had a baby. It’d make the perfect gift.”
“Wouldn’t it? Children get sick at the most unpredictable times…….”
An ordinary day.
An ordinary life.
Even some slightly reassuring news mixed in.
In the midst of this cheerful bustle, a fine carriage was moving slowly toward the eastern edge of the Commercial District.
“My, is that the Infinite Wall I’ve only heard tales of?”
“It’s the symbol of the Mage Engineering Academy. The way it drapes over half the building—doesn’t it look just like a hood hanging from a cloak?”
“It really does. Like someone’s thrown a cloak over their head.”
The carriage came to a stop at an antique shop.
It was a narrow, weathered building. Yet thanks to its meticulous upkeep, it exuded the vintage charm of the very antiques it housed.
From the carriage emerged Duchess Turi of Stria, accompanied by her personal attendant Kara, and they entered the shop.
“Welcome.”
An elderly man wearing small wire-rimmed glasses acknowledged them.
“I do hope you’ll find something to your liking today.”
“Ah, so you’re going to reproach me for always browsing without buying?”
“Ah, was I being too blunt?”
“Isn’t it the proprietor’s fault for failing to stock items worthy of capturing this finicky old woman’s heart?”
“Ha ha ha! A direct hit, I must say.”
The Duchess exchanged pleasantries with the antique shop owner with evident delight.
Grunting slightly, the owner rose and produced several items for inspection.
“These have just arrived today, as it happens.”
“My!”
Kara, observing from the side, could not hide her admiration.
“Even someone ignorant like me can tell these are extraordinarily rare.”
“Though for someone who claims to know nothing, you certainly show keen judgment.”
After trading pleasantries with Kara, the proprietor explained the origins of the items.
“They are from the personal collection of the Dean of Mage Engineering Academy.”
“The Dean of the Academy?”
The Duchess expressed her surprise, and the owner nodded in confirmation.
He then recommended one of the magical devices.
It was a very small scale.
“It is known as the Scale of Hidden Truth.”
“A magical device that reveals truth?”
“Precisely so.”
“A truly precious artifact.”
“Indeed. Since all forms of magic that interfere with human consciousness or coerce confession are impossible…….”
That was when it happened.
Bang!
A tremendous sound, as if the building itself were sinking into the earth.
At the same moment, every magical device in the building stopped functioning.
From the luminous chandelier on the ceiling to the ticking cuckoo clock, even the small chime that sang whenever a customer entered.
“……Oh dear.”
The shop owner stepped outside to assess the situation.
“It appears we’re experiencing a power outage.”
“A power outage?”
Kara asked, supporting the Duchess of Stria.
“They said a large-scale experiment is being conducted today, and because of it, magical power might be cut off in parts of the estate.”
The Antique Shop Owner pointed to a small window on the eastern side of the building.
The symbol of the Mage Engineering Academy.
The Infinite Wall was visible.
“The Dean of Mage Engineering Academy informed us.”
Creak—
In that instant, a small scale tilted slightly.
“Ah, it’s working just in time. When the right pan tilts relative to this marked center line, it means the truth.”
* * *
Two minutes earlier.
“Target carriage confirmed.”
The rooftop of the highest building in Deste Estate.
A short-haired Imperial Knight watching the Antique Shop through binoculars relayed the situation through a Brooch-type Magical Device.
“The target has entered the destination with a maid.”
A voice came through the brooch-shaped magical device.
“Begin the operation.”
The Imperial Knight glanced to her side.
Beside her stood a Demon in Knight’s Uniform.
Though his expression was kind, his pale yellow eyes gleamed with an unsettling anticipation of the cruelty about to unfold.
A pointed, elongated tongue like an awl flicked lightly across his lips.
“Heh, if I’m going to kill something, it should at least be worth the effort.”
“…….”
“Did you think I’d be satisfied with something as pathetic as hurting people with a cotton candy machine?”
“Yet you failed nonetheless.”
“……Inferior creature.”
A vivid killing intent flickered in the demon’s pale yellow eyes.
“Watch your tongue, why don’t you?”
“No pangs of conscience, I see.”
“Do you feel guilt when you crush an ant beneath your feet?”
“…….”
“You are merely ants to me—creatures who happen to wear a shape resembling ours. Whether crushed by my hand or trampled under my foot, there’s nothing to it.”
“…….”
“Though I admit, your reactions do make it entertaining.”
The demon extended a hand toward the Antique Shop.
“Just barely within range.”
Then he smiled wickedly.
“Well then, shall we begin……!”
Whistle—whoosh!
Just then.
An arrow embedded itself in the ground before the demon’s feet.
Fresh red blood clung to the arrowhead in a small amount, but neither the demon nor the Imperial Knight noticed.
In that moment.
Snap.
“Teleportation.”
The demon’s vision changed in the blink of an eye.
A dense forest visible in the dimness of fine sunlight falling like drizzle.
Primordial nature cradling hundreds of millions of years.
The Primordial Forest.
‘What is this……?’
Unfortunately, the demon had no time to fully form the thought: ‘How did this happen?’
“Hack!”
Sent flying backward in an instant, the demon tore clean through three massive ancient trees before finally coming to rest against the fourth, coughing blood.
“Gasp, h-hack……!”
Terrified, the demon’s vision trembled as he looked forward.
Beyond the gaping holes he’d punched through ancient wood, a presence of overwhelming caliber was walking toward him.
Eyes the color of worn gold, gleaming like a cat in darkness.
Whoosh—
“……Aaaaaahhhhh!”
A long spear with a golden tassel pinned the demon fixed against the tree.
Despite its anguished shrieks, the Primordial Forest remained silent.
The monsters and demons that had been called calamity and despair to humankind cowered in fear, hiding their presence.
“Ugh, uuugh……!”
The demon’s jaw trembled as it finally saw Verity appear before its eyes.
“W-who are you……!”
“Shut your mouth.”
Snap—Verity broke an arrow she’d been holding in her hand.
“Tsk, because of you, that little girl bled from her body again.”
“Ugh, uuugh, h…….”
“What, you think demons are better than humans? In my eyes, you’re all the same…….”
No, wait.
Verity quickly corrected herself.
“I respect the grit of humans who don’t shy away from struggling to survive. That’s something worthy of admiration.”
Mm-hmm, Verity nodded in agreement.
“But you——”
Her eyes, which had been full of affection, were swiftly overtaken by contempt.
“What I hate most is mistaking natural talent for power.”
“Ugh, uuugh…….”
“You, who can’t accomplish a single thing with your own hands.”
Verity pulled the spear out roughly and stepped back, weaving a seal with her hands.
“Reversed Seal.”
Reverse Summon.
Her hands, with thumbs and pinky fingers touching at their tips to form a circle, flipped upside down.
A massive, rust-eaten iron gate appeared behind the demon’s back. Thick iron chains burst through the slightly opened gap, coiling around the demon’s body.
“A, ahhh! No, nooo!”
“Yes, it absolutely will.”
Verity explained it herself.
“You have to be held accountable for what you’ve done.”
“P-please, spare me! I was wrong……!”
“Don’t bother apologizing if you don’t mean it.”
“No! I, I don’t……!”
Thud-!
The iron gate that had swallowed the demon vanished, leaving behind a sound like some grotesque laughter.
* * *
“…….”
The Imperial Knight still couldn’t comprehend what had happened.
‘An arrow…….’
It had come flying.
It came so fast and with such force, but how had she not sensed it?
Perhaps it was because the arrow carried no killing intent.
The arrow had embedded itself in the hard rooftop floor.
At that same moment, a familiar man appeared where the demon had been standing.
He resembled the knight who had disappeared two years ago after being sentenced to exile for embezzlement and breach of trust.
‘Where did the demon go?’
By the time the knight barely managed to form that question, her body was already completely pinned down on the ground.
As she lay there, she noticed the spot where the demon had been standing was carved out in a perfect circle, as if someone had scooped out ice cream.
Ian removed the brooch-type magical device from the knight’s body and smashed it with his sword.
Then he transmitted the situation through the watch on his wrist.
“The demon has been subdued.”
* * *
[The demon has been subdued.]
“Phew.”
I finally released the breath I’d been holding.
The Clock Tower—the tallest structure in the Deste Estate.
Since it stood slightly taller than the commercial building where Ian was, Aig’s arrow had been able to reach its mark safely.
‘The exhaustion is considerable…….’
Aig caught me as I swayed, his expression full of concern. I gave him a weak smile.
“Thanks to you, we succeeded.”
Aig’s stern face softened slightly.
“All that practice paid off. I’m glad I could help.”
“You really are the archer of our village, sir!”
“‘Archer’?”
“A great hero with the bow!”
Aig, falsely accused of murdering someone with illegal pesticide.
His aptitude: Archer Who Guards the World Tree.
He’d always possessed a commanding physique, but through disciplined training he’d developed such extraordinary upper-body strength that his archery demonstrated both devastating accuracy and crushing force.
That’s why I needed him.
‘To send only the Demon to the Primordial Forest where Verity waits, I required…….’
A marker that would serve as coordinates for both sides.
That marker was an arrow stained with my blood.
Aig fired it before the Demon’s feet, and at that same instant, I teleported the Demon to the Primordial Forest where Verity waited.
‘My part in this plan is finished.’
I rode down from the Clock Tower on Aig’s back.
“Is it all over?”
“No.”
Stepping out of the Clock Tower, I surveyed the bustling Plaza.
“Now the real thing begins.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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