The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief in Exile - Chapter 56

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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 56
But I didn’t particularly mind having revealed my secret.
‘I’ve never treated it as one in the first place.’
I’d always been open about my secrets. Better to tell people upfront than risk someone finding out later and thinking me strange—it was simply more efficient.
‘That’s why I told you! See?’
Yet for all my candor, no one seemed willing to believe it.
‘Then again, how could they?’
I didn’t quite believe it myself.
……
I stood motionless before the gate for a moment, gazing absently down the path Nema had taken.
With the neighborhood facilities now installed, Exilium presented itself as a reasonably prosperous city, its buildings at varying heights creating an impression of genuine development.
“Could this place become like the old Exilium?”
Could it flourish as it once did?
In response to my musing, Poppi and Chuchu barked in unison—a cheerful “Woof!”
“Right. Let’s make it happen.”
Strange as it seemed,
in that moment, not a single worry clouded my heart.
* * *
Four days later.
My preparations for the trip to Antema were completed swiftly.
“Tomorrow already…….”
Libi, who’d been helping me pack beside me, rested her chin on my head and whimpered adorably.
“Come back soon, all right?”
“I’ll bring you something delicious when I return.”
“There’s a small dining car on the train. Bring back some sweets from there.”
“Will do!”
Truth be told, I didn’t have much to pack this time.
Thanks to the favor I’d asked of the village elders beforehand, I simply received what they offered and stuffed it all into Verity’s Spatial Pocket without ceremony.
“This is what a Spatial Pocket is for, after all…….”
Verity muttered complaints about having somehow become a packhouse.
“Don’t complain, slave.”
“Did you just call me a slave, miss?”
“No? I said butler, didn’t I?”
“Sorrowful enough to make a Demon want to serve, truly…….”
I’d been cold in recent attempts to discipline my increasingly impudent Demon butler, though it seemed to have little effect.
If anything, our interactions had only grown less formal.
While this diverged from my intention, I decided it was worth it—we’d grown considerably closer.
“Each of you should pack food and emergency coin separately in your own bag as a precaution. That goes for you too, miss.”
Following Verity’s instructions, Ian and I each packed a small satchel with provisions, emergency funds, and a compact First Aid Kit.
“This is rather nice.”
Libi said, examining the First Aid Kit from various angles.
The First Aid Kit that Elba had prepared contained medicine for treating urgent wounds quickly, along with bandages and disinfectant.
“I wish we had something like this at home.”
“Then we’d need to adjust the medicine selection.”
I recalled the household First Aid Kits sold in Korea.
“Cold medicine, stomach ache medicine, antibiotic ointment—and maybe something to cool minor burns as well.”
“However does our village chief manage to be so clever?”
“It is precisely because you are village chief.”
“Oh, how shrewd and adorable!”
Libi pressed her lips to my cheek with a soft kiss, then pulled me into her arms.
I felt suddenly shy and let out a foolish laugh.
“But it really is an inspired product.”
Ian too seemed pleased with the First Aid Kit.
“I wish we’d had something like this in the Knight Order.”
“You didn’t?”
“Usually the wounded are taken to the resident physician when injured.”
I was somewhat surprised.
‘The civilization and technology have developed this far, yet there are unexpected gaps in certain areas.’
From my perspective, the absence of a First Aid Kit was genuinely shocking.
And to me, Libi and Ian said the following.
“There are similar things. Medicines prescribed by a doctor, all kept in one place? But they don’t sell them like this—as a packaged ‘First Aid Kit.'”
“Usually, when someone’s injured, they go to a hospital or call a physician.”
That remark opened up possibilities.
‘It’s not quite right to call it timely, but….’
The Empire was currently in the grip of medicinal herb supply shortages, which had heightened public awareness of health-related concerns like never before.
‘A First Aid Kit… Could this actually be profitable?’
After the plan to revitalize the village by selling medicinal herbs from Dulthecia had failed.
I’d been prowling the foothills like a hyena scavenging for prey, searching for new sources of income for our village—and this First Aid Kit suddenly looked very appealing.
I wanted to hurry back and discuss the possibilities.
“But….”
Ian, who had finished packing, hesitated before speaking.
He gazed distantly out through the darkening window.
“Nema won’t be coming after all, will she?”
“There’s nothing we can do. Nothing good comes from forcing someone.”
Verity couldn’t hide her regret.
“If you hadn’t been so pushy about it in the first place….”
“You were the one who agreed you wanted to fight, too. Why do humans always love blaming others so much?”
Nema hadn’t come to see us once all day, the evening before our departure.
When I asked the other villagers about her, they said they hadn’t seen her either.
“It’s fine!”
I wasn’t particularly worried.
“Whatever choice she makes, I’m okay with it. And she’s far stronger than any of us realize.”
“Hebeniah, do you think she’ll come tomorrow?”
Libi asked.
Somehow Verity and Ian had already turned to stare at me.
Instead of answering, I let a small smile play across my lips.
And.
‘Just as I thought.’
On the morning of departure.
Nema arrived at our house early, and I went out to greet her.
“You really came….”
Before long, Ian, Libi, and Verity had clustered behind me, their faces alight with both surprise and joy as they looked at Nema.
“Sister!”
“Goodness, my second beloved student…!”
“Didn’t I just tell you not to say things like that?”
Libi stepped in to discipline the two headstrong warriors in my place.
Nema fiddled with her bandaged fingers, which were covered in tape and stuck together in front of her belly.
“Am I… late?”
“Not at all. You’re right on time.”
“The truth is, I wanted to hurry here….”
Nema carefully unfurled a bundle she’d brought with her.
“But I was busy making this.”
The bundle contained Combat Uniforms that she’d sewn herself.
The black uniforms, which radiated neat elegance and weighty formality, put even the Imperial Knight Order uniforms to shame.
The fabric, when I felt it briefly, was sturdy and elastic, with no resistance to movement. And it was far lighter than it looked.
Above all, they were beautiful.
I picked up the smallest uniform of the set.
‘It looks like a magical girl battle outfit…!’
Unlike the other uniforms, this one had delicate lace trim adorning the short skirt, making it look like the fine clothing a noblewoman would wear.
“Did you… make this yourself, sister? In just four days?”
Even as Ian asked, he couldn’t stop running his hands over the uniform.
His hips were already shifting toward the room, eager to put it on immediately.
“Lucky! I want to try mine on too!”
Even dignified Libi rarely whined, asking if Nema could possibly make her one as well.
“Appearance is actually quite important.”
Nema, blushing from embarrassment, explained why she’d made the uniforms.
“When you wear clothes that instill a sense of belonging, people rarely question your status. A uniform especially conveys professionalism….”
“And for us, who need to hide our identities, it serves perfectly as a disguise.”
Verity gazed at her own uniform for a long moment, then placed it inside her Spatial Pocket.
Immediately, Verity’s clothes transformed into the black Combat Uniform.
An athletic middle schooler with an innocent smile—one who harbored a sadder story than anyone else—shifted into a boy who seemed destined to turn dark and cynical later in life.
“Wow! Ah!”
“Good heavens, Verity!”
Libi and I burst out laughing at the same moment.
“I had no idea you were this delicious of a being!”
“Verity! So you were capable of this!”
“Now I understand exactly how you two have been treating me all this time.”
Verity, his expression tinged with betrayal, cast a sidelong glance at Libi and me before turning to bow respectfully to Nema.
“Thank you for the meal. And thank you for the uniform as well.”
“Thank you for waiting for me.”
Nema straightened from her bow, still gripping tension in her shoulders, but her resolute expression looked remarkably determined.
* * *
“Squeak, whine…….”
“…….”
Poppi and Chuchu clawed frantically at my legs, begging me to take them along.
“You can’t go.”
Though I wanted nothing more to bring them, I hardened my resolve and peeled them away.
‘Poppi and Chuchu inherited Clavis’s peerage through the generations.’
In other words, the Imperial Court knew of their existence.
If I brought them and they were discovered, it would be a disaster—so much as I hated it, I had to leave them behind.
‘Damn it. I was so excited because I thought they’d be a real asset…….’
Somehow, nothing ever went according to my plan.
Besides, the sight of these small long-haired chihuahuas fighting in our stead wasn’t exactly a pretty picture.
Still, I decided to protect the dogs’ pride.
“If we’re delayed or something happens, you two are the only ones who can protect the villagers. We need to be prepared for anything.”
Understanding my words, Poppi and Chuchu’s drooping tails began wagging again with vigor.
I held both of them tight and pressed kisses to their heads.
“Don’t bite the villagers too much. If anyone doesn’t want to train, don’t force them. And listen well to Libi.”
At that, their tails drooped again.
‘They’re my dogs, but still.’
Their temperaments were terrible.
“Well then, we’ll be on our way!”
I waved to the villagers gathered to see us off.
“Travel safely!”
“Don’t get hurt!”
“Sister, bring back something delicious!”
“We’ll study hard while you’re gone!”
“Come back soon!”
Click.
Thus Ian, Verity, Nema, and I passed through the village hall entrance and arrived directly at the Deste Estate.
“My goodness…….”
Nema’s head swiveled constantly as she tried to take in the suddenly transformed, unfamiliar landscape.
“Hebeniah, you really are remarkable.”
“Oh, well, I suppose I have my moments.”
I answered with modest agreement.
Before leaving the estate, Verity had handed each of us a Magic Ring.
It was a modest ring set with a small piece of an unknown honey-colored ore.
“It’s a magical artifact that changes hair color. Keep it on you.”
As I slipped it onto my finger as instructed, the loose ring shrank to fit perfectly.
Then the ore embedded in the ring began to glow faintly.
Soon my reddish-brown hair shifted to honey-blonde.
Meanwhile, Ian and Nema turned pitch black.
Verity had quickly improvised a cover story on the spot.
“She and I are children of a wealthy merchant family, and you two are our escorts and attendants.”
“Brother, go on—call me young lady.”
“Young lady, you’ve been sneaking snacks again, haven’t you? Your belly’s gotten round.”
“Impertinent. You’re fired.”
I rubbed my round belly gravely as I spoke.

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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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