The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief in Exile - Chapter 74

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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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Chapter 74
* * *
I sniffled, wiping my nose.
‘Thank goodness…….’
The villagers embraced the people they’d missed so dearly, and instead of exchanging news, they could only repeat their tearful relief at finding each other safe and whole.
They’d all feared being turned away.
But contrary to their expectations, their families and loved ones had believed in their innocence all along—and had even attempted a coup d’état to prove it.
‘Good people gravitate toward other good people.’
I found myself remembering the day I’d fretted about what would happen once the villagers left to find their families and friends.
‘How childish and selfish I was.’
Watching this scene unfold, that old remorse seemed to lift—if only a little.
“Popi, Chu-chu.”
At my call, the two Chihuahuas came bounding over.
I scooped up the puppies I hadn’t seen in two days and held them tight.
“I’m back. Have you two been good while I was gone?”
“Yelp!”
“Yelp-yelp!”
“Ha ha, that tickles!”
With the dogs licking my face eagerly, I cradled them and made my way toward the Village Hall.
I didn’t want to disturb the villagers’ tearful reunion.
“Livy.”
I had something I needed to tell the people who remained.
At the table right now were Ian, myself, Livy, and Verity.
I set the puppies down beneath the table before speaking.
“I met your brother.”
“What?”
“I ran into him at the Research Facility, and he looks just like you.”
“…….”
“He seemed healthy. And it looked like he worries about you a lot.”
That last part wasn’t fabricated.
When Modi and Prelia were on the call together.
“Settle down, please! And Fri-Fri was real? All this time I thought you were just imagining things……!”
Olive had clearly reacted to the sound of Livy’s voice that had leaked through for a moment.
Though he’d never actually asked about Livy’s wellbeing in the end, Olive hadn’t forgotten his sister. The longing that flickered in those wavering eyes had been genuine.
“So, Olive…….”
Livy exhaled a trembling breath.
Then she asked bluntly.
“Is he still an ass?”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
Ian, Verity, and I all froze.
None of us could answer.
Part of it was because the question itself was difficult to respond to, but more than that—we couldn’t bring ourselves to even lie and say, “No, your brother’s a good guy,” because it simply wasn’t true.
“Sigh.”
Livy deflated, as if she’d expected as much.
Ian hastily tried to soften it.
“Don’t misunderstand. Your brother’s actually a decent fellow.”
Verity quickly added to Ian’s defense. “That’s right. We received help from him at the Research Facility, and I witnessed his sincere altruism firsthand.”
Both of them scrambled to paint a better picture.
“You don’t have to try so hard to spin it like that.”
“Don’t you want to see your brother?”
At my question, Livy immediately objected.
“I do want to. Really. He’s my only family.”
“Then why…….”
“Even family members deserve an honest assessment.”
Livy’s attitude, which had always nagged at me, suddenly came into focus.
The day I learned she had the talent of a grand sorcerer blessed by demons, she’d made a fuss about not being able to meet her brother.
‘And when she found out he’d become a Heretical Inquisitor, she was sad about not being able to see him…….’
Until now I’d thought she was avoiding him to keep from interfering with his promising future as a Holy Knight, but looking back, it seemed her excuse was rooted in a deeper truth—she genuinely wanted to keep physical distance between them.
‘But I do understand a little.’
That stubborn one.
That willful sixteen-year-old who pushed nothing but his own words had worn me out considerably.
I regarded Livy with complicated feelings when she suddenly tucked her hair behind her ear and spoke.
“As everyone knows, I’m rather pretty, aren’t I?”
A cold silence fell.
Livy asked once more, her voice dropping slightly.
“Why doesn’t anyone answer?”
“Why would we bother saying something so obvious and wear out our mouths?”
I replied with practiced ease, then quickly signaled Ian and Verity.
“……Well, yes, everyone knows you’re beautiful, just like Havi said.”
“I assumed you were simply continuing your sibling’s train of thought and remained silent. Objectively speaking, Livy, you are quite attractive.”
The three of us managed to preserve the household’s true authority’s mood.
Satisfied, Livy resumed the story she’d paused.
“So there were always plenty of people pestering me back then. Olive grew worried about it and always stayed by my side.”
“A remarkable sibling indeed.”
Verity smiled warmly in approval.
Livy also welcomed the praise of her brother.
“Hmm…….”
But soon that pretty face twisted into a grimace.
“The problem was, that concern went too far.”
Livy’s testimony that followed was shocking.
“He’d lock the door and tell me not to go out because people would bother me at work, he’d come running and pick fights if anyone approached me to ask directions, he’d throw out all my shoes saying he’d earn the money so I shouldn’t worry…….”
Gasp!
I was horrified.
‘He’s a severe brother complex case!’
I’d thought he was just rigidly devoted to his religion, but he turned out to be a madman in desperate need of professional psychiatric care!
I wasn’t the only one reacting this way.
“Wow, uh…….”
“Tsk tsk, the end times…….”
Ian and Verity were also reeling from the shock.
“Sister…….”
I gripped Livy’s hand tightly.
“That lunatic threatened me to take me to the Central Temple.”
“He mistook you for a Saintess.”
“What? The Saintess is Aunt Dalis.”
“He didn’t listen to a word anyone said. Even when the child cried and didn’t want to go, he insisted on dragging her there anyway, didn’t he?”
“I won’t curse him since he’s Livy’s brother, but honestly, I could tell from the moment I first saw him. His face showed nothing but stubbornness……!”
* * *
Meanwhile, at that very moment.
Olive, who had been instantly transported from the Mountain Foothill Villa to the Antema Research Facility, grew ever more resolute in his conviction.
‘Clavis truly is a Saintess.’
The protective barrier that had shielded the victims.
The traces of battle remaining in the cavern three levels below ground.
And the spatial teleportation he himself had experienced.
‘These are miracles that no ordinary magic could ever achieve. Spatial teleportation especially—it is the province of the divine alone.’
Olive’s misunderstanding only grew more firmly entrenched. He even convinced himself he understood why Hebenia had been designated a Saintess.
‘Exiled and condemned under the law of guilt by association at such a tender age, she dedicates herself to protecting the wrongfully imprisoned in the Primordial Forest teeming with monsters.’
Truly the very image of a Saintess, the embodiment of self-sacrifice.
‘Just like my sister…….’
Olive squeezed his eyes shut.
She who had taken it upon herself to be his guardian in their parents’ absence.
My sister, who spared no effort and worked tirelessly to earn money for a brother only two years her junior.
A person as noble and beautiful as a Saintess.
‘Sister, please wait just a little longer.’
Olive had yet to reunite with his beloved sister.
‘I will destroy with my own hands those demons who cast false accusations upon you, and I shall extract their blood, flay their hides, and make them pay the price of their sins.’
After that, I will create a peaceful paradise where my sister can live happily all her days.
So that her delicate, slender hands will never chafe again.
So that her small, beautiful toes will never blister or scar.
I shall place in your hands a happy life, lying on a soft bed, free from all the world’s worries and cares.
‘Sister, stay with me forever.’
As the reverent prayer drew to a close.
“Inquisitor, we’ve arrived.”
The carriage carrying Olive came to a halt.
After a railway journey of two and a half days, followed by another hour’s travel by carriage, they had reached the western region.
The heartland of the National Religion.
The Central Temple.
The ancient, towering temple building possessed scholarly, cultural, and artistic value in its very existence.
Olive stepped inside.
The priests who recognized him bowed respectfully, while pilgrims who had come to pray made the sign of the cross in reverence.
From them emanated a strange, electric excitement.
‘The waves left by the Archangel’s Descent still run strong.’
Olive lowered his head briefly in acknowledgment of their fervor.
Knock, knock.
Thus he arrived at the Holy King’s Palace.
The residence of the Holy King, the highest priest of the Central Temple and the symbol of the National Religion.
“Your Majesty.”
Soon a gentle voice bade him enter.
Olive made the sign of the cross out of habit and stepped inside.
The study of the most revered Holy King was remarkably austere.
A single bookcase crammed with worn, thick volumes.
And an ancient walnut desk.
“Olive, Heretical Inquisitor.”
An elderly man stood with his hands clasped behind him before the window, through which bright sunlight streamed abundantly, and opened his mouth.
His calm, serene voice naturally eased the tension in his visitor.
“You have labored greatly.”
“Thanks to Your Majesty’s concern, I have returned safely.”
“I received the report earlier. There were casualties, I understand.”
“We found six survivors in total. As for the bodies…….”
Olive recounted the investigation of the Anathema Research Facility methodically.
The Holy King listened in silence.
Undead experiments, abducted victims, those who had died in the experiments.
And traces of demon summoning as well.
Even the acquisition of a Sacred Relic, believed to have been used by the demon.
As the account progressed, the Holy King’s expression grew darker.
Olive bowed his head in apology.
“Forgive me. I could not fulfill all the commands you gave me. Those you asked me to bring…….”
“No.”
The Holy King approached and raised Olive’s bowed head.
“You have returned safely, and you have rescued the victims. Indeed, the successive descents of angels carried such sublime purpose.”
“And Your Majesty, I encountered the chamberlain at the research facility.”
“The Emperor’s involvement has become certain.”
“He said that the Imperial Princess has recovered.”
“Then the distribution of medicinal herbs will soon return to normal.”
Yet no one could easily say they were relieved.
The Central Temple had already compiled reports of damages flowing in from all quarters.
The fact that no deaths had occurred was a miracle, but tragedies continued to unfold as chronic illnesses worsened into critical conditions due to the shortage of medicinal herbs.
Then.
“Your Majesty.”
Olive the Heretical Inquisitor spoke with solemnity.
“I have found the Saintess.”
“What?”
The Holy King’s eyes widened in disbelief, and then a bright smile crossed his face.
“Where, where was she found? Good heavens, what a blessing! So the Saintess was among those the Archangel asked to be brought! How old is she? Then we must welcome all her relatives and family here to live in comfort…….”
“It is the young lady Clavis.”
“…….”
The Holy King’s expression froze in an instant.
“What did you just say…….”
“The young lady Clavis is alive.”
“…….”
“She is the Saintess.”

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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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