The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief in Exile - Chapter 88

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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 88
“A First Aid Kit?”
The young parent opened the box slowly.
Inside lay Disposable Bandages, Gauze, Ointment, and various medicinal solutions.
Guon, a priest at the temple, explained the product with a benevolent smile.
“It’s emergency medical supplies—the kind that lets you treat sudden high fevers, stomach troubles, or minor contusions right at home, without having to rush out.”
“Oh!”
“Y-yes, having something like this certainly would be convenient.”
The young parent’s gaze shifted as they looked at the First Aid Kit.
If they’d had medicine at home, they wouldn’t have had to dash to the temple in the middle of the night.
They would have given their child a fever-reducer, kept watch until morning, and then visited a physician.
“Most households probably stock something similar, but most people don’t really know what they ought to have on hand.”
Having finished his explanation, Guon at last prepared to bill them for the treatment.
“The cost you’ll need to settle today is…….”
The young parent suddenly snapped to attention.
Temple treatment was ordinarily more expensive than visiting a physician.
Of course, when the herb crisis had struck not long ago, they’d heard the temple had treated people free of charge given the circumstances, but now that things had settled, they’d charge the regular rate.
And yet—
“There is none.”
“Pardon?”
“Truly, truly no charge?”
The young parent asked again in disbelief, several times over.
“To be honest, you ought to donate this amount to the temple, but…….”
When Guon quietly mentioned what the actual price would have been, the young parent drew in a sharp breath.
‘That much money…….’
‘We could have visited a physician five more times.’
The sum was far steeper than they’d expected, and they swallowed hard.
Guon smiled ruefully, as if he understood.
“We too, as priests devoted to helping people and serving the divine, believe this isn’t the right way to act. So, after much deliberation, we created this.”
That was the First Aid Kit.
“It is a product officially sanctioned by the Deste Temple. We have personally verified the composition and efficacy of every medicine inside.”
With a single First Aid Kit, one could weather such emergencies safely.
And buy time until one could reach a physician.
Guon’s explanation was both courteous and concise. In particular, his measured tone inspired considerable trust.
Thanks to this, the young parent nodded in agreement several times as they listened.
“Furthermore, if any medicine should pass its expiration date, we will replace it with a fresh supply at half the original price.”
“Truly, is that so?”
“Half price?”
The young parent had moved beyond mere surprise to genuine amazement.
“Expired medicines will be disposed of by us. Recently, we’ve come into contact with a scholar conducting research on decomposing expired medicinal herbs into fertilizer.”
Guon paused for a moment, then moistened his dry throat with tepid tea.
……
Over the rim of his cup, he stole a glance at the young parent.
‘It appears to be working.’
Cherdo, the priest known as Guon, felt the corners of his mouth lift ever so slightly behind the teacup.
The groundwork seemed to be laid well enough.
“So what I would like to ask of you is this.”
The teacup clinked softly against its saucer with a pleasant ring.
“Please take the First Aid Kit home, use it, and then share your honest assessment with us.”
“Is that truly all you ask?”
“It would be of great help.”
Cherdo drove home his final point.
“The Deste Temple fervently hopes that this First Aid Kit will save many lives.”
* * *
Izelium Village.
Our village, having cast off the dark shadow of its past as a place of exile, now greeted a brilliant new beginning—a name befitting its destiny.
“Another order came in!”
I waved the order form the Deste Temple had sent.
“Two hundred additional First Aid Kits to be produced!”
“Understood!”
At Libi’s energetic call, the makeshift home factory for First Aid Kit production sprang back into motion.
It was truly a massive undertaking involving every resident of the village.
First, Elba and her fiancé Merdi the physician, along with the herb merchant grandfather, worked tirelessly to manufacture the medicine.
Next, I’d take small quantities of the medicine in glass bottles I’d wished for from Verity and seal them shut.
Then the apportioned medicines were carefully arranged alongside the pre-packaged Disposable Bandages and Gauze into square metal boxes.
The village people divided these two tasks between them.
‘Thanks to Libi’s magic, the large-scale medicine production took only four days.’
And with the factory’s labor well organized, First Aid Kit production speeds were exceeding my expectations.
Three hundred units the first day, a thousand the next.
And since then, we’ve maintained a steady output of two thousand a day.
Even with seven-hour shifts and guaranteed lunch and rest breaks, we’re maintaining this pace.
‘So this is why human civilization advances so rapidly…….’
As I mused on this, Modi and Frelia approached me with their report.
“Village Chief, it looks like we’ll surpass ten thousand units today.”
“We should produce a bit more. We’re filtering out defects as best we can, but it’s good to have extra just in case.”
“Village Chief, I’ve narrowed down candidate companies to market the field-use First Aid Kits to. And here’s the manufacturing plant list you mentioned before.”
“Ah, let’s prioritize the company handling the railway construction. And most of these factories are in the Southern Region?”
First Aid Kit production currently involves most of the village residents.
But this couldn’t continue as is.
‘First Aid Kits are spreading by rumor in other territories, and they’re placing orders. That means I need to produce far more than we’re making now.’
In other words, manual labor had its limits.
‘We need mass-production machinery.’
Of course, I could wish to Verity for materials, but that would hinder the village’s growth.
So I’ve decided to use this opportunity to acquire factories through the Izel Trading Company.
“Oh, that reminds me.”
As I examined the list of glass bottle factories in the Southern Region, I remembered an important schedule.
“When did the Duchess of Stria say she was coming?”
“Next week.”
“There have been no major issues with preparations so far.”
Frelia answered with a confident smile.
“Thanks to the gold ingots and jewels the Duchess sent as visiting gifts, preparations are proceeding smoothly!”
And Dalis even stepped forward with resolve.
Living up to her credentials as mistress of the Deste Estate, she freely offered her insights on how best to utilize the mansion.
‘Dalis made a real decision to do this.’
The Deste Estate had been a nightmare for her.
A husband who betrayed her, the terrible and agonizing Summoning Succession Ceremony.
And the servants who died.
On the first day she’d found the courage to return to the Deste Estate, Dalis wept in anguish the moment she saw the servants turned undead.
Especially when the maid she’d been particularly close to didn’t recognize her and asked, “Are you a guest?”—she’d been too devastated to even make a sound.
“……The servants are still, alright?”
“Yes.”
Modi answered quietly.
He too glanced at Dalis, swallowing his sympathy.
“Still, I think it might be wise to post a guard just in case.”
“We should send Ian, shouldn’t we? Nema is still training to manage her madness, so it’s too risky…….”
“Village Chief.”
Modi asked carefully.
“What about the knights?”
“The knights?”
“The ones who came with Molle Rebus…….”
My blood drained from my face.
All color vanished.
“I locked them in the Underground Dungeon and completely forgot about them! They’re not dead, are they?”
“Fortunately they’re not. Modi and I didn’t forget.”
Modi said.
Four days after returning from the second trip to Deste Estate.
Disguised as Molle Rebus using a Magic Tool, he’d gone to work at the Deste Estate and personally freed them from the Underground Dungeon.
Mercifully, the knights remained unconscious the whole time.
“Verity had given them Coma Medicine.”
“Coma Medicine?”
“It means a state that appears to be death. We suspect the effect lasted longer because she was given slightly more than the usual dose.”
“Hell, what a mad demon.”
“Hell, and thanks to me, you didn’t commit murder through indirect intent.”
Verity, passing by just then, muttered that it was too much.
Modi continued his explanation.
“We told the knights they simply drank too much and passed out. They didn’t suspect anything, since they weren’t exactly reliable to begin with.”
As I listened to the story, I spotted something odd.
“Then why haven’t I ever seen them?”
I’d walked through the Deste Estate as if it were my own home more than once, yet I’d never laid eyes on these knights.
Modi, who went out on errands to the Deste Estate frequently, had never even mentioned them.
“That is…….”
Modi spoke to me sheepishly.
“As I said before, they were never proper knights to begin with. Since waking up, they’ve been abandoning their posts and wandering outside the estate as they please.”
“Hmm.”
Maybe it would’ve been better to just leave them in the underground dungeon.
“And the Duchess of Stria will be arriving soon…….”
“We’ll need to clean this up.”
There’s no helping it.
I clicked my tongue and my mind raced ahead.
‘The Duchess comes with an entourage, doesn’t she?’
Crown Prince Fereus.
No matter how self-centered the Emperor is, he wouldn’t send just the crown prince alone.
He’d certainly dispatch an escort.
‘And whoever comes will hold considerable rank.’
I called for Ian right away.
While Ian came over, still carrying materials, I turned to Frelia.
“Has the guest list arrived?”
“Yes. It came yesterday evening. I brought it with me.”
“Havi, did you call for me?”
“Ian, take a look at this list for me.”
Ian’s eyes twitched slightly as he scanned the names I’d requested.
As I thought.
“You recognize someone?”
“Besides the Duchess and the Crown Prince?”
“Yes.”
“The entire knight order. I know those names.”
“What’s the name of whoever ranks highest among them?”
“Commander Rashid.”
Head of the entire Imperial Knights.
‘I’ve heard of him.’
On the day I first visited the Deste Territory.
“Commander Rashid seems to have discovered something about the Primordial Forest.”
That’s what the chamberlain had said.
‘When did he return to the Capital?’
It seemed the search of the Primordial Forest wasn’t progressing, so they were wrapping it up.
“Hmm.”
The corners of my mouth rose unbidden.
“If we play this right…….”
We could squeeze him dry down to the marrow.

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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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