The Seven-Year-Old Village Chief in Exile - Chapter 9

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

Episode 9
* * *
The exile grounds were right next to Dallis’s family estate.
‘That’s far too convenient.’
My instincts flared to life.
‘If I visit the Deste Territory, I might uncover more detailed information. The underlying reason why the exiled family was framed in the first place…….’
Now I understood why the exiled family had been falsely accused.
But to go to such lengths at the state level just to have them mine ore?
‘That doesn’t add up.’
Before leaving the Primitive Forest, I called Livvy.
I hid our true destination and simply told her we’d scout the area outside the forest to be safe.
Livvy sent us off with words of encouragement, telling us to return unharmed and not to worry about things here.
“Put these on.”
Verity produced three Invisibility Cloaks.
I’d made a wish to obtain these as well—a measure to reduce my nosebleeds from overworking the demons.
“If you pull the hood down over your head, the cloak won’t just hide your appearance. Your presence will vanish entirely.”
“Wow……!”
I quickly wrapped the cloak around myself.
“How much could we sell this for……!”
“Your avarice is showing, miss. That’s a condition no antidote can cure.”
The three of us, cloaked in invisibility, watched the forest’s edge intently.
Outside the forest, armed knights filled every gap. All of them wore swords at their waist. There were also massive weapons with great wheels attached, like cannons.
Among them were people who weren’t knights. Ian murmured as he spotted them, “Even Court Mages have shown up.”
“Who are those people in white clothes?”
“Priests.”
Click.
And another click.
We disengaged the Barrier around the Primitive Forest with far greater skill than we’d possessed four days ago, and finally stepped beyond its edge.
The knights didn’t notice us, even with our cloaks.
As a result, we could eavesdrop on the knights’ conversation from up close.
“They say the Barrier inside the Primitive Forest came down and the exile grounds were utterly devastated…….”
“I heard it was a monster that the dead Clavius summoned using his own life. Revenge against the Emperor, supposedly.”
“Is that why the Emperor went down to the Southern Retreat?”
“They say one guard’s head was the only thing that made it outside.”
“What happens to Clavius’s fortune? Does the Emperor and the nobles split it in the end? Has anything been announced yet?”
From the knights’ chatter, I grasped something crucial.
‘The imperial court was jealous of Clavius.’
Perhaps Clavius, too, had been falsely accused.
‘And somehow, it feels like Clavius knew and played along…….’
That was when it happened.
“…….”
“…….”
Our eyes met.
In the midst of the chaos, a lone man stood motionless, his gaze fixed steadily on where I was.
‘What—what is this?’
Could he see us?
The man then began striding toward me with purposeful steps.
His footfalls were quiet yet heavy, stopping just short of where I stood.
Ian quietly drew me into his arms, while Verity fixed the man with an enigmatic stare.
Black hair, a mole beneath his right eye.
A deep purple coat draped across his shoulders.
An appearance difficult to place in any particular age.
The knights who had been idling moments before snapped to rigid attention, saluting smartly.
“Y-Your Excellency, the Grand Chamberlain!”
“My apologies for disturbing your rest.”
“N-No, not at all……!”
“I see you’ve been exchanging information during patrol…….”
“It seems I was mistaken. I thought you were on break and simply got carried away talking.”
Wow.
‘That’s absolutely brutal backhanded praise……!’
I let out an admiring whisper.
“It seems Commander Rashid has uncovered something about the Primitive Forest. He appeared to be looking for all of you as well.”
“Ah, thank you so much for telling us!”
“We’ll take our leave!”
The knights fled the room as though their lives depended on it.
The Grand Chamberlain, who had worn such a benevolent smile, wiped his expression clean in an instant and turned sharply on his heel.
“……We should probably go as well.”
I followed Verity and Ian, my eyes darting back repeatedly.
Whether the Grand Chamberlain was staring intently at something else or simply lost in thought, his figure remained perfectly still.
Stepping beyond the Primitive Forest for the first time, I found myself surrounded by endless plains of verdant green that stretched to the horizon.
The vast expanse made the Primitive Forest, standing solitary at the center, appear as vast as a mountain.
Yet I could not bring myself to appreciate such magnificence.
“Wow.”
Verity stared at my forehead with wide eyes.
“You’re drenched in sweat. Is it because you’re young and your metabolism works better?”
“I’m twenty-five. That’s hardly a child.”
“You’re seven years old, Hebenia. And you’ve sweated buckets.”
Ian held up the back of his hand, which he’d used to wipe my forehead.
Moisture glistened across his skin.
‘……So I was frightened.’
I’m not easily frightened. I lack a sense of danger—I’ve often been told I’ve lost all capacity for fear.
Even when a jailer had strangled me, I’d felt only anger, not fear.
Hunting monsters had been easy to adjust to.
Yet seeing a single person had provoked this reaction.
I placed a hand over my heart. My pulse thundered against my ribs as though they might shatter.
“Ian.”
I asked him.
“What exactly is the Grand Chamberlain?”
“He’s the Emperor’s closest aide. I suppose you could call him a secretary of sorts?”
“Is he strong?”
“I don’t know for certain. But rumor has it that he is.”
“I see.”
But Ian’s words didn’t end there.
“Though…….”
Ian gazed back toward the Primitive Forest.
“It doesn’t seem like he’s merely strong.”
“You didn’t know this until now?”
Verity asked.
“No. I’d never even met him before, so I assumed it was nothing in particular…….”
The light in Ian’s eyes as he turned back toward the Primitive Forest was peculiar.
“Perhaps the rumors don’t capture the full extent of his strength.”
Beads of cold sweat began forming on Ian’s brow as well.
* * *
After an hour’s walk from the place of exile, we reached a small village, and from there, a thirty-minute carriage ride brought us to the Deste Territory.
It resembled the fantastical magical world one might encounter in a fairy tale or novel.
‘So this must be what “another realm” means?’
While I stood slack-jawed in wonder, a small tram rolled into view, traveling across the ground.
The tram followed rails embedded in the earth, circling the territory while loading and unloading many passengers.
“That’s a Magic-Powered Tram—people call it a tram.”
“A tram…….”
“The Clavius Family developed it and distributed it throughout the kingdom. See that?”
Ian pointed to a lock-shaped emblem painted on the tram’s side.
“Yes. A diamond-shaped lock.”
“That represents the subsidiaries under Clavius. The Clavius Family’s symbol is a key, so all related businesses and foundations are marked with a lock.”
“It’s one of the assets Miss Hebenia may inherit someday.”
“Ugh, Mother and Father! Why did you commit such lunacy and leave me, your only daughter, with nothing?”
“You’re not an only child, Hebenia. You have an older brother.”
“I had a secret about my birth too?”
“It’s not really a secret…….”
I watched the tram round the corner and disappear from sight, my eyes following it until even the lock emblem painted on its side vanished from view.
Clavius.
Ever since my days laboring in exile, I’d pieced together information by asking adults whenever I had the chance.
‘Though they were all utterly out of their minds.’
An arrogant house that once gave its titles to the dogs it raised.
Benefactors greater than the Emperor himself.
Wealthy beyond measure, drowning in gold.
A bloodline so wicked they could command demons.
Yet ultimately, they’d committed High Treason — attempted murder of the Imperial Daughter — and faced Decimation.
‘……But they’re probably still alive.’
Just as I possessed the Mysterious Power, other members of the Clavius Family surely harbored tremendous strength of their own.
I’d survived this long despite awakening to my power only recently.
The others had to be lurking somewhere, watching this entire spectacle unfold with glee. The conviction was overwhelming.
“But you know,”
While Ian secured lodgings at the inn, Verity and I waited outside, watching the passersby in quiet obedience.
For the record, our cover story was that we were three unfortunate siblings searching for our deadbeat father who’d abandoned us, following him all the way to the border.
“Do you know anything about Clavius, Verity?”
“About what?”
“The Clavius Family. You seem to know something.”
“Well…….”
After a moment’s thought, Verity spoke.
“Absolutely despicable bastards?”
“Oh, come on.”
Even here, it seemed, family luck eluded my grasp.
If a demon was spewing insults like that, the verdict was final.
‘Well, I wasn’t expecting much anyway.’
There was no point building false hope only to get hurt — better that my expectations had just plummeted, I told myself in consolation.
Just then, Ian emerged after settling the lodging fees.
“It’s been so long since I’ve talked to someone I didn’t know…….”
His face still carried a tension he couldn’t shake — the strangeness of experiencing ‘ordinary life’ and ‘freedom’ again after so long.
The exiles waiting for us in the Primitive Forest would feel the same.
‘I really can’t forgive the Emperor.’
Truth be told, I held no personal grudge against him. Whatever his intentions, the hardships I’d endured because of the Emperor had ultimately worked in my favor.
But after seeing Ian just now, I’d never forgive him. Not in a lifetime.
“……Let’s get out more often.”
I gripped Ian’s hand as I spoke.
“Travel around, visit our family.”
“…….”
“We can do it. I’ll help.”
“……If it weren’t for you.”
Ian’s voice wavered slightly.
“Really, what would have happened to us?”
“The guards would’ve killed us. Or we’d have become monster food.”
“Hahaha.”
“Go ahead and laugh at something ridiculous.”
Feeling embarrassed, I gently kicked Ian’s leg.
“Let’s move.”
We had much to do.
“We’re heading to the herbalist first, aren’t we?”
I nodded at Verity’s words.
Before leaving the village, Elba had given me Dulchebia Herb to sell, telling me to use the money for supplies if needed.
‘I’ll check the current market price and learn how things stand. Kill two birds with one stone — use the money to buy what we need.’
“According to Elba, it’s supposed to be incredibly expensive and rare.”
Ian murmured.
“I wonder how much it’ll fetch?”
“The herbalist owner might propose marriage.”
“Haha, that’s nonsense.”
“You never know.”
I shrugged lightly.
“Since it’s such an expensive herb, they might ask to marry you just to monopolize it.”
* * *
The owner of the apothecary was an old man with a long, stiff beard.
“Marry me.”
After finishing his assessment of the Dulchebia Herb, he made a proposal to Ian.
“I… beg your pardon?”
“Brother, congratulations on your engagement!”
“See? I told you I was right! Welcome to the family, sister-in-law!”
At his siblings’ senseless congratulations, Ian felt the world spin before his eyes.

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