Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga - Chapter 282

Chapter 282 - Lord of Flies?

Anika froze in place, and dozens of thoughts raced through her mind. She should be able to escape, or at least that was her assumption. But when she met Ellen's gaze, there was a confidence in her eyes that crushed any hope of escape.

Should she confront Ellen?

Just the thought sent every instinct in Anika's body screaming. Despite all the monsters she had battled and everything she had endured, it felt like there was a gaping power disparity that would make it easy for Ellen to kill her.

These very instincts had kept Anika alive for so long, so she decided to trust them. "I'm here to see the imposter."

Ellen tilted her head, her sharp glare still intact. "Imposter? Are you talking about Kon?"

"Yes," Anika replied. She wasn't certain about Ellen's exact relationship with Kon, but Ellen had been there to assist him on numerous occasions, like during the Expert Exams when Kon faced off against the Demonic Exorcist. "I saw him die with my own eyes, held his withering corpse in my arms. He's dead! Even if you're stronger than me for now, I'll return one day and kill you all for desecrating his memory."

"Aren't you a ray of sunshine and rainbows," Ellen chuckled. "I don't know what you saw, but Kon is alive. However, that shouldn't be your main concern right now. I'd like to know what you know about your Rain Clan's plans."

"Huh?" Anika was confused.

Why was she bringing up her clan at a time like this?

But she quickly received an answer when Ellen's gaze turned cold. "From now on, I will interrogate you. If your answers are unsatisfactory, I will kill you right here, right now."

Anika frowned as her mind raced to find a way out of this situation. Despite the danger, she felt strangely calm. It seemed that after all the peril she had faced, she had become accustomed to such circumstances. "I never had a strong connection with my clan, let alone knowledge of any schemes they might be involved in. I simply want to see this imposter who claims to be Kon and then leave."

"Be careful how you speak. If you think Kon won't kill you, you're mistaken. He doesn't know how deeply you were entangled in the Raion Clan's mess," Ellen warned, taking a breath as her eyes scrutinized every inch of Anika's body. "I know you like Kon, even someone blind would be able to tell that. But I must ask, did you let your feelings get involved and decided to let Wisteria die."

"What?" Anika exclaimed.

What was up with all this animosity? Did her clan do something?

"It will hurt Kon to kill you, so I'll do it on his behalf."

"Wait, hold on for a moment! What do you mean by my clan attacking or scheming?" Anika inquired.

Ellen narrowed her eyes and approached, stopping just an inch from Anika's face. "Well, that's a surprise. You're not lying, or perhaps you possess a way to evade the detection abilities of an ultimate-class demon. Which wouldn't be surprising since your clan is known for forming contracts with demons from outside, and they're renowned for their trickery."

Anika had no clue what Ellen was talking about and remained as perplexed as ever.

***

I was currently in the Queen's room, and unlike usual, she didn't have any anime or weeb-related items around. Wisteria stared at me as if I were guilty of something, then narrowed her eyes. "Okay, I've been holding this in for long enough. But I've noticed something strange about you..."

I had just finished my speech, so I wasn't sure what she might have noticed. Though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit anxious about this. After all, she could have guessed that I was from another world or something like that. She was smart enough, and probably might have started noticing things no one else would.

Or perhaps she was going to ask something more drastic, like how I knew the barrier was going to come down.

Thankfully, I had prepared answers for all of them. Any concerns she might bring up, I had the perfect response.

"Do you promise not to lie to me?" She asked, fidgeting around.

"Of course," I answered. Even telling her that I was from another world wasn't that big of a deal now, since my future knowledge was all void. Though I wasn't going to go into too much detail if she asked.

"Did you sleep with Tamae no Mae?" She asked, her face stern.

My brain halted for a moment as I realized what she was asking. But I quickly calmed down and looked her in the eyes to show my sincerity. "No."

She narrowed her eyes, "So you're telling me that a thousand-year-old demon who kills people without a second thought, for some reason, decided to help you?"

"No, she probably has some plans, and we might be a part of them. But the chances of her having any kind of emotional or romantic involvement with me are zero," I reassured her.

"You know, I won't feel too bad about it since it did save the country, as the barrier you cast was from her," she said, looking to the side. "M-Maybe she told you that to get the barrier, you would have to pay with your body..."

"How can someone so smart be so naive sometimes?"

"Hey!"

I chuckled and wrapped my arms around her, "Don't worry, I wouldn't do something like that. After all, you're my cute weeb princess."

"I'm a queen now!"

Who did she think I was? Some harem protagonist? Anyone with common sense knew how relationships worked, especially marriages.

Love is a two-way street, not a one-way highway.

"Don't worry. If I ever decide to create a harem and become a clueless protagonist who blushes at everything, while being dumber than a rock, I'll let you know," I smiled.

"Yeah right, you fit the evil archetype more than the protagonist," she elbowed me, not hard enough to break her bones, but with enough force to make her point. "Wow, it still feels like you're made of steel. How the hell do you have a body like that? Are you sure you're just a Master?"

My body might not compare to that of a real dragon, but it was still dragon-based. If the attack relied solely on raw power, only the top Special Exorcists would be capable of injuring me.

Just then, a gust of wind swept through the balcony, and I immediately positioned myself in front of Wis, preparing for a fight. However, Ellen entered and greeted me with a friendly smile, saying, "Look who I found looking for you. It's your cute friend, Anika."

She patted the younger girl on the shoulder and nudged her forward. Anika appeared somewhat nervous around her but sighed and walked towards me, pointing, "Who are you? Are you a clone of the original Kon?"

If I were a clone, my special ability would last more than five minutes, which would have been more convenient. However, I had no intention of revealing the limits of my special ability to anyone, even though Anika seemed to have some knowledge of what it entailed.

Before I could respond, another person landed on the balcony. It was Sei and Agon, leaping off a floating mirror. One of Agon's eyes was yellow, indicating that Yamata no Orochi was present too.

"Uh, Kon, the snake wants to talk to you," Agon said.

Agon didn't seem surprised by my survival and took it in stride. As expected of the main protagonist, his mind was as solid as a rock, and about as sharp.

"Hey! Don't just call me a snake, you stupid brat!"

"What should I call you then? You are a snake!"

"Call me the Eternal Demon God of Snakes, Yamata no Orochi!"

"That's way too long!"

It was very strange to see Agon and Yamata no Orochi arguing, both speaking from the same mouth.

“Shut it, brat!” Yamata no Orochi yelled, and both of Kon’s eyes turned yellow as he seemed to take over the whole body. However, before he could speak, one of Agon’s arms came up and slapped himself on the face. “You lousy brat! I am trying to explain something here!”

Agon simply gave him the middle finger, and Yamata no Orochi decided that enough was enough, taking over the whole body. He sighed and stared at me, saying, “Anyway, brat, I am here to warn you about someone that might even overcome the barrier. He's the kind of tricky guy who despises humanity enough to do anything to wipe them out. With thousands of years having passed, he's likely learned a lot about breaking through barriers. There's no way the fox bitch's barriers are strong enough to hold him back if he's been trying so hard to breach the dragon's way better barriers.”

“What's this guy's name?”

“Beelzebub, Lord of Flies, also known as the God of Cannibalism. Long story short, he holds a grudge against someone and now despises humanity,” after saying that, Orochi withdrew back into Agon’s body. Agon grumbled and cursed under his breath.

Beelzebub... Was he going to be the next major antagonist? If so, by shounen rules, he would have to be much stronger than the previous one.