Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga - Chapter 272

Chapter 272 - Counter Offer

She wants me to kill Wisteria?

This bitch!

All the anger and other emotions she had shown until now. This suggestion had been too cold-hearted for someone 'emotional' like her. Almost as if she had wanted me all along to think of her as someone too emotive to pull something so calculated.

Was this all calculated? Before she even met us, could she have planned to make herself seem prone to anger so I wouldn't think of her as someone who would be competent at elaborate plots?

Perhaps she was trying to convince me she was emotionally volatile enough that she could do something so 'illogical' and fall for me?

When that hadn't worked, she revealed her true intentions.

No, whatever she had planned, it didn't matter. What mattered most was that she could just ask me to kill my wife, just for a promise to be with a granny. How often had she been successful at this to be so confident that someone would do something like that?

I have to draw a clear line with this new partner of mine, as it seems like she likes pushing people.

Thinking of the times when Bets died, and when Carpy sacrificed himself for me, I gathered all those negative feelings and pushed them outward in an inescapable force of raw killing intent.

The ground below my feet cracked, and the whole place shook as my killing intent spread throughout the black market, making some people freeze in place.

This was definitely going to disrupt business and even chase away some of the more paranoid customers in the Black Market. But I didn't care; that was her problem to deal with.

"No, I do not accept your deal," I stared straight into her purple eyes and made my intentions clear. "If anything happens to my wife, I will kill you. Even if she falls down the stairs or gets a paper cut, I will come to you for an explanation. If your explanation isn't up to par, I will kill you."

Despite my threat to kill her, Tamae no Mae had a smile on her face. She released her own killer intent; hers was more refined and larger due to thousands of years of experience.

{Perfect Me}

My killing intent became razor-sharp, cutting through hers, and Tamae no Mae staggered as if she had been hit by a physical attack. Blood trickled down her nose, and she looked confused, as did I.

I never knew that killing intent could be used like this!

In simpler terms, killing intent was just the malicious feelings of someone expressed through Ord. Other Ord users would be able to sense the intent and warn them. It was usually used as a silent threat or to make inexperienced opponents freeze in place.

Under my eyes, strange lines began forming, resembling scales. When Tamae no Mae noticed this, her smile widened. "Sorry if that angered you. My suggestions were only hypothetical, of course. Not something I would ever do for real."

Upon hearing that, I deactivated Perfect Me, and my killing intent vanished. I returned her smile. "Only hypothetical? Why didn't you just say so? Now I feel embarrassed."

Of course, that was merely lip service, and she knew it. My threats remained valid, and if anything happened to Wisteria, she'd be the first person I'd come to deal with.

Her smile didn't waver as she said, "Okay, now, why don't you get the hell out of my place?"

"With pleasure," I replied and activated 'Perfect Me' once again.

My mind drifted back to a certain memory when Tamae no Mae had grabbed my hand and teleported us here. It wasn't a special ability but an array she had likely developed after thousands of years of learning.

Naturally, Perfect Me could mimic something like this effortlessly.

The space around me shifted, and for the first time since our arrival, she displayed another expression on her face—shock.

This was my way of conveying to Tamae no Mae that, despite her being thousands of years old and having a head start of thousands of years, I could easily catch up to her, so she'd better keep herself in my good graces.

Everything around me turned dark, and the darkness had a peculiar burnt bacon scent. Before I could finally see again, I found myself back in the same field where Tamae no Mae and I had battled.

The air held the acrid scent of ash, but the flames had thankfully dissipated, and the fields had been barren to begin with, so nothing had been harmed during the fight.

"She seems to have perfected this teleportation method," I muttered under my breath, sensing that I had barely expended any Ord. Teleportation was known to consume a lot of Ord, but this one appeared to have an annoyingly long cooldown. "She must have worked diligently to develop something like this. Even for a demon, she is undoubtedly a genius."

I muttered to myself as I strolled around, searching for anything out of place. Fortunately, everything seemed out of order.

Utilizing a dragon's power to fly, I felt a void in my stomach as gravity released its hold on my body. A sensation of weightlessness washed over me. After orienting myself and determining the direction of the Sun Kingdom capital...

I started flying in the said direction, gradually increasing my speed along the way. However, after a certain point, a quaking sensation coursed through the air, followed by a deafening sound right next to my ear.

"Shit, a sonic boom!" It felt as if my eardrums were about to burst!

Immediately, I slowed down a bit, attempting to ease the strain on my eardrums. This was the second time my eardrums had been destroyed today.

My body was abnormal after the last rebirth; by all measures, I was now a half-dragon who had inherited some remnants of Carpy's raw power. Of course, those remnants were more than enough to overpower most Ultimate Class demons. My body could handle the power, but certain parts remained human, unable to withstand the pressure when I went all out.

...

After a dozen minutes of flying, I was halfway to the capital city when something flew alongside me. It was a demon with a wyvern-like appearance, boasting four wings and a human head adorned with sharp teeth.

The demon opened its mouth wide, attempting to bite me. This was a high-class demon.

Before it could sink its teeth into me, I created a net of razor-thin water blades and shot it at the demon, slicing it into neat, cubical-like pieces. The chunks fell to the ground, and I promptly threw a fire talisman at the remains.

If any animals consumed the remains of demons they could potentially turn into low-class demons. While such demons weren't a threat to me, they could pose a danger to the local population.

...

Thankfully, the rest of the journey went without any further problems. I even had the opportunity to enjoy the bird's-eye view of the country, which was truly breathtaking.

Upon arriving at the castle in the heart of the capital city, I briefly contemplated whether I should enter through the balcony and directly into Wisteria's room. However, I dismissed that idea almost immediately.

Instead, I opted for a different approach: entering through a window that led to the hallway just outside her room.

Upon entering, there were no people in the vicinity except for two golems stationed in front of her doors. Their eyes briefly glowed as they assessed whether I harbored any malicious intentions toward the princess before deactivating.

To be honest, these puppets were mainly for show. Even the Royal Guards were the same, as the true defender of this castle in my absence would be the Lover Exorcist.

Taking a deep breath and wearing a smile, I kicked the door open.

Wisteria lounged on her bed, indulging in junk food and engrossed in her anime. When I kicked the door open, her only reaction was a slight flinch. She didn't even bother to turn and look at me; instead, she muttered under her breath, "Fucking bastard."

I pretended not to hear her curse and let out a disappointed sigh. "You don't even acknowledge me when I barge in anymore? What if I were an intruder?"

"Then they'd be in for a world of pain," she shrugged.

A world of pain? By whom? It wasn't as if she knew that the Lover Exorcist was constantly keeping an eye on her. While Ellen had saved her once, she never claimed to be watching over her all the time.

Oh, don't tell me... Has she developed her special ability? Hopefully, it's something good. I had explained to her that a special ability must have a personal connection to the user to be the most effective.

"When did you develop your special ability?" I inquired.

"While watching anime," she casually replied.

Ah, yes... Why did I even expect a different answer?

"Anyway, how was your day?" She asked, and for the first time since I barged into her room, she scrutinized me from head to toe, as if checking for injuries. When she saw that I had none, she returned her attention to the TV.

"Well, it was an eventful day, to say the least... I met the Demonic Exorcist."

As soon as the words left my mouth, her eyes widened, and she gave me another once-over look. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yep," I reassured her with a smile.

She didn't seem convinced at all. "As your queen, I order you to go see a doctor."

“I absolutely and utterly refuse.”