Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga - Chapter 266

Chapter 266 - Courting Death

There was a soft scent of lavender in the room as I opened my eyes, and the sunlight roused me from my slumber.

I lay there, completely naked and covered in some rather peculiar anime-themed bed sheets. Wisteria, too, was unclothed beside me, sprawled out across the bed like a starfish. Luckily, the bed was big enough that her position didn't disturb me.

This was one of the challenges many couples faced. Some people favored night lights, some were restless sleepers, and others snored loudly. Fortunately, these issues could often be resolved with a bit of money, such as buying a larger bed.

I wrapped a towel around my waist and walked to the balcony, where the warm morning sun bathed my skin in its golden light. It was then that I sensed another presence in the adjacent tower.

A blonde woman sporting sunglasses and a green dress gracefully leaped from her sunbathing perch and landed beside me. It was Ellen, the Lover Exorcist, and my teacher. She peered into the room, spotted Wisteria, and then turned back to me.

"Wow, never thought you could pull it off," she remarked.

"Please. Tell me you weren't up all night watching us."

Instead of answering directly, she offered a sly smile and nodded.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I inquired.

"I'm just teasing. I only arrived here this morning."

"That sounds like the excuse a creepy stalker in your position would use."

To my surprise, Ellen wasn't as easily baited as Wisteria. She opted to change the subject. "Anyway, what's with the white hair? Please don't tell me it's some kind of teen phase?"

""To make a very long story short, my body aged up and then gained back its vitality. I technically lost all my lifespan, so my hair is stuck like this. Or maybe my body will start producing hair dye again. Who knows," I gave a passable excuse, and Ellen shrugged, choosing not to dig any deeper.

"Did anything interesting happen in the world of exorcists while I was away?" I looked toward the plaza, where the guards were doing their morning training.

"A bunch of chaos, that's what happened," she sighed and sat on the balcony railing. Which was made of pure white marble.

Curious, I asked her to elaborate, and she sighed even more deeply this time. "Well, let's just say that your old friend, the Demonic Exorcist, heard of your death... He wasn't pleased, to say the least."

Yeah, I didn't even want to imagine what that guy had been up to. Ironically, if I were to die, the Demonic Exorcist would be one of the people most devastated by the loss of his rival.

"How much damage did he cause?" I inquired.

"Nine out of ten conflicts during this time were related to him. Dozens of exorcist clans have been exterminated, the Shi Clan is all but gone, and a handful of Special Exorcists have also died," she shook her head. "That is at least all we know. He was probably involved in many other conflicts we don't know about, as his Special Ability is infamous for starting wars."

"Why? Is there some kind of war?"

"Not officially, but exorcists and people are killing each other much more than usual," she looked out on the horizon as if staring at battles happening far away.

After all I had done, it felt like the same shit, just a different day. Always conflict, with powerful people's egos and greed sending thousands to their deaths.

"Is any of this happening in the Sun Kingdom?" I asked.

"No," she shook her head and narrowed her eyes at me. "Why? Did you think I wouldn't keep my part of the promise? I told you I would protect Wisteria, and that means protecting her kingdom too."

"Of course not, and I didn't mean it as a snide comment toward you. It's just that the barrier around the world will soon drop, and demons from outside will come swarming in," I clarified.

As someone in the upper ranks of Special Exorcists, Ellen knew what the barrier around the human world was. Even if she had been sheltered her whole life, she still knew some of the world's biggest secrets. That was the kind of knowledge that came with having power.

However, despite the grave news, she smiled, showing her pearly white teeth, and excitement danced in her eyes. "New demons coming? For Masters like us, that is good news. We could tame some of those outside horrors."

"And millions of people will die because of that," I shrugged.

"Millions of people die every day, and no one is strong enough to be everywhere at the same time. Worrying about something inevitable makes us useless. We have to think about how to take advantage of this," She put a hand on my shoulder and pulled her glasses down, revealing her deep blue eyes. "Don't be arrogant enough to try and do something stupid."

"Don't worry, I don't care about it that much either," I shrugged. "As you said, we can do nothing about it, and instead of spending time contemplating the impossible, we should think about how to make the most of the options we have."

I placed my hands on the cold marble railings, feeling the chill of the stone against my palms. The cold was comfortable, it showed that I was still alive.

Many ideas were swirling through my mind about how I could handle what was about to come. One thing was certain: I wasn't going to risk my life for anybody. However, that didn't mean I wouldn't attempt to save some of the people.

I quite liked civilization, and it would be a shame if Wisteria's kingdom were to fall, even though she hadn't been in power for a full year.

Saving other kingdoms was out of the question, as it would require me to risk my life, and it would only serve as a power base for my enemies. Which I had no doubt would be used to try and backstab me if some demon from the outside offered them a deal.

I needed a barrier, not around the entire continent, but around this country. The Sun Kingdom was surrounded by other big and small nations and had enough land to grow sufficient food to sustain itself. Even if the land was insufficient, I could bless it.

"You should also think about taming an ultimate class demon,"  Ellen interrupted my thoughts. "Find something that would work well with your special abilities. It works quite well for me, and when we fuse it strengthens both our powers."

She was right; I needed to tame some demons. However, ultimate-class demons weren't easy to come by, and attempting to evolve one from scratch by now would be a waste of time. "I will try and see what I can find. Maybe if I come across a really unique demon, I might tame it. But for now, I have other things to deal with. Can you look after Wisteria a bit longer for me?"

Ellen raised a questioning brow and smiled, "Don't tell me you're about to go somewhere after what you did with her and have her wake up alone in bed?"

"Since when did mountain girls who hadn't even seen a man until recently become so knowledgeable about romance," I sent her a teasing smirk.

"I will have you know that despite living in a mountain, I had access to TV and used to watch a lot of dramas to pass time. I don't think there is anyone out there who used to spend more time than me watching dramas!" she boasted, puffing her chest out proudly as if it were something to be proud of.

How did she even get a TV in the mountains? I don't remember there being any electric towers around the wooden cabin she used to live in.

I wanted to ask her, but it probably had something to do with Ord. Maybe if I ever decided to go into seclusion, I would ask her about it.

Actually, now that I thought about it, maybe not. TV and every other form of entertainment in this world were kind of boring.

"Anyways, do you know some way I can track the Demonic Exorcist?" I asked.

"Why the hell would you want to know where that psycho is? Don't tell me that you gained a taste for blood now that you're back to life," she covered her mouth, with her eyes comically wide.

"Stop being so dramatic," I shook my head, making sure to send her a look that showed how disappointed I was, which in response she just stuck out her tongue like a kid.

She really was something. How old was she again? She had to be in her thirties by now.

I stopped playing around with her and explained, "I need him to find a certain someone for me, and he is the only one who can do that."

***

Anika was not having a good time. She gazed at the sky while lying on a vast field of green grass. The grass tickled her skin, but even that couldn't make her laugh.

She and her team had just completed another mission, saving people after it had gone wrong. It was something she was getting used to by now.

However, no matter how satisfying saving people used to be, she couldn't bring herself to smile. Kon had died, and his tamed demon stayed behind on that forsaken island.

Despite the lukewarm weather, a chill ran down her spine when she thought about Avalon Island. She still had nightmares about the place and could barely sleep, as Kon died a thousand times in her dreams.

"Hey, Anika! You still alive?" asked Agon from a distance. Unlike her, he still wore a wide smile, as if nothing had happened. Sei was also seemingly unfazed and was as calm as always.

Of course, they weren't as close to Kon as she was, so none of them could understand her pain. Despite seeing her lost in thought, Agon and Sei approached her. She contemplated using her strings to cut them, so they would learn not to approach her whenever they felt like it. But those were the kinds of intrusive thoughts Anika knew not to act upon.

"There is a letter for you," Sei said, while Agon waved the envelope.

"Be careful, you will rip it," Anika used her strings to gently grab the envelope from Agon's hand. She carefully cut an opening at the top of the envelope, her strings sharper than razors. A letter popped out, bearing several seals, indicating its official nature.

Anika's gaze scanned the letter, and it essentially told her that the elders of her clan had died, and her father was missing.

Just as it had been on for a while, Anika's life continued going on a downward spiral.