Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga - Chapter 196

Chapter 196 - Secret Spaghetti Recipe

Thousands of thoughts raced through my mind. What if Tamae No Mae had manipulated me, gaslighting me into believing she was after Agon and Sei while she actually needed me to stay away? Perhaps she was truly involved in the royal battle. Maybe there was something I could have missed!

"Carpy, go underground and prepare to attack anything," I commanded, leaping off his back. The drop exceeded a hundred meters, causing cracks to form upon landing.

I sprinted towards the city, while Carpy returned to the sea. Leaping over the wall, I scanned my surroundings for any anomalies or peculiarities. Yet, everything appeared normal, with people strolling about as if nothing were amiss. Despite this, an eerie sense of normality made my heart race, each instinct ready for potential attacks.

Since nothing seemed out of place within the city, the strangeness had to lie outside its borders. I swiftly ran out of the city and reached my cabin. As I entered the yard, I heard the sound of boiling water emanating from inside. Normally, I would have overlooked such a minute detail, but my senses operated at their peak.

Signaling Carpy to be on high alert, I prepared for any eventuality. Even if the enemy proved to be an ultimate-class demon, Carpy could burst through the ground, and we would merge into one.

Without knocking, I barged inside, my other hand gripping the handle of my cursed sword. However, what awaited me within my hut surpassed any imaginable scenario.

There, in the living room of my cabin, sat the princess, bear, lazy guy, Yara, Miku, and another woman who bore an uncanny resemblance to lazy guy Pan. They fidgeted nervously on my couches, their eyes filled with relief upon seeing me.

Yet, this was not the aspect that bewildered me. No, the peculiar sight involved a tall, slender man with long dark hair, donning a white apron as he cooked pasta.

The Demonic Exorcist turned towards me, grinning. "You're finally here, just in time for the meal. I've whipped up some killer spaghetti for my favorite exorcist."

My brain momentarily short-circuited. What on earth was this man doing here? Why was he present? What were his intentions?

"Come, have a seat. I've prepared enough for everyone, so don't hesitate to ask for seconds or even thirds," he declared, placing the plates on my dining table and pulling in chairs. "It might be a bit cramped with a table like this, but we're like family here. No need to feel self-conscious."

Family? What the fuck even talking about?

No matter how hard I pondered, I couldn't find a reasonable explanation for his behavior. Attempting to understand the logic of a madman like him was futile.

I was certain the madman bastard wouldn't poison the food; it wasn't his style. With that in mind, I confidently took a seat at the table. "I've built up quite an appetite. I haven't eaten anything all day."

Though I didn't turn to look, I could feel the others giving me strange looks. The Demonic Exorcist glanced at them, causing them to nervously huddle together at the table. He placed a plate filled with a generous serving of spaghetti in front of me, and I was the first to take a bite.

{Perfect Me}

'Order: discern poison in food.'

Despite my belief that the food was safe, I still took precautions to ensure it wasn't poisoned. However, the temporary modification of my taste buds by Perfect Me made the taste momentarily repulsive, like raw tuna.

Once the strange sensation subsided and my taste returned to normal, I was pleasantly surprised by the flavors. The spaghetti had small amounts of tuna and melted cheese, creating a delightful combination.

"So, how does it taste?" asked the Demonic Exorcist, taking a seat across from me.

"Pretty good, although I would have preferred a spicier sauce," I replied. I had no intention of admitting to a madman that he made excellent spaghetti. I had my own petty ways.

He frowned momentarily but then nodded, taking my criticism gracefully. "I'll keep that in mind for next time."

Next time?! There won't be a next time!

"So, how has life been treating you? I heard you guys had a war," he sighed. "I wish I could have been there, but I had other matters to attend to."

Yeah, like killing the Red Tails. "One of my friends died in the war, Bets, the muscular guy."

"Ah, my condolences," the Demonic Exorcist looked me in the eyes. "I know the pain of losing someone close. I also offer my condolences for the clan head. I didn't know much about him, except that I once killed his betrothed as a test of my human control ability. It was back when he was in the academy, so let the past rest as the future is a time for healing."

I raised an eyebrow in question, and the Demonic Exorcist explained sheepishly, "I wanted to see if my ability was powerful enough to make someone take their own life."

Since the girl he mentioned died at a young age, she probably wasn't Delia's mother. Not recognizing the name, I simply shrugged. Not that I didn’t feel bad for her, but this was the Demonic Exorcist and I expected crazy psycho shit from him.

Then the Demonic Exorcist turned his attention to Pan, who was tall and lanky, and the girl who bore a strong resemblance to him, albeit shorter and pale, almost like a vampire.

"Interesting, twins with one deceased," the Demonic Exorcist commented. "His special ability allows him to absorb her into his body, sharing his vital energy. The guy probably spends most of his day sleeping so his sister can have the energy to be outside his body more often. Though they might be two different people, they share the guy’s stamina and mental energy. You always have some intriguing people around you."

Miku clenched her fist, and her Ord flared a bit, and she looked ready to attack. No doubt the Demonic Exorcist also sensed this, but he didn't react. I also gave her a look that told her this wasn't the right time to attack. Our eyes met, and she reluctantly gave up.

The more time Carpy had to prepare, the more would the fight play to my advantage.

The Demonic Exorcist's attention was still on Pam and his sister, and the madman sighed. "What a tragic story, his sister dies in his arms and some mediocre exorcist who would have never even become an Expert Exorcist, somehow revived his sister. He isn't even a Master, but he used a lot of Master-like portions to revive his sister. Amazing, the more I learn about Ord, the more questions I have."

My guess was that Pan accidentally used his sister's affinity, as that could happen between twins. In a way, Ord saw twins as one person, but at the same time, they were two different people. Though not all twins had this effect, and some were normal.

We quietly ate, and I was the first to finish my plate. "Seconds, please."

The Demonic Exorcist stood up and went to get me seconds. That was when I asked him. "By the way, how did you make it so my demon couldn't sense your position?"

"I just used a barrier that spreads out our life energy signal, instead of it being concentrated it's spread out and it can be mistaken for something weaker like grass. Though it wouldn't work in an urban environment or deserts, sensing grass in those places would be weird," he explained without even missing a beat. He knew I would develop a countermeasure against this but he didn't care.

In his eyes, this was probably just a game of cat and mouse. I create a countermeasure against his barriers, then he would have to come up with a new barrier, and then I would have to develop something that worked against that also. In the end, we would be pushing each other constantly to get better.

Though his answer also hinted at something else, the Demonic Exorcist was many things, but a barrier master he was not. However, he had stolen the power of Tamae No Mae, and while I doubt he would get full access to her special ability, even partial access was dangerous for someone like him. He might even be able to read every book on this side of the great barrier.

Him having access to that power would also explain how he found me, as I had taken quite a bit of countermeasure against his hunting dogs. Some guy in the mission report probably wrote down my real name and address.

The Demonic Exorcist put down my second plate and continued conversing. "By the way, now that we're talking about lifespan. Do be careful with it, don't think that I didn't notice how you have aged yourself up. It would be a shame that by the time you're twenty, you would have an eighty-year-old body."

I dismissed his worries with a wave of my hand. "I'm not dumb enough to do something like that. Ideally, I won't even use the lifespan for anything else unless I'm on the brink of death."

"You jinxed it," he sighed.

"Do you believe in jinxes?" I locked eyes with him while eating, and he shook his head.

"No, but when you've already made up your mind, if it comes down to sacrificing lifespan, you won't hesitate. That can be beneficial in many ways but... Just don't let me down," he leaned back in his chair, resembling a disappointed father who just learned his son was emo.

Well, screw you too, you murder hobo.

...

The rest of the meal was solemn, and the only ones who spoke were the crazy guy and me. In the end, Bear did the dishes, while the Demonic Exorcist kept staring at me, narrowing his eyes.

I met his gaze and remained silent until I couldn't hold back any longer. "So, are we going to have our death battle or what?"

"I don't know. I'm contemplating it as I let my food settle," he replied. "That spaghetti turned out better than I expected, and I ended up eating way too much."

Spending time with this guy felt like a surreal experience. Don't get me wrong, I was relieved that he spared the others—an unexpected outcome when he was involved.

But what the fuck was wrong with him? He cooked me spaghetti for no reason? We were trying our best to kill each other the last time we met!

I leaned back on the chair, mirroring him, and waiting for his answer.