Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga

Chapter 143: Disappointing Family

Chapter 143: Disappointing Family

In a white cloth tent, the Moon Exorcist gathered a few things and gave each of us something, except for Chariot, Big-Nose, and Diamond Guy. I still had to learn those guys names.

We each received new cards, which served as proof of our Elite Exorcist ranks. I stared at the card and almost smiled. With this rank, many doors were now open to me. However, I had to survive this war before I could enjoy any of them.

While I was able to obtain the elite ranks for all of you, I havent been able to assign your territories yet. But I can assure you that it's only a matter of time. You wouldnt be able to go to your territories during the war anyway, the Moon Exorcist explained while pushing up his glasses.

What is he talking about? Gem whispered, and Agon nodded.

An Elite Exorcist oversees a territory, usually a town or city, or in some rare cases, a whole region, I explained to them.

The Moon Exorcist nodded and handed each of us a stack of coins, which was more than enough for us to live on for the rest of our lives. It was an enormous amount of money, worth at least millions of dollars each if converted.

I stared at the stack of money and back at the Moon Exorcist. How did he have this kind of money? As a Special Rank Exorcist, he should be rich, especially with his special ability and skill of creating barriers. But there was no way he made this much money, and could give it away as if it was nothing!

Where is my bag? Chariot asked, her eyes cold as ever.

The Moon Exorcist's smile turned slightly crooked; he didn't seem equipped to handle someone like Chariot. However, I didn't think anyone out there had the tools needed to handle her.

Before it could escalate any further, I put a hand on Chariots shoulder, and she responded by pointing her rapier at my throat. Take your hand off, boy, before I cut it off.

I would have felt threatened by the intimidating look in her eyes if I didn't know that she hadn't hit me even once yet, and her Special Ability, which was always active, wouldn't be able to cut off my hand. We should all calm down and take a deep breath. There's no need for conflict, and we have a common enemy.

She shrugged my hand off her shoulder and walked away. Chariot could be difficult at times, but I knew she must have a caring side deep down. So deep, in fact, that some might suspect it didn't exist.

The Moon Exorcist sighed in relief once she was out of earshot and said, "She'll be in charge of the upper command in the camp."

That depended on whether the headmaster had survived. Even if he was dead, they would likely send someone more level-headed to handle the command of the exorcists. In Ord, people with egos tended to end up in high positions as exorcists, so getting command of this could turn into a battle of egos.

"I'm going to ask around for my tent," I said, turning away. It had been more than enough craziness for me, and Carpy and I had to deal with the problem of him devouring an ultimate class demon.

After asking a couple of people, I found my tent. As an Elite Exorcist, people seemed to know where I was located. Theoretically, I was on the chain of command from now on, although many people would have to die for me to become the leader.

I hope the day never comes where I have to lead an army of people with clashing egos. That sounded like a literal nightmare!

When I opened the flap of my tent, I saw Delia playing some kind of card game while lying on my futon. I took a deep breath and rubbed my eyes. "This must be my fatigued mind trying to torture me."

"Hey, no need to be an asshole," Delia said, throwing a pillow toward my face. However, Carpy created a thin net of water that blocked the projectile. As the pillow slid down, Delia pouted at me. "You haven't seen your favorite cousin in months, and this is how you greet me?"

It hadn't been that long, and she was my only cousin. "I guess time flies when you're having fun."

"Well, I got your present. But now I don't feel like sharing it with you," she huffed and turned away, putting on what seemed like old-style headphones.

She was ignoring me? I was okay with that.

I closed the tent flap, breathed in the fresh air, and started walking toward another tent. Gem and Bets would be willing to share a tent with me.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and Delia asked, "Where the hell are you going?"

"I will tell you where I am going after you tell me what the clan's job is during this war?" I inquired. I wasn't naive enough to not know why Delia had come and contacted me here. My family wanted me away from the frontlines.

"We deal with deserters, traitors, and anyone else with similar affiliations," Delia answered as if it were no big deal.

As always, my family was dealing in murder. I sighed. What had I expected? I knew this was going to happen.

But a part of me, the original Kon, hoped they wouldn't only think about raising the clan's prestige and power. However, asking humans not to be greedy was like trying to convince a monkey not to eat bananas.

"If you expect me to kill people that the higher-ups deem cowardly when they themselves aren't on the front lines, then forget about it," I pushed her hand away.

Before I could take another step, Delia put me in a chokehold and whispered, "What the hell is going through your mind? Are you brain damaged to the point where you can't see reality? This is a lost battle for humanity. All you need to do is survive!"

Her voice sounded like she was on the verge of crying, which was surprising. But with Delia, I wasn't sure if she was just a tool for my clan to manipulate me or something else entirely.

I didn't answer her and gently pushed her away. She didn't resist and only turned around without letting me get a good look at her face before running off.

But before I could do anything else, I caught sight of a man who had been sitting on the grass just a couple dozen meters away from me. He was next to another tent. It was my father, and he had an unreadable expression on his face.

Fwish!... In an instant, he moved at breakneck speed and was in front of me. Though he was fast, compared to ultimate-class demons, he was slow.

He stared at me for a couple of seconds and said, "War isn't something one can just survive."

Well, it was official now. My family was really invested in not letting me participate in this war. But none of them knew what I did. None understood just how important cooperation between the human race was. Otherwise, by the time we got our act together, it would be too late.

"Without humanity working together, we're all screwed," I laid the cold, hard truth on him in a simple statement.

My father didn't smile. His cold and emotionless gaze made his face look strange. "Kon, you're my son, and I care about you. I would give my life in a heartbeat to save yours. But do you really believe your contributions will change anything? Whether humanity wins or loses, our clan won't have any impact on the outcome. We don't have that kind of power."

I didn't react to his insults and instead asked, "Is that all you wanted to say?"

My father clenched his teeth, and for the first time, I saw anger in his eyes. His veins bulged across his cheeks, neck, and forehead, as if the blood was trying to escape from his face. "You're arrogant enough to think that you're important enough to change anything!" he screamed, attracting the attention of nearby exorcists. But he didn't seem to care. "This isn't a game or an exam! A war is a place where talents die like flies! Your friends will perish in your arms! Do you think you can handle that? Because if you do, you're stupid!"

I knew my father was right. I didn't want to think about when the time would come for me to make sacrifices, but I knew it was only a matter of time.

"Uncle, Kon's goals won't change," Delia returned with a familiar sword in hand. The weapon had a dark sheath and exuded a foreboding feeling. She handed me the weapon. "This is your cursed sword. I repaired it and had someone add a few enchantments."

Suddenly, she hugged me and hiccuped as if she was about to cry. I felt a wetness on my shoulder.

"This could be the last time we see each other. Goodbye, Kon," she said, then let go and somehow convinced my father to leave with her.

I was alone and stared at the cursed weapon in my hand. This was itthe end of the line. It was do or die.

"It seems like we have one hell of a thorny road to walk," I turned to Carpy, who was floating a couple of dozen meters above me. "From now on, it's just you and me, buddy."

Now we had to figure out what kind of effect eating an ultimate class demon would have on Carpy.