Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga - Chapter 207: Thorn Crown

Wisteria appeared calm as I questioned her about her actions. However, her face had an eerie expression immediately followed by a smile. “My plan was to watch anime for the rest of my life, but you changed that, so you have to take responsibility.”

I couldn’t help but find that last part cliché, especially considering the low-quality anime she indulged in. Still, I decided not to address it at that moment.

“Just to be clear, I don’t care about running a country,” she clarified. “I only took charge because you said it would help you. So now I will hand over the kingdom reins to you, and you can do whatever you want with it. Consider it repayment for saving my life. Our debts are now settled.”

“Yeah,” I replied.

It seemed like she genuinely wanted me to take responsibility, but not in the typical anime sense. Her way of speaking had become rougher, perhaps a result of the reality of her newfound position sinking in.

“Are you sure giving me all this power is a wise decision?” I asked. While she knew me well, she couldn’t be certain I wouldn’t turn into a maniac.

“Whatever, I’m sleepy,” she said dismissively as she walked away, displaying a complete lack of concern.

I watched her back for a few seconds and smiled. She had come a long way from the timid princess she once was. That was an excellent thing because she was destined to become a queen.

As for her request for me to take over the country? Yeah, that was a firm “no” from me. Like she said, such responsibility would only hinder desires.

My mind was filled with various thoughts about what I should do. However, as I returned to where my subordinates were waiting, an idea suddenly struck me. “Bear, how much do you know about ruling a country?”

The bear, dressed in a fancy suit, was taken aback but quickly pondered for a few seconds before replying, “Absolutely nothing at all, sir.”

That was precisely why I appreciated him—he was honest to a fault.

Moving closer to him, I placed a hand on his shoulder and nodded reassuringly. “That’s good enough. You’re in charge now.”

“What?” Bear froze in horror, and I walked away before he could recover from his stupor.

However, he caught up to me and stood in my path, frantically speaking. “I think you misunderstood, sir. I have no knowledge of running a country!”

“I bet those royal kids didn’t either,” I remarked.

Bear seemed ready to say something more, but I gave him a Shounen-style smile and thumbs up. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do fine. You should enjoy having a country at your fingertips.”

He didn’t appear reassured in the slightest, but I was confident he would eventually find his way. After all, Bear held a position that two powerful clans had their eyes on.

And just like that, I left my subordinates with a major headache to deal with. Getting loyal underlings was one of the best decisions I ever made.

***

Despite the brave front she had put up, Wisteria felt skittish. Why had she acted like that with Kon? When he questioned her, an authoritative feeling had risen in her chest. How dare one of her subjects question her decisions?

She felt like she should apologize to Kon tomorrow. He had helped her so much and she didn’t want to come off as ungrateful.

However, despite her thoughts, she felt sleepy. No, she had to apologize to Kon, but right now she felt sleepy. He was her subject, he could wait until tomorrow.

She found her room, and instinctively her hand moved to the remote to unpause the anime she had left. As soon as her head hit the pillow, Wisteria was in dreamland.

In a dark space, she tried to move around but was stuck. In front of her was a cross surrounded by barbed thorns. She suddenly stood atop a hill overlooking a shore.

A man with a crown of nails stood along the shore, practicing archery by shooting at the water below. Each shot hit a fish, causing it to float to the surface after death. The fish’s empty dark eyes felt like they were looking at her.

The man was trying to reduce the fish around here, since when there were a lot of them they would turn into a certain demon that formed when certain conditions were met.

How did Wis know what he was trying to accomplish? Her instincts told her what the man was doing. Sometimes she even felt like she was the one with the bow in her hand.

She also knew that the man shooting arrows was widely known as the Sun Demon Slayer, or in today’s modern language, as the Sun Exorcist.

“Hey! Pinrose!” A man suddenly called out. He had long wavy brown hair that reached his shoulders and a brown beard. He had a smile on his face that was infectious and made even Wisteria smile for some reason. The newcomer was a man in his 30s, however by the smile on his face anyone could tell he was a young soul.

“Wow, you look cool as hell. Here I thought you had forgotten your old friend after becoming a big shot demon slayer,” the newcomer laughed. “Though I have to admit, some of you demon slayers are cool. I would have also forgotten many things if I could act all serious and have some cool abilities.”

The man with the thorn crown, Pinrose, smiled. “You should become a demon slayer then. Though with your attitude, you would be one of the first to die.”

“Hey, I’m a pretty good carpenter. I will have you know,” the other man smiled.

Pinrose frowned, trying to understand what his friend was saying, and asked. “What does being a carpenter have to do with being a good demon slayer?”

The other guy shrugged. “I dunno, help with building or something?”

They both looked bewildered at that, and laughed while slapping each other in the back. It was a weird scene, especially for men their age, but Wisteria felt like they were close friends.

.

Days passed, and during his stay in the village, Pinrose caught a mosquito that had the power to awaken Ord. They decided to have it bite another man, and suddenly, a bright light radiated, tilting the world.

In that split second, everyone, including Wisteria, who had been observing the memories, understood. The balance of power had been completely upended, the scale shattered, and an anomaly manifested.

Wisteria witnessed the awakening of an astonishing talent in a man past his prime to be an exorcist—a talent like no other she had ever seen before.

“A… A 100%…” muttered Pinrose, the crown of thorns on his head shifting. “A hundred percent creator.”

The man asked, “Is that good?”

“Yeah… I’m not sure. I don’t think there has ever been anyone with 100% affinity,” Pinrose replied, shaking his head. He realized he needed to explain Ord to his friend before doing anything recklessly. “Now, you just need to wait for a special ability to manifest.”

“Oh, that sounds cool. Do you have a special ability too?”

“Yes, my special ability allows my descendants to look through my memories. It emerged when my father died, and I didn’t know much about him,” Pinrose explained, though Wisteria sensed he was withholding some specific conditions. She also noticed his eyes wandering toward her as he described his ability.

“Hmm,” the carpenter-turned-exorcist rubbed his chin. “Why do we have to wait for an ability to manifest? Can’t we create one ourselves?”

“No,” Pinrose shook his head. “That would go against the golden one’s teachings.”

“Didn’t that guy live 2000 years ago? Aren’t his methods outdated? From what people know, he only invented talismans and nothing more,” the carpenter stated.

Talismans? They knew who created seals and talismans?! That was huge news!

However, Wisteria had hardly any time to ponder this revelation as the carpenter gathered Ord in his hand. While she didn’t have personal experience with the energy, she had seen many royal guards and even Kon, the strongest person she knew, use Ord. Yet they all paled in comparison to the carpenter, who displayed unparalleled elegance as he harnessed the energy, creating a wooden chalice in his hand.

The carpenter let out a laugh. “Yes! Now, any water poured into this cup will turn into wine!”

Wisteria’s ancestor stood there with his mouth agape while the carpenter collected water from the nearby sea and drank it. A smile crossed his face, and he exclaimed, “Damn, that’s some good wine!”

Time passed in a blur for Wisteria as she followed the memories. Months went by, and her ancestor would drink with friends, using the water that turned into wine.

Then, the carpenter announced his intention to develop an ability that would weaken demons and cause them pain whenever his name was mentioned. He thought it would be cool if someone said, “In the name of *****, I compel you to leave this body! Or perhaps, in the name of ******, leave, you vile demon!”

Strangely, every time he said his name, Wisteria could hear heavy breathing in her ears, which would distract her from hearing the rest of the conversation.

During this party, her ancestor sat in a corner of the tavern, writing in a book. Suddenly, he closed the book, and Wisteria caught a glimpse of its title: ‘The Strongest Demon Slayer.’

But before she could examine it further, her assumed ancestor stood up and walked toward her, he looked her right in the eyes. A chill went down her spine as the man asked, “Have you had your fun looking through the past, my descendant?”