章 52: C52: Meeting The Family
Her father was the Dark Sword clan head. He was also my father's brother, which made him my uncle.
"So, Dalia, how has life been treating you while I was gone?" I asked my cousin, trying to make some small talk and act like the original Kon, so she didn't notice anything strange.
The psycho types always had a sixth sense about these things.
"Well, nothing much except being declared the successor," she sent me a malicious smirk. But the smile didn't reach her eyes. "Thankfully, it happened before the news about you defeating the Demonic Exorcist-"
"Okay, enough with that," I stopped her before she could continue. "Any logical person knows that a fifteen-year-old like me. Who just started learning about Ord. Can't defeat one of the strongest people out there."
"What?!" She looked at me wide-eyed. "But I heard you essentially injured the Demonic Exorcist and almost killed him!"
Oh, I get it. She's teasing me.
I took a deep breath and calmed myself. "C'mon now. Those false rumors are just being spread around like wildfire."
"We know," she smirked. Something in her eyes glinted as if she knew something I didn't.
Suddenly, a thought struck me. Who would benefit the most if rumors about me being able to go head-on against the Demonic Exorcist?
I never thought about it before. But the answer was obvious. "The clan was spreading the rumors?!"
"Still is," Dalia shrugged as if this situation didn't involve her at all. "Though not spreading per se. More like fanning the flames. After all, if we directly spread rumors about how awesome one of our clan members was, everyone would assume they were fake."
"Do you know how dangerous that is?"
"Do you know how good that reputation is for business?" She answered my question with another question. "You think we will let someone attack you? No one can do anything to my cute little cousin, or I will rip their head off. The clan won't let anyone even bully one of our own."
They didn't know. None of them knew just how dangerous the Demonic Exorcist truly was. The Clan probably thinks they can take him on if they gather together.
When a battle involved special abilities, especially when there were many against just one, it would be safe to assume that the many would win.
Everyone assumed the Demonic Exorcist was reckless. They weren't wrong, and he was careless sometimes.
But they weren't right either. They've seen only the savage side of the Demonic Exorcist and have forgotten that he was the most brilliant man of his generation. While his wisdom might be debatable, the man's intelligence and genius were unquestionable.
Why would he come head-on? Instead, he could just have one of his poisonous demons kill his targets. He could kill the whole Dark Sword Clan with one poisoned water supply.
It was easy to kill people. Whatever I could think of, he would undoubtedly come up with a better plan if he wanted to kill the Dark Sword Clan.
"Here we are, my father's office," Dalia slid back one of the Japanese-styled doors. Her face scrunched, and she whispered. "Also, you had me open the door. That is not very gentlemanly of you."
But you were walking in front of me?
I wanted to say that. But when I saw the glimmer in her eyes, I immediately understood. She was teasing me. Like an older sibling would the younger one.
Sadly for her, I was a level 100 older sibling. She was level 30 at best. Her schemes were as clear as day.
The clan head was a serious-faced man with some wrinkles around his eyes. He was built like an aesthetic fighter. He wore a purple kimono with pants, and his chest was exposed. Also, he had dark hair and piercing blue eyes.
There was something sharp in his gaze. It felt like looking at a predator, like his daughter, but stronger.
Neither of us said anything for ten seconds. We just stared at each other. Others my (physical) age may have been intimidated by the silence. Or felt awkward. I didn't. Instead, I used the time to think about how I would respond to this man's questions.
"Have you ever heard the story of the two wolves?" He asked. His voice was deep but not too deep. It perfectly fitted his stature.
"Can't say that I have," I took an apple from a fruit basket nearby and munched on it. The fruit was juicy and sweet.
Yes, I was getting a bit nervous. Was there something dangerous? Not necessarily.
The correct way to describe this feeling would be that the clan head had a sharp aura. Even with the clan head just sitting there, it felt like he was pointing a knife at my spine. Was this sensation connected to his special ability?
"Well, every man has two wolves inside of them. One is good, and one is bad," he stared at me with an intense look on his face. "Which wolf will win?"
It felt like he was asking me that for some philosophical shit.
"The one which I fed more." I shrugged. It was an obvious answer. However, I couldn't tell where he was going with this one.
Some people were hard to read.
"Yes, that's the correct answer." He took an apple from another fruit basket next to him. Instead of eating the apple normally, he just put it in his mouth and crunched it like gum. "So, which wolf are you feeding more?"
"Whichever is more useful to me." That wasn't a hard conclusion to come to either. Was he trying to read my intentions?
"If there was a child who would destroy the world in the future, would you kill it?" His Ord slowly started sleeping out of his body. It was dark colored as if possessed by the souls of all the people he had killed.
Was he a Blaster? Other affinities can't exert such pressure. Judging by how physically developed he was, he might be a Warrior. Or maybe he's a hybrid between Warrior and Blaster.
Also, the answer to his question was No. That wasn't something I even needed to think about.
Why was it my job to go out and kill kids? I'm not the main villain or the main character. Sure, I will try and help. But I didn't have a hero complex.
Of course, since the man asking the question was a pro. I was going to lie to him. "Of course, killing one person would be better than letting others die."
"Then what do you think about the ruling family and the four great clans?"
Why the hell was he asking me all these questions? I'm a fifteen-year-old boy, for Pete's sake! "The price people pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by incompetent men."
I just said some line I read about somewhere in the corner of the internet. Also, he needed to stop looking at me like that. I got goosebumps from that emotionless stare.
"Since you're popular, we have decided to capitalize on that. And have prepared a very important assassination mission-"
"No," I didn't let him finish. "We both know the rumors are fake."
Also, assassination? What the hell! Even if I somehow was okay with that. If the assassination mission was for someone of my reputed 'power' then I was a dead man.
Sending me on a mission where the enemy was too weak for my perceived power would prove counterproductive.
Either way, I was on the losing end, and I didn't like that at all.
"I will be going with you," Dalia suddenly walked forward. The confidence on her face was palpable.
Did they want to kill me? Was that why they would send Dalia and me on a mission? So that I could have an 'accident'.
Why would they want to kill me? Maybe I became a threat to Dalia as the successor to the clan. No, that doesn't make sense. They were the ones who were still fanning the flames of those rumors. "What about Dalia? Is she strong?"
"Watch it. Or my hand might slip and break your nose," Delia waved her arm around to demonstrate how true her threats were.
Behind that possibly-psychotic temper, she was just an older sibling trying to bully her younger brother.
"Yes, I can guarantee that as my successor. She's strong," her father assured me.
"What if I refuse?" That question made everyone freeze. Me too, because I was a bit nervous about what their reaction would be.
"Well, we have to use this opportunity somehow. It's not every day a member of our clan would get a good reputation as you do," Dalia added, sending a quick side glance to her father.
Did she give him a signal?
She continued her explanation. "So we will have to get you an arranged marriage. Get you a wife. Many clans who were disgusted by our methods of doing things have opened their doors."
Yeah, if that happened, I was just going to run away. Who did they think I was? I had the common sense of how to get out of some of these things.
I wouldn't put up being used by others for their benefit-...
Wait, benefits…
Maybe this wasn't so bad.
*******
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