Chapter 173: About Making Amends with Just Two Ice Creams
"Pretty weak, huh?"
Hearing the man's words, Hachiman Hikigaya couldn't help but feel a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
The Demon King, whom he himself regarded as a formidable enemy, was considered by this man to be such a weak spirit? He really had no idea how the other spiritualists would react if they heard this...
"Tonight, I'll make an exception and help you out."
The man didn't pay attention to the complicated expression on Hachiman's face. He continued speaking while gazing at the city lights in the distance.
"According to the rules, you should have been trained by the one in charge of the Kanto region.
But since he hasn't reached out to you for so long, I'm sure you've already noticed just how lazy he is."
"Kanto region?"
"That's right. There are five exorcists in Japan, you see.
To avoid conflicts of interest, and also to prevent passing the responsibility back and forth, we divided the regions among ourselves. Or, to put it simply, you can think of them as our respective territories.
But honestly, none of us really care about the territories. Apart from the pride in protecting humanity, we don't actually gain anything."
As he said this, the man smacked his lips.
Though it sounded unpleasant, Hachiman could understand the sentiment.
Even though one's strength is at the peak of the world, one still has to protect the weak without any meaningful reward... It's certainly a frustrating situation.
"Well, living alone outside of society has its inconveniences, so even if it's troublesome, you just have to endure it. Anyway, I'm responsible for managing Hokkaido, while the other four handle Kansai, Kanto, Shikoku, and Kyushu."
"Pretty sloppy division..."
Hachiman twitched at the corners of his mouth upon hearing the so-called territory distribution.
It was divided purely according to Japan's four main islands, without considering the economic or population situations in those areas.
"Right? But I was lucky; when we drew lots, I got Hokkaido, which has relatively fewer spirits. As for the Kanto guy, his face turned green at the time, hahaha..."
After laughing for a bit, the man wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and continued.
"So that's why, after you appeared, that guy completely let those under his territory run wild just to help you level up quickly.
But your growth was indeed fast!"
The once-friendly expression on the man's face suddenly turned icy.
"!!!"
Even though it was just a fleeting moment, Hachiman clearly felt as if some indescribable terror was staring directly at him.
This was the true power of an exorcist?
Gasping and recalling the terrifying feeling from just now, Hachiman forced a bitter smile.
This was too frightening.
Even though his strength was now roughly equal to the Demon King, in that moment, he had no ability to resist.
He even felt as if the system in his mind was about to collapse.
Their power existed on completely different levels.
"Alright, don't worry. I won't actually attack you. That just now was a status check for your identity, to reassure the other three."
"Check?"
Another inexplicable move left Hachiman puzzled.
"You should have caught a glimpse of some of my power just now, right? Do you really think the three Great Demon Gods you could challenge don't have a few tricks up their sleeves?"
"I can't understand that at all..."
Hachiman spoke honestly. With only his current strength, his understanding was limited.
He couldn't even begin to imagine the 'tricks' the man mentioned.
"These things are still too far beyond your reach. When your power is enough to challenge a Demon God, we'll talk about those topics again."
Seeing that Hachiman didn't comprehend, a barely noticeable hint of disappointment flashed in the man's eyes.
Then, his smile returned, and he steered the conversation back to the Demon King who had fled earlier.
"Do you know what the Demon King who ran away planned to do tonight?"
"What?"
"He plans to attack both you and all your friends at the same time."
"!"
Hearing this, Hachiman immediately stood up.
One Demon King, plus five lieutenant-class spirits, and over ten special-class spirits. If he hadn't come early, tonight might have become one of the most unforgettable—and deadly—days of his life.
"Thank you!"
After realizing this, Hachiman felt both a chill of fear and gratitude toward the man.
"It's nothing. After all, watching a tragedy unfold without intervening is not my style."
"So, do you want to take down that Demon King?"
"Yes!"
Without hesitation, Hachiman nodded. The man asking this question clearly intended for him to handle the fleeing Demon King tonight.
According to the man, the current five exorcists were tired of protecting humans. They were actively training the next generation of exorcists.
In that case, to receive further help, Hachiman had to demonstrate his own value.
"In that case, I'll help you out one more time."
Hachiman's answer pleased the man greatly.
He clapped his hands, and Hachiman and Yumiko Miura, who had been sitting beside him, were instantly transported to where Inoue Yasutaka was.
"If you can take down the Demon King while protecting an unconscious ordinary person, that's more or less enough to justify my intervention tonight, right?"
The man turned to the dark corner of the rooftop.
At some point, the exorcist responsible for the Kanto region had quietly appeared there.
"You lowered the difficulty, Key."
The man emerging from the shadows looked extremely displeased. He had deliberately forced a Demon King out of Tokyo so that Inoue Yasutaka would be desperate and launch tonight's ambush.
But the Hokkaido exorcist, Key, had changed the difficulty of the challenge without consulting him.
"The difficulty was originally too high, you know? You only need one person to take over your position as Kanto's guardian. No need to make him hostile toward you."
Key called out helplessly.
"If he can't handle this level, how could he possibly take over my position?"
The man folded his arms, ignoring Key's words.
"Fine, whatever. Anyway, I've already done it. How about I buy you ice cream as an apology?"
"You don't think one ice cream can bribe me, do you?"
The Kanto exorcist looked utterly speechless at Key.
Hachiman's strength was nearly on par with the Demon King; he would be carefully trained to eventually take over the position. Such an important candidate couldn't be bought off with just one ice cream!
"Then, two?"
"Deal!"
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