Chapter 34

Yudou didn’t really expect that Shingen Shintaro and the others would believe his fabricated story. What left him speechless was that not only did they believe it, but they also sympathized with him and expressed admiration for his non-existent family.

He could understand why Nino Kujo believed his nonsense, after all, she wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.

But for Shingen Shintaro and Yawata Kuka to believe such an outlandish story, Yudou was truly baffled.

Could it be that the average IQ of the “Non-Natural Countermeasures Group” was on par with Nino Kujo?

However, the truth was not so simple. The reason Shingen and the others believed Yudou so easily was because the story he made up coincidentally matched most of what they had investigated...

Indeed, from the time they were clueless about who had killed the Rat Demon King to the moment Yudou appeared, Shingen Shintaro and the others had already used the powerful intelligence system of the Countermeasures Group to gather a lot of information about him.

First, Yudou claimed he came from a declining exorcist family that had been wiped out.

According to their investigation, Yudou’s identity was indeed clean, and he had no ties to any of the current major exorcist families.

Additionally, Yudou did have a mother and a younger sister. Based on his sister’s age, the time when the demon his family had sealed broke free coincided with the beginning of the great changes in the world.

Furthermore, when dealing with the Rat Demon King’s corpse, the researchers discovered that in addition to the demon’s own power, there was another demonic force on its body.

Now, combining this with Yudou’s claim of being cursed, everything made sense.

Previously, they thought Yudou was a dark exorcist who used forbidden techniques, but now that he so openly admitted to possessing demonic power, his character was directly affirmed by Shingen and the others.

Therefore, Shingen and Yawata Kuka’s easy belief in Yudou’s story was actually based on solid evidence.

Yudou probably didn’t expect that his fabricated story would so coincidentally match the information the Countermeasures Group had gathered.

“Since that’s the case, little brother... you should be called Tenjouin Yudou, right? I’ll call you Yudou.

You should join our Non-Natural Countermeasures Group. I’m sure someone who has experienced such a tragic childhood would hate the rampaging demons.

Your family sacrificed their lives to prevent the sealed demon from wreaking havoc in the human world. As the one who inherited their will, shouldn’t you work even harder for this cause?”

It must be said that Shingen Shintaro was very skilled at persuasion, hitting the nail on the head.

If Yudou were the passionate and righteous young man in his story, he might have joined right away under the influence of Shingen’s words.

But unfortunately, the story was purely fabricated. While he disliked demons that killed indiscriminately, he wasn’t so saintly as to meddle in everything.

The rat demon was dealt with out of concern for his family, and the wall demon was taken care of because he was paid. Beyond that, Yudou had no interest in hunting down demons everywhere.

It’s a simple principle: first, he wasn’t a savior, and second, his current identity was no longer purely human.

From a human perspective, demons eating humans is wrong, but from a demon’s perspective, attacking humans is just like hunting.

Just like humans slaughter other animals, it’s a normal part of the food chain.

Of course, if Yudou encountered a demon attacking humans, he would likely intervene and kill it because such behavior was unacceptable to the human part of him.

But for Yudou to become a champion of justice and hunt down demons everywhere was impossible, as he was, strictly speaking, not a pure human.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t accept your request. The events of my family’s past have taught me that my family is the most important thing now.

I don’t want my mother and sister to be put in danger again, so I won’t join the Non-Natural Countermeasures Group.”

Shingen Shintaro was clearly taken aback by Yudou’s words, as he realized he had overlooked this point.

The daily tasks of the Non-Natural Countermeasures Group involved eliminating rampaging demons, but not all demons were solitary like the wall demon.

Humans form groups, and so do demons. The strongest demons are said to have over a hundred different types of ghosts under their command, and during the hour of the demon, they would parade through the streets, known as the “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.”

While such a powerful demon hasn’t appeared in the current world, there are still many demons that form groups.

And when the Non-Natural Countermeasures Group goes to eliminate a demon, they don’t always succeed in wiping out the entire group.

If some demons escape, they will seek endless revenge.

The members of the Non-Natural Countermeasures Group might be helpless against them, but these demons are intelligent and will target their families.

This has happened before in the Non-Natural Countermeasures Group, but in the end, those demons basically walked into a trap.

Just think about who enters the “Non-Natural Countermeasures Group”—they are all from exorcist families. Even if they aren’t highly regarded, demons seeking trouble with an exorcist family is like asking for a death sentence.

However, compared to others, Yudou clearly didn’t have this advantage. As he said, he was the only one left in his family with the ability to exorcise demons.

His mother and sister were ordinary people, so if demons sought revenge, they would be defenseless. Shingen Shintaro understood that Yudou’s concerns were not unfounded.

After some polite refusal, Shingen Shintaro and Yawata Kuka finally left. Before leaving, Shingen Shintaro looked at Yudou, still not giving up, and said he would apply to have Yudou’s mother and sister moved to live near a shrine, asking Yudou to wait for good news.

Yawata Kuka, after looking at the long sword on Yudou’s waist, seemed disappointed that she couldn’t spar with him and sighed, then left with Shingen Shintaro.

Nino Kujo, seeing Yudou standing silently, thought he was worried about compensation. The rich girl quickly assured him that even if he didn’t join the “Non-Natural Countermeasures Group,” it was no problem, and she could help him pay the compensation.

Nino Kujo also understood why Yudou had refused them, as family was the most important thing to him.

After learning about Yudou’s “past,” she thought she finally understood why he was so obsessed with money.

A young man not only bearing the blood feud of his family but also shouldering the burden of a household must have had a very difficult childhood...