The dark clouds in the sky grew thicker, and it seemed a thunderstorm could break at any moment. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed, heralding an imminent downpour.
Just then, two figures appeared on a small path. The man on the left had a handsome, refined face and wore a gentle smile. The only thing out of place was the sword at his waist. He glanced up at the ominous clouds, shook his head, and took out an umbrella. He held it over the woman to his right.
The woman was exquisitely beautiful, dressed in a deep purple kimono with delicate, light makeup. A trace of sorrow that occasionally flickered in her eyes only added to her unique charm. Unlike the man, she was carrying a large medical case. Though it looked heavy, the seemingly delicate woman showed no signs of fatigue.
"Are you cold?" the man asked with concern, noticing her rubbing her hands together.
"I'm alright. It's just this oppressive weather… it makes it hard to breathe."
The man nodded and pointed toward a village not far ahead. "Let's take shelter from the rain in that village then."
The woman did not object, and they quickened their pace, reaching the village just before the storm hit. Walking up to a farmhouse, the man knocked on the door.
"Hello, may we take shelter from the rain here? We are doctors and can offer a free consultation in exchange."
A short while later, an old woman opened the door. "I'm so sorry, but there's no one sick in my house. However, I heard that the large estate at the head of the village has been looking for a famous doctor. Perhaps you could try there."
The man understood her refusal. After nodding their thanks, the two of them headed toward the front of the village. Soon, they saw the large estate the old woman had mentioned. It was a two-story house with a sprawling courtyard and ornate decorations. Even from a distance, an air of extreme luxury was palpable.
He knocked again. This time, a beautiful young woman answered the door. Upon learning their identities and purpose, she frowned slightly.
"Are you really doctors?"
Faced with her skepticism, the man simply shook his head. "Being a doctor isn't something proven by words alone."
Hearing this, the young woman, though still doubtful, stepped aside to let them in.
"I haven't asked your names."
"Shisho," the man said with a smile, then gestured with his right hand toward the woman beside him. "And this is Tamayo."
The young woman nodded. "Mr. Shisho, Miss Tamayo, I am Ihei Mina. Please follow me."
With that, Ihei Mina led the way. Upon hearing the surname "Ihei," Shisho's eyes narrowed slightly. In this world, that name was rather infamous. Nevertheless, he followed Ihei Mina without hesitation.
The interior was outrageously lavish, a scene of gilded splendor and excess that fully matched the exterior. Along the way, Shisho and Tamayo encountered other people. Strangely, everyone they met, whether old or young, was female.
"Miss Mina, your family certainly has many beautiful women," Shisho remarked, his tone carrying a deeper meaning.
Ihei Mina stopped abruptly in front of a room. "This will be your room. Please rest well. We will require your services for the patient tomorrow night."
She then turned and left. As she departed, she shot a glance at Shisho from an angle almost imperceptible to a normal person—a look that was part observation, part warning. Seeing no reaction from him, she disappeared around a corner.
Finally, only Shisho and Tamayo were left in the room. Shisho looked up at Tamayo without a word. Tamayo met his gaze and gave a slight nod. Though no words were exchanged, it was clear they had reached a silent understanding.
After eating the dinner Ihei Mina brought, Tamayo opened her medical case. She took out various strange ingredients and began mixing them, as if conducting an experiment. Soon, she frowned. The experiment had clearly failed. But she didn't give up, taking out new materials and starting again. As she repeated the process, her brow furrowed time and time again. The experiments were not going well; not a single one had succeeded.
Finally, all the materials in the medical case were used up.
"Sigh…" Tamayo let out a soft sigh, a look of anxiety and sorrow on her face.
"It's alright. Once the materials are gone, I'll help you find more," Shisho comforted her, patting her shoulder. "Besides, we have some ready-made materials right here, don't we?"
To an ordinary person, his words might have been incomprehensible. But Tamayo was different; she knew exactly what he was referring to.
"Thank you." No flowery words were needed, only heartfelt gratitude from Tamayo.
"It's been hundreds of years, and you're still so formal," Shisho said with a helpless shake of his head. Of course, he knew that if her experiment succeeded, Tamayo probably wouldn't be like this anymore.
More than a century had passed since he had resolved the Demon Slayer Corps' crisis of extinction. During that time, Shisho had traveled with Tamayo, practicing medicine. On one hand, Tamayo felt that healing the sick brought her peace and helped atone for her past sins. On the other, it was an opportunity to conduct research to completely sever her from Muzan's control. Although Muzan's hold over her had weakened over the past century, a faint, subtle connection remained. To prevent the worst-case scenario, they were searching for a way to eradicate it completely, but they had yet to find a solution.
"Get some rest. This experiment won't succeed overnight," Shisho said gently.
Tamayo nodded in response to his concern. Soon, the lights in the room were extinguished, and it seemed as though the two had fallen asleep.
As time passed, the rain outside grew heavier, and the thunder seemed to drown out all other sounds. In these conditions, a faint rustling sound suddenly came from the roof of the room—a weak but sharp noise, like a reptile crawling across the tiles. Not only that, but a pair of glowing lights appeared in a dark corner, like the eyes of some animal. After observing Shisho and Tamayo below, the strange gaze vanished. Everything seemed to return to normal, as if nothing had happened.
However, once the gaze and the rustling were gone, Shisho's eyes twitched slightly.
Then, he opened them.
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (290 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (240 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (110 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (120 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (310 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (120 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (140 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(70 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (193 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (140 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (100 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (70 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (100 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (120 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (120 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (85 Chapter)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (60 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (70 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (120 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (120 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (60 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (90 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (90 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (70 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (70 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (70 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (70 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (20 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (20 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (30 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (30 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (30 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.