Horitake really couldn't take it anymore as the Ubuyashiki couple began showering each other with affection right in front of him. He let out a couple of dry coughs, pointedly interrupting their intimate moment.
"Ahem... excuse me. My Lord, Lady Amane, it's clear you both have high hopes for Kiriya-sama."
He paused, his expression turning serious. "But the problem remains: the curse on Kiriya hasn't been lifted yet. If things continue like this, by the time he grows a bit older, his physical condition won't be any better than yours was, My Lord."
These words immediately snapped the Ubuyashiki couple out of their world of domestic bliss.
When it came to their only son, they couldn't afford to be anything less than solemn. Kagaya's expression instantly became grave as he looked at Horitake.
"You're right. I almost let it slip my mind! The curse in Kiriya's body is still very much active."
Lady Amane nodded quickly in agreement. "Yes, though the curse hasn't fully manifested in Kiriya yet, having such a hidden danger lurking within my son's body leaves me deeply worried. Horitake, when do you think you'll have time to return to Headquarters to help us purge the curse from his body? I beg of you."
Horitake gave a crisp, straightforward answer. "It's a simple enough task. I can head back to Headquarters whenever. How about I return with you this time, My Lord? I can settle the curse in Kiriya's body while I'm there."
Kagaya's face lit up with joy. He was just about to agree when Lady Amane reached out and discreetly tugged at his sleeve. She gave him a meaningful look and whispered softly, "My Lord, let us put public matters before private ones. Kiriya's situation isn't urgent for the moment, but that matter is."
A look of realization dawned on Kagaya, and his demeanor shifted to one of intense focus.
Seeing this, Horitake keenly sensed that something had happened. "My Lord, Lady Amane... has a problem arisen?"
Kagaya nodded, answering cautiously, "Indeed. There is a mission that is both urgent and quite troublesome."
"What kind of mission?"
"Reports from the Demon Slayers in Osaka state that a particularly vicious demon has recently appeared in the Kansai region," Kagaya explained. "This demon has a specific preference—it targets young boys between the ages of twelve and eighteen. To date, over a hundred youths have perished at its hands. We can only imagine how many families have lost their children, and how many have been utterly destroyed by this tragedy."
"The Kansai region? Targets young boys? Over a hundred victims already...?"
Hearing this, Horitake felt a strange swirl of emotions.
Twelve to eighteen years old... well, I'm not in that age bracket. Should I be relieved or offended?
Furthermore, considering this demon's specific dietary preference—and thinking of demons like Douma, who exclusively targeted women—Horitake couldn't help but form a curious hypothesis.
"Um... My Lord, this demon... could it be a female?"
It seemed Kagaya had considered this as well, as he answered with some hesitation, "We aren't certain. Although the Demon Slayers in Kansai have been searching and hunting for it everywhere, they still haven't managed to pin down the demon's details. Whether it is male or female remains unknown."
Horitake followed up with a more tactful question. "Then... the hundred-plus boys who were eaten, did they share any specific characteristics?"
Kagaya appeared even more embarrassed now, answering somewhat haltingly, "Those hundred-plus boys... were all quite fair-skinned and handsome. They were children with very refined features and noble temperaments."
"Uh... then can't we basically assume this demon is a female?"
"We cannot be sure," Kagaya insisted. "After all, no one has lived to tell the tale after seeing it with their own eyes."
"No one has seen it?" Horitake pondered for a moment. "In that case, this demon must be quite powerful. Is it possible we're looking at someone on the level of the Twelve Kizuki?"
Kagaya shook his head again. "Unclear. Uncertain. Information is simply too scarce; this demon is far too elusive."
"Elusive? How so?"
"Most demons prefer to hold down a specific territory, slowly picking off humans in a place they are familiar with," Kagaya explained. "But this one is different. This demon likes to wander and flee constantly. Aside from the preference for young boys, its other defining trait is its indecisive movement. Once it has eaten its fill in one location, it never stays for a second helping. It leaves immediately to find its next feeding ground. This has made it nearly impossible for the Slayers in Kansai to track it, leaving us completely in the dark regarding its identity."
Listening to Kagaya's troubled explanation, Horitake understood the situation.
This demon would eat a few people, change locations, eat a few more, and move again. It was essentially waging a campaign of guerrilla warfare!
With such unpredictable and random movements, it was no wonder the rank-and-file Slayers were having trouble. If you can't even track it, you certainly can't kill it.
This was likely why the task was being handed to him.
His situation was similar to the demon's; as the "Heaven Pillar," he wasn't tied down to a single region. He wandered the land, hunting demons wherever he found them. Perhaps only someone with his high level of mobility stood a chance of catching this creature.
But that raised a question.
If I'm moving around and the demon is moving around, where am I supposed to find it? Searching the entire country like a needle in a haystack isn't a viable plan.
As if sensing Horitake's concern, Kagaya pulled a map from his robes. He spread it out on the ground for everyone to see.
Pointing to the Kansai region on the map, Kagaya said, "I have plotted the path of this demon based on the locations and timestamps of the disappearances reported by the Corps members."
Horitake leaned down to inspect it. The map was covered in a series of lines marking the demon's chronological path and appearances.
However...
"It's a mess..."
He wasn't wrong. The lines tracing the demon's path were chaotic and disorganized, showing no apparent logic or pattern.
Horitake couldn't help but complain, "It's like a headless fly buzzing around at random. There are no fixed points; it seems to choose its next destination entirely by whim. I can't find any rhythm to this at all."
"It isn't entirely without a pattern," Kagaya explained, pointing to the map. "While its movements seem disorganized, there is one constant: it never returns to a place where it has already eaten. Every single location it visits is new."
Horitake was speechless. What is this? A 'good horse doesn't turn back to eat old grass' philosophy?
Kagaya continued his briefing. "Beyond that, there is one general trend I've noticed. The demon's route is slowly shifting from the Kansai region toward Kanto."
Horitake looked closer, following the timeline. It turned out to be true.
"Indeed. It has already reached the edge of Kanto and is heading toward Tokyo. Is it planning to eat its way from Osaka all the way to the capital!?"
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