"I want Gyutaro within a decade."
Those were the last words Shota heard from Muzan before being teleported by Nakime.
A gentle breeze of cool air swept through the grass, sending a shiver across the hilltop clearing.
In such a serene scene, the ice demon calmly raised his eyes toward the horizon.
Dawn was slowly breaking, tainting the morning sky with a pale glow.
'I've deepened my bond with Nakime… and, I must admit, I had a good time. But…'
Dōma turned his gaze toward the distant monastery. He had known from the start that a situation like this could arise.
Yet, his identity had been exposed much sooner than he would have liked—far too early for his plans and preferences.
He let out a small sigh, tinged with a hint of weariness, before slowly rising from the grassy ground.
"Either way… I can't exactly run from my own home, can I?" he said with a tone of mock amusement.
He couldn't recall the last time he had felt an emotion like this.
Self-deprecation.
Dōma is a meticulous and cautious man, but he knows he's not infallible.
He must have weaknesses, ones his mind deemed unnecessary to conceal.
That's why he had never revealed his true nature to the high-ranking followers of the sect.
Dōma judged that only the shadow group, under Taiga's control, could be trusted with the knowledge of his race.
Thanks to his vector manipulation, all the former orphans trained within the Demon Slayer Corps were unable to guess his true nature.
Dōma occasionally ate "normal" food in public and even appeared under the sun from time to time.
He had even been seen once lying on the grass, watching the clouds, so it was certainly a summer day.
How could a former demon slayer connect him to a demonic creature? Especially since he enjoyed an impeccable reputation.
"No need to dwell on it any longer… it's time to talk to those two kids about the reality of this world."
The voice of the former cult leader carried a rare authority, different from the passive aura he usually exuded.
…
It didn't take Dōma long to reach the monastery, perched atop another nearby hill.
The two locations weren't far from the town where the sect's annual festival had been held.
"Good morning, Dōma-sama."
"Good day, Dōma-sama."
Several servants and followers greeted him as he walked through the monastery's corridors. Dōma responded to each with a polite nod, appearing in his adult form.
If there's one thing Dōma has excelled at since arriving in the world of KNY, it's social interactions.
Even though Jay wasn't a perfect example, Dōma had gained some understanding of the paradoxical nature of humans through him.
His past life on Earth had been a valuable sample for the current Dōma, offering a clear perspective on an ordinary man.
"Welcome, Danna-sama," Kaguya greeted in a soft voice as Dōma opened the door to his quarters.
"G-good morning, Otto-sama," Kikyo said, her hesitant voice betraying her inner stress. She carefully avoided eye contact.
The ice demon understood from Kikyo's reaction that Kaguya's presence was no ordinary event.
Aside from his two wives, three other people were in the room waiting for him: Mori, Ume, and Gyutaro.
However, Dōma subtly detected Taiga's presence, hidden in the ceiling. The leader of the shadow group seemed ready to intervene if the situation between Dōma and his family took a turn for the worse.
"Hmm~ Is this an ambush? And you little rascals, aren't you going to greet the man of the house?" Dōma teased, reading the room's atmosphere.
Even though he was the center of attention, Dōma casually walked to the table.
After all, why would he raise the suspicions of the conspirators?
Then, he observed and analyzed everyone's reactions more closely.
Ume and Kikyo had trembled after he uttered the word "ambush" upon his arrival.
A detail not to be overlooked, especially after Kikyo's reaction to his entrance.
'Even now, Ume can't maintain eye contact with me without blushing… is it embarrassment or fear?' Dōma decided to set his speculations about Ume aside for the moment.
His multicolored eyes then turned to Gyutaro.
The young man tensed slightly before lowering his gaze, like a kid caught misbehaving.
As for Kikyo? She closed her eyes, as if to avoid an unpleasant future vision.
Mori, on the other hand, shot him a dark glare, as if Dōma had done something wrong.
'Did I steal his future wife? I don't recall making a move on Lin or her daughter… oh, he must be mad about that punch.' Dōma realized he had never raised a hand against Mori outside of sparring.
'He must have been shocked… well, it was about time Mori got a taste of old-school discipline.' Dōma nodded with satisfaction at the thought of applying Garp's teachings.
After all, he has descendants who shake the world, for better or worse.
Unfortunately for Dōma, his nod and slight smile were interpreted as a subtle message by those present: I already know everything.
A true statement, as he could know everything at any moment thanks to his Blood Demon Art: Vanity's Paradise.
"You prepared such a lavish breakfast for me~ Is it my 41st birthday?" Dōma said as he spoke again, only for Mori to grip his Nichirin Blade.
His action drew frowns from his mother and the others present, but Dōma remained unfazed.
The ice demon grabbed the food in front of him and devoured it as if it were delicious.
He even smiled as the wisteria poison briefly coursed through his body before it began to neutralize it.
'Indeed, Tamayo and Shinobu are geniuses I won't easily cross,' he thought, wiping his mouth after the meal.
Contrary to Mori's expectations, their opponent had long trained his body to resist wisteria.
And he continued to do so at every opportunity, even after facing the sun.
In Dōma's own opinion, he was likely the hardest demon to kill, second only to Muzan himself.
The only thing left for him to overcome, aside from his routine, was decapitation by a Nichirin Blade.
Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to test such a blow while he had his vector manipulation.
"You know what? Why don't we speak frankly instead of playing mind games…" Dōma said with a kind, almost warm smile.
Yet, the pressure he exerted on the two boys was far from light.
"You find out who I am, and not even 24 hours later, you try to kill me? Haha, get creative, come on~" he said, picking at a piece of fish stuck between his teeth with a toothpick.
"Danna-sama, I believe there's a misunderstanding," Kaguya said calmly.
She wasn't specifically targeted by Dōma's pressure, so she didn't notice the sweat on Gyutaro and Mori's foreheads.
The human woman couldn't fully read the situation, despite her intelligence.
"A misunderstanding? Care to enlighten me, Kaguya-chan?" Unbeknownst to Kaguya, Dōma had used his Blood Demon Art: Vanity's Paradise.
This act was performed after consuming the wisteria-based poison in his meal.
Thus, Dōma understood the gist of the situation.
His identity had been revealed, and Mori wanted to weaken him to gain an advantage in the upcoming conversation.
Unfortunately, he didn't know that wisteria had no effect on him, just like the sun itself.
Dōma deemed this act both clever and foolish.
After all, why try to poison an opponent you know nothing about?
'I managed to educate him properly in terms of intellect and strategy, but he didn't understand when to flee or negotiate,'Dōma remarked, considering it the subject of Mori's future lesson.
Yet, he wore a genuine smile of pride as he looked at Ogai Mori.
Even if he had been the target of a potential assassination attempt, should the upcoming conversation go south, Dōma appreciated seeing his son grow like this.
It proved he wasn't a waste of seeds.
"Mori, have you forgotten my teachings?"
The young man was confused by Dōma's words, but the demon continued:
"Then why waste time with discussions and mind games? You forced Kikyo to tell you everything, didn't you? So…"
Dōma stood from the table and fixed his gaze on Gyutaro and Mori, rolling up his sleeve.
A mark, resembling cracks on his skin, appeared after the gesture.
"So… shall we dance?"
…
Author's Note:
It's daytime, Dōma cannot deactivate Vector, so… no ice available.