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[ 30+ Advance chapter in Patreon]
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I thought about my next move, lay down, and closed my eyes. Demons don't need sleep, but I've kept the habit. Rest helps me stay sharp.
Halfway through my nap, a voice slid into the room.
"Muzan-sama… Muzan-sama…"
The voice was smooth, almost like silk, but too soft. It annoyed me.
I opened one eye, pressed a hand to my ear, and looked ahead.
There he was: white hair like fresh snow, rainbow-colored eyes with the kanji for "Upper Rank Two" glowing inside, a black cloak over a red shirt, and a dark spot on his forehead that looked like dried blood. He was squatting right on my bed.
Douma.
"Lord Muzan—" he began.
Before he finished, I snapped out my arm. It turned sharp and long like a whip and sliced his head clean off.
"Filth. What are you doing here?" I said.
His head reformed, and his face went soft and pitiful. "Muzan-sama… forgive me~" he cooed.
The mocking tone made my hand twitch. I almost cut him again.
"Speak. If you have nothing worth saying, vanish."
He fumbled, lips moving, eyes flashing fear. I readied myself—
"I… fell in love with a human girl!"
I froze. His face flushed. The usual smug look melted away.
"…What?"
"I met her while I was traveling. She was beautiful. I… I liked her." His voice got smaller with each word.
"Her name?"
"…Kocho Kanae."
My eyes narrowed. "And you're sure you love her? You don't want to eat her?"
Douma shook his head fast, still blushing. "No… I just want to be near her…"
I snorted. "Confess, then. Let her kill you if it's true. If you crave love so badly, die with it. Don't bother me."
"Muzan-sama, I—"
I cut him off. Nakime's biwa sounded and the room shifted. Space folded, and Douma was pushed out of Infinite Castle.
I let out a slow breath. Irritation clung to me. "That fool… falling for humans. First one, then another. Shinobu next?" I muttered.
I had planned to find Kanae or Shinobu soon, but Douma messed up my timing.
"Tch. Maybe I'll kill him when he meets her," I said under my breath.
By noon I'd given up on sleep. I went to check the animals in Infinite Castle. Lately there were more cats and fish, fewer dogs. A litter of kittens had even been born.
"Meow, meow—come on. Time to eat."
The cats padded over. A stray dog tried to copy them and failed miserably. I fed them, tailing off as someone approached behind me.
"Muzan-sama…"
I turned. Kokushibo stood there. His six eyes looked down, nervous.
"Black Death… it's noon. Did you forget to feed them?" I asked flatly.
"…Forgive me—"
I handed him a bowl of goat's milk. "Then help. Now."
He hesitated, bowed, and clumsily picked up a kitten. He fed it with a spoon, huge hands awkward with the tiny creature. His massive presence, the strongest of the Upper Moons, seemed oddly out of place with a kitten in his arms.
I almost laughed, but I didn't. "I have too many to tend alone. From now on, you'll look after the kittens."
His many eyes flickered. For a moment I saw panic, then he bowed his head and the bowl trembled in his hands.
"…Yes, Muzan-sama," he said.
I wiped my face with my hand, though there was nothing there. Kokushibo still fed the kitten, head bowed.
"Kokushibo. Enough play. Work time. Can you do it?" I asked.
He blinked at me, startled. "…What do you mean?"
Even as he spoke, he kept feeding, careful and slow. Watching that, I decided I wouldn't bring him with me to hunt the Ubuyashiki family. I'd handle that myself.
"Stay here and take care of them for three days."
"…Yes." He nodded stiffly.
I changed into my male form, took what I needed — including a Nichirin blade — signaled Nakime, and left. The biwa sounded, space folded, and I was gone.
Kokushibo stared where I'd been. His eyes narrowed as the air settled. "…After all these centuries, Muzan-sama hasn't changed," he said softly.
Even before dusk, I stayed alert. The Lower Moons were already searching the city for the white-haired boy. I don't have patience for reckless feeding; I'd ordered them to obey. Still, I let them search for a day — fear keeps them in line.
Late at night one of them whispered through the link: "Lord Muzan… the white-haired boy is in this house."
His voice shook. I dismissed him with a wave and canceled the search order.
Through a cracked window, I saw inside: blood on the floor and five bodies lying still.
"…The Ubuyashiki family had seven children. Shizuya and Minoru should still be alive. Where are they?" I muttered.
Then—bang! bang!
A struggle and a child's scream. I ran toward the noise.
What I found was a teenage boy with silver-white hair fighting a female demon. A younger boy clung to him, shaking, his face cut and bruised. Both had scars, but neither backed down.
"…A mother turned? How sad," I said.
The demon swung at the older boy again. I stepped in, drew my Nichirin, and cut her arms clean off in one strike.
The older boy shouted at me, voice rough with anger. "Who are you?! Stay out of this!"
I almost laughed. Typical. The future Wind Hashira, ingratitude and all. I save you and you spit at me.
The demon staggered and ran into a nearby house. I glanced at the brothers. "Help him. He's hurt. Don't let him collapse."
The demon thrashed like an animal. Her severed arms started to regrow. When she sensed me, she barreled past the house—straight for the boys.
"Move! Demon!" I barked. But her steps slowed, like she was drunk. The air thickened with blood — rare blood.
I cut her in half before she reached them. Her scream was sharp and pitiful.
The brothers froze. The younger whispered, voice breaking, "…That voice... it's Mother?"
They stared at the demon's face. The younger sobbed and clung to his brother. "This can't be real… Tell me it's a dream…"
The older boy held him tight. He didn't cry, but his jaw shook.
I stood over them, blade steady. "She's your mother. Will you end it yourselves, or shall I do it?"
His lips moved, but no sound came. I looked at the horizon. Dawn would come soon.
"If she faces the sun, she'll burn slowly. That's worse than the sword. If you hesitate, I'll do it."
I breathed, steady. "I don't know what kind of person she was before. Good or bad. But I know this: before she became a demon, she wouldn't have hurt you. Now she's trapped in endless pain. She needs release."
After it was done, I leaned against a broken wall. The two boys buried their family themselves, small hands covered in dirt. Watching them pulled something from me I rarely show.
The sun climbed higher. We had no shelter.
I sighed and called to them. "You, white-haired one. Is there an inn or a cave nearby? Anything?"
The older boy spun on me, fury pouring out. "What's wrong with your legs? Go find it yourself!"
The feeling I'd had vanished. My hand slammed down hard on his shoulder. My voice went low.
"If not for your brother, you'd already be missing a leg."
I didn't mean it. Cruel as I may be, I'm not heartless. Not yet. Even as the Ghost King, I remember what it meant to be human.