"From last night until now, have demons only died in these three places, Nakime?"
"Yes, Lord Muzan."
The master of the Infinity Castle replied reverently to her lord.
Muzan Kibutsuji stared at the circles on the map, trying hard to recall where that sensation had come from, but he couldn't pinpoint the location.
"Select three demons and send them to these three locations to investigate and search."
"Lord Muzan, what should they be searching for?"
Nakime's question did stump Muzan. He didn't want to mention last night's events to anyone—that fear, as if he were facing Yoriichi Tsugikuni once again.
"It seems a... rather special fellow has appeared within the Demon Slayer Corps. Have them go and investigate whether there are any Demon Slayer Corps members who are out of the ordinary."
"Yes, Lord Muzan."
In the end, Muzan simply gave a vague order.
After all, perhaps it was just a bad dream.
Meanwhile, the person Muzan was looking for was strolling through the streets with great interest.
Suzuki Makoto found a pawn shop, pawned a few gold koban, and after getting some money, he finally managed to escape the predicament of wearing only his undergarments and having an empty stomach.
The place where the family from last night lived was now cordoned off. He mingled with the crowd of onlookers to observe for a while, only to be surprised to find that it was just ordinary police handling the scene. It seemed they were completely unaware of the existence of demons. Even with the gruesome state of the corpses before them and the wife's frantic descriptions, the police merely concluded that the murderer's methods were cruel and that the lady had lost her mind due to the horrific scene.
How strange. Judging from what that demon said yesterday, isn't there supposed to be an official organization called the Demon Slayer Corps dealing with demons? How come these people are completely clueless?
Even if the existence of demons and the Demon Slayer Corps is kept secret, shouldn't a special team show up, flash their badges like the FBI, and take over the scene?
Surely the Demon Slayer Corps can't be a civilian organization, right?
Puzzled, Suzuki Makoto lingered near the scene for a long time but still found no clues.
Seeing the sun begin to set in the west and no change in the situation, the man had no choice but to leave for now—he had to prepare for tonight's fishing expedition.
Following a route he had inquired about earlier, Suzuki Makoto arrived at a blacksmith's shop.
"Shopkeeper, can you forge a blade here?"
"What kind of blade do you want forged?"
"A sharp one, but it needs to be heavier."
The man surveyed the shop's interior, surprised to find only household cutlery.
"Do you think this is still thirty years ago? The sword ban was never lifted. I haven't forged a proper sword in a long time. If you want something for self-defense—here, look over there."
The shopkeeper pouted and gestured for Suzuki Makoto to look at the corner, where some specially forged hatchets were displayed. Clearly, even these weapons that skirted the rules couldn't be displayed too openly.
Suzuki Makoto blinked, moved closer, and lowered his voice.
"Not even for money?"
"If you want a few decorative pieces, I can make them, but is that what you want?"
"Never mind then."
Disappointed, Suzuki Makoto walked over to the corner, picked up the hatchets to test their weight, and unenthusiastically chose a suitable one. He paid and left the blacksmith's shop.
It seemed that the Nichirin Blade the demon mentioned would be hard to find through ordinary means.
Mulling it over, Suzuki Makoto found a random shop for dinner, waiting for the last ray of sunlight to disappear.
Once the sky had completely darkened, he paid his bill, picked up the package containing the bloody clothes, and deliberately untied the opening before heading into the dark alleys.
"Caw—caw—"
A crow's cry echoed from nearby. On a night so soon after a bloody incident, such an ominous sign would certainly be terrifying. Suzuki Makoto's expression also grew solemn.
However, his solemnity wasn't due to fear—in the direction of the crow's call, the aura of a man-eating demon was rising up unrestrainedly.
Although Suzuki Makoto did want to lure out a new demon, finding two man-eating demons in just two nights was somewhat unexpected. Moreover, Suzuki Makoto was certain he hadn't sensed this demon's aura last night, which meant it had just arrived in town today—and that was definitely not good news.
Either the density of man-eating demons in this world had reached an appalling level, to the point where a territory was immediately filled by a new demon as soon as it was cleared.
Or... these man-eating demons were themselves part of a complete organization, and after discovering that a demon had died last night, they immediately sent someone to investigate!
"What a terrible situation. I wonder what the deal is with that Demon Slayer Corps."
While muttering with worry, Suzuki Makoto's steps didn't slow in the slightest. He had witnessed the madness and bloodlust of these man-eating demons last night; a moment's delay might mean another innocent life lost.
This time, however, he had worried for nothing.
"Hahahaha, Nakime said there might be a special Demon Slayer Corps member here. I thought I'd run into a Hashira, but it's just an ordinary guy—but that's fine, you guys are all quite chewy. I won't let you go to waste!"
"Get back and inform the others! This isn't an ordinary demon! It's the Twelve Kizuki's Lower Rank Six! Don't send any more low-ranking slayers here!"
The Demon Slayer Corps member looked at the two kanji-inscribed eyes on the demon's head, his face filled with uncontrollable fear.
But he stood his ground firmly, raising his blade to meet the foe.
His Kasugai Crow let out two mournful cries before flying with all its might towards the sky.
"Oh, so there's a way to do that? Excellent! Next time I'll be sure to remember to let you guys call for backup first. That way, I'll get to eat even more Demon Slayer Corps members!"
The demon known as Lower Rank Six had a look of playful cruelty in his eyes. He licked his claws with his scarlet tongue, staring intently at his prey.
The Demon Slayer's back was soaked in cold sweat. He focused his full attention on the Lower Rank Six opposite him, not daring to let his concentration waver for an instant.
Facing a guy like this, I could be killed in an instant!
Yet, even knowing his fate, he still chose to raise the blade in his hands.
It doesn't matter if I can't win, but I have to cut something off him—no matter how insignificant, I must try to create even the slightest advantage for the comrades who will come to hunt this Lower Rank demon in the future!
_____
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