Disclaimer: Demon Slayer is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
---
"Ah?" Feeling the touch on his shoulder, the bald cultist turned his head in confusion. His squinting eyes froze for a moment.
"Hello." Shinobu smiled, the hilt of the Nichirin sword at her waist "coincidentally" showing.
Seeing the sword, the cultist's gaze stiffened in place.
…
Bang!
The bald cultist fell to the ground. He staggered backward, crawling away. Cold sweat covered his shiny forehead.
They have switched places to the back alley so as to not make a scene.
"Really! I don't know anything else!"
His eyes opened wide as he shouted in panic to explain.
"I'm just an ordinary believer! Recently the Eternal Paradise Faith has been recruiting followers on a large scale. There's a nearby church branch right here!"
"I'm only acting based on the information I received."
"Everything is the cult leader's order!"
As he spoke, he swallowed nervously. His pupils trembled as he looked toward the three shadows looming over him.
Normally, he would have enjoyed having three women hovering over him like this. But their eyes...
Shudder!
"Eh… really?"
Shinobu spoke softly, lowering her eyes as she looked down at him. Her eyes hidden in shadow revealed no emotion.
"That's very suspicious."
Her slender fingers toyed with the sword hilt, though she did not draw the blade, seemingly only threatening him.
Eternal Paradise Faith. There was nothing wrong with the name or doctrine, but...
Two days ago, a Kasugai crow had delivered a message to her.
It was information obtained in Yoshiwara by Giyu.
Apparently, the church controlled by a certain Upper Moon demon was also called Eternal Paradise Faith.
And now more than half of the Upper Moons had already died. She still hadn't encountered the one her sister had described.
The cult leader of this church was very likely him.
Shinobu slowly opened her eyes. Her expression darkened, and the rhythm of her heartbeat subtly quickened.
"Shinobu-sama."
Aoi looked at Shinobu with concern.
'Is she... angry?'
Before she could even react, Shinobu had already dragged this middle-aged man quickly into the alley.
'Is this really okay?'
'This feels like coercion.'
She froze.
'No, this is an interrogation!'
Her gaze shifted to the bald cultist who had fallen in fear.
He just looks like an ordinary middle-aged man.
Thinking this, Aoi turned to look at Kanao Tsuyuri, hoping to get her opinion.
Kanao simply smiled, making no movement.
"Then why did you want us to join this church?" Shinobu smiled as she softly asked the fallen cultist.
"I saw it clearly. You walked out of the crowd and came straight toward us."
She opened her smiling, crescent-shaped eyes. Her purple pupils, without any light, stared at the cultist.
"Lying won't help, you know."
Click.
The guard of the Nichirin sword lightly struck the scabbard with a crisp sound.
The reflected glint of the blade flashed across the cultist's face, and his expression instantly turned pale.
"Wait! I understand!"
Hearing the metallic sound, the bald cultist sat up in terror and instinctively raised his hands to block in front of him.
"I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"
His breathing became rapid. His eyes darted around before he took two deep breaths.
"I approached you because the cult leader likes young women. If I do this, my rank will be promoted…"
"And also…"
Under Shinobu's gloomy smile, the bald cultist timidly said in a low voice.
"I felt like… you'd be easy to fool."
The moment he said that,
The bald cultist suddenly shivered. Nervous, he looked around in panic and unconsciously rubbed his shoulders.
'Why does it suddenly feel colder?'
"'You felt like it…'"
Shinobu lowered her head. Veins faintly bulged on the back of her hand.
Sensing the faint smell of blood from the cultist—
Just because of such a simple reason…
She slowly lifted her gaze and looked straight at him. Despite the chilling atmosphere, her tone was especially gentle.
"Exactly what kind of 'feeling'…"
"—have you been relying on to live until now?"
Tap.
'So… vicious!'
Aoi stared at Shinobu in shock. Frightened, she unconsciously stepped half a step back, her face full of disbelief.
The Lady Shinobu she remembered, always gentle and smiling, would never say something like that.
But Kanao, beside her, still showed no reaction, as if she were already used to it.
Shinobu spoke while silently thinking, her gaze continuously examining the cultist.
"If you're just an ordinary believer, have you seen what that cult leader looks like?"
"And the purpose of recruiting followers?"
Hearing this, the bald believer suddenly trembled. He turned his head away, his voice shaking.
"N-No… I haven't!"
"A believer like me isn't qualified to meet the cult leader… let alone know the purpose…"
"Probably… for money?" He guessed tentatively.
The bald cultist squinted his eyes again, as if afraid to meet Shinobu's gaze.
Sweat continued to bead across his forehead.
Suddenly—
Tap.
A hand suddenly reached out.
The bald cultist froze. In surprise, he looked at Shinobu, who had crouched down and grasped his wrist with her thumb.
Thump. Thump.
After a moment—
"I see."
Feeling his pulse, Shinobu slowly stood up and released his wrist, the corner of her lips slightly lifting.
"Mm, I think I already know about what I wanted to know."
"Thank you, Mr. Baldy."
After saying that, she turned sideways as if preparing to leave.
The bald cultist froze. Looking at the three who were about to leave, a heavy weight in his heart finally dropped.
They're leaving?
He let out a long breath. His back was already soaked with cold sweat, and his panic gradually calmed.
After all, he wasn't an ordinary believer at all. He was actually one of the cult leader's closest followers.
Whether he should know something or not, he knew at least a little.
Today he had only come to an area far from the main church to see how the church here had developed.
Who would have thought he'd encounter these three terrifying people!
'Cult leader, please bless me!'
The bald cultist squinted his eyes.
If they had forced all the information out of him, more cold sweat would have appeared on his face.
Just as he thought, Shinobu and the others were leaving.
"Oh, right."
Shinobu suddenly stopped. She slightly turned her head and smiled at the bald cultist, speaking in the same tone as before.
Pretending as if they had never met, she lightly raised her hand in greeting.
"Ah~ Mr. Baldy, hello."
"I wonder if you'd be interested in learning about my organization… oh, no, my church."
Shinobu tilted her head with a smile, spreading her hands as her fingertips lightly overlapped.
"The name of our church is—"
She opened her eyes, completely devoid of light, her voice suddenly dropping low.
"The Demon Slayer Corps."
After saying that, the smile on Shinobu's lips vanished instantly. She glanced coldly at the cultist.
"Bring him along. Let's return to the Butterfly Mansion together."
The bald cultist's face instantly turned pale as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.
Inside his heart he screamed endlessly.
'Cult Leader!!'
…
On the road back.
"Mmph! Mmm!!"
Kanao walked expressionlessly, carrying the bound and gagged bald cultist on her back without any effort.
The cultist struggled constantly, trying to make louder noises so that nearby people would come save him.
But...
After finally twisting off the cloth covering his eyes and frantically looking around, he suddenly fell into despair.
The Rocky Mountains surrounding them were reflected in his widening eyes.
'Who travels by mountain paths?!'
"U-Um!"
Aoi looked at Shinobu walking ahead of them. After hesitating for a long time, she finally spoke.
"Shinobu-sama… is this really okay?"
Her fingers gripped the straps of her backpack tightly, anxiety showing on her face.
"Taking a normal person to the Butterfly Mansion like this, is that really something we should do?"
"Aoi."
Shinobu suddenly spoke, interrupting her. She didn't turn around; her tone was perfectly calm.
"That man smells strongly of blood."
She slightly turned her eyes, her gaze gentle.
"He's not an ordinary person at all."
"…Eh."
Aoi stood there with her heavy backpack, blinking blankly.
Not… ordinary?
Thinking about the questions Shinobu had asked earlier.
A demon?
Her pupils shrank slightly.
Watching Kanao pass her without stopping and Shinobu's figure gradually moving farther ahead, only then did she suddenly realize it.
As a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, even as a member of the Butterfly Mansion, she still had many things to learn.
She tightened the straps of her backpack, took a deep breath, said nothing more, and quickly followed the two ahead.
The Butterfly Mansion was still far away. When they had come here earlier, it had already taken several days.
…
Meanwhile—
In a dim, spacious room of unknown location.
Luxurious gauze curtains hung from the ceiling, surrounding a soft cushion in the center.
"So boring."
"Sanjo too. He just went on patrol and hasn't come back for several days."
Doma, wearing a divine crown, rested his chin on his hand in boredom while casually playing with a golden fan in his left hand.
"The number of believers has already exceeded a thousand. Why is there still no news of the blue spider lily?" He muttered to himself.
"Humans filled with desire… always complaining about money and status…"
Snap!
Doma straightened his upper body and suddenly closed his fan. A serene smile appeared on his face, his eyes filled with pity.
"What truly pitiful creatures!"
In front of him, dark red blood slowly spread across the floor. In the dim light, the mirror-like surface reflected Doma's smiling face.
---
Time passed.
Sunlight dimly pierced through the clouds, leaving the last trace of light at the edge of the mountains.
Night fell.
In a certain town.
Faint voices of conversation sounded in front of a house.
"Are Tomioka-sama's missions always like this?"
"I don't know. This is also my first time assigned to a Hashira's mission."
Three members of the Demon Slayer Corps in black uniforms stood in front of a house, glancing at each other.
They had been guarding here for several days. Originally, they only needed to wait until the Transparent World training ended and Giyu returned.
But suddenly they received news that the Water Hashira had gone to participate in a mission to hunt an Upper Moon demon, forcing them to stay several more days.
At first they thought a Hashira's mission would temper them, make them stronger, or give them chances to kill demons.
But...
During these past days, there had been no sign of demons at all.
At most, some neighbors occasionally hurled insults or rotten vegetables at the person they were supposed to protect, "Mizuki Nara."
Did such a mission really require them to stand guard?
They could clearly be helping more people.
Killing one demon could save dozens of lives!
This question had already appeared in their hearts many times.
Click.
"Everyone from our batch has already been promoted several ranks. Aren't we just wasting time here?"
One of the members lowered his head and looked at the sword in his hand. Under the faint moonlight, the blade reflected his worried face.
If he didn't kill a demon soon, the blade might rust.
"Um..."
The crew-cut member's face turned red. He had been silent the entire time, his legs tightly pressed together as he cautiously looked at the other two.
"I… uh… can't hold it anymore. I'm leaving for a bit." Pointing to the side, he spoke in a pleading tone.
"Go, go. We won't report it." Another member waved his hand helplessly.
"Hurry up."
"Much appreciated!" The crew-cut member pressed his hands together.
After saying that, he turned and ran off quickly.
Watching their companion disappear around the corner, the remaining member sighed again.
…
Not far away—
"I'm not doing this kind of mission again."
The crew-cut member slowed his running. He glanced back at the two still guarding the door.
It might be safe, but who joined the Demon Slayer Corps for safety?
Somewhere, a certain yellow dandelion sneezed violently at the butterfly mansion.
The crew-cut member looked forward as he ran, determination in his eyes.
'I'll leave while I have the chance.'
'As long as I kill demons, the higher-ups shouldn't blame me.'
Tap tap tap!
Ahead on the street—at the corner beside a low wall.
He suddenly pushed off the ground and, without slowing down, rushed straight around the corner.
The next moment—
At the corner, a figure with deep pink hair wearing only a short shirt suddenly appeared before his eyes.
He froze.
'Crap!'
'I'm going to crash into him!'
The crew-cut member shut his eyes in fear.
But the expected collision never happened.
After hesitating for a moment, he slowly opened his eyes.
In front of him was the ground.
'I'm lying down?'
"Huh?" he tried to speak, but something blocked his throat, and no sound came out.
Pff!
Blood continuously spilled from the corner of his mouth. The crew-cut member's expression gradually turned to terror.
What happened?!
His panicked eyes looked around, but he couldn't feel his limbs at all!
Until.
His gaze landed beside him.
There stood his own headless body, swaying before finally collapsing.
His lonely head lay on the ground. The fear in his wide eyes slowly faded.
Swish!
Akaza shook the blood from his hand with disgust. Crimson droplets splattered across the wall.
He had just returned to his base.
Looking at the uniform of the crew-cut member in confusion, he muttered irritably.
"…Demon Slayer Corps?"
Tap.
His tattoo-covered fist lowered and slowly clenched. His brow furrowed deeply, filled with impatience.
"Why are there demon slayers…"
"…in my territory?"