Mount Sagiri
Kie Kamado prepared food for everyone as usual, and after the meal, she cleaned everything thoroughly before finally finding a rare moment to sit down on a chair in the yard and rest.
Not far away, her daughter Nezuko and Kanao were locked in an intense sparring match. From morning until noon, aside from occasional breaks, the two of them had spent nearly all their time training.
Tanjiro sat cross-legged atop a large stone nearby. Even while resting between training sessions, he often remained deep in thought about the mysterious "Transparent World."
As for Takeo, Hanako, and Rokuta, they were also diligently studying.
Everything was gradually moving in a better direction.
The only thing that still felt somewhat strange was Soma being away from home.
"By now, it has been roughly three days since he departed," Kie slowly stood and looked into the distance, but there was still no sign of Soma returning.
Whenever he was absent, it felt as though the household had lost its center.
In the distance, Kanao and Nezuko's sparring match finally reached its climax. Accompanied by a dull thud, the battle once again ended with Nezuko being knocked to the ground.
Kie quickly carried over a basin of warm water, gently wiping the sweat from Nezuko and Kanao's foreheads before handing them the warm drinks she had already prepared.
After taking care of them, Kie stretched her body slightly.
Her mature and graceful figure carried the full charm of a gentle woman, and as Nezuko grew older, she had clearly inherited more and more of her mother's beauty—perhaps even surpassing it someday.
"Mom, what do you think Mr. Soma is doing right now?"
Nezuko asked while rubbing the spot Kanao had just struck painfully.
"He's probably busy with something important," Kie replied softly.
"He still hasn't come back. He's already been gone for several days."
Nezuko took a sip of warm water, unable to hide the complaint in her tone.
Kie glanced at her daughter quietly.
Ever since Soma left, Nezuko had constantly hoped for his return. Gradually, Kie realized that her daughter truly had fallen in love with him.
Every conversation somehow circled back to Soma.
When he had still been staying on Mount Sagiri, Nezuko would think about cooking red bean porridge for him every day, washing his clothes, and cleaning his room without fail.
She became happy whenever he was happy, and upset whenever his mood darkened.
This was probably what it meant to like someone.
Truthfully, Kie herself did not fully understand the feelings of young girls in love. She and Tanjuro Kamado had never experienced anything like that.
Their parents had arranged for them to meet, and afterward, they simply got married.
Even so, though she did not completely understand it, she could still feel the emotions in her daughter's heart.
By now, Kie had also realized the misunderstanding from before.
When Soma visited their home for the second time, he had not come because he was interested in Nezuko. He had wanted to invite Tanjiro to join the fight against demons, yet she had mistakenly thought Soma had feelings for her daughter.
Thinking back to how frightened and worried she had been after learning Soma was a demon, how she had feared for Nezuko and felt wronged on her behalf, Kie could only feel embarrassed now.
In fact, at this point, she actually hoped Nezuko could end up with Soma.
She felt that if it happened, her daughter would truly find happiness.
And that was clearly what Nezuko herself wished for as well.
Without realizing it, Kie lifted her eyes toward Kanao, who was quietly sipping warm water nearby.
As if sensing Kie's gaze, Kanao revealed a faint smile.
Kie smiled back gently and nodded.
Even if Nezuko wished to stay by Soma's side, she would probably never surpass Kanao's place in his heart.
But honestly, Kie did not think that was a bad thing.
For an exceptional man, having several girls around him was perfectly normal. Kie herself could accept that, and she felt Nezuko probably could too.
At this point, what worried Kie more was whether Soma would even accept her daughter's feelings.
If he truly had feelings for Nezuko, then why had nothing happened even now?
When Kie herself had been Nezuko's age, she was already married.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt she should find a chance to talk to Nezuko privately about these things. In fact, perhaps it was already time for the two of them to officially be together.
If they started a family sooner, there might even be children earlier as well. Kie still considered herself young enough to help take care of them.
…
After feeding Shinobu some sweets and chatting with her for a while longer, Soma finally left the room once she had fallen asleep.
Without realizing it, he had stayed there for quite some time.
The moment he stepped outside, Aoi Kanzaki and the three little girls immediately surrounded him as though preparing for an interrogation.
"Tell us honestly, what exactly is your relationship with Sister Shinobu?"
Sumi puffed out her cheeks.
"Could it be that you two are already… you know…"
"That's right, that's right! Does Sister Shinobu like you?"
Naho placed her hands on her hips.
"The way she looks at you is completely different."
"This is the first time I've ever seen Sister Shinobu treat someone this nicely. You're the first one."
Kiyo pretended to look thoughtful while rubbing her chin with a tiny hand.
Seeing the girls crowd around him, Soma could only smile helplessly.
"Honestly, I'm not even sure what my relationship with Miss Shinobu is. Before this, because I once said something bad about her behind her back, I always thought she disliked me."
"What did you say?" Sumi immediately asked.
The others also stared at him curiously.
Looking at the three girls in front of him, there was no way Soma would dare explain.
After all, he had once called Shinobu a hobbit behind her back, and she still remembered it clearly even now. If he said it out loud again, he would probably offend the girls here too, considering the three of them were even shorter than Shinobu.
So Soma simply shook his head.
"Alright, alright."
Seeing everyone surrounding Soma with no intention of giving up, Aoi puffed out her cheeks and spoke sternly.
"Stop bothering Mr. Soma. There's still a lot of work to do, so hurry up and get back to it."
Although Sumi, Kiyo, and Naho were reluctant, they could not continue pestering him and eventually left to do their chores.
"I'm very sorry," Aoi said quietly. "Everyone's just curious, that's all."
"It is quite alright," Soma shook his head before lowering his voice slightly. "Where is Miss Tamayo currently located?"
Aoi hesitated for a moment.
Tamayo's existence here was a secret. If many Demon Slayer swordsmen discovered that a demon was staying in this place, they would never be able to accept it.
"Take me to her." Soma spoke calmly.
In the end, Aoi still nodded and led him forward.
After several minutes of walking, they stopped in front of a cluster of buildings.
Standing beneath the sunlight, Soma could clearly sense a demon watching him from within the darkness of the room.
"Miss Tamayo, Mr. Soma wishes to meet you."
Aoi stepped forward and spoke softly.
Before long, permission was granted.
Soma stepped out of the sunlight and entered the building. Continuing deeper inside, he eventually reached a dark underground room.
Candles were lit, illuminating the blackened chamber.
Tamayo and Yushiro stared at Soma in shock.
From him, they could sense the aura of their own kind.
Yet they had also just watched him standing beneath the sunlight moments ago, leaving them uncertain about what he truly was.
After all, demons could not survive under the sun.
…
Once Aoi left, Soma looked toward Tamayo and Yushiro.
"You're a demon?"
Yushiro could not hide the shock in his voice. The presence coming from Soma was unmistakably similar to theirs.
"Have you ever seen a demon walk beneath the sunlight?" Soma raised his eyes slightly and answered calmly.
Yushiro instantly fell silent.
No demon could walk beneath the sunlight. Not even Muzan Kibutsuji himself could accomplish such a thing. Yet just moments ago, Soma had calmly walked in from outside under the blazing sun.
That was something absolutely impossible for a demon.
"How strange… From you, I can clearly sense the presence of a demon." Tamayo said, inviting Soma to take a seat before presenting him with a cup of freshly brewed tea.
"I don't fully understand it myself," Soma replied as he accepted the cup. "Many demons have said the same thing—that they can sense a demon's aura from me. But unfortunately, I'm completely different from those pitiful creatures controlled by their own desires."
Yushiro's expression immediately became unpleasant.
Tamayo, however, remained calm. Her eyes lowered slightly, as though she had recalled the unforgivable things she herself had done in the past when she failed to control her own desires.
By this time, Soma had lifted his teacup and taken a slow sip.
"May I ask what brings you here today, sir?" Tamayo knelt beside him and spoke gently.
"I heard that Miss Tamayo once served as Muzan Kibutsuji's attendant. I wanted to learn more about him."
"That demon…"
Tamayo's voice was soft and calm, yet hidden beneath it was hatred sharp enough to chill the air.
Naturally, Tamayo understood Muzan better than most.
She had once served closely at his side, and as a physician, she had even participated in his research regarding how to overcome sunlight. She had also personally witnessed the battle between Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Muzan Kibutsuji…
As Tamayo explained everything, Soma gradually gained a deeper understanding of the Demon King.
Without question, Muzan was an extremely contradictory existence. He was cruel and emotionless, yet at the same time deeply cowardly and weak-hearted. He feared death more than anything else and hated hearing words such as "seriously ill" or "dying soon." His obsession with immortality had reached the point of madness.
As the progenitor of demons, Muzan controlled all demons absolutely through a Blood Curse. Not only could he read the thoughts of his subordinates and sense their locations, but he could also instantly destroy the bodies of demons who revealed information about him. At close range, he could even communicate mentally and share vision with them.
As for his abilities, Muzan's strength was not limited to a single aspect. Rather, it was a complete system built around "immortality" and "domination."
He possessed five brains and seven hearts, and the cores of his body could freely shift positions.
More importantly, Muzan had long surpassed the normal limits of demons.
Ordinary demons would die immediately if beheaded by a Nichirin Sword.
Muzan would not.
This had already been proven during his battle against Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Even after being cut into fifteen hundred pieces by Yoriichi's strikes—and despite those attacks being imbued with the power of the Bright Red Nichirin Sword, which severely hindered demonic regeneration—Muzan still managed to escape.
"Even if he splits himself into eighteen hundred fragments, every fragment can survive independently," Tamayo said quietly. "Even if most of them are destroyed, as long as a single fragment remains, he can completely regenerate."
…
After finishing her explanation, Tamayo's eyes gradually dimmed with sorrow.
There was even a trace of despair hidden within them.
Could such a monster truly be destroyed?
Perhaps there had once been a chance.
Back during the Sengoku Era, that man—the first swordsman who wielded Sun Breathing—had once come closer than anyone else to killing Kibutsuji Muzan completely.
But after that man disappeared, such an opportunity vanished with him.
"It sounds like killing Kibutsuji Muzan is nearly impossible," Soma said thoughtfully. "The only reliable method would be exposing him completely to sunlight. But with his ability to escape, that's almost impossible unless we first find a way to restrict his movements."
"I have been conducting continuous research into that exact field—restricting that demon's capacity to escape," Tamayo spoke softly.
"Lately, I have been focused on formulating a drug capable of reverting a demon back into a human being. When an otherwise immortal demon is transformed into a human, he will no longer possess an indestructible existence, and a vast multitude of physical vulnerabilities will manifest."
"I've also been studying different types of cells. At present, I've already developed a drug capable of accelerating cellular aging to nearly fifty years per minute. And I've continued researching ways to prevent cells from dividing altogether…"
Soma nodded slightly.
This matched the impression he remembered from the final battle—Tamayo had practically carried the entire fight as its greatest contributor.
At this point, she had already successfully developed completed versions of several of these drugs.
"These drugs wouldn't only work on Muzan Kibutsuji, right?" Soma asked. "They should also be effective against other demons."
"Of course they are." Tamayo nodded calmly. "If these drugs are injected into any demon, they can instantly weaken them to an extreme degree. Even a member of the Twelve Kizuki would immediately fall to a level weaker than an ordinary demon."
"Then why hasn't Miss Tamayo handed these medicines over to the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Curiosity appeared on Soma's face.
If the Demon Slayer Corps possessed drugs like these, then even ordinary swordsmen would gain the ability to fight against the Twelve Kizuki. They might even stand a chance against the Upper Ranks.
"I cannot use these drugs against ordinary demons."
Tamayo shook her head without hesitation.
"These drugs only provide one opportunity. A single chance to use them against that demon."
"That demon possesses terrifying decomposition abilities. I suspect that given enough time, he would eventually neutralize these drugs completely. And once he does, using the same drugs again would no longer have any effect."
"I see."
Soma finally understood why, despite Tamayo cooperating with the Demon Slayer Corps for so many years, none of her research results had ever appeared within the Corps itself.
After all, these drugs could only be used once.
If they failed, then they would lose almost all value.
And if the cautious Muzan Kibutsuji learned about them beforehand, there would never be another chance.
"At the moment, the drugs are still incomplete. There are still many areas left to research."
Tamayo sighed softly.
So far, she had not completely succeeded in creating a drug capable of fully turning demons back into humans, though she had already produced drugs moving in that direction.
"Could wisteria poison be added as well? The kind that kills demons?" Soma asked again.
"I've already received that type of poison from Kagaya Ubuyashiki before. It's an extremely powerful substance, effective even against members of the Twelve Kizuki."
As Tamayo spoke about wisteria poison, admiration filled her expression. At the same time, she carefully analyzed the various reactions that might occur if it were combined with her own research.
"However, my drugs are meant to transform demons back into humans. If a demon becomes human again, then poison designed specifically to kill demons may no longer be very useful."
After saying that, Tamayo sighed once more.
"I've actually wanted to discuss these things properly with Shinobu. But… she seems to hate me quite a lot."
Tamayo believed Shinobu's medical knowledge was extremely advanced. If the two of them worked together, they might achieve remarkable results.
"I'll persuade her." Soma spoke calmly.
"That will be difficult." Tamayo gently shook her head.
"I can feel her hatred toward me. Her hatred toward demons runs incredibly deep. Asking her to cooperate with a demon is almost impossible."
"Not all demons are the same."
Soma spoke quietly.
"Once Shinobu realizes that you're different from other demons, she'll naturally come to understand you."
Tamayo did not truly believe that.
She had met Shinobu before and understood very clearly how much hatred the girl carried toward demons.
If Kanae had not stopped her back then, even while lying gravely injured in bed, Shinobu would still have tried to raise a blade and cut off Tamayo's head.
Even now, Tamayo could still remember that hatred—sharp enough to feel like a blade pressed against her throat.
...
Read Advanced Chapters on : www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin
~ Every 100 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ Push the Story forward with your [Power Stones]