Heh Heh

These Half-Demons had been hiding from him all along, leaving almost no trace. The fact that they dared appear before him now showed just how desperately they wanted to stop him from overcoming his weakness.

Sooner or later, he would kill them all!

With the threat of the Half-Demons gone, Yoriichi raised his sword at Muzan, who was obviously a Maneating Demon, and hesitated.

Muzan hesitated for a moment before ultimately deciding to use violence.

The little Yoriichi of today was no match for him anyway! He would catch him first, then take his time reasoning with him. They had plenty of time.

Muzan suddenly grabbed the sword in Yoriichi's hand, which could not truly harm him. Yoriichi reacted at once, gripping the hilt with all his strength and twisting the blade, trying to force Muzan to let go. But Muzan's strength was terrifying; he forcibly snatched the sword away.

"Run!"

Disarmed, Tsugikuni Yoriichi shouted and grabbed Uta, trying to flee. But Muzan tossed aside the sword and lifted them both by the backs of their clothes, one in each hand.

"Run my ass. Come on, brat. Show me the way."

Holding the two children, Muzan wore a smug grin.

Yoriichi and Uta struggled desperately to break free, but they were like fish out of water, flailing uselessly.

Muzan tossed Uta to the ground and looked at little Yoriichi. "Quit struggling."

The moment Yoriichi saw Uta freed, he forgot about himself and roared at her, "Uta! Run!"

Muzan glanced at him. Since he had let Uta go, he naturally knew she would not run.

He looked at Uta with an ill-intentioned smile.

"Uta, you don't want Yoriichi to lose his life, do you?"

Uta looked as though she was about to cry, yet she stubbornly held it back. Her little face smeared with dirt, she climbed to her feet and glared hatefully at Muzan.

Worried about Yoriichi, she naturally did not dare run.

Muzan wanted to laugh. What should he do? He suddenly felt that bullying children was a little excessive.

"Don't mind me! Run!"

Muzan smacked Yoriichi on the butt. "Quit talking! Otherwise, I'll eat you like an an-times-three Jin seat!"

As he spoke, he pulled out a strip of cloth and some rope from who knew where, stuffed the cloth into Yoriichi's mouth, and tied his hands.

Yoriichi glared at him. "Mmph! Mmph mmph!"

Then Muzan looked at Uta again. "Where's your home? Lead the way."

Holding back her tears, Uta sniffled twice before turning to lead the way.

Yoriichi: "Mmph mmph mmph!!"

Muzan could have simply left. Uta would have taken Yoriichi home anyway, since there was nowhere else they could go besides Uta's house.

But since he could bully Yoriichi while he was still little, why wouldn't he?

With Yoriichi's talent, he would surpass Muzan in just a few years. If Muzan did not bully him now, he would never get another chance.

For the rest of the journey, there were only Yoriichi's muffled cries, Uta's sobs, and the sound of footsteps.

The three of them—cross that out—one person, one cheat player, and one demon soon arrived at Uta's doorstep.

It was a crude little thatched hut, standing in an open space not far from the fields. Wildflowers and weeds grew beside it, creating a somewhat poetic scene beneath the moonlight.

Uta took a deep breath and cautiously looked at Muzan. Gathering her courage, she said, "I led the way. Let Yoriichi go!"

Smiling, Muzan patted Uta's head. She wanted to dodge but could not, and she did not dare to either. Frightened, she shrank her neck and stiffened.

"Good job."

Hearing that, Uta opened her mouth to demand that Muzan release Yoriichi, only to see the malicious smile on his face.

"But did I ever say I would let you go after you showed me the way?"

At those words, Yoriichi began struggling violently.

"MMMMMMPH!!!"

Uta held back her tears, terrified and furious as she curled up and backed away.

Muzan threw Yoriichi into the thatched hut, then lifted Uta with one hand. Pulling out rope from who knew where again, he tied her up and tossed her beside Yoriichi.

The tears in Uta's eyes could no longer be held back. She burst into tears and cursed Muzan. "Shameless!"

Yoriichi's legs were not tied, but without his hands, he could not get up. He wriggled forward in little kicks, shielding Uta with his body as he glared fiercely at the "hateful evil demon."

Muzan glanced at the bawling Uta and threatened viciously, "Don't cry!"

Uta immediately fell silent, but tears continued streaming down her face as she sniffled.

Seeing that she had truly stopped screaming, Muzan lowered his head and looked at the fiercely glaring Yoriichi.

He crouched down, smiling as he patted Yoriichi's little face. "Hey, are you mad?"

I scared your wife into crying.

But to Muzan's disappointment, Yoriichi's expression gradually calmed, as though he had seen through everything in an instant.

Curiously, Muzan removed the rag plugging Yoriichi's mouth to see what he would say.

"Eat me. Let Uta go."

"Uh..." Muzan looked at the still-sniffling Uta. She suddenly shouted, "No! Don't eat Yoriichi!"

"Then should I eat you?"

Uta shrank back, but her gaze suddenly hardened. "Fine!"

Muzan did not understand. Even if these two were the official pairing, could they really be willing to give their lives for each other the moment they met, at such a young age?

Were they both really that kind?

Naturally, he had not actually planned to do anything to them. He merely wanted to tease them out of bad taste.

But after being force-fed romance by two little brats, he immediately lost interest. Rising to his feet, he picked them both up and tossed them onto the tatami.

"If you two behave, I won't eat you."

Yoriichi instinctively shifted, trying to shield Uta. "What do you want?"

"I want to raise you two. Do you believe me?"

Obviously, neither of them believed him, yet they somehow felt as though he was telling the truth.

But they also realized that they would not be harmed for now. Yoriichi took a deep breath and looked seriously at Muzan.

"You're the Demon King, aren't you?"

"Yes." Muzan did not hide it and admitted it openly.

"Then why did you stop those demons from attacking us? Aren't they your subordinates?"

Uta also looked at Muzan in confusion.

"They aren't. To be precise, they aren't demons either?" Seeing their puzzled expressions, Muzan explained.

"They eat people too, but they're far dumber than demons, and they aren't under my control." Muzan paused, his face filled with killing intent. "Those things are called Half-Demons. They fucking dare oppose me. I'll kill them sooner or later!"

"Enough. From now on, I'll be living here with you two. You'll have plenty of time to ask whatever you're curious about."

"And don't even think about running."

With a snap of his fingers, the ropes around them came undone, and his figure vanished.

This little thatched hut was far too shabby. It probably could not even keep out the wind and rain. He also needed to bring over some books.

But if he was going to play the role of a father, did that mean he was still missing a mother?

In an instant, Muzan thought of Scum Boss in women's clothing and hurriedly shook his head in fright.

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

Wearing women's clothes was impossible!

Before daylight came, Muzan planned to use Blood Demon Art to transport books, lumber, umbrellas, and other things over.

But when Muzan returned to the thatched hut, he saw that the tatami was empty.

"Heh heh..."