Utopia

Muzan tossed the white bones aside and leaned against the wall, considering whether he should straighten out the demons under his command.

Yanagisawa Noriyuki came over to clear away the bones on the ground, burying them beneath a tree in the courtyard. As Muzan made plans, he picked up a book and began reading again.

They could deal with it later. For now, he would read. There was plenty of time, so there was no need to rush.

Seeing that he was nearly finished with all of Yanagisawa Noriyuki's books, Muzan felt it was time to move on.

Besides, this was the Warring States period. There was no way he would go hungry.

The more people demons ate, the stronger they became. Thinking of Tsugikuni Yoriichi, who would appear later, Muzan felt it was necessary to improve his strength properly.

Two days later, he had finished the thick volumes as well. Muzan lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling, too full and lazy to move.

Yanagisawa Noriyuki had been especially diligent these past few days. There was nothing left of the bandits and the like around the village. Perhaps he wanted to squeeze out every last drop of value before they left?

Muzan was more than happy to reap the benefits without lifting a finger. However, because the Demon Slayer Corps had appeared a few days ago, another demon nearby had indeed been killed.

Moreover, Demon Slayer Corps members had been coming around from time to time these past few days. They were neither injured nor ill, so it was obvious they already suspected them.

Pushing himself up from the floor, Muzan looked toward the door. "Jikou, the Demon Slayer Corps already suspects us. It's time to leave."

Jikou had long since prepared everything. With his books and money packed on his back, the two left under cover of night.

The following night, the Demon Slayer Corps stared at the empty house and fumed. They had actually let the demon get away!

Yanagisawa Noriyuki possessed a Blood Demon Art, but it was not very powerful. Its effect was healing, which was basically useless to a demon. It suited his identity as a physician, at least.

The two passed through a forest and arrived at a town.

To their surprise, in the chaos of the Warring States period, there was actually a town thriving with vitality. Everyone seemed to live and work in peace, presenting a scene straight out of a utopia.

Even at night, it was bustling. Red lanterns hung along the streets, while friends, lovers, and families strolled about without a care.

The moment they reached the town gate, a pretty young girl enthusiastically came up to them and volunteered to guide them.

"Are you planning to stay for a long time?"

Yanagisawa Noriyuki looked at Muzan, who gave a slight nod.

"Yes."

The girl immediately beamed. "My sister happens to have an empty house. Would you like to stay there for a while?"

The girl was barely over four and a half feet tall, small and delicate. She looked adorable when she smiled, and the long hair behind her bounced with every step she took.

"Then thank you."

Muzan thanked her with a smile and followed the girl to what she called her "sister's empty house."

The wooden house was larger than he had imagined and carried a faint air of luxury. It was clearly bigger than the other houses, with patterns and carved ornaments decorating it.

Furthermore, it was the only house nearby and stood close to the center of town.

"You can go in first." The girl took out a key and opened the door. "I'll go find some cleaning supplies."

With that, she ran off. Jikou looked at Muzan uneasily. "My lord, something is wrong."

"You're already a demon, and you're still scared? Move."

Muzan walked in without hesitation, and Jikou could only follow helplessly.

They had only taken a few steps inside when the front gate suddenly slammed shut behind them. Jikou instinctively turned around and tried to open it.

But Muzan stopped him. "Ignore it. Keep going."

Jikou could not help glancing back once more before hurriedly catching up.

The moment they entered the courtyard, a huge black shadow suddenly lunged at Muzan. Jikou rushed forward to block it, but it happened so abruptly that by the time he reacted, Muzan had already pinned the shadow firmly to the ground with one hand.

Jikou stood there awkwardly, finally seeing what had attacked them—a demon.

It was another demon.

Tired of living, were you? A demon attacking the Demon King?

This demon had a bizarre form, as though countless heads had been fused together with flesh and blood. It was enormous, over six feet tall and incredibly broad. Every head gaped with a huge mouth, while its limbs, made from heads, twisted grotesquely.

Muzan stomped the entire demon viciously into the ground. Its body caved in at the center, blood splattering everywhere, yet it did not dare make a sound.

At the instant Muzan pinned it down, the demon finally realized that the one it had attacked was the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji.

How could it dare move again? Terror appeared on every face. "M-My lord... spare me, spare me!"

Muzan smiled as he looked down at the demon beneath his foot.

"No. You're too ugly."

Ignoring its wails and pleas, he exerted force. The massive demon made of heads instantly shattered into rotten flesh.

Jikou stood trembling in the corner, silently swallowing hard. He did not even dare breathe too loudly.

Muzan looked at Jikou. "Clean up the ground. And bring that little girl to me."

From the moment they approached, he had known. The only reason this "utopia" could exist was because the town worshipped that demon, offering passersby, people from the surrounding area, and even their own blood relatives to the demon of heads in exchange for peaceful lives, wealth, and prosperity. They relied on the demon to kill travelers and obtain money, satisfying their own desires.

Such things were actually quite common in this era.

Muzan had merely happened to pass through and decided to cut some staff. He did not like what he saw, so he dealt with it.

It was a pity that such a fine house had been ruined by that demon, turned into something like a doghouse.

Bones, trash, and all sorts of other things had been carelessly thrown everywhere. After Jikou finally cleaned out a room, Muzan was delighted to discover that the house even had a study!

There were quite a few books as well. Although they reeked of decay, they would be fine after being cleaned and aired out.

An unexpected gain.

Before long, Jikou returned with the desperately struggling girl and violently threw her before Muzan. She trembled uncontrollably.

Even the deity of this place had disappeared. She could more or less guess what had happened.

Crying, she decisively knelt before Muzan. "My lord, I didn't mean to! I know where other deities are worshipped! Please don't kill me!"

Did she take him for the sort of Demon Slayer Corps member who eliminated evil for the people?

Muzan looked at her and smiled. "You know about demons, right?"

The girl lowered her head and hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes!"

"Then couldn't you tell that the one you worshipped was a demon? What 'deity'?"

The girl lowered her head, not daring to speak. Who wouldn't be able to tell?! But it was all to survive!

"I was wrong! I'll take you to find those evil demons!"

The girl looked as though she wanted to atone for her sins by helping them.

Seeing her expression, Muzan smiled maliciously.

"I'm a demon too."

The girl's face visibly froze.