Secluded Paradise

Muzan tossed the bone aside and leaned against the wall, contemplating whether he should discipline the demons under his command.

Yanagisawa Noriyuki came over to clean up the bones on the ground, burying them under a tree in the yard. Muzan continued his planning while also picking up a book to read.

I'll figure it out later, for now, I'll just read. There's plenty of time, I can take it slow.

Seeing that Yanagisawa Noriyuki was almost finished with his book, Muzan felt it was time to move on.

Besides, since it was the Sengoku period, he wouldn't go hungry.

The more humans a demon ate, the stronger it became. Thinking of Tsugikuni Yoriichi, who would appear later, Muzan felt he needed to significantly improve his strength.

Two days later, he finished the thick book. Muzan lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling, too lazy to move after his meal.

Yanagisawa Noriyuki had been diligently working these past few days, clearing out all the bandits and such around the village. Perhaps he was trying to squeeze out every last drop of value before they left?

Muzan was happy to reap the rewards, but due to the appearance of the Demon Slayer Corps a few days prior, another demon nearby had indeed been killed.

Moreover, Demon Slayers had been showing up intermittently these past few days. They weren't injured or sick, and it was clear they were starting to suspect them.

Pushing himself up from the floor, Muzan looked towards the door. "Noriyuki, the Demon Slayers are suspicious of us. It's time to go."

Noriyuki was already prepared, his books and money packed. The two of them then left under the cover of night.

The next evening, the Demon Slayer Corps angrily stared at the empty house, fuming that they had let the demons escape right under their noses!

Yanagisawa Noriyuki possessed a Blood Demon Art, but it wasn't strong. Its effect was healing, which was practically useless for a demon. It could be said to be fitting for his identity as a physician.

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

To their surprise, in this chaotic Sengoku era, a town appeared to be thriving. Everyone seemed to be living in peace and contentment, like a utopia.

Even at night, the scene was lively. Red lanterns hung along the streets, and friends, couples, and families strolled about without a care.

As soon as they reached the town entrance, a pretty young girl enthusiastically greeted them, offering to show them around.

"Are you planning to stay long?"

Yanagisawa Noriyuki looked at Muzan, who nodded slightly.

"Yes."

The girl's face lit up with a smile. "My sister happens to have a house vacant. Would you like to stay there for a while?"

The girl, barely over 1.4 meters tall, looked petite and cute as she giggled, her long hair bouncing with her movements.

"Thank you very much," Muzan said with a smile, thanking her and following the girl to the "sister's vacant house" she had indicated.

The wooden house was larger than expected, exuding a sense of luxury. It was clearly bigger than the other houses, adorned with patterns and carved ornaments.

Furthermore, it was the only house of its kind, located near the center of the town.

"You two go on in," the girl said, taking out a key and opening the door. "I'll go find some cleaning tools."

With that, she ran off. Noriyuki looked at Muzan uneasily. "Master, something's not right."

"You're a demon, what are you afraid of? Let's go."

Muzan walked in without hesitation, and Noriyuki reluctantly followed.

They had barely taken a few steps inside when the large door suddenly slammed shut behind them with a bang. Noriyuki instinctively turned to try and open it.

But Muzan called out to him, "Don't bother, let's go."

Noriyuki couldn't help but glance back again before hurrying to catch up.

As they entered the courtyard, a massive dark shadow suddenly lunged at Muzan. Noriyuki rushed forward to block it, but due to the suddenness of the attack, by the time he reacted, Muzan had already pinned the shadow firmly to the ground.

Noriyuki stood awkwardly in place, and at the same time, he saw what had attacked them – a demon.

It was another demon.

Did it want to die? A demon attacking the Demon King?

However, this demon had a peculiar appearance, as if countless heads were stuck together with flesh and blood. It was also enormous, over two meters tall and incredibly wide. Each head had its mouth agape, and the limbs formed by the heads twisted unnaturally.

The entire demon was forcefully pinned to the ground by Muzan, its body caving in, blood splattering everywhere. Yet, it dared not make a sound.

The moment it was pinned down by Muzan, this demon finally realized it had attacked Muzan Kibutsuji, the Demon King.

It didn't dare to move, all its heads displaying terrified expressions. "L-Lord... spare me, spare me!"

Muzan smiled and looked down at the demon beneath his feet.

"No, you're too ugly."

With that, he ignored its wails and pleas, and with a forceful push, the giant head-demon shattered into a bloody mess.

Noriyuki stood trembling in a corner, silently swallowing, not daring to breathe.

Muzan looked at Noriyuki. "Clean up the ground, and also, go catch that little girl for me."

From the moment he got close, he knew. The reason this "utopia" existed was because the town worshipped this demon. They offered passersby, people from the surrounding areas, and even their own kin to the head-demon, in exchange for their comfortable lives and even wealth. They relied on the demon to kill passersby for money, thereby satisfying their own desires.

In fact, such things were quite common in this era.

Muzan was just passing by and decided to do some culling. If he didn't like something, he dealt with it.

It was a shame that such a nice house was ruined by this demon, making it look like a doghouse everywhere.

Bones, garbage, and the like were carelessly thrown all over the place. Finally, Noriyuki managed to clean out a room, and Muzan was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a study in the house!

And there were quite a few books. Although they smelled of various kinds of rot, they would be fine after cleaning and airing them out.

An unexpected find.

Soon, Noriyuki returned with the little girl who was desperately struggling. She was violently thrown in front of Muzan, trembling.

Even the deity of this place had vanished. She could guess what had happened.

Sobbing, she immediately knelt before Muzan, "Sir, I didn't do it on purpose. I know where a deity is still being worshipped! Please don't kill me!"

Did she mistake him for one of those Demon Slayer Corps members who "eliminate evil for the people"?

Muzan looked at her and smiled, "Do you know about demons?"

The girl quickly replied, lowering her head, "Yes, yes!"

"Then can't you tell that the one you worship is a demon? Calling it a deity?"

The girl kept her head down, not daring to speak. Who wouldn't have guessed that?! But it was all for survival!

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

The girl looked like she wanted to atone and help them.

Seeing her like this, Muzan smiled with malicious amusement:

"I am a demon too."

The girl's face visibly stiffened.