Mission with Elder Brother

Chapter 24: Mission with Elder Brother

Muzan had arrived at Nakime's Infinity Castle.

Although there was a similar building to the Infinity Castle in his previous life, he was too poor to have ever visited it and had always been curious about what the Infinity Castle looked like.

Nakime, just like in the manga, knelt at the highest platform in the center, holding a biwa in her hands.

Because Muzan's aesthetic sense was still normal, Nakime had not yet transformed into a one-eyed being. However, she still covered her eyes with her long black hair, her head slightly bowed.

Nakime could change the layout of the Infinity Castle and teleport people within it by playing the biwa, but she could also simply play the instrument without using her Blood Demon Art.

After killing her husband, Nakime's only remaining hope was the pursuit of more beautiful biwa melodies. Otherwise, she wouldn't have taken the risk to kill someone just for a better performance back then.

And after becoming a demon, an almost imperceptible thought emerged for nearly all demons: to make the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji, more satisfied with them.

However, Nakime didn't know what task Muzan had for her. Now that Muzan was in the Infinity Castle, she was afraid that playing the biwa would disturb him.

Muzan naturally knew her thoughts. He stroked her smooth black hair and said, "Play me a tune on the biwa."

Nakime was stunned, then nodded and gently strummed the biwa strings.

Zing—

A soft chime was followed by her fingers plucking the strings, producing a pleasant sound.

Muzan didn't know much about the biwa, he simply found it pleasant to listen to, and sat down on the wooden floor.

A biwa performance didn't take too long. Before he knew it, the music stopped.

Muzan nodded, stood up, and said, "That was nice, keep up the good work."

The biwa player nodded slightly. Although her expression remained unchanged, Muzan could still sense her feelings of satisfaction and joy.

Muzan wandered around the Infinity Castle for a while.

The wooden architecture was exceptionally grand and magnificent, with fully furnished rooms.

This made Muzan very confused. How could this Blood Demon Art create things out of thin air?

It had directly created a complete house.

He couldn't figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it.

Normally, one could only leave the Infinity Castle if Nakime used her Blood Demon Art to send them out. However, Muzan could leave directly using his own Blood Demon Art.

He flashed out of the Infinity Castle and returned to the house that Asanuma Seiji had prepared for him, lying back in his rocking chair.

As soon as he lay back down, he sensed Asanuma Seiji approaching. When Seiji reached the door, Muzan said, "Come in."

Hearing this, Asanuma Seiji pushed the door open. "Lord, I want to..."

"Go do whatever you want, you don't need to tell me."

Muzan lay in his rocking chair, interrupting Asanuma Seiji without even looking at him.

He didn't need Seiji to say it; Muzan already knew what he wanted to do from his thoughts.

Asanuma Seiji was still unwilling and wanted to find Maruoka Gōnin to continue participating.

With Muzan's permission, Asanuma Seiji left Muzan's room and hurried to find Maruoka Gōnin.

Muzan could see that although Asanuma Seiji was quite capable, he was a bit rigid. Compared to him, Maruoka Gōnin knew better how to be flexible.

For example, Seiji always looked down on humans, thinking that as a demon, he was inherently superior. Moreover, Muzan even thought he was a bit stubborn, like his insistence on maintaining respect for Muzan as his superior.

Learning from Maruoka Gōnin would be good.

As for the Tsugikuni brothers, Yoriichi had activated his "Elder Brother Conquest Mode."

When the other Hashira learned of their situation, they applied to Master Ubuyashiki to have the two of them go on missions together.

If you can't find the book by its title, try searching for the author. They might have changed the title!

Ubuyashiki, upon learning the reason, happily agreed.

Under the scorching sun, Yoriichi received a mission from a letter-carrying crow: to slay a demon hiding in Riverview Town.

And with the Master's support, this mission required Yoriichi and Kokushibo to complete it together.

Kokushibo fiercely snatched the mission slip from Yoriichi's hand and scanned it, only feeling annoyed. Why were they two going on missions together again?!

No matter, he wanted to slay demons!

Slay more demons and prove his strength!

Kokushibo grabbed the sword beside him, didn't even look at Yoriichi, and simply said, "Let's go!" before rising and leaving the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.

Yoriichi quickly picked up his sword and followed his elder brother.

After half a day's travel, the two finally arrived at their destination—Riverview Town.

Before them lay a peaceful and prosperous scene. Under the setting sun, farmers returned home carrying hoes. Busy shops and merchants in town were gradually closing their stalls. Where could a demon possibly be?!

Kokushibo, as usual, separated from Yoriichi to investigate the specific situation.

According to the mission description, someone had seen a demon eating people in the fields near Riverview Town at night. They were so terrified that they fled and found a way to contact the Demon Slayer Corps, informing them of the situation.

Tsugikuni Kokushibo then instructed Yoriichi to find the person who saw the demon, while he headed straight for the farmland on the outskirts of the town.

The terrain around Riverview Town was flat with no obstructions. The rice paddies had only just begun to grow, their stalks too short to conceal a person. If a demon appeared, he would be able to spot it immediately.

Yoriichi followed his elder brother's instructions, nodding. Before leaving, he cautioned, "You must protect yourself."

"I'm not that fragile."

Kokushibo shot him a glare and turned to walk into the fields.

Yoriichi sighed, thinking the road ahead was long and arduous.

Watching his brother's retreating back, he then headed toward the home of someone who could contact the Demon Slayer Corps.

Those who could contact the Demon Slayer Corps were generally families who had received help from its members or those who had been harmed by demons and wished to assist the Corps.

Yoriichi quickly found the house. It belonged to a relatively well-off family, with several wisteria trees planted at the entrance. Yoriichi knew that Muzan detested wisteria flowers.

He had once picked up a wisteria flower, thinking it was beautiful. When he brought it back, Muzan seemed to have been provoked, recalling something terrifying, and urged him to stay far away from him.

"Don't bring that thing near me!"

Later, Muzan had explained the reason to him.

Planting wisteria flowers at the entrance was likely to prevent demon attacks.

Yoriichi knocked on the door, and a young man soon opened it.

"Hello, I am..."

Before Yoriichi could finish, the man urgently grabbed his hand, his face filled with reverence and eagerness.

"You're from the Demon Slayer Corps, aren't you?"

Yoriichi nodded blankly, wondering why the man was so excited.

"Please, come in quickly."

The man hurried to lead Yoriichi inside. As Yoriichi followed him in, he was warmly invited to sit at the table.

Yoriichi sat at the table, watching the homeowner who was already pouring tea. He didn't want to waste any more time.

"No need for tea. I'd like to ask who discovered the demon."

"Ah?" The man, who was brewing tea, responded and placed the tea on the table in front of Yoriichi. "It was that kid Iimoto. I'll take you there."