Little Nakime

Muzan had always held a grudge against the very few who stubbornly refused to raise the overall knowledge level of demons, and Kagetsuki Chiyo was the hardest one to deal with.

Now he had tossed him to Akaza and made him painstakingly teach him. Honestly, he was the only one left.

As long as he learned to read, it could be declared that every demon was literate.

A compulsive perfectionist's dream, okay?

At that moment, in the room Nakime had arranged, Kagetsuki Chiyo was sharing "common sense" among demons with Akaza.

"Muzan is actually a huge coward." As he spoke, he cautiously looked around. Once he confirmed Muzan could not be bothered to pay attention to him, he boldly began badmouthing him.

He shared his experience with the "newcomer." "If you want to badmouth him, just make sure he isn't paying attention, then you can go all out. Though I've already been beaten up several times. I have no idea what got into him, insisting that I learn to read."

As he spoke, he seemed to recall the pain of Muzan smacking him on the head and rubbed the top of it. "He always puts on this gentle act, but he hits really hard. And he's not serious at all. The awful atmosphere among demons was all started by him."

Akaza was somewhat interested too. He put down the book he had not really wanted to read and listened to him.

Akaza's reaction only further stirred Kagetsuki Chiyo's desire to ramble on.

"Let me tell you, if you're short on money, you can ask Nakime or Asanuma Seiji and the others. Nakime can communicate with every demon, and she helps the boss manage the money too."

"But let me warn you, if you ask for too much, you'll get beaten up. It's best to earn your own money."

When it came to his own embarrassing past, Kagetsuki Chiyo did not hold back at all.

"Several decades ago, I asked Nakime for too much money, and Nakime and Muzan beat me up together. After that, I just earned my own money."

"They really are way too stingy."

Speaking of Nakime, he added, "Oh right, if you run into danger in the future and can't beat your opponent, just shout for Nakime to save you. She'll teleport you to Infinity Castle.

"But the boss said it's best to break through your limits. That way, you won't have to fear getting your head cut off.

"And also..."

Kagetsuki Chiyo was speaking with great enthusiasm. He had finally found a demon willing to patiently listen to him "pass on his experience," and once the floodgates opened, he got increasingly excited—until he suddenly noticed that Akaza's expression was a little off.

His voice cut off abruptly. He stiffly turned to look behind him, forcing out a smile uglier than crying.

"Boss... you heard all that?"

Muzan smiled. "What do you think?"

Then Akaza watched Muzan punch his companion's head apart. His companion's head quickly regenerated, and he grinned as he watched Muzan disappear.

Akaza could not help drawing in a sharp breath.

He really could not adapt to the atmosphere among demons!

Why did they blow people's heads apart at the slightest provocation?!

His impression of Muzan had completely shattered, okay?!

"Doesn't that hurt?"

Kagetsuki Chiyo touched his newly grown head.

"It's fine. Demons have a very low sensitivity to pain. It only really hurts when you're cut by a Nichirin Blade or a Crimson Blade."

"Or when you absorb the boss's blood. That pain goes straight to the soul! Normally, losing a head or an arm just feels like a little something, that's all."

Akaza: "..."

No wonder you never repented at all, even after being beaten up so many times.

"But Akaza, why did you suddenly become Upper Rank Two? I don't think I'm weak either, so why can't I do it?

"How about we fight?"

Then Kagetsuki Chiyo, who did not actually have much combat power and whose Blood Demon Art had an extremely long wind-up, was instantly defeated by Akaza...

Muzan discovered someone who seemed to be a plot character—there was a little brat in a fishing village who made bizarre art. He would always torture fish to death and stick their corpses onto jars.

Both of his parents had died while fishing.

If you can't find the book by searching its title, try searching for the author. It may have simply been renamed!

Muzan knew about Gyokko. Like Hantengu, there was nothing about him worth feeling sentimental over.

But this was an opportunity for him to verify whether this so-called plot force existed from time to time.

After all, he had been an Upper Rank in the original work. He counted as a key figure.

If Muzan did not turn Gyokko into a demon, would the plot force make him become one anyway?

Over the next period of time, Muzan casually stopped Gyokko from killing the children who mocked him.

But he still watched that child get beaten up by Gyokko.

Then Muzan discovered that a Half-Demon had appeared.

Its target was clear, and it headed straight for Gyokko.

Hidden behind a house, Muzan watched the Half-Demon cut open its own wrist and let the battered, bruised Gyokko drink its blood.

That was basically enough to confirm for Muzan that this so-called plot force existed.

Muzan would not simply watch the Half-Demon leave right in front of him. At the same time, he could test the strength of the plot force.

Muzan suddenly charged out, and the whip-like tubes behind him instantly pierced the Half-Demon's body.

The Half-Demon had clearly not expected Muzan, the mighty Demon King, to be skulking behind a house and launching a sneak attack!

It was caught completely off guard.

Its body was pierced straight through.

Muzan had not brought a Nichirin Blade. Even though it was a Half-Demon, it had been born from his blood.

Although it had escaped his control, Muzan still had the ability to kill it.

His arm transformed into a massive mouth, and before the newly transformed Gyokko's eyes, he swallowed it in one bite.

Gyokko watched helplessly as his "savior" was devoured. Terrified, he scrambled up from the ground and ran for his life.

At the same time, he screamed for help, tears pouring down his face.

But Gyokko had only just become a demon, so naturally he was not very strong. Muzan caught up to him in an instant and swallowed him in one bite amid his terrified gaze and screams.

This Gyokko actually had intelligence.

And the other Half-Demon Muzan had just eaten also had intelligence. Most of the Half-Demons he had encountered were idiots, with nothing in their heads.

Yet Gyokko had intelligence.

That Half-Demon was more like a tool of the plot force.

But that unseen force clearly had no self-awareness. It only made adjustments according to changes, perhaps acting a little in advance, but it was only at the level of artificial stupidity.

Its form was more like so-called fate, but even more powerless.

And it seemed that the more something was related to Tanjiro and the final outcome, the greater its influence.

But it still had to follow certain established rules. If Muzan deliberately changed things, the plot force was useless.

For now, its greatest influence was the appearance of Half-Demons. It had also kept Muzan from discovering them, making the Demon Slayer Corps continue believing that the demons randomly eating people were still under Muzan's command.

This ensured a steady influx of fresh blood into the Demon Slayer Corps.

But Muzan knew that if he could deal with the Ubuyashiki family's so-called "curse," he could solve the Demon Slayer Corps problem. Then, once he dealt with the Half-Demons, he refused to believe the plot force could do anything about it!

After dealing with the Half-Demon matter, Muzan returned to Infinity Castle and found Nakime covering her eyes as she earnestly warned Akaza.

"The rules the boss set absolutely cannot be violated, and you absolutely cannot slaughter innocents indiscriminately. Otherwise, you'll get fired. It'll be especially miserable..."

As she spoke, she realized Muzan had arrived and hurriedly shut her mouth.

Holding her biwa, she returned to the raised platform, knelt there, and lowered her head slightly as though nothing had happened.

Muzan: "..."

You little Nakime, so you have two faces, huh?

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time!