Following his policy of caution, Muzan had Jingji thoroughly investigate the surrounding area and decided to live in the Infinity Castle for the time being!
Whether anything would happen or whether it was even possible, cowardice was his guiding principle.
Bringing his rocking chair and books, Muzan moved into the Infinity Castle and spent his days listening to Nakime play, perfectly at ease.
He also wondered when the other characters from the story would appear. Number Three had suffered pretty badly, too. He would try to find him early, so his whole life wouldn't be filled with sorrow.
There were also Daki and Gyutaro.
He couldn't remember much about the others.
Through the eyes of the other demons, Muzan also saw the current state of society.
Suddenly, something occurred to him.
He had given the Maruoka siblings some of his memories. No wonder those two were so adaptable.
With his memories of a more advanced future, Maruoka Masahito and Maruoka Yoshiko had recognized the importance of technology and started climbing the tech tree right away.
They threw their full support behind technological development.
Muzan's verdict was: My demons are more capable than I am...
But Asanuma Seiji still couldn't understand it, so he came to see Muzan.
Muzan watched Asanuma Seiji sitting solemnly in front of him, reporting recent developments while slipping in his own complaints.
"Why should we change the policy of promoting agriculture and restricting commerce? Our current boats are already sufficient for fishing. Long-distance voyages are not only difficult but costly, and the returns are uncertain..."
Muzan let it go in one ear and out the other. When Asanuma Seiji finally finished complaining, Muzan, still slurping down the food his subordinates had prepared, poked a finger into Asanuma Seiji's head.
Asanuma Seiji jolted as the information Muzan sent was forcibly shoved into his mind.
It consisted of some of the memories of the future he had previously given the Maruoka siblings.
Withdrawing his hand, Muzan ate the last bite. "Get it now?"
Asanuma Seiji processed the memories in his head and nodded somewhat dazedly. "...Yes..."
"Good. Nakime!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a note rang out from the biwa, and Asanuma Seiji was sent back.
That evening, the Maruoka siblings were baffled. How had Asanuma Seiji suddenly gone from vehement opposition to wholehearted support?
After sending Asanuma Seiji away, Muzan told Nakime, "Bring Izumi Yuta and Izumi Kagetsu here."
As an excellent gofer, Nakime never wondered what Muzan was planning. She simply carried out his instructions.
The next moment,
Twang-
Two figures, a man and a woman, suddenly appeared at the site of the layoff meeting in the original story.
With another pluck of her strings, Nakime sent Muzan onto the raised platform, where he looked down at them.
Muzan: Layoffs!
The two demons seemed to realize what was happening. Guiltily, they hurried to their knees, not daring to look up at Muzan.
Muzan leaped down, landed in front of them, and sneered:
"Even if we eat people whenever we like, that Muzan guy won't notice, right? Hmm?"
Their gulping was rather audible. Muzan's footsteps felt as though they were landing on their hearts.
"M-my lord, that's not..."
Muzan curled his lip. "Not what? Come on, tell me."
Muzan didn't care if they ate people because they were starving. He could even give them another chance if they sneaked a few meals. But this attitude wasn't just disregarding his orders-it was contempt for him. Were they asking to die?
With the Demon King named Muzan Kibutsuji standing before him, Izumi Yuta trembled faintly, feeling an overwhelming pressure bearing down on him.
When Muzan had saved them, he had been so gentle despite being the Demon King that they had assumed his position was purely a matter of luck. He was nothing more than a merciful fool.
As for the rumors they had heard about the Demon King's cruelty and terrifying nature, those were merely rumors.
But feeling this pressure, they finally realized there were lines they must never cross.
"My lord, that's not what I meant..."
"Then what did you mean? Come on, let this guy hear it. Let this merciful fool see how a clever person thinks, huh?"
As the last word fell, Muzan lashed out with a vicious kick.
Bam!
A spray of blood bloomed. Then Muzan stomped on his head, bursting it outright.
Seeing this, Izumi Kagetsu immediately turned and ran, but the next moment-
Bang!
Before she could get far, Izumi Kagetsu exploded.
"Nakime, clean this up."
Meanwhile, among the hundreds of demons, another dozen or so died at the same time.
The demons hidden in the mountain forests merely startled a few birds into flight, but those hiding in busy streets exploded into bloody mist and mangled flesh, terrifying many people and causing considerable chaos.
But that had nothing to do with Muzan.
Although Muzan had brought his demons into line around a hundred years ago, greed and arrogance still prevailed. Some demons simply didn't know what was good for them or understand their position. If they followed the rules, nothing would happen to them.
But some of them felt that Muzan was too merciful and looked down on him for it. Since he was kind to humans, how could he possibly lay a hand on his own subordinates?
Their greed for greater power and craving for flesh drove them to "take the risk." Some even believed Muzan wasn't fit to be the Demon King at all, openly despising him while brazenly eating people.
There weren't many of them, but they reminded Muzan that, although he wanted to create a big, loving family, certain brainless fools didn't value the lives he had given them. They might as well drop dead.
After dealing with them, Muzan glanced at Nakime, whose head was bowed even lower. "..."
He couldn't help walking over and patting her head. Nakime instinctively shrank back but didn't dare dodge.
"It's fine. Just do as you're told, and nothing will happen."
Nakime nodded, and Muzan heard her thoughts:
Take this as a warning. Treasure your life.
Time passed quickly, and another three years flew by. Muzan had hidden in the Infinity Castle for three years, figuring that even if there had been danger, surely it was gone by now?
So he excitedly tossed his book aside and went out to have some fun.
As Muzan's secretary and gofer, Nakime silently plucked her strings, slipped a bookmark into the discarded book, and returned it to the shelf.
Although Lord Muzan's layoff meeting three years ago had been rather frightening, he had been very gentle throughout the uneventful three years since, which reassured Nakime considerably.
She was terrified of ending up in the hands of another scumbag like her former husband!
Although it was daytime, Muzan could take a walk in the shady forest.
Strutting along with a swagger that acknowledged no one, Muzan breathed deeply of the fresh air while listening to the birdsong, the wind, the dripping dew, and the rustling leaves...
The thick layer of damp leaves made a squelching sound beneath his feet.
The only thing that displeased the demon was the oblivious insects buzzing over to bother him.
Drop dead!
Feeling the pests ruin his mood, Muzan gritted his teeth. He was done walking!
Who would stay in the forest once night came, anyway!
I'll just wait until tonight and browse the night market!
But before he left the forest, Muzan suddenly heard footsteps nearby and vaguely made out a figure.
Someone familiar?
Before you continue