A word of warning

Meanwhile, at the Ubuyashiki estate.

The funeral for the previous Oyakata-sama of the Demon Slayer Corps, who had died from the curse, had only recently ended. The young new Oyakata-sama harbored hatred for Muzan and a fierce determination to kill him.

After learning Muzan's whereabouts, he refused to give up, even though he could see no possibility of killing that demon in the future he foresaw. They had finally located him after a hundred years. How could he possibly give up now?

Because of that demon, generation after generation of the Ubuyashiki family had suffered from the curse. His own father had only just passed away. How could he stay calm?

The members of the Demon Slayer Corps, grieving their Oyakata-sama's death, also hated Muzan all the more.

And so, a whole group of them had charged over in a fit of hotheadedness.

But the Ubuyashiki Oyakata-sama, who had been constantly monitoring the battlefield, finally realized his own foolishness when the delayed reports arrived through the Kasugai Crows.

Acting on a moment's impulse would force the members of the Demon Slayer Corps to pay a heavy price for him...

Muzan was surprised to discover a Sun Breathing user among this generation's Hashira.

Yoriichi's grandson, right?

Not bad!

Although his grandson had inherited the Tsugikuni family's powerful genes, he was nowhere near Yoriichi's level. As far as Muzan was concerned, this was a breeze~

Growing bored of playing, Muzan kicked one Hashira away. He had held back somewhat, but the kick still left the man badly injured.

Then he grabbed another Hashira, tossed him high into the air, and let him crash to the ground, leaving him unable to fight.

At the sight, the two remaining Hashira roared and slashed at him. Muzan easily blocked their blades with his whips, swept one aside, and slammed him backward into the ground.

Only Yoriichi's grandson remained. Muzan considered that learning Yoriichi had become a demon might affect the young fellow, so he kept that to himself. Instead, he bound him with his whips and patted his head despite his struggles.

"Tell Ubuyashiki not to bother me. He can't afford the price of being so willful."

With that, he flung him aside.

Then he strolled back into the house and began packing his things.

Seriously, the enemy already knows my home address. Why would I stay here?

Better pack up and leave sooner rather than later.

If he wanted another house, he could just have Yanagisawa Jiyuki find him one.

The members of the Demon Slayer Corps could only watch helplessly, seething with frustration, as the Demon King finished packing and leisurely departed.

They were pissed as hell!

Muzan regretted it too. He had lived there for decades, if not a hundred years. He had grown somewhat attached to the place.

He would have to get Maruoka Masahito and Maruoka Yoshiko to pull some strings and give the Demon Slayer Corps a hard time.

Ban the unauthorized carrying of swords, crack down on private martial organizations, that sort of thing.

The Shogunate was full of his people!

How could Muzan possibly fail to rein in the Demon Slayer Corps?!

But unless he hardened his heart and killed off the Ubuyashiki family, the Demon Slayer Corps would never disappear.

Quite apart from being unwilling to attack the family of his own birth in the scumbag boss's memories, Muzan would not ruthlessly slaughter a family that already had it so miserable.

So he really had no way to deal with the Demon Slayer Corps for the time being.

Besides, the Demon Slayer Corps could help Muzan kill some of the half-demons. They were not entirely useless.

They could even provide "employment opportunities" for Yoriichi's grandson. (Yeah, right.)

At the Ubuyashiki estate.

The three Hashira whom Muzan had seriously injured, the one lightly injured Hashira, and several ordinary Demon Slayers caught up in the fighting were brought back and laid out on a row of beds.

The young Ubuyashiki Head visited those injured because of his rashness. After hearing Muzan's warning, he sank into guilt. His only consolation was that no one had died in this operation.

Although that was a good thing, he also sensed something amiss and began going through the family records.

After a day of searching, Ubuyashiki was astonished to discover that, for over a hundred years, almost no one had died in any attempt to surround and kill the Demon King. At worst, they had suffered serious injuries.

Why?

In the future he foresaw, there was no opportunity to slay Muzan. Perhaps the task placed on his shoulders was simply to do everything he could to pass on this mission and create an opportunity for the Demon King to be slain someday.

Three years later,

One pleasantly warm afternoon.

Muzan passed through Edo and decided to visit Hakuji while he was there.

Strangely, he knocked at the door for a long time, but no one came to answer. Eventually, an old man nearby called out to him.

"Are you here to see Hakuji?"

Muzan turned and nodded. "Is he not home?"

"The people from the Soryu Dojo took the boy with them."

"What about his father?" Muzan asked.

The old man replied, "His father went fishing. He won't be back until evening. If you're looking for Hakuji, you could try the Soryu Dojo."

"Thank you."

Muzan thanked him, then went to look for the nearby Soryu Dojo.

It seemed Hakuji had already met Master Keizo and Koyuki.

After he passed through this area, the streets ahead grew a little busier, with plenty of dojos lining them. The Soryu Dojo occupied a sizable plot and stood in a conspicuous location, so Muzan found it without much effort.

The Soryu Dojo looked rather deserted, with withered yellow leaves scattered outside its entrance.

The other dojos had sounds of sparring and conversation drifting from within, recruitment advertisements displayed at their entrances, and people passing by from time to time. By comparison, the Soryu Dojo stood out.

Some people from the other dojos spotted Muzan and assumed he had come to learn martial arts. They eagerly crowded around him, hoping to recruit him.

"The Soryu Dojo doesn't even have any students. Come to ours!"

"They're nothing special! Come to our Kendo Dojo!"

Annoyed, Muzan's expression darkened. "Get lost!"

He let a trace of his presence slip out. The people crowding around him, waving flyers and shouting, froze in alarm before scattering in fright.

They kept muttering, "If you're not interested, just say so. Why curse at us...?"

"What a nasty temper..."

Muzan genuinely found these people irritating. Once he had shaken them off, he walked to the Soryu Dojo, stood outside its deserted entrance, and knocked.

Hurried footsteps soon came from inside.

Creak-

The door opened. When the person answering saw Muzan outside, he froze for a moment, then lit up with delight.

"Doctor?!"

Muzan smiled. Hakuji had grown a little taller and was wearing a white dōgi, though his appearance had otherwise hardly changed.

"I was passing through and came to see you. How have you been?"

Hearing that, Hakuji could not help thinking of Master Keizo and Koyuki. A smile unconsciously spread across his face. He scratched his head sheepishly and glanced back at Koyuki, who was hiding behind the door and watching them.

Seeing this, Muzan leaned closer and patted his shoulder. "Look at you. Found yourself a girlfriend?"

"No..." Hakuji hurriedly stepped back and waved his hands in a panic. "Koyuki is Master Keizo's daughter. I'm helping him take care of her."

"Ohhh-"

Muzan gave an ambiguous response.

"Um, why don't you come in for some tea? It's already evening, too."

Muzan shook his head. "No need. I still have things to do. I only dropped by because I was passing through. But a word of warning: watch out for the nearby dojos. Don't let them poison you."

Hakuji froze. What? What does he mean?

He knew the other dojos had always disliked them, but poisoning?

"They can't beat you or your master, but they can still poison you. Keep Koyuki safe. Especially at critical moments-don't let your guard down."

After explaining, Muzan added, "All right, I'll be going."