Charles and Stella tidied up the scene together. After gathering the bodies, they settled the Kamado sisters into a cleaner room.
But the stench of blood and the dried red stains remained where they were.
All of this was Muzan's doing. He really wanted to hunt that bastard down right now and drag him out of whatever gutter he was hiding in to face the sun.
But Charles also knew that among the many villains, Muzan was one of the most troublesome. Not because of how strong he was, but because he was too good at lying low.
His turtling had reached the point of abandoning all pride. After being grievously wounded by Yoriichi Tsugikuni, he never even contemplated revenge and only emerged after Yoriichi died.
He delegated all outward activity to his subordinate demons and refused to take even the slightest risk.
If not for learning that Nezuko had overcome sunlight, and for Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the Corps' master, using himself as bait—pushing Muzan with both wishes of becoming a perfect being and annihilating the Demon Slayer Corps—there would have been no drawing him out at the end.
As Charles pondered whether there was a chance to corner him, a distinctive presence entered his perception.
Soon, hurried breathing and the crunch of feet on snow arrived together, and Charles saw the boy in a checkered haori.
The boy had deep red hair and eyes, with a scar on his forehead. Most striking of all were the Hanafuda earrings hanging from his ears.
He also gave off a strange impression: his aura was as gentle as flowing water, yet warm like sunlight.
A person with such an aura could only be this world's protagonist, Tanjiro Kamado.
He could empathize even with an enemy's sorrow yet never hesitated when it came time to fight and strike down his foe; he was a truly pure boy, angelic in nature.
At first glance, Tanjiro saw the stranger, Charles, standing at his door, and then the broad swathes of blood before the threshold.
Tanjiro didn't act rashly. He had a special gift—an especially keen sense of smell. By the scent, he didn't think the person before him was any sort of evildoer.
"Who are you, sir? Where are my family?"
Charles sighed. "I'm sorry. It had already happened by the time we arrived!"
Tanjiro's lips trembled, and then he rushed past Charles, who had stepped aside from the doorway, into the house.
Right after, Charles heard Tanjiro's pained sobbing.
Charles turned and entered to see Tanjiro kneeling before the bodies of his mother and younger brothers.
"And Nezuko, Hanako—please tell me, how are my little sisters?"
Charles caught Tanjiro as he stumbled forward. "Don't worry. They're alive. But you need to prepare yourself for what you're about to hear."
With that, Charles led Tanjiro to another room. Seeing Hanako lying under the quilt and unconscious, Tanjiro first let out a breath, then he saw Nezuko, bound.
Tilting his head, Tanjiro looked at Charles. "Um… why is my sister tied up?"
To see his most precious family member tied up and still remain calm—this kid's composure was truly remarkable.
Charles said, "That's what I meant about preparing yourself. Your sister is turning into another kind of being."
Seeing Tanjiro's astonished expression, Charles explained in detail what demons were and where they came from.
Tanjiro visibly sagged. "So the one who killed my family is that Muzan Kibutsuji? And Nezuko's been turned into a man-eating demon?"
Charles patted his shoulder. "You don't have to be that pessimistic. Nezuko is special. As long as she holds herself back before she actually eats a person, she won't truly become a demon."
He wasn't saying that out of some moral notion that once you eat a human there's no turning back, but as a judgment based on facts.
A demon's power comes from Muzan's blood within them; the higher the concentration of Muzan's blood, the stronger the power.
There are two ways to strengthen Muzan's blood: one is his direct bestowal, and the second is to consume more humans.
Human flesh and blood nourish the growth of demon blood; eat enough, and the demon blood grows ever stronger.
The Blue Spider Lily factor in Nezuko's body is limited, and right now it forms a delicate balance with the demon blood.
If Nezuko fails to restrain herself and eats someone, that balance will likely be broken, and she'll fall into becoming a true demon.
Just as Charles finished speaking, Nezuko opened her eyes.
The girl's once bright, jet-black irises had become crimson vertical pupils, filled with savagery and bloodlust.
Veins bulged on her face, and sharp fangs showed between her parted lips, making the beautiful Nezuko seem like a rabid beast.
The Blue Spider Lily in her body was still too weak. While it freed Nezuko from Muzan's direct control, it hadn't solved the erosion of demon blood.
Her current berserk state—and later loss of memory—both stemmed from this.
What bound Nezuko was a magical device Charles had made; the golden rope's magic-sealing effect shouldn't work on Nezuko, but its sheer toughness was more than enough.
Nezuko thrashed wildly, the glowing rope biting into her body. The feral growl rumbling from her throat sounded especially harrowing.
What brother could stay unmoved seeing his sister like this? Tanjiro wished he could bear the pain for her.
When Nezuko started rolling on the floor, Tanjiro could no longer hold back; he stepped in and gathered his sister into his arms.
"Nezuko, calm down! It's me, your brother! I'm right here!"
Stella moved in, worried. In Nezuko's current state she couldn't tell who was in front of her; even bound, one snap could let her bite into Tanjiro.
But Charles stopped Stella. "Trust in the bond between family."
Nezuko did open her mouth, her sharp teeth even grazing the fabric on Tanjiro's shoulder.
But then she felt something warm fall upon her forehead and cheeks.
Nezuko's movements froze. She stared up blankly at Tanjiro, whose tears wouldn't stop falling.
"Hang in there, Nezuko! Don't give up! Don't lose yourself! Don't… become a demon!"
Though his tears kept flowing, Tanjiro's voice was unwavering.
In his tears and words, the savagery in Nezuko's eyes began to fade, and tears—signs of her humanity—welled up.
Charles said, "That's a temporary hold at least, but there's a long road ahead before we can truly fix this.
"So, boy, what do you plan to do next?"
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