Nezuko's pink eyes were staring right at Muzan; he could practically feel the burning determination behind them.
"What's with that look, Nezuko? I offered you a fair deal. I've been very patient with you, but you still want to attack me?"
"I was doing your family a favor. If you don't accept my offer, then just pay me my money and leave my property. I don't mind."
Muzan calmly laid out the facts and did nothing else—no violence, no aggression. He stood still. This once again caught Nezuko off guard and broke her rhythm.
The determination in her eyes faded into confusion. Was Muzan trying to kill her or not?? Her confused mood also affected Kei Kamado, and she too stopped screaming.
The mother and daughter stared at Muzan a little longer, wondering if he would suddenly attack, but he didn't. He silently stood there like a noble man, waiting for their answer.
Muzan's calmness gave Nezuko and Kei some courage. Kei gathered herself and clutched her kimono.
"Lord, are you really a demon…? And did you say you wanted to drink Nezuko's blood?"
Kei was seriously nervous. The last time she was this nervous was during her first childbirth; even talking to Muzan felt risky.
"Yes, I am a demon, the demon king, to be precise. And I do want to drink Nezuko's blood. That's my offer. Are you willing"?
Muzan responded gently to Kei's inquiry. This somewhat assured the mother and daughter that he was not dangerous. Kei picked up her courage and rejected Muzan.
"Drinking Nezuko's blood will kill her! She is my daughter; I can't sacrifice her for our family."
The atmosphere suddenly became deathly still, and Kei and Nezuko's hearts were loudly beating. Muzan stood there silently, looking at them, for what felt like an eternity.
"Sigh… If you don't want her to die, I have a solution for you."
He finally broke his silence and shook his head.
"After drinking her blood, I can turn her into a demon. This way she won't die of blood loss."
"But if she becomes a demon, she has to follow me; living with humans is risky for demons."
"This is my last offer to your family: either you accept this, or I will leave and call the authorities."
Muzan's evil intentions were finally exposed, but he spoke in such a way that it made it seem like he was doing their family a huge favor.
Kei and Nezuko were logically stumped. When compared to Nezuko's certain death, her becoming a demon and traveling with Muzan didn't seem like a bad deal..?
Nezuko herself felt the same way. If giving her blood and leaving with Muzan can provide her family a stable home, she would do so without hesitation.
"Will my blood really pay off our debts?"
Nezuko asked with some hope in her voice.
"Of course, you are valuable to me. If you follow me, the 20 years of debt you owe will be repaid."
"And considering your financial situation, I can also cancel your rent for the next 10 years."
"How does that sound? You see, I am very generous with my subordinates."
This really generous offer finally pushed Nezuko off the edge; she took the bait and accepted Muzan's offer. She was ready to become a demon.
"I accept!"
Muzan happily cheered internally. He had to do so much manipulation, so much thinking, but he finally got Nezuko to join his side voluntarily.
Although Kei Kamado was still unsure about Nezuko sacrificing for their sake. She wanted to wait until Tanjiro and her other children returned home before making a decision.
"Nezuko, we should at least wait until your siblings come back from the village."
But Nezuko smiled at her mother and refused to wait for her siblings to return home.
"Mother, if I wait for everyone, they won't let me go. Tanjiro might try to sell charcoal all day instead to repay our debts."
"That's why, before Tanjiro returns, I will leave with Lord Muzan. I am ready, please, drink my blood, Lord Muzan."
Nezuko approached Muzan with nervousness. Muzan carefully watched her long black hair for a while, imprinting it in his memory. Then, he went ahead and bit her neck.
The girl's body squirmed in Muzan's arms, and an exhilarating feeling shot through Nezuko's spine. She didn't know why, but getting her blood drunk by Muzan gave her a pleasant sensation.
Kei Kamado watched all of this while chewing on her kimono; from her perspective, Muzan bit her daughter's neck, and Nezuko started panting with a blush.
Although her blush was quickly starting to fade, as the blood literally drained from her body. Kei couldn't help herself and reminded them.
"Lord Muzan, Nezuko's almost out of blood. Please turn her into a demon, or she'll die."
Her mother's reminder brought them both to their senses. Nezuko gave Muzan a shaky smile, and Muzan smiled back; then he opened his mouth and bit her again.
But this time, he was pumping his blood into her body. He didn't give just her a little bit of his blood, but gave her an enormous amount of demon blood.
Normally this would be fatal to 99 percent of people, but Nezuko was special. She had enormous potential as a demon, second only to Muzan and Tanjiro.
"Ugggggh!"
Due to a sudden influx of demon blood, veins throbbed on Nezuko's face. Her canine teeth sharpened, her nails curved, and her eyes became slit-like.
Kei tried to reach out to help Nezuko, who seemed to be in pain. But she stopped when Muzan raised his hand and put it on Nezuko's head, which seemed to calm her down.
By now Muzan's blood transfusion ritual was over, but Nezuko's transformation continued. She was trembling every few seconds; both Muzan and Kei watched her with rapt attention.
Both of them were waiting for the results. Kei wanted to know if her daughter would survive, and Muzan wanted to know if Nezuko would change compared to her original counterpart.
'I gave her a ridiculous amount of blood, much more than what she got in the original story.'
'The amount of blood within her is comparable to the upper moons. I wonder if this would affect her..'