She wanted to ask one thing: Are you messing with me?!
But she didn't have the courage.
Kneeling on the ground, scared the demon would eat her, she trembled and said,
"Th-then I'll help you trick other people to come."
"Is that so?" Muzan said with a deep look. "What I told you before was a lie. I'm from the Demon Slayer Corps."
You're messing with me, right?! The girl was about to break down.
Muzan watched her face. He wanted to laugh but kept a straight look.
"I wanted to give you a chance, but you're too indecisive…"
"Sir! Please! Give me another chance!" She crawled over, hugged Muzan's leg, and cried hard.
Muzan sighed, acting gentle.
"Alright… actually, I'm a demon."
The girl whimpered.
"I—I won't work with a demon!"
"Oh?" Muzan smiled, pleased, and patted her head. He glanced at Ryuzawa Yoshitsugu, who was trying not to laugh in the corner.
"You don't like eating women, do you?"
Ryuzawa nodded: if Muzan said he didn't, then he didn't.
"Mhm."
The girl stared up at Muzan in shock and started crying for real.
"S-Sir… are you human or demon?"
〒▽〒
Muzan stroked her soft hair and smiled.
"A demon."
Girl (in her head): Just let me die, thanks.
"Alright," Muzan said, lifting her up. "I won't tease you anymore."
Her eyes lit up.
"Sir, you're not a demon?!"
"No. I am a demon."
Girl (in her head): Just let me die already.
Her face went pale. Is it okay to torture me like this before I die?
"Fine. I won't eat you. Just help me with something."
She looked up again, a small smile returning.
"What do you need me to do?"
"I need the people here to bring me at least two people every day."
Her smile froze.
"S-Sir, that's… hard."
Tricking strangers might work, but everyone in town knew there was a "god" here. She might fool them once or twice, but not for long.
"That's not easy…"
"I don't care. If you can't bring people, I'll eat you instead. Your choice—eat you, or eat others."
The girl left in tears.
To live isn't shameful!
---
Ryuzawa worked for a long time, cleaned two rooms, and cleared a neat space. He spread Muzan's books in the yard and held them down with stones to air out.
As dawn neared, he was going back to his room when Muzan called him.
Muzan sat on the tatami, playing with a Nichirin Blade.
"Ryuzawa, let's take the Demon Slayer Corps entrance exam."
Ryuzawa: "???"
What did you say, Demon King?
Muzan had been acting strange lately. He wasn't always scowling like before—"you're all useless; I'll become the ultimate being and kill you all". He showed more expressions now. But still—he's the Demon King!
Letting Ryuzawa treat Demon Slayers was one thing… but going to their exam? And Mount Fujikasane was full of wisteria. Muzan couldn't even enter.
Muzan tossed the blade aside.
"You're right. Wisteria is basically a cheat code. Forget it. Bring the books in after they've aired."
He lay down and slept. Ryuzawa's face twitched—Muzan had heard his complaints.
---
The next night, Muzan saw two young men sneaking around, searching for something. They took a few steps and ran into Ryuzawa. They tried to flee, but he grabbed one in each hand.
They screamed. Then, seeing by moonlight that a human held them, they calmed down.
"Put me down! You want the god's treasure too?"
When Ryuzawa didn't react, they switched tactics.
"Brother, don't be greedy. Split it fifty-fifty?"
Ryuzawa ignored them and carried them to Muzan's room.
"Sir, looks like the girl kept her word," Ryuzawa said, tossing them on the floor.
"She wouldn't dare not to," Muzan replied. His fingers suddenly stretched into claws. Before the two could react, their heads were on the ground.
"They're all mine. If you want to eat, hunt outside."
Ryuzawa: "…"
---
Under the moonlight, the girl spread rumors: Want the god's treasure? Go get it—he hid it there!
She even paid people to hype it up. She was… talented.
After work, she turned into an alley—and froze. One of the demons was stuffing a person into his mouth. Crimson eyes. Fangs. Blood everywhere. The body on the ground was torn to pieces.
"Urgh—" She leaned on the wall and gagged. Good thing she hadn't eaten dinner.
Ryuzawa looked over, face blank. Under her stare, his mouth curled into a slow, wide grin, teeth still red.
The girl stumbled back.
"Ahhhhhhhh!"
Her scream echoed through the night as she ran. Ryuzawa chuckled.
---
The next day, she tricked two more people. That night, she saw the demon feed again. She also realized something: now that she "served" them, the demon wouldn't hurt her. That eased her fear a little.
A week later, the town finally noticed a new demon. Fewer people went out at night. The girl pushed a new line:
Only by going to the god's house can you escape the demon.
Thanks to her and Ryuzawa, ten days later the town had fewer people and more panic. More and more walked into the tiger's mouth on their own.
In the courtyard, an old tree grew thick and lush, its roots rich from what lay below.
---
One day, a man carrying his young daughter ran into the house at the town's center. He knew the "god" ate people, but he had given many offerings. Surely he would be spared.
Outside, the demon would get him sooner or later.
Muzan heard the noise, set down his book, and opened the door. He saw the father and child. The small girl made him pause a moment.
"You came to escape the danger, didn't you?"
The man looked at him—he seemed unfamiliar, but maybe he was also hiding here. Before he could speak, Muzan asked,
"Have you offered sacrifices to the god here?"
"I have! Eighteen people!" the man said proudly.
"What about this child?" Muzan looked at the little girl in his arms, five or six years old.
"This child helped a lot with the sacrifices," the man said, full of confidence.
"Come in."