So tired.
Rui, Lower Rank Five of the Twelve Kizuki, the demon hiding in Mount Natagumo, was slain by demon hunters last night.
For Mitsuba, this was not a particularly special matter. After all, since the birth of the Twelve Kizuki, Lower Rank demons had always been dying suddenly like this.
Therefore, unless they were demons Mitsuba herself valued, Lower Rank demons basically died when they died—she didn't care much either. She could just find new demons to fill the positions when the time came.
After all, Mitsuba never expected these Lower Rank demons to be of much use. They only needed to maintain existence and create some pressure for the Demon Slayer Corps.
Among the current generation of Lower Rank demons, Rui was a somewhat special existence.
Although he was named Lower Rank Five, his true strength roughly approached that of Enmu, who was Lower Rank Two.
Rui's Blood Demon Art allowed him to transform his own blood into spider silk form for attacks.
These silk threads appeared soft, but their hardness was such that ordinary demon hunters simply couldn't sever them.
Like the vast majority of Lower Rank demons over the past two hundred-plus years, Rui's transformation was not personally carried out by Muzan, but by Mitsuba.
It was roughly several decades ago. At that time, still searching for new work and contemplating what identity she should use to integrate into the new era's society, Mitsuba happened to encounter a couple searching for doctors everywhere on the streets of Tokyo.
According to this couple, their young son had been born with a severe illness. Not only had he been bedridden since birth, but now he was also approaching the end of his life.
Unwilling to see their child pass away so early, the husband and wife had come together from their hometown to Tokyo, hoping to find several famous doctors with superb medical skills here.
After hearing this couple's account, because she felt the child they described had experiences quite similar to her own when she was human, and her heart was slightly moved by this, Mitsuba simply claimed to be a famous doctor and followed this couple back to their hometown.
After personally seeing the boy named "Rui" and confirming that he indeed didn't have long to live, Mitsuba also smoothly proposed her treatment method—
That's right, granting Rui Lord Muzan's blood and transforming him into a demon.
Before taking action, Mitsuba clearly informed this couple about the problems humans would encounter after becoming demons, such as being unable to touch sunlight, from then on having to survive by devouring humans, and so on…
At first, this couple was very conflicted, completely unable to make a decision.
This was normal. After all, having their child transform from human to demon—for humans who had never before encountered supernatural powers, this was always somewhat difficult to accept.
But after just one night passed, this husband and wife made their decision.
They agreed.
Rather than watching their child die so early, they hoped he could obtain a healthy body and live longer.
Even if the price was losing his human identity.
Even if their child would have to devour humans forever from then on…
Rui's transformation went smoothly. After becoming a demon, he even became one of those rare demons who awakened a Blood Demon Art—a demon with special abilities.
One could tell at a glance he was a child with considerable talent for being a demon, likely able to secure a position among the Twelve Kizuki in the future.
Because both his parents were alive, Rui did not live alone after transforming into a demon, but continued living with his human parents.
Perhaps influenced by the human morality cultivated from living in human society for many years.
Or perhaps simply not wanting their child's hands to be stained with too much blood.
In any case, at the very beginning, the humans that Rui devoured to maintain his life and sanity were all provided by his parents.
Normally, Rui—just like when he was human—dwelled in his family residence all day, never going out.
And his parents would periodically dispose of the household servants through various "accidents" as Rui's food.
Time slowly moved forward like this. As the number of servants who "accidentally died" in the residence continuously increased, Rui's parents finally couldn't endure it anymore.
The psychological pressure of personally killing people, the fear and regret of watching their own child become a monster, gradually filled this couple's hearts.
They regretted it.
At this point, they suddenly felt that the choice to agree to let Rui transform into a demon back then might have been a wrong decision.
Thus, this husband and wife once again came to Tokyo to find Mitsuba.
They urgently asked her if there was any way to transform their son back into a human.
After receiving Mitsuba's negative answer, this couple was completely devastated.
In their despair, they even resented Mitsuba, believing that she had bewitched them back then and transformed their son into a monster like herself.
Hoh, impressive. Sold your souls and now want to go back on the deal?
Mitsuba remembered that day, she had very seriously listened to this couple's complaints.
She finally thought carefully and felt that what this couple said also made some sense.
So, she conveniently transformed this couple into demons as well, turning them into the same creatures as their child.
Since as humans, you cannot accept the existence of demons.
Simple~ Just transform you into demons too, and you can accompany your son together!
Facts proved that making people "walk in another's shoes" was forever the most effective persuasion method in this world.
After becoming demons themselves and deeply experiencing the intense devouring desire within their bodies that simply couldn't be suppressed, this couple never came to complain to Mitsuba again.
After this, for the purpose of observing "the possible direction of evolution of demon family relationships," Mitsuba specially permitted Rui's family to not live in large cities.
Not only that, Mitsuba also specially designated a large area in the wilderness as the activity range for this demon family.
And this area was precisely the future Mount Natagumo.
Any humans or demons who stepped into the range of Mount Natagumo, this family could dispose of as they pleased—even absorbing them as family members was completely fine.
After all, transforming an entire family of humans into demons—this had never happened in the past.
Mitsuba was also genuinely curious: as time passed, what would these demons with family relationships gradually become?
Unfortunately, before Mitsuba could observe many results, Rui's family was slain by demon hunters—along with the demons who had dwelled on Mount Natagumo for decades past.
The executors of this extermination mission were precisely Kamado Tanjiro, Agatsuma Zenitsu, and that "demon-eater" Genya whom Mitsuba had spared on Mount Fujikasane.
On site, no Hashira-level swordsmen participated.
This was also reasonable. After all, although these three were nominally all demon hunters who had just passed the selection this year, among the three, Tanjiro had already awakened his Mark on Mount Fujikasane.
With this child's current strength, dealing with Lower Rank demons was completely sufficient.
Regarding Rui's death, although Mitsuba felt some regret, she had no intention of intervening to rescue him.
The reasons behind this—apart from Mitsuba currently not wanting to appear too frequently in the demon hunters' sight—more importantly, was that saving him would be meaningless anyway.
After all, these Lower Rank demons would soon have no need to exist…
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This story has ended in chapter 315, you can read on patreon.com/dzeref887 for faster access or wait until August to read on WebNovel until the story ends.