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Marcus's heart began slamming against his ribs at a frantic pace.
Muzan... Muzan Kibutsuji.
The coward had been hiding in the shadows for over a millennium, and at this very moment he was in Asakusa City, using a human identity, accompanied by his supposed wife and daughter to maintain a spotless façade during his endless search for the Blue Spider Lily.
In the storyline, this assignment was meant for Tanjiro after exterminating The Swamp Demon.
But now… reality presented a variable: his own existence.
Ubuyashiki had split the two missions.
One for him, one for Tanjiro.
It was reasonable, but...
Throwing him out there completely alone against Muzan? Are you fucking kidding me?! That was a goddamn suicide mission!
Driven by the purest survival instinct, he turned his head and locked his gaze on Tanjiro.
Feeling that weight on his shoulders, the young man with the earrings gave a sharp flinch.
…
Descending the mountain path, Tanjiro kept turning his head with a clear look of concern. "...is this really okay? The crow clearly told us to go separately..."
Marcus walked ahead, carrying a special box on his back. Urokodaki had built it from a wood that was light but extremely sturdy, and inside, Nezuko was fast asleep.
But before setting out, Marcus had lined the entire compartment with plush blankets, making sure to cushion any bumps during the journey.
"What's wrong with it?" he replied, keeping his eyes forward. "It's on the way anyway."
"First we go to your town, deal with the problem at nightfall, and then we travel through the early morning. By tomorrow evening we'll be in my city."
He paused for a second, turned his head, and gave him a protective big-brother smile.
"Besides, there's a huge chance your demon turns out to be a monumental pain in the ass. Obviously I'm going to give you a hand."
"I can handle it myself!" Tanjiro exclaimed, gripping his hilt with a spark of determination in his eyes. "I'm way stronger than I was two years ago!"
"Yeah, yeah, champ, you're a beast," Marcus dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "So move those legs and pick up the pace."
Tanjiro quickened his trot to catch up, his anxiety written all over him.
"But the corps' rules—"
"Rules are made of paper—we're made of flesh and bone," Marcus cut him off, ready to convince him with pure logic. "Look, going on my own, I'd reach Asakusa first thing tomorrow morning."
"In broad daylight it's impossible to find a demon. I'd be forced to wait until nightfall, spending the whole day sitting on some corner killing time."
"Going with you, I help you out and save myself half a day of boredom. Two birds with one stone."
Tanjiro crossed his arms stubbornly. "I can do this on my ow—"
"Shut up."
"But—"
Stopping dead in his tracks, Marcus turned around and flashed a smile Tanjiro knew all too well.
"Tanjiro... you definitely want to stay close to Nezuko, right?"
Every muscle in the earringed boy's body tensed instantly.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean this." Marcus gave a couple of pats to the wooden box on his back. "Nezuko travels with me. If you insist on us splitting up, then I take Nezuko to Asakusa and you do your mission alone. How's that sound?"
"Where do you even get that idea?!" Tanjiro jumped in place, his hair standing on end. "I'm her older brother!"
"For the simple fact that I'm stronger than you. For the harsh reality that I'm faster than you. And because we both know perfectly well who Nezuko's going to look for the second she opens her eyes."
Tanjiro clenched his teeth, letting out a strangled growl of pure frustration.
"So..." Marcus ruffled his hair with a victorious smile. "Be a good boy and let's team up. We finish here and head straight to Asakusa. Everybody wins, Nezuko included. You get the idea?"
Tanjiro held out for a good while, but in the end he squeezed out through gritted teeth: "... I get it."
"That's the spirit." Marcus turned on his heel and resumed walking, humming a catchy tune in an excellent mood.
Tanjiro walked behind him dragging his feet, and suddenly blurted out a question that had been burning on his tongue.
"Exactly... who's waiting for you in Asakusa?"
Marcus felt a chill run down his spine.
"Every time you mention Asakusa City, your expression completely changes and your scent shifts."
Marcus kept his pace steady, feeling a stab of alarm in his chest.
'He really does have a sharp nose…'
Tanjiro narrowed his eyes. "Are you hiding something from me?"
"Of course not! You're imagining crazy things! It's way simpler than all that. I just want to bring you along. You've got a good nose, right? I'm sure you'll be a huge help."
"..."
Tanjiro looked at him skeptically, sniffing the air around him. The scent of a lie floated clearly.
But well… Whatever.
If he doesn't want to say, I won't push.
But it was definitely some romantic drama he wanted to keep under absolute wraps!
"So that's how it is… If you wanted my help, all you had to do was ask directly, senpai."
"Hehe..." Marcus laughed awkwardly, quickly redirecting his attention to the path ahead of them.
He couldn't tell him he was scared shitless.
The mere thought of running into Muzan head-on through sheer bad luck terrified him. Even with the King of Demons playing dress-up, a face-to-face encounter guaranteed an execution on the spot.
Evaluating his current stats, he estimated a technical draw against someone at Daki's level, but against Muzan, all that strength would crumble in less than three blinks.
Maybe he'd manage to get out of there alive by running… but a single scratch, the slightest loss of blood, would ruin all his plans and force him to start the game from scratch.
It was absolute madness.
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