The sky darkened little by little.
The mayor's mansion gleamed under the lanterns, overflowing with voices and activity.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro crouched in the shadows along the outer wall, pressing his nose to the ground to analyze the air.
Throughout the afternoon, he had completed an exhaustive inspection of every corner of the town, managing to capture the demon's most recent trail.
And that invisible thread ended exactly at the mayor's entrance.
Straightening up, he looked at the mansion with a frown.
From inside came the laughter of girls, voices, singing... as lively as a party.
Tanjiro brought his nose close to the crack in the door, intending to single out the demon's scent, but when he inhaled, his entire face turned red.
Girls... there were so many girls in there!
Ten... twenty—no... AT LEAST FORTY WOMEN!
All around his same age…
The sweet, floral fragrance of the young women, mixed with the aroma of hot food and wine, formed a dense pink cloud that hung over the entire mansion.
Covering his nose, Tanjiro felt the tips of his ears turn a bright red.
This was total madness!
Women were disappearing daily because of a demon, and they decided to get together and throw a massive party! They were literally serving the demon an all-you-can-eat buffet!
Filled with urgency, he let loose a kick and knocked down the main courtyard door.
BAM!
A few feet away, a servant drenched in sweat grabbed his lower back, staring fixedly at the splintered wood kissing the ground once again. The hammer and nails slipped from his hands, clattering dryly against the floor.
"I just finished fixing that..."
Blowing past the poor worker, Tanjiro sprinted at full speed to the mansion's main entrance.
And when he slid the door open with a bang, the scene before his eyes left his mind completely blank.
The enormous traditional-style hall was overflowing with beautiful women. They were scattered everywhere—standing, sitting on the tatami, or lounging comfortably. Some shared conspiratorial laughter, others entertained themselves with string games or reading books in groups, and several more danced to the rhythm of a shamisen keeping time at the center of the room.
And at the very nucleus of that earthly paradise, a male figure radiated absolute bliss, savoring the moment to the fullest.
…Marcus.
He was sitting cross-legged in the seat of honor at the low table, surrounded by a group of at least seven or eight girls.
To his left, a young woman poured him sake between flirtatious giggles. To his right, another fanned him with total delicacy. Behind him, two pairs of hands gave him a relaxing massage on his shoulders and head.
And to crown the image, a girl with her kimono slightly disheveled leaned very close to his lap, offering him pieces of fruit.
Marcus had a slight reddish flush from the alcohol, wearing a mischievous smile as he tilted his head back to drink directly from a young woman's hands. Immediately after, he placed a long kiss on the back of that same hand, drawing sighs and giggles from the women present.
Tanjiro's face exploded into a deep red, fueled by pure, volcanic rage.
"MARCUS!!!"
He roared, clenching his teeth with indignation. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
Marcus caught a grape mid-air with his mouth and turned his head toward the shout. Seeing Tanjiro planted in the doorway, fuming with rage like a volcano on the verge of eruption, he swallowed the grape calmly and gave him a radiant smile.
"Hey, dear little brother—you finally made it!"
With a relaxed gesture, he introduced the newcomer to the girls around him.
"Ladies, allow me to introduce my younger brother, Tanjiro. He's a super emotional guy, so treat him with lots of love."
"Don't worry, Mr. Marcus~" the closest girl replied with a flirtatious smile.
"We're going to spoil this cute little brother rotten~!"
As they spoke, three onee-chan approached with smiles, extending their arms to surround the boy with the earrings.
"Come on, little brother, play with us~!"
"Your big sis here has some really yummy sweets~"
Tanjiro's cheeks burned with double the intensity, his indignation mixing with an overwhelming blush. He dodged the feminine arms with jerky movements, carved a direct path through the crowd, grabbed Marcus by the haori, and yanked him with all his strength toward the hallway.
"Move it—we're leaving right now!"
Marcus let himself be dragged along in stumbling steps, waving goodbye to his companions with his free hand. "Y-You girls keep having a blast. I'm just gonna have a quick chat alone with my little bro."
"We'll be waiting, Mr. Marcus~"
"Come back soon—we'll miss you~!"
They crossed the threshold and reached the courtyard.
Tanjiro released his grip abruptly and nailed him with a withering glare. "How dare you use your breathing on them?! Did you forget what the master said?! Did you forget what we came here for?!"
Marcus rubbed his sore arm with an innocent expression. "So dramatic. My breathing simply relaxes them so they can enjoy the night. Fear tenses the muscles, and a scared crowd would scare off our target. This way it's way easier to lure the demon in."
Tanjiro was dumbfounded. "...Lure the demon?"
"Obviously." Marcus pointed toward the interior of the hall.
"The demon specifically targets young, pretty girls, so I gathered every girl in town who fits the bill and threw a party to lift their spirits. Imagine all that youthful energy concentrated in a single room... The demon's going to take the bait in no time."
Tanjiro opened his mouth, searching for the right arguments to counter such madness.
The method... actually seemed pretty logical, to be honest.
But he still felt something was off.
"You're gambling with their lives in this game!" he whispered with indignation. "It's way too dangerous! The second the demon gets in and hurts one of them—"
"That's exactly why I'm staying by their side." Marcus cut him off, exuding unshakable confidence.
"You think I'm taking advantage of them? Of course not! I'm simply protecting them up close! Otherwise, why would I gather them all in one place?"
"..."
Tanjiro pressed his lips together tightly.
The arguments were so valid that, if it weren't for the fact that he could smell the intense wave of pure enjoyment, satisfaction, and debauchery transpiring from his entire body… he really would have believed him!
Seeing that Tanjiro was still suspicious, Marcus straightened his haori collar immediately, adopting an expression of absolute seriousness.
"Listen—if your nose led you straight to this door, it means our target has been prowling around the perimeter for a good while. It's time to spring the trap."
With that, he spun on his heels, cracked the sliding door open just enough to poke his head inside. "Ladies, does anyone usually go to bed early? Those of you who are sleepy can head to the rooms in the back courtyard—the futons are already set up."
Only a handful of girls raised their hands.
Immersed in the warmth of his Breath of Desire, the vast majority were thoroughly enjoying this rare chance to relax in a safe environment, their energy still going strong.
About three young women with stricter habits rubbed their eyes tiredly and stood up to give a gentle bow. "Then... we'll retire to rest, Mr. Marcus."
Marcus nodded with a slight smile, then fixed his gaze on his companion. "There's your chance to hunt the demon. Go to the back courtyard and stand guard."
Only then did Tanjiro fully understand.
Concentrate all the potential victims at a single point, then release a small, vulnerable piece of bait toward an isolated area…
Any demon lurking in the shadows would take the bait instantly at such easy prey.
"You..." He looked at Marcus with a complicated expression. "You had this planned from the very beginning?"
"Was there ever any doubt?" Marcus arched an eyebrow, oozing smugness. "Did I impress you?"
"..."
Tanjiro was silent for a few seconds before snorting stubbornly. "Using innocent people as bait is still not a good method."
"That's exactly why it's your job to be the responsible hero," Marcus replied, giving him a hard clap on the shoulder. "Make sure that thing doesn't get anywhere near them."
"Anyway, get going. I need to head back inside to keep consoling these tender little hear—"
Cutting himself off abruptly, he frowned. "Wait—there's a flaw in the plan…"
"What are you talking about?"
"..."
Marcus didn't answer. He simply sighed and closed the door with a touch of regret, bidding farewell to his earthly paradise. "...Forget it, I'm going with you."
"Huh? There's no need—I can handle it on my—"
"Cut the crap and move."
Shutting down any protest, he grabbed Tanjiro by the shoulders and shoved him toward the sleeping quarters.
Tanjiro's attitude had just jogged his memory. The Swamp Demon operated with a cloning technique, splitting itself into three independent bodies.
And Tanjiro facing three simultaneous targets while trying to protect a trio of unarmed girls would turn into a total disaster.
So there was no way he was leaving him alone!
He flat-out refused to let any of those beauties suffer so much as a scratch.
________
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