Chapter 187: Passing Each Other By
As soon as his feet touched the shifting wooden platforms of the Infinity Castle, Doma began pondering what kind of elegant rhetoric he should use this time. He needed to report yet another result of 'finding absolutely nothing' to Muzan, preferably in a way that would make the Demon Lord slightly less inclined to tear his head off.
After turning the thought over in his mind for a few seconds, he realized it probably wouldn't matter anyway.
Oh no, wait, it does matter, he corrected himself cheerfully. At least it kills some of the boring time spent waiting.
Even though I achieved absolutely nothing, I still worked very hard, Doma mused, mentally patting himself on the back for his stellar work ethic.
"Doma. Can you and your so-called Eternal Paradise Cult actually be of any use?"
Just as the Upper Rank demon was entertaining himself in his own mind, Muzan's imposing figure materialized from the shadows in front of him, violently yanking Doma's wandering thoughts back to reality.
"I am terribly sorry, Muzan-sama," Doma replied, his voice dripping with practiced, velvety contrition. "My followers and I have truly done our absolute best to search every corner, but the Blue Spider Lily is indeed far too rare. I humbly hope you can grant us just a few more days."
Regarding the heavily suppressed rage vibrating in Muzan's voice, Doma had grown entirely accustomed to it after an adaptation period of over a year. He had recited these apologies so many times that he had practically memorized his responses. Not only were his words completely devoid of genuine emotion, but now they even lacked the basic effort of a good performance.
He simply couldn't be bothered to act anymore.
The only reason he was still breathing was because his inherent strength was highly useful. At the very least, he served as an excellent thug when facing the Demon Slayer Corps. This was especially true after Akaza—the enforcer Muzan used to enjoy ordering around the most—had recently suffered a humiliating record of failure. Thanks to that, Doma's overwhelming combat advantages had become a bit more prominent in the boss's eyes.
If not for that sheer utility, Muzan would have long since obliterated this smiling fool who constantly provoked his temper.
Doma in Muzan's eyes: Useless at everything, undeniably the number one expert at annoying his boss, and only his combat strength is worth looking at.
Muzan in Doma's eyes: Always angry, furious day after day, only thinking about that damn flower, and only his combat strength is worth looking at.
Hee hee, Doma chuckled inwardly.
Muzan's crimson eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. Tired of living?
Not hee hee, Doma immediately corrected his internal tone, keeping his smile placid.
"Go search again!"
The longer Muzan looked at Doma's face, the angrier he became. He practically roared the command. Then, without even waiting for Doma to offer another pretentious, sycophantic reply, a single strum of a biwa echoed through the fortress. Muzan had Nakime directly teleport the annoying demon back to the Eternal Paradise Cult.
At this exact time, Akira and Gyomei had just left the cult's territory less than half an hour ago.
Completely unaware that he had just brushed past the Grim Reaper himself, Doma merely settled onto his exclusive, plush lotus cushion and began talking to himself in the empty hall.
"Oh dear, this is really quite difficult. Where on earth is the Blue Spider Lily?" He sighed, leaning his chin on his fist. "I've already searched all the nearby towns. If I have to expand the search area even further, it'll be so tiring..."
As an Upper Rank demon, Doma naturally wouldn't feel any physical fatigue, but he truly despised dull, repetitive daily tasks. This complaint came despite the fact that the vast majority of the actual labor was done by his brainwashed followers, while he mostly just went for leisurely strolls in slightly further locations.
As for why he bothered traveling to further places instead of just wandering around the Eternal Paradise Cult headquarters, it was naturally to keep up appearances. He needed to actively demonstrate his diligence and dedication to the cause.
I have already expanded the search range this far and still couldn't find it, so it absolutely isn't my fault, he reasoned, mentally tapping a chalkboard to emphasize his flawless logic.
On the other side of the mountain, Akira, blissfully unaware that he had narrowly missed catching Doma, was heading back toward the Butterfly Mansion while casually exchanging insights about the See-Through World with Gyomei.
But after walking through the dense woods for a while, the two men stopped at the exact same time. They turned to look at each other, both clearly sensing the great confusion rising in the other's mind.
Even without actively channeling the See-Through World right now, their honed instincts picked up on something tracking them through the foliage behind.
It was broad daylight, with the sun shining brightly through the canopy, so demons were immediately ruled out.
So, was it a human or a wild beast?
Judging from the faint presence, it shouldn't be the latter. In that intermittent, lingering gaze, there was absolutely no killing intent or predatory hunger. There was only a strange, lingering sense of curiosity and longing.
But if it were a human out here in this deep, isolated mountain forest, it could usually only be highway bandits or rogue mercenaries. Yet even the lowest bandits would carry a distinct trace of malice, or at least a bit of a fierce, desperate aura. This presence had none of that.
In the span of a single breath, these analytical thoughts flashed through Akira's mind, but he still hadn't reached a logical answer. So, he chose to simply use a 'cheat'.
Once the See-Through World was activated, the mysteries of the forest naturally became crystal clear.
Hiding behind a massive, ancient tree thick enough for two grown men to wrap their arms around, crouched a young, bare-chested boy wearing a hollowed-out wild boar head mask.
With the visual enhancement of the See-Through World peering past the thick hide of the mask, Akira could clearly see that the face hidden underneath was incredibly delicate, possessing soft features almost identical to a beautiful girl's.
At this point, Akira knew exactly who was following them.
Giving a subtle hand gesture to Gyomei, who had also activated his own See-Through World to observe the boy, Akira's figure instantly vanished from the spot, leaving only a faint rustle of leaves in his wake.
Hashibira Inosuke, a boy burdened with a tragic past.
When he was still a fragile infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, his mother, Hashibira Kotoha, unable to endure another day of her husband's brutal domestic violence, took her child and fled into the snowy night. Desperate for salvation, she joined the Eternal Paradise Cult, a sanctuary rumored to make people forget all their worldly troubles.
At first, Kotoha did indeed forget her pain.
The followers within the cult were exceptionally kind. Seeing Kotoha alone with a crying child, they would constantly help her with daily chores, and that handsome, charismatic cult leader frequently appeared to show genuine concern for her well-being.
She truly thought the hard days were finally over, believing that she only needed to focus on raising her beloved child safely in the future.
Then, as fate would have it, the illusion shattered.
Kotoha accidentally stumbled upon the horrifying scene of Doma casually devouring a follower. Terrified out of her mind, she hurriedly fled the Eternal Paradise Cult, clutching her child to her chest.
Doma immediately gave chase. He cornered her near a cliff and tried to persuade her to stay using his twisted set of logic, promising her eternal peace within his body, but it was completely useless. In his warped sense of desperation, Doma decided he could only devour Kotoha as well to save her from the world's suffering.
Right before being caught by Doma—or rather, the moment Doma gave up on his verbal persuasion and moved in for the kill—Kotoha used the last of her strength to throw Inosuke off the high cliff and into the rushing river below.
Perhaps Inosuke was simply not meant to die. He survived the freezing waters and was eventually picked up and raised by a mother wild boar.
Years later, after his wild boar 'mother'passed away, the grieving boy carefully hollowed out its head, turning it into a mask. He wore it constantly, treating it as if his'mother' were still accompanying him, protecting him from the harshness of the world.
Looking at this behavior from a normal human perspective, it was somewhat horrifying and deeply morbid.
But Inosuke had been raised by wild boars since early childhood. His entire thought process followed standard beast logic, relying on scent as the primary means of identification and comfort.
The hollowed mask still carried the faint, lingering scent of that wild boar 'mother'. To his feral mind, as long as he could smell it, it meant 'mother' was still right by his side.
Sometime after that, Inosuke was lucky enough to encounter a kind old man living in a secluded mountain cabin. The man often shared scraps of food with the wild boy and patiently taught him how to speak, along with instilling some basic human common sense, barely allowing his feral wildness to fade just a little bit.
And today, Inosuke was once again prepared to head down to that familiar household.
Because the animals in the mountains were mostly nursing their young during this season, his beastly instincts told him it wasn't appropriate to hunt them right now. Forced to survive on bitter wild fruits, his stomach rumbled constantly, prompting him to frequently seek out that old man's household for some extra food.
However, while wandering through the woods with a hungry belly, he suddenly discovered a brand new target halfway down the mountain trail.
Two humans.
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me!
Want to read ahead on our official home, or unlock 50 advanced chapters (plus an Ad-Free experience) to feed your addiction? Help keep this shameless translator alive here:
(P.S. Replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
🌐 Official Website: elysianreads[.]com
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters & Ad-Free): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]