Muzan: My daughter can't be that weak!

The search for the blue spider lily is a long and painful process.

Muzan stood in the dark room, his eyes coldly scanning his surroundings.

What's bothering him now is the practical problems.

Demons don't need to eat or have a place to live, but Muzan needs to maintain his dignity.

Exquisite kimonos, hidden outposts, and intelligence gathering channels—all of these require money.

His underlings were utterly useless when it came to making money, aside from fighting and killing.

He tried converting a merchant, but the man was so preoccupied with expanding his business that he forgot all about finding the blue spider lily. He also tried converting a nobleman, but that man became so engrossed in power struggles that he almost exposed his whereabouts.

Upper Moon One, Kokushibo, is indeed strong, but he is indifferent to everything except fighting and searching for strong opponents.

As for the other ghosts... let's not mention them.

Muzan even began to doubt the point of converting so many useless people.

He rubbed his temples, experiencing for the first time the trouble of supporting a family. Although this family consisted only of him and a little burden who would wake up from time to time.

Thinking of this, his gaze fell on the corner of the room.

Xue Nai is still sleeping.

It looks just like a little pig...

This time she slept more soundly than ever before, her small body curled up in a ball, her breathing so light it was almost inaudible.

Muzan knew that this was yet another long slumber, the duration of which was unknown.

Carrying around this little thing that can wake up at any time, fall asleep again at any time, and do silly things when it's awake is just too much trouble.

He did consider simply throwing her away.

Just dump her somewhere and let her fend for herself. In her half-dead state, she won't live long even if she wakes up anyway.

But every time this thought popped into Muzan's mind, an image would automatically appear.

When Yukina wakes up, she finds herself abandoned in an unfamiliar place. She looks around blankly for a moment, then begins to whisper "Father."

If she doesn't get a response, she'll start to panic, searching everywhere while trying to hold back her tears. Finally, when she can't take it anymore, she'll shrink into a corner and secretly shed tears, muttering, "My father doesn't want me anymore."

Just imagining that scene made Muzan's temples throb.

bother.

This is so annoying.

It's not that I feel sorry for you.

Absolutely not.

I just find it... troublesome.

Yes, that's too much trouble.

What if her crying attracts the Demon Slayer Corps? What if she accidentally lets something slip? What if...?

So he didn't throw it away yet.

"It's only temporary," Muzan emphasized to himself.

Waiting until a more suitable solution is found, waiting...

Just as Muzan's frustration reached its peak, a figure silently appeared in the shadows in the corner of the room.

It was a woman wearing a dark kimono, holding a biwa (a type of Chinese lute) in her arms.

Her face was pale, her eyes were empty, and most strikingly, she only had one eye.

The woman knelt on one knee and bowed her head: "Lord Muzan, you wanted to see me."

Muzan's gaze fell on her, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Nakime.

He was a ghost who transformed several years ago—no, according to human time, it should be several decades ago.

At that time, this woman actually dared to try to assassinate him. Of course, the result was predictable; she didn't even touch the hem of his clothes.

But Muzan didn't kill her; instead, he turned her into a demon.

the reason is simple.

Having this twisted mentality that combines art and killing makes one an ideal candidate to become a demon.

"Raise your head," Muzan said.

Nakime looked up as instructed, her empty eyes looking at Muzan before falling on Yukina in his arms.

Her expression remained unchanged, but her eyes seemed to flicker slightly.

"I need you to take care of her." Muzan's tone was calm, as if he were giving a very ordinary instruction. "When she wakes up, make sure she has blood to drink. Watch her, don't let her run around, don't let her do anything stupid. If she asks about me, tell her I have something to take care of."

Nakime listened quietly, then lowered her head: "Yes, sir."

She is very obedient.

This is another reason why Muzan spared her. Unlike some demons who have too many thoughts, Nakime rarely questioned or asked questions; she simply carried out orders quietly.

Moreover, Nakime's Blood Demon Art is spatial in nature, which is exactly what he needs.

With her, he had a mobile fortress, an absolutely safe stronghold, and a base that could be teleported to and hidden at any time.

Muzan handed Yukina, who was in his arms, over.

Nakime carefully took it, her movements so gentle they were almost ghostly.

Yukina stirred during the handover but didn't wake up. She just let out a soft hum and then settled into a comfortable position in her arms before falling back asleep.

Muzan stood up and straightened his clothes.

He needed to deal with the backlog of tasks, continue searching for clues about the blue spider lily, and so on...

He glanced at Yukina, who was being held in Nakime's arms.

We need to put this trouble aside for now.

"I'm leaving her to you." Muzan said, then turned and walked towards the door.

Before leaving, he paused and added, "Use your Blood Demon Art to take her into the Infinite City. It's safe there."

"Yes."

Muzan left the room.

Only Nakime and the sleeping Setsuna remained in the room.

Nakime remained kneeling, holding the unexpected mission in her arms.

She lowered her head and looked at the child carefully for the first time.

Her black, slightly wavy hair lay softly against her pale cheeks. Her eyelashes were long, like two small fans. Her nose was small and pert, and her lips were a pale pink.

She was wearing a light pink kimono; the fabric was very soft and clearly carefully chosen.

What a...beautiful child.

Suddenly, Muzan's profile flashed through Nakime's mind, and a thought popped into her head.

Wait a minute, why does this child look a bit like Muzan?

This idea startled even herself.

She quickly lowered her head, not daring to look again. But the thought took root in her heart like a seed, affecting the shape of her eyes, the curve of her nose…

Could this be Muzan's child?

But she quickly suppressed the thought and forced herself to stop thinking about it.

She only needed to carry out the tasks assigned by Lord Muzan.

Asking too many questions or overthinking are not things she should do.

She stood up, still holding Xue Nai, her movements gentle.

The child was so light that it reminded her of the pipa she used to hold—both were fragile things that needed to be handled with care.