Escaping this dilapidated temple wasn't complicated; Shinichi had been preparing for two full years. In that time, he had secretly saved sixty yen. With that money, Shinichi was confident he could escape Matsudaira County within two hours.
Getting rid of Sanrou Oihira was also simple. He was a complete drunkard. If Shinichi pretended to have a 'big haul' one day and got a lot of coins, Sanrou Oihira would definitely be happy enough to drink all night at the tavern. He was that kind of person. A night would be enough time for Shinichi to catch the last carriage out of Matsudaira County.
In fact, Shinichi had been working towards this, until this very day.
It was a quiet night. Sanrou Oihira, who hadn't had good earnings for several days, had a dark expression. Because he was in a bad mood, he had even kicked a child's leg and broken it yesterday. As a result, none of the children in the temple dared to breathe loudly.
Shinichi had been waiting for such an opportunity for a long time. Tomorrow! Just tomorrow, if he could produce ten yen tomorrow, it would definitely excite Sanrou Oihira. Having gone without alcohol for days, he surely wouldn't be able to resist. Tomorrow! It was tomorrow, he would be able to leave this hell! Oh, and he had to take Junbo with him. This angelic child shouldn't have his life ruined in this beggar's den.
As Shinichi was making his plans, a scrawny child suddenly rushed into the dilapidated temple, excitedly shouting at Sanrou Oihira, "Sir! Sir! Good news! A young master in a suit is walking alone on the road, alone!"
Hearing this, Sanrou Oihira, who was about to explode in anger, instantly calmed down and broke into a delighted smile. What had he heard? A suit? In this day and age, in Japan at this time, wearing a suit was synonymous with being rich. Moreover, those who wore suits were usually wealthy individuals who considered themselves to have received advanced foreign cultural education. They were more arrogant than traditional rich people, but also more generous.
Sanrou Oihira felt as if he saw a lot of coins and even banknotes waving at him. He was good at exploiting the arrogant and generous psychology of those rich people, and he was confident he could extract money from those adults using the orphans under his care.
"Junbo! Come here! It's your turn in a bit!" Sanrou Oihira shouted. Junbo, who was beside Shinichi, immediately jumped up, "Coming!"
"Big brother Shinichi! A rich person in a suit! Maybe I can beg for some good food we've never eaten! Wait for me, big brother Shinichi! I'll bring it back and we'll eat it together!" Junbo's small face was beaming with a happy smile, but Shinichi's heart felt no joy.
How could this happen! This kind of thing actually happened! Damn it! The plan had to be postponed again! Thinking this, Shinichi quickly and quietly slipped out of the dilapidated temple. At this moment, the excited Sanrou Oihira didn't even notice Shinichi's little movement, and eagerly rushed off with what he considered his 'cash cow' to find that rich person in a suit.
After re-hiding the yen he had originally taken out and glancing at Enni's small den, Shinichi then started on his way back to the dilapidated temple. Actually, he could have run away by himself right now. In fact, Shinichi had long been confident he could escape alone, if he hadn't met Junbo.
Under the bright moonlight, Shinichi walked step by step on the dirt path. Still silently calculating, he suddenly paused.
A faint smell of blood suddenly wafted into his nostrils. Why was there a smell of blood here? How could this be?
Shinichi's steps gradually quickened, and the smell of blood lingering in his nose became more and more intense, more and more nauseating.
Splish! In a daze, Shinichi stepped into a small pit. The pit was full of sticky liquid. He looked down, and in the moonlight, the dark red liquid emitted a strong, foul smell. Plop! A shadowy mass suddenly floated up from the pit. It was a head!
A child's head, only half of a head, with unfocused eyes staring blankly at the sky.
Thud! Shinichi sat down on the ground. His heart pounded violently in his chest, and his eyes were wide with terror. He knew this child; he was one of their group of orphans. How could he be left with half a head? Was the blood in the pit his?
Junbo! Suddenly, Shinichi stood up, as if he had thought of something, and ran frantically towards the dilapidated temple.
Hoo! Hoo hoo! Sanrou Oihira's throat made strange sounds. His eyes were now bloodshot. A long, sharp, thorny whip had pierced through his stomach and emerged from his mouth, with hot blood gushing out wildly.
Following the bone whip, a slender figure stood quietly in front of the dilapidated temple. He wore a neat and luxurious white suit, a pure and beautiful black tie, and his slightly curled black hair was smooth and immaculate. In the moonlight, his somewhat pale face bore an eerily handsome countenance.
Most captivating were his scarlet eyes, radiating unparalleled nobility and… cruelty.
"Foolish humans, and the lowest of humans at that, how dare you offend me? Filthy, vile, the blood flowing in your veins fills me with the most primal disgust," the demonic man stated calmly, but his words sent chills down one's spine.
"But even you lowly creatures can live freely under the sun, it's an insult, you despicable insects!" As he spoke, the man suddenly became agitated, and the thorny whip connected to his arm suddenly lashed out.
Rip!! Sanrou Oihira's muscular body was instantly torn into a rain of blood, but strangely, not a single drop of the blood rain fell on the man.
In front of the dilapidated temple, countless shattered pieces of flesh were scattered everywhere—mutilated limbs, internal organs of various colors, completely crushed heads, turning this temple into a veritable hell.
Thump! Thump! Thump! The sound of his heart beating echoed clearly in Shinichi's ears. He watched the man in the suit tear Sanrou Oihira to shreds and saw the hellish scene in front of the dilapidated temple. He felt as if he had been paralyzed, his entire body unable to move due to fear. From that man, he felt an unprecedented, terrifying pressure.
"Hmm? There's more?" The scarlet eyes shifted slightly. The next second, before Shinichi could react, a huge force came. Almost instantly, Shinichi appeared in front of the man. Crack! His bones seemed to have shattered. Shinichi's face was contorted in pain, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. The thorny whip wrapped around his waist had broken his back.
"Truly filthy, pitiful, and weak, human. What kind of look is that in your eyes? What do I see? Besides fear, are you glaring at me with hatred? Heh heh, interesting. You are the first among these lowly insects who dares to show hatred towards me. How dare you? How dare you show such an expression to the noble Lord Muzan?" The man named Muzan spoke calmly and coldly.
But at this moment, besides the intense pain in his waist, Shinichi's heart was filled only with grief and indignation. By the door of the dilapidated temple, that half-body, that adorable little face, no longer held its usual cheerfulness and liveliness. All that remained was endless terror.
"Junbo... cough, h-huh..." Blood filled Shinichi's throat, making him utter incomprehensible sounds. The man named Muzan seemed to take an interest; he apparently wanted to hear what Shinichi was saying. The bone whip wriggled, and Shinichi's body was pulled closer to Muzan.
"The final wail of a lowly insect? Interesting." Muzan's lips slowly curved into a smile, revealing sharp fangs. But the next second, Shinichi, whom he regarded as an insect, suddenly erupted.
Rip!! Muzan froze, his terrifying pupils in his scarlet eyes instantly narrowed vertically. Boom! Crackle crackle! A sudden, invisible oppressive force crushed everything around him into dust.
"Blood, is that blood?"
A tiny drop of blood slowly trickled down Muzan's demonic face.