'That scent... it is Tamayo's. Her Blood Demon Art: Magical Incense of Visual Dream.'
The true fool within me, the female Muzan fragment, reacted first.
So, the woman's name was Tamayo.
'And yet... are you not being too careless? Do you not intend to draw your blade?'
Kokushibo questioned my lack of a combat stance within my consciousness.
I shook my head inwardly.
There is no need for that.
She did not use this with the intent to harm.
'Nonsense... Is the concentration not far thicker than it was then?'
She likely judged that she had to raise the potency to this level just to elicit a reaction from me.
This woman named Tamayo knows that such an attack would never work on me.
What sort of fool would use a technique they knew was destined to fail? No, this scent is likely an invitation, a way to announce her presence.
'The possibility... of a trap...?'
Kokushibo raised an objection once more.
'Unlikely. That girl is not a Demon suited for direct combat. Nor is she foolish enough to be unable to judge the sheer difference in our power.'
The female Muzan fragment countered with a nuance of certainty.
'If we assume that Tamayo has also severed her connection from the main body, it would be far more beneficial for you to win her over than to kill her.'
And why is that?
'Though she lacks combat prowess, Tamayo's pharmacological skills are supreme. She was the Demon who aided me the most, and simultaneously, the Demon I feared most for that very reason.'
You're being unusually generous with your praise.
'Had she no talent, I would never have kept her by my side.'
If even Muzan offers such high praise, then there is truly no downside to recruiting her.
The problem is whether Tamayo sides with the Demons or with humanity...
If she is a Demon who does not hesitate to consume humans, I will have no choice but to kill her.
'From my perspective, Tamayo was a Demon through and through.'
I see. Then must I kill her?
'However... there is a contradiction in your words... If that were the case, seeking a meeting would be... nothing short of suicide... Did you not say she was no fool...?'
'That... is true.'
At that moment.
The flowers blooming before my eyes began to wither, and from the darkness, the sender of the invitation revealed herself.
She was a beauty with striking black hair and large, violet eyes.
Her appearance and the impression she gave were exactly as they had been when I first saw her. It was undoubtedly Tamayo.
First, how should I proceed?
There was little reason for the Muzan fragment, who had been uncharacteristically praising Tamayo's skills, to lie now.
No matter how talented she is, and even if her connection to Muzan is severed, if she does not stand with humanity, she must die.
In fact, if she possesses a talent that even Muzan guarded against, it might be safer to end her here.
To kill, or to let live.
As I took a step toward her—
'Beside Lord Muzan... a female Demon... I beg of you...'
A final wish left by someone just before their death resurfaced in my mind.
Why am I remembering the words spat out by Upper Rank Zero now?
Could the female Demon he mentioned staying by Muzan's side have been Tamayo?
This is a headache.
...
Fine.
Schwing.
I drew my Nichirin Blade and lunged toward Tamayo.
I do not know why she called for me, but... I should kill her after all.
If the side she stands on is not that of humanity but of the Demons, then execution is the only proper path.
Those sorrowful eyes give me pause, but who in this world does not have a tragic story to tell?
I swung my blade.
@@@
Hmm?
Contrary to my expectations, Tamayo's reaction was neither evasion nor the use of illusions as before.
Even as the edge of the blade closed in on her neck, all she did was close her eyes and offer her throat.
I halted the sword just before it made contact.
Perhaps due to the sudden exertion required to stop mid-swing, the Crimson Blade manifested, the metal glowing a searing red.
What is this? Did she come here seeking to die?
"Do you intend to die?"
It was a ridiculous question coming from the one who had tried to kill her, but her expression was far too detached.
At my words, she opened her eyes and looked me straight in the face before speaking.
"It does not matter if I die here. I have nothing left anyway."
Viewing her through the Transparent World, I could see she was speaking from her heart.
She truly did not care if she died.
Finding a pattern so different from any Demon I had encountered until now left my mind in a tangle.
Just what is she thinking?
A single flick of my wrist and her head would roll, yet my blade would not move.
I don't even know what I'm thinking anymore. Have I actually developed sympathy for a Demon after all this time?
I let out a sigh and pulled the blade away from her neck.
At my action, she looked puzzled.
"Will you not kill me?"
"Killing someone with eyes like those only leads to foul dreams."
I clicked my tongue and sheathed my Nichirin Blade.
".....Please."
What?
Then, she suddenly collapsed as if letting out a silent scream.
"Only a little more was needed, just a little... and yet, for him to have overcome the weakness of his neck..."
Tamayo began to tear at her own hair.
"He should have died!! That filthy man!! Kibutsuji Muzan—!!"
She began to wail, hurling curses at Muzan as she shrieked in despair.
I wondered if it was a calculated act to garner sympathy, but it was not. Tamayo was screaming from the depths of her soul.
Furthermore, one thing became clear: Tamayo was no longer under Muzan's dominion. That petty man would have surely reacted when she cursed him so openly and used his name, yet nothing happened to her.
She didn't seem to side with the Demons either.
With a grudge of this magnitude... just what did that bastard Muzan do to this woman?
....
This is usually the time when the Muzan within me would offer some sort of excuse.
Why are you silent, Muzan?
'I have... severed the connection...'
This bastard?
Just what kind of mess did he make back then? I'll have to cut open this fellow's brain later and see for myself.
I watched Tamayo as she continued to scream. Her nails tore through her hair, wounding her scalp as beads of blood began to fall.
Even though she was inflicting such harm on herself, she seemed to feel no pain. There was only the sound of her despair.
It is said that if a woman harbors a deep grudge, frost will fall even in the height of summer. But this was beyond that level.
It was a cry as if she had lost something far more precious, a repetitive, gut-wrenching wail. She mangled herself, vomiting out all manner of complex emotions until they swirled around her like a vortex.
....Good grief.
I had many questions—how she was still alive despite Yoriichi and the other Hashira being present, why she had sought me out—but it was impossible to ask in this state.
She's going to go bald if she keeps that up.
I, who had been merely watching, forcibly pulled her hands away from her head. Her nails were caked with bloody flesh and strands of hair. She didn't stop exerting force, and her claws dug into my hands instead.
That actually stings a bit.
No, it really hurts. Is she a Demon after all? I'm actually bleeding.
She raised her head and looked at me. Her face was a mess of blood from her scalp mixed with tears, and her hair was completely disheveled.
Whether it was pity or if I had finally lost my mind, I found myself stopping someone I had just intended to kill from harming themselves.
The Demon with sorrowful eyes and the noble-looking woman were gone. There was only a woman wailing like a child who had been robbed of everything.
And so, she did not look like a Demon to me at all.
I have sent countless Demons across the Sanzu River, but this was the first time I had seen a Demon pour out such raw emotion. Is this what they call 'Demon empathy'?
I let out a sigh and faced her. I didn't know how to comfort someone in this situation. Besides, this woman and I are practically strangers.
Still, if I leave her like this, I know my dreams will be miserable. I should do something.
When emotions are complicated, when they explode and threaten to consume everything... I've found that this helps, somewhat.
It's nothing special. Just like how Uzui did for me three years ago when I was buried in guilt.
I simply did the same for her. Her claws might rip my clothes... but I suppose I'll have to trust in Lady Shutara's craftsmanship.
Without a word, I simply hugged her.
Tamayo seemed startled by my sudden action, her body flinching—
Sob.
"Waaaaaaah—!!!"
She wept.
Like a young child, she cried and cried. It was as if she intended to weep for all the times she had held back before. Tears poured incessantly from her eyes like a broken dam, soaking my chest.
How much she had endured, how long it had been since she was last able to cry... I cannot know. I simply don't know.
Therefore, I did not open my mouth. Even if words had a physical form, they wouldn't reach her while she stood in such darkness. Trifling consolation would fall on deaf ears anyway.
I'm glad Lady Shutara's skill is so great. At least my clothes won't be torn.
With those idle thoughts, I remained by her side. I waited so that her tears, which had pooled and grown murky with time, could be poured out and replaced anew.