Chapter 31: The Amnesiac Who Forgets Pain After the Scar Heals

Did I draw the gender backwards?

After entering the Infinite Castle, Kibutsuji Muzan stared at his exploded buttocks, still burning with intense pain.

This filled him with shame, and instantly a rage ignited within him—he wanted to tear Zero into a thousand pieces!

Moreover, those several small missiles didn’t just blow open Kibutsuji Muzan’s buttocks—they also destroyed a large stretch of surrounding buildings.

“This damn demon slayer! I won’t let you go!” Kibutsuji Muzan thought viciously, then used the whip-like tendrils behind him to cut away the burned area, completing rapid regeneration!

“Where the hell did this demon slayer come from? How does he have so many strange weapons!?”

This puzzled Kibutsuji Muzan, but what concerned him more was what Zero had said—that his own age was less than half of Zero’s, meaning Zero must be at least two thousand years old!

“Can humans really live that long?” Kibutsuji Muzan thought.

It seemed absurd, yet for some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the demon slayer wasn’t lying—his intuition kept echoing back: This is true!

“If I consume this demon slayer, will I become just like him?! No, turning him into a demon is more suitable—then I only need to read his memories to uncover this secret! Hehe… Hahaha…!!”

Kibutsuji Muzan felt he had uncovered a monumental secret, completely forgetting what had just happened!

If Zero knew what Kibutsuji Muzan was thinking right now, he’d immediately confirm his earlier suspicion: questionable intelligence!

Five brains splitting the IQ—scarred but forgetful of pain!

…………

“That’s how it happened. But by the way, Giyu, how did you know there was a demon here?”

Zero, Giyu Tomioka, and Tanjiro returned indoors and recounted the events.

Nezuko, wearing Zero’s hooded cloak, lay curled on his lap, looking drowsy and half-asleep.

Tanjiro soothed the three boys—Takeo, Koyuki, and Yuki.

“It was Grandpa Kanzan who told me,” Giyu said.

“Kanzan?” Zero frowned, unsure who Giyu meant.

“Master, Kanzan is Water Pillar’s Hashira crow—he’s an elder among our crows!” Snow, the crow beside them, explained.

With Snow’s explanation, Zero finally understood—Kanzan was Giyu’s crow.

He looked at the aged crow beside Giyu—no wonder Snow called Kanzan an elder among crows.

Then again, Giyu was not good with words, likely clashed with other crows, and Kanzan, as the elder, had more experience and insight.

“Zero Pillar,” came the aged voice of the crow Kanzan.

“Thank you for spending time with Giyu—he’s just bad with words, so others often misunderstand him. If he said anything wrong, I apologize on his behalf!”

Kanzan always spoke with Giyu’s best interests at heart, but his age had left him frail.

Zero: “Mm, don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.”

Crow Kanzan: “Thank you.”

Now they waited for Rokuta and K Kui ’s treatment to end. Since it would take hours, and not knowing what else to do, Zero began considering how to settle Tanjiro’s family.

He’d thought about this before—he’d planned to house Tanjiro’s family in the Demon Slayer Corps, in his own residence.

But without approval from the Corps’ head, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, would it even be possible?

Even if it were, Nezuko becoming a demon—given the personalities of the Corps’ Pillars—it would be even more problematic.

Especially Sanemi Shinazugawa—he was hot-tempered and harbored deep hatred for demons, wanting to exterminate every last one!

If brought to Corps headquarters, Nezuko would be discovered quickly, leaving her in mortal danger.

Even if she hadn’t eaten a single human.

Moreover, though Nezuko had broken free from Kibutsuji Muzan’s control, how could one be sure it was permanent or merely temporary?

If temporary, the Corps headquarters’ location would be exposed—Kibutsuji Muzan would come, and it would be a bloody, brutal battle.

“Sigh… what should I do?”

As Zero pondered, Tanjiro appeared beside him, interrupting his thoughts.

Tanjiro: “Zero-nii.”

Zero: “Hm? What is it, Tanjiro?”

Tanjiro knelt down, hands placed before him: “Zero-nii, please teach me to grow stronger! I… I want to become strong, to protect my family, and find a way to turn Nezuko back into a human!”

This was the decision Tanjiro had reached after deep thought.

After what had happened, and after Giyu’s words, Tanjiro now fully realized his weakness.

He wanted Zero to train him—so he could protect his family and search together for a way to restore Nezuko to humanity.

“This… sigh, Tanjiro, are you really sure about this?”

“Yes, Zero-nii, I’m certain!”

“Alright, get up.”

Tanjiro lifted his head, sat upright, waiting for Zero’s reply.

Zero didn’t know what to do—he was different from the Corps’ Pillars; he didn’t know Breathing Techniques, relying instead on thousands of years of combat experience, skill, and his own invented weapons to kill demons.

Moreover, his training methods were brutal—even the Corps’ Pillars might not survive them!

He turned his gaze to Giyu, wondering if he had a solution.

Giyu thought for a moment, then immediately replied: “Go to the foot of Mount Suyama, find an old man named Rengoku Saengi.”

“Say you were sent by Giyu Tomioka. If possible, bring your sister too. And try not to expose your sister to sunlight—demons cannot endure it.”

Giyu urged Tanjiro to bring Nezuko because he sensed something different about the siblings.

He’d seen this before—others had said the same things, but they all ended up dead.

Demons in “hunger state” would kill and devour even their own parents and siblings—human flesh was highly nutritious to them.

Giyu had witnessed such scenes countless times…

But just now, Nezuko, though a demon, had resisted the urge to eat, and used her own body to shield Giyu, protecting Zero and Tanjiro behind her.

Hearing this, Tanjiro immediately brightened: “Yes! Mr. Giyu, thank you! And thank you too, Zero-nii!”

Seeing this, Giyu prepared to leave, but Zero called out.

“Giyu, wait!”

“What is it?”

“Don’t tell anyone about this when you return to the Corps. I still have many unanswered questions—I’ll come to the Corps myself once I’ve sorted everything out.”

“Understood,” Giyu said, then vanished in a blur.

But soon after, Giyu reappeared before them, handing Zero an object.

“What’s this?” Zero took the item—a muzzle made of green bamboo, tied at both ends with red string.

“For her!” Giyu pointed at Nezuko, then vanished again.

Zero sighed, placed the muzzle over Nezuko’s mouth, and tied it himself.

Nezuko looked oddly adorable like this.

He then took out his pen and notebook, wrote a personal letter, folded it, and tied it to Snow’s leg.

“Snow, deliver this letter to the Head personally. I’ll wait here for you. Also, don’t report yet that I encountered Kibutsuji Muzan and fought him—understood?”

“Understood, Master!” Snow didn’t question why, but always obeyed Zero without hesitation.

Finally, it flapped its wings toward the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.

Watching Snow fly away, Zero fell into deep thought—he had one thing he needed to clarify.

That strange piano sound.

More than a year ago, before joining the Corps, he’d encountered Upper Rank Two—Kanroji, who was fighting Kanao Tsuyuri.

After saving Kanao, he’d fought Kanroji—but at the critical moment, that strange piano note rang out, and a wooden door appeared, rescuing Kanroji just before Zero could kill him!

Last night, the same thing happened!

Again, at the final moment, a piano note rang—and Kibutsuji Muzan escaped.

Whenever that piano note sounded, a wooden door would appear, connecting to another location.

Zero suspected the door led to Kibutsuji Muzan’s lair.

If so, Kibutsuji Muzan must have a demon capable of manipulating space.

Whether its strength was great or weak remained unknown…

It could be one of the Upper Rank demons—or perhaps just an ordinary demon with space-manipulation ability?

But regardless, even without great power, a demon that controls space is a dangerous nuisance.

If the Corps headquarters were discovered, all it would take is opening the door to unleash every demon—this would be the end of the Corps.

If Zero could enter the Infinite Castle, perhaps he could analyze its data—but would Kibutsuji Muzan, a cowardly creature, let him enter so easily?

Moreover, if it’s Kibutsuji Muzan’s lair, both Upper and Lower Rank demons would be gathered there—fighting them would be a nightmare.

Yet Zero didn’t know that one day soon, he himself would enter the Infinite Castle—and nearly tear it apart.

……

Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.

After hours of flight, Snow arrived at the Corps headquarters and, per Zero’s instructions, went straight to the Ubuyashiki residence, delivering the letter to Ubuyashiki Kagaya.

As Kagaya read the letter, his shock deepened with each line—he hadn’t expected Zero to have encountered Kibutsuji Muzan!

Not only that—he had fought him and driven him off!

Calming himself, he continued reading—the letter also requested permission to house the Tanjiro family at the Corps headquarters, in Zero’s residence.

Zero asked for Kagaya’s approval, offering himself as their guarantor…

After reading the letter, Kagaya immediately told his attendant: “Tianyin, write a letter to Zero as I dictate. Also, summon all Pillars—there will be an emergency meeting when Zero returns.”

Ubuyashiki Tianyin: “Yes.”

Not long after, Ubuyashiki Amane wrote a letter as instructed by Ubuyashiki Kagaya and gave it to Zero’s Hashira Crow.

Watching the Hashira Crow fly farther and farther away, Ubuyashiki Kagaya fell into deep thought…

…

【Treatment Countdown: 3… 2… 1…】

【Ding~ Treatment Complete】

As the 【Recovery Chamber】’s treatment completion alert sounded, Zero opened the lid, lifted Rokuta out, and dressed him in the clothes Takeo had prepared.

Rokuta also woke up at this moment, saw Zero, and clung tightly to him.

“There, there, Rokuta, good boy, good boy!” Zero gently pinched his little cheek as he held him.

“Zero-nii, Mother’s treatment is done too!” Hana called from inside the room.

“Mm, coming.”

Entering the room, Zero merely cracked open the lid of the 【Recovery Chamber】 slightly, then left.

After all, one must not look where one shouldn’t.

After a short while, Kamado Kie also changed her clothes and stepped out with Hana.

Dressed in a pale blue kimono, her hair loose, her violet eyes and the beauty mark beside her lips gave her a quiet, distinctive charm.

Then Kamado Kie led Tanjiro and the others to kneel before Zero, hands placed before her head—a gesture that startled Zero.

Zero: “Auntie Kie, what are you doing?! Get up quickly. Tanjiro, all of you, rise.”

Kamado Kie: “Zero, thank you! Thank you for saving my children, and thank you for saving me!”

Zero: “Auntie Kie, please stand first. Let’s talk properly.”

He helped Kamado Kie to her feet.

“Zero, if not for that thing you gave me earlier, I fear my children would truly have… truly have… wu…” Kamado Kie began to cry, still trembling at the memory of last night.

That monster had simply broken in and begun slaughtering without warning; none of them had ever seen such a creature, and they couldn’t understand why it had done this.

Had it not been for the 【Quantum Shield】 Zero had given Kamado Kie a year ago, they would surely have perished!

“Auntie Kie, I’m sorry—if I had arrived sooner, you wouldn’t have suffered this disaster, and Nezuko wouldn’t have become like this…”

“Zero, please don’t say that. If you hadn’t arrived when you did, my children and I would already be dead. And no matter what form Nezuko takes, she will always be my child—that will never change!”

Looking at Nezuko, dazed and hiding in the corner, Kamado Kie’s heart ached.

“Don’t worry, Auntie Kie. I’ll find a way to bring Nezuko back.”

“Thank you, child!”

“Thank you, Zero-nii!”

“Thank you, Zero-nii!”

…………