Demon Slayer: Breath of Desire

"Kagaya... Kagaya... you’re far too generous."

Marcus stared straight ahead with a big grin.

Kagaya sat on the stone stool, that same serene warmth on his face as always.

"It’s exactly what you deserve."

He gave a signal to his eldest daughter, Hinaki, and his second, Nichika, who waited at his side. Both nodded and opened the two leather briefcases they were holding. They were stuffed full of bills, gleaming with a seductive shimmer under the moonlight.

"There’s six million here. Three are for the lab expenses for the second semester, and the other three... a gift as a token of my gratitude."

Kagaya’s voice brimmed with sincerity.

"Please, accept it. For the detailed intel on the Upper Moon Three, on top of what you gave me on Muzan and the Twelve Kizuki... I still think it’s far too modest a sum."

Marcus’s eyes lit up.

And yet, he waved his hands with utter modesty.

"Good God, how could I possibly accept something like this...? Talking money between friends only ruins the relationship."

But even as he spoke, his hands were already resting firmly on the two briefcases.

Hearing how quickly Marcus snatched up the loot, Kagaya chuckled under his breath.

"So now it ruins the friendship? Who was the one who showed up here and the first thing he did was cry about how broke he was?"

Without losing his smile, Marcus pulled the briefcases to his chest. By this point he was already lugging around three good-sized ones: the two just handed over and one he’d received earlier.

"That’s different. Back then I was lamenting the cost of the reagents, which is nothing to sneeze at."

Kagaya shook his head, smiling. This guy had some colossal nerve... but he was also reliable as they come.

He gently stroked the five little vials in his hands.

"Resignation Letter."

The name Marcus had come up with.

...And you had to admit, it fit pretty damn well.

Five vials of Resignation Letter, at three hundred thousand each: a million and a half in total. Honestly, not expensive at all. Being able to sever the bond between Muzan and his subordinates at that price was practically a steal in his favor.

"If you had more..."

"Hold on to these for now. They’ll be more than enough."

Kagaya laughed heartily. "From what I can see, you’ve got a lot of faith in this whole taking-down-Muzan thing."

"Heh. Even if it’s just for the money, I plan to give it everything I’ve got. I haven’t forgotten about that half of the family fortune you promised me."

"...You’re a man with a deep love for money." Kagaya smiled with resignation.

Marcus shrugged. "Gotta have some vice in life, right~?"

But the moment he shut his mouth, something suddenly stirred against his chest.

A little white spider peeked out from within his clothes.

Marcus’s grin widened.

Mission accomplished.

"Well, I’ll be off."

"So soon?"

"Unfortunately, yes. And you should turn in early: you’ve been chatting with me a good while now, you must be getting uncomfortable."

Kagaya didn’t press the matter. After all, it was true that he couldn’t stand to sit for too long.

"Very well. Safe travels."

Marcus nodded and rose to his feet. But before leaving, he tossed out one last remark.

"Remember what I mentioned a little while ago about the Red District..."

"Easy, I’ve got it firmly in mind. Though I can’t help finding it strange that you’d take the initiative to accept a mission yourself." Kagaya paused, and his expression turned graver. "I can grant you exactly one month, no more. If that month passes and the situation is still the same..."

"You go back to the original plan and gather the Pillars to corner him," Marcus finished with an ear-to-ear grin. "Relax, I understand perfectly."

Kagaya sighed. "Gyutaro and Daki, the Upper Moon Six, prowl the Red District without rest."

"And even though Hakuji’s information is already pretty old, this Upper Moon Six is the only Upper Rank demon whose area of activity we know as of today."

"Every Kizuki we take out will be one less obstacle when the time comes to face Muzan. No matter how small the opportunity, I can’t let it slip by."

Marcus added: "Besides, most demons stay confined to one area and don’t just up and change their lair like that."

Kagaya nodded. "I hope that’s the case."

"From what you told me, you gave the reagent to Hakuji after he took his own life. Muzan should presume him dead."

"But even if he doesn’t know the information was leaked, it’d be best to move as soon as possible. Every delay opens the door to the unexpected. If we don’t get ahead of it, Gyutaro and Daki could relocate at any moment."

"Don’t worry." Marcus nodded with a smile. "I’m even more eager than you to deal with that matter."

"But the state of your body..." Kagaya didn’t hide his concern.

Marcus lowered his gaze to the bandages peeking out from under his haori and smiled faintly. "They’re just hairline fractures in the bone. Just yesterday, in fact, I did some... pretty intense exercise while injured. A wound this minor isn’t going to stop me from capturing the Upper Moon Six."

"Capturing?" Kagaya tilted his head. "So you’re planning to capture him too?"

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Are you worrying too much?"

"Saying it doesn’t worry me at all would be a lie..." Kagaya shook his head. "But as long as you help me put an end to Kibutsuji Muzan, no matter what you do, I can turn a blind eye."

"Hehehe~" Marcus smiled mysteriously. "Sounds perfect to me."

And lugging three briefcases, seven and a half million in cash, and a provisional Nichirin sword, he took his leave.

Less than three minutes after Marcus departed...

Amane came hurrying to find Kagaya, whom his two daughters had just finished helping back to his room.

"A hunter’s been attacked! Right near the Headquarters base!"

"An attack?"

Kagaya sat up with her help. "Who was responsible?"

"We don’t know for certain. There was only a scream, and when they arrived, the place was completely empty," Amane replied, shaking her head. "But the first hunter to reach the scene swears he picked up a faint trace of demonic aura."

"A demon?" Kagaya frowned slightly. "With wisteria flowers all over the place around Headquarters, how could one possibly...?"

He suddenly went still.

He recalled Marcus’s enigmatic smile before departing.

"Marcus... was it you?"

Hearing that murmur, Amane was left bewildered. "The Demon Pillar? You think it was him?"

Kagaya shook his head, dodging the question. "Who’s the hunter that was attacked?"

"The Kinoe-rank member, Kaigaku."

Upon hearing that name, Kagaya let out a sigh of relief.

Amane looked at him without understanding. "What’s the matter with him?"

"It’s just..." Kagaya sighed again. "His character leaves a lot to be desired. According to the crows’ reports, every time he goes off to some remote region to exterminate demons, his behavior is no different from that of a demon."

"And on top of that... he carries old grudges with Gyōmei. Well... those are things of the past. Gyōmei forgave him long ago."

"And why is someone like that kept within the Corps?"

"For his strength. Below the level of the Pillars, he’s at the very top. But when it comes to him... we’d best let the matter drop. Marcus-kun came in injured and went to the trouble of covering it up, so it’s safe to assume Kaigaku offended him gravely."

"But if the Demon Pillar really is the culprit..." Amane fell silent for a moment. "At the end of the day, it’s still a human life..."

Kagaya smiled bitterly. "Our Pillar excels at everything. His strength, his intelligence, his adaptability are all top-tier. But he has one problem."

"You mean...?"

Kagaya sighed, with a touch of melancholy. "That, in his eyes, there’s no difference whatsoever between humans and demons."

"..."

"If a demon provokes him, he eliminates it. But he doesn’t have the slightest compassion for a human either: he kills without batting an eye."

"Having someone like that at our side... isn’t it too dangerous?" Amane voiced, worried.

"We can rest easy."

Kagaya gave her hand a little pat. "It’s true that his way of thinking differs a bit from ours. But, by keeping a good relationship with him, he turns out to be more communicative and flexible than many of the Pillars themselves."

He lifted his gaze toward the moon shining on the other side of the window. "And, after all... he’s human too."

...

At the foot of the mountain, inside the carriage.

Marcus pressed a thoroughly bashful Ivy against his chest, with a smile brimming with enthusiasm.

"It’s close, so very close! Your master is about to evolve into a completely new creature!"

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Throw your stones, drop them ALL! 💎

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