Lucas packed up his things and stepped outside to meet Zenitsu and Tanjiro.
At that moment, Zenitsu was pestering Tanjiro, pleading with him to let him carry Nezuko's box.
Tanjiro looked visibly troubled. Although he knew Zenitsu was also a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, he still didn't know him very well. Entrusting Nezuko to someone he barely knew made him uneasy.
Feeling cornered, Tanjiro looked helplessly at Lucas, silently asking for support.
Bang!
Without hesitation, Lucas delivered a clean punch to Zenitsu's head.
"Lucas! What was that for?!" Zenitsu cried out, clutching his head and wincing in pain.
Lucas had never beaten him at anything before, not even arm wrestling. So Zenitsu assumed a punch wouldn't be too bad—until now. Lucas's strength had become ridiculous lately, and that punch felt like he'd been hit with a hammer.
"Girls don't like boys who pester them constantly," Lucas said flatly.
Zenitsu's expression froze mid-complaint. The words hit harder than the punch. Instantly, he straightened up and tried to act more dignified.
Nezuko, who had been hiding behind Tanjiro, peeked out and glanced silently at Lucas, her eyes full of curiosity.
> [System Notification: Kamado Tanjiro and the host have reached 'Friend' intimacy level. A random reward has been granted.]
[Reward Acquired: Skill - Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash (Mastery)]
[Would you like to fuse the skill now?]
[No]
Hearing the system prompt, Lucas turned to look at Tanjiro in surprise.
So, we're officially friends now?
Apparently, increasing intimacy wasn't too difficult.
Maybe I should capture a few demons and try to raise intimacy with them too, he mused. That way, I might have a better shot at getting the rewards I want.
But as he thought further, Lucas realized it wasn't realistic. The reason he had gained intimacy with Tanjiro so quickly was partly due to Tanjiro's kind-hearted personality—and also because Lucas had helped him out of a tough situation. That kind of emotional bond just couldn't be replicated with demons.
Demons only saw him as food. Sure, Lucas could suppress them physically, but creating a genuine psychological bond? Not a chance.
Trying to increase intimacy with demons under such conditions would be an uphill battle.
Better to meet and befriend more Demon Slayers instead.
Just as dawn broke and Lucas and his companions prepared to leave, a group of crows flew in from the distance, cawing loudly.
"Southeast south! Southeast south! The next mission location is southeast south!" one of the crows screeched, flapping its wings in front of the group.
"Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Lucas—proceed together!"
The sparrow perched on Zenitsu's head also started chirping and hopping about, as if it had received orders as well.
Zenitsu sighed quietly. Why can Lucas and Tanjiro's crows deliver clear instructions while my sparrow just chirps nonsense I can't understand...?
Their destination—the Drum Mansion—wasn't far from Asakusa Prefecture, where they had just completed their last mission.
After traveling for about an hour, Lucas suddenly caught the faint scent of a demon.
Tanjiro, walking beside him, sniffed the air and visibly tensed.
"Zenitsu, hurry up. We're getting close," Lucas called out, picking up his pace.
Zenitsu hesitated, his footsteps faltering. Though he wasn't as terrified of encountering demons as he had been before, he still couldn't suppress the nervous jitters crawling up his spine.
Tanjiro turned to Lucas with a hint of surprise in his expression.
Lucas also sensed the demon? But how? Tanjiro relied on his naturally acute sense of smell. What about Lucas? What is he using?
Following the scent trail, the trio arrived at a yard. Two children were shivering among the trees just outside the mansion.
Lucas gestured silently toward the kids, signaling Tanjiro to go check on them.
While Tanjiro approached the siblings, Lucas studied the mansion before them.
All the doors and windows were shut tight, as if sealed from the inside. The entire building looked eerily lifeless.
Lucas sniffed again. A mix of human and demonic scents lingered in the air.
Something felt off—the usual foul odor that clung to demons wasn't as strong here. He used the intensity of that stench as a rough gauge for a demon's strength.
Based on the current scent, Lucas figured he might've overestimated the strength of the Drum Demon.
Pushing open the door, Lucas stepped into the mansion.
The interior was pitch black.
He instinctively sniffed the air again—no immediate sign of nearby demons.
Suddenly, the door behind him slammed shut with a loud thud.
Tanjiro and Zenitsu snapped out of their conversation with the children at the sound. They turned around to find the door closed and Lucas nowhere in sight.
"Did Lucas… go inside already?" Tanjiro asked aloud, startled.
Worried, he turned back to the siblings, who explained that a powerful demon—or possibly more than one—was inside. Many people had already been devoured.
Although Lucas was incredibly strong, even he could be in danger if surrounded or ambushed.
"I have to go in and help Mr. Lucas," Tanjiro said with resolve.
He then looked at Zenitsu. Based on their brief time together, Tanjiro had already formed an impression: Zenitsu was powerful but terribly timid.
Maybe I can ask him to stay and watch over Nezuko's box?
"Zenitsu, I need to go in to assist Lucas. Please… could you watch over Nezuko? She means a lot to me."
Tanjiro spoke quickly, hoping for agreement.
But to his surprise, Zenitsu shook his head. "No. I want to go in."
Tanjiro stared in shock. Zenitsu… wanted to enter the haunted mansion? Even knowing a demon was inside?
This wasn't the same Zenitsu he'd seen quivering on the road.
Without further hesitation, Tanjiro entrusted Nezuko's box to the two children and entered the mansion with Zenitsu.
---
Inside, Lucas followed the trail of the foul scent deeper into the mansion.
His top priority during this mission was to befriend the Drum Demon, Kyogai. Second priority—recruit Inosuke.
Neither task seemed too difficult.
If Kyogai refused to cooperate? Lucas would beat the friendship out of him.
As for Inosuke, who was raised in the mountains and lived by the law of strength—if Lucas could prove he was stronger, winning his respect should be easy.
As he pondered his strategy, a faint drumbeat echoed through the hall.
Lucas instantly tensed.
He lightly stepped on the wall, springing off with a practiced leap and landing silently on the floor.
He straightened up and frowned.
Not again...
This was the third drumbeat he'd heard since entering, and every time it sounded, his position in the room would shift.
The same applied to Kyogai, the Drum Demon—his location also shifted with each beat.
However, Tanjiro and the others had only just entered. They couldn't have reached Kyogai yet.
Which meant…
The drumbeat wasn't from Kyogai.
It must be the work of the child with "rare blood"—Qing. He was likely in danger again.
Lucas sighed internally. It wasn't Kyogai he was worried about—it was the constant room shifting. It made it impossible to engage Kyogai directly without interruption.
Suddenly, Lucas raised his head.
A faint demonic scent was drifting in from the end of the hallway. It wasn't strong—but it was there.
Compared to Kyogai's intense stench, this one was significantly weaker.
If he remembered correctly, there were three demons inside the Drum Mansion:
Kyogai, the Drum Demon
The Long-Tongued Demon
The Gluttonous Demon
These three had all been fighting over Qing, the rare-blooded child.
During their conflict, one of the drums had been ripped off Kyogai's body and ended up with Qing, who used it to escape. But the demons were still lurking inside, hunting him.
Judging by the faint scent, Lucas guessed the demon ahead was either the Long-Tongued or the Gluttonous one.
Just as he finished thinking that, a hulking figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
The creature was massive, with thick flesh bulging all over its body. A single sharp horn jutted from the center of its forehead. Its skin was riddled with deep cracks, as if it were fragile porcelain on the verge of shattering.
Lucas narrowed his eyes.
One of the weaker ones, huh?
He took a step forward, calm and unafraid.
---
To be continued...
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