Chapter 24 — A Thousand Faces × Illumi's Silent Watch
Hiroshi's voice finally trailed off, ending in a long sigh. The wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen with it.
Humans are emotional creatures—who could truly face such a fate with absolute serenity?
At home, waiting for him, were not only his little daughter, but also his wife, his mother, relatives and friends—both close and distant. All of them tied to him with unseen threads of affection and worry.
And yet, here he was now—nothing more than a stray ghost, clinging on in borrowed time.
"You are both fortunate… and unfortunate," Roy said at last, breaking the silence. After a long pause, he reached out and helped Hiroshi up. His tone carried solemn weight. "Your request—I accept."
"Tanjiro. Bring your water gourd."
"Okay!"
Tanjiro didn't know what his brother intended with the gourd, but obediently picked up the oil lamp, braced himself against the wind and snow, and hurried into the shrine.
Roy guided Hiroshi's flickering remnant soul, wrapping it with his aura, and silently followed behind.
They stepped across the high threshold, shutting the great doors behind them, leaving the wailing winter storm sealed outside.
The shrine, after being swept clean of corpses and blood, now looked almost renewed.
Roy split a piece of rotten timber for firewood, and soon, flames crackled in the brazier, filling the chamber with springlike warmth.
At that moment, Tanjiro returned with the gourd in hand.
Roy unscrewed its lid. Then he drew out his own waterskin, emptied its contents into Tanjiro's gourd, and left behind a single empty vessel. He turned to Hiroshi and said:
"Forgive the indignity. Tonight, you'll have to rest inside this gourd. At dawn, I'll take you to see your family."
"My deepest thanks, Lord Sumihiko." Hiroshi bowed deeply.
When he raised his head again, his form was already dissolving into a thread of pale light. Following Roy's pull of aura, it slipped into the gourd.
Plop—
A soft sound marked the cork sealing shut.
Roy allowed himself the faintest of smiles. "It's no trouble. We were heading to Mt. Sagiri anyway. This is simply on the way."
The gourd trembled lightly, as if in response.
Tanjiro, wide-eyed, leaned close to inspect it, his nose almost pressed to the clay surface. He'd never seen anything like it.
"Nii-san… people can really be sealed into a gourd?"
"Not people. Ghosts." Roy swatted his brother's hand away and tucked the vessel against his chest, keeping a steady thread of aura warming it.
As he mulled over Tanjiro's words, a thought struck him. The first image that sprang to mind was of the Upper Moon Five—Gyokko.
In the original tale, Gyokko not only could shrink himself into his jars but even shed and expand them, displaying extraordinary talent over "space."
"Ohhh~" Tanjiro drooped like a defeated cat, crestfallen. "I thought you could store me inside too. Then I could follow you everywhere."
Roy casually flicked two rice dumplings at his brother's head.
Thud. Thud.
The foolish little brother really thought his gourd was some kind of mythical treasure, able to suck people in with a single call.
What a ridiculous idea…
Night thickened, yet the storm outside the shrine showed no sign of easing.
Roy and Tanjiro sat by the fire, ate two rice dumplings each, washed it down with water, and spread out makeshift bedding on the floor.
The blanket was nothing more than the quilted cloth their mother Kie had stuffed into the charcoal basket for padding. Shaken free of coal dust, it served just as well as a futon.
After finishing his dumpling, Tanjiro lay down beside Roy. He turned sideways, his wide eyes reflecting the flicker of the fire. His voice was soft, hesitant:
"Hey… Nii-san, do you think the world outside is really that cruel?"
The woodcutter devoured by Sato Takeichiro… Hiroshi, his guts ripped out by Tsuchihara… In just a few days, Tanjiro had seen too many corpses, and learned firsthand the terror of demons.
He tossed and turned, unable to sleep, his bright amber eyes fixed on his brother.
Roy folded his hands over his stomach, closed his eyes, and pretended to drift off.
A thousand faces for a thousand men. Everyone perceives the world differently. To some, it was hell. But from Muzan's perspective, and that of the demons—this wasn't hell at all. It was paradise. A land overflowing with prey, an endless feast of blood.
"Hmph…" Tanjiro, denied an answer, huffed and rolled over, sulking.
Roy ignored him, steadied his breath, and let himself slip into slumber.
The familiar sensation of falling returned.
When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his bedroom.
The night passed long and short, as though nothing had happened, yet as though everything had. Only the ticking of the clock in the corner reminded him—
It was 4 a.m. Time for his morning run.
Heat. One word.
Roy pulled on his vest and shorts, and began running through Kukuroo Mountain. The scenery was utterly different from the world of Demon Slayer, making his mind reel as if caught between two realities.
Halfway up the slope, he noticed the lights in the butler's villa already aglow. Servants bustled about. From the kitchens wafted the faint scent of fresh bread.
That grounded him. He steadied his pace and ran on.
One kilometer… two kilometers… Faster than before.
Thanks to the Breathing technique and the refinement of Silent Step, his speed had clearly improved. Pulling up the panel, he saw:
[Constitution]: 10.05 → 10.55.
Half a human's worth of growth in raw stats. Not a leap, but a clean break past his plateau.
The corner of his mouth curved faintly. His mood lightened. The wind beneath his feet seemed swifter as he approached the guardhouse.
"Good morning, young master."
Jairobu, who manned the post, the old man Roy remembered—though his receding hairline already threatened to turn Mediterranean. He stood, removed his cap, and bowed deeply.
Roy smiled, nodding in return, and was just about to move on when—
BOOM!
The earth shook.
The Zoldyck estate's Trial Gate—the mountain doors symbolizing absolute strength—creaked open.
There were seven in all. The smallest weighed two tons. Each door beyond doubled the weight. Opening three meant the intruder had pushed through fourteen tons of force.
"Welcome home, Master Illumi."
Jairobu hastily removed his cap again. It was the first time he'd ever greeted two heirs back-to-back at such an hour.
The gate rumbled shut with another thunderous crash.
Illumi walked inside.
Expressionless. Silent. He ignored Jairobu entirely.
His hollow eyes fixed unerringly on Roy.
"I'll tell you this once…"
That flat, toneless voice broke the morning stillness.
"I've opened my aura nodes too."
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