Chapter 14: Understanding the motive!

"Mm?.." Opening his eyes at the slowest pace possible, Ijin let the natural light penetrate his senses as he finally got out of his slumber. As soon his senses returned actively, he gawked at himself first.

He was lying down on a comfortable bed that had metal bars at the head and toe ends signifying those beds which generally one could find in government hospitals. 

He was still wearing a Yukata but his left shoulder was completely exposed with a band-aid covering the shoulder blade and some portion of his upper chest. Except for that, he found nothing foreign upon him nor any kind of pain.

Looking at the surrounding he found that there were a couple of beds beside him just like the one he was lying on. Sunlight coming from the window just above his head was illuminating the room with curtains swaying above his face. The temperature was serene which made Ijin tempted to wander in the land of dreams for some more time when suddenly a voice interrupted his desire.

[Are you fine now host?]

Ijin raised his brows as he heard the slightly concerned tone of the lady for the first time. All the slugginess evaporated in an instant before he replied to her.

'Am fine. Thanks for worrying.'

[Sorry for pushing you in that middle of the forest but your landing is something I could not voluntarily decide.]

'It's okay. I am glad you sent me there.' With a satisfactory smile, Ijin kept his eyes close as he heard the slow chirping sound of birds from the outside.

[...you are glad..?]

The system sounded at a loss as she heard Ijin's words. After all, handling a demon just after coming into an unknown world was something nobody wants to face.

'It seems you didn't notice it. *Sigh* I was getting watched during the fight'. The system took almost a minute before a reply came.

[So you were aware of 'her' that's why you..]

Ijin interjected and completed what she probably would have said.

'..got myself injured. Yeah. I knew asking 'her' directly would only lead me to nowhere and could also have rose suspicion, so it was better to trigger her doctoral instincts by becoming a patient.' Since the time he felt an overwhelming presence near him, he knew who the person was, or he hoped to. That was why he intentionally got himself scratched from the demon's nail so he could end where he was.

[A/N: He saw her basically, not sensed her. Sorry for the exaggeration-_- ]

[..talk about manipulative. Anyway, rest plenty first. I will tell you about the mission in detail at night.] 

Before Ijin could have replied in affirmation, he sensed some figures emerging inside the room so he immediately closed his lids.

Three small kids nearly at the age of 10 entered the room. Without letting them know Ijin checked their profile before an uncontrollable smile formed on his face.

These three were the three lilies of the butterfly mansion; Naho, Sumi, and Kiyo. All three walked in unison without making a single sound and stood just beside the bed of the only patient.

They stared at Ijin in amazement blended with excitement. It was a long since they found someone new in the mansion so they couldn't wait to hear some stories from the man.

Ijin wasn't able to endure for long before he opened his eyes with a bright smile on his face and fixed his gaze upon the three.

"Am I that funny to gawk at?" The three immediately became baffled as they backed up but as soon they found the amusing smile on the gray-haired boy, they also giggle innocently.

"Are you fine now mister?"

"Does it still hurts?"

"Would you like to have something nii-chan?" Three questions popped at a consecutive interval which made Ijin's eyes wander between the three.

"Yes. No. No." Ijin replied while pointing at the respective questioner.

"..." They didn't speak but soon a laugh broke out in the room as Ijin also joined them in the laugh track. The lively atmosphere immediately halted as a presence neared the room making the three look eagerly toward the entrance. Ijin also prepared himself as a gulp passed his dry throat.

'I should have asked for some water...'

Soon a young woman entered the room with beautiful yet fiery violet eyes. Her petite body was covered with a dark purple uniform with a butterfly shade haori which Ijin profoundly remembered from his last night memory. Her raven hair had purple fades at the end and was tied in a true ladylike manner. Her aura was oozing with comfort and her baby yet beautiful face invited Ijin to look at her for eternity. But he surely didn't.

"It seems you already met our guest." Hearing being welcomed as a guest already in the butterfly mansion made Ijin's heart light.

He looked at the lady in gratitude free from any malicious or hidden intent.

After nearing the bed she took a stool and sat opposite of the three little girls, continuously examining Ijin. The latter one felt an overwhelming pressure weighing on his body but he didn't let his expression break away and stared back at the lady with an innocent smile.

"It seems I indeed have intruded but I would like to express my gratitude before I leave." Ijin slightly held his body upward and bowed his head most respectfully. 

"Ah...I guess you took me in the wrong. It's okay for you to stay uh.." As he heard the hesitant voice of the lady Ijin lifted his face before replying.

"Ijichi Kiriyama. It's pleasure meeting you." Making up his name belonging to two distinct anime Ijin stated fluently.

"Kiriyama...never heard of it. Anyway, I am Shinobu Kocho. And those three girls there are Naho, Sumi, and Miho". As she called out one after another the three little energy balls raised their hand with a proud smile.

"Hello." After a short greeting, the reign again got transferred to the woman which looked at the scene with a carefree smile. But no one was aware of what was brewing inside her mind.

"Kirimaya san, are you from foreign lands?" Ijin was prepared for this kind of question so without delay he replied.

"I come from the western lands. A place that doesn't have any specific name because of its low populace. And as if now that place could not be called a civilization anymore, so basically I am homeless." There was a tinge of sorrow behind his words which the little girl also felt, as their facial expression took an abort.

Kocho didn't reply instantly but just examined his body posture and nerves beating. With a sigh, she found herself at a loss before words left her lips.

"We all have our problem Kiriyama san. But it doesn't mean one helpless can't rely on another, so please don't push yourself, and until you don't recover completely rest in the mansion." Ijin's eyes widened.

"No, Kocho-san you already have-" But the lady didn't bother with his reasonings before she got up abruptly making him pause.

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"Don't worry Kiriyama san. This is what I do. So feel free to live here until you dont gather your strength and....will power to move forward." There was a pause after she ended speaking. She already moved toward the entrance before a low sound reached the lady's ear.

"I understand. Thank you Kocho-san."

___...___

After some minutes a bowl of soup and some other dishes were brought to Ijin which he welcomed wholeheartedly. He devoured everything which was served in one go like he didn't have anything for a lot of time.

[Travelling through space does take a toll on your body so this sudden hunger was expected.]

Ijin agreed as he finished the last drop of soup before thanking one of the three munchkins as they took the tray back, but not before hearing the 'story' about Ijin's travel.

'So enlighten me, my dear admin. ' After a brief break and inspecting himself in and out, Ijin laid down on the bed while gawking at the ceiling as he thought of the most concerning matter at hand.

For now, he got stabilized in the mansion but he wasn't sure for how long. He decided to be here on the spur of moment as being in contact with one of the Pillar was something he couldn't have missed by any chance. 

[Your decision of sheltering here despite being taken on impulse, is greatly advantageous for your mission]

'Yeah. Praise me more.' A smug formed on the teenager's face before the lady continued, totally ignoring his words.

[In 12 days, the examination to become a demon slayer is going to be held so before that you have to use your domain at least once to get used to it. And it would be better if you do it within the upcoming 6 days as you will consume a lot of soul power using the domain which you can't afford to lack during the mission.]

Ijin heard every syllable of hers seriously and registered them while thinking numerous things. A frown formed on his face as realized the urgency of his recovery.

'Domain would take half of my soul power and it would take me to replenish that energy in at least 5 days huh. '

[Right. The chance of you failing the technique should be taken into account so it would be better if you recover properly so you can go twice in your first attempt.]

Ijin didn't reply but only pondered on the matter. After some thought, he kept the matter aside for the moment and asked about the plan and his goal for being in this world which was far from normal.

A world which is full of inhumane creatures whose sole purpose is to devour every living being from the face of Earth. Demons. As generic as they sound, their potential couldn't be measured from a human's perspective. From a normal or low-rank demon which Ijin faced to high-rank demons who gain the ability to communicate, each variety of those devourers were residing on the same plane where Ijin got transferred.

However as one says; the higher darkness erupts, the greater light extends its wings.

And in this world, demon slayers were that light. A group that was formed since ancient times to fight against the demon and maintain peace among the masses. These slayers work day and night restlessly and devote their life to their work so that finally one day they could end this battle once and for all.

After a pause, the lady started to speak again.

[Your motive is to slay every demon residing on Mt. Fujikasane, the place where the demon slayer's final selection would be arranged.]

Ijin felt his world flipping upside down as he finally got to know what he was intended to undertake in this unfamiliar world. He abruptly got up which caused his shoulder to sting a bit, but he ignored the pain and asked in disbelief.

'You know what you are saying right? There are hundreds of demons on that mountain top. That place is a cage to test at least 50 slayers, so you could imagine the numbers right? Not to talk about that creepy big guy'. 

[It is what it is. Don't worry with your current strength and some preparation you would be able to achieve the results we desire.]

'Leaving your delusional statement aside...ain't I responsible to just kill one ghoul acquiring body here? Why should I go for em' all?' 

[Host I request you to calm yourself down first. Nothing would go right if you suddenly go berserk.]

Upon her remark, Ijin realized his state and indeed his heartbeat was stronger than before with adrenaline going wild. He wasn't that kind of guy who would panic in most cases but for some reason since yesterday, he was a little unusual.

With a sigh, Ijin calmed his nerves and laid down slowly back on the bed.

'I guess yesterday's event did take a mental toll on me....anyway, sorry about my behavior.' Ijin apologized as he realized that however, he feels the mission was absurd he couldn't back out now. 

[It's the okay host. I understand how you feel. Coming back, yeah indeed you have to take care of only one ghoul but you just can't butcher it in a direct attempt.]

Ijin didn't say anything as he already sensed that her words hadn't concluded yet.

[Listen, a ghoul remain dormant throughout the time in its host body until a certain period arrives. But if the ghoul detected that it was getting targetted regardless the attacker was aiming at the ghoul or not, it would detonate itself.]

'Then what's the catch for this. I mean even if I slaughter them all, I have to kill that one with the ghoul right? '

[Indeed. But it would different. Once you start annihilating the demons, the one carrying the ghoul would completely get overwhelmed with its animalistic instincts, making the ghoul blind until the time either its host doesn't regain composure or...]

'I kill it huh.' Ijin grasped the whole scenario in one go which genuinely surprised the system. To summarize, once the ghoul carrying demon loses its senses the control of the ghoul over its host would be weakened and that's the precise time when Ijin could slay the demon along with the mindless creation inside it.

'So I have to run hammock and paint that mountain top red huh. Not something I can look forward to...but for some reason it's making my blood boil.'

_________..._________

A/N: Let's the chaos commence!

I would take at least a couple of chapters for the character dev and training of MC. Rushing between worlds will only leave a bitter taste, dont you guys think.

And dont worry. For those who never watched the demon slayer, I would try to explain most of the things through my fic. so you dont get left behind.

Anyway, drop a comment if you are liking the story ~

 

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