Chương 86: Toward Yoshiwara

The Butterfly Mansion was the Demon Slayer Corps' medical facility. Its original master had been Shinobu Kocho's elder sister, Kanae Kocho. After Kanae died at the hands of Upper Rank Two, Doma, Shinobu took over the mansion. Because her family had practiced medicine for generations, Shinobu possessed deep pharmaceutical knowledge. In the entire Demon Slayer Corps, she was the best at treating illness. She could even treat poison created by Blood Demon Arts.

After returning from Orario, Shinobu immediately began preparing medicine. After all, a large part of her strength lay in pharmaceuticals.

"This is the wisteria extract I just prepared. Compared with my previous medicine, its effect should be many times stronger. I do not know exactly how many times until it is tested." Shinobu took bottles from a medicine box one by one and placed them on a small wooden table.

"This bottle accelerates wound recovery. This one relieves pain. With Lady Hestia's Falna, the medicine I make has become much stronger. It is still far below Orario's potions, but the ingredients are comparatively cheap."

"Impressive. If you learn to make medicine with monster Drop Items later, it might eventually rival potions. The position of Hestia Familia's chief pharmacist is yours, Shinobu." Cael tasted a little of the recovery medicine, his eyes lighting up as he gave Shinobu a thumbs-up. Its effect was already about one-third of a low-grade potion. If Shinobu improved further, they might not need to spend money on healing potions, at least in the early stages. As for later, that would depend on luck.

"Then I will accept the position of chief pharmacist, Captain," Shinobu said with a gentle smile. For now, she was the Familia's only pharmacist. After seeing how powerful magic potions were, she was even more interested in mastering them.

"I hope this bottle of wisteria extract can capture an Upper Rank successfully. Do you need me to join the mission?"

"Tengen and I will be enough. Sending another Hashira would be giving Upper Rank Six too much respect," Cael said confidently. One Upper Rank Six was not worth three Hashira.

"Everything is ready. I will handle it flamboyantly." Tengen took the medicine bottle, grabbed the three younger Demon Slayers, and headed straight for Yoshiwara. In an inconspicuous corner of the courtyard, three small girls and one older girl were washing clothes. The older girl had black hair, blue eyes, and a blue butterfly hair ornament. She wore a standard Demon Slayer uniform with a white nursing outfit over it. She raised her head curiously and blinked at the unfamiliar man leaving the Butterfly Mansion.

"Who is he? I think I heard Lord Tengen and Lady Shinobu call him Captain. Does the Demon Slayer Corps have someone important called Captain?" Yoshiwara was a district packed with entertainment houses in Japan at this time. It was a place of pleasure, full of vanity, desire, love, and hatred. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. At night, lights shone everywhere.

All kinds of people gathered here, and faint red lanterns hung throughout the district, drawing in the desires of everyone who came there. Inside the houses, beautifully dressed courtesans behind railings greeted guests. Most of them had been sold here because of poverty, parents' debts, or other circumstances. Some abandoned girls had been taken in and raised by kind house owners. With good luck, a wealthy person might favor them and buy their freedom. Courtesans had ranks.

Those with refined arts or outstanding beauty usually did not sell their bodies for money. Those who sold their bodies directly were not called courtesans but prostitutes. A rickshaw slowly moved along the streets of Yoshiwara.

"Why do we have to come on an Upper Rank mission too?" Zenitsu Agatsuma shouted in protest, his teeth chattering so hard that he had no mood to look at the bright night scenery. An Upper Rank. An Upper Rank demon. A swordsman like him was nothing but dessert for that kind of mission. Maybe his brain would be sucked out through his ears.

"What is going on? Why are there people everywhere?" Inosuke looked around like a trapped beast, dizzy from the crowd.

"We are fighting an Upper Rank. We will only get in the way. Mr. Tengen and Captain should be strong enough, right? Why did we come too?" Tanjiro pulled his shocked country-boy gaze away from the prosperous district and looked at Cael in confusion. He had experienced an Upper Rank's strength personally. Even with Falna, he could not interfere in a fight between Hashira and Upper Rank demons.

"Because we need to split into three groups to complete this mission perfectly. Also, I need your abilities." Cael looked around curiously as well. Yoshiwara. A place of pleasure. This was his first time here. Although that was not their purpose, he felt a little excited. Orario had the Pleasure Quarter run by Ishtar Familia too, but he had not had time to visit it. When he returned, he would definitely sneak over and take a look.

"Split into three groups?" Tengen and Tanjiro both looked confused.

"Yes. The demon here is Upper Rank Six, a pair of sibling demons. In practice, both of them count as Upper Rank Six. The younger sister, Daki, is weaker. The older brother, Gyutaro, is the true core and the stronger one. They die only if both their necks are cut at the same time."

"But we are not here mainly to kill them. Daki's Blood Demon Art stores many courtesans in sash-like belts as food for later."

"That place is underground and guarded by Daki's detached belt. I am worried that once we subdue the siblings, they will become desperate and eat those courtesans to recover. So I need you two. Tanjiro will find the demon's scent, and Boar Boy will rescue people."

"Also, two of Tengen's wives are stored in those belts. The last one poisoned herself and escaped by pretending to be ill." Cael spoke slowly. When he finished, everyone looked at him strangely.

"What?"

"Captain, this should be your second time here. How do you know so much about this place?" Tanjiro asked, eyes wide.

"That is obvious. It is because of my Skill. I can open the World Gate, so of course I can learn some information through it." There were countless strange Skills. After all the things they had seen, this sounded reasonable enough.

"So that gate has that kind of ability too? That is incredible. Does that mean you can know anything you want?" Zenitsu's eyes bulged in shock.

"Of course not. I can only know the general outline. I do not know the fine details."

"Still amazing. At this point, I have been shocked so many times that I am not even that shocked anymore. But knowing my three wives are still alive is wonderful." Tengen finally breathed out in relief. After several days without letters, he had almost believed they had been discovered and killed.

"?" Zenitsu froze and stared at Tengen.

"Three wives?"

"What about it? Is there a problem?" A thick resentment rose from Zenitsu.

"Th-three..." Before Zenitsu could scream, Cael chopped the back of his neck with a hand. Zenitsu fainted with a thud, still muttering, "Three, three, three..."

"Zenitsu!" Tanjiro was startled.

"My ears are finally quiet." Cael breathed out comfortably, and Tanjiro shivered.

"Now then, Lucky Tanjiro, Boar Boy, you two go find the underground cave, fight the belt demon, and rescue people. Tengen and I will go to Kyogokuya and have a pleasant talk with the oiran. Any problems?" Cael turned toward Tanjiro and Inosuke with a kind smile.

"N-no problem."

"No objections..." Both of them went quiet as they looked at Cael, who had just knocked Zenitsu out while smiling. The captain was terrifying when angry.