“Anger attacking the heart, excessive grief, illness invading the body…”
Shimizu frowned slightly.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki's condition was somewhat complex, even more difficult to treat than Nora's neurological disease.
Because what he had was not just an illness, but more like a congenital curse.
Taiwan Novel Network → 𝕥 𝕨 𝕜 𝕒 𝕟 . 𝕔 𝕠 𝕞
Medical ninjutsu could restore his body, but could not cure it completely, even for top-tier medical ninja who had mastered the medical forbidden technique - Creation Rebirth.
Because they simply couldn't find the real root of the disease.
The physical symptoms that manifested were all like side effects of the disease.
Even if temporarily alleviated, Kagaya Ubuyashiki's symptoms would still exist and continue to worsen.
The Ubuyashiki family's lifespan has never exceeded thirty years.
Kagaya was twenty-three years old when he died in the original timeline.
And if this incident hadn't happened, Shimizu estimated that occasionally giving him a Mystical Palm Technique could extend his life by another six or seven years, approaching the limit of the Ubuyashiki family.
“Shimizu-kun… Kagaya, he… how is he?”
Amane held one of Kagaya Ubuyashiki's hands, her beautiful eyes filled with worry.
“Not very good. The illness has worsened too quickly. No matter how much we alleviate it, Kagaya-senpai's lifespan may only have less than a year left.”
But Kagaya Ubuyashiki took Shimizu's hand away.
“No need to heal anymore, Ubuyashiki… will soon cease to exist.”
Kagaya Ubuyashiki's eyes were filled with pain.
Shimizu, Gyomei, and Muichiro immediately looked at Amane with curious eyes.
Amane also closed her eyes painfully.
“At noon… the Kasugai Crow reported that Kiriya, who was hiding in Osakaya, was discovered by a demon, and together with the two Kinoe swordsmen guarding him, as well as Biwa and Hangetsu, died at the hands of Upper Moon One.”
Kagaya and Amane had one son and four daughters. The only male was Kiriya, who was only seven years old. Biwa and Hangetsu were the other two younger daughters.
According to the rules of the Demon Slayer Corps, the Ubuyashiki family's males would usually live in separate locations to prevent the demons from discovering the headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps, leading to its extinction.
If there were no accidents, after Kagaya Ubuyashiki's death, Kiriya would take over as the head of the Demon Slayer Corps.
“Since last year, because of my physical weakness, I have been unable to have marital relations with Amane and bear offspring. Now that Kiriya is gone, the Ubuyashiki lineage will end here.”
Kagaya Ubuyashiki said sadly.
“Master, you still have two daughters alive, why not find a son-in-law to marry into the family?”
Gyomei Himejima asked.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki just shook his head slightly.
“Kiriya is a very good child. I believe that if I am gone, he can take over the responsibility very well, but Hinaki and Nichika can't, especially now, in this unprecedented change in three hundred years.
Humans and demons are about to usher in the final battle, so how can I rest assured to hand over the Demon Slayer Corps to them?
Moreover, they are too young, and how can I… alas!”
Kagaya Ubuyashiki sighed sadly.
“Then what do you plan to do, Master?”
Muichiro Tokito said.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki just looked at Shimizu.
“I said just now that now is the most important era in three hundred years. Whether humanity can exterminate the demons depends on these one or two years, so during this time, the Demon Slayer Corps must be led by someone with sufficient ability and prestige.
And just having these is not enough. The swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps are all over the place. Now we are contacting the government to assist in the production of batteries and light bulbs, and we also have to order vacuum tubes and other materials from distant Europe. Without sufficient knowledge and connections, it is impossible to manage these things well.”
A faint premonition rose in Shimizu's heart.
Could it be…
“Shimizu.”
Kagaya Ubuyashiki said:
“Among the many people I know, only you, Shimizu, can shoulder these responsibilities.”
Except for Amane, who already knew Kagaya's intentions, Muichiro Tokito and Gyomei Himejima looked at Shimizu in shock.
Shimizu remained silent.
He was also very surprised that Kagaya Ubuyashiki would make such a choice.
You ask him if he wants the position of head of the Demon Slayer Corps?
Of course he wants it, but he can't say such things out loud.
“Your uncle is already the Superintendent General of Police, and I have used the Ubuyashiki family's connections to help him rise to the position of Commissioner General of the Metropolitan Police Department.”
This position is basically the pinnacle of the police system.
If there is enough background support, then with Uesugi Sakai's age, he may be able to enter the cabinet before retirement and become one of the top figures.
Although the Uesugi family's power is not as great as it once was, its foundation is still there. It has the ability to take over part of the Ubuyashiki family's assets and connections. If Uesugi Sakai is strong enough, then what the Uesugi family can do may not be less than what the Ubuyashiki family can do.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki's choice of Shimizu should also be partly due to this.
“Thank you, Ubuyashiki-senpai, but… what do you need me to do?”
Shimizu asked Kagaya Ubuyashiki with calm eyes.
He knew that there was no free lunch in the world.
Of course, Shimizu also admired Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
This person really has almost no selfishness. Even if he does, his sense of public duty is definitely far greater than his selfishness.
If he were a little selfish, he could completely demand that one of his daughters, or his wife Amane, take over as the head of the Demon Slayer Corps after his death, and then choose a man with excellent abilities, ordinary family background, and weaknesses to marry into the family in the future, and everything would still be the same as in the past when the next generation of Ubuyashiki family males was born.
But he didn't do that.
Because Kagaya Ubuyashiki really believes that now is the best opportunity to kill Muzan, and perhaps such an opportunity will never come again.
He truly regards the extermination of demons as a sacred mission greater than everything else.
From a rational point of view, letting Shimizu take over the Demon Slayer Corps is the best choice, but for Kagaya Ubuyashiki, it must be an extremely difficult choice.
“There are three things I want you to do, but even if you don't finish them, after today, you will still be the acting head of the Demon Slayer Corps.”
Kagaya Ubuyashiki forced a smile on his face, looked at Shimizu and said:
“First, eliminate Muzan, then after my death, you will be the true head of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Second, I want you and Shinobu Kocho to get married within this month and have offspring as soon as possible, because if we want to defeat Muzan, we must rely on your strength, and fighting Muzan is an extremely dangerous thing.”
