Chapter Text
"First we need to understand where these two came from." Emma said thoughtfully, looking at her friends carefully.
At this point, absolutely everyone froze, plunging the room into an anxious silence. Just because they were afraid to think about it, because it raised too many questions. There are too many questions and assumptions that have not been answered. The answers they didn't want to know. Because if there are children in this place, then where do these children even come from? Demons are probably kidnapping them. But then why did no one ever know anything about it?
They didn't want to think about it any more than they already did, because.... Even though it's the future, doesn't that mean they just completely failed as demon slayers?
That everything they had gone through and lost along the way was completely meaningless.
Ray nodded his head in agreement, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully.
"Carol is Connie's replacement. In other words, they replenish the farm's supplies so that they don't run out." Norman says. "Isn't that weird already?"
"Is there anything not strange about their situation?" Iguro speaks self-deprecatingly, closing his eyes. For once, Sanemi silently puts her hand on his shoulder, thereby supporting him.
The others are silent, unable to say anything.
"I agree. If we still assume that this place is really a "farm" and not a "orphanage"... Ray begins, glancing at his friends, who were listening attentively. "..there must be some source for the production or abduction of one-year-olds."
Those who began to understand what Ray was driving at froze inside. None of them had ever even thought about such a thing before. If this boy is right, and all the children were actually created in some way... Kagaya, Urokodaki and Jigoro looked especially anxious. After all, they were the ones who had been in the demon slayer organization the longest, but even they had never heard of anything like this. Moreover, they didn't even know that something like this could exist in principle! Now they finally understood the terrifying situation of Tomioka calling this place a "farm."
After all, in fact, were children any different from rabbits or other animals raised on any other farm?
"I am... I could never even think of something like this..." said Ubuyashiki in shock, unable to come to terms with what was happening. Even his incredible intuition did not give him a single hint that such a thing could be anywhere! How could he be so blind? How could he not know about this place, condemning dozens and dozens of innocent children to death?
"Well, then you should blame us, because we didn't know anything like that either. Urokodaki sighs wearily, to which Kuwajima only nods. They had been in the corps for over forty years, but none of them had ever heard anything like it.
"And that makes sense." Shinobu suddenly says, which makes the others jump in surprise. When everyone looks at her, she just shrugs, voicing an unpleasant truth that she did not want to admit. "It's very likely that we didn't hear anything about the kidnappings because we didn't work well. It is very likely that demons could actually "create" children.
"To create... Children? What the fuck do you even mean?!" barked the elder Shinazugawa, who literally felt in his gut some terrible trick in what was happening. Unfortunately, he lacked the education and patience to figure things out on his own.
"You mean to create them artificially, right?" asked Himejima, barely restraining his anger. The situation these poor little souls were in was bad enough as it was, but now... This was a separate level of the nightmarish hell that he was learning about. How many bad things does he still have to learn when he is just an unwitting observer, unable to help?
"Ha?!" growled Sanemi, who didn't understand anything anyway. Iguro quietly began to explain exactly what the two man meant. And as the more Obanai talked, the more angry Hashira Wind became. He just couldn't believe that there could be something like this somewhere. That is, children were not born like all ordinary people, but were created with the help of some terrifying experiments?!
"Create children?" Mitsuri asked incredulously. "Who would even engage in such a horror?"
"Obviously demons." sighed Tengen, wincing. It was quite difficult for him to keep his spirits up, but he was going to do it for the sake of his wives and the people around him. No one was supposed to know how confused he really was. How shocked and outraged he was.
"But didn't Tomioka-san say that this one... is the woman his biological mother? Therefore, he was born from her!" Senjuro asked timidly, hiding his face in embarrassment. Nevertheless, he really wanted to know.
"However, we don't know anything about his second biological parent." Aoi shook her head, crossed her arms over her chest. "It is likely that it was not there initially. Accordingly, demons might need women to bear children, but they absolutely do not need men to do this."
"I'd like to know how they managed to pull off something like this." Shinobu mutters to himself, frowning. She is really interested because, as a doctor, she cannot understand the concept of a complete distortion of the very foundations of biology at all. Even if this is the future, which means the technology there can be incredibly complex, but it's still very strange and frightening!
"In addition, it has already been said that this well-established system of delivering children to farms has been going on for many decades. The example of Giyuu-san's "mom" confirms this." Zenitsu says softly. "In other words, it is likely that many generations of not only children, but also their "mothers" were born like this... way. To be honest, I don't even think the demons were even interested in letting the boys live longer than twelve years when they were taken away. The situation with girls is completely different."
"It's true. Girls can carry children and also become "mothers" in orphanage." Genya mutters thoughtfully. "Well, if the boys are not involved in this in any way, then there really is no point in keeping them alive."
"However... Then the question arises, where did the first generation of children who ended up on this farm come from? And where did they get the "mothers" for them?" Muichiro asks, and everyone freezes again, not knowing what to say. Because it is difficult, but it can be accepted that women were somehow artificially inseminated, after which they carried a child and gave birth. But... No one could believe that these demons had somehow actually been able to create children from scratch, just by making them. It was too weird and fantastic to be true.
Then maybe these children were abducted, but then why didn't anyone know anything about it?
"And to catch up with the rest of the questions..." Kanao begins slowly, who has had an obsessive thought in her head for a long time. "None of the demon slayers help children because they really don't know anything about them? Or do they not consider it necessary to help them because they are artificially created and, therefore, are not ordinary people?"
If there were at least some sounds before, now the silence has become so dead that breathing could be heard. No one could believe that she had asked such a terrible question. On the other hand, it was a very logical, albeit unpleasant remark.
"You mean they could have... Pay off?" Tanjiro, who was really outraged, asked incredulously. He couldn't believe it. The very point of the demon slayer corps was to kill demons and save as many human lives as possible. Even Nezuko, who didn't attack anyone, they were ready to kill just because she COULD kill someone sometime in the future. And even though he understood their arguments, he did not agree with them, but these are details. That was why he couldn't believe that any of the demon slayers, if they knew about such a thing, would allow it to exist. Such a thing contradicted the very meaning of this place. "This can't be happening!"
"No one in their right mind would allow such a thing to be done if they knew about such a situation!" said Rengoku loudly, who was really angry. The usually cheerful and positive man exuded such strong anger that older Kamado covered his nose with his hands to at least slightly muffle this oppressive smell. Sanemi glared furiously, offended by the very thought of such an assumption. If it hadn't been for Iguro, who was holding him back, Kanao would definitely have been in trouble.
And Kochou, who was sitting nearby, definitely had nothing to do with it.
"Mmm!" Nezuko nodded vigorously.
Denial of such a terrible future also poured in from all sides. How far would the demon slayer corps have fallen to allow such a thing to happen?
"However... my children, as sad as I am to admit it, we know too little about their future." Kagaya said sadly, supported by his wife. "We don't even know where this orphanage is located and what is happening to the world around them."
"We don't even know if there is a demon slayer corps there at all." the man wanted to say, but did not dare. He kept these thoughts deep inside himself, not wanting to share them with anyone. However, apparently, his wife, as well as Himejima, Urokodaki and Jigoro, came to the same opinion anyway, even if they did not voice it.
And he was grateful to them for that.
"A source of people for their further consumption.. Norman muttered and grimaced, because it was extremely unpleasant for him to even think about it, and not just talk about it.
"So we all came from this source?" said Emma very sadly, who still found it hard to believe. She thought that she definitely had loving parents once. Well, or at least they should have been. However, the reality was completely different from her fantasies.
"Most likely." Ray chuckled. "That's where this lady came from, I think."
"Well, the most important thing we learned is that there are other adults besides our mom." The boy with the white hair said thoughtfully. "There may also be other forms besides ours."
"Ha, I'm pretty sure they are." the brunette shrugged his shoulders, then answered the questioning glances of the others. "I think that those children who were sent by ours... the orphanage is few. Do not forget that for a long time we lived well, not needing anything. I think with a pitiful handful of demons, it would be very difficult to pull this off. Most likely, there are quite a few demons living outside somehow. That is why they would all definitely not have enough of one child every three months. That is why we must assume that there are not one or even two similar farms."
Of course, he said this with the firm knowledge that there are other farms. However, his friends did not need to know this, because he certainly would not be able to explain to them where he got such information. Therefore, it is better for them to think that he only assumes such a possibility, even if it was quite likely.
"Huh... I can't stop admiring how Tomioka manages to present them with information, making it so that they don't even know about his true knowledge." Uzui shook his head admiringly. "It seems like he just suggested such a possibility, but given his arguments, it becomes clear that there are definitely other farms. Isn't it amazing?"
"Yes, it's excellent!" said Kyojuro loudly, who had already let go of his anger. Yes, he still occasionally wanted to explode with anger, but he knew how to control himself.
The others expressed their agreement, continuing to closely observe further developments.
"If you think about it that way, it may well be true." Norman nodded his head. He was glad Ray had made his suggestion, because he hadn't even thought about it himself. And even though it was unpleasant for him to think about it, he did not want to turn away from the possible truth. After all, the more options they consider and take note of, the less likely they are to be caught off guard. "Now all that remains to be understood is, were adults born to serve demons? Or maybe they were abducted from human society? Even such a seemingly insignificant difference can actually make a huge difference in the world we will face."
In other words, the key to understanding the world will be how their "mother" and "sister" Krona grew up.
"Oh, unpleasant discoveries are waiting for them ahead..." Mitsuri muttered sadly, who still could not believe that this system of human farms had existed for several decades.
No one said anything, because there was nothing to add here. The "mother" of these children grew up in the same orphanage where they are now. In other words, she had exactly the same status as them before she became a "mother." And since she and Krona are cooperating, it means that she also had the same childhood, although she could have grown up in another place. The children only had to discover the real truth about everything that was happening.
"The fact that Carol got here may also be to our advantage." Ray took the floor. "Older children may not have any visible marks on them, but she JUST got here."
Emma swallowed and nodded her head. Even though she still seemed out of her depth, she actually adapted amazingly quickly to what was happening.
"Now three conclusions can be drawn from all that happened." the brunette continued to speak, making sure that the guys were listening to him. "So. First, it is adults who will be the key to understanding the world around us. Secondly, Carol will be the key to solving the mystery of the transmitters. And the last thing... "Mom" is acting very strangely."
"Ha?"
"What?"
"Ha?"
"Hah?"
"What the fuck?!"
"Am I the only one who didn't understand anything?"
"I don't understand either."
"What does he mean by that?"
"Wait, what do you mean?" asked Emma in surprise, who did not understand anything at all. Norman, on the other hand, only nodded, confirming Ray's words.
“What? Don't you agree?" he rolled his eyes, glancing at the girl. Seeing that she did not understand anything, he began to explain with a tired sigh. "Even indirectly, she is trying to intimidate us. Moreover, she does it all the time. That's why something is wrong. If she really knows all our plans, why doesn't she hurry up and catch us?"
And while Emma realized that this was true, everyone who watched it also kept a shocked silence
"She would have been quite able to do it." Norman supported his friend, although he did not like to agree with this. "But for some reason she CAN't or WON't do it.
"But what reason could she have for that?" The girl asked in perplexity.
"Indeed, what reason could she have for that?" Genya asked in perplexity.
"Maybe it has something to do with her desire to completely surpass them?" Tokito suggested, although he sounded a fair bit uncertain. To be honest, he didn't understand at all why this strange "mother" was so slow if she already knew everything for sure. Of course, he is very glad that she did not do anything, because thanks to this, Giyuu and the rest of the children remained safe, but it was still strange.
"She's probably extremely confident that she can easily beat them at any given time." Obanai suggested thoughtfully, frowning with displeasure. He frankly didn't like everything he heard and saw. He was sure that there must be some serious catch in everything that was happening. The only problem was that he couldn't even begin to figure out what it could be.
"Self-confident bitch." Sanemi spat and, surprisingly, even Shinobu did not reprimand him.
"It's probably just the same in this woman's past." Tengen suggested, closing his eyes for a moment. "As we all already know, she was raised in this orphanage as one of the geniuses. And since she was allowed to become a mother, she must have been smarter than all of them."
"Are you saying that they always keep alive the smartest girl from each generation?" Kanroji asked in surprise, shaking her head in disbelief. "But why would they do that?"
"I'm pretty sure they were guided by the principle that only the most precious stone can create the same gemstone." Gyomei spoke slowly, after which he began to mutter a prayer under his breath.
"Yes. It probably just doesn't make sense for them to make less intelligent girls "mothers", because they won't be able to unleash the greatest mental potential of their children." sighed Kuwajima. "Since supposedly demons are mainly interested in the brains of children, then it makes sense."
"I still can't figure out why demons need their brains..." Urokodaki shook his head in disbelief, who could not find an answer to his question.
"Yeah, why do they need brains if they're not zombies..." Zenitsu muttered to himself so softly that only Uzui heard him. However, he decided not to comment on anything, because it seems that even Agatsuma himself did not really understand the meaning of his words.
"And yet, what a strange woman she is!" snorted Inosuke, who had been surprisingly quiet and silent all this time. He was so quiet that others even began to worry about him. Still, it was usually very loud and noticeable. And then suddenly there is such silence... "Let the guy in the half haori beat her up!"
"Don't worry, Inosuke. I'm sure Giyuu-san will definitely handle it!" Tanjiro reassured his friend, to which everyone else could not help but nod. Nezuko nodded in agreement to this, actively waving her arms.
"Yeah! Tomioka will definitely do it!" Rengoku nodded in agreement, smiling proudly, as if he was the one being praised right now. He said it so loudly and joyfully that his younger brother had to cover his ears to keep from going deaf. However, Senjuro was very glad that Kyojuro was so pleased.
"Oya-oya, of course, Tomioka-san will certainly do it." Shinobu sang with the sweetest sugar smile, but no one was deceived. She was a terrifying threat. She was probably still incredibly angry that these poor children were forced to face the harsh reality of their real world. "Moms" will be very lucky if they never encounter Kochou, otherwise they will experience the full power of her poison. Despite its cute and harmless appearance, the Insect Hashira was the most dangerous of all the Hashiras, even if not by strength.
"Let him just try not to cope!" the elder Shinazugawa growled, but without much light. Still, it was clear from him that he was worried about Tomioka, even though he didn't really want to show it.
"I don't know yet." Norman had to admit. As much as he hated to admit it, he really didn't have an answer to that. Still, his experience and that of their "mom" were incomparable, so he couldn't predict what she was thinking. At least for the moment.
"But this is exactly what prevents us from anticipating the next move of "mom." We don't know what's on her mind, so we can't tell what she's going to do next." Ray chuckles. "The most important thing for us now is to understand her motives. You know what to do, right?"
"Yes!" Emma nods her head emphatically. She knows exactly what Ray is telling her. Any one of them could be next next time, and that can't be allowed! That is why she is ready to do everything possible to gather any possible information!
"You know that the two of us won't be able to get close to Carol," the brunette says, looking at her friend. "That's why you'll need to examine her very carefully."
"Huh? But why can't they do it?" Kanao asked in perplexity, cocking her head questioningly to the shoulder. Let it be just a guess for now, but something told her that it was the older girls who helped with the children. "Wouldn't it be more convenient if all the older children helped with the kids?"
"Perhaps it's just that they are being prepared for the role of future "mothers." suggested Aoi. "Why would the boys do that if they're going to be demon food anyway? Although, of course, their help would greatly simplify their lives."
"Not quite like that. I think it's about Tomioki-san." Shinobu shook her head.
"Ha?"
"Hm?"
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Wait... Do you mean that the boys were never allowed near the children because Tomioka knew the truth about the orphanage from the very beginning?" Iguro quickly understood her words, thinking. "It makes sense. This woman probably couldn't explain to the other boys why she was asking them to help, but she never asked Ray to help. Therefore, it is logical that she eventually decided to let only girls near the kids."
"That's right. Even though Tomioka-san didn't know exactly where to look, he knew WHAT to look for." Kochou nodded. "It is logical that their "mother" could not allow the boy to help her with the children. After all, if he had access to the children, he could have found the transmitter."
"And if he found it, he could easily get rid of it." Muichiro nodded in agreement.
"But isn't it strange that she's letting Emma continue to take care of the children now that she knows the truth about the orphanage and that the children have a transmitter?" Mitsuri asked anxiously.
"Well, how would she explain such abrupt and sudden changes to the other children?" Zenitsu squinted. "Especially considering that all the children adore her madly? If "mom" suddenly forbade Emma to take care of the babies, it would look very strange. Probably, everyone would have questions about why this is happening."
"Yeah. And if the children had such questions, there would be a threat that the truth would come out." Kagaya agreed, shaking his head thoughtfully. "I'm sure she was ready to do everything possible to prevent this. "
"Rely on me!" Emma said decisively, putting her hand to her chest. "I will do my best to get information about the transmitter with Carol's help!"
And while Emma was filled with determination at the thought of salvation, the picture switched to "mom" and sister Krona.
"I was finally able to come back here." smiled Krona, carefully looking around. It would seem that so many years have passed, but the situation in the rooms has not changed much. It's even amazing. "I am sincerely grateful to you for the opportunity."
"I just asked to send a person to play the role of "assistant"." Isabella says, taking out the necessary documents. "I didn't ask for you specifically."
"I've heard a lot about you. That you are the youngest person who has been chosen as a "mom". That you work better than anyone else, because you continuously supply the best product of all." Krona continued, smiling broadly. "You really inspire me, so it's a great honor for me to work with you."
"The youngest 'mom' ever?" Love Hashira asked tremblingly. "How old was she when she was elected?"
"It's hard to say, however, I think girls are usually chosen at the age of eleven or twelve, when they are as close to being sent as possible." Obanai speaks thoughtfully. "So, most likely, she was ten years old, or she was even younger.
"And has she already been chosen?" Sanemi barked in disbelief. "Why?!"
"There was probably no point in waiting any longer, because she probably showed the best results every time." Shinobu suggested. "Perhaps her intelligence was at such a level that it was more profitable to take her as a "mom" rather than feed her to demons. Although they were probably very sorry that they had lost such a magnificent "product".
"Or it could be something completely different..." Tokito mused.
"Ha? Like what?" Hashibira frowned. However, Muichiro just shrugged his shoulders because he wasn't sure himself.
"Maybe... Did she also somehow find out the truth about their orphanage?" Agatsuma asked.
Everyone was silent for a moment, because it was unlikely, but still very possible. Considering that most likely they were going to make "moms" out of girls at the very last moment, then becoming one at such an early age was really alarming.
"Stop being nice already. Enough of the empty chatter, it's time to get down to business." She quickly spread out the children's questionnaires in front of the Crown. "Here is all the information about my precious children. Remember all the information here and now. Isn't it easier than achieving perfect results every morning?"
"She has a damn scary smile." Sanemi held out a stunned hand. Iguro looked at the screen carefully and thought that he shouldn't find his smile frightening because of the slit of his mouth. Even if this woman did not have such flaws, she coped well with bullying people. She was really terrifying.
"Just like yours." Tanjiro muttered to himself. Those who heard this began to choke on laughter, carefully disguising it as a cough.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" growled the elder Shinazugawa, who was trying to attack Kamado. It was probably only the fact that Himejima held back the Hashira of the Wind that eventually saved Tanjiro from serious damage.
The others just looked at it, but didn't say anything.
"By the way, why is this necessary?" asked Krona, quickly flipping through the documents. One glance was enough for her to remember everything she saw. As Isabella said, it wasn't a problem for them at all. "I'm not going to complain, but..."
"Our secret has been revealed." the woman said, not paying attention to how much the second one shuddered. "Two children found out about it. Besides, they saw the truck."
"W... What?" Krona was terrified."T.. Then we have to follow the rules and find them quickly to prepare them for shipment..."
"Shut your mouth!" ordered Isabella, grabbing her by the head. "There's no need for that, because I already know who it was. All we have to do is make sure they don't escape before the day they're shipped. All these children are SPECIAL. The prestige of this farm depends on them."
"Huh... So she really knows everything." said Rengoku, which sounded surprisingly very quiet. However, who could blame him for that? It's one thing when they've only heard speculation about it, but it's quite another to know for sure that the "mother" knows everything. Of course, they were all shocked by this.
"Does she really not want to reveal everything, as it will somehow affect the prestige of the company?" Urokodaki suggested, puzzled. Of course, in his eyes, this was very strange in itself, but who knows what was in this woman's head.
"It's quite possible."I agreed with Jigoro's old friend. "But I think she's more worried not about the prestige of the farm, but about her own reputation. And since her reputation depends on the prestige of the farm, that's why she's so worried about it."
"So... Are we not going to report this to the authorities?" Krona asked, still a little doubtful.
"WE WON'T." Isabella said with a very frightening face, hovering over Krona. "I will take appropriate measures to deal with the violators. On the other hand, you are... You'll keep an eye on the kids. "I'm the 'mom' in this house, and you're just an assistant. I'll let you act on an equal footing with me... However, in reality, you will obey my orders and only them. You understand me... sister Krona?"
"Fuck! I can't decide which of these two is the scarier!" growled Sanemi, looking at the scene in front of him in such a way that if he possessed lasers from his eyes, they would all have burned out long ago."
"Well, I think it's not superfluous to say that they're both scary." Gyomei sighed. "It's just that everyone is terrible in their own way."
No one even argued with this, because Stone Hashira was right about everything.
"Of course, Madame Isabella." she said with the same frightening smile.
And so baby Carol and Sister Krona settled in the orphanage.