After Kanae finished speaking, Kurozawa fell into deep thought.
When he discussed the plot in his previous life, someone had mentioned that the reason Nezuko, who had turned into a demon, wasn't dealt with by the Demon Slayer Corps right away was seemingly because Sakonji Urokodaki and Giyu Tomioka, who was already the Water Pillar, had guaranteed her safety with their lives.
His memories were becoming clearer, and as long as there was a relevant trigger, Kurozawa could recall all sorts of small details that had been spoiled for him before.
This was also thanks to the existence of those spoilers. During the peak hype, there were countless posts everywhere, allowing Kurozawa to know a lot of information about the Demon Slayer world without having read much of the manga's story.
"So, Master is actually vouching for me too."
"How troublesome." Kurozawa always felt that sooner or later, he would fall out with the Demon Slayer Corps.
At that time, he would rather Sakonji Urokodaki use his Nichirin Blade to clean house than commit suicide in atonement because of something Kurozawa did.
Now that Kurozawa had realized this problem, he suddenly saw that this possibility was quite high. In the culture he learned in his previous life, if a traitor emerged from a master's lineage, sending someone to clean house was the most conventional approach. But the prevalent culture here was that while cleaning house, the Cultivator also had to bear responsibility for it.
Thinking carefully, these two different methods actually had their own pros and cons. In a world like Demon Slayer's, Cultivators would definitely observe their disciples' character more strictly when choosing them.
"After this trip is over, I'll go back and find a reason to leave the Demon Slayer Corps and Mount Sagiri. If I've already left the Demon Slayer Corps, then any problems that arise later shouldn't involve Master."
Before, Sakonji Urokodaki's attitude towards Kurozawa wanting to leave the Demon Slayer Corps was very firm. That was because he thought Kurozawa was acting on impulse, and that was why he used that method to make Kurozawa calm down.
Sakonji Urokodaki wasn't good at persuading people, so he chose a consistently firm attitude and method. It was only because Kurozawa understood him and knew he was thinking of him that he didn't cause a scene on the spot.
Once he completed the so-called atonement, and then carefully and formally withdrew from the Demon Slayer Corps through the proper procedures, based on Kurozawa's understanding of Sakonji Urokodaki, he wouldn't stop him.
"Kurozawa, Cultivators definitely won't tell their disciples the responsibilities they have to bear. Now that you know, I hope you can be more understanding of Urokodaki-senpai."
Kanae told Kurozawa about the Cultivator's responsibilities because she thought Kurozawa was angry at Sakonji Urokodaki, which was why he said he didn't want to inherit the Water Pillar position.
At this moment, looking at Kanae's expression, Kurozawa understood why she suddenly told him all this.
She was mistaken about one thing. He understood Sakonji Urokodaki, so he wouldn't be displeased by his firm attitude. Not wanting to become a Demon Slayer Pillar was an idea Kurozawa had entertained for a year before.
Kurozawa didn't want to explain too much to Kanae, so he quickly wrapped up the topic: "I understand. When we get back to Mount Sagiri, I'll have a good talk with Master."
Of course, what he wanted to talk about was leaving the Demon Slayer Corps and going solo, not what Kanae thought.
With his Fighting Spirit perception, even without the intelligence support of the Demon Slayer Corps, he could still easily find traces of Demons. At most, it would just take a little more time to search.
"That's good." Seeing that her persuasion had an effect, Kanae's expression brightened, and her eyes curved into crescents.
Her smile was always genuine, making it very infectious and approachable. Looking at her, Kurozawa also smiled, and his mood seemed to improve.
Kurozawa couldn't understand people with Kanae's personality, but he maintained full respect for them.
In a world overrun by Demons, Kanae still wanted to be a good person who befriended Demons, and she was putting it into action, disregarding the strange looks from others, searching for friendly Demons. The courage and determination required for this was unimaginable to ordinary people.
The two of them walked slowly and silently, occasionally exchanging a few words, and the atmosphere around them became harmonious again.
After about ten minutes, they reached the edge of the small village visible in the distance.
What they saw before them was a winding stream. The stream was only about two meters wide, just a small creek. A healthy adult could jump across it after a short run-up.
The water in the creek wasn't deep, looking only about half a meter. The current was clear to the bottom, and they could see densely packed pebbles and some small fish swimming at the bottom of the creek.
In the shallowest part of the flowing water, several square stones were placed spaced apart. They looked like they were intentionally placed, allowing people to step on them to cross the stream.
Further ahead, they could see fields similar to rice paddies, where some people were farming and working. This village was located in a remote area, and they likely relied on these crops for sustenance.
Kurozawa and Kanae exchanged a look, then stepped onto the appropriately sized stones and crossed the stream.
"Villages in the mountains and fields are rare but not uncommon. This place is near a water source, making it suitable for living."
"However... these places are favored by Demons and can easily be used as hunting grounds."
Kanae looked around at the layout of the surroundings, speaking to Kurozawa.
She had been performing Demon hunting missions for nearly two years and knew much more than Kurozawa.
Although Demons were all chaotic and twisted existences, their specific personalities varied greatly. Some Demons liked to maintain the habits they had as humans, hiding among people and continuing to live. Some Demons would unleash their desires, hunting humans like wild beasts in sparsely populated forests.
For those Demons who enjoyed hunting, villages and towns in the mountains and fields were places they paid close attention to. Because these places were remote, the Demon Slayer Corps rarely reached them, and it required great determination for the local people to leave. Such places were excellent locations to be used as hunting grounds.
Some Demons would even deify themselves in remote and ignorant areas, with humans serving them and willingly being devoured.
"Kurozawa, can you sense if there are any Demons around?"
As soon as Kanae finished speaking, Kurozawa nodded and said, "There are two. One is inside the village, and the other is in the mountain forest outside."
After so much practice and use, Kurozawa's application of Fighting Spirit had become increasingly proficient. The Fighting Spirit domain he expanded could accurately predict the trajectory of things at close range. As the distance increased, the accuracy decreased, but he could still distinguish between Demons and other creatures.
Kurozawa was now a living radar for enemies. He could roughly sense any Demon within a range of several kilometers around him. However, to accurately determine their location, he needed to shorten the distance to about five hundred meters.
This wasn't difficult. As long as he walked towards the general direction, he would eventually close the distance to within five hundred meters. Moreover, as his mastery of Fighting Spirit deepened, this range would continue to expand.
At the same time, Kurozawa's heart stirred, and he turned to look around, but he didn't find anything unusual.
His eyebrows furrowed, and there was some surprise and doubt in his eyes.
The night was quiet, and it felt somewhat eerie.
Since leaving the Yoshiwara Pleasure District, Kurozawa had always felt a faint gaze and a needle-like malicious intent watching him.
But his Fighting Spirit perception failed, and it was difficult to find the source even after searching carefully. Whenever the feeling of being watched emerged, the gaze seemed to be everywhere, coming from every inch of space.
At first, Kurozawa thought it was an illusion, but after it happened more often, his mood gradually became heavy, and he had to believe that something was happening.
And upon arriving at this village, this feeling became even stronger.
"Two? That's rare."
"Demons in the mountains and fields have a strong sense of territory. Generally speaking, there won't be two Demons in the vicinity of the same place."
Kurozawa collected his thoughts and shifted his gaze to a certain patch of forest behind the village: "Neither of them is very strong, and the Demon in the village has a very weak presence, seeming like a newborn."
"Perhaps the other Demon was just lonely, so it converted a companion."
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