The Kasugai crow fluttered down, and Furukawa Hiroshi removed a letter from its leg.
After reading it, his face filled with shock and confusion.
"Captian, was that demon killed by Lady Flower Hashira while she was passing through?"
One of the swordsmen asked casually, not noticing the change in his leader's expression.
"No." Furukawa Hiroshi shook his head.
"It wasn't Lady Flower Hashira? Then which swordsman passed by and killed it?" Someone exclaimed in surprise, clearly puzzled.
"Lady Flower Hashira replied that she did not slay any demon here. And recently, no other Demon Slayer swordsmen have passed through this area. During this period, the only squad carrying out demon-slaying missions nearby was ours."
Furukawa Hiroshi frowned deeply as he spoke. He himself couldn't make sense of it.
The other swordsmen were equally incredulous. One even stepped forward and reread the letter in his hand several times.
If the information hadn't been delivered directly by the Kasugai Crow, they might have suspected it was false.
"Could it be that some ordinary person found a Nichirin Sword and killed the demon?" One swordsman muttered, looking utterly unconvinced.
For ordinary people to face a demon, victory was almost impossible. Moreover, aside from the Demon Slayer Corps, outsiders had virtually no chance of obtaining a Nichirin Sword. Even within the Corps, unless under special circumstances, each swordsman was issued only one blade—exclusively their own.
If a swordsman died, their Nichirin Sword would be retrieved as a symbol of their will and spirit. It rarely ever left the Corps.
"Could we have made a mistake last night?"
Another swordsman rubbed his nose. "Maybe that foul stench wasn't left behind by a demon's death."
"Impossible."
Before he could finish, another swordsman firmly rejected the idea. "There's no way we could mistake the stench of a demon that's died."
"If that demon wasn't killed by Lady Flower Hashira, and no other swordsmen passed through here, then how did it die?"
One swordsman voiced the question on everyone's mind. "There can't be some other way to kill a demon, can there?"
They exchanged glances and all shook their heads. Over the years, the Demon Slayer Corps had searched tirelessly for alternative methods to destroy demons—but without success.
Aside from exposing a demon to sunlight, the only proven method was severing its neck with a Nichirin Sword.
Of course, they had recently heard that Shinobu Kocho, the younger sister of the Flower Hashira, had extracted a toxin from wisteria flowers that was harmful to demons. There was a possibility it could kill them. The matter had even drawn the attention of the Master of the Corps.
If she truly succeeded in developing a poison capable of killing demons, it would add a new method of extermination. Such an achievement alone might qualify her to become a new Hashira.
Listening to the discussion, Furukawa Hiroshi's expression grew serious.
"No matter what, we need to get to the bottom of this. Over the next few days, I'll have to ask everyone to work a little harder. If we can truly discover another way to kill demons…"
The swordsmen's eyes lit up with excitement. If a new method of execution really existed, hope for purging all demons from this world would be within reach.
…
The sun would not remain set forever—
and naturally, it would not rise forever either.
When daylight passes, night inevitably falls—and that is when demons become active.
Soma pushed aside the wooden board and climbed out of the underground hole where he had stayed all day.
When Kanao saw her uncle emerge, she trotted over in quick little steps, looked up at him, and revealed a sweet, innocent smile.
Soma gently rubbed the girl's small head, then took her hand and led her to the second floor. Reaching the window, he carefully pushed it open.
The second floor wasn't high, but it provided a view of the surrounding area. It was nighttime now. Though this was a bustling town and many places were still lit, most areas lay in darkness.
Under such darkness, ordinary people could hardly see much—but for a demon active in the night, the dark posed no obstacle to his sight.
His gaze immediately fell upon the area near the alley where he had killed the demon the previous night. After only a few glances, his expression tightened.
He noticed several unfamiliar individuals quietly surveying the surroundings in that alley. Some of them bore the emblem of wisteria flowers.
The wisteria crest was connected to the Ubuyashiki family, and the "Master" of the Demon Slayer Corps had always come from that lineage. Clearly, these people were affiliated with the Corps.
Continuing his observation, he spotted a man seated at a small stall, holding a long object wrapped in cloth against his chest, as if constantly scanning his surroundings.
From the shape of the wrapped item, it was most likely a Nichirin Sword. Without a doubt, the man was a Demon Slayer swordsman.
Seeing this, Soma frowned. Logically, after discovering the demon's corpse yesterday, the Demon Slayers might have relaxed their vigilance—or even withdrawn.
But from what he could see, the search throughout the town had grown even tighter. He even spotted a man bearing the wisteria emblem speaking to a dōshin of the town magistrate's office. Soon after, several dōshin began moving out in different directions.
Though Soma had been hiding by day and moving by night these past days, he had learned some basic knowledge about this place. The "jōmachi magistrate's office" was responsible for maintaining public order in the town—essentially what he understood as a police station.
And "dōshin" was the title for its lowest-ranking officers.
It was clear that the Demon Slayer Corps had already begun coordinating with the local authorities.
Although the Corps was not officially recognized by the government, it was tacitly permitted to exist, and cooperation was not uncommon. For example, before joining the Corps, Gyomei Himejima had fought a demon to protect children but was later mistaken for a murderer and imprisoned. Just before his execution, the Corps' Master, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, personally intervened and contacted officials to secure his release.
If the Demon Slayer Corps stepped in, they certainly had the ability to request official cooperation in investigating a town. Of course, in major cities like Kyoto or Edo, that would be far more difficult due to the potential public impact—the authorities did not wish the general populace to learn of demons' existence.
At this moment, Soma could already see several dōshin going door to door, questioning residents—asking about unusual occurrences, recent arrivals to the city, or any missing persons nearby.
Seeing all this, Soma felt a tightening in his chest. He knew that if he continued to stay here, the probability of being discovered would only increase.
The Demon Slayer Corps was proving to be far more troublesome than he had imagined.