Before the sun rose, Soma finally found a place to stay—a deep, secluded cave.
He carried Kanao on his back into the cave, walking deeper into the darkness until they reached a place where sunlight could not reach.
Inside, he found a relatively clean spot. He spread some dry grass he had gathered along the way, then took off his coat and laid it over the top.
"Rest here." He said to Kanao beside him.
"Mm."
Kanao obediently walked over and lay down on it.
Compared to outside, the cave was clearly much colder. Fortunately, before leaving earlier he had dressed Kanao in many layers, which should be enough to keep her warm.
Even so, Soma searched around the cave for branches and pieces of wood, preparing to light a campfire nearby.
Kanao lay quietly on the coat and dry grass. Her small hands were tucked into her sleeves, and her beautiful eyes watched her uncle as he walked around the cave collecting sticks.
Actually, she wanted to help him too. But he wouldn't let her. He had said that demons don't feel tired, but she was different—her body was too weak, so she should just rest quietly.
If only I weren't so weak, if only I didn't get tired like Uncle.
Watching her busy uncle, Kanao thought silently.
That way, she could help him.
After gathering more firewood, Soma began preparing to start a fire beside Kanao. Since he didn't have a flint, he could only use the simplest method—rubbing wood together to start a fire.
In truth, making fire this way wasn't easy. For ordinary people, rubbing sticks together with their hands long enough to create fire was difficult. People get tired, and repeating the same motion for too long makes the arms sore.
But demons do not feel fatigue.
Kanao sat quietly nearby, watching her uncle work. She watched as smoke began to rise, followed by a tiny spark that blossomed into a flame, and she saw her uncle's sudden frantic movements as he tended to the fledgling fire.
The girl's beautiful purple eyes reflected the man's figure. Even when the drifting smoke made her eyes sting and water, she refused to close them.
But a moment later, she felt a firm tap on her head.
"The smoke is blowing right in your face and you don't even know to close your eyes? You're acting like a little ditz."
Her uncle's voice reached her ears, and she immediately lowered her head and shut her eyes.
"The firewood is a bit damp. Once it starts burning properly there won't be much smoke. It'll be fine in a moment."
After tapping Kanao's head and seeing that she had closed her eyes, Soma explained before continuing his work.
As more wood was added, the campfire grew larger. The warmth of the flames gradually spread, driving away the chill deep inside the cave.
The comforting warmth made Kanao increasingly drowsy. Sleepiness quietly crept over her, and her eyes slowly closed.
While adding firewood to the flames, Soma turned his head. He had wanted to tell Kanao that the smoke was almost gone—but he discovered that the girl had already fallen asleep.
Her breathing was steady. The flickering firelight shone on her peaceful little face, and there seemed to be a faint, sweet smile on her lips.
Soma watched for a moment before smiling faintly. He continued adding wood to the fire, though his movements became gentler.
The flames burned brightly, reflecting in Soma's crimson eyes.
He stared into the fire, lost in thought, his mind involuntarily drifting back to the events of the previous night. It was the first time he had truly, meaningfully killed a person.
It wasn't some irredeemable villain.
When he struck, there was no urge to vomit; it felt mundane, much like using a Nichirin Sword to sever the neck of a demon. In fact, a human's neck was far less sturdy than a demon's—the cut was even easier.
At the moment he killed, he hadn't felt anything in particular. But after everything passed and things calmed down, the scene kept replaying in his mind.
He remembered how the man desperately tried to protect the child in his final moments.
He remembered the ruthless slash of his own blade.
He remembered that Kanao had witnessed everything.
He had personally cut down a hero who protected humans…
And he himself had become the villain—the evil executioner.
An indescribable feeling welled up in his chest.
It was heavy. Oppressive.
He did not regret what he had done.
If he had to face the same situation again, he would still make the same choice.
But even so…
His heart still felt uncomfortable.
Adding another piece of firewood to the campfire, Soma turned his head and looked at Kanao sleeping peacefully.
Thinking about how she had seen everything he did last night, he wondered whether it would have any effect on her.
...
Meanwhile, Furukawa Hiroshi had not given up the pursuit. Leading the swordsmen of his squad, he continued tracking the demon's traces.
Everyone was silent, and the atmosphere felt heavy.
"What mountain is that up ahead?"
Trying to break the tense mood, Furukawa Hiroshi pointed toward the mountain range ahead and asked, looking for a topic of conversation.
"Mount Sagiri."
One of the swordsmen thought for a moment before answering.
"Isn't the 'Water Hashira,' Sakonji Urokodaki, living in seclusion there?"
"Yes. I heard one of Urokodaki-sama's disciples participated in this year's Final Selection at Mount Fujikasane."
"Then he must have passed and become a swordsman like us, right?" another swordsman remarked with a smile. "After all, that disciple was personally trained by Urokodaki-sama."
"Not necessarily."
Another swordsman beside him shook his head. "I haven't heard of a single disciple trained by Urokodaki-sama successfully passing the Final Selection in recent years. In fact, none of them even survive."
"That can't be possible, right?"
Some of the swordsmen didn't know much about this and found it hard to believe. After all, Urokodaki was a former Hashira. No matter how poor a student might be, it seemed impossible they wouldn't even be able to survive.
"It's true."
The swordsman who first mentioned the mountain name spoke quietly.
"Although Urokodaki-sama is extremely powerful as a Hashira, as a trainer… perhaps he isn't particularly skilled at teaching others."
"That makes sense. If he were as good at teaching as he is at fighting, his disciples wouldn't all be dying at Mount Fujikasane," Another swordsman nodded.
"But since we're already near Mount Sagiri, why don't we ask Urokodaki-sama for help? He's very skilled at tracking demons. If he helps us, killing a normal demon would be easy." One of the swordsmen suddenly suggested.
Everyone immediately turned to look at their leader, Furukawa Hiroshi.
Although this mission belonged to their squad, and asking for help might be a slight blow to their pride, killing the demon was far more important than saving face.
"Alright."
Furukawa Hiroshi nodded almost immediately.
That demon's hands were still stained with their companion's blood.
No matter what, they would kill that demon first—
and avenge their fallen comrade.
...
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