"Nezuko!"
Tanjiro hurried back to the ran stand, his heart finally settling when he saw Nezuko safe and sound.
"Thank goodness..." he breathed out in relief.
He turned toward Ron and bowed deeply, his voice full of gratitude. "Thank you for saving Nezuko, and for protecting her. I really can’t thank you enough!"
"Oh, right! My na is Tanjiro—Kamado Tanjiro. And this is my little sister, Nezuko."
Ron simply nodded. "I know."
Tanjiro blinked, montarily stunned. "Huh? You know us?"
Ron gave a small smile. "Yeah. Though you probably don’t know . Na’s Ron. A human... and let’s just say, a traveler."
"Ron... sir... I’ll rember that na."
Tanjiro burned the na into his mory with all the seriousness he could muster.
Standing quietly to the side, Shinobu also locked that na deep within her heart, her gaze never leaving Ron.
"You saw him, didn’t you?"
Ron’s casual remark made Tanjiro stiffen. Images of that figure imdiately resurfaced in his mind, and a fierce, uncontrollable rage boiled up within him. His fists clenched so tightly that veins bulged across the backs of his hands.
"I saw him. That bastard—Muzan Kibutsuji—he was blending into the crowd, disguised as an ordinary human!"
At those words, Shinobu and Kanao’s expressions changed drastically.
"Muzan Kibutsuji?!"
"You actually saw him?!"
Tanjiro, despite not having a great impression of this woman who had once tried to kill Nezuko, still nodded firmly. "Yeah. I saw him with my own eyes. He even turned a random passerby into a demon right in front of . There’s no doubt—that monster was Muzan Kibutsuji!"
Shinobu still seed unable to fully believe it. "But... how did you find him?"
Tanjiro pointed to his nose. "Because of his scent."
"Scent?"
"My sense of sll is extrely sharp. Once I catch a scent, I never forget it. Just earlier, I caught a whiff of the sa sll that had once filled my ho... so I followed it. And at the end of that trail, I found him."
Tanjiro’s voice shook with anger as he ground his teeth. "When I found him, he had a wife and a daughter with him. I couldn’t bring myself to swing my sword in front of them... That monster must have eaten so human and taken his form—stolen his identity to blend in among the humans! Damn it!"
Listening to Tanjiro’s explanation, waves of shock crashed through Shinobu’s heart.
If what he said was true...
Then the demon the Demon Slayer Corps had searched for over countless years—the very progenitor of all demons, Muzan Kibutsuji—was right here, in this city!
Her first instinct was to imdiately report this to the Demon Slayer Corps.
"If you had drawn your blade..."
Ron’s calm voice broke the silence, cutting through the tense atmosphere.
Everyone looked toward him.
Ron glanced down at Tanjiro with a relaxed and almost lazy deanor.
"With your current strength," Ron said, "you wouldn’t even be a match for the successor of the Insect Hashira standing next to . Facing Muzan Kibutsuji... you wouldn’t have survived a single blow."
Tanjiro turned his eyes toward Kanao, who had been quietly standing by, her petite figure radiating silent strength. His brows furrowed tightly.
Am I... really that weak...?
"Wait a minute... Don’t tell ..."
Shinobu’s sharp gaze locked onto Ron.
"You knew all along?" she said slowly. "You knew Muzan Kibutsuji was here? And you guessed Tanjiro would run into him?"
"!?"
Tanjiro and Kanao whipped their heads up, staring at Ron in disbelief.
Ron casually swirled the silver-blue flask in his hand, then flashed a lazy smile at Shinobu. "That’s right. Any problems with that?"
The three stood frozen, stunned speechless.
Under the warm, flickering streetlights, this mysterious young man—whose origins were entirely unknown—seed even more enigmatic and untouchable, like so wandering sage from a distant land.
Catching sight of their dumbfounded faces, Ron felt a flicker of satisfaction deep inside.
Yeah, he thought smugly, not rushing ahead to solo Muzan Kibutsuji was definitely the right call.
Tanjiro stared blankly at Ron, blurting out, "You really do know everything... Are you perhaps... a god?"
Cough, cough!
Ron, mid-sip of his wine, choked at Tanjiro’s sudden remark.
"A god? That’s a bit much," Ron said, clearing his throat with a wry smile. "I’m no god. I just happen to know a little more than you guys, that’s all."
"Oh... I see..." Tanjiro scratched his head awkwardly, still a little overwheld.
anwhile, Shinobu’s eyes remained locked firmly onto Ron.
This man... it was clear he wasn’t simply soone who "knew a little more."
His strength, his abilities, his knowledge, his origins, his purpose — all of it was cloaked in layers of mist and mystery, utterly beyond her grasp.
Never before had Shinobu encountered soone so utterly unknowable.
Ron turned his gaze back to Tanjiro. "Tanjiro, you’ve already t Tamayo, haven’t you? You carry her scent. Looks like she helped you out."
"Tamayo..." Tanjiro repeated, puzzled for a mont. He sniffed lightly at his sleeve — and then realization hit him. "Ah! You must an that beautiful woman with the attendant!"
"That’s right. Her na is Tamayo. She’s a demon, yes — but also a doctor. The young man with her is Yushiro, her loyal attendant — also a demon."
Tamayo...
The na triggered sothing in Shinobu’s mory. She felt like she had heard it sowhere before... but couldn’t quite place it.
"Tanjiro, bring your sister and co with ," Ron said casually as he stepped past Tanjiro.
"Ah, yes!" Tanjiro quickly helped Nezuko up from the bench and hurried after him without hesitation.
Ron glanced over his shoulder at Shinobu and Kanao. "If you want to grow stronger, you should co too."
Without waiting for a reply, he led the way into a narrow alleyway, with Tanjiro and Nezuko following close behind.
Shinobu hesitated for a brief mont, then wordlessly pulled Kanao along after them.
Ron guided the group to the very end of the alley, passing right through what appeared to be a solid wall — in truth, an illusion created by Yushiro’s Blood Demon Art.
On the other side, a grand mansion stood hidden from the ordinary world.
Tanjiro’s eyes widened in awe. "There’s an entire mansion hidden back here...!"
"Blood Demon Art..." Shinobu muttered under her breath, scanning the area carefully, her brow furrowing.
The air was thick with the scent of demons.
Just then, the mansion’s front doors creaked open.
"You’re so slow. Where the hell did you—" Yushiro appeared in the doorway, grumbling, but cut himself off the mont he noticed Tanjiro and Nezuko.
His eyes then shifted to the figures behind them — Shinobu in her butterfly-patterned haori and the quiet, small Kanao.
Instantly, his expression twisted in alarm.
"Demon Slayers... and a Hashira?!"
Kanao’s hand instinctively moved to grip the hilt of her Nichirin Blade.
Yushiro’s pupils shrank sharply, and he imdiately whirled on Ron, shouting, "You lunatic! You actually brought a Hashira here?! What the hell are you trying to pull?!"
"Yushiro?"
Tamayo appeared behind him, surprised to see the scene unfolding in their courtyard.
Protectively, Yushiro stepped in front of her, glaring daggers at the newcors. "Lady Tamayo, it’s dangerous—"
"No."
Ron smiled calmly.
"With here, this place is the safest place in the entire city."
"Because..." His eyes glead mischievously under the lantern light.
"I’m invincible."
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