Chapter 45

"Big Brother Yūto, when do you think we’ll be able to meet the person named Rintarō Sakonji?"

"Was the address that person gave us correct? We’ve been walking for several days now."

"What if this Rintarō Sakonji, like the other brother before, wants to kill Muzan as soon as he sees her turn into a demon?"

At that moment, on a rural path, Yūto was walking ahead, while Tanjirō, carrying a bamboo basket on his back, closely followed behind Yūto.

Hearing Tanjirō’s voice from behind, Yūto couldn’t help but feel a headache.

He hadn’t realized before that the young boy had such a talkative nature. On this journey, Yūto had already answered Tanjirō’s questions countless times.

However, it was understandable. For the past few days, they had been following the address given by Giyu Tomioka to find a person named "Rintarō Sakonji."

In an era where transportation was not very convenient, walking was the most common way to travel.

Tanjirō, due to his years of charcoal-selling, had quite good stamina. Even with Muzan in the bamboo basket, he hardly complained about being tired after several days of walking.

The journey was often monotonous and boring, especially since Muzan, now a demon, had almost no language ability.

So Yūto became Tanjirō’s only confidant, and on this journey, Tanjirō both respected and admired this kind-hearted big brother.

Compared to the previously cold and ruthless Giyu Tomioka, who had drawn his sword to kill Muzan, Tanjirō found Yūto much more approachable.

Not only did Yūto timely intervene to save Muzan from being killed, but he also took good care of them on the journey.

For example, whenever Tanjirō got tired from carrying Muzan, Yūto would naturally take over the bamboo basket.

What Tanjirō found particularly strange was that Muzan, who would become aggressive when encountering anyone other than him, would remain calm around Yūto and even allow him to carry her on his back.

The reason Yūto was traveling with Tanjirō and Muzan stemmed from a promise made to Giyu Tomioka.

"Since you insist on me making a reasonable request, then protect them until they find Rintarō Sakonji."

After their battle, Yūto, who had insisted on abiding by the rules, accepted this request from Giyu Tomioka, who then left.

Before leaving, Giyu Tomioka advised Yūto to abandon the idea of stealing other "Demon Slayer Corps" members’ swords, as the "Sun Swords" had special properties that Yūto couldn’t use even if he stole them.

If Yūto truly wanted his own "Sun Sword," he could seek help from Rintarō Sakonji.

Giyu Tomioka also promised to tell Yūto more about what he wanted to know.

Giyu Tomioka specifically warned Yūto because he feared that Yūto might attack other "Demon Slayer Corps" members if he encountered them on the road.

To be honest, if Yūto hadn’t coincidentally met Giyu Tomioka, one of the "Nine Pillars," other Demon Slayer Corps members might not have lasted long against him.

To prevent Yūto from harming other Demon Slayer Corps members, Giyu Tomioka had to reluctantly involve his teacher, Rintarō Sakonji.

Giyu Tomioka indeed lacked the ability to handle Yūto’s situation, so he directed Yūto to seek help from the more powerful Rintarō Sakonji.

As Giyu Tomioka’s teacher, Rintarō Sakonji was the previous "Water Hashira." Although he was now seventy years old, no one knew the true extent of his strength.

However, Giyu Tomioka believed that Rintarō Sakonji, with his long experience, could better handle Yūto and Muzan’s situation, so he decisively passed this hot potato to his teacher.

"Following the address given by that person, we should arrive in one or two days.

"Since he acknowledged you before, he shouldn’t deceive you and send you to someone more dangerous.

"At least from our previous encounter, I don’t think he’s a bad guy."

Words can deceive, but the sword cannot. Although Yūto and Giyu Tomioka had only fought once and were previously strangers, Yūto could tell from Giyu’s sword that he was a cold exterior but warm-hearted person.

Hearing Yūto’s words, Tanjirō’s face lit up with hope. He sincerely hoped that Rintarō Sakonji could help his sister.

That evening, as they approached a mansion, Tanjirō was about to ask for shelter, feeling relieved that they wouldn’t have to sleep outdoors. However, Yūto suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Something’s not right. The air is thick with the smell of blood, and there’s a foul odor coming from the mansion. The people inside are likely already dead."

As if to confirm Yūto’s words, Muzan, who was in the bamboo basket, poked her head out and bared her teeth at the mansion, clearly affected by the smell of blood in the air.

"Big Brother Yūto, what should we do now? Should we go in quickly to save the people inside?"

Tanjirō had no doubt about Yūto’s words. Over the past few days, Yūto had proven that his sense of smell was even better than his own, able to detect the smell of blood from several kilometers away.

"Judging by the concentration and spread of the blood in the air, the bodies inside are likely already cold.

"Stay outside with Muzan. I’ll go in first. If anything comes out, let it go unless it attacks you."

Tanjirō, holding his axe, nodded in agreement.

In fact, they had encountered demons several times on their journey, and each time, Yūto had dealt with them.

Because of this, Tanjirō had become incredibly admiring of Yūto, hoping to become someone like him in the future, slaying all the demons in the world!

Although Tanjirō had only recently been introduced to "demons" and the "Demon Slayer Corps," this didn’t stop him from recognizing Yūto’s strength.

Initially, he thought that powerful humans were all like Yūto and Giyu Tomioka.

However, after encountering other demons, he realized that the strength Yūto and Giyu Tomioka displayed in their battle was truly extraordinary!