Demon Slayer: I am a Demon

Before sunrise, Su Mu finally found a place to rest, a secluded cave.

He carried Kanao into the cave, into its dark depths, to a place where the sun would not shine.

They found a relatively clean spot in the cave, spread out some dry grass they had brought along the way, and then took off their coat and covered it with it.

"Rest here."

He spoke to Kanao, who was standing next to him.

"Um."

Kanao obediently walked over and lay down on it.

It was much colder inside the cave than outside, but fortunately he had dressed Kanao in plenty of clothes before they came out, so it should be enough to keep her warm.

Even so, Su Mu still found some branches and wood in the cave, preparing to light a campfire nearby.

Kanao lay obediently on the hay-covered coat, her little hands tucked inside, her beautiful eyes watching her uncle picking up sticks from all over the cave.

Actually, she wanted to help her uncle, but he wouldn't let her. He said that evil spirits don't feel tired, but she was different; she was too weak and should just stay by his side.

"I wish I were as healthy as my uncle, so I wouldn't feel so tired."

Watching her busy uncle, Kanao silently thought to herself, "This way, I can help my uncle."

After gathering more firewood, Su Mu began preparing to light a fire next to Kanao, but since he didn't have any flint, he could only use the simplest method of rubbing sticks together to start a fire.

Actually, starting a fire by rubbing sticks together is not that easy. It is difficult for an ordinary person to start a fire by rubbing a stick together with their hands. After all, people always get tired, and their arms will ache after a long time of doing a certain action, but ghosts do not feel tired.

Kanao quietly stayed by her side, watching her uncle busy himself, watching the smoke rise, watching the tiny flames bloom from it, and seeing how flustered he became as the flames rose.

The girl's beautiful purple eyes reflected the man's image, and even though the smoke drifted over and stung her eyes, she refused to close them.

But immediately, his little head was hit hard.

"The smoke was right in front of him, and he still didn't close his eyes. He looked like a fool."

When his uncle's voice reached his ears, he almost immediately lowered his head and closed his eyes.

"The firewood is a bit damp, but once it starts burning, there won't be much smoke. It'll be fine in a little while."

Su Mu tapped Kanao once, and only after seeing the girl close her eyes did he say something before continuing with his work.

As more firewood was added, the campfire grew larger and larger, and the warmth from the flames dispelled the chill deep within the cave.

The warm feeling made Kanao even more drowsy, and sleepiness crept in without her realizing it, so she gradually closed her eyes.

As Su Mu added firewood to the campfire, he turned around, intending to tell Kanao that it was almost done and there shouldn't be any more smoke, but he found that the girl had already fallen asleep.

The girl's breathing was even, and the flickering firelight illuminated her serene face, revealing a sweet smile.

Su Mu watched for a while before smiling and continuing to add firewood to the campfire, but with a gentler touch.

The flames of the campfire burned, reflecting in Su Mu's scarlet eyes.

He stared blankly at the flames, lost in thought, the scene from the previous night inexplicably resurfacing in his mind—his first real act of murder.

It's not about killing some heinous villain.

When killing, there was no feeling of vomiting, it was just calm, just like when I used my Nichirin Blade to cut the neck of the demon. However, the human head was obviously not as hard as the demon's head, and it was even easier to cut it.

When I was killing, I didn't feel anything, but after it was over and I felt a little calmer, the scene kept replaying in my mind.

She thought of how the other person desperately protected the child at the last moment, she thought of how she had ruthlessly slashed the child, and she thought of how Kanao had seen it all...

The thought that he had personally beheaded the hero who protected humanity, and that he himself had become the evil villain, the wicked executioner, filled him with a sense of dread.

I felt a strange, indescribable feeling in my heart, a feeling that was very oppressive and heavy.

He doesn't regret what he did back then, and if he had to do it again, he would definitely do the same thing.

But in the end...

I feel very uncomfortable.

Su Mu added another piece of firewood to the campfire, turned around, and looked at Kanao, who was sleeping soundly. He thought about how Kanao had seen everything he did last night, and wondered if it would have any impact on her.

…………

Hiroshi Furukawa did not give up the pursuit, leading his squad of swordsmen in a search for the demon's trail. Everyone was silent, and the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

"What mountain is that ahead?"

Hiroshi Furukawa, wanting to break the ice and prevent the atmosphere from becoming too tense, pointed to the mountains ahead and asked, trying to find a topic of conversation.

"Mt. Saagiri."

One of the swordsmen thought for a moment and then spoke.

"It seems that Lord Urokodaki, the 'Water Pillar,' is living in seclusion here?"

"Yes, I heard that Lord Urokodaki's disciple also participated in this year's 'Fujikasayama' swordsman examination."

"Then you should pass the test and become a swordsman like us, right?"

One of the swordsmen smiled and exclaimed, "That's a disciple personally taught by Lord Urokodaki."

"That's not necessarily true."

Beside him, a swordsman shook his head: "Of all the disciples that Lord Urokodaki has taught over the years, I've never heard of one who has successfully passed the 'Fujikasayama' test, let alone survived it."

"That's unlikely, isn't it?"

Some swordsmen, who were not familiar with these matters, found it hard to believe upon hearing this. After all, it was the work of the "Water Pillar" master himself, and even the worst of his disciples would not be so bad as to be unable to survive.

"It's true."

The swordsman who first answered with the name of the mountain range spoke softly: "Although Lord Urokodaki is powerful as a Pillar, as a Trainer, he may not be so good at teaching and imparting skills."

"Indeed, if I were that good at teaching disciples, I wouldn't have failed the swordsman assessment of 'Mount Fujikasa'."

The swordsman beside him nodded in agreement.

"However, since we've arrived near 'Mount Kyoku,' why don't we ask Lord Urokodaki for help? Lord Urokodaki is extremely skilled at searching for demons. With his help, killing an ordinary demon will be a piece of cake."

A swordsman suddenly made a suggestion.

Involuntarily, everyone's eyes turned to the leader, Hiroshi Furukawa.

Although this ghost-hunting mission belonged to their team, asking for help from their superiors would be somewhat embarrassing, but slaying the evil spirits was undoubtedly more important than losing face.

"OK."

Almost without hesitation, Hiroshi Furukawa immediately nodded.

The ghost still had the blood of their companions on its hands. No matter what, they had to kill the ghost first and avenge their companions.