How much time had passed...?
"Are we there yet?"
"We’re almost there~."
Escanor, Gyutaro, Kanae, and Shinobu were making their way through a maze-like forest to meet the head of the Demon Slayer Corps, Ubuyashiki.
"Ees~ I’m bored~."
Ume, still nestled in Escanor’s arms, idly played with his beard as she complained.
"Ume... I’d appreciate it if you’d stop touching my beard... And more importantly, have you been calling me Ees this whole time? Are you mocking me?"
For reasons he couldn’t understand, ever since that incident, Ume had been calling Escanor by a shortened version of his name.
"But your name is too long~. And I can call you whatever I want, can’t I~? Hehe..."
"...Hah. Do as you please."
Escanor gave up.
"There! We’ve arrived!"
At Kanae’s call, everyone lifted their heads in the direction she pointed.
Gyutaro and Ume seemed surprised by the fairly large mansion, but Escanor showed no particular reaction.
'It’s much smaller than a royal castle.'
Thinking that to himself, Escanor followed Kanae’s guidance and arrived at a certain courtyard.
"This is..."
"The head of the family will be coming here personally soon. Would you mind waiting here until then?"
At Kanae’s words, Escanor let out a long sigh.
"Hoo... I already know you lot act as you please, so I don’t mind. Do whatever you want."
After saying that, Escanor looked at Ume and Gyutaro.
"Wow~! It’s huge!"
"Ume... Don’t run or you’ll fall..."
The two of them seemed to like the place.
Escanor only smiled warmly as he watched them.
"...You seem to care for those two quite a bit."
Seeing that, Kanae spoke to Escanor, and Escanor answered her question.
"Care for them...? Yes, I suppose so."
Escanor replied with a smile brighter than any he had shown before.
"They are precious family."
"...Fufu. So you can make that sort of expression too?"
"Tch..."
As they continued with such trivial small talk...
"Are you the man who killed an Upper Rank?"
"Hm?"
A loud voice rang out. Escanor turned around and saw a man with long hair mixed with yellow and red, thick eyebrows, and a cloak that reminded him of flames.
"And who might you be...?"
"Ah, forgive my rudeness! I am Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps!"
"I am Escanor. Remember it."
After the two introduced themselves, Kanae and Shinobu also noticed Rengoku and came over to greet him.
"Oh my! Kyojuro!"
"Kanae. It seems your mission was a success! And I’m glad Shinobu looks unharmed as well."
"Oh, please. Don’t even ask. He was so arrogant and refused to listen to a word anyone said... Fighting an oni would’ve been easier, honestly."
"Hahaha! Is that so? You’ve had a hard time of it!"
"...More are coming, I see."
At Escanor’s words, Rengoku smiled and answered, "They’re probably the other Hashira."
At that, Escanor looked puzzled.
"Other Hashira? Just now there was the Flame Hashira, and before that the Flower Hashira... What exactly are these Hashira?"
"I’ll explain."
Kanae answered Escanor’s question.
"The Hashira are the nine highest-ranking swordsmen in the Demon Slayer Corps. Ordinary members die easily when hunting oni, but the Hashira are different. As the pillars supporting the Demon Slayer Corps, we can kill most oni with ease."
"Oh..."
Then Kanae’s eyes shone as she looked at Escanor and said, "But! Even among the Hashira, no one has ever taken down an Upper Rank! The Upper Ranks have remained unchanged for decades. The one who killed Upper Rank Six was you, Escanor!"
"...That brat was really that strong?"
As Escanor voiced his doubt, a voice came from the mansion.
"Indeed it was."
"?"
Following the voice, they saw a man emerge. He had something hideous on his forehead.
"...And who are you?"
When Escanor asked that, Rengoku, Kanae, and Shinobu suddenly dropped to one knee and straightened their posture.
"We greet you, Master."
At that sight, Gyutaro stared openly at the head of the family, while Ume hid behind Escanor.
"That’s the head of the family...? He’s uglier than me..."
"What, what? Is he someone important...?"
"....."
Escanor silently stared at the man called the head of the family.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Escanor. I am Ubuyashiki Kagaya, the head of the Demon Slayer Corps."
"...I am Escanor."
The atmosphere remained colder than expected.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register