Seeing this, Tanjiro cried out anxiously, "No! Please don't hurt Nezuko! She won't hurt anyone!"
When he saw the other Hashira looking at Nezuko's wooden box with such hostility, fear gripped him.
Right then, Luke's tall figure was the only thing that gave him even a shred of security. Every other Hashira seemed hostile toward Nezuko.
The Sound Hashira had originally said he would speak up for Tanjiro, but his injuries were too severe. The Master had ordered him to recover first, so he could not attend today's meeting.
"I've met Tanjiro's sister. Just as he says, she has never eaten a human and will not harm people. During last night's battle on Mount Natagumo, she fought Demons bravely and protected quite a few Demon Slayers."
Luke added, "The Sound Hashira can testify to that as well, though unfortunately, he isn't here today."
"Hah? Do you even know what you're saying?"
The Wind Hashira was furious. If not for the possibility that the Master might appear at any moment, he would already have attacked. "A Demon that won't hurt humans? No such Demon exists in this world. Oh, right, I remember now. You seem to have brought other Demons here too."
"Why not hear what the Master has to say first?"
Luke let go. The Wind Hashira, who had been straining too hard, staggered. "You can make your move now, but I already promised Tanjiro that I would protect his sister. If you attack, you make an enemy of me."
As the words fell, the calm aura around him stirred. No longer a still abyss, it became a raging tsunami. An invisible pressure bore down on the Wind Hashira, disrupting his breathing for an instant.
Boom—
A massive war hammer struck the ground with a dull crash.
The Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima, had intervened. Tears filled his eyes. "Please do not argue before the Master. Comrades fighting one another is far too tragic."
The Stone Hashira held considerable authority within the Demon Slayer Corps. Seeing him speak, Sanemi Shinazugawa released the hilt of his sword, though he did not continue toward the box.
He could feel that the newly appointed Thunder Hashira was serious. If he persisted, the other man would strike, and a fight to the death would be unavoidable.
More importantly, the Stone Hashira's words had brought him back to his senses. A figure was already approaching from the far end of the corridor.
It was the Master.
The Hashira all dropped to one knee and bowed their heads in respect. Luke was the only one who did not move, making him stand out conspicuously from the crowd.
Though the Master could not see, he seemed to sense the strange atmosphere. He smiled, showing no concern for Luke's apparent breach of etiquette. "Another Hashira Meeting, half a year later. Though Tengen is recovering from his injuries and could not attend, seeing that all of you are still safe and well fills me with great joy."
This was Luke's first time seeing the Master of the Demon Slayer Corps. It was different from watching anime. In reality, someone who had truly been disfigured looked frightening. Yet the Master indeed possessed an unusual quality that made people instinctively unable to dislike him.
His voice was special, too. It was hard to describe, but upon hearing it, Luke felt light and relaxed all over, unable to stop himself from feeling favorably toward the man.
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Luke used his scouting skill to inspect the Master's attributes. His total physical attributes did not even reach five points, and he was afflicted by a whole pile of negative conditions from illness. Yet the Master's mental attribute was not low at all, reaching twenty-five points, while his Charisma was an astonishing forty points!
Luke could not help touching his own face. He considered himself reasonably good-looking, yet his Charisma was only six points. Did Charisma not depend entirely on appearance?
"I heard the argument between Sanemi and Luke just now. I gathered everyone here today to explain several matters, one of which concerns Tanjiro's sister, Nezuko."
The Master's voice was calm and gentle. As he spoke, every Hashira lowered their eyes, and no one interrupted.
"Regarding Nezuko, I have already heard the details from Luke and Tengen. She performed exceptionally in battle against Demons and is not a Demon harmful to humans. This has already been proven."
The Master continued, "Tanjiro's teacher, the former Water Hashira Sakonji Urokodaki, and the current Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka have jointly offered their guarantee. You may all rest assured."
"Master."
The Wind Hashira raised his head. "Forgive my bluntness, but how can they guarantee that Nezuko will not harm people?"
Giyu Tomioka stood off to one side, his eyes fixed straight ahead as if everything before him had nothing to do with him. He did not respond to Tanjiro's grateful gaze either.
"If Nezuko loses control and harms a human in the future, the former Water Hashira and the current Water Hashira will commit seppuku in atonement."
The Master asked, "Is that guarantee strong enough?"
At those words, the Hashira present were all shocked. Still, they could no longer press the issue of Nezuko.
Two respected Hashira had offered their guarantee. If they kept harping on it, they would be showing them no respect at all. Even so, they had not truly accepted Nezuko and Tanjiro in their hearts. They would wait and observe.
The Wind Hashira remained deeply unconvinced. He knew how difficult it was for Demons to suppress their urge to eat humans. Even his own mother had been no exception; she had killed every one of her children except him and his younger brother.
He had wanted to use his rare blood to demonstrate to everyone that Nezuko would be unable to resist. But he felt the threatening look in the Thunder Hashira's eyes and could only abandon the idea.
"It seems no one has any further objections to this matter. Then I shall speak of the second matter."
The Master smiled. "This matter also concerns a Demon. The Thunder Hashira discovered her in Asakusa and brought her back."
Then he turned toward the room behind him. "Miss Tamayo, please come out. There is no sunlight beneath the eaves right now."
Although the Hashira had heard bits and pieces before arriving, hearing it from the Master's own mouth still shocked them. They all watched the door warily.
The door slid open. A beautiful woman in a traditional kimono sat kneeling inside. Once the door was open, she bowed to everyone. "It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Tamayo, and I hope we can work well together from now on."
"Master, you absolutely cannot do this!"
"How can we cooperate with a Demon?!"
"Letting a human-eating Demon into the estate is far too reckless! If this place is exposed, the Master will be in danger!"
"Let me eliminate this threat first!"
"Master, please stay away from her!"
Upon seeing Tamayo, the Hashira cried out in alarm. Some even rose to their feet, looking ready to attack.
The Master, however, remained unruffled. He had his wife Amane take Tamayo's hand and lead her a little closer before continuing his introduction. "Miss Tamayo is an extraordinarily skilled physician. She will help us develop a medicine to deal with Muzan Kibutsuji, increasing our chances of victory."
"What?"
Even the irritable Wind Hashira was distracted by that. "Have we found Muzan's location?"
"Can she really develop medicine to deal with Muzan?"
The Serpent Hashira locked his eyes on Tamayo, his voice full of suspicion.
The others likely had the same two questions in mind. They looked toward the Master, waiting for his answer.
"Please remain calm. I will explain everything one point at a time."
The Master raised a hand, signaling for everyone not to get so worked up. "First, like Nezuko, Miss Tamayo has partially broken free of Muzan Kibutsuji's control. Muzan cannot know her movements, so she will not expose our location."
"And Mr. Yushiro is a new Demon whom Miss Tamayo spent several centuries creating. He has no connection to Muzan either."
The Master continued, "Second, Miss Tamayo truly is a highly skilled physician. She has practiced medicine for centuries and saved many people, so there is no need to doubt either her expertise or her stance."
Then he turned his sightless gaze toward Luke. "Finally, Miss Tamayo was discovered and brought back by the Thunder Hashira. He has offered me the same guarantee as before."
Everyone turned toward Luke in surprise. They could not understand how he dared offer such a guarantee for a Demon he had known for only a few days.
They could understand Giyu Tomioka and Sakonji Urokodaki guaranteeing Tanjiro and his sister. They had known each other for years, belonged to the same school, understood the siblings well, and had personal ties to them.
But was Luke really that bold? What would he do if these two Demons truly ate humans?
"Mr. Luke..."
Not only the Hashira, but Tamayo herself was startled by the Master's words. She had never expected Luke to stake his life as a guarantee for her, and she was deeply moved.
At the same time, she could feel the Demon Slayer Corps Master's trust in her. He had accepted Luke's guarantee. Luke was likely the Corps' strongest combatant now; if the Master did not believe she was safe, he would never have agreed.
"Words are pale and powerless, but I still ask that you believe me for now. I will devote all my efforts to my research and develop a medicine that can kill Muzan as soon as possible."
Tamayo performed a deep bow toward the Hashira. "I, Tamayo, will never betray the trust that the Master and Mr. Luke have placed in me."
The Master smiled and turned his gaze toward Shinobu Kocho. "Shinobu, I leave this matter to you and your people."
Shinobu Kocho's gaze toward Tamayo was filled with hostility, but for the Master's sake, she still nodded. "I will develop this new medicine together with Miss Tamayo."
"Master, have we found Muzan Kibutsuji now?"
Seeing that matter settled, the Stone Hashira spoke up. It was also what every Hashira wanted to know.
The Master smiled. "That is the third matter we will discuss today. Let our newly joined Thunder Hashira explain it."
Luke stepped forward. "I found Muzan in Asakusa."
Those words set every Hashira present ablaze. Even Giyu Tomioka and the Mist Hashira looked toward Luke, their eyes locked on him as they waited for what came next.
"Big Brother Luke found Muzan?! Did you fight him?!"
Tanjiro could not contain himself and blurted it out excitedly. Muzan was the Demon he wanted to kill most. If not for Muzan, his family should still have been living happily on the mountain with Nezuko.
Luke shook his head. "I only saw him. There were too many civilians in Asakusa, so I did not act rashly. And based on the intelligence I obtained afterward from fighting Upper Rank Five, Muzan likely possesses an otherworldly castle that he can hide inside at any time. Unless we can kill him in one blow, there is nothing we can do to him."
Luke's words shocked Tamayo and left her with lingering fear. She had not known Muzan was in Asakusa. She had practiced medicine there for the past few years, practically dancing on a knife's edge.
"An otherworldly castle?"
The Serpent Hashira frowned. "I've seen Blood Demon Arts that can manipulate space, but they were all easy to break. Are you saying Muzan has an otherworldly space as vast as a city, one he can enter and leave at any time?"
They had no reason to doubt Luke's intelligence. He had killed two Upper Ranks and encountered Muzan himself, so it was only natural that he knew more.
That was the advantage of Luke's status and reputation. He was already a Hashira, and no one knew the details of his battles. Whatever he said went.
"Yes. Let's call it the Infinity Castle for now. Based on my deductions, if Muzan is prepared, that castle can open doors anywhere, pulling in or sending out humans and Demons. It is a very troublesome ability."
Luke continued, "If we cannot find a way to restrain Muzan or enter the Infinity Castle, then we basically have no way to deal with him."
Because of the Explorers, the original plot had already been thrown completely into chaos. Luke could not think of a good way to kill Muzan right now either, so he wanted to hear what the nine Hashira and the Master had in mind.
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