The First Flower Pillar; Hidden Mission Triggered / A World of Muscles; The Brutal Smelting Process

I've decided. From now on, the Demon Slayer Corps will adopt Scribe's plan.

Slamming a hand onto the table, the frail Kagaya shouted.

The Demon Slayer Corps will undergo a historic reform starting today!

As soon as he finished speaking, the physically weak Kagaya broke into a fit of coughing.

The fact that he was so excited showed just how much Kagaya recognized and agreed with Scribe's ideas.

Since you devised this system, Scribe, how do you think the ranks should be divided?

After taking a sip of water to recover, Kagaya asked for Scribe's opinion.

Ten ranks. Kinoe shall be the highest, and Mizunoto the lowest.

Above those ten ranks will be the Pillars, who serve as the Corps' supports.

Kagaya nodded seriously, equally approving of this ranking system.

Do you have any other ideas?

Nodding, Scribe began sketching on another sheet of paper.

Before they knew it, he and Kagaya had discussed many things.

The more they spoke, the more Ubuyashiki Kagaya felt how extraordinary Scribe was.

Though he was only eight years old, he saw more clearly than Kagaya himself, someone who had held a high position for years.

It made him immensely happy, as though he had found a friend who transcended generations.

After reaching a consensus, Scribe wrote several large words at the top of a sheet of paper.

Demon Slayer Corps Logistics Division: Kakushi.

This signified the formal establishment of the Kakushi.

For several days in a row, Scribe and Ubuyashiki Kagaya remained in the room discussing matters.

Whether they were things Kagaya had considered before or things he had not, they discussed them with solemn seriousness.

As for the five Pillars, who were not skilled in such matters, they had already left on the second day.

Once the discussions were complete, Ubuyashiki Kagaya even bestowed the title of Demon Slayer Corps Chief Strategist upon the eight-year-old Scribe.

As long as Scribe lived, that title would never be given to anyone else.

Once their talks were finished, Kagaya could hardly wait to put the final plan into action.

As for Scribe, he intended to get some proper rest.

After sleeping soundly, Scribe stepped out of his room and suddenly noticed the sunlight outside.

Sunlight? Nichirin Blades?

As though recalling something, he clenched his right hand into a fist and struck his left palm.

Now that I'm an official member, I need a Nichirin Blade of my own.

After submitting a request to Ubuyashiki Kagaya, Scribe was quickly granted approval.

Normally, the Demon Slayer Corps would place the ore it had mined before its members and let them choose.

However, if a member wished to gather materials personally, that was perfectly acceptable as well.

After packing his things and fastening a wooden sword at his waist, Scribe left the familiar little house once more.

This time, his destination was Sunlight Mountain, the source of Nichirin Blade materials!

The First Flower Hashira, Hidden Mission Triggered

After waiting by the main gate for a while, Scribe looked somewhat confused.

He had never been to Sunlight Mountain and had no idea which route led there.

Besides, this was not a mission issued by the system, so there were no hints at all.

Just as he wondered whether he should ask Ubuyashiki Kagaya for a guide, someone suddenly called out behind him.

When he turned around, Rengoku Tōshirō, with his flame-colored hair, and the female Water Hashira were walking toward him.

After a brief conversation, Scribe told the two of them that he wanted to go to Sunlight Mountain.

Sunlight Mountain? That isn't on the way to where I'm headed.

Rubbing his chin with his right hand, Tōshirō seemed to be hesitating over whether he should first take Scribe to Sunlight Mountain.

If he took a detour, there was a chance he would fail his mission.

But letting someone who had never been there go to Sunlight Mountain alone was clearly out of the question.

Just then, Tōshirō's eyes suddenly lit up.

With a flash of movement, he pushed the person behind him forward.

Only then did Scribe notice that there was another woman following behind them.

She looked seventeen or eighteen. Her hair was pinned up behind her head in the shape of flower petals, and her clothes were decorated with cherry blossom patterns.

Mie, the mission has changed. Take him to Sunlight Mountain right now.

Laughing heartily, Tōshirō patted Inoue Mie's shoulder without the slightest concern for how much trouble this would cause her.

Flame Pillar, this mission was ordered by Master! I was supposed to carry it out alongside the two Pillars!

Somewhat angry, Inoue Mie pouted and stomped her foot in complaint.

This mission concerns whether I can be promoted to Pillar rank!

Scribe raised an eyebrow, immediately becoming interested.

One of the reforms he and Kagaya had discussed was increasing the number of Pillars from five to nine.

From Inoue Mie's words, it sounded as though she was one of the candidates.

And someone who could work alongside the Flame Pillar and Water Hashira, aside from the Love Breathing user who would only appear centuries later, should be a user of Flower Breathing.

Though he was not completely certain, Scribe felt there was a ninety-percent chance his guess was correct.

After all, under normal circumstances, each Pillar used a different Breathing Technique.

The five basic Breathing Techniques already had Pillars, so they could only select talented people from users of derivative Breathing Techniques.

Only after Tōshirō and the Water Hashira jointly soothed her did Inoue Mie reluctantly agree to take on the errand.

Then it's settled. You two Pillars must explain everything clearly to Master.

Holding up her little fists, Inoue Mie put on a threatening expression.

Laughing, Tōshirō said that he would explain things properly.

Seeing that Inoue Mie had been persuaded, Tōshirō spoke to Scribe again.

Mie is a user of Flower Breathing, one of the derivative Breathing Techniques. She's a swordswoman worth trusting.

Scribe's heart tightened. He knew he had guessed right.

The woman before him was the First Flower Hashira, a user of Flower Breathing.

After calling out to the Water Hashira, Tōshirō and the other man left.

Watching the two depart, Inoue Mie did not forget to complain.

Seriously, I'm clearly the Water Hashira's subordinate, but every time, it ends up looking like I'm the Flame Pillar's subordinate.

Shrugging, Scribe knew that this was already normal for Tōshirō.

Isn't that just how the Rengoku Family is?

After seeing the two off, Inoue Mie turned and smiled at Scribe.

Letting someone she had just met see her true self made even this female swordswoman feel a little embarrassed.

Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Inoue Mie, a user of Flower Breathing.

Scribe, a user of Sun Breathing.

Upon hearing Scribe state his name, Inoue Mie's beautiful eyes suddenly widened.

With a startled cry, her eyes were filled with shock.

After becoming a Pillar candidate, she had naturally learned many things she had not known before.

Naturally, she also knew about Scribe, the key figure behind the Demon Slayer Corps' recent reforms.

She had assumed Scribe would be a tall young man in his twenties, or perhaps a steady middle-aged man in his thirties or forties.

But now, the eight-year-old Scribe had given her an enormous shock.

At such a young age, he was already a core figure in the Demon Slayer Corps. Inoue Mie could not help wondering whether she had wasted the past dozen years of her life.

Am I not quite what you imagined?

Scribe chuckled, seeing through Inoue Mie's thoughts.

Her thoughts having been exposed, Mie's face reddened, and a trace of shyness rose to her cheeks.

She pressed her lips together and waved both little hands wildly through the air, looking flustered.

Smiling and shaking his head, Scribe said nothing and walked straight out the gate.

Seeing this, Inoue Mie hurried after him and called out loudly.

Hey, wait for me, Master Scribe!

Hearing himself addressed that way for the first time, even Scribe was startled.

He stumbled, nearly falling flat on his face.

During their journey to Sunlight Mountain, Scribe had to work hard before he finally convinced Inoue Mie to stop calling him Master Scribe.

It was not that he could not accept such a form of address. It was simply that having a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl call an eight-year-old like him Master always made him feel strange inside.

Nodding in satisfaction, Scribe finally turned his attention to Sunlight Mountain.

After walking for so long, they were almost at their destination.

After observing the surroundings, Inoue Mie pointed out the direction of Sunlight Mountain.

Following her finger, Scribe saw a towering peak that rose into the clouds.

There was not a single cloud above Sunlight Mountain. The sky was clear for miles, and sunlight could reach every part of the mountain without a single blind spot.

It could be said that everything produced on this mountain contained the power of the sun!

And the raw materials for Nichirin Blades came from this very mountain.

Having seen Sunlight Mountain with his own eyes, Scribe was certain that this was the place he had been searching for.

There should be a small Demon Slayer Corps outpost not far ahead.

Shielding her eyes with her right hand as she looked ahead, Inoue Mie said excitedly.

Right over there!

Sure enough, a small village appeared several hundred meters ahead.

The two exchanged looks and both picked up their pace.

After traveling for so long, they wanted to find somewhere to rest properly as well.

The moment he stepped into the village, the system's voice suddenly rang out in Scribe's mind again.

A hidden mission has been unlocked after detecting that the host has entered the range of Sunlight Mountain.

What? A hidden stage?

The first time he encountered a hidden mission, even Scribe was stunned for a moment.

Seeing how strange Scribe looked, Inoue Mie tilted her head and asked.