"This rusty knife is mine."
"I assure you, I will use the polishing technique passed down through generations of the Haganezuka family to polish it perfectly."
At this moment, Tanjiro and the others finally understood what "Leave it to me" meant earlier.
Young Kotetsu was somewhat dissatisfied and said in a low voice.
"Wouldn't it have been better if you had explained this earlier?"
"We have a relationship of trust, why are you acting like robbers?"
"Mr. Haganezuka only knows one line, he's like an idiot."
Although his voice was very soft, it was still heard by Haganezuka.
He grabbed Kotetsu by the collar and casually lifted him up.
"What did you say, you little dwarf?"
Upon seeing this, the others immediately shouted.
"Creepy armpits, creaky armpits!"
Chapter 464 The Missing Tetsutaro
Fortunately, with the help of others, Haganezuka was eventually subdued.
After completing their training, the group returned to the village.
Tanjiro, in particular, who hadn't had a proper rest in a long time, immediately took a long nap.
"So, isn't what happened yesterday a bit outrageous?"
While eating his rice ball, Tanjiro spoke to Genya Shinazugawa beside him.
"The knife will take a long time to be sharpened, and there's nothing I can do right now."
"I've heard that that grinding method has even caused deaths, I'm really worried."
"But I said I wouldn't peek, so should I go or not? I'm so conflicted."
The veins on his forehead bulged, and Genya Shinazugawa's patience had reached its limit.
"Who cares about you? Get out! Don't talk to me like we're friends!"
"If you interrupt my conversation with Mister Scribe again, I'll smash your mouth in!"
As he spoke, he turned to the Mister Scribe.
"Sir, regarding this matter..."
The speed of the change in attitude surprised even the Scribe.
"You've got a real talent for acting."
"What?"
"It's nothing, I was just complimenting you."
With a wave of his hand, the Scribe changed the subject.
Tanjiro, seeing this, showed no sign of stopping.
One minute they'll say, "Aren't we friends?" The next minute they'll ask, "Want some pancakes?"
Genya Shinazugawa was completely overwhelmed and couldn't calm down at all.
"I can't take it anymore!"
I'm going to gag you!
With that, he lunged at Tanjiro.
However, Tanjiro dodged, Genya Shinazugawa's attack missed.
"Hey, didn't you lose your front tooth? How come it's grown back?"
Tanjiro felt around in his pocket and took out a cloth bag.
Upon opening it, there was indeed a human tooth inside.
"Look, I still have it. Here, take it back."
"What are you doing, you little rascal? It's disgusting!"
Tanjiro was somewhat bewildered after being repeatedly insulted by Genya Shinazugawa.
"Sigh, I'm just returning your lost things to you."
"Why are you still angry? I really don't understand."
Seeing this heartwarming scene, the Scribe smiled.
Nezuko wanted to dissuade him, but didn't know where to begin.
Looking up at the moon in the sky, a hint of melancholy flashed in Scribe's eyes.
"Judging by the time, it should be about right."
Sure enough, early the next morning, the village chief, Tetsukawara Tessen, sent someone to invite the Scribe to be his guest.
Inside the room, Tiezhen told him that the preparations were complete.
"Mister Scribe, I have gathered more than 90% of the swordsmiths."
"We also sent people to check on the others who weren't in the village, and they should be back today."
The Scribe nodded and said.
"Okay, let's begin today."
"Yes."
After leaving the house, Tie Zhen instructed his subordinates to inform the knife makers.
Soon, the village's knifemakers gathered in front of a medical room.
Although the group was puzzled by the sudden "physical examination," they did not suspect anything further.
After all, the Swordsmith Village holds similar group activities every year.
Where does it hurt?
Have you had a headache lately?
"Let me lift your hair and see if there are any signs of baldness."
Inside the medical room, the doctor asked questions while recording the answers from the person opposite him.
After obtaining the other party's physical data, he would get up and walk into the room next door.
Not long after, when he came out again, he would nod to the inspector.
"The inspection is passed, there's nothing wrong. You can go now and let the next person in."
In the adjacent room, the Scribe observed each inspector who entered through the peephole.
Once the doctor comes in, he will hand him a slip of paper.
It clearly states my judgment of the inspector.
"Safe" or "Questionable"
Fortunately, so far, the Scribe has not found any "questionable" knifemakers.
As time went by, the knife maker finished inspecting each one.
The Scribe still hadn't found anything suspicious.
"Alright, Kotetsu, you're the last one. You've passed."
"Yay!"
With a cheer, Kotetsu jumped off the chair and skipped away.
"Crunch"
The door opened, Scribe came out from the next room.
"Are these all the swordsmiths?"
"Let me take a look."
The doctor said earnestly, flipping through the booklet in his hand.
"Everyone in the village has passed the test, and there are still some people outside."
He handed the booklet to the Scribe and explained.
"These are the reports of the remaining people; you can take a look."
He took it and began to read it Scribe by word.
"Gangmaru, acceptable."
"Nushili, qualified." (Reading by La)
"Tetsutaro, still not found?"
When reading the last name, the Scribe's attention was drawn to the words "not found".
"What's the deal with this Tetsutaro?"
"Tetsutaro?"
Upon hearing the name, the doctor curiously leaned over.
"He wasn't found? What's going on? His leave to go home and visit his family has long passed."
"I see."
The Scribe shoved the booklet back into the doctor's hands and gave him instructions.
"Don't tell anyone else."
After leaving those words, he hurriedly departed.
When the Scribe found Tetsukawara Tessen Tetsuchigawara again, he asked him about "Tetsutaro".
"Tetsutaro?"
Upon hearing the Scribe suddenly ask about the name, Tie Zhen quickly began to think.
"I only recently found out that he still has a relative who is still alive."
"He contacted me a while ago, saying he wanted to visit his mother who was still seriously ill."
"But that shouldn't be the case. This child of his is usually completely..."
Before Tiezhen could finish speaking, Scribe interrupted him.
"Since it's your elderly mother who's still recovering from a serious illness, she must be in some city. What's her name?"
"Name?"
After muttering to himself for a moment, Tie Zhen lowered his head slightly, as if he was trying hard to think about something.
But the more he thought about it, the more he felt that there were many things he couldn't explain.
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead and dripped onto the tatami mat.
"I... I don't know."
"Tetsutaro never mentioned his mother's name, nor where she lived, to me."
"It's as if this person doesn't exist at all!"
At this point, Tie Zhen's voice was trembling.
"It seems you've noticed something's wrong too."
With a cold laugh, Scribe stood up and looked at the sun slowly setting in the distance.
"I'll do it right away..."
"Is it too late?"