Demon Slayer: Starting with the Great Swordmaster System, My Mentor Is Tsugikuni

Covering her mouth, Tamayo's eyes reddened as she endured the most agonizing wait of her life.

She understood that she could no longer remain so despondent, but she also feared that she would not be able to hold on by herself.

That was why she hoped to obtain something from Scribe.

A source of motivation, someone to lean on, a sliver of hope.

With a faint smile, Scribe walked over to Tamayo's side and sat down.

He reached out and slowly wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes.

"Of course. Didn't we make that promise sixty years ago?"

The moment she heard those words, Tamayo's tears burst forth like a collapsed dam, pouring wildly from her eyes.

"Waaahhh!"

She threw herself into Scribe's arms and burst into loud sobs.

At that moment, Scribe knew that the knot in Tamayo's heart had finally come undone.

Muzan's Regret, Kokushibo's Bewilderment

Patting Tamayo's head as she lay in his arms, Scribe said nothing and offered no comfort.

He knew that some things only needed to be cried out.

Who knew how long passed before Tamayo's sobs gradually weakened.

By the time the crying stopped completely, Tamayo's eyes had long since closed, and she had drifted into sleep.

More than sixty years of fleeing had finally come to an end today.

The pressure she had accumulated was released all at once. Even Tamayo succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep.

She shifted her head slightly, seemingly finding a comfortable position in Scribe's arms.

A smile she had never worn before graced her lips. At that moment, Tamayo only wanted to sleep soundly in this warm embrace.

Scribe looked at Tamayo, who was softly snoring in his arms, then at the rabbit beside them, which was nearly done roasting.

He sighed helplessly.

"At least let me eat something first."

It seemed he could not escape being a human pillow.

As he smiled bitterly, the notification for completing the mission suddenly rang out.

Mission: Go to Faye Village and uncover the true identity of the thieving demon. Completed.

Congratulations, Host. Clear World unlocked (2/3).

When Scribe heard the reward for completing this mission, his brows rose.

He had not expected the reward to be the long-awaited Clear World unlock.

The first time he had received this reward had been decades ago, when he slaughtered the hundred demons.

But then he understood.

In the original story, Tamayo had made an irreplaceable contribution to Muzan's defeat. An FVP support like her deserved such a reward.

Tamayo slept for an entire day.

Her nose twitched slightly before she slowly opened her eyes.

Looking at the broad leaves above her, Tamayo realized that she seemed to be lying inside a small tent made of leaves.

At that moment, Scribe suddenly poked his head inside.

"You're awake. Come out and have something to eat."

Tamayo nodded, got up, and stepped out of the leaf tent.

It was still nighttime outside, but the charcoal ash in the campfire showed that it was already the next day.

Handing Tamayo a wooden bowl, Scribe smiled.

"The rabbit got burnt last night, so there's only fish soup now."

The fish soup in the bowl was faintly milky white, with some wild vegetables and mushrooms floating on top.

It was clear that Scribe had put considerable effort into this meal.

"Thank you."

Her face reddening slightly, Tamayo began sipping the fish soup in small mouthfuls.

She knew that what Scribe had done for her went far beyond this.

He had built a leaf tent on the spot so that she could sleep well while avoiding the danger of sunlight.

The fish soup was not as simple as it appeared either; it contained herbs that would help her body recover quickly.

It was the first time anyone had treated her this way, and Tamayo felt warmth fill her heart.

Seeing how happily Tamayo ate, Scribe finally relaxed.

He himself had never expected that master-level culinary skills would come in handy at a time like this.

It was thanks to this ability that he had made a fish soup with an extremely potent healing effect on demons.

After drinking several bowls of fish soup, Tamayo suddenly spoke.

"Scribe, you've never told me what you've been doing these past sixty years."

Now that they had become partners, Tamayo hoped to learn more about Scribe.

"Huh? I never told you?"

Scratching his head, Scribe laughed heartily.

"It was nothing much. Most of the time, I just ate, slept, and chased evil demons."

Though his description of himself consisted of only seven simple words, Tamayo caught the key point in Scribe's words.

Though she had never seen Scribe fight, Tamayo's intuition told her—

Scribe's strength now was actually close to Yoriichi's back then.

How many demons in this world could make someone of that level chase after them rather than simply kill them?

At that moment, Tamayo suddenly understood why Scribe showed no fear toward Muzan whatsoever.

It was not only because he relied on his immense strength, but also because he had been chasing the man for decades.

While Scribe and Tamayo chatted, in another barren, uninhabited mountain range, Muzan stood before a massive cave, seemingly waiting for something.

Muzan looked utterly miserable now. His pale face had turned pitch-black, and his lips were swollen like giant sausages.

He looked like an African black guy.

His body was covered in scorch marks, and the air was filled with the stench of burnt protein.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

Muzan stomped his foot viciously, his face twisted with madness.

He could not understand why this had happened to him.

Ever since that night in the bamboo grove, he had done his utmost to avoid showing himself in public.

But why had he encountered that guy while feeding?

That Demon Slayer could also use the Breathing Technique known as Sun Breathing.

To prevent his whereabouts from being exposed and drawing Tsugikuni Yoriichi's pursuit, he had not fought back, continuing to focus on evasion and stalling for time.

But damn it, that bastard had chased him for a full sixty years!

Over those sixty years, the other man's appearance had not changed in the slightest!

Muzan had even once suspected that the man might be a demon who had broken free of his control.

If he had not luckily shaken off the pursuit a few months ago, Muzan had no idea how much longer this game of chase would have continued.

Fortunately, Kokushibo had said he had good news for him.

After telling him the location of ***, Muzan arrived first.

A while later, Kokushibo appeared.

"You're telling the truth? That man, Tsugikuni Yoriichi, is dead?!"

Upon receiving such good news, Muzan immediately broke into a grin.

Now that Yoriichi was dead, as long as he outlasted that brat and had Kokushibo deal with the Demon Slayer who had chased him for sixty years, there would no longer be anyone in the world capable of using Sun Breathing.

At that point, he would be the strongest!

Seeing Muzan suddenly overjoyed, Kokushibo paused before speaking hesitantly.

"However, there is one more thing I must tell you, my lord."

Kokushibo then told Muzan about Scribe.

After hearing it, Muzan was dumbfounded.

That strange Demon Slayer who had chased him for sixty years was actually the brat who had been by Yoriichi's side back then.

He remembered it clearly: that brat had been a pure human.

If that was the case, why had he not aged in sixty years?

Thinking of his miserable life over the past sixty years, Muzan immediately questioned Kokushibo about why he had not killed Scribe on the night he became a demon.

Kokushibo's face changed in surprise as he said, "Didn't you suddenly summon me back then?"

Muzan froze, suddenly remembering that it really had been him who called Kokushibo back.

"I thought you had already killed him!"

"But my lord, I never explicitly said that I had. And afterward, you never asked me about it either."

The moment Muzan heard this, he was dumbfounded.

At that moment, his heart was filled with regret.

Indeed, back then, he had only heard explosion after explosion and assumed the battle was already over.

Because he trusted Kokushibo, he had not asked any further questions afterward.

Yet he had never expected things to end up like this.

Thinking of how he had lived these past sixty years, Muzan felt an ache in his kidneys.

Though he had made Scribe waste sixty years for nothing, leaving him with almost no improvement during that time—

had Muzan not been delayed as well? The wounds on his body had not diminished; instead, they had only increased.

And judging from Kokushibo's words, Scribe had merely failed to pursue him for a few months, yet his strength had already improved considerably.

Coupled with the possibility that the man did not age, Muzan could already imagine how terrifying Scribe would be several centuries from now.

Gritting his teeth, Muzan snorted coldly and said to Kokushibo, "Leave Scribe's matter alone for now. Come with me.

"If this succeeds, we won't need to worry about Breathing Technique swordsmen anymore."

Though somewhat puzzled, Kokushibo knew this was why Muzan had summoned him here.

For Upper Rank One and the Progenitor of Demons to appear together, the importance of this matter to demons went without saying.

He nodded and followed Muzan into the cave.