The Demon Slayer Corps Turned Out to Be an Illegal Armed Organization

In the end, faced with the sisters' unwavering determination, Gyomei Himejima agreed to the two girls' request. At the same time, Yu Luo finally learned their names. The gentle one was the older sister, Kanae Kocho, while the younger sister was Shinobu Kocho.

"See your parents off one last time." Sitting in the corridor, Yu Luo said to the Kocho sisters, "They were good people. What a shame."

Looking at the two mangled corpses lying in the courtyard, grief overwhelmed the sisters. Just half a day ago, their family had still been happily together, enjoying the warmth of home. Now, they had been separated by life and death.

"Wah... Father... Mother..." The sisters threw themselves onto the broken bodies and wept bitterly, tears streaming down their cheeks. Yu Luo felt heavy-hearted. If he had been stronger, if he had found the demon's trail earlier, perhaps this tragedy would never have happened.

Gyomei Himejima lowered his head, fingering his prayer beads with his right hand as he murmured what seemed to be prayers for the couple's souls. Two trails of tears also ran down his face. By the time the moon hung high overhead, the sisters' voices had become hoarse from crying, reduced to soft sobs. Yu Luo could not bear to watch any longer and patted Kanae Kocho on the shoulder.

"If you keep crying, you'll hurt yourselves. Let's bury your parents first."

"Th... thank you..." Kanae Kocho thanked Yu Luo through her sobs, wiping the tears from her face with her sleeve. With reddened eyes, she pulled Shinobu Kocho to her feet.

"Sniff... sniff..." Shinobu Kocho stood up as well, her light purple eyes shimmering with tears. In a small voice, she said to Yu Luo, "I... I take back... what I said... before. You're... a good person."

Hearing that, Yu Luo gave Shinobu Kocho a gentle smile. While the two girls had been crying, Yu Luo and Gyomei Himejima had already dug two deep pits in the courtyard. They carefully laid the couple's broken bodies inside, while the sisters sobbed as they buried their parents with their own hands.

"How does it feel to get a good-guy card from a little girl?" The system popped up at the worst possible moment to tease Yu Luo. Unfortunately, Yu Luo was in too low a mood to pay it any attention. After failing to get a reaction, the system disappeared again.

The couple's bodies were gradually covered by earth. Two small mounds stood in the ruined courtyard, each ringed with stones. Two wooden grave markers stood before them, bearing crooked writing that the sisters had penned themselves, filled with their heartfelt feelings.

"All right. Take anything you need to bring. I'll send you to a trainer," Gyomei Himejima said to the sisters kneeling before the graves, his right palm held upright before his chest.

"A trainer? Aren't we going straight to the Demon Slayer Corps?" Yu Luo asked curiously.

Gyomei Himejima did not know whether he was explaining to the Kocho sisters or to Yu Luo. "Trainers are people who specialize in raising demon-slaying swordsmen. Only those recognized by a trainer may take part in the Demon Slayer Corps selection. Passing that selection is what counts as truly joining the Demon Slayer Corps."

"What a hassle..." Yu Luo said with some disdain. However, Gyomei Himejima did not get angry—or perhaps he simply did not take Yu Luo's words to heart. He merely explained calmly,

"This is all meant to reduce losses as much as possible. These rules were established by the current Master of the Demon Slayer Corps."

Then he looked at the Kocho sisters and repeated, "Is there anything you need to take with you?"

Kanae Kocho and Shinobu Kocho exchanged a glance, then both shook their heads. "We don't have anything to pack."

"Then let's set off."

"Hey, monk, how much farther is it?" In the fields, two adults and two children walked along a narrow country path. Golden grain fields stretched along both sides of the road, and the breeze rolled them into layers of golden waves. Rache was tucked at Yu Luo's waist, its distinctly technological hilt especially eye-catching, though the other three had long since gotten used to it.

Gyomei Himejima remained the same as ever. Even in the face of Yu Luo's impatient words, he was unmoved and continued walking steadily. Behind them, Kanae Kocho kindly persuaded him, "Master Himejima already said we're almost there. Please bear with it a little longer."

Yu Luo curled his lip, glanced at Gyomei Himejima's back, and muttered, "He's been saying that since three days ago, yet we're still traveling now."

"Life is a form of cultivation." Gyomei Himejima's voice came from ahead and reached Yu Luo's ears. "Traveling can temper the body and hone the mind. It is a very suitable form of training for you."

"Yes!" Kanae Kocho and Shinobu Kocho answered together, quickening their steps, which had slowed somewhat from exhaustion. Yu Luo slapped his forehead helplessly. "You two have practically been fooled silly by him!"

Though he said that, Yu Luo also picked up his pace. Walking beside Gyomei Himejima, he struck up a conversation. "By the way, that trainer you said would suit me so well—was he strong?"

On the night they left, Gyomei Himejima had said he would send the Kocho sisters to trainers suited to them. Yu Luo had taken the chance to ask about his own trainer. At the time, Gyomei Himejima had told him, "I thought it over carefully. There is a senior who suits you very well. He has no disciples at the moment, and he happens to be on the way."

"What makes him suitable?" Gyomei Himejima's words had piqued Yu Luo's interest. "Is he strong?"

"It's not a matter of whether he's strong. He's really the sort... the rare sort. Most trainers begin teaching from childhood, but he values talent. That's why he suits you."

Afterward, the four of them traveled for six or seven days. However, the Kocho sisters were still children with limited stamina, so they could not travel for long periods, nor could they take forest trails. Thus, Gyomei Himejima always chose the main roads and found villages or towns to stay in ahead of time. He took excellent care of the sisters, making Yu Luo see him in a new light. Beneath that body packed with muscle, he was surprisingly gentle with children.

"We're almost there." Gyomei Himejima said the same line Yu Luo had heard to death. Yu Luo sighed, dejectedly followed behind him, and headed toward the supposedly nearby destination, though he had no idea how far away it actually was.

After walking for who knew how long, a small town appeared before them. It was peaceful and tranquil, with happy smiles on the faces of passersby. Street vendors called out their wares, while the occasional pedestrian curiously glanced at this strange group. Before entering the town, however, Yu Luo had tucked Rache inside his clothes, so it did not cause any panic.

"This ban on carrying swords is such a pain." Following behind Gyomei Himejima, Yu Luo asked, "By the way, do Demon Slayer Corps members get any special privileges? Like being allowed to carry swords?"

"The Demon Slayer Corps is an organization that fights demons. It has existed for hundreds of years." Gyomei Himejima was not the one who answered. The voice came from behind the group, and Yu Luo and the Kocho sisters turned around in surprise to look at the speaker.

Standing behind them was a short old man, only about as tall as Shinobu Kocho. A large scar ran across the left side of his face, and his beard and hair were entirely white. He leaned on a cane, while his right foot was not flesh and blood, but a prosthetic.

The old man looked at Yu Luo, who had asked the question, his eyes utterly stern. Yu Luo suddenly felt a little intimidated and unconsciously drew back a step.

"Slaying demons is the only thing demon-slaying swordsmen should concern themselves with," the old man said in a deep, pointed tone. Yu Luo immediately understood. The urge to complain burning within him overwhelmed the old man's imposing aura, and he bluntly exposed the truth.

"So in other words, the Demon Slayer Corps is actually an armed organization not recognized by the government..." Yu Luo looked speechless. "Why do I feel like you'll be finished sooner or later?"

"We will not be finished!" the old man shouted angrily. He struck the ground hard with his cane, leaving several white marks on the bluestone paving. "So long as demons still exist, the Demon Slayer Corps will never perish!"

The old man's furious words scared Yu Luo into shutting his mouth. The old man looked displeasedly at Gyomei Himejima and asked bluntly, "Did this annoying brat come with you, Stone Pillar?"