Kamado Clan

"Grown ups."

Half an hour later, Long stepped out of the sedan chair and returned to the mansion.

Two maids had been waiting for a long time and greeted them with bows.

One of them immediately stepped forward to help him up.

"Lady Hayashi has arrived," the maid said softly.

"Good."

Daisuke Hayata is a high-ranking official in the Magistrate's Office and also Oboro's subordinate.

It is worth mentioning that during this era, most of the positions of the Shogunate bureaucrats were still hereditary. In other words, as long as the elders in the family held high positions, even a useless descendant would have a high probability of succeeding them. This also reveals the corrupt and chaotic side of the Shogunate.

The original body of Oboro was frail and sickly from childhood, and there was something fishy about him becoming a samurai... If it weren't for his ancestors, how could he have such a status and be so young?

"Grown ups..."

Supported by a maid, Oboro stepped onto the swept path and entered the courtyard.

They also saw two warriors kneeling in the main hall.

The officials of the magistrate's office dressed and wore clothes that differed from those of ordinary samurai.

Upon hearing the voice, the two turned their heads and, seeing Long, immediately kowtowed and respectfully greeted him.

"Any news?"

Oboro took off her haori and sat cross-legged by the fire. A maidservant offered her a cup of warm tea.

"Sir, we have checked the case files in the Entertainment District area in recent years, and there have indeed been some bizarre deaths, but they have all been closed. In addition, the time was quite long ago, so now..." The middle-aged man kneeling on the left, namely Daisuke Hayata, said cautiously.

Before he could finish speaking, Oboro raised his hand.

"That's not what I meant... I meant the Kamado Clan I asked you to find."

"Found them... They are indeed in Omodo, at Mount Kumotori, and make a living by selling charcoal. The current head of the family is named Kamado Tanpei, and he is married with a son..." Daisuke Hayata quickly reported.

"Um."

Long nodded.

It seems that the Kamado Clan has been hiding in the mountains and has never moved.

After Muzan's death, Muzan slaughtered all swordsmen and their lineages who knew the Sun Breathing technique. He never imagined that the Sun Breathing would be continued by a commoner's bloodline. Logically, with a lineage possessing a will to follow, swordsmen who Sun Breathing would eventually emerge to slay demons... becoming members of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Muzan have imagined that the legacy of Sun Breathing still existed.

The Kamado Clan's seclusion was, in a way, a way of avoiding Muzan's 'eyes'.

Muzan's descendants were able to go to Mount Kumotori and massacre Kamado Tanjuro's family.

With the Kamado Clan around, none of the demons that might roam near Mount Kumotori have survived... No matter how well they try to hide, over time they will definitely attract attention.

"Furthermore, through correspondence with the Shogunate, I discovered some information. In some remote locations or at some point in the past, there were shrines called 'Kamado Shrine,' worshipped by some common people and related to fire. As for their origins... they are impossible to trace. However, this shrine seems to have no connection to the Kamado Clan; rather, it appears to have been left by an ancestor of some era on a whim, to ward off evil and bring peace. But this shrine no longer exists, and very few people know about it..."

Zaodao continued.

"Did it suddenly disappear at some point in the past few hundred years?"

Long sipped his tea and asked.

"Yes."

The former looked up and glanced at it.

After chatting for a while, Daisuke Hayata got up and left with another person.

After leaving Oboro's residence, the entourage turned to look at the magnificent villa and asked, "Lord Hayase... just who is this person? Why have we never seen him in the Magistrate's Office before, and..."

"Shhh."

Zaodao put her finger to her lips, indicating to keep her voice down.

"A collateral branch of the Shogunate."

Then, he looked around and answered softly.

Upon hearing this, the latter's expression changed slightly.

He rubbed his fingers together by the fire.

His gaze was calm.

As expected, the Shogunate had always known about demons.

However, compared to a massive organization like the Shogunate, demons were far too few in number and too few in the amount of trouble they could cause.

Politicians and bureaucrats are greedy for the overall trend of the world.

They didn't take such a trivial matter to heart at all.

Furthermore, the Ubuyashiki Clan, through their long history of operation and connections, has indeed been able to extend their reach to the government.

Otherwise, the Demon Slayer Corps wouldn't have such power... able to detect where demons are appearing and where trouble is happening.

"Well..."

Long let out a sigh.

Unlike Hunter x Hunter, in the world of Hunter x Hunter x Hunter, Nen user, gangs, and other forces can all bring tremendous impact and change to the world.

This is something that can't be done in Demon Slayer...

To put it bluntly, Muzan's the demons created by Muzan or the Demon Slayer Corps power gathered by the Ubuyashiki Clan, they are all pawns in the larger context of this world. No matter how much trouble they cause, the impact is limited.

It is an adjunct within the global context.

They each do their own thing.

The Hunter x Hunter World is a backdrop created by these forces and characters. Humans escaped to Lake Island, where their civilization spontaneously continued... and thus they acquired everything.

This world did not evolve from ghosts and swordsmen.

So... no matter how much trouble is made, it cannot overturn the pattern of the world.

"Get ready, we're going to Mount Kumotori."

Long gave the instructions.

"Yes."

The woman serving him was startled, but after thinking for a moment, she agreed.

Long's current physical condition cannot withstand the rigors of a long journey.

But he wanted to meet Kamado Tanpei, the ancestor of Tanjiro... and experience the Sun Breathing, this primitive breathing method.

As for breathing... Oboro understands it all too well.

He's an expert in breathing techniques.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni represents the pinnacle of power in this world. With just a glance at the power legacy left by such a character, Oboro can define the power system of the Demon Slayer world.

In other words, given the power level of this world, what is the absolute limit...?

Although Yoriichi was at the peak of his combat power, his strength may not have reached the limits of this world...

The snow hadn't stopped that afternoon.

Several sedan chair carriers then carried the sedan chair and set off again on foot towards Mount Kumotori.

The maid locked the door.

They walked together with the sedan chair bearers.

In this era, most high-ranking officials and nobles traveled by manpower in this way. One of the maids was carrying a royal coin in her hand.

The so-called "gobi" refers to a container with many white paper slips hanging from it. It was generally used to offer to the God and also had the purpose of warding off evil spirits.

It swings as it walks, signifying "safe journey".

This also shows that rumors and legends about ghosts have always existed among ordinary people.

Carrying a gohei (a type of Japanese hat) is more of a psychological comfort, a way to hope that one won't encounter any demons.

Mount Kumotori is very far from the Entertainment District area, and in addition, the available resources were quite scarce in this era. Therefore, it would take at least half a month for a group of people to arrive.

Along the way, they traveled and stopped frequently, resting briefly in each town before setting off again.

Through this, Oboro also gained an understanding of the world's cultural atmosphere.

At this juncture, the government's inaction has led to widespread poverty and chaos in the community. The upper class is indulging in extravagance while the lower class is suffering from famine and struggling to feed themselves.

It's practically a natural breeding ground for demons.

It's no wonder that Doma's Infinite Paradise Faith has been able to persist for so long.

Just like Hachijojima, Obanai the Serpent Pillar was born, so too is the Iguro family, to which he belongs.

The reason for worshipping ghosts is that the world provides them with ample and large space to survive.