Where Mount Natagumo was located, even in this island nation it was considered the poorest and most remote backwater. If it had not been so isolated, Lower Rank Five [Rui] would have been discovered by the Demon Slayer Corps long ago.
So, trains rarely ran there, and Dan Lei waited until the next day without seeing a single one.
When the rescue team finally arrived, Dan Lei slapped his forehead and admitted that he had been an idiot.
The last carriage of the train had detached. The train would naturally be discovered when it reached the next station, and for an unimportant route like this, the tracks would obviously be closed first so that rescue efforts could be organized.
Of course, there was nothing left to rescue. The scene contained only metal fragments from the carriages and some bloodstains. After all, most of the ordinary passengers' flesh and blood had been eaten by Enmu to replenish himself.
Dan Lei did not show himself when the rescue team appeared. As the sole survivor, he would certainly be questioned by the local authorities.
However, when the rescue team was leaving, Dan Lei used Suggestion magic to make everyone believe he was one of them, then followed the rescue vehicles back to the city.
Even so, all this back-and-forth delayed Dan Lei's trip to Mount Natagumo.
Fortunately, Dan Lei's luck was still decent, so he did not end up missing everything entirely.
On the way to Mount Natagumo, deep in the night, he suddenly spotted a large convoy approaching from ahead. The people at the front were dressed in black and masked, and they were clearly carrying weapons. They looked like trouble.
If an ordinary citizen saw such a convoy at this hour, they would naturally stay as far away as possible.
Given the social conditions of this era, encountering such a convoy on a dark wilderness road could easily mean becoming the convoy's property.
But Dan Lei remained calm, because these people were the [Kakushi], the Demon Slayer Corps' cleanup and support unit.
Moreover, Kojiro Sasaki suddenly spoke through telepathy.
"Dan Lei, Tanjiro is in the convoy. It seems he's been tied up."
The moment Dan Lei heard that, he used Cloud Chant Technique to turn invisible.
He could roughly guess what had happened. He had arrived too late. The Mount Natagumo incident was already over, and Tanjiro was being transported to headquarters.
Dan Lei had turned invisible because he did not want to get entangled with the [Kakushi]. If he stopped the convoy directly, he would definitely have to beat down quite a few people before he could see Tanjiro.
The [Kakushi] were all members without any swordsmanship talent. Dan Lei felt no sense of accomplishment bullying them.
So, Dan Lei simply infiltrated the convoy while invisible.
When he saw Tanjiro again, the boy looked absolutely miserable. Since he was suspected of violating the Corps regulations, the seriously injured Tanjiro had only received basic treatment to stop the bleeding from his wounds. After that, he had been tightly bound and tossed into a small freight truck.
Unlike the other injured members, who could at least lie in a large truck with a canopy and have someone look after them.
Still, it was understandable. Vehicles had difficulty going up the mountain, so people had to carry him down. But once they reached level ground, there was no way they would specially assign someone to carry Tanjiro.
Dan Lei did not see the box containing Nezuko near Tanjiro. It seemed to have been placed under separate guard.
So, Dan Lei sent Kojiro Sasaki to look for Nezuko, then deliberately asked Tanjiro,
"Tanjiro, what did you do? How did you end up like this?"
Tanjiro needed to rest because of his injuries, so he was somewhat dazed. Upon hearing Dan Lei's voice, he answered reflexively,
"Mr. Dan Lei, please heal me~~"
That had been a genuine reflex. During the year Tanjiro and Dan Lei had lived together, more than half of Tanjiro's greetings upon seeing him had been those exact words.
Dan Lei was speechless. He immediately dispelled his invisibility and cast Medicine Dragon Healing the World straight into Tanjiro's face, giving him a proper wake-up call.
Although Medicine Dragon Healing the World had powerful healing abilities, it was still water in the end. Tanjiro was essentially splashed in the face with a basin of ice water, and he woke up instantly.
However, he was tied so tightly that all he could do after waking was wriggle on the wooden plank.
Still, Tanjiro happily asked when he saw Dan Lei,
"Mr. Dan Lei, what are you doing here?"
The commotion Dan Lei and Tanjiro had caused had already alerted the Demon Slayer Corps members serving as guards.
When they saw a stranger walking beside the suspect, they shouted, "Who are you?" and reached for their swords.
However, Dan Lei moved faster. He sent out Magecraft threads that struck every guard's sword hilt precisely, drawing their swords before they could pull them free.
Under Dan Lei's control, more than a dozen swords clattered to the ground beside Tanjiro. Frightened, Tanjiro quickly pressed himself against the edge, terrified that the swords would land on him.
But just after Dan Lei disarmed the ordinary Demon Slayer Corps members, he sensed a chill stabbing toward the back of his head from behind. He hurriedly formed an Ice Sword, turned around, and knocked the ambusher's attack into the air with an upward slash.
Dan Lei now saw the ambusher as well. She was a small woman with mostly black hair that faded to purple at the ends, a butterfly hair ornament, and little strength. She wore a fake smile, and the Nichirin Blade in her hand was long and slender, with a hooked tip. She was Shinobu Kocho.
Dan Lei's assessment had been an internal thought, but Shinobu Kocho was very perceptive. She saw something in his expression and said with a smile,
"Mr. Demon, it isn't polite to make random judgments about other people."
Dan Lei froze at that and looked toward Tanjiro.
"Did I say all of that out loud just now?"
Tanjiro answered awkwardly,
"No, but you just admitted it yourself."
Dan Lei felt rather speechless. This woman really was devious, and she even understood psychology. So he shouted,
"Giyu Tomioka! Come out and explain who I am! If we end up fighting, I guarantee you'll get a two-on-one beating after the misunderstanding is cleared up!"
Dan Lei had no interest in explaining to Shinobu Kocho, who did not know him, that he was not a demon. It was simply too troublesome.
The next second after Dan Lei shouted, Giyu Tomioka arrived, and everyone turned to look at him.
But Giyu Tomioka unexpectedly fell silent.
After roughly ten seconds, he suddenly said,
"Dan Lei, do you think I should address you as 'Your Excellency' now?"
Dan Lei nearly choked on his breath at those words.
However, before Dan Lei could complain, Kojiro Sasaki appeared carrying Nezuko's box, which was wrapped in chains.
The moment Shinobu Kocho saw that the box containing the demon had been taken away, she panicked. Without a word, she raised her sword and stabbed at Kojiro Sasaki.
However, Shinobu Kocho's thrust was intercepted by Giyu Tomioka in an instant.
Shinobu Kocho was clearly furious now, but she still forced down her anger and asked,
"Mr. Tomioka, this is the second time you've stopped me! What's your reason this time?"
In response to Shinobu Kocho's question, Giyu Tomioka said with an entirely matter-of-fact expression,
"Because you absolutely aren't Mr. Sasaki's match. You would lose in one move, and I thought you might be embarrassed."
The moment Shinobu Kocho heard that, a mass of metaphorical veins popped out on her forehead. She could not be bothered to waste words anymore, so she simply raised her sword, making it clear that they should settle things with their weapons.
Fortunately, after seeing Giyu Tomioka emerge without clearing up the misunderstanding and instead making it even worse, Tanjiro shouted,
"Stop! Mr. Dan Lei isn't a demon! He's a magecraft user with incredible powers! And Mr. Sasaki is a grandmaster of the Heavenly Human Realm recognized by my master!"
Before you continue