With its head gone, Sato Takeichiro's body immediately stopped struggling. A gust of cold wind blew, and it turned to ash.
Demons were dead things to begin with. How could they die a second time?
Their final end was to vanish completely.
What a shame... He'd finally found an experience pack, and now it was gone...
Roy's mood wasn't exactly wonderful.
At least the panel's notification... [Combat Experience +10] made him feel a little better.
"Nii-san, did he really die just like that?" Tanjiro finally emerged from behind the tree.
The boy might have had a hard head, but he wasn't stupid. In fact, he knew his own limits very well. He understood that his meager strength wasn't enough to take part in this fight, so he'd obediently stayed put instead of getting in Roy's way.
It was just...
"I actually wanted to fight alongside you, Nii-san."
Tanjiro lowered his head and stole a glance at Roy from the corner of his eye, speaking cautiously.
The yearning and hope in his voice left Roy momentarily stunned.
That was right... In the original story, Tanjiro was the eldest brother, the pillar of the family, the one his younger siblings relied on.
So he had to be strong. He had to grow powerful enough to shield his family from the storm.
That was why... he couldn't stand being helpless. His true nature was to keep striving to be strong.
Roy patted Tanjiro's head and sighed. "You're both younger brothers, but you're nothing like certain people."
"Are you talking about the younger brother in your dream?"
"Yeah..."
"What's his name?"
"Illumi..."
"Illumi..." Tanjiro repeated the name to himself, then said with certainty, "He must really look up to you, Nii-san."
Roy gave a derisive laugh, thinking that if a certain someone didn't stab him in the back, he'd consider it an act of mercy.
He raised a hand and gave Tanjiro a sharp rap on the head. "Did Mother let you come along just so you could ask questions?"
"Be quiet! Get to work!"
"Oh~" Tanjiro clutched his head in dismay.
He strapped on his basket, picked up the hoe, and followed Roy toward the open-air coal mine deep in the forest.
People lived off the mountains and the sea. The bigger the forest, and the longer it had existed, the more treasures it held.
In less than half a day, Roy had taken Tanjiro on a brief tour, and they'd filled both baskets with coal.
It was three in the afternoon, with an hour left before sunset. Since they still had some time, Roy tossed Tanjiro a couple of dumplings and washed down a quick bite of his own with hot tea.
Then he sprang up a tree.
His movements were smooth and fluid. Tanjiro watched, green with envy.
"Nii-san, have you gotten faster again?" The boy chewed on a dumpling, gazing up at Roy.
Thanks to Sato Takeichiro, Roy's Shadow Step had become more proficient, and he could indeed feel his body growing lighter.
He snapped off a branch, held it in his hand, and used Gyo to search the area for game. With his enhanced eyesight, he keenly spotted two masses of aura.
Then—"Whoosh... Whoosh..."
The branch left his hand, and Roy hurled it out with lightning speed!
"Squawk!" Two cries rang out...
The moving auras stopped at once. Tanjiro caught on and hurried over. When he came back, he had a pheasant in each hand.
"Nii-san, they're pheasants," the boy exclaimed excitedly. "We can take them home for Father and Nezuko and the others."
Roy made no comment. With another leap, he darted deeper into the forest. This time, when he returned, he had a roe deer.
"Whoa..." Tanjiro gaped, circling the animal.
He'd never seen a creature that looked like a deer but wasn't one. Fascinated, he stared at it, failing to notice Roy toss the roe deer—its neck broken—at his feet before turning and disappearing again.
Then, ten minutes later, a piercing howl rang out from the woods.
Tanjiro heard it and turned around... Roy appeared once more, dragging a wild boar out of the forest.
The foolish little brother's eyes went wide. He kept checking to see if he was hallucinating...
He didn't snap out of it until Roy patted him.
"It's getting late. Let's pack up and go." Roy hooked the boar up onto his shoulder with a kick, then bent to put on his basket. He picked up the roe deer and left the hoe and two pheasants for Tanjiro to carry.
Roy set off ahead of him, following the path they'd taken out of the forest.
In these times, demons ran rampant and wolves prowled the land. Just as Koizumi Saburo down at the foot of the mountain had said, no one dared go out at night. Naturally, there were no hunters, either.
That left the forest teeming with game and its animals free to roam, which worked out nicely for him.
"Too bad... I only know Gyo, not En..."
"If I could enhance my hunting with En, it'd be like giving a tiger wings."
But... there was no rush. You ate one bite at a time and walked one step at a time. For now, his priority was mastering Sun Breathing and improving his physique.
The boy's long, deep-red hair swayed in the wind. With a smaller version of himself following behind, he walked through the Snow Country, chasing the sunset as it sank toward the horizon and leaving two faint trails of footprints in the forest...
Tanjiro lagged behind, perhaps because he was carrying too much and the load weighed him down... or perhaps because witnessing a demon eating a person had shaken his whole worldview...
Roy said nothing along the way, and Tanjiro stayed quiet too, until they could just make out a wisp of smoke in the distance...
Then Tanjiro hurried to catch up with Roy, taking two steps at a time. His expression firm, he said, "Nii-san, I want you to teach me."
"Teach you what?"
"You know, the 'hee-yah' stuff..."
Using a pheasant as a sword, Tanjiro swung it around a couple of times...
The feathers nearly poked Roy in the face. Roy rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"All right, I get it... You're always asking for something."
"Heh heh..."
Tanjiro rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed grin. The pheasant in his hand went "splat" as it hit the ground.
Then Roy kicked him. Tanjiro limped over to Kie, Tanjuro, and his younger siblings.
"I'm home~"
"Where's Nii-san?"
"Behind me..."
Tanjiro handed the pheasant to Kie, took off his shoes and socks, and stepped onto the veranda...
With Tanjiro no longer blocking the view, Roy came into sight. He had a roe deer in one hand, a basket of coal on his back, and a huge, plump wild boar over his shoulder. He stamped the snow off his boots and tossed the boar to the ground.
He smiled and said, "I'm home."
The Kamado Family: "..."
Their eyes widened.
Just like Tanjiro's had an hour earlier.
Before you continue