Swordsmanship X Evil Spirit

Snow Walk, so named for its entirely snow-white appearance.

In years past, it was a trophy Zeno had seized from the hands of a swordsman.

Roy took the blade in his hand and weighed it; it was a bit light. He then slashed forward at an angle, carving a circular arc through the air.

The effect was immediate; a panel actually popped up to prompt him—"Physique +0.05"...

Sure enough, he had been heading in the wrong direction, overlooking the essence of the Sun Breathing—

It was a breathing technique tailored specifically for [Swordsmen]... This could be seen from the fact that a new skill slot had unlocked on his panel.

[Congratulations to the Host for unlocking "Swordsmanship"]

[Current "Swordsmanship" level: lv1 (1/100)]

"Hmm... should I count this as an expected surprise or an unexpected one?"

Roy sheathed the blade.

At the same time, with a "shhh-rip" sound... the dining table, with him as the central axis, split into two halves.

Fortunately, Gotoh was quick-witted and reached out to steady it, preventing the food from spilling messily onto the floor.

"Young Master, this sword is extremely sharp; it would be best not to handle it in the bedroom," Gotoh cautioned.

Roy nodded in acknowledgment. It was indeed a fine blade, though a pity it was a bit light, and he didn't know if he could bring it into the Demon Slayer world through some form of "reverse manifestation."

"Why not... try it out tonight."

No sooner said than done. At ten o'clock that night, as the grandfather clock chimed, Roy finished his shower, put on his pajamas, and climbed into bed clutching Snow Walk.

Having experienced a day of "electric shocks," "poison training," and practicing the Sun Breathing, his body was utterly exhausted... and so, falling asleep this time was quite smooth.

Soon, he saw that familiar tunnel once again.

Only this time, before passing through the tunnel, Roy specifically took note of his right hand.

Alas, his right hand was empty; there was no sign of Snow Walk... Roy couldn't help but offer a self-deprecating smile, knowing he had overthought it.

According to the original author's settings, "Conjuration" type Nen users all had a tendency toward overthinking, which resulted in quite a few neurotics.

For instance, Shizuku, or Kortopi, or Kite, who underwent a gender swap after being killed by Neferpitou, along with his slot-machine Nen ability—"Crazy Slots."

Now that he didn't have Snow Walk by his side, Roy felt a sense of relief. He stepped into the tunnel and drifted toward the sea of his subconscious... As for the sword.

Demon Slayer had a Swordsmith Village; he could find a smith to forge one. At worst... he could just make do with the black Nichirin Sword that Yoriichi Tsugikuni had left inside the Yoriichi Type Zero doll. That wasn't impossible.

With a plan in mind, Roy soon saw that wooden door with the demon-head ornament hanging from the lintel again. Without hesitation, he pushed it open and walked inside.

The familiar sensation of falling washed over him once more...

When Roy opened his eyes again, unsurprisingly, he had returned to the familiar little wooden cabin.

Beside him, Takeo and Shigeru were fast asleep.

Children were restless sleepers; they'd be at one end at night and the other by morning, sticking their feet into each other's mouths or stuffing their hands into each other's chests, the quilt scattered on the floor without them even knowing.

Seeing this, Roy got up to tuck them in, his movements waking Tanjiro.

"Nii-san..." Tanjiro stared at him with wide, bright eyes and asked, "Can you take me into the mountains with you today?"

"Can I say no?" He woke up at the slightest touch; Roy figured the kid hadn't slept soundly all night.

It was hard on him, too; suddenly seeing things beyond his understanding—even for him... it was difficult to remain unflustered.

He simply glared at him: "Then why aren't you up yet? Waiting for me to put your shoes on for you?"

"Sorry... sorry..." Tanjiro scrambled out of bed, excited like a hen that had just laid an egg, clucking around Roy.

Roy ignored him and pushed the door open to step outside. What met his eyes was a vast, white snowy world, and his mother, Kie, emerging from the kitchen while lifting the curtain.

Kie had her head wrapped in a scarf and was carrying a bundle containing a few steaming rice dumplings, which she stuffed into Roy's arms all at once.

"Eat on the way; don't wait until they're cold to remember them."

Besides...

"Tanjiro, why are you carrying a basket?!"

"I'm going into the mountains with Nii-san."

"You are not allowed to go."

"I'm going anyway."

"Anada, aren't you going to do something about this?"

"If he wants to go, let him follow Eiichiro." Tanjuro appeared on the veranda, though no one knew when he had arrived.

"You..."

Kie... looked at Tanjuro, then at the stubborn-as-a-mule Tanjiro, and sighed as she turned to Roy. She reached out to tighten the scarf around his neck and urged, "Take care of your brother, and be back before dark."

At that moment, Grandmother came out holding Hanako... Tanjiro opened his mouth to say: "I can protect myself, and I can protect Big Brother too."

But then he thought of Roy's ghost-like movements as he darted through the forest, and that tree that had been pierced through with such ease.

He wisely shut his mouth, only stealing glances at Roy.

Roy ignored his gaze entirely, sweeping his eyes over his mother Kie, his father Tanjuro, his grandmother, and Hanako one by one, smiling gently as he said, "Wait for my return."

Having said that, he picked up his hoe, shouldered his basket, and turned to walk toward the dense forest.

"Nii-san, wait for me!" the clumsy Tanjiro called out, chasing after him.

Kie, Tanjuro, and his grandmother watched them go...

The familiar little cabin grew smaller and smaller in the distance, yet a warmth lingered in his heart—something Roy had never experienced back at the Zoldyck estate.

He enjoyed it, cherished it, and even craved it, for the first time harboring the thought that... perhaps staying in this world wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Huff... huff..." Tanjiro quickened his pace and finally caught up.

The moment he opened his mouth, Roy knew what he wanted to ask, so he preemptively struck, taking the initiative to say, "Tanjiro, do you believe that beyond the earth beneath our feet, there are other worlds?"

"Really, Nii-san?" Tanjiro was shocked.

Roy led him through the pristine white snow, leaving two trails of footprints in the woods...

He spoke unhurriedly, "I once had a dream, and in that dream, I arrived in another world..."

"In that world, I had a new family, new parents, and new siblings..."

"Our family made a living by killing..."

"I was raised as an assassin from the time I was small..."

"That day, when I woke up, I discovered that I had mastered many killing techniques without ever being taught..."

"That was when I realized that the dream I had was so incredibly real..."

"..." Tanjiro's mouth hung wide open as the cold wind shook snow from a birch tree, dumping it right onto his head.

It took the child a long time to process this, and he finally reacted with a silly expression, exclaiming, "That's truly amazing... it's just like what Saburo-ojisan says about there being demons in this world."

"No, that part is real." Roy suddenly came to a halt.

Tanjiro couldn't brake in time and stumbled, bumping into his lower back.

The boy winced in pain and rubbed his head, but then his nostrils twitched, and his expression changed drastically!

"Blood... Nii-san, there's a thick scent of blood ahead!"

"I see it."

Roy set down his basket and stood still before Tanjiro, leaning on his hoe, his long, narrow eyes narrowing into slits.