Demons and the Demon Slayer Corps

Kagaya Ubuyashiki clearly noticed Kanzaki Kumo approaching, but said nothing. He was going to take the child who had faced a demon away with him anyway, so there was no need to worry about leaking any additional information.

"Kumo?" Gyomei also noticed Kanzaki Kumo approaching. The child who had told him how to kill a demon last night and provided considerable help had left a deep impression on him; he recognized him by his footsteps alone.

Kanzaki Kumo was not at all surprised by Gyomei's extraordinary hearing. After all, Gyomei's other senses were so developed that his blindness had no effect whatsoever on his daily life, leading people to believe for a time that he was not blind.

"If this is about that monster from last night, I want to hear it too." Seeing both of them turn their attention toward him, Kanzaki Kumo raised his head to meet their gazes.

Ubuyashiki was manageable. His actual age was not much greater than Kanzaki Kumo's, nor was he much taller. But Gyomei's nearly two-meter height made Kanzaki Kumo's neck ache once he drew close.

Kanzaki Kumo: Who would have thought someone this absurdly tall, who could beat a demon so badly that even the demon thought it had seen a ghost, had never eaten a full meal since childhood and was even somewhat malnourished?

"If you want to listen, little one, of course you may. Since you've already faced that sort of monster, knowing more will help you protect yourself better." Kagaya Ubuyashiki spoke with a smile and even raised a hand to try to pat Kanzaki Kumo's head, but the boy stepped back slightly to avoid it.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki: Did you seriously just take half a step back?

Kanzaki Kumo: Do you have the copyright to sing that?

Kagaya Ubuyashiki: *...*

Having already become the head of the Ubuyashiki Family and taken command of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kagaya Ubuyashiki naturally would not be embarrassed by such a trivial matter. He merely withdrew his hand unobtrusively and turned in the same motion, while Gyomei continued to lead the way.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki: It's all right. Nobody saw it anyway. It's all right...

Although nothing showed on the surface, Kanzaki Kumo's powers of observation, which defied common sense, still caught a very slight stiffness in Kagaya Ubuyashiki's steps.

Whatever else he was, Kagaya was still only a boy a little over ten years old. In the world of Kanzaki Kumo's previous life, he would not even have finished middle school.

But after only a few steps, Kagaya Ubuyashiki composed himself, and that trace of awkwardness in his movements vanished completely. Kanzaki Kumo's gaze paused briefly.

At the same time, Kagaya Ubuyashiki formed an initial assessment of Kanzaki Kumo: Terrifying powers of observation and a somewhat precocious disposition.

Kagaya naturally knew that his movements had been slightly unnatural, but he was confident that even his wife, Amane, could not have immediately noticed that almost negligible stiffness. Yet Kanzaki Kumo had spotted it at a glance, which was why his gaze paused when Kagaya's movements returned to normal.

And so, the three entered the temple's only quiet room in silence.

Kanzaki Kumo and Gyomei sat on one side of a low table, while Kagaya Ubuyashiki sat on the other.

After they briefly introduced themselves, Kagaya Ubuyashiki first asked about the specifics of the previous night. Learning that Kanzaki Kumo had also provided considerable help made him attach even more importance to this child, who seemed a little younger than himself.

Then it was time for Kagaya Ubuyashiki to explain.

"I do indeed know a little more about demons."

"All demons in the world today originated from the same demon-the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji. He is a monster born a thousand years ago, the Progenitor of Demons. Over a hundred years after Muzan's birth, an organization dedicated to fighting demons was established: the Demon Slayer Corps."

"It brought together people who had tried to eradicate demons over the centuries. They discovered ways to kill demons besides sunlight, and some exceptionally gifted individuals even developed Breathing Styles that greatly enhanced every aspect of the human body, allowing humans to better contend with demons."

"I, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, am the current leader of the Demon Slayer Corps. I came here to invite Mr. Himejima to join the Corps. Your tremendous talent for combat would undoubtedly make a great contribution to the cause of slaying demons..."

He started off fine. Why has he suddenly started selling us grand promises? Kanzaki Kumo muttered inwardly as he watched the animated Kagaya Ubuyashiki beside him. Having spent several years struggling in the working world in his previous life, Kanzaki Kumo was all too familiar with this kind of sudden talk about ideals and the future.

Even if Kagaya Ubuyashiki spoke with feeling and conviction, even if he genuinely believed that having Gyomei Himejima join the Demon Slayer Corps would greatly help the cause of slaying demons, Kanzaki Kumo really had no taste for that kind of pitch.

Gyomei, however, did respond to it somewhat.

As a monk, though he had not shaved his head, he agreed with and practiced certain Buddhist teachings. Otherwise, he would not have cared so attentively for the children in the temple, much less risked his life fighting a demon.

"Ahem."

Just as Kagaya Ubuyashiki continued his impassioned speech, and Gyomei began to be moved by his words, Kanzaki Kumo could not help giving a light cough, drawing both their attention.

"I admit that your ideal of eradicating demons and saving lives is a great one, Mr. Ubuyashiki, and the way everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps silently protects countless ordinary lives from the shadows is admirable. But how about discussing something practical now?"

"For example, what are the requirements for learning a Breathing Style and becoming an official swordsman? What are the pay and benefits like? Is there a ranking system, performance reviews, or anything like that?"

Faced with these very practical questions from Kanzaki Kumo, both Gyomei and Kagaya Ubuyashiki froze for a moment.

Kagaya silently changed his assessment from "somewhat precocious" to "extremely precocious."

"Of course, those are no problem either. First, as long as you're willing to join the Demon Slayer Corps, you can study a Breathing Style under a dedicated Cultivator. They are all swordsmen who retired for various reasons, and quite a few were once Hashira-the most outstanding swordsmen in the Corps."

"As for the test to become an official swordsman, you must participate in a trial..."

This was information their future Cultivators were originally supposed to teach them.

However, for one thing, both people before him possessed exceptional talent and were worth some extra attention from Kagaya Ubuyashiki. For another, the teenage years were precisely when the urge to express oneself was strongest. In his daily life, he deliberately restrained himself to maintain the image of the head of the Ubuyashiki Family and leader of the Demon Slayer Corps. Now that he had a suitable reason, he naturally wanted to talk a little more.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki's explanation differed little from what Kanzaki Kumo remembered, merely providing more detail about the swordsmen's ranks and the requirements for promotion.

Kanzaki Kumo had little to say about the Corps' other systems. Only the so-called "Final Selection" made him speak up. "Isn't there something wrong with this entrance test?"

"A group of people enters Mount Fujikasane, where demons have been placed beforehand, and survives for seven days. If someone exceptionally talented in that group kills nearly all the demons on the mountain alone, the other participants can become official swordsmen without doing anything. Who knows whether some of them are cannon fodder who can't defeat a demon at all?"

"For people with limited abilities like that, logistical work ought to suit them better."

"Also, the demons on that mountain are replaced after they're killed. Could there be demons with special abilities or enough intelligence to evade the senior swordsmen's patrols and remain hidden, time after time?"

"Even if one only eats two or three people during each test, over time, it will inevitably grow into something novice swordsmen cannot possibly fight. Continuing the test at that point would just be serving up food to that demon."

Kanzaki Kumo had actually also wanted to say that highly talented people had no need to start at the lowest swordsman rank, as that would not help make the most of their abilities.

But on second thought, he himself would be joining the Demon Slayer Corps later. If he performed well and was immediately promoted to a relatively high rank, both the strength of the demons he had to face and the frequency of his missions would increase. That would not do.

He was still a child. How could he return so early to the life of a workhorse he had led in his previous life?

And so, Kanzaki Kumo immediately suppressed that final suggestion.

As for why Kanzaki Kumo had decided to join the Demon Slayer Corps, his first reason was to learn a Breathing Style and gain some ability to protect himself in this world of demons; his second was that joining the Corps would make it easier to change certain misfortunes.

Of course, after hearing Kagaya Ubuyashiki's explanation, he gained another reason-the man simply offered too much.

Kanzaki Kumo: Mr. Ubuyashiki has moved me with his sincerity.

Even the lowest-ranking swordsmen earned what counted as a very generous salary in this era, while for the highest-ranking Hashira, the policy was blunt and simple: as much as they needed.

After hearing the issues Kanzaki Kumo raised, Kagaya Ubuyashiki sank into thought.