Master Blacksmith in Demon Slayer

Chapter 17: Arrival

But he quickly scrambled back to his feet.

The rainstorm hadn't let up yet, and the ground was covered in water.

Besides, after wrestling with that demon for half the day, he was no combat master—he couldn't pull off that graceful, blood-soaked elegance where not a single drop stained him. So inevitably, his body was splattered with quite a bit of blood.

"I wonder if this stuff is contagious..."

But thinking it over carefully, it seemed only the blood of that big boss, Kibutsuji Muzan, could turn ordinary people into demons.

The one he'd just faced clearly wasn't that... Otherwise, he'd be dead already.

"This guy was probably just the most common sort, right?"

With that thought, he looked at the demon hanging from the temple gate, recalling the earlier fight. He felt no lingering fear, only a sense that he'd been too reckless.

"I was dead set on not giving it a chance to catch its breath, so I never stopped attacking."

"But because I didn't know enough about demons, I still left an opening."

After sorting through his thoughts and summing things up, he decided: "If I run into a demon again, I can't leave it even a sliver of an opportunity. Besides, a forging hammer isn't really a weapon—should I use my identity as a swordsmith to forge myself a blade?"

"But that's a bit tough. The ore allocated to Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen is all accounted for. That precious stuff isn't something you can just skim off."

"And there's not a single extra piece! Otherwise, using the Bloodforging Method, I could forge Kanae a forty-meter-long blade and cut down those little brats in one swing."

His mind wandered with these thoughts, but then he realized he'd gone off track.

"Why am I assuming I'll run into demons in the first place? I'm a swordsmith, damn it! Thinking like this is way too unlucky..."

His muttering suddenly fell silent. Since he'd come to this era, how could he possibly avoid demons?

A swordsmith?

Had he already forgotten about the demon attack on the Swordsmith Village?

A peaceful swordsmith's life simply didn't exist. No matter how tight the Demon Slayer Corps' protection of the village was, accidents were bound to happen.

"So, whether a swordsmith is out on the road or at home, he's got to protect himself well."

He pulled himself together again and checked his physical condition.

As for stamina, he found he hadn't used up much.

"This is mostly thanks to the physical boosts I got from forging blades. Plus, this demon wasn't anything special, so with my brute strength and endurance, the Breath of the Sun forging method, and the Heavenly Crafting Hammer, I got this result. What really drained me was my mental energy."

In a fight requiring intense focus, where a single thought could tip the scales, mental energy was inevitably depleted.

"Do Demon Slayer Corps members always have to go through battles like this?"

Tetsu no Sosuke looked at his forging hammer, washing off the bloodstains in the heavy rain.

He straightened his clothes, hung them by the brazier, and sat down against the wall. Keeping his eyes fixed on the demon hanging from the temple gate, he grabbed a rice ball and wolfed it down.

"Even in this state, I can't underestimate their recovery ability. If it makes any move, I'll go over and finish it with the hammer!"

With that resolve, Tetsu no Sosuke kept his focus sharp, refusing to let himself fall asleep, his eyes locked on the demon at the gate.

The rainstorm gradually lessened as the night slipped away. Dawn broke in the east, and light once again blessed the earth and forest.

As for the demon at the temple gate... it hadn't been quiet either.

When Tetsu no Sosuke had smashed its head into its chest cavity, it had truly lost consciousness.

But after waking up, it immediately tried to recover.

Its recovery was painfully slow.

It struggled all the way until morning, its head still stuck in its chest.

Finally, the light of dawn spilled onto the temple steps. When it realized the sun was about to hit it, the demon let out a muffled cry from inside its chest: "No... no!!"

With a dull, stifled scream, it dissolved.

Only the vines remained on the temple gate.

Only then did Tetsu no Sosuke truly breathe a sigh of relief. He stood up, feeling a bit dizzy.

This was different from a night of forging. Forging kept his body moving and his mind focused, maintaining energy that could hold up.

But tonight, his body hadn't moved while his mind stayed tense the whole time. As time dragged on, drowsiness crept in. Whenever that happened, he'd pinch his thigh to stay awake. By the end of the night, his thighs were covered in purple bruises.

He stepped out of the temple, cupped some rainwater from a pit, and splashed his face. His spirits lifted instantly.

"I should reach the Butterfly Estate by today. No time to rest—if I sleep until nightfall, I won't be able to leave."

His heart burned like fire. After seeing a demon's abilities firsthand, his worry for Kochou Kanae only grew.

He went back into the ruined temple, put on his clothes, skipped breakfast, and clutching the Sword Case with his forging hammer on his back, set off again.

Riding the cold morning wind, Tetsu no Sosuke sped through the mountain forest like flying.

What should have been a day's journey took him to the Butterfly Estate's gate before noon.

Covered in dust and grime from the road, looking a bit of a mess, he hesitated at the entrance.

"Go see her looking like this?"

He felt a sudden urge not to go in. Maybe he should find a place to wash his face first. Well, there was the mask—no one could see his expression anyway.

What about his clothes?

After fighting with ghosts, there were bloodstains and grime all over them.

Though the downpour had washed some of it away, an unpleasant smell still lingered.

"What time is it now, and I'm still thinking about all this nonsense."

He shook his head, feeling a bit overly sentimental. Stepping forward, he was about to knock on the door.

But the door opened before he could.

With a creak, a girl holding a broom stepped one foot outside. Yet the moment she saw Tetsu no Sosuke, her body froze.

It seemed she was startled.