The First Encounter with a Demon

Kotetsu was already waiting outside the door. Along with the brand-new Nichirin Blade that had been sent to Kawahara Chintetsu for inspection, he had brought the address of the Butterfly Estate.

Tetsu no Sosuke memorized the address, then packed the Nichirin Blade into the Sword Case he had prepared.

He put on his straw hat and ruffled the little troublemaker's hair. Ignoring Kotetsu's protests, he set off for... the Butterfly Estate!

"So, are you going to give me an answer this time?"

Chapter 15: The First Encounter with a Demon

The journey was longer than he had expected.

According to the route Kawahara Chintetsu had given him, it would take three days to get there if he traveled by day and rested at night.

But Tetsu no Sosuke was anxious. He knew traveling at night was far from wise, yet he was even more worried about Kochou Kanae's safety.

So he kept going without sleep, covering two days' distance in a single day and night.

The good news was that he hadn't encountered any demons. The bad news was that a downpour had suddenly caught him.

Rain blurred the mountain path. Tetsu no Sosuke had hoped to reach a village before dark, but instead he could only find a dilapidated building to shelter in.

It had probably once been a temple. What it had enshrined, he couldn't tell.

The statue was gone, and the roof had several holes in it. Tetsu no Sosuke found an old ritual brazier, filled it with bits of debris from the building, and lit a fire to keep warm.

He watched the rain pour down outside and through the roof, silently cursing his luck.

"I walked all night on my first night out and didn't run into a demon. My luck can't be that bad tonight, can it?"

He muttered under his breath as he took the Heavenly Artisan Crafting Hammer off his back and set it beside him.

He had brought quite a few things on this trip.

Besides Kochou Kanae's new weapon, he had a bundle containing two boxes, one finely made and the other plain.

The fine box held rice balls he had prepared for Kochou Kanae.

The plain one... held his own provisions, of course.

Then there was the Heavenly Artisan Crafting Hammer.

He wasn't sure why he had brought it. He had simply grabbed it on his way out.

He could use it for self-defense, he supposed, though he had no idea whether it would help.

As for Kochou Kanae's new weapon, he had no intention of using it, even if he did encounter a demon.

The reason was simple: he didn't know how.

Someone with no swordsmanship training might snap the blade if he swung it with all his strength.

Only a swordsman could bring out a blade's true power.

Tetsu no Sosuke knew that well. If he encountered a demon and the Heavenly Artisan Crafting Hammer proved useless, he would have only one choice left... run!

He would rather flee until dawn than damage a weapon he had worked so hard to forge, one that had reached Sharpness Level 3.

His stamina was extraordinary now, after all. Even if he kept running at full speed, he could hold out until dawn.