She was a swordswoman, while he was only a swordsmith. How could she explain the gap between them now?
Gritting her teeth, unwilling to admit defeat, she broke into a desperate sprint!
The two figures raced through the trees, one behind the other. In less than an hour, they had left the forest behind.
The view suddenly opened up. Beneath the starry sky, a village seemed to lie ahead.
But at this hour, all was quiet. The village was deathly still.
Tetsu no Sosuke stared at it, his brow furrowed, unable to tell whether this was the place.
From what he knew, Kochou Kanae had encountered Doma while returning from a mission.
If they followed her route, they should be able to find her.
Yet they had run this far without seeing her. Something must have happened that she could not get away from.
Otherwise, she had said she would be back before dusk. Why was she still nowhere to be seen?
His racing mind sorted through the clues, and he took a step to charge ahead again.
Just then, a figure flashed in front of him. Shinobu Kocho planted herself in his path, arms spread wide. Before she could say a word, she began gasping for breath.
After a couple of ragged breaths, she said, looking utterly spent, "Why... huff... why are you running?"
Tetsu no Sosuke asked gravely, "Do you know the village ahead?"
If he had not needed to ask, he would already have run around her and kept going.
"The village?" Shinobu Kocho looked back. "We've run all the way here? We must have covered at least a hundred li! You..."
"Something's wrong with that village."
Tetsu no Sosuke cut her off. "Think carefully. If the Flower Pillar was only held up by something minor, why haven't we met her when we've come this far? And if you know this village, tell me: does only one family live there?"
"Of course not... What are you getting at?"
Shinobu Kocho's expression changed.
"There's only one house with a light on." Tetsu no Sosuke pointed. "I'm worried she's run into a danger she can't get away from."
"A Demon!"
Shinobu Kocho quickly regained her composure and looked back. "I've seen this village before. The lights are different tonight. You're saying there's a Demon in there?"
"If I were you, I'd send an emergency signal right now. I wouldn't waste a second!"
After hearing Shinobu Kocho confirm it, Tetsu no Sosuke let out a long breath of relief. There was still time!
While Shinobu Kocho stood stunned, he suddenly darted forward.
Shinobu Kocho froze, then flew into a rage. "You know there's a Demon in there, and you're still charging in? Are you insane? My sister's a powerful swordswoman. It's only a Demon..."
Her brow tightened. Even as she finished speaking, unease gripped her.
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