A flame sprang to life in the darkness. The three sat around it as Tetsu no Sosuke began explaining Breath of the Sun to them, bit by bit.
As Yuichiro listened, he grew puzzled. "You said this is a Breathing Technique used in Swordsmanship? For slaying demons? Then you only need to teach Muichiro. Why tell me too?"
Tetsu no Sosuke glanced at him. "You're getting to learn something useful. Why all the questions?"
Yuichiro was speechless, but then Tetsu no Sosuke continued, "If you're learning from me, you can't just study Mechanism Arts. You'll have to learn my Forging Technique too. My Forging Technique is built on Breathing Techniques, so you both need to learn... For now, though, I'm only explaining this Breathing Technique to you. We'll set aside whether you can master it until we get back and begin formal practice. It's dangerous, so don't try it on your own."
At that point, Tetsu no Sosuke smiled again. "It's here."
"What?" Yuichiro and Muichiro asked in unison.
"Our teaching material, of course," Tetsu no Sosuke said with a smile. "Seeing something once beats hearing about it ten thousand times. You're in luck."
Chapter 281: A Little Lesson
Yuichiro and Muichiro could not quite understand what Tetsu no Sosuke meant.
But they soon learned what was happening.
Low, labored breathing soon reached their ears clearly. Muichiro was the first to notice it.
He instinctively looked toward the source of the sound.
Along with that breathing came footsteps, impossibly heavy footsteps.
Even Yuichiro noticed this. He instinctively stood up, watching the direction of the sounds warily.
Amid the weeds and between the trees, an enormous figure gradually emerged before the two boys.
"Now then, when you camp outside at night, there's a good chance you'll encounter a demon."
Tetsu no