Chapter 39: Mansion in the Mountains

"It really is a coincidence."

The place where the disappearances were recorded was a bustling town. Li Mo scanned the area, taking in the lively atmosphere and the constant flow of pedestrians. It seemed to be a central hub in the region.

He was currently sitting in a small ramen shop, packed with customers. The chef stood in front of a large pot, steam rising as he prepared the noodles with a serious expression, exuding the aura of a master.

Shifting his attention to the person sitting across from him, Li Mo saw an ordinary-looking man. The man kept his head down, slurping his noodles noisily. Only after finishing every last drop of soup did he finally look up, satisfied. "Chef, another bowl, please."

Li Mo recognized this man. His name was **Kyoji Kuzuri**, a fellow swordsman who had gone through the "Final Selection" with him. During the selection, Kyoji had been surrounded by demons and was on the verge of being overwhelmed when Li Mo saved him.

"Yes, my savior. It really is unexpected that we would meet here," Kyoji replied cautiously.

"Tell me, why are you here? Is your mission the same as ours?" Li Mo asked, sensing Makomo's impatient gaze urging him to get to the point. "Recently, there have been many disappearances in this town, so Makomo and I came to investigate."

Kyoji explained, "My companion and I are tracking a demon. That demon is quite cunning and has been hiding its tracks. We only know it headed in this direction."

He paused, then added, "I'm actually from this town, so I'm quite familiar with the area."

"Oh?" Li Mo's eyes lit up. Earlier that morning, he and Makomo had seen Kyoji interacting with the townsfolk as if he knew the place well. They had assumed he was there for the same mission, gathering information. It turned out he was on a different mission entirely.

Without hesitation, Li Mo made a request: "Kyoji, could you help us gather information about our mission?"

Having a local gather information would be much more convenient than outsiders like themselves, right? Li Mo really didn't want to deal with strangers—it was too bothersome. The thought of using polite social niceties made his skin crawl. It felt like playing the role of a haughty samurai from the Meiji era... but that was beside the point.

Kyoji was momentarily stunned, then smiled. "Of course, my savior."

As it turned out, having a local made gathering information much easier. Kyoji took Li Mo directly to meet the town mayor. The entire process went surprisingly smoothly. The mayor seemed to have some knowledge of the Demon Slayer Corps and, after exchanging pleasantries with Kyoji, shared everything he knew.

"The information is roughly as follows: the disappearances are concentrated along this road. The mayor has already warned everyone not to take that road. If you need to go in that direction, you should take a different route. So, if you follow that road, you should find what you're looking for."

Afterward, Kyoji pointed out the exact path to take, explaining that it was a small mountain trail with no forks. There were no houses along the way, but there were one or two abandoned halls where travelers could stay overnight.

"Let's part ways for now. I need to rest," Kyoji said after sharing all the information.

"Kyoji, do you need any help?" Li Mo asked. Since Kyoji had helped them, it was only right to offer assistance in return.

Kyoji shook his head. "That demon isn't strong. It doesn't even have a Blood Demon Art—it's just good at running away. I can handle it. Besides, you have more important matters to attend to, don't you?"

Everyone had their own roles to play, and Kyoji wasn't weak by any means. Moreover, according to him, he had a companion. Two swordsmen against one ordinary demon were more than enough.

Li Mo wasn't upset that his offer was declined. He and Makomo followed the path Kyoji had indicated. At first, the road was clean and well-maintained, with few weeds on either side. As they reached the foot of the mountain, the vegetation grew thicker. Climbing further, they entered a forest where tall trees blocked most of the sunlight, leaving only scattered patches of light on the ground. At the halfway point, they found an abandoned hall, likely once a place of worship. Now, only the base remained, with traces of burnt wood suggesting that travelers had once stayed there overnight.

It was now midday, and the two decided to rest there for a while. Makomo took out some rice balls and a water bottle, which served as their lunch.

"Junior brother, where do you think the disappearances are happening?" Makomo asked.

The townsfolk who had gone missing had all been walking along this road. But where exactly along this road had they vanished? No one knew. If they had known, Li Mo would have rushed to the demon's location with Makomo. Unless it was a Twelve Kizuki-level demon, most demons could be killed with a single strike.

Li Mo thought for a moment, then shook his head and offered his suggestion: "You're asking the wrong person. Let's rest during the day. When night falls, we can send the Kasugai Crow to scout the area. What do you think?"

The Kasugai Crow could see well at night. Although demons were small and hard to spot, there was always a chance they might find something unusual. If they didn't, they could simply walk the path themselves and see if the demon took the bait. Given the average intelligence of demons, Li Mo doubted they would resist such an obvious trap.

"Alright," Makomo nodded, agreeing to the plan.

"By the way, did you add pickled plum to these rice balls?"

"Why? Do they not taste good?"

"No, they're delicious," Li Mo said, giving a thumbs-up.

The small interlude passed quickly, and the two began to rest and conserve their energy. Demons were active at night, so as Demon Slayers, they too had to operate during the night. This often led to irregular sleep schedules for many slayers.

As night fell, the world grew silent. Even the cicadas of summer stopped their chirping. The world was enveloped in darkness, with only the moonlight providing any illumination. At this time, the pitch-black Kasugai Crow took flight, soaring into the sky to survey the area from above.

Li Mo wasn't worried about the crow's safety. Few demons had the ability to fly, and the darkness provided excellent cover. The crow's intelligence also meant it knew how to avoid danger.

As he watched the crow fly away, Li Mo wondered how these crows were bred. They were intelligent, could speak, and had the cognitive abilities of a human teenager.

The Nichirin Blade, the specially tailored uniform, and the Kasugai Crow—these three essentials of the Demon Slayer Corps. Under what circumstances had they come into existence?

How much blood and effort had the predecessors of the Demon Slayer Corps shed to establish this legacy?

"What are you thinking about?"

"About how to kill demons."

"Oh."

Makomo wasn't surprised. It was only natural for a Demon Slayer to constantly think about killing demons. There was a shared understanding among them: a dead demon was a good demon.

The Kasugai Crow returned quickly, reporting its findings. Not far away, at the foot of the mountain, there was a brightly lit mansion.

Li Mo and Makomo exchanged a glance, immediately recognizing this as their target. Kyoji had mentioned that there were no houses along this road, only abandoned halls like the one they were in.

Moreover, a luxurious mansion appearing in the middle of nowhere was highly suspicious. Wealthy people usually lived in cities, so what was a mansion doing out here in the wilderness?

Without hesitation, the two began their descent. They ran through the forest under the cover of night, heading in the direction the crow had indicated.