"The Swordsmith Village… My lord, do you mean for me to take charge of the area around it? But… that place is so secretive, no demons ever go there."

The Swordsmith Village was of vital importance. If a demon were ever discovered nearby, the Corps' first course of action would be to relocate the village immediately, not fight the demon.

That meant Takeo's presence there would serve little purpose.

Ordinary demons could be handled by the Corps' regular members, and it was nearly impossible for a demon of the Twelve Kizuki's caliber to appear near the Swordsmith Village.

Besides, Hashira were already stationed near the village. If Takeo went as well, wouldn't their duties overlap?

"It is only the Swordsmith Village itself," Kagaya explained softly. "You need only be responsible for that single area. Should a battle arise elsewhere that truly requires you, I will inform you."

"…"

As Takeo listened, he quickly understood what Kagaya truly meant.

This was, in truth, a form of protection.

Ubuyashiki Kagaya feared that Takeo might encounter Upper Rank One again in the future. While it was possible to use Takeo as bait to draw the Upper Rank out, there was no guarantee such an enemy would appear—and it was impossible for the other Hashira to remain at Takeo's side at all times.

Ordinarily, Kagaya would never make such an exception.

The duty of the Hashira was to slay demons, and confronting the Upper Ranks was their responsibility.

Even if a Hashira were to fall in such a battle, it would still be considered a worthy death.

But Takeo was different. He had mastered Sun Breathing, the original form of all techniques.

His talent rivaled Muichiro's—or perhaps even surpassed it. Given enough time, perhaps he could one day reach the level of Tsugikuni Yoriichi himself.

And if that happened… then the dream of slaying Muzan Kibutsuji might finally become reality.

"The Swordsmith Village…" Takeo considered Kagaya's proposal carefully. At last, he nodded. "Very well. I'll set out shortly."

At the mention of the Swordsmith Village, another thought occurred to him.

His current regeneration was nearly on par with Old Man Logan's. With the addition of [Injury-Free Blood Recovery], he might even surpass him. This text is hosted at Novᴇl_Fire(.)net

Such resilience could allow his body to withstand the searing agony of molten iron being fused into bone.

If so, perhaps his claws could be reforged into another kind of Sun Blade. Those claws might one day become Takeo's hidden trump card.

With that thought, Takeo felt that going to the Swordsmith Village might not be such a bad idea after all.

He really should have stayed there a while longer.

…

After leaving the meeting courtyard, as Takeo prepared to depart for the Swordsmith Village, he received another letter from Tanjiro.

But unlike their previous letters, which had been filled with lighthearted chatter about daily life, this one was different.

Tanjiro's words were filled mostly with concern.

It seemed he had learned that Takeo had been seriously injured.

"Did Mr. Tomioka tell him…?"

Takeo had never once written back to Tanjiro. Though he kept every letter the boy had sent, he never replied. The only one he corresponded with was Giyu Tomioka, who occasionally wrote to Urokodaki.

Perhaps, in one of those letters, Giyu had mentioned it. And so Tanjiro found out.

"No wonder Mr. Tomioka is disliked by the other Hashira. Does he not know how to read the atmosphere at all…?"

Takeo frowned as he read Tanjiro's letter, quickly piecing together how the boy had learned of his condition. At the same time, he couldn't help but complain inwardly.

He didn't want Tanjiro to know about his injuries. He didn't want Tanjiro to worry.

Wasn't it obvious what he meant?

Normally, someone should have hidden it from Tanjiro, sparing him the distraction and letting him focus on training.

But Giyu Tomioka had gone and revealed it anyway.

To be honest, Takeo found himself disliking Giyu Tomioka a little.

But… perhaps Giyu hadn't thought much about it at all. He simply seemed a little dull.

At least, that was how Takeo saw him.

He spoke very little, and his train of thought often seemed to run differently from everyone else's—like someone socially anxious, awkward, and difficult to read. No one could ever quite tell what he was thinking.

Maybe that was also why the other Hashira avoided his company.

After mulling it over, Takeo finally wrote a letter to Giyu Tomioka. Its contents were brief and direct: he told him not to say anything unnecessary to Tanjiro, and not to let Tanjiro know that Takeo had written to him.

Otherwise, Takeo would truly come to hate him.

It was that simple.

"It's time to get back to work."

After sealing the letter, he handed it to his crow to deliver to Tomioka. Then Takeo picked up his two Nichirin swords and prepared to leave for the Swordsmith Village.

He had rested long enough. Now it was time to return to his duty.

Even if he felt there was little worth defending in the Swordsmith Village, duty was duty. He was the Wolf Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, and every mission entrusted to him had to be carried out with absolute seriousness.

...

When he returned to the Swordsmith Village for the second time, Takeo was once again warmly welcomed by the Demon Slayer Corps stationed there.

After exchanging greetings with practiced ease, he went straight to find the swordsmiths.

This time, he intended to ask them about the feasibility of injecting liquid metal directly into his body.

The first person he sought out was Tetsudoji, the swordsmith responsible for crafting his Nichirin sword. After hearing Takeo's proposal, Tetsudoji immediately shook his head, his expression grim.

"No, Master Kamado! Even with your remarkable recovery ability, we cannot simply turn your hands into weapons."

"…"

In silence, Takeo extended his arm and released a sharp bone spur from beneath the skin. He looked steadily at Tetsudoji.

"What if you just pour molten iron into the bones and let it solidify into shape? Couldn't that work?"

Tetsudoji frowned deeply. "Once iron is melted, it must be forged. And can you truly endure temperatures of several thousand degrees?"

Takeo sat cross-legged across from him, lost in thought as he recalled what he knew about Logan.

What had been injected into Wolverine's skeleton was adamantium.

That alloy possessed a unique property: after being melted for the first time, once its temperature dropped, it solidified completely and became capable of withstanding over 100,000 degrees without melting again.

Therefore, when the alloy was injected into Wolverine's body and cooled, it immediately took form inside his skeleton without requiring additional forging or shaping.

But ordinary metals were an entirely different matter.

_________

Read Advance chapters ahead of WN at:

Patreon.com/HornyFBI