Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

Death is a common occurrence for the Demon Slayer Corps, which is dedicated to protecting humanity and eliminating evil spirits. In fact, every swordsman who joins the Demon Slayer Corps is prepared to die on this path.

But every time I see my comrade die, I still feel anger and pain.

Today, another member of their team left them. Just the day before, they were laughing and talking, thinking about relaxing together after completing the mission. They even thought about going with their leader to see Lord 'Flame Pillar' and having a meal together.

It's worth noting that Taniguchi Takeshi admired the 'Flame Pillar' the most. He even made a promise to ask the 'Flame Pillar' to write something on his uniform, and he had even thought of writing 'Exterminate all evil spirits'. But before that day came, Taniguchi Takeshi left everyone.

Compared to everyone's sadness and anger, the squad leader, Hiroshi Furukawa, felt even more guilty and pained. If it weren't for his negligence, perhaps Takeshi Taniguchi wouldn't have died.

At that moment, Hiroshi Furukawa's hand holding the knife trembled, his eyes were filled with endless sorrow, and he almost knelt on the ground.

Tears streamed silently down her cheeks.

He silently drew his Nichirin Blade, reached out, and made a cut on his hand, letting crimson blood drip onto the corpse.

Hiroshi Furukawa said nothing, but the murderous intent in his eyes was already tangible.

The other swordsmen also silently cut their arms with their Nichirin Blades, and as blood dripped down, they raised their Nichirin Blades with one hand and dripped the blood onto their comrade's corpse with the other.

The flames burned, their flickering light falling on everyone's faces and eyes, reflecting their cold, brooding gazes...

It's as if...

Like a vicious wolf.

Chapter 43 People always change.

Running

fleeing

He didn't know how long he ran, until he could no longer sense any danger coming from behind him, before Su Mu finally stopped.

Gently, Kanao, whose face had turned deathly pale, was put down. As soon as the girl landed on the ground, she staggered and even lost her balance.

Su Mu reached out and gently supported Kanao, preventing her from falling.

The girl's body was still too weak. He had run for so long without feeling tired, but Kanao, whom he was carrying, was already feeling the strain.

"Are you okay?"

Seeing Kanao's pale face, Su Mu asked her with some concern.

Kanao felt terrible, but she still shook her head.

Seeing this, Su Mu found a relatively clean bluestone, helped Kanao sit down, and then went to a tall tree nearby. He easily climbed to the top of the tree and looked into the distance.

The distance was pitch black, and the pursuers could no longer be seen.

In fact, after he killed the Demon Slayer Corps swordsman who practiced 'Wind Breathing', without that person's entanglement, the Demon Slayer Corps, who had been following closely behind, had to exit their 'breathing' state due to time constraints after chasing for a while. Once they exited their 'breathing' state, they were just ordinary people, and could only watch helplessly as he left them further and further behind until he completely broke away.

Only after confirming once again that he had shaken off the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen did Su Mu feel a little more at ease.

He jumped down from the tree and returned to Kanao's side. At this moment, Kanao's complexion had improved a lot after a short rest.

Su Mu reached out and gently rubbed the girl's head, then squatted down in front of her: "Get on, I'll carry you, we need to keep going."

Kanao was very obedient, wrapping her arms around his neck and gracefully lying on his back.

However, this time, Su Mu did not run at full speed without any regard for the consequences. Instead, he deliberately walked very steadily so that Kanao would not feel too much of a bump.

While carrying Kanao on his back through the mountains, he looked around for a place to hide when daylight came. After all, there was still the risk of being chased by the Demon Slayer Corps at any time, so the hiding place had to be well shaded from the sunlight.

Ideally, it should be a very deep cave. That way, even if the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen find you during the day, you don't have to worry about them easily exposing you to the sunlight. At least you'll still have a fighting chance.

Because she was walking steadily and the ride was no longer so bumpy, Kanao gradually regained some of her energy.

The girl lay on the back of the demon, but the image of the man who had been knocked to the ground by her uncle looking at her was clearly etched in her mind, and her mood inexplicably became somewhat depressed.

For Kanao, her childhood experiences caused her to close off her inner world at an early age. However, with the arrival of her uncle, she gradually began to try to reconnect with the world, feel its warmth, and listen to her inner world.

Perhaps because my heart has been in a dark environment for a long time, I have become very sensitive to every little bit of warmth that comes from the outside world, and I cherish every bit of warmth that comes my way.

She could feel the faint warmth emanating from the man her uncle had knocked down, but because of her, not only did the warmth disappear, but the flame within him was also extinguished.

"uncle……"

The girl's delicate face pressed against the demon's back.

"what happened?"

As Su Mu walked, he observed the surrounding area to see if there was a suitable place to roost.

"Is the person who was just knocked down by your uncle dead?"

Su Mu paused slightly before gradually resuming his steps.

"Yes, he's dead."

He answered calmly, but his emotions were subtly turbulent.

"What happens if I die?"

Kanao asked in a low voice.

"Death doesn't mean anything. You're just dead. From then on, nothing is left. No matter how much beauty you had before, it will all be lost. Your traces in this world will gradually fade away... until there's no trace left, until no one remembers you anymore..."

Kanao's beautiful pinkish-purple eyes dimmed slightly: "Did that person die because of Kanao?"

If it weren't for me, perhaps things wouldn't have turned out this way. The flames on the other person would never have gone out, and they would still be fine...

Su Mu paused slightly, turned his head, looked at Kanao who was perched on his shoulder, then shook his head, his voice gentle: "It's not because of Kanao."

"Why is that?"

Kanao's dim eyes regained a little strength.

"Because of me."

He spoke calmly.

"Because of your uncle?"

Yes, because of me.

"But why did he die because of my uncle? He was so warm, and that other person also felt warm. They were both people who could make you feel warm. Why..."

The girl spoke, but then seemed unsure how to continue.

"Because, Uncle is an evil spirit."

"What is an evil spirit? Why is it that just because Uncle is an evil spirit..."

"Demons are very, very bad things. If Kanao ever sees a demon, she must stay far away from it."

"But Uncle said he's a demon too? Does that mean Kanao has to stay away from Uncle? No way! No way! I don't want to stay away from Uncle!"

Kanao immediately shook her head.

Su Mu smiled and said, "No matter what, Kanao should stay away from evil spirits from now on."

"Kanao doesn't want to be far away from her uncle."

"You're still young now, you'll understand when you grow up."

"Then why not just not grow up?"

"They'll grow up eventually."

Su Mu looked up at the full moon hanging in the dark night: "Just like the sun won't set forever, it will always rise again."

Kanao tilted her head, looked at the full moon, and blinked: "Uncle, if the sun sets, it... will it never rise again?"

Upon hearing this, Su Mu couldn't help but chuckle and patted the girl's head:

"That day will never come."

Kanao tilted her head, looking at her uncle, not understanding why.

Looking at the girl's confused pinkish-purple eyes, Su Mu smiled and gently pinched her little nose. The girl was still too young to understand that the rising and setting of the sun was an almost eternal truth of this world, just as people always grow up and gradually mature.

Now, Kanao doesn't care that he's a demon, but she might not care when she grows up.

As one matures and becomes more rational, the things one liked and firmly believed in during adolescence will gradually change.

"Perhaps as Kanao gradually understands and matures, she will become estranged from me, and may even begin to hate me. Who knows?"

He shrugged as if he didn't care much.

"No way."

Kanao clenched her fists tightly, her eyes filled with determination.

Looking at the determined look in the child's eyes, Su Mu laughed heartily and tapped Kanao's little head: "That's not necessarily true."

People always change.

He spoke softly, just like himself.

He looked down at his hands.

It looked as if crimson blood was flowing.

When did he first realize that his hands would be stained with this blood?

Chapter 44 'Water Column' by Sakonji Urokodaki

Before sunrise, Su Mu finally found a place to rest, a secluded cave.

He carried Kanao into the cave, into its dark depths, to a place where the sun would not shine.

They found a relatively clean spot in the cave, spread out some dry grass they had brought along the way, and then took off their coat and covered it with it.

"Rest here."

He spoke to Kanao, who was standing next to him.

"Ah."

Kanao obediently walked over and lay down on it.

It was much colder inside the cave than outside, but fortunately he had dressed Kanao in plenty of clothes before they came out, so it should be enough to keep her warm.

Even so, Su Mu still found some branches and wood in the cave, preparing to light a campfire nearby.