Demon Slayer: Starting with the Kingdom

In that world, everything was transparent; she and everyone else were clearly visible to her.

Incredible...

Is it possible for humans to do something like this?

Unaware of the wild thoughts running through her daughter's mind, Akane simply held Mitsuha tightly and said in a voice trembling with fear and tears:

"Silly girl, your mother waited all this time for you to bring your two brothers over for dinner, so she came to find you..."

Instead of finding your two older brothers, they found you alone here, brandishing a bamboo knife, and no matter how much your mother called out to you, she couldn't wake you up.

You silly girl, do you even know how scared your mother was just now...?

"I'm sorry, Mother, I was just..."

Mitsuha wanted to explain, but when the words reached her lips, she didn't know how to begin.

What should she say?

He said that while he was swinging his sword, he suddenly entered a transparent world. Because he was so immersed in it, he did not notice his mother calling him.

Would anyone believe me if I said something like that? Wouldn't I be considered crazy?

"Alright, it's good that you're alright. Let's not talk about this anymore..."

Fortunately, Akane didn't press the matter. She wiped her wet eyes, finally released Mitsuha, turned to look at the swordsmanship master who was still unconscious on the ground, and asked with a worried expression:

"Mitsuha, tell your mother what exactly happened here just now."

Who injured your swordsmanship master like this? And where have your two older brothers gone?

"My brothers and the others..."

From that day on, the news that Yoriichi's older brother possessed "extraordinary power" gradually spread throughout the entire country of Tsugumi.

After learning about the incident from his swordsmanship master upon waking up and carefully examining his injuries, Yoriichi's father's attitude towards him changed drastically overnight.

Yoriichi's elder brother is no longer the embodiment of misfortune in his eyes, but the "Child of God" who is destined to lead the country to glory!

Yoriichi Tsugikuni is a child bestowed upon Tsugikuni by the gods!

His father had the idea of ​​changing the heir to his elder brother, Eiichi.

The child who would be sent to a temple to become a monk when he turned ten became Yan Sheng, the elder brother on whom his father had placed high hopes.

The devastating impact of such a dramatic fall from grace left Yan Sheng's elder brother devastated and unable to recover.

He stopped getting up early, stopped practicing swordsmanship, was unmoved by his father's scolding, unresponsive to his mother's concern, and even more unmoved by the gossip of the servants in the house.

He was indeed still alive, but it was as if he had lost his soul.

Mitsuha always knew that her older brother, Yan Sheng, was actually a very hardworking person.

He is talented and patient, and he is able to work hard for his goals regardless of how many setbacks he may encounter in the process.

But all of this is based on the premise that Yan Sheng's elder brother believes he can achieve this goal.

That morning, Yoriichi's casual sword moves, his lightning-fast speed, and his all-seeing eyes deeply shocked and shattered Yan Sheng's originally resolute heart.

With just one glance, Yan Sheng became fully aware of the chasm that stood between true geniuses and ordinary people, a chasm that he could never cross no matter how hard he tried.

That was a peak he could never reach in his entire life.

His once proud dream of becoming a samurai was shattered completely with a casual wave of Yoriichi's hand...

As the younger sister, Mitsuha knew that now was the time for her to play a role, to guide her two older brothers, and to repair their relationship.

After all, she was named "Mitsuba," a name given to her by her mother, Akane, which contained her mother's expectations for her.

However, Mitsuha was unable to do so.

Just as Yan Sheng was losing her will to live, she also learned some news that was enough to make her despair.

Her father had already arranged a marriage for her.

The other party was a daimyo from a neighboring country, whom Mitsuha had met once at a banquet.

He was an old man who was almost fifty years old, old enough to be her grandfather, with a big belly and a face full of fat.

I heard that his first wife had recently passed away, and he was planning to remarry. In order to establish a marriage alliance with her, his father arranged the marriage on the spot.

My father said this was a good match in terms of social standing.

Upon hearing this news, Mitsuha was first shocked, and then filled with boundless fear.

She had considered the possibility of getting married, but she never imagined that her father could so casually betroth his daughter to an old man who was even older than himself.

Of course, her father didn't intend for her to marry him right now; everything was just a verbal agreement at the moment.

After all, she is still so young. The country will continue to support her until a few years later, when she reaches the appropriate age to get married, the marriage will be formally fulfilled.

But in any case, Mitsuha's future has already been decided.

In the not-too-distant future, she will be sent away from this home to a completely unfamiliar environment, where she will spend the rest of her life in loneliness and despair with an old man who may suddenly die at any time.

Just thinking about this future made Mitsuha tremble with fear.

She tried to persuade her father to change his mind, but what she received in return was a resounding slap across the face and that one sentence—

"You are the woman of the nation! To dedicate yourself to the nation is your birth mission!"

She had considered asking her mother for help, but at that time her mother was constantly arguing with her father because of her two older brothers' affairs, and her health was deteriorating, so she was simply unable to take care of her...

Time, in this way, slowly moved forward.

Six months later, this nation, already riddled with cracks and teetering on the brink of collapse, finally witnessed the moment that would change everyone's fate—

My mother, Zhu Nai, passed away.

Chapter 5 Mitsuha, You Are the Daughter of the Nation

Hundreds of years later, Mitsuha had little memory of her mother Akeno's passing.

The only thing she remembered was that the night was very quiet, the moon was very bright, and it was a very cool summer night.

As was her custom, after wiping her mother's body and preparing to rest, she saw that Zhu Nai, who had been lying on the bed and should have been asleep, suddenly woke up.

Over the past six months, my mother, who has been suffering from illness, has become emaciated and extremely weak. She can hardly communicate with anyone, and she rarely even stays conscious.

But that night, my mother woke up unusually energetic, showing none of her usual weakness, and even had an unusual flush on her cheeks.

Everything was so strange, like... taking the last breath of a person before they died.

Mitsuha instantly realized that her mother was at the very end of her life.

"Mother! I'm coming right away..."

"Mitsuha, come here."

In her panic, Zhu Nai didn't tell her to go outside and call for help, but instead beckoned her to come and sit down beside her.

"Your mother has always known that you have been a sensible child since you were little."

"You're smart and have your own opinions. A child like you will definitely be able to make a good life for yourself wherever you go in the future..."

As if giving her last words, Zhu Nai spoke slowly.

"Mother……"

She raised her hand and removed the green leaf jade hairpin that Sanye had made herself from her hair.

She stroked the hairpin repeatedly with her fingertips, examining it carefully in the moonlight, and finally put it back in for Mitsuha herself.

Looking at her daughter in front of her, Zhu Nai's eyes were filled with pity.

She reached out and pulled Mitsuha into her arms, resting her chin gently on her slender shoulder, and whispered in her ear:

"Your mother knows that you hate the marriage your father arranged for you and that you don't want to marry that old man."

But, silly girl, you are, after all, the daughter of the nation…

Our neighboring country is powerful, and establishing kinship ties with them is crucial to the future of our nation.

Mitsuha, you were born to enjoy the wealth and glory of the nation, so naturally you must bear the responsibilities that come with it, and dedicate yourself to it when it needs you… This is the rule of the powerful and wealthy.”

"Mother?"

Feeling her daughter trembling in her arms, Zhu Nai's eyes also welled up with tears.

But she didn't stop there. Instead, she raised her hand, gently brushed her daughter's hair, and continued:

"Since some things are beyond our control, all we can do is learn to accept them..."

Only in this way can we make our lives relatively better despite this less-than-ideal outcome... Do you understand?

Faced with the choice between her daughter and the future of the nation, Zhu Nai ultimately chose the latter.

For the sake of the nation's future, she chose to bury her daughter's future.

Because she is not only Mitsuha's mother, but also the matriarch of the successor state.

"Cough...cough cough!"

"Mother?!"

"Mitsuha, listen to me..."

Her breathing suddenly became erratic, and a sharp pain in her chest triggered a violent cough, but Zhu Nai paid no attention to it. Supporting herself with the frail shoulders of her daughter in her arms, she took a deep breath and said urgently:

"What your mother can't let go of the most are your two older brothers."

Unlike you, your two older brothers are both too strong-willed and unaware of it. They are like two sharp thorns that will always inadvertently hurt each other...

If this continues, those two brothers are bound to get into trouble... cough cough!

"Mother, please stop talking. I'll go get the doctor right away..."

"Mitsuba, listen to me. After Mother is gone, you must take good care of your two older brothers. You must reconcile their relationship and make sure they live in harmony. You must not let them hate each other. Do you understand?"

Otherwise, the nation, the nation will definitely, definitely…

The sound stopped abruptly, and the weight that had been pressing down on him gradually disappeared.

Her tightly clasped arms slowly loosened, and Akane, with her eyes wide open, gently slid to the side, falling at the feet of Mitsuha, who was still in a daze.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Nearly half a minute later, Mitsuha seemed to finally realize what had happened, stiffly looking down at Akeno, who was already lifeless, at her feet.

My mother has passed away.

After giving her a long list of last words, he suddenly left.

What should she do now?

Should I cry first?

We should probably...

Suddenly a familiar voice sounded behind her. Startled, Mitsuha turned around abruptly and saw Yoriichi standing at the door of the room, looking at her with his usual empty eyes, looking at Akeno at her feet.

"Brother Yoriichi? When did you arrive?"

"just now."

Yoriichi remained calm in response to Mitsuha's subconscious question.

He didn't go into the room, but stood at the doorway, his gaze passing through Mitsuha and fixed on Akeno, who lay dead on the floor.

There was no sadness, no crying, and not even a change in expression. After gazing for an unknown amount of time, Yoriichi finally looked up at Mitsuha in front of him.

"Mitsuba, I'm leaving."

His tone remained calm, as if he were only talking about a very ordinary little thing.

"Leaving? Where are you going, Yoriichi-nii-san?"

"Let's go to the temple."

Yoriichi gave an answer to Mitsuha's question.

"It seems that my father wants to make me his successor. This must be an unacceptable result for my elder brother, who has always longed to become a samurai."

A hint of helplessness finally appeared on his face, and Yoriichi explained softly and calmly:

"I don't want to ruin my brother's dream. Going to the temple to become a monk would be the best outcome for both me and my brother."