Chapter 50: In This World, Being a Demon Is the Original Sin
Seeing the two agree, Kanae Kocho let out a slight sigh of relief.
She turned around and cast an apologetic look at Tatsu.
Tatsu did not speak, simply shaking his head gently at Kanae to show he did not mind.
He raised his head and took a deep look at Kocho Shinobu and Sanemi Shinazugawa.
As a transmigrator, he knew their personalities all too well.
One was Kocho Shinobu, who had lost her parents and armed herself like a hedgehog with poison;
The other was Sanemi Shinazugawa, who had killed his own mother after she turned into a demon and hid all his gentleness beneath a violent exterior.
He did not blame them.
In this world ravaged by Muzan, the hatred demon slayers held for demons was only natural.
"Let's go, Kanae."
Tatsu said softly.
He was just about to take a step, following Kanae as she led the two away from this wooden house.
Just then.
"Creak—"
The paper door, which had been emitting a warm, orange glow, was slowly pulled open from the inside.
The four people in the courtyard—Tatsu, Kanae, Shinobu, and Sanemi—all stiffened at once.
Four pairs of eyes turned in unison toward the doorway of the wooden house.
The faint lamplight poured out from the gap in the door, casting a long shadow on the dirt ground.
A thin man draped in a tattered Haori was standing there quietly, supporting himself against the doorframe.
Tanjuro Kamado.
He looked very ill, his face pale, as if a slightly strong spring breeze could blow him over.
Yet as he stood there, he radiated an indescribable, tranquil aura that seemed to merge with all of heaven and earth.
In the face of this aura, even the murderous Sanemi Shinazugawa subconsciously reined in his hostility.
Tanjuro swept his gaze calmly over everyone in the courtyard.
His eyes lingered for a moment on the nichirin swords in the hands of Sanemi Shinazugawa and Kocho Shinobu, then he slowly looked at the two.
"You two swordsmen carrying blades..."
Tanjuro's voice was very soft and weak, yet it possessed a strange power that could reach straight into one's heart, "Visiting in the middle of the night, may I ask what for?"
Sanemi Shinazugawa frowned, instinctively wanting to tell this commoner to hurry back inside the house to avoid getting splattered with blood.
But when he met Tanjuro's eyes, which were as clear as water and devoid of ripples, the curse on the tip of his tongue was inexplicably swallowed back.
He sensed an unfathomable depth from this sickly man.
Kocho Shinobu stepped forward, trying to make her voice sound as gentle as possible to avoid frightening Tanjuro:
"Sir, we are very sorry to disturb your rest. We are swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps, tasked with slaying evil demons. Right now, there is an extremely dangerous demon standing in your courtyard. For your safety, please return to the house immediately, lock the doors and windows, and do not come out no matter what sounds you hear."
As she spoke, Kocho Shinobu pointed the tip of her blade at Tatsu, who was standing behind Kanae.
Hearing Kocho Shinobu's words, Tanjuro did not show the slightest bit of fear.
He followed the direction of the blade and looked at Tatsu.
He saw a warm flame, full of vitality and the intent to protect.
That was the trace left by Tatsu over many days and nights of practicing the "Hinokami Kagura" frantically, ignoring the collapse of his body.
Tanjuro shook his head slowly, a gentle and kind smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
He held onto the doorframe and slowly stepped over the threshold, standing on the steps, facing the two murderous Demon Slayer Corps members.
"You two swordsmen, you might be mistaken."
Tanjuro's voice was still weak, but every word carried weight, "This Mr. Tatsu is not some dangerous evil demon. He is a very good person."
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire courtyard fell into a deathly silence.
Sanemi Shinazugawa's eyes widened sharply, the blood vessels in the whites of his eyes instantly bursting, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.
Kocho Shinobu was also filled with astonishment, even wondering if something was wrong with her ears.
A commoner, actually speaking up for a demon when facing demon slayers?
Tanjuro ignored their shock; he looked at Tatsu, his eyes full of the appreciation an elder has for a junior:
"Mr. Tatsu lives with us. He eats at the same table with our family every day. He likes the white rice my wife, Kie, makes, and he can fill his stomach by eating human food. He has never harmed us in the slightest."
Tanjuro paused, "Not only that. A few days ago, when heading to the market, Mr. Tatsu went out of his way to travel a long distance to buy a bag of Konpeito for my gluttonous little daughter, Nezuko. The child held that candy and was happy for three whole days. How could a being who would go buy Konpeito just to make a little girl happy be an evil demon?"
Sanemi Shinazugawa and Kocho Shinobu were stunned.
A demon that eats human food? A demon that buys Konpeito for a human child? This completely overturned their understanding of demons.
But Tanjuro's words were not yet finished.
He turned his head and looked at Kanae Kocho, who was standing beside Tatsu, his eyes carrying a trace of an elder's gratification.
"For the past two days, Mr. Tatsu has been swinging his blade day and night on the back mountain to learn our family's Hinokami Kagura."
Tanjuro's voice gradually rose, "I know why he is working so hard. Because he wants to become stronger. He wants to use his power to protect that girl named Kanae. A soul that wants to protect a human girl... You two swordsmen, if such a person must be called an evil demon and be slain, then what justice is there left in this world?"
These words echoed in the courtyard like a great bell.
Listening to Tanjuro's words, Tatsu felt as if his throat was blocked by something.
He was a transmigrator; becoming a demon was an accident, and he truly did not need to eat humans.
But he was a demon nonetheless. In this world, being a demon was the original sin.
He thought he would have to carry this sense of guilt forever, walking alone in the darkness; even if Kanae believed in him, he still felt like an outsider.
But now, a person, a terminally ill father, stood before him and, in front of two Demon Slayer Corps members who hated demons the most, told everyone emphatically: He was a good person, and his soul was clean.
Tatsu took a deep breath, forcing back the sourness welling up in his eyes.
He stepped past Kanae and bowed deeply to Tanjuro, who was standing on the steps.
"Thank you... Mr. Tanjuro."
Tatsu's voice was a bit hoarse, but it contained unprecedented sincerity and gratitude, "Really... thank you so very much."
Thank you for not treating me like a monster; thank you for giving me the dignity of a "human" when I needed it most.
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