"It's so amazing, Ao—no, Kakado-nii, how did you do it? Even your scent has changed."
Tanjiro spoke nonstop on the way to the Swordsmith Village.
The Disguise Glasses were indeed formidable; even Tanjiro, with his cheat-like sense of smell, failed to detect Aomori's true identity, which gave Aomori significant confidence in his upcoming action to lure out Demons.
Led by Kanae, Aomori and Tanjiro arrived at the Swordsmith Village by carriage.
Everyone who lived in the Swordsmith Village, regardless of age or gender, was a master at forging Nichirin Swords. They wore various hyottoko masks and worked day and night to forge blades for the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen, making it a critical base for the Corps.
Upon meeting the Village Chief, Kanae immediately stated their purpose.
"This is Kakado, the new Rumble Hashira. I implore you to forge two Nichirin Swords for him."
The Village Chief was short and frail with white hair. An aged voice came from behind his mask: "Oh, a new Rumble Hashira. It's been a long time. He looks like a fine young man."
After a pause, the Village Chief continued, "The Master has already given instructions on this matter. As per custom, you must select the appropriate ore yourself."
The ore used to forge Nichirin Swords is called "Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand and Scarlet Ore," which possesses the properties of sunlight, allowing the forged blade to kill Demons.
The ore sometimes had companion deposits, so choosing the ore was effectively choosing the type of companion deposit.
Aomori nodded and said, "Understood."
The Village Chief brought out all the highest-quality ore in the village for Aomori to choose from.
These past few days, Aomori had been thinking about why The Best Sword in the Village shattered. The most likely reason was that he recklessly forced the two powers, thunder and light, to combine. The mutual repulsion between the different powers overstressed and broke The Best Sword in the Village.
It was a case of too much of a good thing.
Learning his lesson, Aomori decided to separate the powers of thunder and light, which was why he requested two Nichirin Swords.
One would carry the power of thunder, and the other, the power of holy light.
Therefore, the selected ore should ideally be compatible with its corresponding power.
Aomori gathered the power of thunder in one hand and the power of holy light in the other, carefully sifting through the piles of ore.
It was almost dark when he finally selected the ore to his liking. Kanae had already taken Tanjiro to tour other parts of the village.
"Village Chief, I'll take these two. Thank you for your trouble."
"No trouble at all. This is the first time someone has spent so long choosing ore. It shows how highly you value these two blades. Rest assured, we will do our utmost to ensure you leave satisfied." The Village Chief was clearly pleased with Aomori and nodded repeatedly.
"Village Chief, I actually have one more request," Aomori said, adjusting his glasses.
"Speak your mind. The Swordsmith Village will solve any problem for you," the Village Chief thumped his chest.
"I've heard there is a powerful 'whetstone' passed down in the Swordsmith Village that can make a swordsman stronger."
"Hmm? Are you referring to that?"
…
Aomori found Kanae and Tanjiro at a hot spring. The two of them were soaking in the same pool.
Although the conservative Kanae was wearing a bath towel, it didn't completely conceal her overflowing assets. With Aomori's eyesight, he could easily see past the mist and observe the essence.
"Tanjiro, come with me. I'll show you something more interesting."
Aomori's clear, cool voice snapped the dizzy Tanjiro back to reality. Blushing, he quickly stood up and said hoarsely, "Okay, Aomori-nii. I'm coming right now."
He fled the hot spring in a mix of panic and regret.
"Ara, Tanjiro is so adorable." Kanae covered her mouth, giggling, and also stepped out of the hot spring. "I'm coming too."
"Suit yourself."
Leading the now-dressed Kanae and Tanjiro, Aomori walked without stopping deep into the mountains. In the silent night, Tanjiro was too disoriented to tell directions.
"Ao— ahem, Kakado-nii, why are you so familiar with this place? Haven't we all just arrived here?" Tanjiro asked.
Kanae clearly had the same question and looked at Aomori with wide eyes.
"Because I can see. Mere darkness cannot obstruct my sight."
Kanae was about to ask more questions but was cut off by Aomori: "We're here. This is the place."
There were two rows of wooden houses here. Aomori walked straight up to one of them and knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" a young voice answered. A child about seven or eight years old opened the door, his face also covered with a hyottoko mask. "Who are you people?"
"We are swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kakado, the Rumble Hashira," Aomori pointed to Kanae behind him, "and Kanae Kocho, the Flower Hashira."
Kanae nodded. She had figured out Aomori's goal. What was baffling was how he knew the Swordsmith Village's secret. Even she wouldn't have known about it if Gyomei hadn't mentioned it by chance.
As he spoke, Aomori clearly felt the child's body tremble.
"Never heard of you, don't know you, goodbye!" The child tried to close the door, but Aomori stopped him with his foot.
"You must be Kotetsu. I think you already know why I'm here. Bring out the key to the Mechanical Doll. I've already spoken to the Village Chief."
"I won't!" Kotetsu said stubbornly.
Aomori stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly grabbed the bewildered Tanjiro and pushed him in front of the child. "I choose you, Tanjiro!"
Tanjiro: "???"
"I'm leaving it to you. Soothing children is your specialty, right? Nezuko and the others rely on you as their big brother. Don't let them down," Aomori encouraged him with a clenched fist.
"I... I understand." Tanjiro looked at Kotetsu, filled with fighting spirit.
"Y-You stay away!" Kotetsu shivered and hurriedly retreated into the room.
"Hey, don't run! Onii-chan isn't a bad guy," Tanjiro chased after him.
Kanae covered her mouth, amused by the scene. She glanced at Aomori, then stepped forward to join Tanjiro in persuading the child.
Aomori turned and entered the other wooden house. Hidden inside was the Mechanical Doll, an antique passed down for over 300 years.
Aomori, with his secondary class as a Mechanist, began his research with great interest.
Half an hour later, Tanjiro and Kanae successfully persuaded Kotetsu, who pulled out the key to the Mechanical Doll's lock.
"Tanjiro, you promised me you wouldn't break it."
"Don't worry, Kotetsu."
"You really can't break it. The method for making it has been lost. If it breaks, it can never be fixed!" Kotetsu continued to nag.
"Don't worry, Kotetsu!" Tanjiro once again planted a clear flag on his back.
When they all entered the wooden house where the Mechanical Doll was hidden, they were met with scattered fragments of parts all over the floor. The three of them froze, mouths wide open.
"Ah, you broke my Mechanical Doll! You have to pay!" Kotetsu's tears streamed down like a waterfall. Snapping out of his petrified state, he rushed forward, hitting Aomori's back repeatedly with his tiny fists.
Tanjiro held Kotetsu's sleeve, comforting him, " Kotetsu, don't be impulsive. Kakado-nii certainly didn't mean it."
"Even if he didn't mean it, this is incredibly thoughtless," Kanae knew Kotetsu's feelings for the Mechanical Doll and was genuinely upset.
Aomori, who was buried in the pile of parts, seemed to wake up from a dream. Seeing the Mechanical Doll disassembled into pieces with only its frame left, he felt a rare moment of embarrassment. He scratched his hair and said, "Ah, my apologies, my apologies. Occupational hazard."
"What good is apologizing now? My Mechanical Doll can never be restored!" Kotetsu tried to grab Aomori's hair but was blocked by a single finger on his forehead.
With a light flick, Kotetsu cried out, "Ouch!" and tumbled into Tanjiro's arms.
"Who said it can't be restored?"
"The methods of my ancestors have been lost! My father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather all tried, but there's no way to reproduce this Mechanical Doll! Do you even know that? No one in the Swordsmith Village can do it. Are you, a pretty boy, going to tell me you can?" Kotetsu went all-out with his fury.
"Ah, ah, Kotetsu, calm down!" Tanjiro was sweating profusely.
"You swordsmen only know how to destroy! How would you know how to fix it! If you can fix it, I'll eat..." Kotetsu trailed off, unable to speak. He saw Aomori's hands moving at lightning speed. The Mechanical Doll, which was just a frame moments ago, was slowly gaining its "flesh" back.
"Huh? I must be dreaming..."
————
You can read the ahead chapter on Patr if you're interested: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]