Without its head to guide it, Sato Takeichiro's body immediately stopped struggling, and a gust of cold wind turned it directly into dust.
Demons are inherently "dead things"; how can they die again?
Complete dissipation is their ultimate end.
It's just a pity... to finally encounter an experience package, only for it to be gone just like that... Roy's mood wasn't as beautiful as he imagined.
Fortunately, the panel prompt... [Combat Experience +10], made his expression improve somewhat.
"Ni-san, is he really dead?" Tanjiro finally dared to emerge from behind the tree.
Though the child was stubborn, he wasn't foolish, and in fact, he was quite self-aware. He knew very well that his meager strength was insufficient to participate in this battle, so he obediently stayed put, not holding Roy back.
Roy organized his spoils, allocating all twelve newly acquired experience points to Dark Step. Only then did he spare a glance for Tanjiro, saying grumpily, "What? Do you want to have a big fight with him?"
Tanjiro jumped in fright, waving his hands repeatedly... He had personally witnessed the strength of that demon.
If not for Roy, and if it had been him, he would have been 100% as pathetic as the woodcutter who had been mostly eaten.
It's just... "I actually want to fight alongside Ni-san too."
Tanjiro lowered his head, secretly peeking at Roy with the corner of his eye, speaking cautiously.
That plea and longing made Roy pause in surprise.
Indeed... In the original story, he was the elder brother, the pillar of the family, the reliance his younger siblings depended on.
Therefore, he had to be strong; he had to make himself fully capable to shelter his family from the wind and rain.
So... unable to tolerate being useless, and always striving to be strong, was his true nature.
Roy touched Tanjiro's head, sighing, "You're quite different from some people, for a younger brother."
"Is Ni-san talking about that Otouto in your dream?"
"Mhm..."
"What's his name?"
"Illumi..."
"Illumi..." Tanjiro repeated in his heart, stating with conviction, "He must admire Ni-san very much."
Roy scoffed, thinking that if a certain someone didn't stab him in the back, he'd consider it merciful.
He raised his hand and gave Tanjiro a crisp flick on the head: "Did Mother agree to let you come along just to ask questions?"
"Shut up! Get to work!"
"Oh~" Tanjiro clutched his head, looking wronged.
He shouldered his basket, picked up his hoe, and followed Roy towards the open-pit coal mine deep within the forest.
Those who live by the mountains eat from the mountains; those who live by the sea eat from the sea. The forest was large enough, and had existed long enough, to contain a plethora of treasures.
In less than half a day, Roy took Tanjiro on a short wander, and both baskets were completely filled with coal.
It was three o'clock in the afternoon, still an hour before sunset. Taking advantage of the remaining time, Roy tossed Tanjiro two dumplings, while he himself had a simple bite with hot tea.
He took a step and swiftly leaped up a large tree.
His movements were fluid and smooth, and Tanjiro watched with extreme envy.
'Ni-san's speed... has it gotten faster again?' The child gnawed on his dumpling, looking up at Roy.
Thanks to Sato Takeichiro, after Dark Step's proficiency increased, Roy could indeed feel his body lighten somewhat.
He broke off a branch and held it in his hand, activating [Gyo] to search for some wild game. Relying on his enhanced vision, he keenly caught sight of two clusters of "aura."
Then, "Swish..." "Swish..."... The branches were drawn and thrown out by Roy like lightning!
"Chirp--" Two cries of agony... The moving "aura" instantly ceased... Tanjiro understood immediately and quickly ran over to look. When he returned, he held a wild chicken in each hand.
"Ni-san, they're wild chickens!" the boy shouted excitedly. "They'll be perfect for Father and Nezuko to get some nourishment."
Roy was noncommittal, and with another leap, he soared into the deeper forest. This time, when he returned, he had a roe deer in his hands.
"Wow..." Tanjiro's mouth hung open as he circled the roe deer.
It was his first time seeing such a deer-like but not-deer-like creature, and he was momentarily captivated by curiosity... but he didn't notice Roy raising his hand and tossing the roe deer, its neck twisted, at his feet, then turning and disappearing again.
Until... ten minutes later, a mournful howl echoed from the forest.
Tanjiro heard the commotion and turned his head... Roy reappeared, dragging a wild boar out of the woods.
The foolish Otouto's eyes widened. He repeatedly checked to see if he was hallucinating... until Roy patted him, bringing him back to his senses.
"It's getting late, let's pack up and go." Roy lifted the wild boar with his foot, hoisted it onto his shoulder, then bent down to put on his basket, picked up the roe deer, and handed the hoe and the two wild chickens to Tanjiro.
Roy took the lead, walking out of the forest in the direction they had come.
In these times, demons ran rampant and wolves ruled. As Sanzaburo Koizumi at the foot of the mountain said, no one dared to go out at night. Naturally, there were no hunters either.
This led to an abundance of wild game in the forest, with active animals, which was convenient for him.
'What a pity... I only know [Gyo], not [En]...'
'Otherwise, with the enhancement of [En], hunting would be even more effective.'
But... no rush... one must eat bite by bite, and walk step by step... For now, the priority was to master Sun Breathing and strengthen his physique.
The young man's deep red hair swayed in the wind. Trailing behind him was a smaller version of himself, strolling through the snowy land, chasing the setting sun, leaving two shallow lines of footprints in the forest... Tanjiro lagged behind, perhaps because he was carrying too many things, weighing him down... or perhaps because of the demon cannibalism incident, which had shaken his worldview... All the way, Roy didn't speak, and neither did he, until he could see a wisp of cooking smoke in the distance... Only then did he take quick steps to catch up with Roy, saying with a determined expression: "Ni-san, I want to learn from you."
"Learn what?"
"Just like, hey... ha..."
Tanjiro used a wild chicken as a sword, making two practice swings... The chicken feathers nearly hit Roy in the face, making Roy roll his eyes in exasperation.
"Alright, I get it... You're always so troublesome..."
"Hehe..."
Tanjiro rubbed the back of his head, chuckling sheepishly, and the wild chicken in his hand "thumped" to the ground.
Then, he received a kick from Roy. He limped in front of Kie, Tanjuro, and his younger siblings.
"I'm home~"
"Where's Ni-san?"
"He's behind..."
Tanjiro handed the wild chickens to Kie and took off his shoes and socks before stepping onto the veranda... With him no longer blocking the view, Roy, who was holding a roe deer, carrying a basket of coal on his back, and a plump wild boar on his shoulder, stomped the snow off his feet and swung the wild boar onto the ground.
He smiled and said, "I'm home."
The Kamado family: "..."
Their eyes widened.
Just like Tanjiro an hour ago.