svetikya Page 165
Page 165
Kanae's suggestion surprised Ryosuke.
He pondered his plans for the coming days.
Most things have been dealt with, and there aren't any particularly urgent tasks or plot points.
Moreover, with Kanae by her side, they can look out for each other and avoid being chased and hacked by Hotaru Hideaki with a kitchen knife.
Ryosuke agreed, then paused, "Should we temporarily leave the Butterfly Mansion to Shinobu?"
The tasks at the Butterfly Mansion are numerous and trivial, leaving almost no free time; there's always work to be done whenever you want to.
In addition to cultivating medicinal herbs, preparing medicines, and caring for the wounded, they also had to teach and comfort the new children.
"no problem."
Kanae nodded: "Shinobu is very capable, and with Lady Shizu helping to take care of her, nothing will go wrong."
"Well, that's settled then."
Two days later, Ryosuke and Kanae traveled to the sword-forging village on Hidden's back.
With all our senses shut out, time seemed to stretch on and on.
After an unknown amount of time, the surrounding air temperature began to rise subtly.
The smell of coke, copper rust, and iron filled their nostrils before they were put down.
With his blindfold and earplugs removed, the sudden influx of light made Ryosuke squint.
Before us lies a village built against the mountainside, exuding the atmosphere of traditional craftsmanship.
After bowing respectfully, the guide quietly withdrew.
Ryosuke stretched his stiff neck and looked at Kanae.
She doesn't come to the knife-forging village often.
Kanae straightened her hair, which was pressed down by the blindfold, and looked around at the village in front of her.
"Should we go find your swordsmith first?" Ryosuke asked.
"Yes, thank you for coming with me, Mr. Ryosuke." Kanae nodded.
Kanae's swordsmith is a calm and collected middle-aged man who doesn't talk much but has superb skills.
After inspecting the Nichirin blade, it was stated that Kanae takes good care of it and only requires minor adjustments.
Kanae looked at Ryosuke, unable to suppress a smile, and covered her lips with her sleeve.
She had heard of Hotaru Hideaki.
That hot-tempered swordsmith had verbally abused the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen on more than one occasion.
Moreover, he doesn't care whether you're male or female, high or low in rank; his main principle is to treat everyone equally and fairly, kicking everyone to death.
That's why, despite his amazing forging skills, he was very unpopular, and very few swordsmen sought him out for forging.
"Mr. Ryosuke, it's time to go find your swordsmith~"
Ryosuke sighed.
I'm prepared to be tormented by the Iron Tomb, a top-tier cursed spirit.
This feeling is strange, like when your elementary school homeroom teacher is grading your homework in front of you, and you feel inexplicably uneasy.
"If things get really bad, just run."
"Okay~ I will."
Kanae nodded with a smile.
Ryosuke walked toward the workshop he remembered.
Steel Mound seemed to be waiting for Ryosuke on purpose.
He did not immerse himself in the frantic work of forging iron, but instead sat quietly in the rest area outside the furnace room.
Upon seeing the two arrive, Steel Mound slowly stood up.
"Steel Mound, trouble..."
Before Ryosuke could finish speaking, Hotaru Hideyuki snatched the Nichirin Blade and began to examine it closely.
Instead of the expected jet-fueled rage, the art style was distorted.
After finishing her inspection, Hotaru Takarazuka sheathed her sword and casually remarked.
"Come back in seven days to collect it."
Ryosuke was stunned.
Is this...over?
Things went so smoothly that he couldn't believe it.
Before Ryosuke could react, the door to the furnace room was closed, and the fire rose.
Twelve out of ten things are wrong!
Did this guy forget to take his medicine today?!
Not only Ryosuke, but even Kanae was surprised.
"Mr. Steelzuka... seems to be in a good mood today."
"It really is."
Ryosuke scratched his nose, feeling both amused and exasperated.
Based on his guess, Ryosuke felt that it was because his mastery of the Raikou sword style had become more and more proficient, his swordsmanship was more precise and efficient, and the wear and tear on the blade had been greatly reduced.
On the other hand, it's likely that Hotaru Hideaki acknowledged his own strength and felt that the sword he forged had not been disgraced in Ryosuke's hands.
It's a good thing that we weren't chased and attacked.
Ryosuke didn't dare linger and was about to make a run for it with Kanae when a young swordsmith wearing a fire-man mask walked over.
"Mingzhu-sama, Huazhu-sama, good day."
Ryosuke recognized him: Tetsuya Mori Kōzō.
He is the swordsmith who later forges the twin swords for Inosuke in the original story.
He then witnessed the piglet smashing a knife with a stone, which drove him to madness.
After Tetsuido's death, he took over Muichiro's sword-forging task.
Most importantly, this guy is one of the few normal swordsmiths in the sword-forging village!
He often acted as a bridge between Hotaru and others, relaying messages between them, and the two had a good personal relationship.
Of course, this is on the premise that Hotaru Tsukasa is not busy.
When forging knives, Hideaki Steel is ruthless and indifferent to his own family.
After all, this guy was the one who angered Ugly Jade Pot to the point of breaking his defenses in the original Sword Forging Village arc.
"Good day, Iron Cave Forest." Ryosuke returned the greeting.
Tetsuya Mori looked around the room and explained to Ryosuke with a smile.
“Lord Naruhashi, don’t let his awkward appearance fool you. He’s actually very happy that you’ve chosen him as your swordsmith.”
"He kept keeping track of the time, muttering about why you haven't come to maintain your Nichirin Blade in so long."
"That's why I specifically asked Mr. Tetsuido to pass on the message when he went to the Butterfly Mansion."
Wow! So that's how it is.
You, a top-tier cursed spirit, are a little bit arrogant!
"I understand."
Ryosuke nodded, remembering Steelzuka's quirks, and tentatively began to speak.
"I remember that Steelzuka really liked eating Mitarai dango, right?"
"Lord Naruhashi is very kind."
Tiexuesen nodded: "That's right, he especially likes the kind with just the right amount of sweetness."
"I understand. I'll find an opportunity to send him some in the next few days."
If we maintain good relationships, the next knife repair will go more smoothly.
After saying goodbye to Tetsuyamori, Ryosuke and Kanae strolled around the sword-forging village.
The village is small, but compact in layout. Along the way, you can see many swordsmiths busy at work, either processing tamahagane or polishing sword blanks.
The villagers were used to Zhu's arrival and mostly just nodded in greeting before continuing their work.
As soon as Ryosuke and his companion entered the cafeteria, they heard a series of loud clattering sounds of plates.
Empty plates were piled high on the dining table, and Kyojuro and Mitsuri were intently eating rice.
"Mr. Purgatory! Mmm... the food here is so delicious!"
"I...uh-uh-uh, yes!..."
Ryosuke and Kanae exchanged a glance and chuckled softly.
Ryosuke stepped forward and sat down beside the two.
Upon seeing the two, Kyojuro surprisingly put down his chopsticks.
"Mr. Ryosuke! Ms. Kanae!"
Mitsuri quickly swallowed her food, her cheeks slightly flushed, and stood up to bow.
"Mr. Ryosuke, Ms. Butterfly."
Kanae had a good impression of the girl she was meeting for the first time, and smiled and nodded.
Compared to the Tokito brothers' human-sized cheat codes, Mitsuri is a bit lacking.
She is still training with Kyojuro and has not yet graduated.
Ryosuke looked at Mitsuri and asked.