Demon Slayer: Starting with the Kingdom

"Is it really okay to just leave them here like this?"

Chapter 137 It's alright, Upper Moon One will take action.

The Demon Slayer Corps has always handled the aftermath of demon slaying by demon hunters in a very crude manner.

After slaying the demon, the demon hunters left; some went back to recover from their injuries, while others went to take on the next mission.

After that, the hidden forces responsible for logistics appeared.

Clean up the scene of the battle, remove any possible human remains, and remind any potential witnesses to pay hush money or compensation as appropriate...

Then it was gone.

Yes, that's it.

For those humans who may also have colluded with demons and acted as their accomplices, the Demon Slayer Corps' attitude has always been the same—

That means just ignoring it.

This sounds incredible, but there are many complex reasons behind it.

For centuries, the Demon Slayer Corps has adhered to an ironclad rule established by the Ubuyashiki family—

As a demon hunter, one must never get involved in any human disputes.

Moreover, once you become a demon hunter, you are a demon hunter for life, and you are never allowed to "resign" midway unless there are special circumstances.

The reason for doing this is that the Ubuyashiki clan did not want to reveal too much about the existence of demons to the public, causing unnecessary panic.

More importantly, it is to prevent demon hunters from using their powerful abilities to arbitrarily interfere in human disputes.

Although most demon hunters are not that strong compared to powerful demons.

But for ordinary humans, even a demon slayer who has only a rudimentary grasp of breathing techniques is already incredibly powerful!

The Pillar-level swordsmen who stand at the top of the Demon Slayer ranks are even more capable of taking on a hundred ordinary human soldiers in the era of cold weapons!

This became even more evident after the Warring States period.

The gods created Yoriichi, and Yoriichi brought the Breathing Techniques to the Demon Slayer Corps.

The breathing techniques were originally a "cheat code" provided by the gods to humanity in order to eliminate evil spirits.

It is something that should not exist in this world, but with the tacit approval of the gods, it has become the standard equipment for every demon hunter.

Possessing such terrifying power, if it opens the door for demon hunters to freely intervene in human conflicts, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Initially, perhaps everyone just wanted to better deal with those humans who colluded with evil spirits, and to ensure that justice could be better served.

But over time, who can guarantee that this original intention will not change?

When people truly experience the wonderful power to arbitrarily judge the life and death of others, how many can remain steadfast in their principles and ensure that they never overstep their bounds?

First, there are the villains who are indeed in league with the evil spirits, and then there are the poor souls who have never harmed anyone but are forced to provide some help to the evil spirits under their coercion.

Then there are the cowards who, despite knowing of the existence of evil spirits, dare not help the demon hunters out of fear.

Finally, it evolved into a situation where, in order to block information about the existence of evil spirits, any human who knew of their existence, regardless of whether they were good or bad, was dealt with.

The door is being opened wider and wider, and trials are becoming increasingly arbitrary.

This is how the degeneration of human nature begins, step by step.

So, can the Demon Slayer Corps hand these people over to the Magistrate's Office instead of dealing with them themselves?

The answer is, it's also very difficult.

Aside from a few truly exceptional cases, the vast majority of murders committed by humans in collusion with evil spirits are difficult to prosecute through the legal procedures of human society.

One very important reason is that you simply cannot find the victim's body.

After all, they were all eaten by evil spirits...

There's no way to prove it since he's dead, and we can't even find his body. How can you say that I killed him?

I'm warning you, don't slander good people!

If the magistrate wants to try these people, he must provide sufficient evidence, or even inform them of the existence of evil spirits; otherwise, it will be difficult to convict them from a legal perspective.

But this goes against the purpose of the Ubuyashiki clan... or rather, the gods' desire to hide the existence of evil spirits as much as possible.

It was under these circumstances, where they were caught in a dilemma, that the Ubuyashiki clan simply chose to ignore everything.

I don't care whether you colluded with evil spirits or how many people you killed with them in the past, as long as I kill the evil spirits, that's all that matters.

My Demon Slayer Corps is only responsible for killing demons. Everything else is none of my business, and I won't concern myself with it.

So, over time, even when faced with obvious acts of accompliceness, the demon hunters stopped intervening...

After all, all they need to do is slay the evil spirits and protect the other humans from them.

The rest is none of the Demon Slayer's business.

That's normal, after all, the gods have never said that everything they do is for justice.

He simply wanted to eradicate evil spirits, creatures beyond His control, nothing more.

it's fine!

As the embodiment of justice and a kind-hearted demon slayer, Mitsuba will take action!

And so, on the night after Mitsuha and Makijuro left.

Led by a certain member of parliament, police from several nearby township police stations mobilized together and arrested all members of the family that very night!

A week later, a shocking news story quickly dominated the headlines of major newspapers in Tokyo!

[Shocking! An ancient family with a history spanning hundreds of years has a penchant for cannibalism?!]

Unbelievable! The legendary hospitable family actually has a little-known cult belief?!

An ancient family, a vanished traveler, a mysterious sacrificial ritual—what secrets lie hidden behind all of this?

Regarding this infamous "cannibalistic family" case, let us once again thank Congressman Jiguo for his...

"Member of Parliament! What is your opinion on the recent outcome of the 'cannibal family' case?"

"Is everything in the newspaper true? Does that family really have a 300-year-old tradition of cannibalism?!"

"Member Jiguo! How exactly did you discover that family's secret?"

“Member of Parliament…”

A group of reporters, armed with pens and paper, swarmed into the mansion of Yen Shing in downtown Tokyo.

Yan Sheng, who was already familiar with this kind of scene, was dressed in a sharp suit as always.

He stood in the shadows under the eaves in front of the door, arm in arm with Nakime, who was dressed in a kimono, and calmly and smilingly answered one question after another from the reporters.

It's likely that this young, talented, and handsome politician will spark quite a bit of discussion in Tokyo in the near future...

My elder brother's career path is truly smooth sailing!

Chapter 138 Tanjuro Kamado (Bonus Chapter)

"Mitsuha, did you do that thing that was mentioned in the newspaper recently?"

Late at night, in some nameless, deep mountain, recalling the newspaper article he had happened to see during the day, Makijuro finally couldn't help but ask the question.

As they trudged deeper into the mountains through the snow, Mitsuha nodded in acknowledgment upon hearing Makijuro's question.

"The day after I left that family, I slipped the whistleblower letter into the mailbox at the door of that Congressman Jiguo's house."

Surprisingly, he acted quickly; he arrested those people that very night…

Come to think of it, this congressman from Jiguo and I share the same surname. Could it be that we were family hundreds of years ago?

Mitsuha clearly said that last sentence on purpose.

After all, her current human puppet body is constantly being watched by the gods in the sky, and any unusual behavior will be immediately detected.

Therefore, the performance must be done in its entirety.

When you need to express doubt, express doubt; when you need to express curiosity, express curiosity. In short, perform well and don't let your disguise slip.

I must say, acting under the noses of the gods is actually quite thrilling...

"But, my lord said before that demon hunters are not allowed to get involved in human disputes except for killing demons..."

Following in Mitsuha's footsteps, Makijuro couldn't help but remind her.

"So, Makijuro, you think I did something wrong?"

Mitsuha stopped and turned around to look at her curiously.

"That's not what I meant..."

Under the gaze of her beautiful eyes, Makijuro lowered his head somewhat embarrassed.

To be honest, he actually thought Mitsuha did the right thing.

After all, that family had indeed done a lot of bad things and had too much blood on their hands.

He couldn't live with his conscience if he just let them go unpunished.

But the Demon Slayer Corps' rules are rules. Since the Master said they can't interfere in these matters, then they absolutely cannot...

"Maki Juro, you'd better follow your own heart more often."

As if seeing through his inner turmoil, Mitsuha smiled, shook her head, and turned to continue walking forward.

True justice is never found in the rules and regulations; it is always found in the place where your heart beats.

Don't let those rules and regulations extinguish the flame in your heart.

My teammate, the day you truly understand this, your mastery of Flame Breathing will perhaps reach a new level…

Her voice drifted through the wind and snow, causing Makijuro to instinctively stop in his tracks.

Has true justice always resided within me...?

As if he had gained some insight, Makijuro lowered his head and subconsciously clenched his fists.

Before long, he ran forward and caught up with Mitsuha, who had already walked quite a distance ahead.

"Mitsuha, thank you!"

"It's about what you just said to me..."

"Oh, you're welcome. I'm very interested in you because you're an interesting person, Makijuro."

"Huh?! Me?! Me?!"

"Yes, that's right. In the entire Demon Slayer Corps right now, apart from our young master, you are the only one who can make me feel interesting, Makijuro."

I'm really curious about your future. I wish I could go to the future right now and see what you'll be like then..."

At this time, the young Makijuro was unaware of the true meaning of Mitsuha's last words...

After that, the two remained silent the rest of the way.

The two, who were searching for traces of evil spirits in the vicinity, continued to venture deeper into the mountain path and eventually discovered a family living deep in the mountains.

This is a very strange family. They don't live with the townspeople at the foot of the mountain, but instead live alone in this remote mountain area, which makes them quite reclusive.

Judging from the traces of felled trees around the house and the large stove placed outside, this family seems to make a living by logging and burning charcoal.

The house is not large and looks quite old.

In the woods not far away, there seemed to be a mottled tombstone. In the pitch-black night, Mitsuha's human puppet body could not make out the name on the tombstone.

For some reason, as she approached the house, Mitsuha suddenly felt a strange feeling that she herself couldn't quite understand.

Where is this place?

"I'll go over and ask about the situation."

Beside him, Makijuro took the initiative to step forward and walk towards the house.

The two were out here to slay demons, and since there was a family living in the deep mountains, they could go and inquire about the surrounding area.

Mitsuha did not respond.

Subconsciously, her gaze returned to the grave hidden in the woods not far away.