It was almost evening when the three finally reached the village. As they started walking through the streets, Ishida noticed what the information had already suggested—there were very few people out in the streets or browsing the market. Barely one or two shops were open, even though it was still far from nighttime and not even that dark yet.
"So, do you have any information about where the demon might be and where we need to go? Or do we just walk around until a demon shows up?" Kazuki spoke up with a nonchalant tone.
"No. According to the information from the Corps, the young girls were taken on that mountain," Ishida said, looking up. Both Kazuki and Sakura followed his gaze and looked in the same direction. There was a mountain up ahead, visible only because darkness hadn't fallen yet.
"The Demon Slayer Corps sent out about 22 slayers over the last two weeks, at different times. Only two were able to return and bring information back with them."
Kazuki's expression shifted drastically. "Huh? That means twenty couldn't return? Are you saying you came here knowing we're facing a demon this powerful?"
Ishida completely ignored his comment and continued explaining. "It's said that there's a temple at the top of this mountain where the young girls went and disappeared. It's possibly a Lower Moon demon—probably Lower Moon Six, according to the two survivors."
"He completely ignored me," Kazuki muttered under his breath.
"A Lower Moon?" Sakura asked, her voice carrying a hint of nervousness. "You want us to face a Lower Moon?"
"Yes," Ishida replied matter-of-factly. "Though I'll be there, the fight will be for both of you only. I'll watch over you."
"Watch over us? That's reassuring," Kazuki said sarcastically.
"You wanted to get stronger, didn't you?" Ishida said, glancing at him. "This is how you do it."
Before either of them could respond, a young boy, perhaps around ten years old, cautiously approached them. His eyes were fixed on the swords they carried at their sides.
"Are you also with those people?" the boy asked timidly.
Ishida turned his attention to the boy. "What do you mean by 'those people'?"
"There were people like you carrying swords a few days ago as well," the boy explained, his voice gaining a bit more confidence. "One of them even saved my sister."
Ishida crouched down slightly to be at eye level with the boy. "Do you know anything about the demon or what's been happening here?"
The boy nodded slowly. "My family... it's just me, my elder sister, and my mother. My mother is really sick. My work and my sister's work together, we couldn't afford her treatment. We were going through a really bad time."
He paused, fidgeting with his hands. "One day, one of her friends told her about someone at the mountain temple who helps people like her with their problems. They said this person could solve everything. So she went with her friend and started going regularly."
"But one day, she didn't come back," the boy continued, his voice trembling slightly. "I got worried, so I went to the mountain to check on her. But before I could even get close to the top, I saw my sister running down. She was being chased by something—someone. I couldn't see clearly what it was."
His eyes widened as he recalled the memory. "Then one of those people like you guys suddenly appeared and stood between whatever was chasing my sister and us. He told me to take her back, and I did. She was injured badly. She's still recovering from it now."
The boy's expression grew somber. "But I never saw that guy who came to help us after that day."
Ishida nodded slowly, processing the information. Everything the boy described matched perfectly with what he'd been told and the reports he'd received. He placed a hand gently on the boy's shoulder.
"Thank you for telling us this. You were very brave," Ishida said.
The boy nodded and quickly walked away, disappearing into one of the nearby houses.
Sakura looked at Ishida with concern. "So that person who saved his sister..."
"Probably one of the twenty who didn't make it back," Ishida finished her thought, his expression hardening. "This demon is luring people in with promises of help and salvation."
"That's sick," Kazuki muttered, his earlier nonchalance completely gone.
"That's what demons do," Ishida replied coldly. "They prey on the desperate and vulnerable. Which is exactly why we're here to stop it."
"So, what do we do now?" Sakura asked. "According to the information, the demon should be in the temple. So… should we head there?"
Ishida paused, thinking to himself, A Lower Moon? A single Lower Moon wiped out twenty Demon Slayer squads. And they weren't the lowest ranked either—at minimum Kanoto, with a few Tsuchinoto at the end, who barely managed to survive. The quality really seems to be slipping… though I can't say for sure if it was ever much better before.
"We'll head for the mountain," Ishida finally replied. Still… I can't shake this feeling that something's wrong. It's not as simple as we're assuming'.