The next day.
The sun shines brightly on the earth.
Mitsuko was maintaining her Nichirin Blade in her room.
Mitsuko asked the shopkeeper for a soft cloth and carefully wiped the blade of the Nichirin Blade until it became slightly warm before stopping.
Then Mitsuko took out a bath towel, laid the Nichirin Blade flat on it, sprinkled some sword powder on it, then wrapped a piece of wood with the towel and vigorously rubbed it back and forth on the blade to remove the scratches on the blade.
This method of maintaining swords was taught to Mitsuko by an old blacksmith he met on his journey.
The old blacksmith saw the tsuba (handguard) on Mitsuko's Nichirin sword and stopped Mitsuko.
Because the old blacksmith knew the owner of the Nichirin Blade, the monk Kūkai.
Kūkai once saved the old blacksmith, and in return, the old blacksmith maintained Kūkai's Nichirin sword.
The old blacksmith asked Mitsuko about the origin of the Nichirin Blade.
The old blacksmith sighed deeply after learning from Mitsuko that she had inherited Kūkai's Nichirin Blade and that Kūkai had passed away.
The old blacksmith helped Mitsuko maintain his Nichirin Blade one last time. Realizing his own days were numbered and worried that Mitsuko might not be around to maintain it again, he taught Mitsuko how to maintain the sword.
He also told Mitsuko that maintaining swords requires a calm and peaceful mind, which can be regarded as an excellent way to cultivate one's character.
I also wish Mitsuko, who inherited Kūkai's Nichirin Blade, all the best.
Inside the inn, Mitsuko cleared his mind and began to polish his Nichirin Blade.
Suddenly!
There was a lot of noise outside the hotel, as if two groups of people were arguing.
Mitsuko leaned against the window, listening to the arguing.
"We've found some clues, and we're sure we'll find them this time!"
"Don't bother looking for them. If you find them, they'll only bring trouble back to town. Nobody wants them to come back!"
"They are our family. No matter what, we will find them. You have no right to stop us!"
"The reason why our Naganuma Town has been so peaceful during this period is because these scourges have disappeared. If you insist on going to find them, then don't come back. Our Naganuma Town will not tolerate you!"
"They have done many wrong things and hurt everyone, but they are also people from Naganuma Town. It's one thing for you not to help them, but you even want to drive them away?"
"How many people here have been bullied by them? How dare you ask us for help? Either you give up on finding them and stay in Naganuma Town, or you get out of Naganuma Town. You only have these two choices!"
The dispute between the two sides remained deadlocked.
In the end, the group that wanted to find the missing people chose to leave Naganuma Town.
Mitsuko returned to his seat, sighed, and began polishing the blade of his Nichirin Blade again.
The happiness in this small town is merely a superficial illusion.
...
Night fell.
Mitsuko left the inn and walked towards the entrance of the town, intending to leave.
When Mitsuko arrived at the entrance of the town, he found that the entrance was surrounded by people.
Pushing through the crowd, Mitsuko found three people lying on the ground.
A person is on the verge of death.
A person stared blankly ahead, muttering, "Don't come any closer, get out of the way, get out of the way!"
The other person kept explaining, "Believe me! We really encountered Ogiya Junpei. He's become a monster. He killed more than a dozen people and is still eating their corpses! Only the three of us escaped back to the town. Please, let me go home. I promise I won't look for him again, please!"
However, no one in the town believed him.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Putting aside the fact that Junpei has been missing for so long, given Junpei's kind nature, he wouldn't even dare to kill a chicken normally, let alone a person! If you want to lie, at least find someone we don't know!"
The man knelt on the ground and kept explaining, "No, everything I said is true, it really is Ogiya Junpei!"
Mitsuko walked up to the person and asked, "Where is that Ogiya Junpei you mentioned meeting?"
The man grabbed Mitsuko's hand as if it were a lifeline: "It's in the woods by the river outside the town. You believe me, right? Please help me persuade them. I really didn't lie!"
Mitsuko broke free of his grip and said to him, "Thank you for telling me, but I'm sorry, I can't help you."
Mitsuko brushed past him and walked out of the town.
The man desperately questioned Mitsuko, "Why! Since you believe me, why won't you speak up for me?!"
Mitsuko paused for a moment, but did not answer, and continued walking out of the town.
...
Mitsuko found a river outside the town.
But Mitsuko wasn't sure if it was this river.
Mitsuko walked along the riverbank.
Looking at his face reflected in the river, Mitsuko thought of the person who had begged him to speak up for him, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings.
Mitsuko wanted to help him, but recalling everything that had happened in the village made her feel uneasy.
He had already been betrayed once, and that time, Mitsuko lost everything.
Mitsuko didn't want to be betrayed a second time.
Suddenly.
A gentle breeze blew by, and Mitsuko smelled a faint scent of blood and demons in the air.
Mitsuko walked in the direction the wind was blowing.
The smell of blood and demons gradually intensified, accompanied by bursts of sobbing.
Following the sound, Mitsuko saw a boy who looked slightly older than himself, squatting on the ground crying.
The boy suddenly raised his head, his pupils glowing with an eerie red light, staring intently at Mitsuko.
Mitsuko walked up to the boy and asked, "You must be Ogiya Junpei?"
Upon hearing his name, the red light in Ogiya Junpei's pupils faded, and as if he were restraining something, he kept patting his head.
"I don't want to kill anyone, and I certainly don't want to eat people. Why are you forcing me? I've been hiding far away, so why are you still bothering me?!"
Junpei Ogiya suddenly stood up and shoved Mitsuko aside: "Run! I can't hold back anymore. If you stay here any longer, I'll kill you, or even eat you! I don't want to kill anyone, run!"
Upon hearing Ogiya Junpei's words, Mitsuko's body trembled slightly, and her gaze towards Ogiya Junpei gradually softened.
This is the first demon that Mitsuko has encountered so far who restrains himself because he doesn't want to kill.
Mitsuko felt a spark of hope; perhaps Junpei Ogiya was the beginning of the path she had chosen.
Just as Mitsuko was about to speak, the red light in Ogiya Junpei's pupils reappeared, his fingernails began to grow and became extremely sharp, and he kept panting.
"Ogiya Junpei?" Mitsuko called out Ogiya Junpei's name again, trying to bring him back to his senses.
But this time, Junpei Ogiya did not respond to Mitsuko. Instead, he swung his hands and attacked Mitsuko's body.