It seems my efforts today were not in vain.
Chiba Yo felt a great sense of accomplishment and got up to follow Giyuu to the residence where the Pillars were gathered.
A week gradually passed, and this Pillar Meeting drew to a close.
Inside the residence, ten Pillars knelt on one knee before Kagaya.
Kagaya smiled and said in a gentle voice, "This Pillar Meeting concludes here. Thank you for attending. I will gradually implement the issues you raised and the solutions you provided.
Finally, I wish you all eternal peace."
His unhurried voice contained the most sincere emotions.
"We wish Master Kagaya eternal health!" The ten Pillars bowed slightly and wished in unison.
"Thank you for your wishes. You may all return," Kagaya said with a smile to the Pillars. Then he turned his gaze to Chiba Yo and said to him, "Yo, stay for a moment. I have something to say to you."
"Yes," the Pillars replied in unison after hearing their Master's words.
Subsequently, except for Chiba Yo, the other Pillars successively left the residence, and only Chiba Yo remained.
Chiba Yo himself was also bewildered, not understanding why Master Kagaya wanted to keep him behind alone.
After the other Pillars had all left, Kagaya spoke.
"Now that it's just the two of us, you can confide any worries or pain to me. Keeping it bottled up will only make it worse."
His voice was steady and gentle, and his eyes seemed to contain a power that could see through people's hearts.
Kagaya continued, "Every Demon Slayer Corps member carries a lot of pain in their heart. Those who join the Demon Slayer Corps are all good children, kind and gentle.
But precisely because of this, the sorrows of others make them empathize, and some unavoidable things make them feel immensely guilty.
Kind people are always more easily hurt.
You, like Kyoujurou, are someone who likes to think of others. I already know the details of the mission from my Kasugai Crow. You must be feeling very bad, aren't you?"
Kagaya looked at Chiba Yo. Although half of his face was disfigured, it did not make people feel scared at all. Instead, there was a kind of kindness that made people want to approach him.
Kagaya's words completely hit Chiba Yo. The two living people who died right before him had been lingering in his mind. Although his strength could easily slay the demon, he couldn't save them.
After a moment of silence, Chiba Yo spoke.
"Master Kagaya… can I truly protect others? They were right before my eyes, but I could only watch them die. Can someone like me truly protect others like Teacher Rengoku and the others?
Did that demon's brother die because of me? Did I kill him?"
Chiba Yo looked at the floor and said with some pain.
Chiba Yo asked several questions in a row. Although the past few days had been pleasant and happy, whenever he lay down, these questions would flood his mind, forcing him to ponder them.
Originally, he joined the Demon Slayer Corps to avenge demons, but under Kyoujurou's guidance, his thoughts had shifted to protecting others.
However, these two consecutive missions made him feel like he hadn't protected anyone. He had immense power but couldn't do anything.
"Slaying man-eating demons is inherently protecting others; you have already achieved that.
As for the matter of that brother and sister, it is difficult for humans to retain their consciousness after becoming demons. They ceased to be their former selves the moment they became demons. Since it had already eaten a human, your act of slaying it was not wrong.
All these tragedies were created by Kibutsuji Muzan. You do not need to blame yourself for this," Kagaya said, comforting him.
Upon hearing Kagaya's words, Chiba Yo felt much better. He bowed to Kagaya in gratitude and said, "Thank you for your concern, Master Kagaya."
"While it's not wrong to often reflect on yourself, in the future, be a little less harsh on yourself," Kagaya smiled and finally said to Chiba Yo.
"I understand," Chiba Yo nodded.
Then he also left the residence.
The Pillar Meeting officially ended, but Pillars who had not yet received missions temporarily remained at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, using this time for training. Pillars with Tsuguko also took this opportunity to instruct their Tsuguko.
At the same time, someone unexpected came to find Chiba Yo.
"Eh? Why would Mr. Tetsuimaru come here?"
Chiba Yo looked at Tetsuimaru, who was wearing a Hyottoko mask, and asked with some confusion.
"You're still asking me? I don't know how someone as clumsy as you became a Pillar. Of course, I'm here to engrave the four characters 'Demon Slayer' on your nichirin blade, which only Pillar-level swordsmen's nichirin blades have. At the same time, I'm checking if you've been taking good care of the blade I forged," Tetsuimaru said, looking at Chiba Yo with her arms crossed.
Although her words were somewhat impatient, her tone still conveyed that she was very happy. After all, forging a nichirin blade for a Pillar was also an honor for a swordsmith.
"I see. Then I'll trouble Mr. Tetsuimaru. But I wanted to ask, will Mr. Tetsuimaru be taking the nichirin blade back to her village?" Chiba Yo understood and then asked Tetsuimaru.
He was a little afraid that if his nichirin blade was taken away, it might delay his missions.
"Of course not. I've already brought the necessary tools here. I can finish this work in less than a day," Tetsuimaru said, waving her hand.
Hearing this, Chiba Yo felt relieved and took out his nichirin blade. As he handed the nichirin blade to Tetsuimaru, Chiba Yo suddenly thought of something and didn't immediately hand over the blade. He said to her happily, "Oh, right, I recently discovered that this nichirin blade turns red when I'm fighting. Would Mr. Tetsuimaru like to see?"
Thinking of Tetsuimaru's previous obsession with seeing a nichirin blade turn red, Chiba Yo asked her.
Hearing Chiba Yo say this, Tetsuimaru couldn't sit still and excitedly grabbed Chiba Yo's hand, pulling him out of the house.
"Of course, I want to see! What are you hesitating for, you idiot? Hurry up and let me see the nichirin blade turn red!" Tetsuimaru said, pulling Chiba Yo as she walked.
"Okay, okay, I get it," Chiba Yo said helplessly from behind.
Soon, the two arrived at a training ground at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry…"
Tetsuimaru was constantly urging Chiba Yo from the side, her excitement evident.
Mr. Tetsuimaru's temper is still so impatient.
Chiba Yo turned his head to look at Tetsuimaru, feeling a little helpless.
Then he turned his head, took a deep breath, and then exhaled a white rainbow from his mouth, while tightening his grip on the nichirin blade in his hand.
The next moment, something strange happened. The originally pitch-black nichirin blade gradually began to glow with a crimson color in Chiba Yo's hand. This crimson color gradually stained the entire blade of the nichirin blade, causing a drastic change in the blade's color.
"Crimson Blade… It really is a Crimson Blade… The records… are true…"
Tetsuimaru, who was standing nearby, muttered to herself after seeing the change in the nichirin blade.