Back when Lumine had been temporarily staying at the Loki familia's Twilight Manor, she would tell stories every night to Tiona and the others.
Having grown up on countless standard "heroic tales," they found these stories surprisingly engaging.
Tonight, as everyone happened to be discussing the song Gurenge, Lumine took the opportunity to recount the opening story of Demon Slayer.
It was a far-eastern country untouched by gods…
A coal-selling boy whose father had died young…
A life that was hard, yet filled with the simplest happiness for his family…
Until one day, the sudden onslaught of the Demon King ruthlessly destroyed everything they had.
"Tch~"
When Bete, standing at the doorway, heard that the protagonist's family had been almost completely slaughtered by the Demon King, he clicked his tongue in dismay and walked straight out.
The others, interrupted by his dramatic reaction, couldn't help but show slight displeasure.
But Renjiro (Aether) noticed that the young wolfman hadn't gone far.
Or rather, he had intended to leave, but after a few steps, he turned back, standing by the door with his wolf ears twitching…
Sweat~
Inside the hut…
"Lumine, continue, continue!"
Even though it wasn't battle time, Tiona's little fists clenched instinctively, her face tense with anticipation.
"What happened next? Did the coal boy defeat the Demon King?"
"Uh… no," Lumine continued the story.
"When Tanjiro returned to his home the next day, even before entering the house, he smelled a strong metallic scent… an ominous premonition gnawed at him. Stepping inside, he saw the floor covered in blood and his family's lifeless bodies… until the very end, his mother still cradled the youngest daughter in her arms…"
"And the culprit, the Demon King, had already gone…"
"Ah?"
The pure-hearted Amazon girl was furious.
"How could this be…"
"Tiona, calm down."
Her elder sister interjected, irritation in her voice.
"It's just a story. If you keep freaking out like that, how's Lumine supposed to continue?"
"But it's so infuriating!"
Tiona pouted and gritted her teeth.
"If I were in that country, I'd cleave that damn Demon King in half with a greatsword!"
As she spoke, she stood and swung her arms in a wide, exaggerated chopping motion.
Nearby…
It seemed that, Ais had also been triggered by the tragic scene, "the mother, killed by the Demon King, still holding her youngest daughter," bringing back painful memories. She instinctively frowned, clenching her fingers tightly.
Riveria noticed the detail.
"The Demon King has already gone… what happened next?"
It was clear that the "landlady" was thoughtful, seeing Ais's mind wander to dark memories, she smoothly guided everyone back to the story.
Lumine understood Riveria's intention and continued:
"Though the Demon King had departed, he left Tanjiro with a desperate predicament…"
"Using his own blood, he transformed Tanjiro's sister Nezuko into a demon like himself."
Outside the door, Bete's expression twisted.
Tiona… completely froze.
And the moment the word sister was mentioned, it wasn't just Bete, Tiona herself couldn't handle it either.
Finn, thinking quickly and fully engaged in the story, spoke up:
"A sister becoming a demon… that's definitely a very different kind of story compared to traditional heroic tales."
"So… what exactly is a 'demon'?"
Until now, the only information they'd received about demons had been a few lines from the old man who took Tanjiro in. Finn and the others still didn't fully understand.
On this, Lumine stayed silent, letting Renjiro (Aether) take over:
"The beings known as demons were once human, without exception, including the Demon King himself."
"Hmm?"
All eyes were drawn to him.
Renjiro continued with purpose:
"Demons possess terrifying regenerative powers. Even if dismembered, they can survive. So even if you cleave one in half with a greatsword, it won't die."
He looked at Tiona.
"And on top of that, there's a class of demons called Special Ability Demons. Each wields powers collectively called 'Blood Demon Arts.' You can think of them as creatures capable of instant magical attacks that cannot be killed through conventional means."
"The Demon King is the origin of all demons, the strongest of these Special Ability Demons."
"By chance, Tanjiro was saved by the old man who sheltered him overnight."
"Analyzing Nezuko's case… it's equivalent to…"
Renjiro spoke the crucial line:
"…a human turned into a monster."
Finn and the others finally understood the extreme despair the protagonist faced at the story's beginning.
Nearly his whole family dead, and the only surviving sibling… transformed into a monster?
If it were you, what would you do if your loved one suddenly became a dungeon monster?
"Nooo!!!"
Even Tiona, imagining the scenario, instinctively hugged her head and wailed in despair.
The little angel's face wore the mask of pain.
Witnessing this, Renjiro (Aether) finally understood why some authors, who "deserved all the hate," enjoyed making characters suffer so much.
"Why is it so satisfying to see others get 'stabbed' too?"
Renjiro's own feelings fell into the "why am I the only one getting hurt?" category.
Perhaps Lumine felt the same way.
Fortunately…
"Nezuko isn't as simple as you think."
Lumine didn't stall maliciously but continued. As the concept of the Demon Slayer Corps emerged, Tiona and the others learned that Nezuko temporarily restrained her demon hunger, and the siblings fled together into the snowy night to find the legendary sword trainer.
Relief spread across everyone.
Even Bete outside the door sighed, though he wouldn't admit he had been engrossed.
He had experienced something similar: his family, including his sister, had been killed.
So now Bete wanted to know, did the coal-selling boy protect his surviving sister? Did he take revenge like he would have wanted to?
Unfortunately…
"That's enough for today's story."
Though Riveria was curious about the next part, she exercised self-control, switching to her duties with the authority of a true "dorm matron."
"Tomorrow, we will attempt the 58th floor. We need to sleep early and conserve energy."
"Stories are just seasoning, not a distraction from duties."
"We will continue night shifts as per yesterday's group rotation."
"And…"
Riveria added, deliberately speaking to Lumine:
"The rest of the story will be heard together next time. No peeking until then."Truly, landlady-sama, are you trying to be this cute?
And Ais, that disappointed expression of yours, tone it down a bit, will you?
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