Chapter 31: Smell

Words : 1223 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 31 - 31: Smell A body without supplemental energy is extremely weak. Nezuko's body, originally about the same size as a normal person, was shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye. Her legs also loosened from Jotaro's waist. She seemed to have fallen asleep, her body entering into a strange state, the whole person falling backward onto the snow, face up. Before Jotaro could act, Shinobu rushed forward and took Nezuko into her arms. Her eyes seemed to be filled with mist. "Thank you, Nezuko..." Demons always lie. In order to survive, they kill by instinct. The desperate cries of those killed had long made her lose hope in the existence of demons. But Nezuko's appearance made her see a trace of hope in fulfilling her sister's wish. If her sister had a spirit in heaven, she could also be comforted. When Giyu arrived and saw Shinobu holding Nezuko, he was slightly surprised. In his impression, Shinobu's hatred of demons ranked among the highest in the Demon Slayer Corps. He didn't think too much, and with a blank expression said, "I've sent away the patrolling swordsmen. You should take this opportunity to go in." He instructed Tanjiro and the others, "Make sure not to let other Demon Slayer swordsmen find out your sister is a demon. This will lead to irreversible consequences." There is no shortage of extreme swordsmen in the organization, and they do not harbor any compassion toward demons. Tanjiro nodded, and then the group rushed toward the Butterfly Mansion under the cover of night. Shinobu glanced at the silent Jotaro and kindly reminded him, "Jotaro-san, this time you were lucky to encounter Nezuko. If it had been another evil demon, you would already be a corpse." "If next time you encounter an evil demon again, please keep your distance. After all, you can't always be this lucky. Some demons can't even be handled by members of the Demon Slayer Corps. Do you understand?" Jotaro turned his face away, too lazy to respond to her. 'What a talkative woman.' "But a person's luck shouldn't be that bad. In an ordinary person's lifetime, they basically won't even encounter a single demon." Shinobu smiled. To meet two demons in one lifetime is about as likely as winning the lottery. There probably isn't anyone that unlucky. Tanjiro seemed to remember something and suddenly asked, "Jotaro-san, I think I heard you say something to Nezuko earlier." "The one who attacked us that night, was it really Muzan Kibutsuji?" Upon hearing this name, both Shinobu and Giyu were stunned. Jotaro calmly said, "I don't know. Maybe." He indeed couldn't be 100% certain that the one who attacked them that night was Muzan. It was just that various pieces of information led him to that conclusion. At the time, from Nezuko's eyes, Jotaro could be sure, it was that guy from that night who was controlling her. Controlling other demons reminded him of what Shinobu had said about the progenitor of demons. That's why he said that name, to test him. What he didn't expect was that guy to actually show a shocked expression upon hearing the name. Based on his behavior afterwards, Jotaro was 90% sure that the attacker that night was Muzan. As for the remaining 10%, it was because he couldn't figure out why the progenitor of demons would go out of his way to attack the ordinary Kamado family. Shinobu waved her hand and said, "Kamado-kun, that's absolutely impossible. If you guys had encountered that Muzan guy, you definitely wouldn't still be alive." As the Demon King, for hundreds of years, no one in the Demon Slayer Corps had ever seen him. Yet even so, the Hashira in the Corps still changed frequently. Those Upper Moons were enough to kill a Hashira, so one can imagine how terrifying Muzan's strength is. If the Kamado family had met such an opponent, the possibility of surviving would be absolutely zero. Tanjiro fell silent, but in his heart he had a strange feeling. After Jotaro said those words, he recalled that night's scene. That attacker really was paying special attention to him. He reached toward his ear. Rather than saying he was paying attention to him, it was more accurate to say that man's attention was entirely on this earring. 'This earring is...' In his mind appeared the face of his father, and that dance he had always performed. "Don't overthink it," Shinobu said gently with a smile. "I know after being attacked by a demon, you must all be scared. Please rest assured, the Butterfly Mansion is very safe. You can stay here for now." The gentle smile on the girl's face warmed Tanjiro's heart. He said gratefully, "Thank you, Miss Shinobu." Harboring a demon is a serious crime within the Demon Slayer Corps. If discovered, one could even be forced to commit seppuku. But for Nezuko's sake, Shinobu was willing to take that risk. She brought everyone into her private research room. Without her permission, ordinary people wouldn't come in here. "Kamado-kun, your sister will be settled here. For the rest of your family, I will arrange a different room." Shinobu reminded, "You must not come here casually. If others discover something, the consequences will be extremely serious." Tanjiro nodded firmly. Jotaro carried Nezuko to the bed and gently laid her down. Shinobu said, "Before checking on Nezuko, Jotaro-san, let me treat your wounds first. Your injuries don't seem optimistic." Jotaro replied indifferently, "No need. Just get me some antibiotic ointment, I'll do it myself." He knew his own injuries. They had gone untreated for days and the wounds were already infected. Shinobu blinked and said, "Jotaro-san, what are you talking about? Antibiotic ointment? Sorry, I've never heard of such a thing." "Yare yare," Jotaro also realized, in this era, antibiotics hadn't been discovered yet. This time period is similar to Japan's Taisho era. The level of technological development was about the same as the era Jotaro had come from. Shinobu said, "Anyway, just sit here. Leave the wounds to me." Soon Shinobu brought over a wooden box, filled with various medicines. Tanjiro sniffed with his nose, his body shivered, and he froze on the spot. He said, "Miss Shinobu? Can I smell the medicines in this box?" "You can," Shinobu replied, "But some of the medicines inside are poisonous, Kamado-kun. You should be careful." Tanjiro took out the medicines from the box and smelled them one by one. He was holding two bottles of colorless transparent liquid. The pungent smell made him frown. 'There's no mistake. That person's body also had this smell.' "Miss Shinobu, what is inside these?" Before Shinobu could answer, Jotaro had already spoken, "In your left hand is ammonia, in your right is methanol." "Hey, Tanjiro, quickly put the caps back on. These two gases are toxic." Especially methanol, 30 milliliters is enough to poison an adult to death. That pungent smell, even from a distance, Jotaro could smell it. ═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═ patreon.com/XenosX ????Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.????

Chapter 31: Smell

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