"We still have to thank Kazuma. He was the one who took down the biggest target in the entire Infinity Castle."
Kairo Retsu leaned on the railing. "Truthfully, that should count as my failure. Something so crucial to your world nearly ended in complete disaster due to a minor oversight. If it hadn't been for Kazuma, all the effort we poured in last night might've ended up meaningless."
"I won't make the same mistake again." Kairo Retsu chuckled, placing a hand on his hip. "I am a Guildmaster, after all. Who knows what kind of responsibilities await me in the future! I can't afford to mess up again!"
"Guildmaster, even if you say that… as a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, I can only express gratitude for your arrival."
Ubuyashiki bowed slightly to Kairo Retsu. "About Muzan—do you intend to take him to another world?"
"As for that…"
Kairo Retsu spread his hands. "I already discussed it with Granny Felyne. You see, us Hunters normally harvest monster materials to craft various equipment so we can fight even stronger monsters. But in the Infinity Castle… when the Upper Ranks were killed, they disintegrated into ash. Honestly, apart from Kazuma, we didn't really collect much usable material."
A brilliant grin spread across Kairo Retsu's face. "So Granny Felyne said! Muzan can give us a huge variety of demon-related materials! We'll take full responsibility in transporting and detaining him at our gathering hub!"
"Don't worry! The Felynes are watching him!" Kairo Retsu gave a big thumbs-up. "Felynes can do anything!"
"Hm… in that case, I'm relieved," Ubuyashiki nodded.
Kairo Retsu scratched his chin. "You're not even a little suspicious? Like, maybe I'm planning to use Muzan for evil or something?"
"If that were truly the case, then with those miraculous Felynes alone, you Hunters could've handled Muzan yourselves, couldn't you?" Ubuyashiki smiled gently. "If all this incredible power was just for deception… that would be far too elaborate."
Ubuyashiki still vividly remembered the scene where that rainbow-colored Felyne shattered Muzan's body with a single paw swipe and dragged Kairo Retsu out from within him.
"Though it may be inappropriate to say this…"
Ubuyashiki continued calmly, "Muzan has committed too many unforgivable sins. So…"
"Please make full use of his materials." Ubuyashiki smiled. "As for the fact that he's still alive… let's not tell the children of the Demon Slayer Corps."
"They still have their whole lives ahead of them. They shouldn't—nor do they deserve to—worry about someone like Muzan."
"You sound so dark now!" Kairo Retsu's eyes widened. "Figures a character like you would turn out to be a hidden schemer in the end! But—"
Kairo Retsu beamed and gave another thumbs-up. "Don't worry! We'll use every last scrap of Muzan's materials to make gear!!! We won't let any of it go to waste!!"
Having exchanged views and shaken hands, Kairo Retsu and Ubuyashiki returned to the banquet.
What followed were several amusing episodes throughout the celebration.
For instance, the two Jo brothers hiding behind Gyomei, mimicking his voice in a deadpan parody.
Elsewhere, the Shinazugawa brothers silently reconciled and ate together without words.
Naofumi Iwatani was engaged in a drinking contest—though he couldn't get drunk no matter how much he drank. His latest victim was the 17th Demon Slayer he'd knocked out; now he was on number 18. Naofumi's face hadn't even changed color…
Meanwhile, Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu were in a food-eating contest against Kairo Retsu. Even after Kairo Retsu graciously gave them a whole plate of grilled meat, he still crushed them with the monstrous appetite of a Hunter.
The banquet went on for a long time.
Everyone knew that after this night, the Demon Slayer Corps would likely disband. That truth was already in everyone's hearts.
So they celebrated without regret—until they finally collapsed from exhaustion.
The actual disbanding of the Demon Slayer Corps would still take some time. In the meantime, Kairo Retsu and the other Hunters didn't rush to leave. They accepted Ubuyashiki's invitation to remain with the Corps for a few more days.
During those days, Kairo Retsu consulted Granny Felyne. Later, he visited the Butterfly Mansion, where Tanjiro was staying temporarily for a physical check-up and recovery. Tamayo happened to be staying there as well.
Kairo Retsu had something to discuss with both her and Yushiro.
After explaining his intentions, a room was quickly prepared in the Butterfly Mansion for a discussion. Unexpectedly, quite a few people participated:
Tanjiro, Kanao, Nezuko, Shinobu Kocho, Tamayo, and Yushiro.
"Guildmaster, you called for me… is something the matter?" Tanjiro sat upright in seiza beside the table, looking at Kairo Retsu with a puzzled expression.
Kairo Retsu took a yellowed envelope from his pocket and placed it in the center of the table. "I'm here to talk about Miss Tamayo and Yushiro… and to invite you."
"You're aware that Tamayo and Yushiro are the last surviving demons aside from Muzan. We need to approach their situation with care," Kairo Retsu said. "In the original course of events, Tamayo would've died alongside Muzan to atone. But now that she's survived, Ubuyashiki and I have discussed how to handle her case."
"I've already witnessed Muzan's death. I have no lingering regrets. I intend to take my own life and atone in Hell," Tamayo said calmly. "I know the sins I've committed are unforgivable. I can accept my fate. But Yushiro… he's never harmed anyone. So…"
Tamayo seemed fully prepared to end herself under the sun.
"—No! That's not what we meant! Stop right there!" Kairo Retsu quickly reached out to stop her and explained, "That's not what Ubuyashiki and I meant! What we meant is—putting you under our supervision!"
"Eh?"
Tamayo and the others all froze in surprise.
Kairo Retsu hurried to explain the rest. "Everyone understands you're not bad people, but you're still demons… so after careful discussion, we decided!"
He gently pushed the envelope on the table toward Tanjiro. "We decided to recruit a new Hunter here! Someone who will take responsibility for overseeing you two!"
"Tanjiro, as the Guildmaster of the Monster Hunter Gathering Hub, I formally invite you to become one of us."
Kairo Retsu straightened his expression. "Your conduct, your character, and your convictions—we Hunters have all witnessed them."
"This invitation is a unanimous decision. Of course… if you wish to live a peaceful life, we won't force you. After all, you've worked so hard to restore Nezuko's humanity."
"But I believe… with your virtue and conviction, becoming a Hunter could help you save even more people!"
Kairo Retsu pushed the invitation envelope directly to Tanjiro, locking eyes with him.
"So, Tanjiro."
"Become a Hunter!"