The afterglow of the setting sun.
Snowflakes drifted down gently like fine sand and goose feathers.
Having sold all his charcoal, Tanjiro was ready to go home.
Lexon, who had been watching from the window for a long time, finally made his move.
He handed a letter he had written to the innkeeper, asking him to pass it on to his companions. The letter stated his intention to leave and act alone, telling them not to worry about him.
In fact, earlier that afternoon, the other Reincarnators had come to ask Lexon to go out and scout for information, but he had refused them with the excuse that he "caught a chill from the cold weather yesterday." The others didn't pay too much mind to Lexon and just went out to gather news themselves.
The reason for not going with them was simple: Lexon was in no hurry to find news about demons.
Having met Tanjiro, there was no need to seek out information that wasn't necessarily accurate. As long as he followed Tanjiro, there would definitely be an opportunity to kill a demon.
The demons Tanjiro encountered in the early stages were basically all small fry—of course, that was only in comparison to other, stronger demons.
For example, the demon Tanjiro encountered in the temple early on. Even if Lexon's physical fitness was at the peak for an ordinary person and his fighting skills were strong, a direct confrontation with that demon would still be dangerous.
However, there would still be a chance for a finishing blow. He could just wait for Tanjiro to do most of the work, then swoop in and take the kill.
Besides, that group of newcomer Reincarnators was clearly not very useful as teammates, and as a veteran, Youmei obviously wouldn't take too much care of the newcomers. After all, her job was to select potential official members, not to be a babysitter.
What's more, Lexon didn't want to act together with Youmei. Her strength was greater than his, and she was a veteran; she would certainly restrict him, and Lexon did not want to be restricted.
Telling them to their faces would be rather troublesome, so Lexon decided not to bother saying goodbye.
To be honest, up to this point, Lexon only felt like he had a passing acquaintance with the people of Zhongzhou Team Four. There was no particularly strong bond, so he had no misgivings about choosing to leave.
He walked out of the inn and gradually approached Tanjiro, who was preparing to head home.
Sensing that someone was deliberately approaching him from behind, Tanjiro turned around.
Seeing this stranger he had never seen in town before, Tanjiro smiled. "Sir, are you looking to buy charcoal? I'm afraid today's charcoal is already sold out, but I will be back tomorrow."
"Ah... no," Lexon shook his head. "I am a traveler, and my money and belongings were stolen by a thief."
Tanjiro's expression shifted to one of understanding and then concern. "Sir, my nose is very sharp. I can help you track down your belongings."
With that, Tanjiro wiggled his nose.
He was smelling Lexon.
Tanjiro's sense of smell was keen, unexpectedly so. He could even smell things that were clearly unrelated to scent, like a person's emotions and personality.
Finding lost belongings was a piece of cake for Tanjiro.
After sniffing, Tanjiro inevitably discerned the personality of the man before him.
'He is a good person, but what are these other mixed-in things...'
"Er..."
The fact that this kid took a casual lie so seriously made Lexon feel a little guilty.
"They can't be found. I was robbed on the road to this town."
'It really does take more lies to cover up one lie. And he didn't even smell the lie... perhaps because it never occurred to him to think in that direction.'
"Is that so..." Tanjiro said with regret. "In that case, sir, you have no money, so you must not be able to stay at the inn. Would you like to come and stay at my house for the night?"
'Just what I wanted.'
Lexon's current plan was to tag along with Tanjiro, get by, and through him, meet the man who would become his master—the former Water Hashira, Urokodaki Sakonji.
And then, fleece this former Hashira.
Hashira was the title for the highest combat power in the Demon Slayer Corps, representing pretty much the pinnacle of strength in the world of Demon Slayer.
If he hadn't run into Tanjiro, in such a large country with backward technology, it would have been truly difficult for Lexon to find a Hashira.
Furthermore, a Hashira he found might not even let him get close enough for a sign-in. But Urokodaki Sakonji was different. He was already retired and now dedicated himself to cultivating new blood for the Demon Slayer Corps. As long as Lexon could tag along with Tanjiro and secure a position as one of Urokodaki Sakonji's trainees, signing in every day would be no problem at all.
'But Tanjiro, your guard is really too low. A stranger can get an invitation to stay at your house with just a few words?'
With a delighted expression, Lexon extended a grateful hand to Tanjiro.
In truth, Tanjiro wasn't a foolish child with no sense of caution. He did have a pure heart, but he wasn't brainless. The reason he agreed to let the stranger stay was entirely because he had "smelled" that he was not a bad person.
In response to Lexon's thanks, Tanjiro reached out and shook his hand.
Lexon smiled.
'Sign in.'
[Congratulations on signing in for the skill: Enhanced Sense of Smell]
The next moment, Lexon felt his sense of smell become extremely clear. He could distinctly separate the scents of various things, and the range of his smell was greatly enhanced. He could even perceive Tanjiro's emotions at that moment...
'This is more than just a strong sense of smell.'
Only after obtaining Tanjiro's special trait did Lexon truly understand how extraordinary this skill was.
"Let's go, sir," Tanjiro said. "It's getting dark."
"My name is Lexon."
Although he felt his name was a bit out of place in this world, he still gave his real name.
"My name is Kamado Tanjiro. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Lexon nodded to show he understood.
The two of them walked together, heading towards Tanjiro's house on the mountain as the sky grew darker with each step.
However, just as the plot unfolded, they were forcibly detained when they passed the house of a lone old man. Tanjiro wanted to refuse, but he couldn't win against the old man's insistence. The man used the excuse that "demons" roamed at night and it was dangerous, making Tanjiro stay overnight.
Although Tanjiro didn't quite believe him, he couldn't bring himself to refuse the lonely old man, so the two had no choice but to stay for the night.
During the night, Lexon told Tanjiro many wonderful stories about his original world. Tanjiro clearly took these stories as the traveler Lexon's personal experiences and listened with great delight. He only slowly fell asleep at the old man's urging.
Early the next morning, the two departed under the old man's smiling gaze.
On the way, the two chatted nonstop. Tanjiro was extremely curious about Lexon's "experiences," his eyes constantly dancing with joy.
As they talked, the two drew closer to Tanjiro's home.
Tanjiro's mind was now full of sharing Lexon's wonderful stories with his younger brother and sisters, to let them also understand the vastness of the world.
But in the next second, their idle chatter came to an abrupt halt.
At that moment, both of them smelled the extremely thick scent of human blood.