Chapter 204 — Be Gentle
"Ren, I'm going to train first. I absolutely won't let you down."
Kanao took her hand away on her own.
She knew Ren might still have other things to do, so she understood the boundary.
After all, Ren did not belong to her alone.
He was probably going to find her master next, right?
That was why Kanao had to improve her strength as quickly as possible.
Kanao wanted to protect Ren and her master through her own efforts.
She didn't want to become someone who held them back.
I'll definitely protect you.
Kanao kept those words buried in her heart, never letting Ren hear them.
Ren watched Kanao practice her swordsmanship for a while. Once he was satisfied, he left.
He began walking toward the wards farther ahead.
Since waking up yesterday, Shinobu Kocho had already gotten out of bed.
But she hadn't gone to the laboratory. Instead, she had come to the front desk today to treat the patients.
Through his Transparent World, Ren could see what was happening inside the room.
By now, the line in front of Shinobu was already packed.
Ren walked straight toward Shinobu.
The moment Ren appeared in the treatment room in front of the Butterfly Mansion, everyone turned to look at him in unison.
As soon as they realized it was Ren, the crowd immediately erupted.
"Ahhh! It's Lord Ren! It's Lord Ren! I've been waiting for him!"
"Lord Ren is so handsome! I love him so much! Just looking at him makes all my pain disappear!"
"Lord Ren, look at me! Look at me!"
"Is Lord Ren here to treat me? Sob... I'm so touched!"
The crowd immediately descended into an uproar.
Yet for a moment, no one dared approach him.
At that moment, the instructions Ren had given everyone previously came into play.
This era was not as fanatical about idol worship as Ren's original era, so people were comparatively rational.
Although they greatly admired Ren, everyone who had come to the Demon Slayer Corps knew what they were supposed to do.
So when they saw Ren, they wanted to approach him, but remembering his previous instructions to focus on their training, they restrained themselves.
Ren walked over to Shinobu.
The two exchanged a glance.
Ren noticed that Shinobu seemed somewhat afraid to meet his eyes.
Whenever their gazes met for more than two seconds, she would unconsciously lower her head.
Then her face would turn bright red.
Ren found this inexplicably confusing.
"Lord Ren, are you treating patients today as well?"
The Demon Slayer at the very front of the line saw Ren approaching Shinobu, and his eyes immediately lit up.
Then he asked the question everyone in the line was most concerned about.
Ren looked at him and smiled.
"Of course. I'm here to treat patients. After all, I'm a doctor at the Butterfly Mansion too!"
Wow!
The crowd instantly erupted.
"My goodness! Lord Ren is finally going to treat patients?!"
"Yes, yes, yes! The last time I came to the Butterfly Mansion, I was already amazed by Lord Ren's martial prowess. I never thought I'd finally get the chance to see his medical skills with my own eyes today!"
"What? What are you all talking about? Isn't Lord Ren a Hashira? He can treat illnesses just like Miss Kocho?"
Some people were shocked.
Some were excited.
Others were completely bewildered.
Most of those who were confused were people who had only recently heard of Ren.
Obviously, they had not participated in the previous incident at the Butterfly Mansion.
One enthusiastic bystander immediately explained.
"No, man. You don't even know about that? Your information is way out of date!"
The confused man asked, "Huh? Then explain it to me."
"You remember when Lord Sanemi came to the Butterfly Mansion last time, right?"
"Lord Sanemi came to the Butterfly Mansion and competed with Lord Ren. And he was utterly defeated!"
"What?"
The man who had originally looked completely bewildered was obviously shocked.
"Lord Ren could already defeat Lord Sanemi back then? I thought Lord Ren and Lord Sanemi decided the winner in the arena?"
"You definitely don't know the whole story!"
The enthusiastic Demon Slayer spoke with a hint of pride.
"Lord Sanemi had sought out Lord Ren at the Butterfly Mansion before. I don't know why, but the two of them really did compete against each other."
"Later, Lord Sanemi lost to Lord Ren. And the competition even included medical-related events."
"My goodness!"
The enthusiastic Demon Slayer became even more excited.
"You know, when Lord Ren held that massage competition, his skills were practically divine! Everyone who experienced it said it was incredible!"
As the enthusiastic member of the Corps continued explaining, the uninformed Demon Slayers around him wore strange expressions.
Was it really that miraculous?
They had heard that Lord Ren's medical skills were capable of restoring flesh and bone, and that anyone he massaged would have their injuries healed instantly.
Some even claimed that all Lord Ren needed was a gentle touch.
In the end, the rumors had become so exaggerated that even Ren had no idea they had spread this far.
However, Ren noticed something.
When those Demon Slayers—especially the female members—heard that he could heal injuries with nothing more than a gentle touch...
Their eyes immediately took on the look of hungry wolves and tigers.
They stared at Ren as though they wanted nothing more than to rush over and swallow him whole.
But Ren was not so easily controlled.
"Silence!"
His voice was like the roar of a dragon, striking directly at everyone's soul.
Ren's voice wasn't loud, yet it reached every person present.
The entire treatment room fell silent.
The man who had spoken first didn't even dare breathe.
He was the person standing closest to Ren, so he experienced the pressure most directly.
That roar just now made him feel as though the person standing before him wasn't a human being at all.
It was a gigantic beast—one that inspired awe without even needing to roar.
If he dared move even slightly or disobey Ren's command, he felt as though his very soul would be torn apart by that overwhelming presence.
So strong.
The Demon Slayer couldn't help but exclaim inwardly.
Is this the power of a Hashira?
Just as the rumors said...
This really is the strongest Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps!
He was drenched in cold sweat.
He didn't even hear Ren calling him.
"Sir? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
"Huh? N-No."
The Demon Slayer looked flustered. He glanced at Ren before quietly slipping away.
Ren narrowed his eyes slightly but said nothing.
"Next."
The brief interruption soon passed.
The second patient in line was extremely excited at the prospect of being treated by Lord Ren and immediately rushed forward!
Shinobu quietly glanced over.
When she realized Ren was treating a female member of the Corps, the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.
She was in a terrible mood.
"Hiss! Miss Kocho, please be gentle."
The patient receiving an injection from Shinobu immediately felt a sharp, tearing pain in her arm and couldn't help frowning.
Someone might ask...