About two hours later they reached in front of an old house. The house seemed to have been burnt at some point.
“Why would a family of four live in here?” Fujimoto looked up at broken roof.”
“I think the same.” Shinji kicked the door open just to find cobwebs ruling inside.
Fujimoto came after him.
“Third inn checked.” Fujimoto said loud, “The next ruin like this is ten miles further in East. Do you also want to go there?”
Shinji couldn’t handle being wrong.
“He will not be there.” Shinji grinded his teeth.
“I was telling you he would not be here either.” Fujimoto opened his arms, “But no. You think you owe to overhear me for a simple drink you paid for.”
“I undermined opinion of yours.” Shinji watched spiders hanging down the web strands.
Some spiders were making their new cobwebs.
“I know what you might be thinking.” Fujimoto patted his back, “I am also having the same thought in my mind.”
Shinji turned his head at him.
Then he nod.
“This is not one man’s work. Not even two men’s work.” Fujimoto breathed, “We will need more allies.”
“Pub has got plenty of it.” Shinji watched a spider run on his finger.
Fujimoto was first to take steps towards the direction of liquor.
“I can smell beer from here” Fujimoto sniffed, “I feel sorry for your non drinking habit.”
“Cut-throats should not be drinking.” Shinji stepped on clay, splashing its fragments in air.
“Who says so? Look at me.”
“I wish you had saved all the money you got from conducting assassinations. You would have been richer than me.”
“Come on, a bag full of gold isn’t much wealth.”
Shinji scoffed.
“Yes it isn’t. I have seen many killers like you thinking they could live with luxury. And they all had one thing in common, a bag of gold.”
“You are trying your best to keep my mind away from Chosokabe s***, aren’t you?” he knew Fujimoto well.
“The old freak doesn’t really need much attention.”
“He needs care.”
“A person who can make a killer vanish in a second doesn’t need care. Not even in his age.”
“Those who are hunting for him are far more dangerous than a stupid mercenary.”
“Tell me, who want to kill Chosokabes?”
“I have no idea.” Shinji moved bushes from his path.
“You haven’t seen them?”
“No. I have not even heard of them.”
“And you are confident on protecting Chosokabes?” Fujimoto laughed at him.
“Protecting them means protecting our realm. I don’t understand why everyone has no problem with the apocalypse.” Shinji stopped walking altogether, “Even if two of those four die, it means enemies will get to rule over this world.”
“They don’t want to be protected. Oaths that our ancestors had made mean nothing to them.” Fujimoto snarled.
“Weren’t you supporting me a while ago?”
“Yes. But with no progress, I don’t know for how long I will be able to maintain my support.”
