Volume 4: The Undead Chapter 178: The Slaughtered Soldiers
"Join...you guys...?" Heijuro hesitated.
"Brother." The man who called himself Shichiemon slowly walked into the shade of the tree where Heijuro was, and then smiled and said, "Before we formally discuss this matter in detail, can you tell me your name first?"
"…My name is Heijuro."
Seeing that these uninvited guests did not have their swords drawn, Heijuro gradually relaxed, and his body and voice no longer trembled.
"Heijuro," Shichiemon said in his unhurried voice, "Yes, that's it. Don't be scared or nervous."
"We are friends and companions, not enemies."
"You just said... 'join you'..." Heijuro asked cautiously, "What do you mean?"
"That's exactly what it says." Shichiemon said, "Heijuro, do you want to regain your freedom and leave this barren island?"
"Of course I did!" Heijuro said without hesitation, "I dream of leaving this damn place as soon as possible!"
"That's right." Shichiemon nodded.
"It's not just you who thinks so. It's me and everyone else."
As Shichiemon said this, he spread his hands towards the other prisoners standing behind him.
"Everyone wants to get out of here and be free again."
"However - if we want to regain our freedom, our only choice is to do what the government says."
"Drag three 'cannibals' or dig up important information related to 'cannibals'. You will be eligible for pardon."
"If there is no pardon from the government, we will still be wanted by the government even if we flee back to the mainland."
"Although we still don't know what the 'Man-Eating Ghost' is, since it involves killing, it will definitely be more efficient to have a partner to help us."
"With a companion, it will be easier for us to kill that 'cannibal' and also easier to drag the corpse of the 'cannibal' to the coast."
"If you're alone, it's hard to say whether kill that 'cannibal'. Just dragging its corpse to the shore might be enough to exhaust you."
"We are banding together to get the pardon qualification more quickly and safely."
"And if we stick together, we can effectively prevent attacks from other prisoners."
At this point, Shichiemon's brows furrowed slightly, and his expression became a little more serious.
"There are all kinds of prisoners on this island right now."
"There are bandits, robbers, arsonists, thieves..."
"At the same time, there are also powerful murderers."
"Most of the prisoners who landed on the island were people like me who were not good at fighting."
"So people like us who are not good at fighting should stick together to prevent being harmed by other prisoners."
Heijuro listened quietly to Shichiemon's speech.
Shichiemon's voice was rhythmic and gentle, sounding particularly friendly.
And what he said makes a lot of sense.
Heijuro was already moved by what Shichiemon had just said.
"But, but..." However, Heijuro still raised his question, "Although the government said that they would grant us the right to pardon, but... will they really keep their promise?"
"We can only choose to trust the government first." Shichiemon said in a deep voice, "In our current situation, we have no other choice but to trust the government."
"At this stage, we should first try to fulfill the government's requirements."
"As for what happens next, we can only leave it for later."
"...I understand." After a moment of silence, Heijuro nodded gently, "Okay... Then I'll join you! Please give me your guidance in the future!"
"Welcome to join us! Heijuro!" Shichiemon smiled with his signature gentle smile and opened his arms. "On behalf of the rest of our companions, I welcome you to join us!"
…
…
That evening——
Just as Ogata, Atachi and the others had guessed, today's rain showed no signs of stopping until the evening.
"It looks like we really have to spend the night in this cave..." After taking a look at the rain curtain outside the cave, Ogata turned his head and said to Ating, "Ating, you go to sleep first. I'll guard the first half of the night, and you'll guard the second half."
"good!"
Ating did not refuse and moved a stone of suitable height. He used the stone as a pillow and the cool rocky ground as a bed.
Ogata looked at Atachi who was lying on the ground.
A-Machi now has her back to Ogata.
So her smooth back and shoulders were clearly visible to Ogata's eyes .
Looking at Atachi who was wearing such cool clothes, Ogata couldn't help but ask:
"Are you okay wearing this? Aren't you feeling cold?"
"This is the uniform of the female ninjas in our Shiranui." A-Machi replied, "I've long been accustomed to the chilly feeling on my back and shoulders. Although it is a bit chilly tonight..."
"Of course it's cold." Ogata said helplessly, "We are living in a cool cave now. It's raining outside, it would be strange if we don't feel cold."
After saying that, Ogata took off his light green haori, walked slowly to A-machi's side, and gently covered A-machi with it.
"...Thank you." While thanking her, Atachi tightened Ogata's haori that was covering her.
"I'll lend you this haori for now," Ogata said softly, "If you still feel cold, there's nothing I can do. After all, if I take off my clothes again, I'll be naked."
"Thank you." Ating thanked him again.
She opened her closed eyes and glanced down at the light green haori on her body.
An inexplicable smile appeared on Ating's face.
"This haori is very warm..."
…
…
at the same time--
On the coast across the sea from Butterfly Island——
Inamori, wearing a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat, stood on the shore with his guards and subordinates.
On the sea in front of them, two small boats... no, it should be said that one small boat was towing another small boat, slowly approaching the coast against the wind and rain.
Of all the boats responsible for taking the prisoners to the island today, one was missing.
Upon hearing the news, Inamori, who had a bad feeling, immediately sent out a large search team to look for the missing boat.
And just now, a messenger finally informed him that the missing boat had been found, and the soldiers who found the missing boat were towing it back.
Upon learning the news, Inamori immediately led his guards and subordinates to the coast to see with their own eyes what had happened to the missing boat and why it did not return on time.
Despite the obstruction of wind and rain, which made the movement of the boats very difficult, the two boats finally reached the shore smoothly.
After the two boats docked, Inamori immediately rushed forward and looked at the boat that had just been found.
As soon as his eyes fell on the small boat, Inamori's face instantly turned pale.
The bodies of 18 soldiers were lying on the boat.
