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156 - - two old men

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　The old man who emerged from the depths of the fog was smaller than I had imagined. I had imagined an old man like a small mountain from the sense of presence I felt deep in the fog, but his body was as thin as a dead tree.

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　He was wearing nothing but his clothes. He was unarmed.

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　However, this did not make him dumb enough to accept a stranger unconditionally. We ask him who he is, and verify his identity.

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　The old man responds calmly.

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I don't have a name to tell you. Well, you can call me Old Man Fog."

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　I don't say, "Just like that. The old man in front of me was not the kind of person to talk lightly like that.

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　He was intimidating. A presence that overwhelms others. But he was an old man who was natural and did not look like he was trying to be tough.

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　I immediately had a hunch. If I fight this old man, I will lose. This old man is a higher being than me.

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　I didn't think I could win a battle with him.

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　Naturally, my head bowed and I fell to one knee. The old man who was watching me let out a loud laugh and continued.

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"There's no need to change like that. There is no need to bow. I am just an old man. There's no reason for the Demon Lord to bow down.

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"But you seem to be a man of some renown. And I was raised to respect old men.

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"You've had a good education. Then I will honor the old man and leave it at that.

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Old fogey, for what purpose did you come before me?

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"For what purpose? I was hunting mushrooms and got lost. I'm looking for my companion.

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You must be joking. There's something of fate or artifice about him.

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The Demon Lord of Intrigue seeks meaning in everything. It's a bad habit.

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But it is nothing but fate that I met an old man like you. I would very much like to learn from you.

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"So you're an apprentice right out of the gate. But you have a job to do, don't you?

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Yes. I have to go to the Count's estate to slay the dragon.

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You talk as if you were going for a walk in the neighborhood. I can feel your conviction that we must win.

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Yes, I have no intention of rotting away in a place like this. I'm not going to be played by the Count.

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You're right. In fact, you've met all sorts of challenges with your wits. I'm sure you'll continue to use your wits to great effect.

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But there are limits to what you can do. We must aim higher. To do so, I need your teachings.

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I'm not sorry to hear you say that. I know. Can you slay the dragon by tomorrow?

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I'll have them all out by sundown.

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Then come back here tomorrow at dawn. Then I'll teach you some tactics.

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Are you sure?

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I will not lie to you.

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　The old man assures me and turns his back on me. I told him I wanted to meet up with his squire while we continued picking mushrooms.

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　I asked if he wanted me to go with him to find the squire, but he said no." You have your own thing to do," he told me. And he was right. Now I had to slay the dragon and save the village.

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　When I reminded him of this, he disappeared into the mist.

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　Silence enveloped the area, as if the old man had never existed.

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　At the same time, in the same place...

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　As Hijikata Toshizo stood on a stump to take a leak and went into the bushes, a fog suddenly started to form.

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　He was surprised at the speed of the fog, but this was a common occurrence in this other world. This was an experience I could not have had in Tama or Kyoto in Japan.

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　The fog was so thick that we were stuck there. It was too dangerous to go back to the place we had just been, relying on our intuition.

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　I would not be able to get back to where I was, and worst of all, I would be separated from the Demon Lord. I didn't want to lose time now that I didn't know when the dragon would attack Jeanne.

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　So I pissed myself and decided to wait there until the fog cleared, but on the way, I felt a presence.

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　I did not reach for the sword at my waist because I knew the person had no hostile intentions and was unarmed. If the man had been trying to kill me, I would have cut him down immediately.

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　The man did not seem offended, and urinated as he stood next to Toshizo.

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　The man laughed and said, "You pissed with me. It brings back memories," he laughed.

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　No, I thought he laughed. The man was wearing a fox mask.

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　The man was wearing a mask that looked like one sold at a stall at the Gion Festival.

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"...... are you from Hinomoto?"

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　The man replies without apology.

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"Yes, I am. I am from Hinomoto.

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What do you want? Have you come to cut me down?

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No way. I don't even have a sword. And I'm old. An old man can't cut the ogre XO.

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"You're right. You don't look like you're pissing yourself."

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　He laughed sarcastically, and the man laughed too.

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"But you didn't really come here to take a piss, did you? Who the hell are you?

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"That's sad. You're so old, you've forgotten the faces of your acquaintances.

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I'm afraid I don't know any foxes.

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I don't know any foxes. I could take off my mask, but that would be boring.

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It's not boring. Let me see.

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No, not until you remember me.

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　The man says this and takes a step back. It's a fluid motion. Perhaps he sensed that Toshizo was about to break the mask with his sword.

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"......That's a move you wouldn't expect from an old man. If he is so skilled, how could he forget?

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"I've changed my voice since I became an old man. I lived for decades after you died.

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Are you a member of the Shinsengumi?

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"I didn't think the ogre XO would use the word "comrade."

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"......, you've become more rounded."

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Yeah, but it's a good change. But it's a good change. I'm sure the men of this world are happy.

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　The old man says nostalgically and turns his back on Toshizo.

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"Today was really a coincidence. I was escorting a certain someone up the mountain when I ran into you. I'm sure we'll meet again someday. So that's all for today. Well, I hope next time you'll realize who I really am."

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　With these words, the old man disappeared into the mist.

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　Toshizo does not go after the old man. He thinks that he will see him again, just as the old man said. He thought he would see the old man again in the not-so-distant future.

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　Later, when the fog cleared as if it had never happened, we met at a stump.

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　We had an unusual encounter, but for some reason neither of us mentioned it.

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　The old man who met each other realized that he was the one who would greatly change their destiny, but he did not talk about it.

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　Sitting on the stump for a while, contemplating the encounter, I noticed that the talisman in my pocket was glowing.

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　It seemed that Skydragon and Jeanne had made contact. When he sees the face of Toshizo, he immediately switches the channel of his mind.

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"We must go rescue the saint before the dragon bites her!" he says jokingly.

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　I jokingly tell him, and he jokes back.

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"You've got it backwards, don't you? If we leave her alone, Jeanne will probably be gnawed by the dragon.

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"No doubt. We should join her while there is still meat left in the dragon.

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　With that, Toshizo and I quickly ran through the trees.

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