Rokka no Yuusha - Volume 3 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 
The Braves Stray from the Course 

“…Blah…bleaaaagh!” 
Chamo vomited blood again. One hand on her back, Mora sent her power streaming into her. The energy of the mountain was a force of healing, capable of restoring Chamo’s vitality. But that couldn’t suppress the blade gem itself. 
About an hour and a half had passed since Nashetania had first activated it. In the pit, with fiends’ corpses scattered around them, Mora waited impatiently for Adlet and the others to return with good news. The youngest Brave was withering before her eyes, her face pale and her eyes hollow. She clung to Mora like a trembling infant. All the older Saint could do was embrace the young girl and keep pouring life into her. 
“Mya-mreow!” 
The circular crater sloped down to where Mora and Chamo were in its center. Above them, Hans was fighting fiends. 
Once he’d finished off all three of them, he returned to the pit. “I basically cleaned up the area, meow.” He’d already killed nearly twenty, but there wasn’t so much as a scratch on him, nor did he seem at all tired. 
“Hans, you should go, too, after all. Join up with Adlet and defeat Nashetania,” Mora said to him. 
Not long earlier, Rolonia had returned alone. According to her, they now knew for sure Goldof was the enemy, and they had lost sight of Nashetania. Then she’d immediately left again to continue the search. 
“The situation is unfavorable,” said Mora. “Adlet’s party alone will have difficulty defeating Nashetania. They need your strength.” 
But Hans shook his head. “Meow. If I coulda gone, I woulda gone a long time ago,” he said, and pointed toward the Cut-Finger Forest. “We’re bein’ watched. If Chamo ain’t defended, they’ll come kill her straightaway. Can you fight ’em and keep Chamo alive at the same time, Mora?” 
She couldn’t. It would be impossible for her to fight while doling out life force. “…Curse them.” Mora ground her teeth. The wait felt long—and even longer when an ally’s death was nigh. Hans’s expression was grim, too. 
Then, in Mora’s arms, Chamo moaned, “…Catboy…Auntie…sorry.” 
“Don’t speak, Chamo. You’ll exhaust your energy,” said Mora. 
Blood bubbles frothing from her mouth, the girl continued. “Chamo got careless… It was Chamo’s fault… At this rate…Chamo’s gonna be totally useless…” 
Hans approached her as tears fell from her eyes. Hands wet with fiends’ blood, he tousled her hair. “Don’t talk big to me. Just shut up and sleep, kid.” 
“Chamo…is not a kid.” 
“Looks to me like mew’ve still got some kick in ya. Don’t ya get weak, now,” Hans said, smiling so kindly it surprised Mora. “You leave it to us. We’re not gonna let that stupid woman beat us.” 
Chamo nodded obediently and closed her eyes. But Mora could tell that Hans was uneasy. Could Adlet and the others really defeat Nashetania on their own? 
Adlet, Fremy, and Rolonia had no choice but to comply with Tgurneu’s demand for polite greetings. Adlet gave the fiend a casual bow, which only angered it (“You call that a greeting?”). 
Why was this fiend so fixated on greetings? Adlet couldn’t make heads or tails of it. 
“…It seems now you’re willing to hear what I have to say,” Tgurneu said, nodding in satisfaction. 
Adlet tried to calm his pounding heart. His throat was dry, his blood seethed, and his breathing was labored. 
Once, long, long ago, Tgurneu had showed up in his village in just this way. It had exchanged words with the peaceful villagers and was all smiles, as if to befriend them. And then, in one night, it had enthralled the whole village, destroying Adlet’s home. 
The image rising in his mind now was especially vivid: the villagers, his family until that day, executing his sister, then capturing and killing the friend who had run away together with him. That day, Adlet’s everything held dear shattered. 
“Addy.” Rolonia gently brushed the back of his hand. Her touch helped him regain his composure. Though the creature before them was the enemy of those he loved, now was not the time to fight it. He had to save Chamo, and he had to determine the veracity of Tgurneu’s proposal. 
“Are you all right, Adlet?” asked Tgurneu. 
“Don’t worry about me. The strongest man in the world is always calm,” Adlet said, smiling. He looked at Fremy beside him. Her eyes were wide with anger, too, but she remained calm. I should take a page from her book, he thought. 
“Is that so? Good. More importantly, let’s talk about Nashetania. Unfortunately, I don’t know where she is, either,” Tgurneu said with some displeasure. “Have you figured out anything—even the smallest clue? Do you have leads about her current location?” 
“Hold on,” said Adlet. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Explain what’s going on first. Why are you chasing Nashetania?” 
Tgurneu drooped as if to say, What a pain. “Fremy, have you made sure to tell him about myself, Cargikk, and Dozzu?” it said. Fremy nodded. She had told them that the fiends were divided into three factions: Tgurneu’s, Cargikk’s, and Dozzu’s, and the groups were not on good terms with each other. Tgurneu and Cargikk had differing opinions on what the fiends ought to be. Dozzu was known as the traitor to its kind, and the other two wanted it dead. 
“As I said before, Nashetania is Dozzu’s pawn,” Tgurneu began. “About two hundred years ago, Dozzu betrayed us. He took his pawns and left the Howling Vilelands, concealing himself among humans. Cargikk and I sent our followers into the human realms to hunt him down while we went on killing the remaining members of Dozzu’s faction in the Howling Vilelands. We believed that we had eliminated them all.” 
“…But you thought wrong. Is that what you’re saying?” said Adlet. 
“We were naive. They were still operating in places outside of my sphere of influence. He obtained a fake crest through different means from myself and infiltrated the royal palace of Piena to win over Nashetania. Then he gave Nashetania the fake crest and had her infiltrate your group.” 
It was too sudden. Adlet couldn’t believe it. 
“Meanwhile, I had also acquired a fake crest,” Tgurneu continued. “I gave it to a human pawn and had them infiltrate your group. Quite the coincidence. Dozzu and I had been plotting the exact same strategy, and neither of us knew it.” 
Would a fluke like that really happen? Adlet wondered. 
“I was astonished to hear of what happened within the Phantasmal Barrier. Because, you see, there was an impostor Brave I knew nothing of who was trying to kill you all of her own accord. I’m ashamed to say it was only after that battle that I realized Dozzu was behind it.” Tgurneu went on. “I had also sent pawns into the Kingdom of Piena, and they had informed me of Nashetania’s weaknesses, her habits, and her nature. I thought she would eventually be chosen as one of the Braves of the Six Flowers, and moreover, I thought if I did well, I might be able to use her like I did Mora. But I didn’t have the slightest clue that she and Dozzu were working together.” 
“…I don’t believe you,” said Fremy. 
Tgurneu set its white flag on the ground and crossed its arms. “Frankly, I can’t believe it, either. Two fiends plotting the same scheme? Is such a coincidence even possible? Nashetania becoming a fiend’s minion seems like nothing more than a joke to me. But there it is.” 
“Do you believe this story, Adlet?” Fremy asked him. 
Adlet didn’t reply. He just prompted Tgurneu to continue. This was hard to believe for him, too. But his desire to hear what the fiend had to say won over. “Go on, Tgurneu. We’ll decide afterward whether or not to work with you,” he said. 
Tgurneu gave a bored shrug. “To be blunt, you and I are ultimately enemies. Frankly, I don’t want to cooperate.” 
“Then we’re in agreement, for once. I feel the same way,” said Adlet. 
“But I see Dozzu and Nashetania as far more powerful than your little troop. My priority is to kill him and his cohort, even if it ends up benefiting you, too.” 
“What did you say?” Adlet bristled. The fiend’s remarks were humiliating. 
“Is it so surprising? You Braves haven’t presented any plausible threat at all to me thus far,” Tgurneu said. 
Anger flared in Fremy’s eyes. 
It continued. “Dozzu’s reach extends further than I’d imagined. He’s hidden large numbers of followers among both my pawns and Cargikk’s. You’ve been seeing many fiend corpses, haven’t you?” 
Adlet nodded. He couldn’t even count how many were in the pit with Chamo. 
“While you and I were fighting over that matter with Mora and playing tag in the forest, Dozzu was steadily preparing to act. This morning, he began his operation. His faction came to attack us all at once. They destroyed nearly all the pawns I had in the Cut-Finger Forest, and there’s no sign reinforcements will arrive. Right now I don’t even know which among my followers belong to Dozzu’s faction.” Sadly, Tgurneu lamented, “I’ve ended up all alone.” 
If so, this would be an ideal situation for killing Tgurneu. Adlet even considered taking it out right then. But he suspected that it was all a lie. Tgurneu might well just be pretending to be alone to lure them into a trap. 
“So what’s your plan now?” asked Adlet. 
What Tgurneu said next was very difficult to believe. “What else? Kill Nashetania and save Chamo.” 
“Save Chamo?” 
As Adlet’s party responded with confusion, Tgurneu explained. “I do have a reason to propose this—a reason I can’t have Dozzu killing Chamo right now.” 
“…Which is?” prompted Adlet. 
“Cargikk, Dozzu, and I have a contest to see who can kill the most Braves of the Six Flowers. The first one who kills three of the six wins, and the winner will make the remaining two submit to him, becoming the sole ruler of all fiends.” 
“A contest?” 
“Two hundred years ago, we made a contract through the Saint of Words. The contract was simple: The first to kill or cripple three of the Six Braves would become the leader of all fiendkind. The remaining two would swear allegiance to the victor in perpetuity. Any who defied those terms would die. Obviously, if Nashetania kills all of you, that would mean points for Dozzu. Furthermore, if Dozzu’s scheme causes a falling-out among your group and results in a death, that would also be a point for him.” 
Rolonia moaned. “A game…points…It’s just like…” 
Tgurneu’s beak shook, and it sneered. “You’re quick on the uptake, Rolonia. You’re exactly right. This battle is not between you and me. It’s a contest for the seat of leadership between myself, Cargikk, and Dozzu. Your party is nothing more than a pawn in our game.” 
“That’s bullshit,” said Adlet. Fremy was trembling in rage, while Rolonia’s eyes widened in shock. Adlet’s humiliation was deepening. 
“Is that enough to convince you?” said Tgurneu. “This is the reason I will side with you. To be clear, the situation at present is overwhelmingly in Dozzu’s favor. At this rate, Chamo will die. Dozzu probably also has a plan to kill the rest of you. It seems to me like you have no choice besides joining forces with me.” 
“What will we do, Addy? Are we really going to…?” Rolonia trailed off. 
“I’ll promise you this,” said Tgurneu. “I will not attack any of you until Dozzu is dead. I’ve also ordered the seventh I sent to you to do everything in their power to save her. I haven’t actually accomplished anything to obstruct you so far, have I?” 
“Who are those fiends waiting to kill Chamo?” asked Fremy. 
“Those are from Dozzu’s faction. Though until yesterday, they were mine.” 
“…Give us a little time to think about it,” said Adlet. He doubted that Tgurneu’s entire story was the truth. But at the same time, he didn’t think it was all fabricated, either. Only a fool would craft a lie that was pure falsehood from beginning to end. Lies were most effective when quietly slipped in among truths. Part of what Tgurneu was saying must have been true. But how much was false, and how much wasn’t? That, Adlet couldn’t determine. 
“One thing about this doesn’t make sense, Tgurneu,” Fremy said. “Why did you enter a contract that stipulates the one who can kill three of the Braves becomes the ruler of all fiends? Aren’t you and Cargikk and Dozzu enemies?” 
Her question ruffled Tgurneu, just a bit. It looked away from her and said, “…An error of youth, I suppose. I was foolish back then. Never would I have guessed Dozzu would play as dirty as he has.” 
“Don’t evade my question.” 
“It would be a long story, Fremy. I don’t think you or I have that much time left.” 
“…True.” In any other situation, they would have liked to press Tgurneu for detail. But at this point, the fiend was right. 
“Come, what will you do? Decide, Adlet.” Tgurneu urged him for a response. 
Silently, the boy mulled it over. Was it really true that the traitor Dozzu opposed the other fiends? If not, that would mean that Fremy had lied to them, which was a possibility Adlet refused to even consider. She was an important ally. 
There was a chance the fiend they called Dozzu didn’t actually exist. So far, they hadn’t seen Dozzu, not even once. Tgurneu could have produced a fictional enemy and then pretended to be on their side in order to approach them. That option could hold water. 
But they had just seen those fiends’ corpses, and they’d also witnessed signs that Nashetania had fought someone besides the Braves. It was pretty clear that their enemies were experiencing some internal conflict, and chances were high that this traitor Dozzu was real. So what about Nashetania? Was it true that she wasn’t Tgurneu’s, but Dozzu’s? 
“If you’re slow to decide, Adlet, your chances at victory will escape you,” said Tgurneu. 
“Shut up, Tgurneu,” said Fremy. “Do you want to die here and now?” 
Adlet considered further. There was a clear contradiction in what Tgurneu had told them: Goldof. Nashetania and Tgurneu’s seventh were on opposite sides, and the fiend commander had said that the seventh was doing everything they could to save Chamo. So then what was Goldof? 
After a long silence, Adlet spoke. “I think your idea of working together is not a bad one, Tgurneu.” 
“You’re joking, right, Addy?” 
“Don’t be stupid!” 
Rolonia and Fremy were both shocked. Adlet ignored them and continued. “But you still haven’t told me the most important part. Is Goldof one of yours?” 
“Yes, that’s the problem, isn’t it?” Tgurneu stroked its beak. “I only know one thing about him. Goldof is not the seventh I sent you. That is all.” 
“…In other words?” 
“I don’t know who Goldof really is, either. I used to think that he was one of the real Braves of the Six Flowers. But Goldof was Nashetania’s loyal retainer, so why didn’t she reveal the truth to him? That part is a mystery to me.” Tgurneu paused for a moment. “I can think of three possibilities. The first is that he is a second impostor, sent by Dozzu. If he is, then we don’t know where the remaining Brave is, do we? The second possibility is that he is a real Brave, and Dozzu is controlling him somehow. I believe that’s most likely.” 
That’s not it, thought Adlet. When they’d fought, the look in Goldof’s eyes had not been that of a man being controlled. He was fighting of his own will and making his own judgments. 
“The third possibility is that he’s a real Brave who betrayed you in order to protect Nashetania,” Tgurneu continued. 
“That wouldn’t happen,” said Adlet. No Brave of the Six Flowers would betray the cause. You had to have an unwavering desire to defeat the Evil God, even if it meant your life, in order to be chosen. 
“You think it’s impossible? Mora betrayed you once.” 
“But she—” 
“You should be more suspicious. Our battle has been nothing but the impossible,” said Tgurneu. 
Unable to reply, Adlet fell silent. 
“In any case,” Tgurneu continued, “it’s safe to consider that Goldof is the one who holds the key to this fight. Who is he, and whose will does he act on?” 
“…Goldof said he would protect the princess,” said Fremy. 
Tgurneu’s beak shook. Apparently, that was a derisive laugh. “Both you and I have been quite confounded. Hans and Mora are occupied and unable to leave that pit. That imbecile Cargikk is showing no sign of action now, of all times. What on earth does Goldof think he’s protecting Nashetania from?” 
“Tgurneu, do you have any clues as to where she’s hiding?” Adlet asked. 
The fiend shook its head. “My pawns were watching both her and Goldof. After your fight, Nashetania convened with Goldof, and then Dozzu.” 
“What kind of fiend is Dozzu?” asked Fremy. 
“Dozzu has the power to manipulate lightning and shape-shift at will. His current form is rather odd, like a cross between a dog and a squirrel. I haven’t seen him in person for two hundred years, but I’m certain that was him—Dozzu is the only fiend out there that can control lightning.” 
“And?” 
“They were in a pit about one kilometer east of here. My pawns followed them, but before I knew it, two of them were dead and one had fled. Then a few minutes later, Goldof emerged from the pit alone and headed off farther east. My subordinate peeked inside the pit one more time but told me there was no hint or sign of Nashetania.” 
“Do you have any idea how Nashetania is hiding?” asked Adlet. 
“It’s hard to say, but…” 
Uneasy, Rolonia watched the conversation between Adlet and Tgurneu become more involved. Her eyes accused her ally. Are you seriously going to work with Tgurneu? 
“She’s probably not using a fiend’s power,” said the fiend. 
“What do you mean?” asked Adlet. 
“Four-thousand-odd pawns serve me, and I’ve never seen a fiend with the ability to make a human vanish without a trace. No, I doubt such a fiend could exist. You agree, don’t you, Fremy?” 
Fremy didn’t reply, but she didn’t deny it, either. 
“So you’re saying she’s using a Saint’s power to hide?” said Adlet. “That couldn’t be. Nashetania is the Saint of Blades. There’s nothing she could do with that power to make herself disappear.” 
“And therein lies the problem,” said Tgurneu. 
The two fell silent. Wordlessly, Fremy asked Adlet, How long are you going to keep talking? You’re not going to kill it? 
“Wait,” Adlet whispered. 
“…I’ve heard that four hundred years ago, the King of Piena had Saints make him some special hieroforms,” said Tgurneu. “They were passed down through generations of kings, and it’s said that they were bestowed to vassals recognized for their talent and loyalty. Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to discern who holds which hieroform or what kind of powers they might have. Perhaps one of those has the power to conceal a person, and Goldof or Nashetania is using it.” 
A hieroform was a tool that contained a Spirit’s power. Mora would know something about that. 
“Do you have any proof?” asked Adlet. 
“No. But I can’t think of any other possibilities.” Tgurneu suddenly began striding away. “We can’t waste time standing here talking. Let’s search for Nashetania.” Adlet followed Tgurneu, and Rolonia trailed after him. 
“So what’s your plan?” asked Adlet. 
“First, we’ll head to the place where my pawns last sighted Nashetania. We’ll look for clues there.” 
Sounding upset, Rolonia protested. “Are you serious? Addy, are you actually going to work together with Tgurneu?” 
“Don’t worry. Just be quiet and follow me,” Adlet said over his shoulder. 
The meaning in Rolonia’s expression was clear. I can’t believe this! 
But Fremy kept her composure. I’d expect nothing less, thought Adlet. She understood what he was thinking, even if he didn’t say a word. 
“If there are no clues there, then we’ll look for Goldof. He has to know something about Nashetania’s location. And then—” Right in the middle of Tgurneu’s sentence, something rolled to its feet. Fremy’s bomb. The instant before it exploded, Adlet leaped and drew his sword. 
The attack took Tgurneu by surprise, and it couldn’t defend itself. All it could do was protect its face with its hands and jump away. As the blast hurled the fiend backward, Adlet swung his sword at it. “Now that you’ve told us everything, our business with you is done,” he said. 
“You maggots!” Tgurneu blocked Adlet’s sword with one arm. The blade sliced halfway into the limb and then stopped; the fiend’s muscle was frighteningly hard and elastic. Tgurneu threw a punch at the boy’s stomach. Adlet whipped around to circle behind his enemy, wrapping both hands around its neck and squeezing. 
Without missing a beat, Fremy shot Tgurneu in the chest. It fell to the ground, taking Adlet with it as he restrained the fiend. Adlet was certain now—this Tgurneu was far weaker than the one they had fought in the Ravine of Spitten Blood. “Rolonia! Go right! Circle it!” 
“O-okay!” 
Fremy and Rolonia ran to either side of Tgurneu. Tgurneu tried to shake Adlet off, yelling, “Don’t be stupid, Adlet! Don’t you get that I’m telling the truth?!” 
Adlet smirked. “Even if I did suppose all of that was true, that’s still no reason for us to let you live.” 
“…You’ll regret this.” 
Fremy shot its knee, shattering it, while Rolonia whipped blood from its body. The moment Tgurneu stopped moving, Adlet revealed the ace up his sleeve, his weapon that could kill any fiend in one stab: the Saint’s Spike. He found the fig that was Tgurneu’s true form and prepared to pierce it when— 
The fiend’s body did something peculiar. Suddenly, its neck stretched and tore off with a loud rip. 
“!” 
The decapitated yeti tumbled weakly to the ground, while the crow’s head grew wings. The head rose into the air with unbelievable speed. 
“Fremy! Shoot it down!” Adlet yelled. Holding the Saint’s Spike in his left hand, he threw poison needles with his right. Fremy fired a shot. The crow’s head dodged the bullet, but a few of Adlet’s needles hit the target. Still, even as the crow’s head lost its balance in the air, it flapped on desperately to escape. 
“The head is its main body!” Adlet yelled, hurling the Saint’s Spike. Tgurneu just barely managed to avoid the deadly missile whizzing past its wing. 
“S-someone, come to me! Stop the Braves!” Tgurneu yelled. But no one was there to reply. “Damn it, no one’s coming?! You incompetents!” 
It was now too far away for Adlet’s needles to reach. Fremy kept up the attack, and a number of her shots grazed their mark, but none were good enough to bring it down. Tgurneu continued on, disappearing into the distant sky. 
“…Damn it!” Eyes still on the sky, Adlet punched the ground. Steam rose from his fist thanks to the heat of the earth. They had missed their best chance to kill Tgurneu. 
Now that it was over, he went to go pick up the Saint’s Spike he’d thrown. These were his strongest weapons, and he had only three left. He had to take care of them. 
“I’m relieved. I thought you really would join forces with Tgurneu,” Rolonia said once Adlet had returned with the Saint’s Spike in hand. She seemed reassured. 
“Of course I wouldn’t. The enemy of my enemy isn’t my friend.” 
“Somehow, though, it seems more pathetic than I imagined.” Rolonia gazed off in the direction Tgurneu had gone. 
“That’s an act. It’ll casually do that sort of thing to make us let our guard down,” said Fremy. “So what do you think about what Tgurneu said, Adlet?” 
“I don’t know. It felt like a pack of lies, but I also get the impression that some of it was true. At the very least, though, it was not actually going to cooperate with us. It was looking for an opportunity to kill us.” 
“Yeah…I picked up on that, too,” Rolonia agreed with a nod. 
“It’s not even worth considering,” said Fremy. “Everything that comes out of Tgurneu’s mouth is lies. The impostors are Nashetania and Goldof, and the mastermind behind it is Tgurneu. It came to us with an offer to work together to make us let down our guard. Dozzu doesn’t have anything to do with it.” 
“That would be the natural assumption, wouldn’t it?” said Rolonia. 
“There’s no way that two different fiends would separately come up with the exact same plan,” said Fremy. 
“No,” said Adlet. “If Tgurneu were just coming to kill us, it wouldn’t have had to approach us all alone. It’d just have to send its whole army here. At the very least, there was some reason that Tgurneu couldn’t order its minions to do it. Much of what it said just might be true.” 
“But how much?” Rolonia asked. Adlet was silent. 
It was clear a complex situation was forming within the fiends’ ranks. But who was against who, and why? Was Nashetania really Dozzu’s assassin, or was she working for Tgurneu after all? Who was Goldof? Was he Tgurneu’s follower or Dozzu’s? Or was he actually a real Brave? Their plight was nothing but unknowns. 
But they weren’t going to win this through hesitation. Adlet had to figure out what to prioritize and what to leave until later and then act. “We’ll kill Nashetania and save Chamo. That should help us figure out what’s true.” 
Fremy and Rolonia nodded. The trio climbed up the rock hill and started running once more. 
Adlet, Fremy, and Rolonia resumed searching for Nashetania. First, they went to the spot where Nashetania had disappeared, according to Tgurneu. It was the same place Adlet and Fremy had checked out once already. There were two fiends’ corpses, burned up by lightning, along with evidence that Nashetania had summoned her blades. But nothing else. The three of them carefully searched the ground and surveyed the area but didn’t discover anything that seemed like it might be a clue. Rolonia licked the earth but couldn’t detect anything from the blood of the scorched fiends. 
“There’s nothing here. It’s just these fiends’ bodies,” Fremy said grumpily. 
“Tgurneu was just trying to trick us, after all,” said Rolonia. “It has to be that.” 
What the fiend had said rose in the back of Adlet’s head. Not a fiend’s power. Tgurneu had suggested that what hid Nashetania was the power of a hieroform belonging to Goldof. Should he believe that? 
“Let’s split into two groups,” he said. “I’ll try asking Mora about hieroforms and what kinds have been passed down in the royal family of Piena. If they did have any, I’ll ask what methods we could use to break them. You two, search any places she might be hiding.” 
“But there’s nowhere…” said Rolonia. 
“Underground, I suppose,” said Fremy. “There isn’t anything else.” 
“How can we search underground? If we could use Chamo’s power…” 
“It’s okay, Rolonia. I’ll find her,” said Fremy, and she created a bomb in her palm. The object was oddly shaped, like a thin spike. She tossed it, and it landed upright in a crack in the rock. After a loud boom, the explosive had gouged out a section of the hill. “If she’s hidden underground, that’s convenient for me. I’ll scour the area with my bombs. I’ll bury her alive and then torture her to death.” 
“Hold on,” said Adlet. “There aren’t any other possibilities?” 

“Well…” said Fremy, “Rolonia said that there were fiends lurking near Chamo, didn’t she? She could be in one of their stomachs.” 
Nashetania had used the technique of hiding inside a fiend’s belly back in the Phantasmal Barrier—though it hadn’t been herself but Leura, Saint of Sun. 
“Let’s kill all the fiends within the gem’s area of effect and tear open their stomachs,” Fremy suggested. “Is there anywhere else she could have hidden?” 
The three of them kept thinking. Nashetania’s modus operandi was to do the unthinkable. Adlet doubted it’d be that easy to figure out what her plan was. So they suggested various ideas. She could have grabbed a flying fiend to hover a kilometer high or used the power of a transforming-type fiend to turn into rock. Maybe she was underground, maybe inside a fiend’s stomach, or maybe she’d used a hieroform’s power. They couldn’t think of anything else. 
“Enough thinking,” said Fremy. “It’s time for action. If anything occurs to anyone, they can bring it up then.” 
Adlet agreed. “Yeah. First, search everything underground, and while you’re at it, kill every nearby fiend and rip open its stomach. I leave that to you.” 
“Yes, I’ll handle that part. One hour is enough to cover this area.” Fremy summoned bombs into her hands again and lobbed them at the rock hill before them. With a roar, the hill crumbled, clouds of dust rising in the air. Steam spurted out, enveloping the area in hot air. 
“Rolonia,” said Fremy, “use your whip to probe the earth. If you find anything, tell me right away.” 
“O-okay!” 
With the two of them on the job, things should go fine. If Nashetania was hidden underground, they’d surely be able to find her. Adlet decided to look into the hieroform that Goldof might possess. 
There was only a little over two hours until Chamo would die. They had to hurry. 
The lava zone suddenly erupted with booms. Adlet arrived at the pit, incessant explosive roars accompanying him. 
Twenty-odd fiends lurked around in groups of about five. They didn’t fight or run; they just watched what was happening with Chamo and the others. Hans was in the pit, fighting some of them. Mora’s arms were wrapped around Chamo, protecting her from attacks. Adlet joined Hans, and together they drove away the onslaught. When the fiends had scattered like so many baby spiders, Adlet gave a simple explanation of the current situation. 
“You’re saying…Tgurneu would be our ally?” 
“Against Dozzu, he says. This is gettin’ meowr and meowr confusin’. But is all that true?” 
Mora’s head dropped into her hands as Hans puzzled it over. 
“More importantly, about that hieroform. Do you know anything about it, Mora?” asked Adlet. 
“The power to conceal someone could be none other than the power of illusion. But…” Mora shook her head, her expression somber. “When a hieroform is created, we are required to keep records of it at All Heavens Temple, and we always do. Hieroforms have been given to the King of Piena in the past, but none with the power to conceal. One that could hide anyone might be used for a plethora of evil deeds—assassinations or espionage.” 
“So was Tgurneu lying, after all?” asked Adlet. 
“Neow. Not necessarily,” said Hans. “Holy Saints are humans, too. They can be lured by coin or bend to political authority. Meowbe even love could be a motivation. I wouldn’t be surprised if somethin’ like that was kept secret from All Heavens Temple.” Mora didn’t deny it. 
This again? thought Adlet. All the information they had accumulated suggested potential answers, but there was no hard evidence. “So if Nashetania or Goldof has a hieroform, is there a way to break through the spell?” 
“…There is.” Mora was holding Chamo against her chest, stroking her back. She lay the girl on the ground and stood before Adlet. “When a hieroform is used, the dregs of its power remain. It is possible to sense these. This technique has been passed down through successive generations of temple elders. I can grant the ability to you, though only for a short time.” Mora glanced at Chamo. “It will take time. Chamo, hold on until it’s done.” 
Curled up on her side, the young Saint lifted her head just slightly and nodded. I’m okay. 
Mora closed her eyes and began intoning the sacred tongue. After about ten minutes, she put her hands on Adlet’s face, still chanting. When she touched her thumbs to his eyes, it felt like something hot was pouring into him. 
“…Did it work?” 
Mora staggered, but then immediately returned to Chamo and held her again, putting a hand to her back to send energy into her. 
“So meow?” Hans asked. 
Adlet could now see things he hadn’t been able to before. He could see a light in Chamo’s stomach—that had to be the power of the blade hieroform that Nashetania had put there. He saw the same thing on the back of his hand and on Mora’s back where her Crest of the Six Flowers was. That was the power of the Saint of the Single Flower. 
“In places where you see a shining light, there is a hieroform being used. If you see a faint haze, that means one was activated there not long ago. The effect only lasts for about three hours, though…” Halfway through Mora’s explanation, she grimaced, putting a hand to her forehead. She was wearing herself out. “…And it’s merely a borrowed power. You won’t be able to detect everything perfectly. Most likely, you won’t be able to see any remnants of weaker power.” 
“That’s not encouragin’, meow,” Hans remarked. 
“However,” she continued, “you are sure to see any hieroform powerful enough to make someone disappear. Go, Adlet. We have no time.” 
“Hold on. You never looked at Goldof with that meower of yours?” 
“I have, but I couldn’t see anything. Ultimately, this power is only effective when a hieroform is in use.” 
Hans drooped. 
“I’m gonna go back to searching for Nashetania,” said Adlet. “You guys handle things here. If you see any fiends, be sure to kill them and rip open their stomachs. She might be hiding inside.” 
“Understood. Now go, Adlet. Hurry,” Mora urged. 
But before Adlet left, he went to Chamo. Complexion pale, she was curled up against Mora’s chest. Her entire demeanor had turned utterly haggard in only a few hours. It was heartbreaking. “I’ll catch Nashetania,” he said. “Don’t you worry.” 
“Eh-he-he… That’s…right…yeah…Chamo is just fine.” 
“…” 
“Why’re you…looking so…worried? Chamo’s strong. So…it’ll be fine.” 
Adlet silently stroked her head and then rushed out of the pit. 
Adlet kept on running through the lava zone. The rock beneath him was trembling from Fremy’s cannonade. He climbed to a high point to scan the area with the power Mora had given him, but he didn’t find anything. Despairing, Adlet continued to run. He ascended and descended the rock hills, going up and down and up and down again. During his search, he encountered Fremy and Rolonia, who were still bombarding the ground. 
“Addy! How are things going with you?” Rolonia called to him. 
“Mora gave me the power to search for hieroforms! You can leave that part to me!” Adlet shouted back. 
“You’re in the way, Adlet!” Fremy was about to throw a bomb near his feet. Flustered, Adlet scooted away. 
He proceeded through the parts of the region that Fremy had already demolished. Now that the lines of rock hills had crumbled, the field of view was much more open. With each step, shattered rock crumbled under his feet, making the footing especially difficult to run on. 
They had rearranged the terrain so dramatically, anyone attempting to hole up underground would not stand a chance. Even if Nashetania had been able to withstand the explosion, it was highly unlikely that she could stay hidden. And even if she was lucky enough to stay hidden, there should still be some kind of sign of her presence. Nashetania wouldn’t have been able to dig dozens of meters deep to take cover, either. She’d hit magma or the underground water vein. 
Adlet kept his pace, and then finally, he found his goal. When he concentrated on his eyes, within the drifting steam and smoke, he could pick out a faint haze of light. This light was far less distinct than what he’d seen in Chamo’s stomach. Someone had used a hieroform here in the past. 
He approached the shining vapor. This was where they had found the fiends that had died by lightning strike. Tgurneu had told them that Goldof, Nashetania, and Dozzu had disappeared on this spot. 
Adlet looked around, but he couldn’t find a place where the light shone any brighter. There was no hieroform currently in use nearby, nor were there any other signs of a previous activation. Adlet dug up the ground and closely inspected the whole area, but he didn’t find Nashetania or any clues. But he knew one thing for sure now. Either Goldof or Nashetania had some kind of hieroform, and they had set it off. 
He left the area to search further for Nashetania. There was no way they’d fail to find her. He was certain. If Nashetania had set up a hiding spot where she would never be discovered, she would have gone there immediately after activating the blade gem. But she had fought them briefly and then disappeared. In other words, in the middle of their fight, she had given up on running, which had forced her to conceal herself. So Adlet figured there must be a way to find her. 
But he’d already searched more than two-thirds of the gem’s area of effect, and Fremy and Rolonia had already blown two-thirds of the circle to pieces. Whether Nashetania was lurking underground or using the power of a hieroform to hide, they had to uncover her soon. 
Maybe she was moving around to different hiding spots, then? No, that was impossible. They would have found something like traces of a hieroform that had been used or an underground path. 
Don’t panic, Adlet thought as he continued his search. The clock was ticking. 
Meanwhile, Fremy and Rolonia were in Chamo’s pit. They were driving bombs into the trapezoid-shaped hill, blasting the ground little by little. Magma was pouring up from underground through a big hole they’d created. There was no sign of any fiends around—Rolonia, Fremy, and Hans had killed them all. 
“Not here, either?” Fremy muttered as she looked up. They’d searched through every cavity dotting this area, but they didn’t find Nashetania, and neither did they find any signs that she’d dug a hole here. 
Mora watched over her allies, in deep distress as she continued administering life support to the girl in her arms. Chamo already lacked the strength to pretend she was all right. Now even Mora didn’t know when the girl might die. 
“Fremy,” said Hans, “any more searchin’ underground is a waste of time. Nashetania ain’t there.” 
“…But there’s still places we haven’t searched,” Fremy said. “Maybe we overlooked her. Or she hid underground and then used some other kind of technique.” 
Hans shook his head. “Forget it. If she was underground, then they’d be comin’ to stop ya diggin’. If nobody’s comin’ to attack us, that means yer guess is off,” he said. 
Fremy ground her teeth in frustration. 
“Don’t be feelin’ down. At the very least, now we neow fer sure she ain’t underground. That’s results.” 
“But if she’s not underground, then where is she hiding? Addy hasn’t contacted us. So what should we do?” asked Rolonia. 
“It’s Goldof,” said Mora. “He must hold a hieroform, after all. They’re using its power to hide.” 
“Then Adlet should find them for us,” Fremy countered her. 
“We got to rethink it all from square one,” said Hans. “Tgurneu must’ve been trickin’ y’all, after all. Forget everythin’ it said and take another look at the facts!” 
“There’s no point,” said Fremy. “No matter what Tgurneu’s game is, Nashetania still has to be within one kilometer.” 
“Then it has to be a fiend’s power that’s hiding her, after all,” said Rolonia. “It would make sense if there’s a species Fremy and Addy don’t know about, and it’s hiding her. There’s nothing else it could be…” The three of them shouted at one another as the debate simply went around in circles. 
Chamo spurted blood again. Watching her, Hans asked, “Hey, Mora, ya really can’t meowve Chamo?” 
“No,” replied Mora. “Moving her even a hundred meters would be too much for her to bear.” 
“…Then I’ll help look for Nashetania. We ain’t gettin’ nowhere at this rate.” 
“It looks like that’s our only option,” said Fremy. 
Though they’d killed all the fiends in the area, more could still come later. If Hans was away at that moment, Mora alone might not be able to protect Chamo. Even so, Mora nodded. “Go. I’ll protect Chamo, even if it means my life.” 
“Mew better. Chamo’s more strategically important than you.” 
“…Rather blunt, aren’t you? But so be it. You’re right.” 
The moment Mora was done speaking, a voice called to them from outside the pit. 
“This will not do.” The voice was sexless, not clearly identifiable as male or female. A little creature stepped out from between the cracks of a smashed rock and slowly approached the group. It appeared quite odd, similar to a dog but also to a squirrel. It didn’t look at all like a fiend, but there was clearly a horn on its forehead. “Please wait a little longer before you go hunting for Nashetania.” 
“Are you familiar with that fiend, Fremy?” asked Mora. The moment she saw it, she felt just the way she had when she’d faced Tgurneu, or when she’d fought Hans. Her senses told her it was a powerful foe. For what reasons, she didn’t know, but it was wounded all over, large gashes marring its face and stomach. But she still had a gut feeling that defeating it would be no easy task, despite its injuries. 
“I’ve seen it once before,” said Fremy. “Here, in the lava zone. Tgurneu said it was Dozzu.” 
“Quite right. My name is Dozzu. It seems I owe you a considerable debt for your treatment of my comrade within the Phantasmal Barrier,” said Dozzu, and sparks flared out around its horn. This was the traitor to fiends, and if they were to believe Tgurneu’s information, also the mastermind between their battle within the Phantasmal Barrier. Tension shot through Mora’s body. 
“Incidentally,” said Dozzu, “it seems you’ve encountered Tgurneu. What did you discuss? I would very much like to be informed.” 
“Not tellin’,” said Hans, and he gave a hand signal to Fremy and Rolonia. It meant, Go. 
“Can you handle it alone, Hans?” asked Fremy. 
“Don’t worry ’bout me. Worry ameowt Chamo.” Hans smiled. 
Fremy and Rolonia retreated behind him, then disappeared past a shattered rock hill. Dozzu ignored them. 
“Meow-hee? Yer lettin’ ’em go? Ain’t ya come to slow us down?” 
“It’s surely enough to stall you, Hans. Nashetania has told me that you’re more powerful than either Adlet or Chamo.” 
“Mya-meow. The princess has got good judgment,” Hans said as cold sweat beaded on his forehead. 
“Might I help, Hans?” asked Mora. 
“Hrmeow, naw. You just keep protectin’ Chamo.” Hans raised his swords. 
Then Dozzu said, “I think it may be better for us to move a little ways away. I doubt you want to involve the little lady in our battle.” 
Hans glanced over at his comrade. “All right, let’s meowve, then. Pretty considerate for a fiend.” 
“Not at all.” 
“Meow, anyway, are ya okay with those wounds?” 
“Thank you very much for your concern, but you need not worry on my behalf.” 
Mora silently watched Hans and Dozzu walk away together. Finally, Hans dropped into a fighting crouch, and sparks shot from Dozzu’s forehead. “Now, then, Hans. Let’s battle to the death.” 
The fight commenced. 
“…What does this mean?” Adlet muttered as he sat on a broken rock. 
He was already done searching the whole area of the gem’s effective range. The only place he’d found traces of a hieroform’s activation was that one tiny spot in that pit. What’s more, it had been triggered some time ago. There was no hieroform currently in use within the gem’s area of effect. Was that really how Nashetania was hiding? Something she’d used once a while back that continuously kept her hidden? If Adlet believed what Mora had said, then that shouldn’t be possible. 
Adlet examined the region again. Fremy’s bombing had improved the view. The only thing around was some lowered mountains sparsely dotting the area. But no matter where he looked, he couldn’t find Nashetania or Goldof. 
Had Tgurneu fooled them? If so, then how, and what was the trick? Adlet thought back on what Tgurneu had said, but he just couldn’t figure it out. The fiend had mostly just talked about Dozzu. It had barely said a thing about where Nashetania might be. 
Was Nashetania camouflaging herself not with a hieroform but with a fiend? So then what the heck was the hieroform that went off before? 
Adlet could feel his legs trembling a little. He’d never imagined that he’d come this far and still fail to get to the truth or even find any clues at all. But he had a gut feeling. He was overlooking something; there was something he couldn’t see. He just needed something to get the ball rolling, and he could solve all these mysteries. 
That was when Fremy and Rolonia ran over from Chamo’s pit toward him. 
“Fremy! Rolonia! You find her?” he yelled. But the question was pointless. If they’d found Nashetania, they would have already let him know. 
“Bad news!” cried Rolonia. “Dozzu’s come! It’s fighting with Hans right now!” 
“What?!” 
Fremy and Rolonia explained the situation to him, and Adlet realized things had gone from bad to worse. But he couldn’t go help Hans. He had no choice but to leave Dozzu to his ally. 
“What should we do, Addy? About how much time do we have left?” Rolonia was on edge. 
“…Goldof,” Adlet replied. “He has the key. I can’t think of anything else.” 
But just as they couldn’t figure out where Nashetania was, they hadn’t seen her retainer, either. As Adlet worried, Rolonia told him, “We did see him once.” 
Adlet looked at her. Fremy explained in Rolonia’s stead. “Sorry we didn’t tell you earlier. We saw him about thirty minutes ago. He was north-northwest of here, at the edge of the area of effect. We tried to kill him, but he got away.” 
“Which way did he run?” 
“Out of the circle. The terrain was complex, and we couldn’t find him.” 
Adlet didn’t know what to say. He had thought Goldof was fighting to protect Nashetania. So why would he run? He wasn’t going to fight Fremy or Rolonia? He wasn’t going to join Dozzu to kill Chamo? 
Suddenly, there was an explosion about fifteen meters off to Adlet’s side. Reflexively, he lowered his center of gravity, but it was just hot steam shooting from the ground. Fremy breaking up the earth had destabilized the underground magma and water vein. A second spurt came up right beside Adlet. “Damn it, that scared me,” he said. 
“Let’s go. Hurry,” Fremy urged him, and he set off running. 
As he forged ahead, he thought about Goldof. 
What was his role in this fight? He’d drawn the party to this place, and then he’d shown up again to stop them from killing Nashetania. And if Goldof was the one with the hieroform, then he’d used it once for some yet unknown reason. 
But that was all he’d done. If his goal was to kill the Six Braves, he could have accomplished that several other ways. He could have hindered their search or gone straight for Chamo. Adlet didn’t get the man. Who was he? 
They had multiple enemies converging here in the lava zone: Tgurneu, Dozzu, Nashetania, Goldof… What was going on behind the scenes? 
“…Damn it!” Adlet barked, in spite of himself. There wasn’t the time to be wondering about the truth behind it all. For now, searching for Goldof came first. That was all Adlet could do. They had forty-five minutes left. If they couldn’t find Goldof, then this might be the end. 
Mora swallowed as she watched the battle raging just fifty meters away. Hans and Dozzu’s fight was a desperate mortal struggle. 
“Hrmeow!” Hans spun wildly every which way to evade Dozzu’s lightning strikes. Dozzu, on the other hand, was constantly moving out of Hans’s range as its thunderbolts fell. Not a single strike hit Hans, though the attacks seemed to be completely unavoidable. It wasn’t reflexes that enabled him to do this—it was his unique skill of foresight. If Hans misread a single move and messed up the timing of a dodge, Dozzu would burn him to a crisp. 
Meanwhile, Dozzu was also frantic. If Hans got too close, Dozzu would be instantly sliced in two. As they fought, it darted all over the place to keep Hans at a distance. 
Mora realized that it had been the right choice to let Hans handle this alone. She wouldn’t have been able to keep up. One wrong move from her, and she would have surely made things more difficult for Hans. 
“…” 
Mora hugged Chamo hard. She wanted to get her out of there as soon as possible. She wanted to go with Adlet to search for Nashetania. But all she could do was send Chamo a small amount of energy that, at this point, was more a gesture than anything. 
“Catboy’s…fighting hard…huh?” The dying girl spoke for the first time in a long while. 
“Don’t speak. You’ll only tire yourself,” said Mora. 
But Chamo didn’t listen. “Listen…Auntie. This may be weird…for Chamo to say…but…this is kinda…nice.” 
“?” 
She smiled. “You know…’cause of who Chamo is…no one’s ever…worried.” 
“…Oh…” 
“Who’da thought…everyone would…fight so hard…for Chamo. Especially Fremy… And catboy didn’t say…You’re such a drag…I don’t need you…and just kill Chamo…after all.” 
“Really? You thought that?” Hans was still fighting Dozzu with everything he had. 
“…Catboy’s…a good guy, isn’t he?” Chamo said, and closed her eyes. Mora could tell she was very near her limits. 
“Move yer ass, ya stupid mutt!” Hans yelled as he slashed at Dozzu. 
“I’m not a dog. How rude.” Dozzu shot out a bolt of lightning, but Hans leaped sideways to dodge it. There was no end in sight to their battle. 
Rock mounds still covered the space outside the gem’s area of effect. All Goldof had to do to give his pursuers a hard time was stay low. Adlet, Rolonia, and Fremy split up and spread out to search for him. Fremy and Adlet stayed near the area of effect, while Rolonia headed farther out. 
They must have been running for about fifteen minutes when Adlet found something unusual. The ground was glowing faintly. Someone had used a hieroform here, and it couldn’t have been Nashetania. It was Goldof. 
“…What the hell?” Adlet murmured. Now he was even more confused about the true nature of Goldof’s enchanted object. Did it really have nothing to do with keeping Nashetania hidden, after all? If so, how on earth was she staying hidden? 
Then suddenly, something small exploded in the distant sky. They had agreed that if any one of them found Goldof, that person would immediately throw a signal flare into the air to call the others. Adlet ran off as fast as he could. On the way to the explosion, he found Rolonia, and they continued together. They were headed back into the gem’s area of effect. 
“Why would he be there?” Adlet muttered. Once they had reached the circle, they immediately found Fremy running toward Goldof, who was about three hundred meters away. 
Then Adlet noticed the knight’s helmet. It was glowing faintly. That was the hieroform. The power behind the dim light couldn’t be too strong, either. If Adlet could just figure out what that helmet really was, he could solve the mystery. 
“…He’s not gonna run?” Adlet muttered to himself, observing Goldof closely as they all closed in on him. 
Fremy held him at gunpoint when she reached him, but he didn’t fight back or even raise his spear. 
“Be careful, Fremy!” Adlet yelled as he approached, and that’s when he realized Goldof was standing where the three Braves had been just fifteen minutes earlier. 
“You came…Adlet,” said Goldof quietly, once Adlet was standing in front of Fremy with his sword drawn. 
He wasn’t looking at them. His head was turned to the side as he stared intently at the shattered fragments of a boulder. But he revealed no weaknesses to them. Attacking him would not be easy. 
“What’re you looking at?” Adlet asked him. Goldof didn’t reply. He just watched the rock in silence. 
His eyes were tranquil, his expression calm. Adlet knew it was the bearing of a man expecting to fight with everything in his life on the line. 
“What’s over there?” he asked again, but he received no reply. 
Then finally, Goldof turned his gaze toward the three of them for just a few seconds and spoke. “Have you…found Her Highness?” 
“Yeah, we’re close,” said Adlet. “You’ve been giving us a rough time, but…that ends now.” 
“…Have you figured out what’s really going on?” Goldof’s eyes were still locked on the rock. 
“Who do you think you’re talking to? I’m the strongest man in the world.” It looked like Goldof was almost smiling. “Tell me about your helmet. What’s that hieroform, really?” 
“…Hieroform?” Goldof muttered. 
“I’m going to kill you now,” Fremy said, her finger sliding onto the trigger of her gun. “But before that, let me ask you this: Is it your hieroform that’s keeping Nashetania hidden?” 
“That question…is pointless. For you…and for me.” Goldof shifted his spear from a one-handed to a two-handed grip. 
Adlet swallowed. He had a grasp of Goldof’s skill. Three-on-one, they wouldn’t lose, even if they made a few mistakes. But now Goldof had something to overcome the difference in numbers. 
“I’m disappointed…Adlet.” Goldof looked at him calmly. “I thought…maybe…you’d figure it out.” 
“Figure what out?” 
“Once it’s…all over…I’ll talk.” Goldof lifted his spear, and the other three readied their weapons as well. Rolonia began whispering her invective under her breath. 
“I will…protect Her Highness,” said Goldof. And then, what he said next shocked Adlet. Rolonia stopped mumbling to herself, and Fremy’s eyes went wide. 
“And…I’ll save Chamo…too.” 
He launched himself at Adlet.