Rokka no Yuusha - Volume 5 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4 
Siege 

At the edge of the labyrinth, a hallway split into many branches, and the sounds of battle were emanating from the dead end of one of the passages. 
“Ngh!” 
A fiend was attacking Adlet—a lizard-fiend with a white body. It scuttled up the wall and crawled onto the ceiling, striking out at the boy with its long tail. Normally, this creature would be no match for him. But this time, Adlet failed to block its attacks as it skittered around him, slicing him with the spike at the end of its tail. 
One of his arms was occupied. Under his left arm, he held the unconscious Mora, leaving only his right hand free for the fight. 
The white lizard-fiend was targeting both Mora and Adlet. Adlet was forced to guard himself as well as Mora, who weighed heavily under his arm. He couldn’t block all the enemy’s attacks. 
“Tch!” 
The while lizard-fiend raised its head then, as if it had noticed something. It distanced itself a little from Adlet and then transformed into a flat shape indistinguishable from the stone floor. Adlet threw a needle, but it hit the flagstones with an ineffective clink and rolled along the floor. The white lizard-fiend had already vanished. 
A little over ten seconds after the fiend had appeared, Adlet heard a different set of footsteps. “Damn it. He’s already here?” 
“…Meow.” Hans was strolling slowly along the labyrinth hallway. When he saw Adlet and Mora, his face twitched into a smile. 
At the opposite end of the labyrinth from Adlet, the youngest Saint spoke. 
“Chamo’s pets are saying that just a little while ago, they saw Auntie and Adlet. They’re probably still around there. Let’s hurry.” 
Fremy moved her still somewhat paralyzed body, picking up the gun Rolonia had dropped. Then she started walking in the direction Chamo had indicated. Rolonia was still slumped on the floor, just shaking her head. She must not have been able to believe what the other girl was saying. 
“You moo-head!” Chamo kicked Rolonia in the face with the bottom of her shoe. 
Rolonia cried out and covered her face. 
“Just look at what you’ve done! If you hadn’t been so stupid, Chamo would’ve been able to kill Fremy, and Auntie wouldn’t have gotten captured! It’s all your fault!” 
“B-but…Addy said I have to protect her…ngh! ” 
“Shut up!” Chamo kicked her in the face again. 
Fremy sighed. “Argue about whose fault it is later.” 
At that time, all their attention, including Fremy’s, was off Nashetania. They hadn’t noticed her slowly drawing away from the rest of them. 
“Nashetania?” 
But by the time they noticed, it was too late. Nashetania had vanished, using the stealth ability she’d used inside the Phantasmal Barrier. 
“This is bad. Run!” Fremy bit her own finger. Pain would enable her to see through her ability. But even when Fremy concentrated, she couldn’t see Nashetania. In this complex labyrinth, it wouldn’t take long to escape. 
“Follow her!” Chamo gave instructions to her slave-fiends. Fremy considered setting off the bombs she had attached to Nashetania’s legs, but she changed her mind, figuring that now was a bad time. They couldn’t afford to make an enemy of Dozzu in a situation like this, and they had no idea what Goldof might do in that case, either. 
“Leave the princess to Chamo’s pets. Right now, Auntie is more important.” Chamo dashed off, and Fremy followed after her, pulling Rolonia by the hand. 
“Why, Addy? If you do that…if you do that…” Rolonia kept on muttering, holding her head. 
“Yer repertoire is meowr limited than I thought,” Hans said as he eyed the unconscious Mora. 
Adlet had pricked her with paralysis and sleep needles, and she was dozing like a doll. Adlet held her under his left arm, which was around her neck with a knife to her throat. Her arms were bare of her gauntlets, and the various tools she’d been carrying in her clothing were scattered on the floor. Adlet had been the one to disarm her. Even with her healing power as the Saint of Mountains and her superhuman physical strength, if Mora had her throat cut while unconscious, she was dead. It should have been enough of a threat. 
But Hans didn’t seem uneasy in the least about that. “We saw ya use that one in the Phantasmal Barrier. And what’s more, now you’ve got nowhere to run this time.” He pointed with his sword behind Adlet. Adlet was at a dead end of this corner of the labyrinth. The only way out was the narrow hallway about thirteen feet wide, and Hans was blocking it. Adlet was a trapped rat. 
“Don’t move, Hans. I’ll kill Mora.” 
Hans showed no reaction to Adlet’s threat. He swayed, looking for a chance to strike. And then, in a flash, he leaped like a coiled spring. 
Adlet kicked a crack in the flagstones with his toe. The tiny stake fitted into his boot stabbed into the gap there, and instantly, a film of light covered an area about sixteen feet around Adlet. 
“Meow!” Hans crashed into the film of light headfirst and fell straight down to the ground. That had been a close one. If Adlet had activated the barrier too late, he would have lost his left arm. Holding his face, Hans got up. 
“…You don’t even care?” Adlet muttered. Hans hadn’t even been considering Mora’s life. He’d just gone straight for him. 
That was when Adlet heard Chamo’s angry yell coming from behind Hans. This is bad. 
Chamo, Rolonia, and Fremy all turned the corner to find Adlet—and Mora, too, unconscious in Adlet’s grasp—and the barrier separating him from Hans. 
Rolonia, face pale, covered her mouth with a cry. Chamo’s lips trembled in anger. Fremy was watching Adlet quietly. Her expression was stony, not much different than usual. But in her face was anger and murderous intent. It was the same way she had looked at Tgurneu. 
“Fremy…” Adlet felt pain shoot through his chest. He’d known that taking a hostage would result in this. But it still hurt to see her so antagonistic toward him. 
That was when Adlet realized that Hans’s target had changed. Now he meant to kill Fremy. 
“Stop it, Hans!” he yelled. 
Hans ignored him and sliced at her as if to behead her. 
But she repelled it with the grip of her gun. “Wait for now.” 
“Don’t kill Fremy! If you do, Mora is toast!” Adlet yelled. 
Hans didn’t listen to either of their attempts to stop him and went in for a second strike. Fremy leaped backward to avoid the attack. Though Adlet had taken a hostage to prevent Fremy’s death, that wasn’t going to accomplish anything at this rate. He knew he had to stop Hans, but there was almost nothing he could do from within the barrier. 
“Meow , Fremy, why’re you still alive?” Hans approached her, spinning his swords. 
“I still intend to die. But there’s a hostage right now.” 
“But think about it, Fremy. His plan is to kill all of us. Yer gonna let everyone die ’cause ya can’t bring yerself to let one go? Besides, even if ya don’t die, that’s no guarantee he’s gonna let Mora live.” 
“No, listen to me,” said Adlet. But Hans completely ignored him, and Fremy shot him a murderous look. 
“There’s no point in cedin’ to Adlet’s demands. You should die right here an’ neow. That’s the best option.” 
Adlet pressed the knife to Mora’s throat just hard enough to cut her, but not kill her, to show the others he really was willing to do what it took. 
“…Wait,” said Fremy. “If I die now, then we’ll have no way to save Mora. I couldn’t stand it if one of us was to die because of me.” 
“But—” 
“I don’t want to let her die. No, I don’t want to let any of our allies die. I can’t let you kill me until we save Mora.” Fremy raised her gun. “If you’re insisting that you have to, then I’ll resist with full force.” 
“Chamo agrees with that. Catboy, we need Auntie. We might be able to save her, so let’s wait just a bit longer to kill Fremy.” 
Hearing both objections, Hans sighed. “You folks are naive. This is gettin’ to be a real pain in the ass, but I guess we have neow choice.” Hans turned to Adlet and smirked. “Neow ain’t that nice, Adlet? Looks like yer darlin’ Fremy will live a li’l longer.” 
Don’t you mock me, you asshole. 
“But what do we do about that barrier? How did Adlet put that there?” asked Chamo. 
“Mora gave it to him,” Hans explained. “Neowmally, only she can use it, but in the mountains, he can, too. And there you have it, I guess.” 
“Auntie really is an idiot. Why’d she hand him something like that?” One of Chamo’s slave-fiends body-slammed the barrier. The film of light merely trembled, refusing the slave-fiend entry. 
“D’you know a way to break the barrier, Chamo?” 
“…I think Auntie’d be able to let it down herself. And you could take it down if you pulled out the stake. But it doesn’t look like we can.” Chamo looked at the unconscious Mora. “With something like this, I think force is best. If we hit it as hard as we can, it’ll break eventually.” The slave-fiends slipped past Chamo to approach the light film. 
Hans said, “Wait, meow. Where’d the princess go? She should’ve been with ya.” 
“…She ran away.” 
“Tell me what happened.” 
The slave-fiends stopped attacking. Chamo told Hans that when Nashetania had found out about Adlet taking a hostage, she’d run off. 
Nashetania is plotting something, after all , Adlet thought. Saying she was going to protect Rolonia had likely been nothing more than an excuse to escape the eye of the Braves. He couldn’t even guess what she was plotting. 
“Meow. She’s gettin’ up to tricks while some of us are tryin’ to have fun,” Hans grumbled. “Chamo, send all the slave-fiends you got to go after the princess. Ya don’t need to be here. Put all yer energy into capturin’ her.” 
“O-okay. But what about Auntie?” 
“Don’t ya worry. Leave it to me. Besides, Fremy is here, too.” Rolonia, who was trembling as she watched the scene from the very back, apparently was not counted among the fighting forces. 
“Is it okay to leave Fremy here?” asked Chamo. 
Fremy answered her. “Once we save Mora, I’ll end my life immediately. I’ve never been afraid to die.” 
Chamo considered that for a bit. “I believe you, Fremy. And, catboy—don’t let anything happen to Auntie, okay?” 
“I won’t let her,” said Fremy. “I’ll never let any of our allies die because of me.” 
Chamo nodded and got onto her slug slave-fiend. The other slave-fiends withdrew. 
“We can’t cut off Dozzu yet,” said Hans, “so don’t kill Nashetania by mistake. Also, have a few of yer slave-fiends keep watch around the temple. If the enemy comes, tell us right away, meow. ” 
“Don’t worry about a watch. Chamo’s already doing that.” 
“And catch Goldof up to speed. Tell him to stay put and keep watch on Dozzu there.” 
“Got it. Then…Chamo’ll leave Auntie to you.” Chamo, astride the slave-fiend, receded from view. 
I’m saved , thought Adlet. He had no idea how long this impromptu barrier would have held if it were forced the bear the full brunt of Chamo’s might. 
Once she was gone, Hans and Fremy turned their attention to Adlet. 
“First, we have to destroy that barrier. Without Chamo, it looks like that’ll take time.” Fremy manifested a bomb in her hand. 
“Meow , yer a lucky man, Adlet. This’ll make it a bit of a fight. Or did ya arrange for this to happen, too?” Hans said as he approached the barrier. Then he slammed his twin blades against it. The film of light warped violently. 
“Move, Hans.” Fremy threw her bomb. 
As Hans drew back, the membrane shuddered under the explosive blast. 
“The barrier isn’t that strong. We can definitely break it if we spend some time on it.” Fremy threw another bomb and shot at the barrier right as the blast shook it. 
Adlet’s intuition was ringing alarm bells, so he ducked. Her bullet passed just an inch above his head. It wasn’t going as fast, but if it had hit him, he would have been in trouble. 
“It seems the barrier can’t take multiple simultaneous hits,” said Fremy. Her assault continued. 
Right as she tossed another bomb toward Adlet, he launched a throwing knife back at her. It passed through the film of light to hit her explosive midair. It looked like it didn’t block attacks from within. The bomb fell to the ground. Since Adlet had prevented the blast, the next bullet failed to penetrate the barrier. 
“Meow , at this rate, we’ll break through the barrier and save Mora, and then you’ll be done. But you ain’t one to sit there twiddlin’ yer thumbs. So tell me. What’s yer meowster plan? How are ya goin’ to protect Fremy and kill us all?” 
“I’m not going to. I’m not the seventh,” Adlet said as he readied another throwing knife in his right hand. 
“Shut up,” said Fremy. “Keep your mouth shut until we kill you.” 
Adlet shot down her next bomb, too. 
That was when Rolonia, who’d been trembling behind them the whole time, ran up to the barrier. “Please stop, Fremy! And Addy, too!” 
“You’re in the way, Rolonia.” Fremy put away her bombs and shot at the barrier with her gun instead. 
“…Addy, please, let go of Mora! They think you’re the seventh; at this rate, they really are going to kill you!” 
“Unfortunately, I can’t. If I let go of Mora, Fremy will die.” 
“Th-then, Fremy. Please stop trying to die! Addy said if we defeat Tgurneu, the Black Barrenbloom will stop! S-so…!” 
“I’ll say it one more time: Move,” said Fremy. 
Rolonia held her head in her hands and shook it back and forth. 
Watching, Adlet thought, Relax, I have no intention of killing Mora, and I won’t let Fremy die, too. I’m not gonna die, either. If we can convince Fremy now, we can break out of this situation. He already had obtained all the tools he needed to accomplish that. 
Impatience was starting to wear on Goldof as he watched Dozzu. He doubted Nashetania would act so rashly simply to stop a quarrel among the Braves. Did she plan to escape the temple or assassinate one of the Braves? Or was she plotting something else he couldn’t anticipate? If Nashetania was up to something, the Braves would end up killing her. He prayed things wouldn’t come to that. 
When would Fremy die? They hadn’t let Adlet escape, had they? Goldof had a plethora of worries. The situation hadn’t changed, and there had been no word from Mora. 
Indifferent to Goldof and his anxiety, Dozzu was sitting in silence, as if it were taking a nap right then and there. 
“Goldof! Bad news! …Wait, why is there a barrier here?” 
Just then, Chamo arrived. Thanks to Mora’s barrier, she stopped before she could reach them. 
“Don’t…worry about…the barrier. More importantly…what happened?” 
The two conversed from opposite sides of the barrier. Hearing the situation from Chamo actually made him dizzy. Mora had been taken hostage, and Nashetania had disappeared. What’s more, Goldof had to keep on watching Dozzu. 
“This is troubling, but in a way, we can also take this as good news. Not only have we discovered the identity of the Black Barrenbloom, now we’ve essentially uncovered the seventh, too.” Dozzu was calm, as usual. 
“What’re you planning to make the princess do, Dozzu?” demanded Chamo. 
“I don’t know anything. She must have her own idea about how to save Mora.” 
“…Do you wanna get tortured?” Chamo smiled. 
Still seated, Dozzu gave a tiny shrug. “I doubt Hans would have told you to do that. I’m not plotting anything, and neither am I aware of what Nashetania intends to do.” 
It was pretty irritating to hear such a bald-faced lie coming from the fiend, but they couldn’t do anything about Dozzu right then. 
Chamo clicked her tongue and went off to go look for Nashetania. “If Dozzu does anything, give it a big whack!” 
Goldof nodded and continued monitoring the fiend. Dozzu maintained its silence, expression composed. 
Mora was down, and no one was watching over the temple as a whole anymore. But even then, specialist number fourteen stayed camouflaged. It had no idea when or where it might be found, and since it had no combat skills, it wouldn’t stand a chance if it was discovered. 
While Chamo had been chasing Fremy, number fourteen had kept hidden in a corner of the labyrinth. Chamo’s slave-fiends had passed close by, and it had heard Fremy and Nashetania’s voices, too. But even then, it had kept as stationary as a rock. 
Number fourteen had left the decisions about what to do and who to attack up to number thirty. Number fourteen didn’t have number thirty’s sharp hearing, nor its intelligence. 
Number thirty was both fast and good at gathering information, so it was running around the inside and outside of the temple doing just that. It would decide what should be done, and number fourteen would carry it out. That was best. 
Number fourteen wouldn’t move without instructions, and even though number thirty could gather information, it didn’t have the abilities to make use of it. The two fiends had a good relationship, compensating for each other’s weaknesses. 
Number thirty had gone out to scout just a little while earlier, and now it was coming back to report. It told fourteen that their mission was to kill Fremy. 
Thirty replied that Fremy was inches from killing herself, and Adlet was preventing her death. 
From what number fourteen had heard of the situation, Fremy’s death and Adlet’s defeat seemed inevitable. But number thirty was still afraid of him. There was a possibility he could reveal the identity of the seventh, anticipate the fiend’s actions, and succeed in keeping Fremy safe, it said. 
Number thirty explained that it had attacked Adlet, too, but alone, it wasn’t enough of a fighter to handle him. 
Adlet Mayer. He was the weakest warrior of the Braves, but fourteen had heard Tgurneu found him the most dangerous. It had no choice but to attack with its entire might and stay on full alert. 
Fourteen had a special ability it had been waiting to use, one specialized for ambushes. It could do little else. The unique thing about this skill was that that the enemy wouldn’t even realize they were being attacked. Fremy and Adlet were bound to die before they recognized the danger. 
With the Braves at odds with one another, and with number fourteen’s powers, it would be easy enough. 
“Listen to me! I’m not the seventh!” Adlet yelled. “Fremy, stop attacking! This is a part of the enemy’s trap! If you die now, all the Braves could die!” 
But she ignored him, shooting bullet after bullet at him. 
“Please wait, Fremy!” Rolonia extended her whip to try to steal the gun, but Fremy kicked her whip away and fired again. 
That was when Hans said, “Fine, have yer say, Adlet.” 
Adlet was surprised. Hans had no reason to listen to him. 
“What’s the point of listening?” asked Fremy. 
“So we can read him to see what kind of trick he plans to use on us neow. He’s bound to do somethin’. I can’t see what, yet. We need to be ready for it,” Hans said, sheathing his swords. “Besides, just tryin’ to tear down that barrier doesn’t make for much of a fight.” 
“…So that’s what you’re really after, hmm? We don’t have time to waste on keeping you entertained,” Fremy snapped. 
But Hans folded his arms in a spectating pose, and Rolonia was standing in Fremy’s way. Fremy scowled, uneasy. 
Finally, Adlet had a chance to talk. He breathed a sigh of relief, while also glaring at Hans, thinking to himself that Hans’s laid-back attitude would be his downfall. “Listen up, Fremy. You think I’m the seventh, too, right?” 
“Of course.” 
“And there are a bunch of reasons you’d suspect me. But think about it. None proves I’m the seventh. You just think their job is to protect you, and since I’ve protected you all this time, I have to be a traitor, right? But you actually have no proof, do you?” 
Fremy didn’t reply. 
“I think the seventh’s job is to defend you, too, since there’s no way Tgurneu would have the daughter of a fiend encounter the Six Braves without any protection. But think back. Ultimately, was I the only one?” 
“Meow ,” Hans called. 
“When the group was about to torture you, I wasn’t the one who stopped it. That was Hans. I clearly remember what he said. If Fremy is the seventh, why is Adlet alive? Chamo stopped trying because Hans convinced her.” 
“So what?” said Fremy. 
“That’s not all. Even after he got Chamo to give up, the others were still suspicious of you. Remember how you were you absolved? Their suspicion was redirected toward me. And the one who falsely accused me of being a traitor back then wasn’t Nashetania, the actual seventh. It was Hans. 
“And by the way, the one who resolved everything at the end and pinned down Nashetania wasn’t me, it was Hans. All to protect you. First, he made me the prime suspect, and then he found the real culprit—to prevent you from being suspected.” 
Fremy glanced over at Hans. Adlet was certain his words were reaching her. 
“You’ve been on my mind ever since we first met. I’ve always wanted to protect you. And that made me end up playing the role of the seventh. But there was someone else behind the scenes who really was protecting you.” 
“Meow…” 
“I can say this for certain: The seventh is Hans.” 
“This is absurd,” Fremy spat. 
“Now that I think of it,” Adlet continued, “Hans was acting funny back when Mora killed him. Why’d he go off to fight her all by himself? Hans, you planned to keep her quiet, didn’t you? You wanted to finish her off before she made any inconvenient confessions. You didn’t imagine you’d lose to her in a one-on-one fight.” 
“I said, that’s absurd,” Fremy said bluntly. “Can’t you see what’s going on here? Hans is trying to kill me. You and Rolonia are the only ones who aren’t. It’s long-established now that Hans isn’t the one we’re looking for.” 
“You’re telling me he’s innocent after he lied to the rest of us and pegged me instead?” 
“…You’re talking about the glowing message,” said Fremy. Adlet nodded. 
“Meow ,” Hans interjected, “so that’s what yer goin’ for, after all. If yer gonna insist you ain’t the seventh, you gotta lay the blame on me.” 
“You’re going to keep insisting that Hans is the seventh? On that basis alone?” said Fremy. 
Rolonia said, “Hans…were you really following Addy, then? You’re not plotting something again, are you?” 
“Like how I tested ya in the forest? Not this time.” 
Adlet continued. “You think I’m lying, don’t you? But I really did see it. And I don’t know why we couldn’t find the source. It might have been hidden so well even Mora couldn’t tell where the light came from. Maybe there’s a fiend hidden in the temple that erased any traces of it. Or maybe Hans destroyed the proof and kept that from her… I suspect that final possibility is our answer, though. 
“Unfortunately, right now, there’s no way for me to prove that—and I’ve got nothing concrete that says I’m not the seventh, either.” 
Adlet thought back. The story about the message had just been a thoughtless lie. But even if it was a lie, Adlet’s claims were hitting on truth. If they killed Fremy, they’d fall into Tgurneu’s trap. That part was true. He couldn’t retract his statement about the shining letters now and admit it was a lie. He had no choice but to stick to his story until the end. 
Fremy said, “Just as the existence of that message can’t be proven true, it can’t be proven a lie, either. You can say whatever you want, but this argument will just go around in circles. It doesn’t even matter in the first place. I’m the Black Barrenbloom. Hans is trying to kill me, and you’re protecting me. That speaks louder than any other evidence.” 
Adlet had known she would say that, so he chose his next words cautiously. “Would the Tgurneu you know have put together such a crude plan?” 
“…Crude?” Fremy hesitated. 
“Yeah, crude. Hans is a formidable man, but do you really think he could keep you safe all on his own? …Oh, I see. You think I’m the seventh. So let me ask you the question this way: Do you think I could manage to protect you all by myself?” 
“You’ve succeeded so far.” 
“That’s been the outcome. But what if, when we first encountered Goldof and Nashetania, I hadn’t been able to stop them? What if Chamo had lost control and tried to kill you? What if none of the other Braves had believed you? They could have easily killed you. Having just one seventh there to protect you is an incredibly shaky strategy.” 
“…So what?” 
“Tgurneu set up a second plot—arranged things so that all the Braves will still die no matter what happens to you.” 
“What?” said Hans. “If a plan like that exists, then do tell, meow. ” 
Adlet smirked. “It was a mistake to allow me to talk, Hans—as it was a mistake to let Chamo go. You should’ve just ignored what I had to say and broken down the barrier.” Adlet was deliberately provoking him. But that didn’t bother Hans. He was still smiling. 
“That’s not even worth considering,” Fremy spat. “If Tgurneu had some scheme that would destroy all the Braves upon my death, there’s no way I would still be alive. If Tgurneu intended to kill me, it would have had any number of ways to do it. All it would have to do is make you think I was contacting it, or maybe told you about the existence of the Black Barrenbloom, and I would be dead. But Tgurneu had you protect me and hid the existence of the Black Barrenbloom.” 
Without missing a beat, Adlet shot back, “It would probably prefer to have you live and absorb the power of the crests. That’s why it didn’t target you and had another Brave protect you. But it still needed insurance in case you did die.” 
“…” 
“Tgurneu’s set up a scheme with two stages: If we failed to figure out about the Barrenbloom, it would absorb the power of the crests and all the Braves would die. And if we did figure it out, it planned to have the Braves kill Fremy and activate its second trap. 
“Tgurneu and the seventh have switched plans now. It was either when we heard about Fremy’s identity from Rainer, or when you recalled that you’d come to this temple a long time ago, or perhaps it was when Dozzu told us about the Temple of Fate. One of those.” 
“…And?” 
“Tgurneu didn’t anticipate this. Even though we now know for sure who the Barrenbloom is, you’re still alive, Fremy. The seventh figured their side could lose if we did as I suggested and choose to focus our full efforts on defeating Tgurneu. They wanted to squelch that one-in-a-million possibility. 
“That’s why to the seventh—to Hans—I’m in the way. He stopped me and urged you to kill yourself. He erased the evidence I’d found, too. Then he insisted that I was the seventh to make you lose trust in me.” 
“And where is the evidence that Tgurneu has a second plan?” 

“The greatest piece of evidence is that message. There is one other clue, though. One of the lines in those hieroglyphs said a certain function would activate after your death. You saw that for yourself.” Adlet showed them the wound on his left leg. “What’s more, I was just attacked by a fiend, after I took Mora hostage. It tried to peel me and Mora apart. That’s proof the fiends were trying to get in my way.” 
“Mora said she didn’t see any enemies,” said Fremy. 
“I don’t know why she failed to notice it. I really doubt she’d be communicating with the enemy, either.” 
“If there was a hidden power in the Black Barrenbloom—a second trap—we would have found it when we were deciphering the hieroglyphs.” 
“You think Tgurneu would make a mistake like that? It was prepared for the possibility that this temple would be discovered, too. In fact, the second trap exists entirely for the sake of this very situation.” 
Fremy fell silent. 
“It’s true that I have no proof. But you should understand from my explanation that it’s too early to conclude that you need to die and I’m the seventh. Fremy, wait before you kill yourself. If you decide to stay alive, I’ll take down the barrier immediately and release Mora.” 
Adlet shot Fremy a hard look in the eye. She wasn’t that soft, and he knew this wasn’t enough to gain her trust. But this should be enough to weaken her certainty that he was the seventh. She’d believe he was suspicious, but she wouldn’t yet be certain. She could trust him that much. 
Adlet patiently waited for Fremy to reply. 
Once Adlet was done talking, Fremy surveyed the others. Hans was silently watching the situation, while Rolonia seemed to be hoping that Fremy would be convinced. 
“That wasn’t even worth listening to.” Fremy cut him down with a single line. 
Rolonia yelled, “Wh-why?!” 
Fremy spoke not to the despairing boy but to Rolonia. She had to explain this, or Rolonia would never been convinced. She trusted Adlet entirely. 
“The evidence for this second trap is too slim. It’s not worth considering. I can’t imagine it’s anything but a spur-of-the-moment lie. And besides, his talk of Hans protecting me is a strained interpretation of what’s happened.” 
“But…!” 
“I…” Fremy hesitated. She looked over at Adlet, who was gazing at her with affection, just like he always had, since they first met. She averted her eyes. 
Before they had come to the Howling Vilelands, Fremy had always believed that she wouldn’t mind dying for victory. She’d felt that as long as she could take Tgurneu down with her, that would be enough. If all the other Braves were in danger of being killed, she felt perhaps she could die to keep them safe and entrust her revenge to them. She’d never meant to stay alive in the first place; she wanted to throw her life away, if she could. 
But she hadn’t. Even in moments of crisis, she hadn’t even considered sacrificing herself. They had encountered Tgurneu twice: when they’d entered the Howling Vilelands and again when they’d been chasing Goldof around. Fremy could have blown herself up and taken Tgurneu with her both times. But she hadn’t—even though when she’d first come to the Howling Vilelands, she would have been able to do so without hesitation. 
Fremy understood the reason why. 
“It was because Adlet was here that I’ve stayed alive all this time,” she said. 
She’d known he was lying. She’d known that in his heart, he had to hate her. But even so, hearing him say all those things had made her happy. Even if it wasn’t true, she’d been glad to hear he wanted to protect her and bring her happiness. Fremy had wanted to be deceived for as long as possible. Only when she’d listened to him talk had she felt like something other than an unlovable monster, like she had permission to be alive—even if she knew that was a lie. 
That was exactly why Fremy had stayed alive, and exactly why she hated him. She was angry with Adlet for making her want to live. “What Hans has done is trivial,” she said. “Adlet was the only one who really protected me. If he wasn’t around, I would have died long ago.” 
If Hans was the seventh and trying to protect her, he would have made her want to live—just as Adlet had. But Hans hadn’t done anything. He had simply treated her like another person with a mutual foe, and another suspect who could be the seventh. He wasn’t like Adlet. 
“That’s exactly why I can say with certainty that you’re the seventh, Adlet. You took care of me and ensured I would live. No one else could possibly be the seventh.” 
Fremy fired a bullet. The film of light wobbled violently again, but even her gun would still take some time to break the barrier. 
“…This is the worst,” Adlet muttered as he watched the rippling light. He’d gone so far into despair, he’d come out the other end to smile. 
Adlet had been desperately trying to protect Fremy all this time. Out of a desire to soothe her suffering, he’d sworn he would make her happy. And that was exactly why she didn’t trust him now. The stronger his feelings for her got, the more she lost trust in him. The more he talked about his affection for her, the further away her heart drifted. How could it get worse than this? 
But he still couldn’t let himself give up. Adlet turned his gaze on Rolonia, who was frozen, stunned. 
I’m helpless , Rolonia thought as she watched Fremy firing continuously at the barrier. There’s no way Addy is the fake. I can’t let Fremy die. But even knowing that, she couldn’t do anything. She couldn’t even stop Fremy from trying to break down the barrier. 
Now Adlet turned to Rolonia and said, “Rolonia! Go look for proof! Go find some evidence that what I’m saying is true!” 
Adlet’s words left Rolonia at a loss. What should she look for? And where? “Th-the glowing message?” 
He shook his head. “No. Look for the enemy. There’s a fiend hiding in this temple. It came to me once and then vanished. It’s planning something—trying to get rid of me and make sure Fremy dies.” 
There’s no way , Rolonia thought. She didn’t even know the way around this labyrinth. She doubted she could find a fiend that could hide from Mora’s clairvoyance. 
“Find it and figure out what it’s after. Find proof that the fiends are trying to kill Fremy. That’s the only way to make the truth clear. Once we all know the fiends are trying to kill Fremy, we can stop her from killing herself. Get help from Chamo, and you can get Dozzu and Goldof to join in, too. You’re the only one who can do it now.” 
Slow as she was, Rolonia knew that was the only option. She also knew there was no way to stop Fremy and the others besides finding some kind of proof to clear their suspicions. 
“It’s a trap, Rolonia. Adlet could be trying to kill you. Stay here,” Fremy ordered. 
But Rolonia couldn’t just stand there and do nothing but panic. She turned away from the dead-end hallway, ready to dash off. 
“Nope.” 
But that was when Hans stopped merely watching events unfold, and acted. When Rolonia started running off, he blocked her way. In a heartbeat, he closed the distance between them and raised his sword before her face. 
She wasn’t even able to react. “H-Hans…” 
“I get what yer up to, Adlet,” said Hans. “You’ve set up somethin’ somewhere—proof that you ain’t the seventh. Proof that it’s me. Proof that we can’t kill Fremy.” 
Inside the barrier, Adlet was grinding his teeth. He couldn’t save himself now. Rolonia was just trembling before Hans’s sword. 
“I can’t just stand there and watch while Rolonia goes off to find it. I ain’t goin’ that easy on ya.” 
“…Go, Rolonia. Don’t bother with Hans. He’s scared you’ll find proof! He’s just trying to stop you from revealing the truth!” Adlet yelled. 
Right then, Fremy fired a bullet that passed through the film of light, skimming Adlet’s cheek. At this rate, Adlet would die. I have to stop Fremy and Hans , Rolonia thought. But with Hans’s sword pointed at her, she couldn’t move. If she were to take a single step or reach out to her whip, she would instantly be cut down. 
Pathetic. And you call yourself a Brave? Rolonia told herself as she stood there frozen. You have to protect Addy. When you saw him lose Rainer, you swore you’d support him. But now you can’t do anything. 
Fremy doesn’t matter. You just have to protect Addy. 
It was then that Rolonia felt something off. She’d just had a strange thought. But she never figured out why. 
The fiends were at work trying to kill Fremy, Adlet was certain. Rolonia would be able to reveal their goals and the steps they were taking. He trusted her. She was more than just a timid girl. 
But their avenues were being cut off one after another, and Adlet trembled in impatience. He knew there was no way for him to win over Fremy until they found solid evidence. And if Rolonia was pinned down, then there was nothing more he could do. 
Hans. He had to do something about Hans, or he couldn’t protect Fremy. 
Suddenly, a slave-fiend turned the corner and approached them. It had a note stuck to its head. 
“It’s a message from Chamo.” Hans tore it off and read it, but he revealed no weaknesses, refusing to let Rolonia take even a step. Once Hans had scanned the note, he crushed it up and threw it away. 
“What is it, Hans?” asked Fremy. 
“Tgurneu’s forces ain’t here yet. No problems,” said Hans. That was good news, but nothing about the situation had been resolved. 
That was when Adlet suddenly grimaced. A spike of pain shot through his head, and he realized it had been hurting for a while now. Is it an enemy attack? he thought. It could be poison, or a sound wave attack, or something else. He doubted it was Hans or Fremy. So then, was it a fiend? 
Adlet peered very closely at what was behind them, thinking a fiend could be hidden there. But he couldn’t see anything. 
The prickling pain in his head was gradually getting stronger. Adlet couldn’t guess at what was happening—and so time passed. 
At knifepoint, Rolonia continued to think about protecting Adlet, and changing this situation. She had to do something. If she stayed helpless now, being chosen as a Brave of the Six Flowers would be meaningless. 
Adlet’s headache was gradually growing worse. He was certain it was more than his imagination or caused by exhaustion. This was an offensive move. “…Rolonia, Fremy, watch out. A fiend is attacking us,” he said. 
Rolonia looked around the area, but Fremy ignored him and continued shooting. 
“A-attack?” stuttered Rolonia. 
“I don’t know quite what it is. It’s poison, maybe sound waves—I can’t see anything. It’s just that my head hurts.” 
“That’s a head cold, meow. Best to warm up and have a nap,” Hans said with a smile. Rolonia became even more upset. 
“You guys can’t feel anything?” said Adlet. “This is strange. This isn’t an ability of a known fiend.” Once, his master Atreau had taught him about various fiend skills. He couldn’t think of any like this. It could be one of those specialists doing it. So they’ve finally come to kill me for real? They’re gonna take me out by any means necessary because I’m protecting Fremy? The situation was just getting worse and worse. 
“Wh-what should we do, Addy? Urk…” Rolonia was confused. 
But Hans was smiling. “Now yer pretendin’ yer head hurts? Hrmeow , whatcha schemin’ now, Adlet?” 
Don’t give me that crap, Hans. It really hurts. The pain was becoming so strong, he wasn’t paying any more attention to his left arm, holding Mora. 
Then, as if she’d made up her mind about something, Rolonia said, “…Hans, Fremy, p-please listen. I have a suggestion. Addy…you listen, too.” 
Fremy stopped shooting, and the smile dropped from Hans’s face for just one second. 
“Our number-one priority is to save Mora, and then I die,” Fremy said. “We don’t have the time to be listening to your suggestions.” She was about to start firing at the barrier again, but suddenly a sound in the narrow hallway of the labyrinth echoed with the sharp crack of something slicing through the air. 
Rolonia was swinging her whip to hit Fremy’s hand right before she could pull the trigger. 
“…What do you think you’re doing, Rolonia?” Fremy’s hand wasn’t injured. Rolonia had only hit her lightly. 
“J-just wait a second, Fremy. It’s not like I can’t do anything, and it’s not like I’m…not thinking, either.” 
Fremy was about to retort when Hans stopped her. He drew his sword away from Rolonia. “I’ll listen, meow. It is a suggestion from a valued ally.” 
“…I—I can’t fight…with y-y-you, Hans. I…have no idea who…the seventh is.” 
Hans quietly moved away from Rolonia. 
“Believe me, Rolonia, he’s the seventh,” said Adlet. 
But Rolonia shook her head. “You can say that, but I don’t know… There’s no way I can find proof.” 
“But…you’re the only one I’ve got.” 
Whip raised, Rolonia faced Adlet. “Addy, release Lady Mora.” 
Adlet was surprised. Would even Rolonia endorse killing Fremy? 
“It’s okay. I’m not going to betray you, Addy. I’ll be the hostage in Lady Mora’s place.” 
This time, it was Hans’s and Fremy’s turn to be surprised. 
“…What are you talking about, Rolonia?” asked Adlet. 
“I can’t find that proof for you, Addy. But Lady Mora has her clairvoyance. She’ll be so much more helpful than I’d be, and she can find the fiend attacking you. I think that’s the best way to keep you safe, and Fremy, too,” Rolonia said to Adlet. Next, she turned to Hans and Fremy. “Fremy, Hans—Tgurneu could be coming closer. We need Lady Mora’s power. So it’s best to exchange hostages.” 
“B-but—” Adlet tried to reply. This would only gain Adlet another enemy. He doubted Mora would take his side after being his hostage this whole time. 
“If you don’t agree to it, I won’t forgive you, Addy. Not even you.” 
Adlet was at a loss for words. This was the first time he’d ever seen Rolonia so angry. 
“I can’t watch you hurting Lady Mora or Fremy hurting you anymore! I’ll be your hostage! So just stop attacking each other!” 
“This is ridiculous, Rolonia,” said Fremy. “You’d just be giving him another hostage. If both you and Mora are killed, we won’t have any more healers!” 
“I don’t care! I’m not listening!” Rolonia yelled. Her stubbornness bewildered both Fremy and Hans. 
“Are you…serious?” asked Adlet. 
“I won’t listen to what you say anymore, either, Addy. If you don’t let go of Lady Mora, I really will…get mad. I think…I’ll h-hit you, Addy.” 
“Rolonia…” Adlet judged that he couldn’t convince her. He knew how strong she was at her core, hidden though it usually was. 
It was indeed a gamble to release Mora, but Adlet supposed she wouldn’t ignore what Adlet had to say entirely like Fremy and Hans were. Besides, with her clairvoyance, she might have been able to find evidence that the fiends and the seventh were trying to kill Fremy. This suggestion of hers was advantageous to Adlet. 
“If you will me to come in, Addy, I’ll be able to pass into the barrier. I know how Lady Mora makes them. Addy, let me in—and let go of her.” 
“Fine.” Adlet did as told and willed for the barrier to let Rolonia through. He didn’t really know how to do it, but it was probably enough just to think it. 
Rolonia approached them, and it was then that Adlet realized something was odd about Hans’s behavior. Why didn’t he stop her when her proposal would work to Adlet’s advantage? Hans had noticed something. But while he was pondering Hans’s intentions, Rolonia had come into the barrier. 
A split-second later, Rolonia’s whip struck at Adlet’s left arm, the one that held Mora. “Sorry, Addy,” she said. Adlet saw her eyes had lost the light of reason. He blocked her whip attack with his right shoulder. 
“Fremy, kill yourself!” Rolonia yelled, following up with another strike. 
Whät is the situation? specialist number fourteen thought to itself from its corner in the labyrinth. Without number thirty, it had no idea what was going on in the temple. The fight could be over, and it wouldn’t even know. 
Fourteen was keeping hidden within the labyrinth. It was near the exit, in the middle of a path that lead to the depths. 
About two hours earlier, the Braves had run right over its head. Slave-fiends had passed by it many times, too, but they hadn’t noticed it was there. Since fourteen was skilled at ambushes, that also meant it was good at hiding. Even now that its attack had begun, it was confident that absolutely no one could find it. 
I nevér would’ve imagined the fäte of Tgurneu’s forces would lie with me. 
Fourteen possessed an ability that, once activated, was terrifyingly powerful. On the other hand, there were many conditions to fulfill to be able to activate it, and its use was limited. It also took a long period of preparation. 
The Braves were elusive, and it was difficult to predict where they would go, so there had been hardly any chances to ambush them. If they had been near a Bud of Eternity, the odds would have been good that the Braves would visit, but number fourteen’s ability wouldn’t work within the barrier. 
When this battle had first begun, Tgurneu had ordered number fourteen to lay in wait near a tiny hut on the edge of the Fainting Mountains. But it had seemed unlikely the Six Braves would visit there, much less stay long enough for the fiend to activate its ability. Fourteen had half given up, figuring the fight would end before it could be of much use. 
Then, half a day ago, it had received a report that the Braves of the Six Flowers were headed for the Fainting Mountains. Number fourteen had been told about the temple and ordered to attack the Six Braves inside the labyrinth, so it had hastened to hide itself in the temple and await the arrival of the Six Braves. 
Number fourteen’s power was a sort of hypnotism. It would disseminate a special substance throughout the whole area that acted on the human brain as it simultaneously emitted an extremely minute sound wave imperceptible even to other fiends. In principle, it was similar to the stealth ability, but it was far more powerful. 
It was the only one of the specialists that was capable of controlling human minds. 
It created the desire to kill within human hearts. 
Those affected by the ability wouldn’t even realize they were being controlled until they had the unbearable urge to kill the subject number fourteen selected. Kill Fremy. That was the instruction number fourteen had received from number thirty. Thirty knew that Chamo, Hans, Mora, and Goldof wanted Fremy to die, while Adlet and Rolonia were trying to protect her. Number fourteen had been targeting Adlet and Rolonia with its sound waves so that both would feel the urge to kill Fremy. 
As Rolonia swung her whip, she saw Adlet’s eyes were wide in shock. 
Addy must not have even imagined that I’d trick him, huh? Rolonia thought. She hadn’t even imagined herself that the time would come when she would lie to him. Hans and Fremy had to have been surprised, too. Rolonia couldn’t turn to look behind her, but they had to have been watching her in disbelief. 
“Ngh!” Adlet blocked the attack with his shoulder. Rolonia felt guilty for injuring him, but she couldn’t allow herself to stop. Her target was Adlet’s left arm, holding Mora. Killing him was out of the question, and she wanted to avoid injuring him as much as possible. Freeing Mora was her only goal. 
Rolonia didn’t believe for a minute that he was the seventh. She’d made up her mind to believe in Adlet to the end, even if the world was destroyed. But what he was doing right then was wrong. There’s no way that killing Fremy is a trap. Addy’s just got the wrong idea. And even if it was a trap, Rolonia didn’t care. No matter what scheme Tgurneu had in store for them, they just had to overcome it. And I know Addy can do that. 
And most of all, I can’t let Fremy live. She’s the one causing all this confusion within us. She’s the reason Addy’s making bad decisions. She’s making us fight with one another. That has to be her goal. 
At this rate, he’s going to die. Fremy is going to kill him. If she kills herself, or if Hans kills her, then the whole situation will be resolved. 
“Let go of Lady Mora!” Rolonia continued her attack, aiming for Adlet’s left arm. 
Rolonia felt no doubts about her actions. The only thing on her mind was protecting Adlet. She believed she just needed Fremy gone to keep Adlet safe. Her belief in that fact was unshakable. 
Number fourteen knew the humans it controlled would never notice that their urges to kill had been planted there by someone else. They would justify it in their heads without a shadow of a doubt. 
In order to control humans, number fourteen first had to make sure they absorbed the nerve toxin emitted from its body. It took at least six hours to spread the toxin around a given area, and about two more hours on top of that until it affected the targets. And now, it had taken effect. The Six Braves had been defenselessly breathing the poisonous air this whole time. 
Once the toxin was absorbed, number fourteen could implant the urge to kill by emitting a unique sound wave from its body. The sound differed for each individual it controlled, and the fiend would know the frequency just by visually confirming its target once. Controlling a target via sound wave was also not doable in an instant. The more targets there were, the more time it took to implant the urge to kill within them. 
“Is it possible to cóntrol all the humans in the labyrinth, all seven of them?” number thirty had asked a little while earlier. 
“It’s pössible. But it wíll take two hours,” number fourteen replied. 
“The fight will be över by then. How many can you cóntrol in ten minutes?” 
“…At möst, two.” 
Number thirty considered the idea for a while, then ordered number fourteen to implant the urge to kill in Adlet and Rolonia. Fourteen found this odd. It had heard they were the weakest of the Six Braves. If you were going to control anyone, shouldn’t they be going for the strongest? 
“Those are the only two prótecting Fremy. If you cóntrol them, we can kill her.” 
Number fourteen gave its acknowledgment. It trusted number thirty’s judgment, since it possessed greater intellect. 
Once, number fourteen had destroyed numerous human villages with its powers. It would infiltrate a village ahead of time to amplify the urges to kill over the course of a few days. It would sow discord among friends and cause the villagers to lose their sense of unity and normal powers of judgment. Then Tgurneu would come in, guilefully manipulating the people into obeying its orders. 
It had destroyed Adlet Mayer’s home, too. Now it could finally finish off the boy it had failed to kill back then. Number fourteen found this quite gratifying. 
No other specialist possessed such a complex and high-level ability. Most likely, no other fiend, past or present, had ever been able to do something similar, either. It was completely impossible for any fiend to attain on its own. 
It was all thanks to Tgurneu. More than one hundred years ago, the commander had ordered number fourteen to develop the power to control humans. It had also given detailed instructions as to the evolutionary process that would grant such an ability, and then how to use it. 
Tgurneu most likely possessed a similar ability itself and was keeping it secret from its subordinates, number fourteen figured. Tgurneu could never have given those instructions otherwise. Number fourteen didn’t know the full particulars of Tgurneu’s ability, and it had never asked. Of course, Tgurneu had never spoken of its own abilities to other fiends, not even once. 
Adlet had not anticipated that Rolonia would betray him. He’d believed she would do as he said, right up until the end. He didn’t wonder if he was naive to have believed that about her. The look in her eyes wasn’t normal, nor were her actions. Adlet figured she’d lost her normal powers of judgment. 
“Addy! Don’t try to dodge!” Rolonia yelled as she mercilessly targeted the arm holding Mora. As he avoided her attacks, Adlet looked to Fremy and Hans. 
Fremy’s eyes were opened wide in disbelief, but the look on Hans’s face was saying Yep, there she goes. Hans had anticipated that Rolonia would betray Adlet, and he was in position to aim for Fremy’s neck, too. 
At this rate, if Rolonia persisted in her onslaught and Adlet continued to leave himself open, Hans would kill Fremy. He was certain of that. Hans was already willing to sacrifice Mora’s life. 
Adlet deliberately blocked Rolonia’s attacks with his own body. Blood spurted from his face and his arm, which distressed Rolonia. Instantly, he threw away his knife and, faster than the eye could see, grabbed something out from under his belt with his left hand. It was a bomb. He pulled out the retaining pin halfway. “Stop, Rolonia! If you attack now, I’ll blow us all to pieces, Mora included!” Adlet supported the half-removed pin with his fingertip. If he decided to blow himself up, it would be instantaneous. 
“Hans! Wait!” Fremy cried. 
Hans took the opportunity to slice at Fremy, and she evaded it by barely an inch. “…Hrmeow. Don’t dodge, Fremy.” 
“If I die now, Mora won’t be the only one to die. Rolonia’s life will be in danger, too.” 
Not knowing how to continue, Rolonia stopped. A cold sweat had broken out on Adlet’s forehead. If she had hit him in the wrong spot, he could have dropped the bomb and blown himself up. But even worse, if Adlet had been too slow in judging when to take out the bomb, Fremy would have died. 
“Fremy,” said Rolonia, “you’re not dead? Why not?” 
“…You’re in danger, Rolonia,” Fremy replied. 
“That doesn’t matter. Please hurry up and die, Fremy. I can’t protect Addy if you don’t.” 
What are you talking about? There really was something strange about Rolonia’s behavior. 
That was when his headache, which had calmed a bit, got worse again. This time, the pain was so fierce he wanted to scream. And with the ache came a voice whispering from deep in his mind. Give up. Let Fremy die. It was a mysterious voice, seemingly both his own and a foreign whisper. 
“Wh-what the hell?” 
But no matter how much it hurt, Adlet couldn’t stop fighting. He pulled the chain with handcuffs on it from one of his waist pouches and connected his own left arm to Mora’s right, ensuring that they couldn’t be torn apart. “I’ll say this just one more time, Rolonia. Stop attacking me. Don’t say anything—just leave the barrier,” said Adlet. 
But then, from the depths of his mind, the voice sounded again. It said, Let Fremy die. Give up. It urged his heart like a strict father who would not tolerate disobedience. 
Adlet understood this was a fiend’s attack. The one that attacked human minds really did exist. Was it Tgurneu? Or was there some other fiend with this capacity? 
“Addy, why?” said Rolonia. “Is Fremy that important to you? Do you have to go that far to protect her?” 
“Yeah, I do!” Adlet took advantage of Rolonia’s hesitation to body-slam her in an attempt to push her out of the barrier. In her fear of the bomb, Rolonia couldn’t put up much of a fight. 
“Go fer the stake, Rolonia,” Hans said quietly. 
The instant before Adlet pushed her out of the barrier, she swung her whip. He grabbed her right arm, avoiding her weapon as he shoved her away until both her body and the handle of her whip were out of the barrier. Simultaneously, there came a shrill, metallic noise, and her whole whip was tossed outside, too. 
But that very instant, Adlet noticed a large nick on the stake at his feet. 
Even though it was under no attack, the film of light swayed wildly, and he could tell it was gradually thinning. 
Earlier, just a little while after Adlet had taken Mora hostage, Nashetania had walked through the labyrinth alone. Her pace was leisurely; nothing suggested Chamo was pursuing her. 
She was near the exit to the labyrinth. Chamo’s slave-fiends were off searching in the wrong direction. Nashetania had always been good at running away. Even Chamo, Mora, and Hans together hadn’t been able to catch her. In this complex labyrinth, it wasn’t a difficult task for her to evade pursuit. 
“Hmm, this is a problem. How do I speak to them?” Nashetania muttered as she scratched her head with her only hand. “Do they not hear me? Or must I use some other method to communicate with them? Hellooo, kind fiend. I’m right here. Won’t you allow me to cooperate with you?” Nashetania kept on calling out quietly enough that Chamo wouldn’t find out. 
“You don’t need tó worry. I cän hear.” A voice came from near Nashetania’s feet then. A mouth had opened in the flagstones. 
“Oh my. The power to transform into the stone floor? So that was why even Lady Mora didn’t notice you, hmm?” Nashetania grinned. 
“What dó you mean by cooperate ?” asked the flagstones—specialist number thirty. 
“You have some way to kill the Braves of the Six Flowers, don’t you? If you need my help, I’ll cooperate with you. Since they’re our common enemy, I figured there would be nothing stopping us from working together.” 
After some thought, number thirty replied, “Weren’t you in an alliánce with them?” 
“We were. But that’s long since served its purpose. All we needed was protection on our way to this temple. Now they’re only in our way.” 
Number thirty considered. 
“Would you give us a hand, too, in exchange?” Nashetania continued. “We also have a task to complete in this temple. However, Goldof has Dozzu under observation, which prevents our goal from being accomplished here. I figured we should work together.” 
“That’s out of the quëstion. Why would I help out that shämeful traitor to fiendkind?” 
“I see… That’s too bad. If that’s the case, then I’m forced to leave betraying and killing the Braves to our next opportunity. And I’ll come up with another way to accomplish my goal,” Nashetania said, smiling at number thirty. “I’ve decided I’ll go back to Goldof and Dozzu and tell them I deceived a fiend into casually revealing itself to me, and then killed it.” 
Number thirty was choked. “…W-wait…you weren’t lying ábout…killíng the Six Braves, right?” 
“No, of course not.” 
“…I’ll coopërate with you. But whát can you do for us?” 
“We’ll eliminate whoever is the greatest impediment to your goals. Now that they’re fighting among themselves, it will be easy.” 
Number thirty’s silence was proof of its lingering doubts. 
“Whom shall I kill? Hans? Or Chamo?” 
“No, Fremy is the one tó kill. Adlet has taken a hostáge to force Fremy to desist from killíng herself. You kill her.” 
Nashetania smiled. “Understood. After that, I’ll kill Adlet, too. I’ve always wanted revenge against him.” 
The earth shook under the march of hundreds of fiends. In the center of them all, Tgurneu was looking up at the sky. “I’d give it another three hours,” it muttered.