Rokka no Yuusha - Volume 5 - Chapter 5

Chapter 5 
Turning Point 

Riding her slug, Chamo rolled up the hem of her skirt. The Crest of the Six Flowers on her thigh still had all its petals. “So Auntie is safe, huh? But Fremy’s not dead yet, either.” 
A slave-fiend ran up to her then. Chamo put her ear to its mouth and listened to it speak. 
“…Roger. It’s not Tgurneu’s main forces, huh? It’s just some we missed killing.” Chamo pulled some paper and a charcoal pen out of her bag and wrote: 
Fiends have come to the temple. Probably about ten. Tgurneu’s main forces aren’t here yet. 
“Hand this to the catboy. You know where he is, right? Don’t get lost.” 
She sent out the slave-fiend and continued her search. 
“You’ve managed to gather ten? That will be enough to succeed,” said Nashetania. 
Number thirty had left the temple for a bit to go summon the surviving fiends in the area. All they had here were low-grade fiends, but Nashetania said that was enough. She demanded that her own request be granted first, before killing Fremy. Number thirty had accepted her terms and gathered the fiends as instructed. 
Chamo’s search of the labyrinth with her “pets” wasn’t a concern for them anymore. Number thirty could hear where every slave-fiend in the labyrinth was. It had been simple enough to help Nashetania evade Chamo and gather allies in the labyrinth. 
“You leave the läbyrinth and go tell Cómmander Tgurneu the sitúation.” Only two of the fiends number thirty had brought here had any brains, so it instructed them to act as its messengers. Number thirty was now giving one of them instructions—in code, of course. “<It’s no longer possible to prótect the Black Barrenbloom. The seventh has prësently decided to abandon it.>” 
“Oh my, are we having a secret conversation?” Nashetania complained. 
Number thirty ignored her. “<Côoperate with Nashetania to éliminate the Black Barrenbloom. After that, índuce the Braves to kill Nashetania. The plan is to énact the strategy the seventh entrusted to us at the same time.>” It told the fiend about a path it could use to avoid Chamo’s slave-fiends on its way out of the temple, and the fiend quietly left. 
“Couldn’t you tell me what it was you were talking about there? We’re in an alliance now.” Nashetania smiled kindly. 
That smile would probably have moved a human’s heart, but it didn’t work on number thirty. “Now thén, Nashetania. Whät do we do?” it said. 
Nashetania nodded in response and gave them instructions. 
Goldof continued his solo watch on Dozzu. The commander showed no indication at all that it would move, and it didn’t speak to Goldof, either. When Goldof asked what Dozzu was plotting, the fiend merely evaded the question. 
Nashetania had disappeared. Would she come attack Goldof now? Or would she try to win him over? He continued to stay on guard, but she never showed up, and neither did she sneak up on him. The fact that she wasn’t doing anything was even more unnerving than if she had been. 
Suddenly, Dozzu said, “…Goldof. The enemy.” 
“What?” But Goldof had heard it, too—the sound of fiends’ footsteps. It can’t be. Have Tgurneu’s forces arrived? he thought, rattled. 
Four enemies came charging in from the other side of the labyrinth. Goldof drew his spear and fought them off; they didn’t pose a serious threat. 
“I doubt these are Tgurneu’s main forces,” said Dozzu. “They’re just minor fiends.” 
Dozzu’s lightning and Goldof’s spear made short work of the fiends. But they weren’t trying to evade Goldof’s attacks at all, instead charging straight toward him—until one passed right by Goldof and Dozzu, heading for the iron door. 
Goldof had deliberately left that door open to prevent Nashetania from sneaking in. There was a chance that she could break into the room through the ceiling or walls, so he had to continuously monitor the inside. 
Goldof threw a dagger into a fiend. The wound was fatal, and it fell. 
Sensing that the enemy’s goal wasn’t them, Goldof took up position in front of the open iron door. 
“They’re heading for the Saint of the Single Flower?” said Dozzu. “Whatever could their target be?” 
It helped fight off the three remaining enemies. 
Maybe these fiends are Dozzu’s subordinates , Goldof thought. It had said they’d all been killed, but there was no guarantee that was true. 
Then Goldof’s ears picked up on a strange noise coming from the ceiling of the Saint of the Single Flower’s room. This is bad , he thought. The enemy was trying to break in through the ceiling. “Dozzu…protect…that area. Absolutely…do not approach…the Saint of the Single Flower.” Goldof couldn’t let anyone touch the Saint, be they Tgurneu’s or Dozzu’s. 
Goldof entered the room to kill an enemy that had come down from the ceiling. 
There was more than one hole above now. The second was at the back of the room. Goldof faced the enemy descending from it, but another fiend appeared from the first hole at the same time. Both rushed toward the Saint of the Single Flower together. 
“Watch out!” Dozzu called out as it fired off a lightning strike. The invaders were struck down in a single blow—but then an attack from behind sent Dozzu flying. 
“!” The small body flew a few dozen yards and rolled into the room, but the fiend immediately got up again to run outside. Goldof felt a sudden horror for an instant, thinking that perhaps it had deliberately taken that hit so as to roll into the room. But from what Goldof could see of Dozzu’s actions just then, it had done nothing to the Saint of the Single Flower. 
“Don’t be distracted, Goldof. They might be minor fiends, but they’re still capable of killing you if you let them,” said Dozzu, reminding him that the battle was not yet over. Dozzu stood in front of the room, while Goldof continued to protect the Saint of the Single Flower. 
Fiendish cries and footsteps were sounding somewhere. More were still alive, waiting for Goldof and Dozzu to leave. All they could do was wait and see what the enemy would do. 
That was when a water snake–fiend arrived. Dozzu attacked it, but Goldof realized it was one of Chamo’s. 
“That’s…Chamo’s slave-fiend. Don’t attack it… It’s carrying something…too.” 
Goldof approached the slave-fiend and took the note pasted on its face. 
Invaders. About ten minor fiends. Don’t think they’re Tgurneu’s main forces. Forgot to tell you. 
The knight was a little exasperated, but it didn’t seem to be a matter of grave concern, so he was relieved for the time being. But what did they want? Anxious, Goldof continued to be on the ready for enemy attacks. 
“They’ve probably succeeded,” Nashetania muttered in another corner of the labyrinth. Number thirty had listened to how the battle had gone and relayed the report to her. 
“Is that énough?” 
“All Dozzu needed to do was be near the Saint of the Single Flower for an instant. That will be enough to accomplish our goal. He did well. I doubt Goldof realizes what we’ve done, either.” Nashetania nodded in satisfaction. “I will go make sure Dozzu has accomplished that goal, and once I’m done, I’ll cooperate with your plans.” Nashetania started walking. 
There was one more fiend behind her. It had not participated in the battle, working only as a messenger. As number thirty watched Nashetania go, it gave another coded command. “<Tell this to number fourteen, located at the five-way junction near the entránce to the labyrinth. You won’t be able to find it, but number fourteen will réveal itself to you. Tell it to kill Fremy as soon as possible. Though it’s unlikely, there’s the risk that Adlet will kïll himself and take the seventh with him. Only the seventh knows how to do the transfer. We can’t löse our insider.>” 
The fiend nodded and ran off. Nashetania walked on without a word. 
Fremy saw that the barrier protecting Adlet was thinning. Once it was gone, it would be much easier to take Mora back. Thanks to Rolonia, the tides had turned. 
But Fremy was bewildered by the sudden betrayal. Fremy had believed she would do what Adlet said, no matter what, and had half given up trying to convince her of anything. She remembered just how serious Rolonia had been about protecting her not so long ago, and how desperately she had fled Chamo and attempted to talk the gunner out of killing herself. In light of that, her current behavior made no sense. 
Fremy shot Hans a sidelong glance. He appeared to have predicted Rolonia’s betrayal, but even he was showing signs of confusion. He couldn’t understand why Rolonia had suddenly changed her mind apparently. 
“Wait, Rolonia, Fremy, the enemy…ngahhh!” Then Adlet began writhing in agony. 
Is this another act? Fremy thought. But his expression was tense. It didn’t look as if he was faking it. 
“I…know how the enemy’s attacking us!” Adlet yelled. “There’s a voice inside my head. ‘Kill her,’ it says. It’s messing with my mind, Fremy. It’s screaming at me to let you die, and it’s all I can do to resist it. This fiend can affect minds. Probably hypnosis of some kind. It’s controlling Rolonia with its powers. And me, too. They’re using us to kill you, Fremy!” 
“…You’re…lying,” Fremy replied. But she had her doubts. There was what Rolonia had just done, and Adlet’s behavior, too. After witnessing both, she couldn’t say for sure that he was lying. 
“I’m being controlled? …Me?” Rolonia tilted her head as she looked at Adlet’s suffering with concern. 
“That’s right, Rolonia. Calm down and take another good look at this situation! Snap out of it!” Even as Adlet spoke, the barrier continued to sway. “Rolonia, just a little while ago you were telling them to believe me, saying we couldn’t let Fremy die. Remember that?!” 
After thinking for a while, Rolonia said, “That’s not right. I am calm, and I’m not doing anything strange. There’s no way anything could be controlling me.” 
Normally, Rolonia would believe Adlet , Fremy thought. 
“That’s right—I want to protect you, Addy. I don’t want to let you die. If Fremy would just die instead, then we won’t have to kill you.” 
“No! I just told you! The enemy wants us to kill Fremy! They’re trying to kill her right this minute! Calm down and think about it one more time!” 
Rolonia shook her head. “No, Adlet. I can’t protect you if we don’t kill Fremy.” The whip moved, and Fremy reflexively jumped back. 
The weapon had been aiming for her artery. If it had hit, Rolonia would have pulled blood from the wound until Fremy died. 
“Wait. Saving Mora comes first,” said Fremy. The barrier hadn’t been entirely broken yet, and Adlet was holding a bomb with the retaining pin halfway out. She couldn’t die until they saved Mora. 
“B-but…” 
“You’re the one who said we can’t let Mora die.” 
“…Y-yeah. I have to protect both Lady Mora and Addy. Umm…what should I do?” 
This time Adlet called out to Fremy. “I know I told you that the enemy’s goal is to kill you, Fremy, and there’s a fiend attacking you right now. Do you still think I was lying?” 
Adlet was the seventh, and everything he said was lies. Fremy was certain of that. But if so, then this situation didn’t make sense. She didn’t know what to do. 
“Get out of here,” said Adlet. “Survive—while I can still hold on to my senses!” 
The order echoing through Adlet’s skull was torturing him. Kill Fremy. That voice within him was becoming stronger and stronger. Continuously resisting the order was making him nauseous. 
But now, things could change. Fremy had noticed that a fiend was attacking her. She had to get that if she died, they’d be falling for the enemy’s plans. She wouldn’t choose to kill herself anymore. 
But that was when Hans said, “Is Rolonia really bein’ controlled?” 
Adlet wasn’t the only one to be surprised by his remark. Fremy was, too. 
“She might just be panickin’ ’cause her beloved Addy is goin’ to die.” 
“Hans,” said Fremy, “Right now, Rolonia is clearly…” 
“Under some kinda influence? So what?” Hans carelessly interrupted. 
“…What?” 
“It’s simple. This is part of his plan, too. Ya get what that means, right, meow ?” 
Fremy considered for a while. Then she realized something, and her expression changed from confusion and bewilderment to hostility toward Adlet. “…I was careless. I didn’t realize.” 
“Yep, Adlet, yer makin’ some fiends attack Fremy. You ordered some hypnotist or somethin’ to control Rolonia an’ send ’em after Fremy. And I’m sure yer just pretendin’ to be controlled, neow. Makin’ fiends attack Fremy convinces her the enemy wants her dead, and she believes she has to avoid gettin’ killed. And that’s yer goal, ain’t it? 
“Dozzu said that Tgurneu’s subordinates weren’t allowed to contact the seventh, but meowbe not all of ’em. This means some fiends kneow who the seventh is, and they’ll take orders from ’im.” 
“C-cut the crap, Hans,” Adlet said as he grimaced in pain. What an unbelievable man to bring them to this. Adlet was only just fully realizing what a formidable opponent he was. 
“Don’t let ’im trick ya, Fremy. This ain’t fer real. The fiends are just pretendin’ to try to kill ya.” 
“No! Hans, you’re the one giving the fiends orders! They’re not pretending to try to kill Fremy, they actually are! Don’t let him fool you, Fremy!” 
Fremy didn’t reply. 
“Hans ordered the fiends to kill you, and he wants you to think they’re just pretending so he can pin the blame on me. You won’t be defending yourself when they do kill you—that’s his goal!” Adlet could see the barrier starting to fade. If Fremy would not respond to his attempts to convince her, then it might really be over now. 
“Rolonia, you want to protect Adlet, meow ?” Hans said. 
Rolonia gave an agitated nod. 
“Okay, I got it. Then I swear I won’t kill ’im. I’ll capture ’im and restrain ’im, probably hurt ’im a bit, but I swear I won’t kill ’im. So work with me.” 
Rolonia considered the proposal a little, then nodded again. “Y-yeah. I understand. As long as Addy’s safe, that’s fine.” 
What are you talking about? Snap out of it! he thought, but he knew his words would no longer have any effect on Rolonia. 
“Whaddaya think, Fremy? Do ya think some fiends are actually tryin’ to kill ya?” Hans asked her, too. 
After some consideration, Fremy pointed her gun at Adlet once more. “No. He is the seventh. There’s no way they could be seriously trying to kill me.” 
So it’s no use , Adlet lamented, right as the membrane of light before him disappeared entirely. 
Seeing that the film was now gone, Fremy thought, Now, this is checkmate. Adlet had nearly managed to deceive her, but thanks to Hans, she’d escaped. 
“Mew guys leave savin’ Mora to me. If ya shoot or whip his left arm, he might blow himself up together with Mora. I’ll steal away that bomb and toss it off into the hall,” said Hans as he sheathed his swords, approaching Adlet. “Well, what I’d really like to do is kill Fremy right away. But I did just promise we’d save Mora.” 
Fremy kept her gun raised and pointed at Adlet. 
“Fremy, gimme an opening to jump ’im. Meow , ya don’t have to do the impossible, though. Rolonia, be ready to kill Fremy the instant I order it.” 
“Understood,” said Rolonia. “I’ll be sure to do it. But please don’t kill Addy, no matter what.” 
“I’ll hurt ’im, but I promise I won’t kill the guy. You can kill me if I break my promise.” 
Rolonia nodded. 
Now Adlet’s show of resistance was over—as was Fremy’s life. 
She could finally die. Along with that relief, Fremy felt a momentary pang in her heart. It wasn’t that she feared death. She was a little confused, unsure of the reason behind the pain. 
“Ya did good, Adlet. That was a pretty powerful speech just now, and it wasn’t a bad idea to make like you were gonna kill Fremy. Ya didn’t lose because yer weak. It’s just that once Fremy remembered she’s the Black Barrenbloom, it was already mewsless for ya to try.” Hands empty, Hans crouched down and looked for some kind of weakness in Adlet’s stance. No matter how good Hans was, it wouldn’t be so easy to pull this off. He’d have to steal the bomb from Adlet’s left hand in an instant, or they would all be blown up. 
Even as Adlet grimaced in pain, he kept on glaring at Hans. 
“I think you can cut the act. Yer not bein’ controlled.” 
“…Shut the hell up, Hans.” 
Would he leave Adlet alive, as he had promised? Well, Fremy doubted Hans would be able to go without doing him serious harm. Once Fremy was dead, he would either gouge out Adlet’s eyes or cut off his hands to prevent him from doing anything. 
Fremy thought back on their fight so far. Every time Adlet had been in danger, she had felt pain in her heart. When Nashetania had nearly killed him, when Tgurneu had knocked him away, and when he had leaped into a group of Dead Host in order to save Rolonia, each time, Fremy had been worried and distressed. Perhaps the pain she felt now was just the same. 
But that was irrational. Now that they had determined with certainty that Adlet was the seventh, it was ridiculous to feel like this. It was just because her mind was more relaxed now that victory was almost certain. That was why she was having these strange thoughts. Telling herself that made her forget the pain in her chest. 
“…” 
Then the quietest battle of all began. With about sixteen feet between them, Hans and Adlet’s gazes clashed. Hans was waiting for the instant Adlet’s guard slipped, while Adlet was on high alert to prevent Hans from stealing the bomb in his left hand. Time was on Hans’s side. Eventually, Mora would wake up. They didn’t know how long Adlet’s concentration would hold up, either. And as long as this battle went on, he couldn’t take one step out of the dead end. 
A single gunshot tore through the silence. Fremy shot Adlet through the thigh, reckoning Hans would leap on that chance to steal the bomb away from Adlet. 
“…Stubborn,” Fremy muttered. Hans hadn’t moved—and neither had Adlet. Adlet had withstood the pain of the bullet in his leg. He hadn’t given Hans even the slightest chance to steal the bomb from his left hand. 
There’s no need to hesitate here , she thought, reloading her gun. 
“Fremy, don’t,” Rolonia said from behind. She could feel Rolonia’s murderous aura from behind her. 
“I won’t kill him. I’m just going to give Hans an opportunity to go after him,” said Fremy. 
Rolonia was just itching to kill Fremy as soon as possible. Something must be controlling her, after all. But that was just a part of Adlet’s plan. If Fremy hesitated to die now, they would be falling into the enemy’s hands. 
That was when she saw something. 
Even as Adlet was grimacing in pain, he smiled. 
His head throbbed. His leg ached. That voice was still echoing in his mind, telling him to let Fremy die. It was the most he could do to just resist the pain and the voice. 
What’s more, Hans was right in front of him, looking for an opportunity to steal his bomb away. He couldn’t take his eyes off Hans or falter in his stance at all. 
Is this hell? Adlet wondered. When he was young, his sister had told him that it was a place the gods had made to punish evildoers. But Atreau had said that while gods and spirits do exist, heaven and hell were nothing more than fairy tales. 
In his mind, Adlet called out. Hey, Master, guess it really does exist. And, sis, tell me—have I done something this bad? 
He even wondered if, perhaps, Fremy had come to him to drag him to hell. 
But even then, he didn’t feel the slightest bit uncertain. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to make her happy, and his determination to do that was unwavering. 
He may have exhausted all means at his disposal. He had no more allies to call on. And he couldn’t think of anything else to do. But that was why he smiled. It’s when you’re in hell that you have to smile. That was the first thing that Atreau had taught him. 
Though Fremy wanted to create an opportunity for Hans, she couldn’t just fire randomly. She had to be cautious about attacking Adlet. Gun still up, Fremy continued to wait patiently. 
He seemed to be in pain. Fremy knew that his story about a mind-controlling fiend attacking them was a lie. He was just making it seem as if the fiends were trying to kill her. But still, blood was flowing from the wound in his leg, wetting the flagstones. He had to be close to his limits. 
But he was still smiling. Even as sweat was breaking out all over his body, he was smiling. 
“…Meow , if it hurts that meowch, then why don’t ya surrender?” Hans said, but Adlet didn’t reply. All he did was concentrate on the hand that held the bomb. 
How can he smile like that? Does this mean he has some other trick up his sleeve? Fremy could say with certainty that he did not. She and Hans had him backed into a corner. Fremy didn’t understand what that expression could mean. 
And why would Adlet go this far to protect me, suffering and putting his life on the line to ensure I can keep mine? Are Tgurneu’s orders that important to him? Is there value to him in throwing away everything in order to obey? 
Various thoughts rose in Fremy’s mind, but she discarded them all. It didn’t matter what he was thinking, and Tgurneu and Adlet’s relationship was of no concern to her. He was the seventh. Under Tgurneu’s orders, he’d prevented her death. He’d continued to ensure that Fremy lived as he lied to her about loving her and wanting to keep her safe. That alone was certain. Nothing else mattered. 
“Addy, stop it already. There’s no reason to go this far for her,” Rolonia said with some difficulty. “Fremy just has to die, and all this will be resolved. So give up, already.” 
Rolonia was being controlled by a fiend. But Adlet was the one who had ordered that. 
“…Please,” Rolonia said, moving her whip to wrap around Fremy’s leg and restrain her. She must have wanted to eliminate even the slightest possibility that she could escape. 
That was when Fremy began to have doubts. Is he really pretending to try to kill me? Isn’t this going too far for pretend? 
But she dismissed that doubt as soon as it emerged. How could she still be considering such nonsense? Adlet was the seventh. He had protected her under Tgurneu’s orders. There was no other way to explain all his words and actions so far. He had to despise her. Just by existing, she was bound to destroy all the Braves of the Six Flowers. There was no way a real one would risk their life to protect her. 
Don’t waste your time thinking about it. Just focus on taking Adlet down , Fremy told herself. 
“…” She formed some small bombs in her hand. A direct hit would hurt, but these bombs weren’t powerful enough to kill him. It was also unlikely they’d trigger the one in Adlet’s hand. If he could withstand a second bullet, then Fremy would scatter these at his feet. Unfortunately, Mora would be caught in the blast, too. She would be able to recover from these wounds, though, and this would be sure to take Adlet’s attention off Hans. 
The moment Adlet went from smiling to slight grimace, Fremy shot him a second time, aiming for the same place as the last time. There was no way Adlet would be able to withstand both the bullet plus explosives at his feet. Hans would surely be able to steal his bomb from him. 
“Meow!” Hans moved. Leaping just like a cat going for a mouse, he dashed in close to Adlet. 
But even with Fremy’s second bullet going through his leg, Adlet continued to resist the pain. He drew his sword with his free right hand and sliced as the other man came for him. Hans reacted, too, drawing one of his sheathed blades to repel Adlet’s strike. But still, Adlet didn’t let go of the weapon in his grasp. 
“Hrmeow!” Hans raised his sword up high and brought it down on Adlet’s left wrist. He must have decided that if he couldn’t steal the bomb, his only choice was to cut off Adlet’s whole hand. 
Adlet took a step back, twisting to avoid the sword. It skimmed his side, slicing off a bunch of his belts with an accompanying spray of blood. Without the belt to hold them up, the pouches scattered around the area. 
This is bad , thought Fremy. Both attacks had missed their mark. They’d given Adlet the time he needed to set off his bomb. Right as Adlet’s finger moved, pulling the retaining pin out, Hans leaped far backward. That moment, Fremy held her breath, and the bomb fell to the ground. 
It didn’t blow up. Fremy realized it had been a bluff. Adlet had pulled out the fuse beforehand—though she didn’t know when. 
“Hans, watch out!” called Fremy. 
In the same breath as Adlet discarded the bomb, he threw one needle at Rolonia and a second at Hans. Were they dosed with paralysis poison? An instant death toxin? 
But Fremy was already throwing the tiny bombs she’d made at Adlet’s feet to buy Hans some time for avoiding that needle. Fremy had figured Adlet would dodge the bombs, or maybe just ignore them and throw the needle at Hans. But Adlet did something unexpected. Unconcerned about the explosives, he took a step forward to kick one of the pouches that lay on the ground. It hit the wall and then slid down to the floor as the bombs exploded at his feet. He jumped aside at the last instant and escaped the blast, but smoke was rising from his burned legs. Mora was also wounded in the blast. 
“Ya blew it!” After his jump backward, Hans raised his sword again. 
Adlet’s back hit the wall of the dead end, and he immediately pulled another bomb from a pouch that remained at his waist. 
“…Darn it. I couldn’t kill her,” Rolonia muttered. Busy dodging Adlet’s needle, she’d lost her opportunity to take out Fremy. 
Adlet had made it through—but there would be many more chances to attack him yet. 
“Meow.” That was when one of the pouches lying on the ground caught Hans’s eye. It was the small bag Adlet had protected from Fremy’s bombs. She was curious about that, too. Why had Adlet tried to protect that bag? 
Hans opened the bag cautiously with his foot so he could react, no matter what happened. When he saw what came out of it, he looked a little disappointed. “…What’s this?” he said, kicking the contents. 
But Fremy’s eyes jerked toward the object from the pouch. She couldn’t tear them away. 
There was no way Fremy could be mistaken about what it was. It was an object she had always kept on her person, ever since she was small. For a long time, she’d thought about throwing it away, but she hadn’t been able to do it, until she’d finally managed to deem it unnecessary. 
Inside the pouch were the broken fragments of her dog whistle. 
I’m an idiot , Adlet thought as he held the second bomb in his hand. It wasn’t the time to be thinking about that dog whistle. He should have used that moment to take Hans out with a paralysis needle. He probably wouldn’t have won the fight with that one attack, but he still should’ve given it a shot. Even if he did save the dog whistle, there was no point if Fremy was dead. 
But that moment, Adlet’s eyes had instinctively sought for the pouch with the dog whistle among the things strewn across the ground. When he’d seen the bombs rolling toward him, he’d kicked the pouch away without thinking. He hadn’t even had the time to look where he’d kicked it. If he lost that dog whistle, he wouldn’t be able to keep his promise anymore. If it was just broken, it could still be fixed. But if it were blasted to pieces, he’d be breaking the promise he’d made to Fremy just a few hours earlier. And he’d sworn he’d make sure she’d see her nameless dog again. 
I couldn’t do that. I’m the strongest man in the world, and I never break a promise. No matter what happens to me, I’ll always protect Fremy. I swear I’ll keep all my promises, and I swear I’ll make Fremy happy. 
“Hrmeow.” Hans settled into his stance, ready to target Adlet again. 
Not only had the situation not changed—it was getting worse. His legs ached with the burns from the blast. 
But despite it all, Adlet kept on smiling. 
Fremy just stared at the pieces of the dog whistle on the ground. Neither Hans nor Rolonia noticed what she was so fixated on, and Adlet wasn’t able to look over at her. 
“…Wh-why…?” Fremy muttered. Why had Adlet been holding on to those pieces of her whistle? Why had he protected them? A blast from those bombs could have lost him both his legs. The explosion had been small, so his injuries were minor, but he could have died. How could preserving a broken whistle be worth that risk? 
Fremy was the only one looking at the fragments on the ground. The object meant nothing to anyone but her. 
“I promise you: I’ll make sure you see that dog again. I’m the strongest man in the world. I’d never break my promise.” 
Fremy recalled what Adlet had said to her a few hours earlier—the vow she’d believed was impossible to keep. 
Why had he been carrying the pieces of that dog whistle? Was it a show to convince Fremy he wasn’t going to break his promise? She could say with certainty the answer was no. She had only seen it because Hans had sliced Adlet’s side as Fremy threw her bombs. It absolutely had to be a coincidence. 
So then, was he trying to use it in battle? What on earth for? What could a broken dog whistle do? 
It couldn’t be—was Adlet actually trying to keep his promise to her? There was no way. He was the seventh. He was using her to kill the Six Braves. That had to be his only goal. 
Don’t waste your time thinking about it , Fremy told herself. The whistle didn’t matter. She’d already decided she didn’t need it anymore and stomped on it. There was no need to think about why Adlet was holding on to it. 
But still, Fremy couldn’t tear her eyes off those fragments, because in them was the only lingering attachment to life that remained in her. That whistle was the one single treasure that she had left. 
There’s no way , Fremy thought. Why had Adlet picked it up and carried it around? 
“Maybe it’s a small gesture, but if that’s what’ll make you happy, I’ll do everything I can to make it happen.” 
Adlet had tried to keep his promise. She could imagine that it had just been an attempt to gain her trust, an attempt to deceive her. But staring at that dog whistle, Fremy felt a different sort of emotion rising in her heart. 
Adlet could feel that his willpower was almost spent. He knew soon he would be unable to bear it under the strain of constant concentration. He wanted to rest, just for a little bit. His body wanted to writhe in the pain it was suffering. He wanted to abandon himself to the voice in his mind telling him to let Fremy die. Adlet resisted the temptation as he continued his standoff with Hans. 

This might…be it , thought Adlet. But he still didn’t even consider giving up the fight. Even if he had no chance of winning, even if it was all for nothing, he would keep fighting—keep smiling. 
Fremy had been certain Adlet was the seventh, using her in an attempt to kill all her allies. And it was impossible that reuniting her with her dog could have helped him win anything. But Adlet had still tried to keep that little promise he had made to her. He’d even risked his life in the process. This could be another attempt to deceive her. But was there any meaning in committing to that lie to the point of risking his life? Fremy didn’t understand him. She had no idea what he was thinking. 
Fremy couldn’t brush this off anymore. The dog whistle was irreplaceable to her. That tiny item had swayed her heart. That was the moment she realized how she really felt. She was glad—someone had kept her treasure safe. 
“Meow , Adlet. Can I ask ya somethin’?” 
Fremy had spent less than a minute in doubt. Meanwhile, Adlet and Hans had been facing off. 
“What’s funny enough to make ya smile like that?” 
Adlet broke his silence for the first time in a long while. “…Oh yeah, it’s ’cause I’m glad.” It looked to Fremy like he was trying to boost his own morale. 
“What’re ya glad about?” 
“How once this fight is over, Fremy might understand.” 
“Understand what?” 
“Just how important she is to me.” 
When Fremy heard those words, she felt like something had opened in her heart. She arrived at a possibility she’d not even considered once. 
Adlet hadn’t been pretending to love her. 
Maybe he really did care about her, from the bottom of his heart. 
Her logic had denied it. She was a child born of a human and a fiend, a monster no one would love. People would only ever use her. Even if some would pretend to care about her, absolutely no one would ever do so in truth. Just her family, just like the old couple she’d met after she’d fled. That was why Adlet had to be the same. No matter what the reason, no matter what his goal, he had to be just feigning affection for the sake of his own goals. 
But Fremy’s heart understood. The conversations they’d shared and the looks he’d given her were whirling through her heart. 
How much had Adlet treasured her, worried about her, prayed for her to change her mind? How much had he wanted her to be happy? Like water overflowing from a dam, Adlet’s feelings rushed into Fremy’s heart, though not even a drop had reached her before. 
How did I never realize? Fremy thought. The things Adlet had said were completely different from what her family had said. She really was important to him. “…Adlet,” Fremy murmured quietly. Before she even thought about it, she was voicing the words that had to be said. “…I’m sorry.” 
What he had told her when they’d first met passed through Fremy’s mind. “I’m not the kind of guy who can just abandon one of my own when they need me.” 
The claim she had rejected without a care was running through her thoughts, too. “So I’ve decided to help you out.” 
Then came that line Adlet always repeated. “Don’t worry—leave it to me. I’m the strongest man in the world.” 
When she recalled the expression that always accompanied it, Fremy’s lips moved without regard for her own will. 
“…Save me,” they said. 
When those words left Fremy’s mouth so suddenly, Adlet did hear it. 
At first, he didn’t understand what she meant. “…Ha-ha,” he had laughed. What the hell? He was about to die, and Fremy didn’t have a scratch on her. And she had been the one to give him half his wounds, too. 
But her words revived his wilting spirit once more. 
Rolonia, her whip around Fremy’s leg, was stunned by Fremy’s sudden declaration. It took her time to realize the gunner didn’t want to die. 
Hans turned around. He’d been looking calm all this time, but now he wore an expression of shock. 
The fight lasted only an instant. All four moved at the same time, attacks crossing past one another. 
This is my chance , thought Adlet. 
Once Rolonia figured out that Fremy had gone over to Adlet’s side, the first thing she did was disarm her. Her whip, wound around Fremy’s left leg, lifted Fremy up into the air while the tip snapped at Fremy’s gun, sending it clattering to the ground. 
But at the same time, black powder was spraying from Fremy’s left hand, and the gunpowder exploded in the air, wreathing both girls in flame. 
“Ngh!” 
It wasn’t too much gunpowder, and neither Fremy nor Rolonia was hurt. Rolonia just flinched a bit. But during the blaze, Fremy kicked Rolonia’s hand with her free foot, which loosened the whip around her other ankle for an instant. In midair, Fremy grabbed the whip to yank her leg free. 
Rolonia’s whip leaped again, this time to wrap around Fremy’s whole body, not just her ankle. Fremy blocked the whip with her fist to escape its restraints. 
Fremy hit the ground and moved straight into a leap for her fallen gun, simultaneously attempting to put some distance between her and Rolonia. Hans was in motion, too, throwing his sword at her without a moment’s hesitation. The sword skimmed Fremy’s wrist as she reached out for her gun, preventing her from picking it up. Rolonia took advantage of the pause to wrap her whip around Fremy’s torso. 
“Fremy!” 
Right as Hans threw his sword, he was bending low to charge at Adlet, aiming for his wrist not with a fist or knife hand but with fingers swept to the side, like a scratching cat. Not only was Adlet wounded all over, he’d been distracted by Fremy, and he failed to block the swipe. Hans’s fingers hit his wrist hard, knocking the bomb in Adlet’s hand to the ground. 
“Now! Kill Fremy!” Hans called to Rolonia. But the moment Hans knocked the bomb out of Adlet’s grasp, his attention wavered from his opponent. 
That was the moment Adlet had been waiting for. He had meant for Hans to go to the bomb—and leave an opening. 
Adlet instantly removed the handcuff from his arm and released Mora, and as she was crumpling to the ground, he kicked her—at Hans. 
“Hrmeow!” Hans, who’d been about to come grab Adlet, ended up with Mora weighing down on him. Meanwhile, Adlet rolled away to the side, while Hans swiftly sidestepped Mora’s unconscious body and tried to grab Adlet. 
“I’m coming, Fremy!” Adlet yelled. “Watch out!” In the exact same instant, Fremy was flinging out her hand to grasp her fallen gun. 
Adlet threw a pain needle at Rolonia’s face, and Rolonia screamed as she lost control of her whip. Fremy shot Hans’s thigh, and he fell to the ground. Fremy untangled herself from the lash around her stomach as Adlet hurriedly staggered toward Fremy. He came to stand in front of her, shielding her as she raised her gun to defend him. 
As Fremy took aim at Rolonia, she wondered if this was really the right decision. 
But she could no longer be certain that Adlet was the seventh. He wasn’t trying to use her. He hadn’t been protecting her under someone else’s orders. He’d honestly wanted to. Now that Fremy understood that, she couldn’t say for sure any longer that he wasn’t a real Brave. 
Adlet had said the enemy wanted to let Fremy die, and that there was a second trap that would activate upon her death. But he was just guessing, and he had no proof. 
It could just be a part of Tgurneu’s plot, making Fremy think there was a second trap in order to keep her alive. Fremy and Adlet could both be walking into Tgurneu’s hands. There was also still the possibility that Adlet was the seventh, after all, though his protection of Fremy had nothing to do with Tgurneu’s orders. But maybe that wasn’t the case. 
What mattered most was that he was the first person to have ever loved her since she was born, and she just couldn’t ignore what he said. She figured she should continue to defer until she could guarantee she knew the truth—until she could confirm whether there really was a second trap and be sure what the fiends’ goal was. 
I can’t allow myself to die , Fremy thought. 
“Are you okay?!” Adlet yelled. 
Fremy reached out to support him. It hurt him just to stand. “You’re the one who’s not okay.” 
He knew that. The fiend’s attempts to control his mind were already unbearable, so much so that his vision was blurring from the headache. If his stomach wasn’t empty, he would have vomited long ago. 
Kill Fremy. He knew instinctively that if he obeyed that order, he would be free. 
His legs crumpled. Fremy took him in her arms. 
Blood spurted from Rolonia’s cheek where Adlet’s needle had hit her. She was using her power as the Saint of Spilled Blood to instantly detoxify herself. Hans was getting up, hopping on only one leg in his fighting stance. With the way he used all four limbs to move around, one wounded leg was trivial to him. 
“I’m sorry, Hans. I’ll wait a little longer to die,” Fremy said, gun up. 
“This is a little unexpected. What’s goin’ on? Suddenly got cold feet?” 
“Relax. I’m not allying myself with the fiends. I’ve just decided that I want to verify the truth for myself.” 
“Weren’t ya certain that Adlet’s the seventh?” 
“I don’t know. It’s not so clear to me now.” 
Listening to Fremy, Adlet thought, Now I can win. Once the truth became clear, nobody would try to kill her anymore—aside from the seventh. Adlet had a solid sense that they’d surmounted the greatest obstacle in this fight. 
But the moment his tense nerves relaxed, the voice resounding in his mind telling him to let Fremy die grew louder. 
“You have to die, Fremy, or all the Braves will die,” said Rolonia. 
Adlet’s consciousness receded, even as he fought the pain. Now that the tension in his mind had been relieved so suddenly, he didn’t have the energy to struggle against the voice anymore. 
“Are you okay, Adlet?” Fremy wasn’t looking at Rolonia but at him, with concern. 
“Run…,” Adlet muttered. This was his final act of resistance. His right arm ignored his will, swinging his sword up to Fremy’s neck. Fremy jumped backward to avoid it at the last moment, but Adlet’s body kept attacking all on its own. Before his sword could pierce her stomach, Fremy kicked him in the head. 
“Addy!” cried Rolonia. 
Slightly dazed, Adlet staggered. But an instant later, Rolonia’s whip was slashing at Fremy, and she wasn’t just trying to restrain her this time. Fremy jerked herself out of the whip’s path. 
I have to protect Fremy. I have to stop Rolonia , Adlet thought, but his body had already submitted to the pleasure of obeying orders. The blade wasn’t going for Rolonia but for Fremy. He was trying to kill the person who, just moments ago, he’d been trying to protect with his life. 
Fremy was shocked to see him attacking her. As he did, he pleaded, Fremy, please, avoid this. But his body didn’t even hesitate to lash out at her. 
Adlet’s sword slid by her. 
“…Adlet.” 
Fremy was able to dodge for two reasons: Her earlier kick had thrown off his sense of balance, and she’d never let her guard down, not even with Adlet. Blood flowed from her neck, but the wound wasn’t fatal. 
“So now you’re being controlled, too,” she said. 
“…Ru…n. I…can’t…,” Adlet said. His body was contradicting his words, turning his sword on Fremy of its own accord. 
“Don’t worry. I won’t die. You’re not good enough to kill me.” 
Why’d you have to say it that way? It was a thought unsuited to the current situation. 
Fremy crouched low and broke into a full-speed run to escape the dead-end hallway. But Rolonia stood blocking the exit. 
Hans looked a little confused at first, then seemed to decide killing Fremy was the priority. Adlet threw a knife and a poison needle at her, while Rolonia’s whip danced and Hans sliced at her. Fremy couldn’t dodge all their attacks. 
And then, right when Adlet’s gut was telling him Fremy would die… 
“My, my.” 
Along with the bored-sounding voice, blades sprouted from the ceiling, floor, and walls. One blade skimmed by Hans as he jumped, while another blocked Rolonia’s whip. Adlet’s poison needle and throwing knife shot between the blades, but Fremy turned aside to avoid them. 
“This isn’t the situation I heard about at all. Would you mind explaining what is going on here?” Nashetania stood there, panting. 
“I’m the one who’d like to ask that question,” Fremy replied as she defended herself with the barrel of her gun. 
Just a little while earlier, number thirty had been waiting for Nashetania in a corner of the labyrinth. 
After going to make sure that her strategy had been a success, Nashetania returned at a trot. “I went to check, and it seems the plan has succeeded. Dozzu saw me and gave me a little nod. Thank you very graciously for your cooperation.” She bowed her head. “Now we just have to get rid of Fremy, is that right? Where might she be?” 
Number thirty told her where Fremy and the others were and how their fight was going. 
“Hmm, it seems the situation doesn’t require my assistance, though. I suppose Fremy will die soon, and in the best case scenario, Adlet will blow himself and Mora up as well. Right?” 
“…You never know whát Adlet might pull off. He’s the one Cômmander Tgurneu was most wary of. We were ordered to take the greatest care with hïm.” 
“Yes, I do agree with you there.” 
“Your presence would break this stälemate. Adlet and Fremy are sure tó die now.” 
In code, number thirty said to the fiend behind it, “<You run this mëssage to Cómmander Tgurneu. Once we’ve killed Fremy and done the transfer, leave this place ïmmediately and head for Cómmander Tgurneu’s forces.>” Having given that order, number thirty was about to run off. 
But Nashetania wasn’t following. “Oh, your messenger doesn’t need to go. Wait a little longer, please.” 
“What is this ábout?” 
“Well, I do have some business with you. Um, I would like to ask one thing…,” Nashetania said, and then she stopped using human speech. What came out of her mouth next was the same code language number thirty had been using. “<What is this transfer you’ve been talking about?>” 
Number thirty, its body camouflaged in the flagstones, wavered just a bit. It was trying to crawl along the ground and make its escape. 
But Nashetania instantly brought forth a whole score of blades around it. “I’d like to get some more information from you, but it seems Adlet will be in real danger very soon.” 
Number thirty dropped its camouflage as the floor, sprouted a spine from its tail, and leaped at Nashetania before the messenger fiend charged her, too. 
“It seems it’s impossible to get any more information from you.” 
The two fiends’ roars echoed through the labyrinth. 
Barely three seconds later, the bodies of number thirty and the messenger fiend that had remained with it were in pieces on the floor. 
As Nashetania sliced them apart, she wore a kind smile on her face, and then she spoke to the two fiends lying on the ground. “Thank you for giving me that information. I won’t break your cores. I’ll leave them there. Let’s meet again, in ten or twenty years. I’ll thank you again when that time comes,” she said, then turned her gaze farther down the hall. “Please don’t be anxious about it. By that time, we’ll have created a world in which all, human and fiend, can live in peace.” 
Finished with her remarks, Nashetania was about to run off when she noticed something and stopped. “…Oh my. What’s this?” 
When Nashetania arrived, Fremy thought she looked like aid sent from the heavens. It was bad enough having Hans and Rolonia attacking her at once, never mind Adlet, too. But Fremy was uneasy about what the princess might actually be after. 
“Now then, Fremy,” said Nashetania. “What should I do?” 
“First, tell me: Are you going to maintain your alliance with the Braves?” Fremy asked. 
“Yes, of course.” 
Hans stood up from where a blade had knocked him down, while Rolonia readied her whip. Adlet pointed his sword at Nashetania. 
Before she could uncover the truth, Fremy would have to stop this fight. They had to defeat both Adlet and Rolonia and the fiend controlling them. “It would be a bad idea for me to die right now,” said Fremy. “Stop them.” 
“Sure. That’s what I came here for.” 
There wasn’t the time to ask why Nashetania would protect her, what she’d been up to, or where she’d been. Adlet and Rolonia were attacking again. 
“!” 
Fremy shot Adlet in his armor. She was using less gunpowder, so it wouldn’t pierce his gear—just throw him backward. Nashetania’s blades repelled Rolonia’s whip, but she refrained from doing anything to hurt Rolonia herself. 
“…Fremy…I…was wrong. You have to die…,” said Adlet. But a moment later, he held his head and moaned. “Run…now… Wait…no…kill yourself.” Watching his confusion, Fremy could tell he was still fighting. He was still resisting and trying not to kill her. 
“You said this was all Adlet’s plot, didn’t you, Hans? That he was just pretending to try to kill me?” Fremy said to Hans, who was raising his swords. “Does this look like an act to you?” 
“Yeah, it does. Yer still alive, ain’t ya? You ain’t got a scratch an’ yer in perfect health.” 
No , thought Fremy. Because if she hadn’t changed her mind, if the piece of that dog whistle hadn’t rolled out onto the ground, she would have been dead. 
“Yer bein’ deceived. Just how the meow did he do it? Adlet really is quite the guy.” Hans smiled. It was a savage expression, unlike Adlet’s, and he shot him a brief, murderous glance. But he seemed to decide that the boy was still unable to attack. 
If Hans tried to kill Adlet, Rolonia would probably stop him. She was being controlled, but even now, she was still trying to protect her friend. 
“You ain’t meanin’ to kill yerself no meowr, Fremy?” 
“Not now.” A few moments earlier, she would have probably hesitated to answer. But now, Fremy’s gun aimed at Hans was sure. “Sorry, but I can’t trust you anymore. I can’t die now.” 
“Then I’ve got neow choice but to kill ya.” 
Nashetania kept Adlet and Rolonia at bay as Fremy fought with Hans. Hans sliced at her as if his wounded leg didn’t hinder him one bit. One-on-one, he really had the advantage. 
“I’ll leave this to you, Nashetania,” said Fremy, rolling a tiny bomb along the ground. The blast would slow down Rolonia and Adlet. With the princess protecting her back, Fremy turned away and fled. 
Adlet could no longer stop himself from attacking Fremy, but he still continued his desperate struggle. With what little reason he retained, he yelled to his old friend, “Rolonia! Look after Mora!” 
That made Rolonia turn around. “O-oh, yeah. I forgot about Lady Mora… Wh-wh-what do I do?” She dithered between chasing Fremy and saving Mora before tossing the unconscious Saint over her back and chasing after Fremy. That would slow her down a bit. 
But though Adlet could speak, his own body was now out of his control. He was dodging around Nashetania’s blades, chasing after Fremy. Resist it , he told himself. He could feel himself inches away from saying a certain something, but with the remnants of his reason, he held it back. If he said that, it was all over. It would make this whole fight come to nothing. All Adlet could do now was to cling to his mind and prevent himself from saying that one thing. 
With Nashetania backing her up, Fremy ran. She’d already outrun both Rolonia and Adlet. Rolonia had always been slow, and Adlet was wounded. But Hans was above and beyond either of them. 
Fremy rolled bombs along the ground behind her as she dashed through the labyrinth. This would have slowed down a regular enemy, but Hans could run along the walls and ceiling, and it had almost no effect on him. 
“You’re good, Hans,” Nashetania commented casually. 
Why am I alive? What am I running for? Fremy asked herself. Just moments ago, she’d been certain she had to die. She was the Black Barrenbloom. Just by being alive, she was bound to destroy the Braves of the Six Flowers. 
Fremy shook off the doubts rising in her mind. A fiend was trying to kill her. After she made sure why, she could die. Adlet had told her to stay alive, too. She couldn’t betray that request. 
“Hold Hans back,” said Fremy. “I’ll keep going.” 
“Alone? That won’t be easy.” 
“I just need a little while. I’ll use the time to get out of this.” Then Fremy turned to Hans. “If you’re not the seventh, then don’t worry. If I have to die for the Braves’s sake, then I will. I’m still prepared to do that.” 
“Meow , I still can’t stop.” Hans slipped between Nashetania’s blades to continue his pursuit, but Nashetania just barely stopped him with her sword. 
“Fremy, there’s a fiend hiding at the five-way intersection near the labyrinth entrance. I believe it may be a vital figure to the enemy,” Nashetania said, sword ready in her one hand. “You’re free to believe that, or not.” 
Still running, Fremy watched out of the corner of her eye as blades sprouted from the ceiling and walls, one after another, to block Hans’s path. 
“Lady Mora, please wake up.” Rolonia ran through the labyrinth with Mora slung over her shoulder, staunching the flow of blood from the elder Saint’s neck while also healing her of the poison in her veins. 
With Lady Mora’s clairvoyance, we could circle around and get ahead of Fremy. Then, if Hans and Addy catch up to her, we can do a pincer attack. There was nothing in Rolonia’s mind now besides Fremy’s death. The urge to kill was the only force driving her. 
“Haah…haah…” Adlet was hurrying through the labyrinth, too. Now, his body was nothing more than a puppet that obeyed orders. 
But still, he was fiercely resisting. There was still more to do if he wanted to keep Fremy safe. 
Fremy raced along, heading for the five-way intersection near the entrance. More than once, she turned down the wrong path. It was difficult to navigate the labyrinth without Mora’s directions. It wasn’t enough to grit her teeth and stake her life on an option if she wanted to get out. As to whether she would make it or not, she had no choice but to leave her fate up to heaven. 
Numbér thirty…whät are you doing? 
At the entrance of the labyrinth, by the five-way intersection, number fourteen was near panic. No messenger had come from number thirty, even though it had requested to receive contact as soon as Fremy was dead. No matter how much time passed, number thirty never showed up, and there was no sign of a messenger, either. 
Had they failed? It was forced to think so. 
So far, number fourteen had only been controlling two of the Braves: Adlet and Rolonia. Number thirty had said that would be enough to kill Fremy—but it wasn’t. The two weakest fighters among the Six Braves were not enough when it came to raw force. 
They couldn’t afford to hold back. Number fourteen made its resolve. It had been fighting at full strength this whole time, but now, it took yet another step. At this much power, its orders would wear off in ten minutes or so, which meant it just had to make sure Fremy was dead before then. 
Chamo Rosso. If number fourteen were to take over the strongest of the Braves, Fremy wouldn’t stand a chance. Number fourteen would add one more pawn to Adlet and Rolonia. What’s more, it would implant the urge to kill in an instant, though even if it destroyed its own life to accomplish this, that still might not be enough. 
But number fourteen used its power anyway, emitting the sound wave that summoned the urge to kill for likely the last time. 
“Huh?” Chamo muttered quietly. She’d been searching for Nashetania. Hearing some noises in the distance, she was right about to send her slave-fiends off in that direction. 
“…What was I doing?” The intelligence vanished from her eyes, and she didn’t even think about the reason for her sudden change of heart. 
“The catboy is wrong. Who cares about Nashetania? Chamo’s got to kill Fremy.” Meanwhile, she summoned all her slave-fiends to inform them of a change in their orders. Find Fremy and kill her. 
Her “pets” dispersed through the labyrinth. 
As number fourteen released its sound wave, it was thinking. It should be able to manipulate Chamo with this. Now they could win. They would accomplish the mission given to them by the seventh. 
But number fourteen didn’t know that its power was in fact delaying Fremy’s death. It hadn’t even imagined that someone would have figured out its abilities. And it didn’t know that number thirty was already dead. 
As number fourteen lay in wait at the five-way intersection, it faintly heard the sound of footsteps, and then saw Fremy dashing up the stairs. In an instant, number fourteen figured everything out. It had been long past too late. 
She threw something. Seeing it, number fourteen closed its eyes. 
The explosion shook the whole labyrinth. The scores of bombs Fremy had tossed behind her blew apart the ceiling, walls, and floor, and every part of the five-way intersection. The enemy was lying in wait somewhere at the crossroads, hiding via a method that even Mora hadn’t been able to see through. But Fremy hadn’t so much as given a thought to how she might see through its camouflage—since blowing it up would settle the matter. 
“…So this is it.” Fremy’s eyes landed on a certain broken rock. Slowly, it changed shape into a fiend, one that resembled massive rhinoceros beetle. It wasn’t familiar to her. 
“So it turned itself into a rock. Then, it’s no surprise even Mora couldn’t see it,” Fremy muttered as she looked down at the fiend. She didn’t know if this was the one affecting Adlet and Rolonia, but now, she had no choice but to see how things would turn out. 
The ache receded suddenly from Adlet’s head, as if it had never been there. “Agh…ngh…” The abrupt physical change made him dizzy, and he put his hand on the wall for a short rest. The desire to kill Fremy that had been controlling his mind had completely disappeared. 
“…So we won.” The battle’s over, for now , he thought, but then immediately pulled himself together, realizing that nothing was over yet. Hans was still chasing Fremy, and Adlet still wasn’t able to prove that Tgurneu’s second trap was real. 
“Fremy! I’m coming now!” Adlet yelled, dashing off. 
That was when he realized—he was completely lost. 
“…H-huh?” Rolonia stopped, holding her head. Unable to understand the sudden change within herself, she was confused. When she recalled what she’d been doing, she blanched. 
Why hadn’t she realized just how abnormally she’d been acting? Adlet, Fremy, and even Hans had said she was being controlled, but she hadn’t listened to them at all. She’d believed she was in her right mind. 
“What is going on here, Rolonia?” asked Mora from where Rolonia was carrying her. She must have regained consciousness at some point. “Are you pursuing Fremy? Have fiends arrived? Why are Hans and Nashetania fighting? Why did Adlet attack me?” 
“Huh? Well, um…” Rolonia became flustered and panicked. She didn’t know how to even begin explaining. 
“…I understand. You don’t know, either. For now, let’s just put a stop to this fight. Let’s gather everyone together and listen to what they have to say.” As Mora came down from Rolonia’s back to use her power of mountain echo, she asked, “First, Fremy. Why is she still alive?” 
Fremy stood alone at the five-way intersection of the labyrinth, smoke rising around her. There was no sign that Hans or Rolonia was in pursuit, either. No more fiends attacked her. 
That was when Mora called out to her with her mountain echo. “You’re alive, Fremy? I can’t bring myself to be glad you’re safe, however.” Since Mora had been unconscious, she didn’t know about the second trap Adlet had discovered or the fight that lay ahead. 
“The situation has changed, Mora. I can’t die right now,” said Fremy. 
“Do you mean to say you’re not the Black Barrenbloom?” 
“That’s not what I mean. Just bring everyone here. There’s something I have to show you and explain.” 
“You haven’t begun to fear death now, have you?” 
“No. We just need to talk about this before we come to a conclusion. We’ll all discuss what happened and what we’re thinking, and if all of you still want me to die then, I’ll do it. We should decide whether I die or not based on that discussion.” 
After a long silence, Mora said, “I’ll contact everyone. Wait there. ”