Rokka no Yuusha - Volume 6 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 
Schemes 

It was late at night on the eighteenth day since the Evil God’s revival. In the central-northern area of the Howling Vilelands, deep within the Fainting Mountains, a single fiend stood on the roof of the Temple of Fate. It was a wolf-fiend with tentacles growing from its back. In its mouth, it carried a fig sprouting long vines. Tgurneu was currently using this wolf-fiend as its body. 
Tgurneu looked down upon the forest thundering with the march of over eight hundred fiends, an army pursuing the Braves of the Six Flowers. From the signs at the temple, it could tell they had not run far. 
“Repörting!” A bird-fiend swooped down from the sky to alight near Tgurneu. It was specialist number two, that served as both Tgurneu’s messenger and scout, one of the few fiends that knew all of Tgurneu’s plans. “The Six Braves have splït into two groups, both in flight: Häns and Chamo to the north—and the rémaining Braves with Dozzu and Nashetania to the wëst. The Black Barrenbloom is säfe and sound, and there is no sign the sevénth has been éxposed, either!” 
Upon hearing the report, Tgurneu gave a deep nod. “See, number two? The plan has proceeded just as I said, hasn’t it? Fremy is sure to survive, and the seventh will remain unknown.” 
“…I was foolïsh. I am in awe of your keen insight, Cómmander.” 
“You didn’t believe in the power of love—and you must, if you want to know whom the battle will favor,” Tgurneu said with a smile. 
The previous afternoon, they’d received a report that the Braves of the Six Flowers, along with Dozzu and Nashetania, were headed to the Temple of Fate. Number two had feared that if the Braves made it to the Temple of Fate, the power of the Black Barrenbloom would be revealed or the Braves might even discover it was Fremy. 
But Tgurneu hadn’t been upset at all—not because it had placed its faith in number nine guarding the temple or the enigma of Fremy’s identity. It was because Tgurneu believed in Adlet Mayer, the strongest man in the world. And it seemed Adlet had delivered everything Tgurneu had hoped for. 
Number thirty had just sent Tgurneu a messenger informing the commander about the situation inside the temple. Based on the Braves’ current behavior, Tgurneu could infer what had happened. 
Though the Braves had managed to figure out that Fremy was the Black Barrenbloom, Adlet had devised a plan to deceive them. After that, Adlet had most likely accused either Hans or Chamo of being the seventh. This had put Hans and Chamo in a precarious position, forcing them to leave the group. 
Even Tgurneu couldn’t imagine how Adlet had done it. But as long as he managed to keep Fremy safe, that was what mattered. 
“This is rather troublesome, though,” said Tgurneu. Its initial plan had been to wait until the Black Barrenbloom had completely absorbed the power of the Braves’ crests. Then all the Braves of the Six Flowers (aside from Fremy) would die from the Evil God’s toxin without ever knowing the truth. But the Braves had learned of the Black Barrenbloom’s power, so now, they would do everything they could to stop it. Their options were to either kill Fremy, the body of the Black Barrenbloom, or kill the activator—Tgurneu itself. 
Tgurneu was certain Fremy was not going to die. Adlet would have come up with a story to convince them they couldn’t kill Fremy, which would leave them with only one option from here on out: devoting all their might in an effort to kill Tgurneu. 
Thus far, the Braves had avoided direct combat, but things would be different now. They were sure to challenge Tgurneu and prepared to make sacrifices if they had to. 
“Cómmander Tgurneu, why don’t you sepárate from the army and hide? We need önly one möre day, or two at most, úntil the Barrenbloom is done absorbing the pöwer of the Crests of the Six Flowers. If you cän evade them until then, you wïll have won,” said number two. 
Tgurneu shook its head. “That plan is too passive. We have no idea what complications might arise now. Unforeseen events may lead the Braves right to my hiding spot. Something might happen that prevents even Adlet from keeping Fremy safe. Though the chances of the latter are extremely low…the former is very possible.” Smiling, Tgurneu spread its tentacles wide. “I’m not going to run. I’ll meet our enemy, together with my army. I shall do them the honor of meeting them in their final, useless struggle.” 
Number two nodded. 
“Send one hundred elites to Hans and Chamo. All you need to do is slow them down. Obviously, it would be hard to kill the strongest of the Braves with only a hundred. I’ll command the remaining seven hundred to fight the other Braves who fled westward. 
“I have to prepare for our final battle, you know. I’ll be busy.” 
Number two was about to take off and pass the orders down the chain of command when Tgurneu stopped it. “Whoops, hold on. You can leave messenger duties to other fiends. You have a more important role.” 
“…Y-yes, Cómmander?” Number two was a little confused. 
Slow on the uptake, as usual , thought Tgurneu. “There’s something far more important than preparing for the final battle, isn’t there? Don’t you know what that is?” 
When Tgurneu gave number two its orders, the aerial fiend’s mouth opened wide. It seemed flustered, unable to understand the point of these instructions. 
Good grief. What to do with this bird? thought Tgurneu. 
Three fiends were close on their heels. As Fremy took aim, Adlet whispered to her, “Don’t fire. No bombs, either. The sound will give our location away.” 
She lowered her gun, and when a fiend rushed at her, she kicked it in the face instead. It flew backward into a field of blades that cut it to ribbons. 
“No yelling, Rolonia,” Adlet ordered. “And, Dozzu, you don’t attack, either. Right now, the plan is to avoid detection and escape.” 
Goldof avoided making any sound as he finished off the group of pursuers. Fremy didn’t even look at the bodies, focusing only on getting away. 
Not long after the Braves left the Temple of Fate, Tgurneu’s army had discovered their party. 
They had learned a lot at the temple—that Tgurneu’s secret weapon, the Black Barrenbloom, would absorb the power of the Crests of the Six Flowers. And that the Black Barrenbloom was Fremy herself. 
At first, they had thought they could cancel the power of the Barrenbloom if Fremy killed herself, but that had turned out not to be true. Even after Fremy’s death, the Black Barrenbloom would retain some function through unknown means, or so Adlet had surmised, and Nashetania had overheard corroborating stories from the fiends. Fremy believed it was true. 
So ultimately, there was only one way to stop the Black Barrenbloom: to kill Tgurneu. There were no other options. They had to kill the fiend commander, or eventually, the Black Barrenbloom would absorb the power of all the Crests. All the Braves but Fremy would be killed, leaving her alone. 
How much time remained to them? Adlet’s, Mora’s, Rolonia’s, and the others’ Crests could vanish any minute. The mere thought of it made Fremy feel like her chest was tearing apart. 
“…The entirety of the enemy’s army has entered the range of my clairvoyance,” Mora announced. “A fiend that seems to be Tgurneu stands just over a mile beyond the mountain’s summit.” 
Immediately, Fremy turned to head the other way, straight for Tgurneu. 
“Stop! Fremy!” Adlet cried. “Don’t rush this. You’re not gonna beat Tgurneu with a blind charge. We need to keep running and buy ourselves some time to make a plan.” 
His brief comment brought Fremy back to her senses. There was no point in attacking right away. They didn’t even know if the fiend Mora had found was actually Tgurneu. 
Under Mora’s guidance, they continued to flee the fiends’ pursuit. Rolonia stayed beside Adlet, putting her hands to his wounds and treating him as they ran. 
“Relax,” said Adlet. “I’ll find a way to beat that thing. The strongest man in the world doesn’t lie.” 
“But can you even fight, Adlet?” asked Dozzu. 
Back at the temple, Adlet had been beaten to a bloody pulp. Goldof had given him some of the secret medicine from Piena, and drinking it was the only thing that had enabled him to move at all. Goldof had told him that while the medicine wouldn’t heal his wounds, it would allow him to keep fighting without pain or any effects from his injuries, but of course, it would place an extreme strain on his body. 
“Yeah,” Adlet replied. “That medicine was quite the stuff. I would’ve loved something like that back in my training days.” 
“Its effects only last two or three hours, and you should be aware that hell will be waiting for you afterward,” warned Nashetania. 
Adlet smiled as if to say he was prepared for that. Fremy’s heart ached at the thought. But she didn’t have time for regrets. Right now, she just had to think about taking down Tgurneu. 
“By the way, Dozzu, Nashetania—should you be following us?” Adlet asked the two of them next. 
“What do you mean?” asked Dozzu. 
“I’ll be frank. We’re in a dire spot. Wouldn’t it better for you two to come up with your own strategy rather than sticking with us forever?” 
Nashetania retorted, a little angrily, “Don’t ask pointless questions, please. We have our own reasons for defeating Tgurneu, and that will be impossible without your cooperation.” 
“I just wanted to see how you’d answer. Don’t get so upset,” said Adlet. 
“…I’m not upset. Lady Mora, do you have a grasp on the enemy’s situation?” Nashetania inquired of Mora, who was at the center of their group. Her clairvoyance covered the whole mountain. They had to understand what was going on with the enemy first, or they’d never be able to come up with a plan. 
“Our enemy numbers about seven hundred,” reported Mora. That wasn’t a number the Braves could beat in a straight fight. Even if every one of them fought to the death, they could probably take out only about four hundred or so. “About half a mile east of here lies a group of about a hundred fiends. In the center is a fiend in the shape of a tentacled wolf. It’s giving orders to its subordinates in code, so I can’t understand what it is saying.” 
Fremy had encountered the tentacled wolf many times. It had always hated her, often treating her and her family with contempt. Though it wasn’t counted among the specialists, it was one of the most capable of Tgurneu’s flunkies. 
“I guess that’s their command center,” said Adlet. 
“The remaining six hundred fiends have separated into about fifty units to pursue us,” Mora continued. “One unit is coming straight for us, while the others are circling to either side to catch us in a pincer attack.” 
Fremy could sense their presence. Here and there, she could hear the trees rustling and the fiends calling out. 
“Fourteen aerial fiends are going back and forth between each unit and the wolf-fiend. They’re exchanging some coded intelligence—playing both messenger and scout, most likely.” 
Looking up through the trees, Fremy could see the stars. Her eyes were sharp in the dark, and in the moonlight, she could clearly pick out the shapes of the fiends in the air. 
“What about Hans and Chamo?” asked Adlet. 
“I don’t know. They’re not within the range of my clairvoyant eye. I cannot guess where they may have gone, either.” 
Another cluster of fiends caught up to them then, screeching to summon aid. Nashetania and Goldof, on rear guard, met their attack. 
This is bad , thought Fremy. All the nearby fiends would be coming for them at the same time. If they dawdled, they would be surrounded. 
“Mora, look for a place where the enemy lines are thin,” Adlet ordered. From afar, Mora took in the situation around them and then pointed to the south. 
“Okay, then that’s where we’re going. Fremy, you handle the diversion.” He threw some smoke bombs around them in all directions. Even if fiends had good night vision, they wouldn’t be able to keep a visual lock on the party through the smoke in the dark forest. 
Fremy created a cluster of bombs in her hands as well and flung them as hard as she could to the north, opposite the direction Mora had indicated. The enemy mistook it as a signal the party would be going that way, and the sound of their footsteps receded. 
Taking care to keep their own steps quiet, the party continued fleeing under Mora’s guidance. 
“It seems we’ve managed to avoid encirclement,” said Mora. They’d spent over half an hour just running around. “If we had Chamo…her slave-fiends could have handled both rear guard and diversion.” 
Their battle at the Temple of Fate had brought one positive outcome: The chances that Hans was the seventh had risen dramatically. They’d learned that he’d ordered fiends to kill Fremy, and though they had no witnesses or proof, Fremy now believed the seventh couldn’t be anyone but Hans. 
But Chamo had refused to accept that, and she and Hans had left the party together. Now they didn’t know where the pair was or what they were doing. 
“There’s no point in stewing over people who aren’t here,” said Fremy. 
“Still, should we not attempt to join them?” Mora suggested. 
“That would be risky. Chamo trusts Hans completely. If we were to meet again, we’d just have another falling out. We have to fight with the allies we have here.” 
“I do wonder if Chamo’s all right…” 
“Even Hans couldn’t beat her that easily. Besides, we don’t have the time to be worrying about her. Our problem is Tgurneu. Mora, was the wolf-fiend you mentioned earlier carrying a fig?” Fremy asked. 
Tgurneu was a control-type fiend, meaning it had a unique ability. Its own body was shaped like a large fig, but if another fiend consumed it, Tgurneu could take over that fiend’s body and control it. There was no point in just defeating the fiend Tgurneu controlled. They had to destroy its real body, or they couldn’t win. 
“I couldn’t find one. If Tgurneu is hidden in the fiend’s stomach, I have no way of seeing it, even with my clairvoyant eye.” Mora shook her head. 
Then Adlet said, “If I were in Tgurneu’s position…I’d make the wolf-fiend swallow some of me so I could control it, then hand the fig over to another fiend. Then I’d keep the one with my actual body hidden and inconspicuous. That would really make it hard for us to find it.” 
Dozzu cut in there. “No, that would be impossible. Tgurneu’s real body must be within seven feet of the fiend it controls. Tgurneu’s ability is ineffective if the subjugated fiend is too far away. And Tgurneu can only control one fiend at a time.” 
“Are you sure?” Adlet asked back. 
“Tgurneu’s ability to take over other fiends is extremely weak—nowhere near on par with Archfiend Zophrair. The controller-type power is extremely difficult to acquire in the first place. Even if Tgurneu did develop the ability over the course of hundreds of years, you couldn’t expect it to grow very much.” 
“…We’ve got no choice but to believe you there. So that ups the chances that the wolf-fiend has Tgurneu’s main body…” Adlet put his hand to his jaw and thought. 
“I believe the wolf-fiend I found does carry Tgurneu’s real body,” said Mora. “It’s clearly giving orders to the fiend army as a whole. We can’t be wasting time. We should return and defeat that wolf-fiend.” 
But Adlet shook his head. “No. It’s gotta be a decoy pretending to be Tgurneu. Tgurneu wouldn’t be somewhere so obvious.” 
“But…” 
“I’m sure Tgurneu would be hiding somewhere safe, somewhere it would never catch our eye. That’s definitely what I’d do in that position.” 
Unable to counter that, Mora fell silent. Fremy agreed with Adlet. 
“S-so then…how do we find Tgurneu?” Rolonia asked, but no one could reply. Fremy had no plans, and Adlet’s and Dozzu’s mouths both remained shut. Mora probably had no way of doing it, either, even with her ability. 
Adlet asked Dozzu, “You were close friends with Tgurneu, and you knew each other for a long time, right? Don’t you have any clues as to where its real body might be?” 
“…Unfortunately, I have nothing.” 
Useless when it matters most , thought Fremy as her distrust of Dozzu mounted. It could know and just be hiding it. Dozzu and Nashetania were their enemies, at their core, and the Braves were working with them only because they shared a common foe in Tgurneu. Chances were still good that Dozzu and Tgurneu were working together to entrap the Braves. 
“Wh-what do we do, Addy? Fremy? We have to find Tgurneu, or we’ll never win.” Rolonia was no help. The group fell silent again. Tgurneu’s control was weak, but even so, it could be a powerful tool depending on how it was used. It was extremely effective when Tgurneu was employing it for concealment. 
Fremy looked up at the sky through the gaps in the treetops. A single aerial fiend was leisurely gliding through the night. It didn’t take notice of their party and simply circled in the air. 
“<Cómmander Tgurneu.>” 
The fiend speaking in code, specialist number eleven, was in a forest quite a ways south of Adlet’s party’s location. Its mission was to defend Tgurneu, and it had refined its ability for that sake. It took the form of a goat. “<Has the wolf-fiend manáged to déceive the Braves?>” it asked its commander. 
Tgurneu had already left the wolf-fiend’s body and transferred to another, after ordering the wolf to issue orders to the army as a decoy for the commander. This was to make the Braves of the Six Flowers mistake Tgurneu’s position. Right now, the wolf-fiend was among about a hundred fiends in the fake command center, desperately directing the troops. Tgurneu had already anticipated that the Braves would be targeting it and it alone, so as long as they couldn’t figure out where Tgurneu was, its victory was certain. 
“Who knows? I might have deceived them, or they might have figured it out. Well, it doesn’t matter,” Tgurneu mused indifferently. It spoke not in code but plain speech, supposing there was no risk the Braves would hear. 
Number eleven stopped using code as well. “Indeed, you’re quïte right, Cómmander. Evën if they do discöver the wolf-fiend isn’t you, there will be nöthing they can do. I believe you are sâfe.” 
“That’s right. Your prattle is irritating, so could you be quiet?” Tgurneu snapped, sounding irritated. Flustered, number eleven quickly shut its mouth. 
“Has number two not returned yet? Just what is it doing?” Tgurneu murmured. 
The real command center, where Tgurneu and number eleven were, was about half a mile away from the fake one. Tgurneu was maintaining an appropriate distance from both the fake command center and the Braves, moving along quietly so as not to draw attention. 
That was when an aerial fiend swooped over to order them in code. “<Message from Cómmander Tgurneu to unit eleven! The Braves are möving farther westward! Circle âhead to meet them!>” 
“<Roger. Réport to Cómmander Tgurneu that we will keep the Braves in chëck!>” number eleven replied, and the aerial fiend soared back toward the fake command center. 
The majority of the seven hundred in Tgurneu’s army didn’t know where their leader really was. They believed it to be inside the wolf-fiend it had been controlling earlier. Only a handful knew its true location: the guards in Tgurneu’s own unit; its aide, specialist number two; the wolf pretending to be Tgurneu; and the few fiends who had been entrusted with messenger roles. Tgurneu believed it was best for as few as possible to know the truth. 
“…Cómmander. Are you concerned ábout something?” 
Tgurneu was watching the sky the whole time as it waited for number two’s report, and number eleven knew number two’s orders. 
“Didn’t I just say you were annoying me?” Tgurneu demanded, and number eleven closed its mouth again. 
No matter what the Braves of the Six Flowers did, though, Tgurneu surely wouldn’t die. Number eleven was certain. The fiends of Tgurneu’s real unit had all been cultivated expressly for this day. When the final battle came, they would protect Tgurneu. They had dedicated hundreds of years to nothing but that task. 
“We’ve göne too far, Cómmander,” said number eleven right when they were about to ascend a slope. 
“Whoops.” Tgurneu came to a halt. It had nearly entered the range of Mora’s clairvoyance. Number eleven felt a wave of anxiety. It knew that even if Mora’s clairvoyance swept over them, she wouldn’t be able to detect Tgurneu. But you never knew what would happen in battle. Mora’s power was the one thing they had to be careful with. 
Indifferent to number eleven’s concerns, Tgurneu gazed up at the sky. Its mind seemed to be elsewhere. “Come quickly, number two. I’m waiting for your report.” 
Through a series of diversions and daring escapes, the party ran hither and thither. The deep woods helped them manage to avoid the fiends’ eyes, but they all understood they weren’t getting anywhere at this rate. 
First, Nashetania and Goldof acted as decoys to lead the pursuit southward while the rest of them fled in the opposite direction and hid on a mountain slope. 
About a thousand feet away, across a valley, they saw a group of about a hundred fiends tossing together a bonfire, then standing together in a clump. The party watched them intently but saw no indication that the fiends had noticed their party. 
Deciding that Mora’s clairvoyant observations weren’t enough information, Adlet suggested they get a more direct look at the fiends’ central formation. Though aware it was dangerous, the party drew closer to the core of the enemy forces. 
“Fremy, Dozzu, look close. There has to be a clue somewhere,” said Adlet. 
Fremy focused her gaze and observed the army. The wolf-fiend was in their center. Defenses around it were so tight not even an ant could approach, or so it seemed. 
Aerial fiends descended one after another to exchange words with the wolf-fiend before immediately flying off again. The wolf appeared to be commanding the army, as Mora had said. 
“Helloooo! Good eeeevening!” Suddenly, the wolf-fiend called out to them. Fremy was startled, but they hadn’t truly been discovered. “Good eeeeevening! Would you mind coming out? There’s something I’d like to discuss with both you Braves and you, Dozzu. Why don’t you both join forces with me temporarily to defeat Cargikk? Helloooo! Can you hear meeee?” the wolf-fiend called, scanning the area. Though its voice was unfamiliar, its verbal mannerisms were Tgurneu’s. Its speech wasn’t awkward like the other fiends’. 
But Fremy thought, This isn’t Tgurneu . It lacked the arrogance dripping from each of Tgurneu’s seemingly kind remarks. She felt none of the inexplicable discomfort that accompanied his playful manipulation. “I can tell from its tone—it’s a good impression, but that’s not Tgurneu,” she said. 
Adlet nodded. “…So you think so, too? I agree. I can’t say what it is or how, but…something about it’s different.” 
But they couldn’t say that for sure, so Fremy continued scrutinizing it. 
There were many familiar faces among the dozens of fiends beside the wolf. Tgurneu could be among them, or there might be some clue that would lead them to its real location. 
“Um…Addy, Dozzu? I was just thinking…,” said Rolonia. “Is Tgurneu even around here at all? Tgurneu knows as long as it stays alive, we’ll all die because of the Black Barrenbloom. Wouldn’t it leave its army and just run straight in the other direction?” Adlet grimaced. So she’d been thinking that, too. 
“That would mean this isn’t the time to be worrying about the army. If Tgurneu is on the run, we have to get away from here and chase it down. If we wait, we’ll miss any leads that could help us find it.” 
“No. It is here. Tgurneu is sure to be taking command of the army here,” Dozzu said firmly. “Tgurneu…doesn’t trust even a single member of this army. Not even number two, his aide, or the three-winged fiend that served as his body for many years were given full trust.” 
“I know that,” said Fremy. “What about it?” 
“Because of me and Cargikk, Tgurneu is constantly afraid of betrayal. He’s terrified that any officers might be my comrades, or that I might convince them to turn traitor, or that they might turn their back on him in favor of Cargikk. Tgurneu cannot leave this army. He can’t have peace of mind without keeping constant watch on it,” Dozzu continued. “Tgurneu has purged all talented fiends from these forces, too. Every fiend that was capable of leading large groups and taking command, that could think for themselves and make their own judgments, either betrayed Tgurneu for me or Cargikk or was taken out before they could do so. 
“Even if Tgurneu wanted to leave command to other fiends, not a single one remains that could.” 
“What a fool,” Fremy muttered. 
“…Exactly so. Tgurneu is incredibly foolish.” 
“Then it’s close by,” said Adlet. “Which means…we have a chance at winning this. Fremy, look closer at the fiends.” 
Dozens of the pack were familiar to her, and Fremy’s eyes landed on one in particular, a caterpillar-fiend. It was well-known within Tgurneu’s faction. Specialist number seventeen, with the regenerative capabilities to heal the wounds of any fiend. She had never seen it in person before; she’d thought Tgurneu was saving it. Tgurneu must have finally decided to send it into the field. 
“A healing fiend, huh…nothing else?” asked Adlet. Fremy searched for others that would catch her eye, but of course, she didn’t know every ability of every fiend. 
That was when her eye stopped on one on the fringe of the small army, a slender and supple-looking leopard-fiend slinking around with feline grace. For some reason, she couldn’t get it off her mind. There were others present with which she was familiar, but this leopard-fiend was the only one she couldn’t take her eyes off. She tried to recall when she’d seen it before, but the answer refused to come. 
“…They’re talking about something,” Adlet muttered. Looking over, Fremy saw a red hedgehog-fiend, about twenty inches long, beside the wolf-fiend. She’d never seen this one before. The wolf discussed something with the hedgehog, then gave instructions to a flying fiend in the sky. They couldn’t hear what any of them were saying. 
Fremy watched the hedgehog for a while. Before the wolf-fiend gave directions to any subordinate, it would always speak with that hedgehog. An odd pattern, if Tgurneu was controlling the wolf-fiend. Tgurneu hardly ever asked the opinions of subordinates. 
Quietly, Dozzu murmured, “That’s…number twenty-four.” 
Just then, one of the flying fiends spotted their group. Right as Fremy noticed, its screech brought the forces around the wolf-fiend to their feet. 
“Run!” Adlet yelled, and they all broke into a sprint. Fremy threw every bomb she had at the fiends, while Dozzu’s lightning and Adlet’s smoke bombs held back pursuit. 
“You surprised me. Why didn’t you tell me you were close by? Did you come to talk to me?” the wolf-fiend called languidly. But they ignored it and ran. Fremy took on the role of rear guard, gun up and bombs flying. 
“Heeeey! What about your greetings? They’re the first step toward living a bright life!” 
While keeping their pursuers at bay, Fremy searched for the leopard-fiend still on her mind. That was when she saw fiends clustering around it, as if blocking Fremy’s line of fire to protect it from her bullets. 
“…Who is that?” Not only did the leopard-fiend abstain from the pursuit, others were guarding it, too. Fremy was sure that meant something. 
About ten minutes later, thanks to Fremy’s efforts deterring the enemy, they had managed to escape the fiends constantly trying to surround them. Now, they were taking a rest. They’d also managed to join up with Nashetania and Goldof, who had been off acting as a diversion. 
“…We shook off pursuit. It seems we have some respite to discuss,” said Mora. 
The first thing Adlet did was address Dozzu. “You said something, didn’t you? About a number twenty-four or something?” 
“Yes, let me explain in more detail. Some of my comrades who infiltrated Tgurneu’s faction investigated the abilities of Tgurneu’s specialists for me. I’m quite certain the red hedgehog-fiend that was talking with the wolf-fiend was specialist number twenty-four.” Fremy had never seen or heard of that one before. 
“What’s its ability?” asked Adlet. 
“Number twenty-four is a pair of fiends that work as one. They were originally two different beings, but they fused together in order to gain new abilities. 
“Even when separated, the number twenty-fours can share knowledge and sensations. Anything that one of them has heard and seen is communicated to the other instantaneously.” 
“Huh…? How would that be useful?” Rolonia tilted her head. 
“Don’t you see? That’s a really powerful ability. Using this fiend, you can communicate information without beacons or messengers. Instantly,” said Adlet. 
The explanation was enough for Rolonia to realize its importance. 
“Number twenty-four’s ability has a range of about six miles. If the pair are any farther apart, they can no longer exchange knowledge. That’s all I know about it,” Dozzu said, supplementing its explanation. 
Fremy added, “The wolf-fiend spoke with number twenty-four over and over.” 
Adlet was the next to speak. “I thought that was strange, too. Like the wolf was looking to the hedgehog for instructions.” 
“So in other words, one of the number twenty-fours has Tgurneu’s real body?” suggested Rolonia. 
But Adlet shook his head. “No, I doubt that. Tgurneu isn’t controlling either number twenty-four or the wolf-fiend. It’s using the wolf-fiend as a decoy while the real Tgurneu is in hiding and giving instructions through number twenty-four.” 
“I believe that’s a reasonable assumption,” said Dozzu. 
“I’ve got no proof, but we do have enough evidence to tell us the wolf-fiend isn’t Tgurneu. Next, I think we should form our strategy based on that assumption.” There were no objections to Adlet’s proposal. 
Fremy didn’t argue with him, either. She’d deduced from its tone that the wolf wasn’t Tgurneu at the very beginning. 
“It looks like number twenty-four is gonna be an important clue in our search for Tgurneu,” Adlet continued. “You said there are two. So do they both look the same?” 
Dozzu replied, “They’re both hedgehog types, but they differ in color. One is red, while the other is blue. The one we saw there was the red one.” 
“Then that means the one with Tgurneu is the blue number twenty-four, huh? So if we can find it, that’ll mean Tgurneu is nearby, right?” Adlet posited. 
Fremy shook her head. “It’ll be difficult to find. There are transforming fiends that can change the bodies of other fiends. I used one myself in the past to sneak into the human realms.” 
“What do you mean?” 
“Even if the blue number twenty-four is with Tgurneu, it may not necessarily be a hedgehog. A transforming fiend may have changed its appearance. No— This is Tgurneu, and Tgurneu is cautious. The chances are very high.” 
“In other words…” 
“It would be extremely difficult to pick out the other number twenty-four from among all seven hundred fiends.” 
Adlet ground his teeth. They had too little information to pin down Tgurneu’s location. 
Then Mora warned them that the enemy was bearing down on them again, and the chase began anew. 
The party ran all through the forest, engaging with fiend units and retreating, engaging, and retreating over and over. Tgurneu could have been hiding among any of the thirteen units, so they kept on fighting in search of clues. 
“No matter where Tgurneu is holed up, we should be able to find some hint,” said Adlet. “If we get close, the fiends are bound to do something to protect their leader. And there are seven hundred. No matter how hard Tgurneu tries to hide, one is bound to give something away. Don’t overlook anything.” 
As they fought, Fremy focused intently on the enemy behavior. Were any fiends protecting one in particular? Were any of them acting strangely and trying to run away? But her observations turned up nothing. 
Gradually, even Adlet began showing signs of impatience. “It’s no use…Tgurneu hasn’t told its underlings where it really is. The majority believes the wolf-fiend is Tgurneu.” 
“That sounds about right,” said Dozzu. “Tgurneu doesn’t trust any subordinate and would only share important information with a limited few.” 
“Stalemate, huh…? But Tgurneu has to be nearby. Fremy, can you recall anything? It doesn’t matter how small. Anything you saw or heard when you were with Tgurneu’s faction. We just don’t have enough information right now.” 
Asking that won’t help , thought Fremy. Adlet was getting really anxious, and such a vague request was not going to make her remember anything. 
If anything had been nagging at her, it was the leopard-fiend. The way the others had protected it was unnatural. Something was going on there. 
That was when she remembered when she’d seen that leopard-fiend before. 
It was a year after Fremy had become the Saint of Gunpowder, back when she’d believed the contempt for her family would stop if she became a full-fledged, powerful fiend. She was convinced they could live without experiencing discrimination. 
But even after she had acquired the power of a Saint, the scornful remarks hadn’t abated. In fact, the other fiends assumed they were raising a traitor, and the attacks got worse. 
One night, Fremy had been away from her family, walking alone through the Cut-Finger Forest, gun in hand and plenty of bombs hanging from her belt. She was going to attack a fiend roost on the edge of the forest. Unable to take the violence and hatred anymore, she was ready to die and take them with her, if need be. 
That leopard-fiend had been among the twenty or so there. 
With a roar, Fremy assailed the fiends, flinging her bombs every which way. About half charged at her, while the rest fled as fast as they could. The leopard-fiend was among the latter, racing faster than any fiend Fremy had ever seen before. She was aiming for the fleeing leopard-fiend when it had simply vanished. 
She’d been so worked up at the time, she hadn’t paid it any mind at all. She hadn’t known about the stealth ability then, either, and believed its disappearance had just been a trick of the light. 
The other fiends had then overwhelmed her, held her down, and retaliated in full force. She’d managed to survive, but the scars remained. 
Fremy understood why the leopard-fiend had caught her attention—it had reminded her of the time she’d let it escape. Fremy doubted it would amount to much of a clue, but she told them anyway. It was fast and had the stealth ability, but that didn’t seem like enough information to be useful. 
Dozzu was clearly disappointed; the others were trying to think of anything else that could be a clue. 
Except for Adlet. “…I’ve got it.” He was the only one smiling. 
“The fiends will be approaching this area—and soon. We must move,” reported Mora. They all set out through the forest after her. 
Tgurneu’s location was slightly over a mile to the south of Adlet’s party. Number eleven accompanied the commander, not leaving its side for even a moment. 
Arms crossed, Tgurneu listened to a report from specialist number twenty-four. It had the ability to share knowledge and sensations with its other half from a distance. Normally, it bore the shape of a blue hedgehog, but right now, a transforming fiend had transformed it into a large ape. 
“<Whät are you doing? You let thëm get that close, and you say you let them éscape, too?>” Number eleven was openly furious at the news. 
“<I-it wäsn’t my fault, number eleven… Our troops are too féw to be chäsing them down.>” Number twenty-four repeated the false Tgurneu verbatim. The other number twenty-four would do the same at the fake command center, enabling Tgurneu’s unit and the wolf-fiend to converse just as if they were side by side. 
All intelligence from the scattered units of the army was consolidated at the wolf-fiend’s location, and the wolf-fiend would pass on this information to Tgurneu immediately through number twenty-four. Tgurneu would give instructions to the wolf, and the wolf would pass those orders along. This was how Tgurneu commanded its army of seven hundred. 
“<Well, it doesn’t matter,>” Tgurneu interrupted from beside them. “<You’re doing well. All you need to do is pretend to be me. I don’t believe someone like you could ever defeat the Braves in the first place.>” 
“<Yes, Cómmander, thank you very much,>” number twenty-four quoted the wolf-fiend to Tgurneu. 
“<I haven’t a clue what you’re so grateful for,>” Tgurneu spat coldly. “<So have the Braves learned anything, like how you’re not actually me or how number twenty-four is connecting us?>” 
“<Impössible. All they’ve done is watch us fróm áfar. They couldn’t pössibly have figúred out what’s going on wíthin our forces.>” 
Upon hearing this assessment from the wolf-fiend, Tgurneu thought for a while. “<I’m not so sure about that. Well, whatever. More importantly, you haven’t forgotten your orders, have you?>” 
“<N-not át all! Your orders häven’t left my mind for ëven a moment, of course!>” 
“<It won’t do me any good if all you do is remember them. Have you had the pawns carry out the plan to the letter?>” 
“<Of course! I’ve réminded all the fiends mäny times to absólutely not kill Fremy or Adlet—that they may ïnjure them but not finísh them off.>” 
“<Good. No matter what happens, absolutely do not kill them. Even if they’re about to kill you, even if they’re nearing my position, you aren’t to kill either of them. Do you understand?>” 
Listening to the conversation between Tgurneu and the wolf-fiend, number eleven sensed something was off. 
Of course, Tgurneu would order them not to kill Fremy or Adlet. Adlet was the seventh, and Fremy was the Black Barrenbloom, the cornerstone of Tgurneu’s plan. Number eleven and the wolf-fiend had been told as much on the way to the temple. Tgurneu had also explained about its ability to manipulate love and the power of the Black Barrenbloom. 
But it seemed like Tgurneu was overly fixated on those two. Less like they were necessary for victory and more like Tgurneu had some other goal in mind. On top of that, Tgurneu had been acting oddly for some time now. It had been continuously lost in thought, as if killing the Braves was a secondary goal. And when Tgurneu gave orders to the wolf-fiend, it did so with little enthusiasm. 
“<If you kill Fremy or Adlet, the whole lot of you will suffer the consequences. I’ll order my whole army to kill themselves right here, you included. Any number of fiends could replace all of you, but Fremy and Adlet are irreplaceable. Make sure you understand that perfectly.>” 
Why go to such extremes? wondered number eleven. But Tgurneu hated unnecessary questions, and so, unable to give voice to its curiosity, number eleven remained silent by Tgurneu’s side. 
The Braves’ party ran farther west to shake off the army, and in the forest, they found a moss-covered stone hut and a waterway that ran from the peak of the mountain to its foot. These structures weren’t built by fiends or even by the humans Tgurneu had brought in. These were ancient ruins from the time before the Evil God. 
Before the arrival of the Evil God, humans had lived in this land. It was said that when the Saint of the Single Flower chased the Evil God down to this peninsula, most of the humans there had already died from the toxin, while the survivors had fled to the continent. 
The remaining ruins had largely been demolished by the fiends, but some remnants of the ancient times still stood in a handful of places in the Howling Vilelands. 
Once the whole group was gathered in the shadow of a hut, Adlet quietly began speaking. They leaned their heads close together. “…No sign of the enemy around, Mora? If they hear what I’m about to say, it’s over.” 
“It’s all right. What’s this idea of yours?” 
“Fremy, tell us just a little more about that leopard-fiend you mentioned earlier,” Adlet prompted. 
Somewhat puzzled, Fremy gave the account one more time: Though she’d only seen it once, the leopard-fiend had the stealth ability, and it was fast. 
“Hey, have you ever told anyone that you’re aware of the leopard-fiend’s ability?” Adlet asked. 
“Of course not. I didn’t think anything of it until I saw it again just now.” 
“Do you think the leopard-fiend knows you’ve found out?” 
“I doubt it. The fight was total chaos, and the leopard-fiend ran immediately.” Fremy didn’t know what Adlet was getting at. 
Nashetania, though, seemed to have an idea. “I see. The stealth ability is ideal for running and hiding from enemies. In other words, Tgurneu is inside that fiend or plans to use it as its body. That’s what you mean, right, Adlet?” 
“Nope.” 
Mora was the next to speak. “So what was that leopard-fiend? The others were protecting it. Fremy saw it, and so did I. It wasn’t participating in the battle, and another fiend sacrificed itself to defend it from Fremy’s shot. That leopard-fiend must play some important role.” 
“That’s right. That leopard-fiend is important,” Adlet said, scanning the sky. Once he was sure no fiends were watching, he continued. “First, let’s nail down our assumptions. Tgurneu is commanding the whole army through the wolf-fiend—the fake Tgurneu. And number twenty-four is connecting Tgurneu and the wolf-fiend. Tgurneu itself is hidden around here somewhere, within a six-mile radius. I think that much is certain.” 
“Right,” said Fremy. 
Adlet went on. “What if we were to kill one of the number twenty-fours? Tgurneu would be in trouble. It wouldn’t be able to give orders to the army. So what would Tgurneu do then? And what would the fake Tgurneu do?” 
“…I suppose the wolf would order the fliers to go to Tgurneu and ask for instructions and then come back to the wolf-fiend. Th-though I can’t be sure,” Rolonia said. 
Adlet nodded. “And if the fiends in the air were already dead, what would it do then?” 

That was when Fremy figured out what Adlet was trying to say. “It would have no choice but to send a messenger to the lower ranks—on foot.” 
“And who would the wolf-fiend use as the messenger?” 
The others were getting it. Mora slapped her knee. Dozzu’s eyes widened, and then the fiend fell into thought. Nashetania was looking at Adlet, impressed. Even the ever-taciturn Goldof seemed to have gotten the message—though his expression didn’t change at all. 
“Um…I guess…the leopard-fiend…then? Um, I’m sorry if I’m mistaken, though,” said Rolonia. 
Fremy’s information told them that the leopard-fiend was in every way perfect for delivering messages. It was fast, and it had the rare stealth ability for evading the Braves’ eyes. They’d be hard-pressed to find another more suited for the job. 
“We’re gonna have the leopard-fiend lead us to Tgurneu,” declared Adlet. 
As a bat-like fiend swooped down from the sky, the wolf-fiend watched it calmly from the center of a ring of a hundred fiends. 
Imitating Tgurneu was more challenging than it had anticipated. Tgurneu always acted calm to those around it, spoke in a casual and insouciant manner—even told humanlike jokes from time to time. Just imitating the intonation was strain enough, not to mention coming up with things Tgurneu would say. 
“<Cómmander Tgurneu, the Braves have been díscovered at the hut near the wäterway!>” the bat-fiend alighted to say. 
Immediately, the wolf-fiend replied, “<Your greetings?>” 
“<I do ápologize. It’s quite late tönight, but häve you been doing well?>” 
“<As you can see, I’m feeling wonderful. The Braves are going steadily to their doom. Continue pursuit and circle them as before. They’ll exhaust themselves soon enough.>” That sounds like Tgurneu, surely , the wolf-fiend thought, satisfied with its own acting. 
“<But they’ve all gäthered in one place, and they may be scheming. We believe they are putting tógether a plöt to target you, Cómmander Tgurneu.>” 
The wolf-fiend pretended to consider. “<That’s no issue. Continue pursuit with units one and three taking the lead. However, do be careful of Mora. Her clairvoyance is the one thing that will be a bit of a nuisance.>” The wolf-fiend parroted what Tgurneu had told it to the bat-fiend word-for-word, and the bat-fiend flew away. The wolf was relieved to have managed to avoid exposing itself. 
Earlier, when the Braves attacked, it thought its core would burst with fear. The most terrifying prospect would be if the red number twenty-four was killed. If that happened, communications with Tgurneu would be severed. 
In that case, the wolf-fiend would have no choice but to send number two flying to Tgurneu to seek instructions. Then, if number two didn’t return and none of the aerial fiends were available either, it would have no choice but to send the leopard-fiend running to Tgurneu. The leopard was also aware that the wolf-fiend wasn’t Tgurneu. 
“<Whëre is Cómmander Tgurneu?>” the leopard-fiend asked the red number twenty-four, using a special code known to only a certain few fiends to prevent the rest from discovering the wolf’s true identity. 
“<Two and a hälf miles south, near a wäterway just over a mile east of the anciënt ruins. Tgurneu has said they’ll rémain there for a while.>” 
The leopard-fiend nodded and informed the wolf-fiend, “<You should know that barring extreme círcumstances, you’re not to send me änywhere. Cómmander Tgurneu has ordered we not give them even the slïghtest clue that would lead them to the true center of cómmand.>” 
The wolf-fiend understood. Tgurneu was terrifying. Any fiend that acted against its will, no matter how dedicated they were, would be executed. But what all fiends feared, even more than death, was being deemed useless and discarded. 
A messenger came flying toward the wolf-fiend to inform them that it had lost sight of the Braves entirely. 
With the treetops above them, the party ran out of the valley, hiding from the eyes of the aerial fiends. Before long, the area around them was clear, and Mora said they didn’t need to worry about being attacked for a while. 
Adlet glared at the map, light stone in hand. This map was the one Nashetania had given him with the geography of the Howling Vilelands described in finer detail. As he examined it, he asked question after question of his allies to help him draw up a scheme based on the capabilities of his party members. 
“Is the plan complete, Adlet?” asked Mora. 
Adlet pointed to a point on the map and said, “Yeah, it’s all coming together. We’re gonna do it here. We’ll meander around on our way so they can’t tell it’s our goal. We’re gonna make it look like we just got lost and wound up there by accident. On the way, we’ll work out the details.” He continued, “Okay, let’s nail down our goal: We have to cut off contact between the wolf-fiend and Tgurneu. The leopard won’t relay any messages as long as there’s another means of communication, so we have to kill both the red number twenty-four and all the fliers in our way, too. I leave that to you, Fremy.” 
Fremy nodded. From the shadow of the trees, she was checking the number of fiends overhead. There were fourteen in total, and none were made for fighting. It would be easy to snipe them down. “Understood. But I think it would be a bad idea to kill them all.” 
“Why?” 
“The enemy is mobilized in small units, and the aerial fiends are delivering orders from Tgurneu to each one. If all the aerial fiends go down, Tgurneu would have a hard time managing the army. It might concentrate its forces and retreat.” 
“I see…,” Adlet mused. 
“I’ll leave one or two of the aerial fiends alive, and right when I kill the red number twenty-four, I’ll drop the rest. That should enable us to fragment the avenues of contact without letting Tgurneu escape.” 
“Can you do that?” 
Fremy nodded firmly. “I have an idea. Leave it to me.” 
Next, Adlet looked at Dozzu and said, “Moving on. Once the leopard-fiend runs to Tgurneu, we’ll have to track it. If Tgurneu is within the range of Mora’s clairvoyance, that’s no problem, but Tgurneu will probably stay out of range. It’ll be wary of her.” 
“So then me?” Dozzu asked. 
“You’re the fastest runner among us, and since you’re small, you’re perfect for tailing someone. Follow the leopard-fiend at a good distance. Can you do that?” 
Dozzu replied, “I must say it would be difficult. I don’t know how fast that leopard-fiend can run. And also, even if I do know how to see through the stealth ability, it’s still a concern.” 
“Don’t worry. I’ve got an idea.” Adlet pulled out a light gem. It was the smallest he had, less than half the size of his pinkie nail. 
Next, he opened his iron box and pulled out a little bottle. He mixed the liquid inside with some dirt and kneaded it into a paste, then buried the light gem inside it. Instantly, the light gem looked like nothing more than a grimy glob. The dirt blocked the faint light so well, it couldn’t be seen at all. “Stick this onto the leopard-fiend.” 
Dozzu tilted its head as if to ask Whatever for? 
“Mora, lend Dozzu the ability to detect hieroforms.” 
Mora nodded and gently touched Dozzu’s head. She chanted the words, and Dozzu’s eyes shone faintly. 
“How’s that, Dozzu?” asked Adlet. “Now you can see it fine, right?” 
Fremy recalled what Mora had said back in the lava zone. When a hieroform was used, traces of that power would remain. Borrowing Mora’s power would enable someone to see those traces. 
Two days ago, Adlet had used that ability to search for Goldof. 
“I can see a faint haze of light,” said Dozzu. “So I take it this is the vestiges of the hieroform’s power? I’ve heard this secret technique was passed down in All Heavens Temple, but this is the first time I’ve ever experienced it.” 
“You think it’s enough for you to stay on the leopard-fiend?” Adlet verified. 
“I can do it. I just have to maintain some distance as I follow the haze. I won’t fail,” Dozzu assured him. 
“Mora, lend the others the power to see the hieroform, too.” 
“Unfortunately, I can’t. This power is costly. Two is my limit.” 
“Then…lend me and Dozzu the ability. One of us will go after the leopard.” 
Mora nodded. “But if the leopard-fiend realizes a light gem has been affixed to it, then the plan will come to nothing. Do you have a means to deal with this, Adlet?” 
“I couldn’t put together this plan if I didn’t, could I?” Adlet boasted. This was true, so Mora fell silent. “The leopard-fiend will head out to deliver its message, and it should stop eventually. That’ll be where Tgurneu is. Once you see that, Dozzu, fire a real big lightning strike into the sky. The rest of us will rush there as fast as we can.” 
Dozzu considered this for a while. “Understood. But a problem remains. I can’t hold Tgurneu there on my own. He will escape before you reach me.” 
“About that…sorry, but I haven’t gathered all my thoughts yet. Do any you have any good ideas?” Adlet looked around at the others. 
“Leave that to me.” Mora raised her hand. “I still have some hieroform stakes I used to erect barriers. Use this. All my remaining stakes create barriers that prevent intrusion from the outside, but if I overwrite the hieroglyphs, it will also be possible to raise a barrier that prevents escape from the inside.” 
“Thanks. That’ll be a big help, Mora. How long’ll it take for you to rewrite the hieroglyphs?” 
“Ten minutes will be enough.” 
“Okay. Dozzu, once you find Tgurneu, raise the barrier and seal it in. Then, protect the barrier until we arrive and kill it.” 
“Understood. Please leave it to me.” Dozzu bowed. 
Mora pulled a stake carved with hieroglyphs out of her habit and deftly began rewriting the characters with a sharp edge on her gauntlet. 
“Addy…can we even beat Tgurneu? We couldn’t when we fought it before.” Rolonia fretted anxiously. 
Adlet recalled when they’d first arrived at the Howling Vilelands—when Tgurneu had leaped up from underground. The group had surrounded the fiend and attacked it, but they’d failed to finish it off and ended up retreating. 
“Relax,” said Adlet. “Back then, we didn’t know who the seventh was, and that kept us from fighting at full strength. Now things are different. Besides, now we know the secret hidden inside Tgurneu’s body. If all of us surround it, we can kill it, for sure.” 
“There’s still one more uncertain factor,” interjected Fremy. “Dozzu and Nashetania told us Tgurneu has the ability to control human minds. Even if we get Tgurneu surrounded, one of us might be manipulated into joining the enemy.” 
“…When we approach Tgurneu, if you feel like you’re starting to be controlled, retreat immediately and urge the others to be cautious. That’s all we can do.” 
“That’s it?” 
“Fremy,” said Mora, “speculating about an ability that may not even exist is of no use. Coming up with countermeasures is pointless. I believe all we can do is cross that bridge when we come to it.” 
“Frankly, this whole plan is full of bridges to cross,” Adlet said with a wry smile. 
Nashetania resurfaced from her silent reverie and said, “…I have serious doubts this plan will succeed, Adlet.” 
“What’s the problem? If you have any opinions, by all means.” 
“Dozzu will be able to trail the leopard-fiend, and I think if we find Tgurneu, we can win. But will the leopard-fiend even run toward Tgurneu in the first place? What if a messenger comes from Tgurneu’s location to the wolf-fiend? The wolf might not bother sending a messenger and decide to judge for itself instead. It’s too uncertain.” 
“Nice, Nashetania. That’s the obvious question.” Adlet smiled. “What we’ll do is leave the wolf-fiend no choice but to a runner to Tgurneu. We just have to cause an emergency the wolf-fiend thinks it can’t resolve without asking for Tgurneu’s guidance.” 
“An emergency? How?” 
Adlet licked his finger and raised it to check the wind’s direction. Then he looked up at the sky, thick with stars, and nodded to himself. “Clear skies and good winds. It’ll work.” 
He showed them all the map he’d borrowed from Nashetania and pointed to a spot about three miles west of their current location, a basin between three mountains. According to the map, that area was forested. To the north was a massive precipice, while to the south were ruins built by ancient civilizations before the arrival of the Evil God. Adlet indicated a point on the north side of those ruins. 
“We’ll lure the fiends here. Someone will act as a decoy to draw the enemies there for us. And then, once all the fiends have surrounded our bait…” 
“We do what?” asked Nashetania. 
“We set fire to the whole forest around them. We’ll incinerate the whole crowd.” 
The group all rushed into the mountain cave and huddled together. Adlet had told them to keep the plans concealed from the fiends at all costs. 
First, he pulled a number of securely sealed iron bottles from his box and mixed their contents. “This is one of the secret tools Atreau came up with. It’s an ingredient in the fire I spit from my mouth, as well as my bombs. And you can adjust its properties on the spot, to a degree. Before I interrupted the Tournament Before the Divine, I did some research on my own to make it even more powerful.” 
Once the chemicals were mixed, Adlet dipped a dead leaf in the solution until it was soaked and tossed it back into the cave. He covered the entrance with a cloth so it couldn’t be seen from the outside, then used the flint in his teeth to make sparks and ignite the leaf. 
“Huh?!” 
To everyone’s shock, the dead leaf erupted into a pillar of flame. The fire didn’t dissipate immediately, either, continuing to burn for nearly a minute. The strength of the blaze was unbelievable. 
“How about that? Pretty intense stuff, huh?” Adlet smiled. “Fremy, make us a whole ton of gunpowder. We’re gonna stick it to a bunch of dead leaves like this one, then scatter them all over the forest. 
“Fortunately, the wind’s blowing from the north. The sky’s pretty clear, and the air’s dry, too. Ignite your gunpowder, and the leaves will go up all at once. Before you know it, the forest’ll be a sea of fire.” Adlet crushed the cinders with his foot to put out the flames. “I don’t know how many fiends we can draw into the fire, but it should be a major blow to Tgurneu’s forces. 
“Now, look at it from the wolf-fiend’s position. It’s been getting orders from Tgurneu through number twenty-four to help it command the army. But the red twenty-four is dead, the aerial fiends have been shot down, and any means of contact with Tgurneu is cut off. Meanwhile, the forest catches fire, and tons of fiends are getting fried. What’ll the wolf-fiend do?” 
“…Report the situation to Tgurneu and ask for instructions,” said Fremy. “Like whether it should head over to save the fiends, retreat, or ignore the forest fire and keep on fighting the Braves.” 
“That’s right. So the wolf will send the leopard-fiend running toward Tgurneu. There might be other messengers besides the leopard-fiend, but we’ll hold them back so they can’t go anywhere. 
“Then, Dozzu will trail the leopard to Tgurneu and hold it there until we all show up to surround Tgurneu and kill it.” 
“Will things go that well? Sounds awfully convenient,” said Fremy. 
“I think it’ll work. Even Tgurneu should get upset seeing hundreds of its subordinates getting lit up. That goes double for the wolf and leopard. They won’t be thinking about keeping Tgurneu’s location hidden. They won’t be thinking straight at all. It’s a perfect opportunity to find Tgurneu.” 
“Fremy, even if we can’t find Tgurneu, there is still much to be gained. We’ll be able to drastically reduce the army of seven hundred,” Mora pointed out. 
“That’s one of the goals here, too. So how about this strategy of mine? Let me hear your thoughts, guys.” 
Once Adlet’s explanation was done, Nashetania spoke. “There are just too many uncertainties in this scheme. There’s no guarantee we have an accurate understanding of Tgurneu’s forces, and even if we do, Tgurneu may not necessarily act as you’ve predicted. But even taking this into account, I believe this plan is worth trying.” 
“It’s too dangerous. Should we not seek out more reliable methods?” Dozzu asked. 
Nashetania replied, “We have no time. A route both safe and certain isn’t available to us in this situation. If you had any other ideas, I might say otherwise, but you don’t, do you?” 
“Please don’t worry, Dozzu. L-let’s trust Addy. This is his plan, so I know it’ll work,” said Rolonia. 
Dozzu gave a little sigh. It must have decided they had no choice. 
“Sorry, Rolonia,” said Adlet, “but this plan isn’t one hundred percent sure to succeed. If it fails, we’ll run. Retreat, find a new strategy, and come for Tgurneu again. By then, we’ll have a better understanding of what’s going on with Tgurneu’s forces anyway, and I know we’ll think of something. And if that fails, too, then we’ll run again and survive until we kill Tgurneu. We’ll do that as many times as it takes.” 
Dozzu nodded. The group was gradually leaning further in favor of this plan, but Fremy still wasn’t ready to accept it. The most important part would be left to Dozzu—who might betray them at any time. Mora seemed skeptical, too. She’d agreed with the broad strokes, but like Fremy, she appeared to have concerns. 
That was when a voice among them called out, “Wait.” 
“You’re being too loud, Goldof. What if the fiends find us?” chided Adlet. 
But Goldof ignored Adlet’s remark and glared at him. “I won’t let you…carry out this plan.” 
“How the hell can you say that? You haven’t said a damn word this whole time, and when you finally open your mouth, it’s to complain?” 
“No. I…can’t trust…you. It seems clear to me…that Hans isn’t…the seventh… It’s you. You…set Hans up…and next…it’ll be us…” 
Fremy was startled. Why are you saying this now? 
But he’d trusted Hans and suspected Adlet the whole time. He just hadn’t said anything, so Fremy had come to believe he was convinced Adlet was a real Brave. 
“Don’t gimme that crap, Goldof,” spat Adlet. 
An uneasy air hung over them. Rolonia seemed scared the group would fall apart again. 
“What proof do you have? What’s your basis for saying that? Have you seen me talking with fiends? Do I look like I’m talking to Tgurneu?” 
“It’s true…there’s…no proof…you’ve been communicating…with Tgurneu. But it’s suspicious…that you thought up…a strategy…so easily. It looks…to me…like you knew how Tgurneu’s forces…were organized…beforehand. That’s why…you could come up with a plan right away.” 
“Goldof, that’s nothing more than your subjective opinion,” said Dozzu. 
“I won’t let you…carry out…this plan. As long as I…can’t be certain…Adlet isn’t…the seventh…I’ll stop you. By force…if I have to.” Goldof planted himself at the entrance to the cave, spear raised. He was serious. “Fremy…Mora…Rolonia…think about it…one more time. Go over…everything about Adlet…again. There’s sure to be…proof somewhere…that he’s the seventh.” 
“I refuse,” said Fremy. “I don’t suspect Adlet anymore. I’m certain he’s genuinely trying to kill Tgurneu.” 
“That’s…just your…subjective opinion.” 
Fremy pointed her gun at Goldof. She wasn’t going to shoot—just push him to change his mind. Rolonia cut in between the two to keep them from fighting. 
Then Nashetania exhaled a small sigh, patted Fremy’s shoulder, and said, “I have a request, Fremy. Please make me a bomb, about the size of a strawberry. One you can ignite with a thought, please.” 
“…?” Fremy was confused. As requested, she made a bomb and handed it over. 
Nashetania put the explosive inside her mouth, then stuck her finger down her throat to push it in. 
“!” Goldof went pale. He tossed away his spear and grabbed for Nashetania in an attempt to stop her, but the bomb slid down her throat and into her stomach before he could. 
Fremy, Adlet, and all the other Braves were shocked, but Goldof and Dozzu were especially so. Goldof was so pale, he looked like he was on the verge of a heart attack. Dozzu was speechless, just opening and closing its mouth. 
“Fremy,” said Nashetania, “if Goldof won’t do as he’s told, then please ignite the bomb I just swallowed.” 
“Your Highness! Please…vomit it up! Just…what are you doing?!” Goldof rushed to her side. 
But Nashetania waved away his hand. “Let go of me, Goldof. If my life is valuable to you, then listen.” 
Goldof picked up his spear and pointed it at Fremy. “Dispel…the bomb. If anything…happens…to her…I’ll kill you. I don’t care…what happens…to the world. I’ll…kill…you.” 
“Didn’t you hear what I just said?” demanded Nashetania. “I ordered you to obey. I’m telling you not to obstruct the plan. If you fail to grasp this, I will have Fremy ignite the bomb.” 
“B-but then…you’ll…” Goldof was conflicted. 
Mora came to the rescue and said, “Nashetania, vomit up the explosive for now. At this rate, that ploy won’t prevent a falling-out. It’s having the opposite effect.” 
“Understood. I suppose there’s no helping it.” Nashetania leaned forward and heaved a few times, then stuck her fingers down her throat to pull out the device and toss it into the back of the cave. 
“I’ll say this once more, Goldof: I will absolutely not have you obstructing this plan. You will obey Adlet in all matters. You understand what I’ll do if you ignore my instructions, don’t you?” Nashetania glared at him. 
Goldof was speechless. He just stood there, unsure what to do. 
He was suspicious of Adlet. In Goldof’s view, Adlet must have set up Hans and was conspiring with Nashetania and Dozzu to entrap the Braves. 
But if someone was to ask him if he was certain, Goldof would be unable to reply. He couldn’t entirely dispel the worry that perhaps he was the one caught in the enemy’s trap. Perhaps Hans was the seventh after all, trying to take advantage Goldof’s confusion. The cold stares from his allies and Nashetania pierced him, demanding why he couldn’t trust Adlet and making him even more uneasy. 
Most importantly, Goldof had to do what Adlet said—or Nashetania would die. Even if she was their enemy, even if she seemed to be trying to trick the Braves, even if it was at the expense the whole world, he had to keep her safe. 
“I…understand. I trust…that Adlet is not the seventh…Your Highness.” 
“Good,” Nashetania replied. 
Fremy was relieved. Now they didn’t have to worry about Goldof interfering with the plan. They’d managed to avert a crisis for the time being. 
“Nashetania, even recklessness has its limits. My insides were in a knot there,” said Dozzu. 
“That wasn’t reckless. I had to do it. We must defeat Tgurneu now, or we’ll have no chance at victory, either. And everyone here has to combine forces in order for us to win. I’ll do anything to prevent the group from falling apart. Am I mistaken, Dozzu?” 
“…No, you’re right,” Dozzu replied, and with that, a new suspicion arose within Fremy. Why was Nashetania going so far as to risk her life to carry out this strategy? She’d said it was to defeat Tgurneu, but her word couldn’t be trusted. What if Nashetania and Dozzu were going to use Adlet’s plan for some scheme of their own? Fremy couldn’t clear the misgivings from her mind. 
“Right, well, let’s get started preparing for the operation. Fremy, you make the gunpowder. Rolonia and Nashetania, can you gather leaves? Mora, keep rewriting those hieroglyphs. We have to finish setting this up before the fiends find us. Hurry,” Adlet ordered, and the allies set into motion. 
“I can’t seem to find those Braves. Good grief. They are rather good at hide-and-seek,” Tgurneu muttered in its corner of the forest. 
Number eleven asked, “What are they üp to, Cómmander?” 
“Isn’t it obvious? They’re clearly putting their heads together to think up a way to defeat me.” 
“S-so then, shouldn’t we do sömething to prévent them…?” 
Tgurneu glared at number eleven as if to say Useless. “It doesn’t matter what they do. They’re not going to find me with some last-minute scheme.” With that remark, Tgurneu ended the conversation. Peering up at the sky, it said, “Hmph, how long does number two plan to make me wait? How long does a simple investigation take?” 
First, Fremy made gunpowder. Using a special technique, she ensured it would continue to exist even if she died—just in case worse came to worst. At the same time, she also made an ignition device so any of the others could blow the gunpowder, too. 
Adlet dipped dead leaves in the chemical, then stuck very small amounts of gunpowder to them with adhesive. At a glance, you couldn’t distinguish them from regular fallen leaves. Aside from Mora, the others were discussing the details of the plan as they helped treat the leaves. 
“We need a decoy to draw a lot of fiends together and into the range of our fire,” said Adlet. “I think you’re perfect for that role, Mora.” 
“Me? Why?” 
“I’m positive Tgurneu is being careful around your clairvoyance. It’ll prioritize killing you. You’ll be the best lure.” 
“True.” 
“But it’s too dangerous for you to do it solo. Goldof, you go with her to defend her.” 
“…Understood. I have no choice.” Goldof nodded. 
“Mora and Goldof will lure the enemy in, and then we scatter the treated leaves around the area. This part has to be done cautiously, to keep the enemy from getting suspicious,” cautioned Adlet. 
“Leave that to me, please. I’ve very good at evading notice and keeping quiet.” Nashetania raised her hand. 
“You were my pick anyway. Rolonia, you back her up.” 
“O-okay. I’ll do my best.” Rolonia nodded. 
“Dozzu and I will be sticking the light gem on the leopard-fiend. You come with us, too, Fremy. It’s too dangerous for you to be alone.” 
“Understood,” said Fremy. “I can kill the red number twenty-four, too.” 
“I’ve finished rewriting the hieroglyphs,” announced Mora. “If this stake is planted in the ground, it will erect a barrier with about a fifty-five-yard radius. It will only last for twenty minutes or so, and while the barrier can be entered, it cannot be exited. I’ve also added some anchoring hieroglyphs, so once the stake is in the ground, it can’t easily be removed.” 
Dozzu took the stake, then deftly stuck it into its mouth and swallowed it. This baffled Fremy, and she wondered where it could have gone inside that tiny body. Next, Mora transferred the ability to see hieroform traces to Adlet. 
As they worked on the leaves, their conversation continued. Each nailed down the specifics of what they would be doing and memorized the lay of the land thoroughly. 
In case the plan failed or fell apart before it could be completed, they decided where and how they would retreat as well as where to meet up. Fremy handed each of them firecrackers for communication. She’d made them so that if one popped, the rest would go off at the same time. Now, if one of them sounded the retreat, that message would be communicated to everyone. 
Another possibility was that one of their group might stumble across Tgurneu at some point during the operation. For that scenario, Adlet distributed flash grenades. If they found Tgurneu, they would toss their grenade into the air to summon the others and block Tgurneu’s escape. Once the others saw the flash grenade, they were to head toward it straightaway. 
When the discussion was reaching its final stages, Mora asked, “What will we do about Hans?” 
That was a problem. The seventh was bound to act, but it was hard to predict what he would do. He might target Chamo as the only one who trusted him. If that happened, they wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. Chamo would just have to protect herself. 
Hans might also come after Fremy and Adlet with Chamo on his side, and that possibility was a real concern. Those two were strong enough to go toe-to-toe with at least four of their party. 
Adlet decided he would keep two flash grenades on him at all times. If Hans attacked, Adlet would throw both into the air, one after another. Nashetania and Rolonia would be separated from Adlet’s group, but if they saw the light of the flash grenade, they were to rush straight to where Adlet’s group was. With all five fighting, they were bound to win, even against Hans and Chamo. 
But Adlet doubted the fiends would just sit there and watch the battle play out. And even with all five together, it would still be tough. 
“It would be a bad idea to kill Chamo or Hans. We should just disable them,” said Adlet. Chamo was a real Brave, so killing her was out of the question. But they couldn’t kill Hans, either—although the seventh had been sent to them by Tgurneu, the Crest he bore had been created by the Saint of the Single Flower. They still didn’t know the particulars of its creation or what powers it held, but chances were high it would be important to the Braves—or even to the Saint of the Single Flower herself. If they killed Hans, that might destroy the seventh Crest, too. 
“Can we manage that? Against those two?” Mora asked. 
Adlet answered, “That’s not a question we need to be asking. We just have to do it.” 
It was doubtful they’d be able to continue with the operation while they were busy keeping Hans and Chamo in check. In that case, they would have to abandon the plan and retreat westward again. 
They would then rework the plan to kill Tgurneu, and before carrying out round two, they’d have to convince Chamo that Hans was the seventh. Could they find evidence to do that? And wouldn’t the power of the Black Barrenbloom kill all the Braves in the meantime? The concerns were endless. 
“…Depending on Hans’s course of action, might these preparations all come to naught?” Mora grumbled. 
“Even if they do, we can’t just sit here twiddling our thumbs,” Adlet replied. 
The Braves finished their preparations, then dug a hole in the ground to hide their bags and went outside. It was incredibly fortunate the fiends hadn’t discovered them while they worked. They set off toward the ruins, the site of their plan, at a run. 
Sprinting at the rear of the party, Fremy thought, This will be a dangerous fight . There were too many uncertain elements. They shouldn’t even be attempting a plan like this in the first place. They should have been more cautious about their strategy and thoroughly researched the enemy before engaging. 
If not for Fremy’s presence and the power of the Black Barrenbloom pushing them to desperation, they would surely have found a more reliable way to kill Tgurneu. 
She should never have even considered getting revenge. She should have just quietly killed herself six months ago when Tgurneu had discarded her. She should have let Chamo kill her. If only she had, the Braves would never have been endangered like this. 
She was a burden to the Braves of the Six Flowers. No—even worse. 
Then, as if he could read her mind, Adlet was there. “Don’t think stupid thoughts, Fremy.” She didn’t say a word, but he grabbed her shoulders and forcefully pulled her close to him. “The Braves need you. Without you, Nashetania would have beaten us. We wouldn’t have been able to get the clues we need to beat Tgurneu. You’re not a burden to us. Not at all.” 
“But—” 
Adlet cut off her argument. “I need you. It’s your presence here that enables me to fight. It’s because you’re here that I can keep from being discouraged, no matter what happens. Listen, you’re supporting the strongest man in the world. That’s a big accomplishment—something no one else can do, right?” 
“Adlet…” 
“No matter what happens from here on out, I’ll protect you. I’ll make you happy, I swear. The strongest man in the world is with you. Just relax and fight, Fremy.” 
Fremy started to say thank you. The words caught in her throat, though, and instead, she shoved Adlet away. “Enough nonsense. You need to prioritize killing Tgurneu over protecting me. We could all die here. There’s no point in trying to protect one ally if the rest of us are dead.” 
“…You… Man, you have a heart of ice.” Her reply must have come as a real shock to him. 
Fremy regretted it instantly. I guess I said too much. But kindness had never been her strong suit. “I’m not saying not to protect me. I’m just telling you that if you have to choose between protecting me and killing Tgurneu, then kill Tgurneu.” 
“I’m gonna protect you and kill Tgurneu. I have to do both, or there’s no point.” Adlet seemed hurt. 
Unable to look at that expression, Fremy said, “Smile.” 
“…Huh?” 
“You look awful. Smiling no matter what is your thing, isn’t it?” 
“Y-yeah.” Adlet gave his usual smile, the one that said there was nothing to fear in all the world. 
Seeing it brought Fremy just a touch of gladness. “Smile, no matter what happens. That’s enough for me.” 
Adlet nodded deeply. 
That was when Fremy caught sight of a bird-fiend through the gaps in the canopy above. She identified it as Tgurneu’s aide, specialist number two. It soared around to fly off eastward. 
“We’ve been spotted,” Fremy muttered. 
I feel strange , thought Adlet. 
His body was light. Strength was brimming up from the pit of his stomach. Right now, he felt like he could beat anyone. 
He was in terrible shape, but that didn’t bother him in the slightest. 
I’m gonna fight for Fremy , he resolved, and it was enough to tap a wellspring of strength within him. He wasn’t afraid of any of them: not Tgurneu, Hans, Cargikk, Dozzu, or even the Evil God. 
Adlet had made up his mind to kill anyone who hurt Fremy—regardless of who it was. 
First, Tgurneu. He had to kill Tgurneu, whatever the cost. Even if it had a change of heart and fought to save the world, even if the fiend commander’s death meant the end of everything, Adlet would still kill it without hesitation. 
Hans was just as bad. Even if he was under Tgurneu’s control, Adlet wouldn’t forgive him. 
Dozzu and Nashetania. He’d kill them, too—because they’d tried to murder Fremy. He’d have to get rid of them once this battle was over. But he couldn’t let that show now. 
Chamo and Goldof should also be eliminated. But if they had a change of heart and defended Fremy instead, he’d spare their lives since Fremy had no animosity toward either of them. 
As for Rolonia and Mora, he was angry at them, too, because they’d nearly abandoned Fremy once. But Fremy considered them friends. Still, if they betrayed her friendship, Adlet couldn’t let them live. 
Keeping Fremy safe was everything to Adlet. 
He was furious with himself. What he really wanted was to hide her away somewhere safe and go kill Tgurneu with the rest of the Braves. He wanted to keep her far away from their enemies. 
But he smothered those feelings and fought anyway. Nowhere was safe. And he really did need Fremy to defeat Tgurneu. Most importantly, Fremy herself wanted to fight it. So that was that. 
He’d made up his mind that this plan was absolutely not going to put Fremy in danger. 
As long as Fremy was safe, he didn’t care what happened. Nothing mattered to him but her. 
Number eleven spotted specialist number two flying toward them, and number two swooped down to alight near Tgurneu. 
Tgurneu spoke eagerly—not in code but in normal language. “Have you checked on them? How were they? Come on, tell me quick.” 
Though bewildered by Tgurneu’s zeal, number two replied, “Fröm the sky, I observed Adlet’s and Fremy’s status. Adlet pulled Fremy to him in an émbrace. She pushed him away, but they cóntinued talking after that.” 
Number eleven was confused. What was the value of such a report? What had number two spent all that time investigating? 
“I cän’t be certain, but…I ëstimate that Adlet and Fremy’s relätionship is favorable.” 
Number eleven was about to ask what it was talking about when Tgurneu cried out, “I knew it! I knew it had worked out! So Fremy does love Adlet!” 
Number eleven was startled. Tgurneu was being terribly loud. 
“There’s no mistaking it! Fremy loves him! She’s fallen for him, completely and sincerely! She’s accepted his love and wants to fight for him!” 
“I—I don’t knöw about that,” number two said. 
“Oh, what was I so worried about? Of course it would happen. I knew this already. Fremy would obviously love him. I made sure of it!” 
Number eleven couldn’t understand what had Tgurneu so gleeful. So some dirty half-breed Barrenbloom had fallen in love, so what? 
“Well, that’s good. Confirmation that Fremy loves Adlet is the best possible news you could have given me.” Tgurneu cracked a smile that nearly sent chills down number eleven’s spine. “Now I can see it. I can see her face as she suffers in love.” 
Meanwhile, Hans and Chamo stood at the center of a pack of fiends. Guarding each other back-to-back, they watched the enemy. The battle had been going on for hours, but even with Chamo’s slave-fiends and Hans’s strength, they had yet to whittle down even five. 
“What the heck is with these guys? They’re strong,” said Chamo. 
“Meow-hee! At this rate, the others are all gonna die,” Hans muttered excitedly, ignoring Chamo’s impatience.