Rokka no Yuusha - Volume 2 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 
At the Bud of Eternity 

The Ravine of Spitten Blood was situated on the eastern edge of the Howling Vilelands. To the west, there was a small mountain—scraggy, steep, and dotted with numerous caves and cliffs. It had no particular name. 
At the entrance to a cave halfway up the slope bloomed a strange flower. The six-petaled blossom was small enough to fit in the palm of one’s hand. At first glance, it looked like just a normal flower, but there was none like it in the natural world. The bud looked as if it was opening, or closing, but never quite one or the other. Halfway between open and closed, this flower had been blooming for a thousand years. This was what the Saint of the Single Flower had once used as her weapon. 
One thousand years ago, the Saint of the Single Flower and the Evil God had been locked in a mortal struggle. The Saint had exhausted her strength on this very mountain. Wounded all over and at the peak of exhaustion, she finally collapsed. The Saint of the Single Flower had not been almighty and invincible. She had been a human, and when wounded, she would suffer pain, and when exhausted, she would fall. 
Before the Saint of the Single Flower had collapsed, she had thrust her weapon, her flower, into the earth, erecting a barrier to keep away the Evil God and its fiends as she healed her wounds over the course of three days before setting forth once more to do battle. Even once the struggle was over, her barrier remained in the earth and prevented any fiends from drawing near ever since. 
This was the origin of the barrier known as the Bud of Eternity. 
Mora and Fremy headed for the safe area halfway up the mountain. The circular barrier extended for a radius of about fifty meters around the cave, generating a repulsive force that would repel any fiends or the Evil God if they approached. 
“Can you enter it, Fremy?” Mora asked when they entered. 
Fremy was able to step into the barrier with no incident. “Looks like it’s okay. I think it’s because I have the Crest of the Six Flowers now. Before, I couldn’t even come near it.” 
“That’s some comfort. ’Twould be terrible if you were forced to stay out here all alone.” Mora approached the rest of the group. The first to catch her eye was Chamo. The girl was leaning against a boulder near the edge of the barrier, moaning in pain. “Are you okay, Chamo?” she asked, approaching her. 
She was heaving and retching with snot and tears running down her face. Her cloudy white vomit was speckled with silver powder. Apparently, she was washing out the silver powder that clung to the fiends inside her stomach. “The wounds…all the wounds won’t heal… What should Chamo do? This is the first time this has ever happened… Guh…” Chamo vomited again. Mora felt bad for her, but she had no way to help. Chamo was the only one who could heal her slave-fiends. 
“The strongest Saint alive is less reliable than I thought,” muttered Fremy from behind Mora. 
“What did you say?” Chamo asked, wiping her tears. 
“It’s true. If you don’t do something about that silver powder, you don’t have a chance with Tgurneu.” 
“Nghh! ” Crying, Chamo smacked the boulder. “Shut up shut up! Chamo’s the strongest! Once the little guys’ wounds heal, that dummy’ll be a pushover! Chamo’ll tear that fiend to pieces and eat it! And then it’ll stay alive, with no arms and no legs, inside Chamo’s tummy!” 
This is just what I feared , thought Mora. Chamo had tremendous power. But her emotional maturity seemed inversely proportional to her strength. She was selfish, arrogant, and completely lacking in the ability to collaborate. When she had the advantage, she would let her guard down, and when she was outgunned, she would lose control of herself. Mora should have taught Chamo how to be emotionally prepared, how to behave as an adult warrior. The Elder’s failure was her own fault, but at this point, it was too late for regrets. 
“If you can do something about that silver powder,” said Fremy. 
“Nggahh! ” 
“You’re being rather cruel, Fremy,” said Mora. 
Goldof was a little ways away, keeping his back to Chamo as he stood still, gazing vaguely into the distance. It seemed he had still not recovered. All this time, Mora had been convinced Goldof was the seventh. She had thought his dazed manner was an act. But during the battle with Tgurneu, the knight hadn’t done anything but help Hans and Chamo hold back Tgurneu’s reinforcements, and during the retreat, he’d run the whole way carrying all their packs. Was he really the seventh? Mora didn’t know anymore. 
“Goldof, where’s Adlet?” asked Fremy. Goldof silently pointed into the cave. Side by side, Mora and Fremy headed into the cavern. 
“Are you not suspicious of Goldof, Fremy?” Mora asked quietly. 
“Of course I am. I’m suspicious of him, and you, and Rolonia, and Hans and Chamo, too.” 
“Hans and Chamo…” 
“I don’t trust anyone aside from Adlet,” Fremy asserted quietly and flatly. 
“Is Adlet all right?” Mora called into the cave. 
Hans and Rolonia were beside Adlet where he lay on the ground with a wet cloth on his forehead. Rolonia was treating his wounds with her power as the Saint of Spilled Blood. Farther in the enclosure was a boulder of about waist height, and on top of it bloomed a tiny flower. That was the center of the barrier, the Bud of Eternity. Thankfully, there was a spring welling within the cave, so they would have plenty of water. 
“So yer alive. I was goin’ to go get ya,” said Hans. 
“We’re fine,” said Fremy. “What about Adlet?” 
“He’s alive, but there’s a crack in his skull, and he won’t wake up. I can’t heal him with my power,” said Rolonia. Her ability was to control blood. She could treat gashes and internal bleeding, but not bones. 
“I’ll take over. The power of mountains is the power of healing.” Mora sat down beside Adlet, absorbed energy from the mountain and channeled it into the boy’s skull, stimulating the natural healing abilities that every human has to repair the damage. 
“Is it workin’?” asked Hans. 
“Yes. No issues,” said Mora. 
Fremy stood behind Mora, observing her intently. She must have suspected that she might pretend to treat Adlet while she in fact killed him. If Mora did anything suspicious, Fremy would be sure to shoot her down before she could even react. 
“He was hurt quite severely,” noted Mora. 
The atmosphere in the cave suddenly became heavier. They had lost a head-on battle, and to make it worse, the enemy had not even had their full army at their command. Did they even have a chance of winning in this sorry state? 
“If there’d been six of us, we probably could’ve won,” said Hans. Mora looked at him. “We’re always suspicious of each other when we’re fightin’. We don’t know who might betray us, or when, or what the attack’ll be or where it’ll come from. We can’t fight at full strength like this right neow. We’re at sixty percent, maybe.” 
“You’re right,” said Fremy. 
You’re part of the reason we lost , Mora wanted to say. 
Then suddenly, Hans burst out laughing. “Meow-hee-hee! We’re in big trouble. This is fun. This is what I came meowt to the Howlin’ Vilelands to get a taste of.” 
Unsurprisingly, Mora’s response was sharp. “And just what do you find so amusing about this, Hans?” 
“Meow? Ain’t you havin’ fun? Ya don’t get in a pickle like this often. It’s a waste if ya don’t enjoy yerself.” 
Mora wanted to bury her face in her hands. She just couldn’t understand Hans. “But what was Adlet attempting to do? He charged in recklessly, then all of a sudden left himself wide open while Tgurneu pummeled him. What was that about?” 
Having treated Adlet as best she could, Rolonia said, “Um…Addy had this look on his face like he was sure he’d won.” 
“But Tgurneu was unharmed.” 
Hans explained to the puzzled Mora. “He seemed like he was aimin’ for somethin’ big. That’s why I backed him up by grabbin’ Tgurneu. I wasn’t expectin’ it to end up like this at all.” 
“Whatever the case, we’ll ask him once he awakens,” said Mora. 
“When will he wake up?” Fremy asked her. 
As Mora sent energy streaming into Adlet, she checked how he was doing. “Most likely, in a few hours. He’s inhumanly tenacious.” 
“I’m so fed up with him,” Fremy said suddenly. Not getting her meaning, the others looked at her. “This is the third time he’s almost died. Just how much does he have to make us worry before he’s satisfied?” She sighed. 
“He’s not goin’ to neow that yer worried if ya don’t tell him,” said Hans. 
“Even if I did tell him, that idiot wouldn’t get it. Besides, I don’t really want to talk right now.” 
As Mora treated Adlet, she remembered that she had almost killed the boy herself just a day before. At that time, she had sincerely believed he was the seventh. Now, in retrospect, there had been times when she’d had reason to doubt that verdict. But still, back then, she’d been unable to see Adlet as anything but the enemy—because when he had run, he had taken Fremy as his hostage. Mora had been enraged by his use of her as a shield. His convictions about doing what it took to win were not wrong. But even so, Mora believed there were some things that you simply couldn’t do. The moment that Adlet had pressed a blade to Fremy’s throat, Mora had seen Tgurneu in front of her. 
Now, things were different. Mora was convinced that Adlet was the most trustworthy of all. “Let’s wait for him to awaken. We can talk after that. He’s bound to have a way out of this situation. I’m sure of it.” 
Rolonia nodded firmly. Hans shrugged. Fremy’s expression was inscrutable as she simply watched Adlet. 
Why? That was all Adlet’s unconscious mind thought about. In a space that was neither dreams nor reality, Adlet fought Tgurneu. He hurled a smoke bomb in an attempt to distract the fiend, but his foe was undeterred. Adlet threw poison needles, but they didn’t work at all. He lobbed a regular bomb at the thing’s face. No good, either. Adlet leaped high and struck the fiend with his sword, using all the strength in his body. Tgurneu effortlessly sent Adlet flying. He stabbed Tgurneu with the Saint’s Spike, but even Adlet’s final, ultimate attack didn’t work. 
Why? he thought. No fiend could endure the Saint’s Spike. There was no way. If the Saint’s Spike didn’t work, then he had no weapons left. There was no way to defeat Tgurneu. 
“Hey, Adlet, ” said Tgurneu, as if speaking to a friend. “Are you actually taking this seriously? ” 
Screaming, Adlet sprung awake. 
He was in a cave. Noticing a faintly shining flower beside him, he immediately understood that it was the Bud of Eternity. Bandages were wrapped around him all over his body, and he pieced together what had happened—he was inside the mountain where the Bud of Eternity bloomed. The others had taken Adlet and run. 
“Addy? Are you awake?” Rolonia approached him from the back of the cave with a damp cloth. 
“Is everyone okay?” 
“Yes. All seven of us are right here.” 
When Adlet heard that, he picked up his sword from where it lay on the ground and stood. His iron box with his tools was there, too, though he didn’t know who had brought them. He refilled the pouches at his waist with his assortment of weapons. 
“What are you doing?” asked Rolonia. 
“I’m going out to fight Tgurneu one more time.” 
“Wait! You’re injured!” 
“That’s nothing new.” That dream was seared into his mind. His body burned with the compulsion to fight, to win. He couldn’t sit still. He tried to leave the cave, but Fremy blocked his way. 
“Where are you going, Adlet?” She watched him calmly. Meeting that gaze, Adlet finally pulled himself together. “If you’re stupid enough to try to go fight now, then you should die,” she said. 
“You’re right. That was wrong of me. Sorry,” Adlet said, sheathing his sword. Rolonia breathed a sigh of relief, and he smiled. The more painful the times, the more he had to smile. 
“We’re all resting, eating, treating our wounds, and tending to our weapons and tools,” said Fremy. “You should do the same.” 
“I can’t. I have to think of a way to kill Tgurneu.” 
Exasperated, Fremy sighed. “You should leave the thinking for later, too. You’re still not in your right mind. I doubt you’ll come up with any decent ideas like this.” 
“Urk. ” Adlet couldn’t say anything to that. 
“The strongest man in the world is quite the nuisance.” Fremy walked past Adlet and into the depths of the cave and then removed her cloak and top. 
“What’re you doing?” 
“I’m going to bathe. I haven’t washed in days,” said Fremy. Still holding her gun in one hand, she took off her clothes. Flustered, Adlet left the cave. 
Just outside, Hans was having a meal. He was soaking some smoked meat and dried bread in water as he stuffed his face with food. “So yer awake. Meow’re ya feelin’?” 
“I feel good. So good, I wanna go out and kill Tgurneu right now.” 
“Drop the lame jokes. Just eat somethin’.” 
Adlet helped himself to a portion of Hans’s smoked meat. When he picked it up, he noticed it was unusually soft. The fatty meat had good color, and it didn’t smell. The oiled paper wrapped around it had a familiar brand on it. “Hans, wasn’t this Nashetania’s?” 
“Meow. When she ran, she left her packs behind. That woman was carryin’ some damn good eatin’.” 
“I’m impressed you’re into eating the enemy’s food.” 
“No one out there is dumb enough to poison their own food,” said Hans, who heartily devoured his meal. 
While Adlet hesitated over the food, Rolonia emerged from the cave. “If you’re worried about poison, you don’t have to be. Torleau—the Saint of Medicine—gave me an all-purpose antidote. My own powers can counteract poisons a little, too.” 
“Sorry, but I’m just not into it. The strongest man in the world is the careful type,” said Adlet, and he pulled some travel rations from a pouch on his belt, a single small cube about four centimeters wide. 
“What’s that? Does it taste good?” asked Hans. 
“This is a little something I’ve named ‘the strongest rations in the world.’” 
“I shoulda neown it’d be somethin’ like that.” 
“Refined flour, the extract of an organ from a certain animal, and a powder from twelve kinds of medicinal herbs mixed with hardened beef fat. Since I’m the strongest man in the world, I can last all day on just this.” 
“I’m not sure strength has anything to do with that.” Rolonia looked puzzled. 
“So is it good?” asked Hans. Adlet eyed his rations for a moment and took a few deep breaths to calm his heart. 
“What’re ya doin’?” 
“There’s a trick to eating this. First, you banish from your mind all memory of every good thing you’ve ever eaten.” Adlet pressed a finger against his forehead to aid the power of psychological suggestion on himself. “And then you make yourself believe that this is the most delicious thing in the world. If you manage to do a good job tricking yourself…” He closed his eyes, shoved the whole cube into his mouth, chewed it up as fast as he could, and swallowed it down all at once. “If you slow down for even a second, hell awaits you. But if you can avoid that, this stuff really is the strongest rations in the world.” 
“And that’s the only way you can eat it, meow ?” Hans was flabbergasted. 
“Anyway, has everyone else eaten?” Adlet asked, now that he was done with his meal. He and Hans were the only ones eating. Fremy was bathing, and Goldof and Mora were keeping watch by the edge of the barrier. Chamo was leaning against a boulder, her eyes closed. 
“Goldof was off by himself havin’ some kinda meal. All the ladies said they don’t eat. I don’t know why,” said Hans. 
“They don’t?” 
Rolonia explained to Hans and Adlet. “I don’t need food. I can manipulate the nutrients within blood. Lady Mora can absorb the energy of the mountain to sustain herself, so she doesn’t need food, either.” 
That’s convenient , thought Adlet. “And Chamo?” 
“Chamo… I wonder why she doesn’t need food. Sorry, I don’t know.” 
From a little ways away, the girl in question piped up. “Do you think Chamo’d need normal food?” 
“I don’t really get what you mean, but now I’m convinced you don’t,” said Adlet. 
“Chamo’s treating her pets right now, so go away,” she said and closed her eyes again. Adlet could just faintly hear the moans of her slave-fiends from within her stomach. He remembered how the creatures had writhed, covered in silver dust. It was probably best to do as she said and not bother her. 
“And Fremy… Oh, yeah. Because she’s half-fiend.” Atreau had taught Adlet about fiend biology—they didn’t eat every day the way humans did. For them, one big meal about once every ten days at most was enough. 
“…?” 
That was when Adlet sensed something odd. He cocked his head in contemplation. 
“Is somethin’ up, meow ?” asked Hans. 
Fiends ate about once every ten days—but if that was true, why had Tgurneu been carrying around that fig? But in the end, Adlet’s questions led him nowhere, so they faded from his mind. 
Mora was standing at the edge of the barrier when she saw Adlet exit the cave and begin a leisurely meal. Seeing she didn’t need to worry about him, she relaxed. She scanned the whole mountain, observing the fiends’ movements. Only when she was on a mountain could she use her powers of clairvoyance—though she was only able to observe the mountain she occupied. Presently, there were around two hundred fiends near the Bud of Eternity. The ones that had followed them were scattered about the mountain in groups of five or so. There were a large number of superior fiends among them that she supposed had some degree of intellect. 
We’re trapped rats , she thought. Perhaps Tgurneu’s goal was just to keep the Braves of the Six Flowers from leaving this spot. 
Next, Mora probed for traps. The Bud of Eternity was an almost certain stop for the Braves, so the chances were high that there was a trap there. Mora searched the mountain and even underground for anything out of place. But as far as she could tell, there were no tricks on the mountain. 
Tgurneu was not in the area, and there was no sign it was giving instructions to the other fiends that lurked on the mountain. Mora still didn’t know what it had meant by two more days . 
“…” She was indecisive. Had running really been the right choice? Maybe she should have done whatever she could to kill Tgurneu right then—even if it had meant her life. 
No, that would have been unwise , she thought, reconsidering. Blowing herself up and taking Tgurneu with her should be a final resort, because if she erred, then Shenira would die as well. 
“What’s the situation, Mora?” Adlet, having finished his meal, had come to talk to her. 
“We’re completely surrounded but in no immediate danger.” She suspended her observation for the moment and explained her powers of clairvoyance to Adlet. 
“Why don’t ya take a break for neow, too? Looks like it’ll be a while before we get another chance,” Hans suggested. 
“You’re right, I’ll rest a spell. I want to bathe, too,” Mora said, entering the cave. With her powers still active, she continued to observe the area vigilantly. Within the cavern, she found Fremy nude and wiping off the soot stuck in her hair. As the woman entered, Fremy picked up the gun she’d laid beside her. 
“Don’t be so antagonistic. I’ll do nothing to you,” Mora said, stripping off her armor and vestments before she dipped herself into the cold spring. Dust suddenly clouded the spring, but they had already secured enough drinking water, so it wasn’t a problem. A comfortable coldness seeped into her body. Before the chill could reach her core, she got out of the spring and began to clean off the dirt with her nails and palms. “It’s a blessing to have such an abundance of water. At the very least, it’s good to not have to worry about grooming.” Mora breathed a long sigh. It was always comfortable to spend time cleansing the body. Though even if she wanted to relax, Shenira never left her mind. 
“Um, may I join you?” Rolonia came into the cave and spent some time taking off her armor. 
“It’s careless for all three of us to bathe at once. What if something happens?” said Fremy. 
“It doesn’t worry me. One can still battle nude. Being seen weakens nothing,” Mora said as she scooped water in her hands to wash off the grime. “You must be surprised, Rolonia, to be suddenly thrust into such a situation.” 
“Y-yes. I really…don’t know what I should do. I still can’t believe that there’s an impostor among the Braves of the Six Flowers.” 
“I feel the same. When you arrived, I thought my heart would stop,” Mora said with a smile. 
“I don’t get you, either, Rolonia,” Fremy said suddenly. 
Rolonia, who had still been working on her armor, jumped in surprise. “Oh! Um! What?” 
“At first, you were even scared of a deer, but then when we ran into the enemy, you were ranting and raving on some kind of rampage. Which one is the real you?” 
Mora replied for Rolonia. “The timid and indecisive Rolonia is the ‘real’ one. All that howling is, well…a sort of ritual for her.” 
Fremy didn’t seem to understand, tilting her head in puzzlement. “Let me ask you something, Rolonia. Who do you suspect?” 
That made Rolonia wince. “I don’t know. It doesn’t seem like any of you are the enemy.” 
Fremy glared at her. “If I were you, the first person I’d doubt would be me. I’m the daughter of a fiend and the Brave-killer. I even killed someone you know—Athlay. And I’m a warrior raised by Tgurneu. How could you not suspect me, considering all of that?” 
“I…” 
“What are you scheming?” Fremy demanded. 
Unable to stand it any longer, Mora interrupted. “Enough, Fremy. She has no schemes. Rolonia has never had the disposition for distrust.” 
“I’m sure.” 
“You might attempt to be less callous. Your attitude will only isolate you,” said Mora. 
Fremy looked away. “This is the only way I can deal with people.” 
“Fremy, I—” Rolonia began. “I did think that you might be the seventh. But Addy and Lady Mora both trust you, so I stopped doubting you.” 
“…I see.” 
“Are you close with Addy?” 
Fremy did not reply; instead she began to get dressed. In moments, her slim figure was covered in black leather. “‘Addy,’ hmm? You two are pretty close, yourselves,” she commented, and with her gun in hand, left the cave. 
Mora thought Fremy was like a hedgehog: cautious of all that drew near and always afraid of something. The only way she could interact with people was by turning her weakness into hostility. Perhaps it was not Rolonia who was the truly cowardly and timid one, but Fremy. 
Apparently more nervous than she’d seemed, Rolonia sighed in relief and resumed taking off her armor. 
“You’re in a rough position, Rolonia. It seems she’s not at all fond of you.” 
“Yes, it looks like it.” The girl seemed embarrassed as she smiled. “But I’m relieved, too. She seems to be a much better person than I first assumed.” 
What about our conversation just now could have made her think that? wondered Mora. “What you said reminds me—I wasn’t aware you and Adlet knew each other. The world is small indeed.” 
“Oh, yes. I just never got the chance to talk about it.” 
“Hmm. Do you have feelings for him?” 
Rolonia’s hands paused in their task once more. “Um, well, uh, I don’t know.” Her reply was so funny, Mora couldn’t help but smile. “I don’t think so. Probably not, I suppose. I don’t think it’s that I like him.” 
“I think that is for the best. Adlet is a reliable man, but also a tremendous fool. I’m sure it would be endless trouble were you to fall for him.” 
“You think so? He doesn’t really seem that way to me, but…hmm.” 
These youngsters are so carefree, thought Mora. Even in the direst of situations, they could still manage to think of romance. She found that charming. As for her, while she chatted of such trivial things, Shenira was never far from her thoughts—not for one instant. 
Evening approached, and they had all finished bathing and doing maintenance on their weapons and tools. The seven sat down in a circle in front of the cave—it was time for a discussion. 
“Have you calmed down, Adlet?” asked Mora. 
Adlet, sitting in the center of the group, nodded. Mora was continually amazed at how tenacious he was. She could hardly believe he was flesh and blood. 
“So anyway, what’s the situation?” he asked. “Is Tgurneu nearby?” 
With the help of the Spirit of Mountains, Mora determined there was no change in the situation around them. “There’s no sign of Tgurneu,” she said. 
Adlet paused to think. “Two hundred, huh? That’s odd. That’s not really a full crowd. It’s way too few to be trapping us here.” 
“There are likely more just outside the mountain. We’d probably lose in a head-on clash.” 
“Even if we couldn’t win, we could still run. If Tgurneu wasn’t here, those numbers wouldn’t be scary at all,” said Adlet. 
“If Tgurneu wasn’t here,” Fremy emphasized. 
“First, I want to ask you guys something. Do any of you have a clue as to who the seventh might be? Not just suspicion toward someone or something fishy one of you did—I need a definitive lead.” Mora had nothing. None of them replied. “Could you describe to me in detail how you escaped Tgurneu? I was unconscious, so I don’t know anything about it.” 
Mora and Hans took turns explaining how they’d fought to get here. Once they finished the story, Adlet’s expression turned somber as he pressed one hand to his forehead. “I don’t know. From what you’ve described, every single one of us had the chance to kill one another.” Mora nodded. If Fremy was the traitor, Mora would be dead. 
“If Goldof or Rolonia had backstabbed us, I might’ve been in a pickle,” said Hans. “Even if I’d gotten away, I don’t neow if I could’ve saved you and Chamo, too. And if the kid was the enemy, I would’ve gotten killed.” 
“Hmm…and if it was the catboy, Chamo’d be dead,” Chamo added. 
“Why isn’t the seventh doing anything? What’s their goal?” Adlet agonized over the quandary. Mora wondered, too. No matter how they approached it, it was clear that the seventh had let multiple opportunities slide. 
Then Fremy spoke. “I planned to kill the seventh if I found out who they were, even if it meant my life.” 
“Huh?” 
“I’ve been ready for it this whole time, and I’ve been trying to sound out who it is. Maybe the seventh knew that. Maybe it’s not that they aren’t doing anything, but that they’re afraid of me and can’t do anything.” 
“But I still think it’s fishy they didn’t do nothin’ durin’ that fight. If they’d played their cards right, all of us’d be dead,” said Hans. Mora agreed. 
“There’s one more possibility,” said Fremy. “Tgurneu may have ordered them not to act.” 
“Why?” asked Adlet. 
“To mess with us.” 
“Huh?” 
“Tgurneu often toys with people. It always says things that don’t make sense and has no problem doing things that would put itself at a disadvantage. I don’t know what Tgurneu is thinking—perhaps nothing at all.” 
She was right. Between that over-familiar tone, clownish attitude and inconsistent way of fighting, the only conclusion was that Tgurneu was merely fooling around. 
“So in other words, Tgurneu is just having a few laughs, here?” said Adlet. “You’re saying it’s not seriously trying to kill us?” 
“I don’t know. It might be pretending to fool around while it’s planning something, or it could be fooling around for real.” 
So that meant even trying to surmise what was on Tgurneu’s mind was pointless. Quite the bothersome opponent , mused Mora. “On that hill, we were ambushed. What if the seventh led us there?” she suggested. Adlet folded his arms and considered. 
“Yer the one who found it, though, Mora,” said Hans. 
“And I’m the one who suggested having a discussion there,” said Fremy. 
Then Rolonia timidly raised her hand. “Um…I-I’m sorry. May I say something?” When Adlet prompted her, she finally spoke. “Maybe…the seventh doesn’t want to be found out.” 
“What do you mean?” he asked. 
“I mean, the seventh doesn’t want their identity revealed, right? So if they don’t do anything, then we’ll never find out. I’m sure they don’t want to be suspected.” 
“But then why even be here? If they’re just sitting here to avoid being discovered, then there’s no point infiltrating the Braves in the first place,” Fremy said, shooting down the suggestion. 
“No, Rolonia might be on to something,” said Adlet. All eyes gathered on him. “This is ultimately just my own deduction, but…I doubt the seventh has done anything. They didn’t lead us to that hill, and they didn’t tell Tgurneu we were going there.” 
“What makes you think that?” 
“If the Braves planned to follow the safest route in an attempt to avoid a surprise attack, we’d be sure to pass over that hill, and Tgurneu predicted that. The fact that we took a break on that hill was simply coincidence. We wouldn’t need to stop there to get caught. Tgurneu would just wait for the moment we passed through and attack us from behind.” 
“So why isn’t the seventh doing anything?” 
“That was the plan all along,” Adlet explained. “They’d just stay with us and keep pretending to be one of us. That’s the only reason they’re here.” 
“What do you mean?” 
“The traitor is waiting for the moment they’re sure they can kill all of us. They could’ve attacked us during that last fight, but a few of us probably would’ve gotten away. I bet just killing one or two Braves isn’t enough.” The group was silent. “The seventh probably won’t make their move until the perfect opportunity arises, because as long as they don’t do anything, they won’t be discovered. Well, that’s just a hypothesis, though.” 
“If that’s the case, then how can we expose the impostor?” said Mora. “As long as they do nothing, we’ll have no clues as to their identity. But when the seventh does act, it will be when our situation is most desperate. What on earth can we do?” 
Hans clapped his hands like he was amused by all of this. “Ma-meow! What a cat astrophe! Is this checkmate?” 
“It’s not just Tgurneu. There’s a buffoon among us, too,” commented Mora grumpily. 
The assassin answered with an expression of deepest offense. “I’m serious! A game’s no fun if ya don’t play for keeps, right?” 
Good grief. 
Adlet continued. “From what Fremy’s told us, I don’t think it’s possible to know what Tgurneu might do, because it doesn’t follow logic in order to win. And, like with Tgurneu, we can’t predict what the mole will do, either.” 
“But yer the strongest man in the world, ain’t ya? Ya givin’ up that easy?” 
“We’re completely surrounded, Adlet. How do we get out of here?” Mora inquired. 
“Even if we do get away, it would just make our situation worse. We need a plan to solve the root problem,” Fremy insisted. 
As his allies pressed him for answers, Adlet concluded quietly, “There’s only one way to get out of this situation.” 
“What?” Hans asked. 
“We have to solve the mystery of Tgurneu.” 
The entire party went silent. Mora had no idea what he meant by the mystery of Tgurneu . 
“Guys, look at this,” Adlet said, pulling a twenty-centimeter-long spike out from under his jacket. It was identical to the one he had used in the previous battle. 
“What is that thing?” Hans appeared quizzical. 
Adlet explained to them the weapon he called the Saint’s Spike, how it was poisoned with a crystal made from Saints’ blood fitted at the tip, and how if a fiend was impaled with it, the poison would instantly circulate through its whole body. 
As Mora listened to his explanation, she thought about Atreau Spiker. She had only been aware that he was a warrior knowledgeable about fiends, but it seemed she had incredibly underestimated him. She’d never considered using Saints’ blood as a weapon at all, much less extracting the poison from that blood. 
“And…you impaled Tgurneu with that? Are you sure?” Mora asked. 
Adlet nodded vigorously. “I know I stabbed Tgurneu with that spike, and I even saw the toxin affect it—but it’s still alive.” 
This is difficult to believe , thought Mora. Rolonia and Fremy had gone pale. 
“Why didn’t it work?” said Adlet. “If we can figure that out, we should find a breakthrough and defeat Tgurneu.” 
“Meow. Is this problem that important, though?” asked Hans. Chamo also seemed unconvinced. The two didn’t fully understand how impossible it was for a Saint’s blood not to harm a fiend. “I don’t know everythin’ about it, but there’s a lot of different types of fiends, and they all have different powers, right? This just means Tgurneu’s strong against poison.” 
“I guess you don’t understand. I’ll be a little more precise.” Adlet sighed. “Fiends can choose how they develop—it’s based on what they want. I think you’ve seen a lot of them in your life, but none of them looked exactly the same, right?” 
“Meow. ” 
“If they want to grow fangs, they can grow fangs. If they want to get bigger, they can get bigger. It takes them decades or even centuries to evolve. And occasionally, the process fails. But fundamentally speaking, if fiends have the will, they can obtain whatever powers they want.” 
“Huh. So then couldn’t Tgurneu just’ve evolved the power to nullify the poison in Saints’ blood?” 
“There are exceptions to the rule,” said Adlet. “There are things they can’t do no matter how much they want it. They can’t evolve their own cores.” 
“What’s that?” 
Fremy explained. The core was like the fiend’s brain. They always had one somewhere in their body, and it was their weakest point. “The core is the main body of the fiend. You could even say all flesh aside from it is simply auxiliary. Fiends can change their auxiliary bodies, but not the core itself. A Saint’s blood is what destroys that core.” 
Hans and Chamo still didn’t quite get it. 
“The poison within Saints’ blood originates from the power of the Spirit,” she continued. “Its properties are completely different from those of other toxins. Once it enters the body, it reaches the core immediately. A fiend can’t mutate their body to prevent this. And once the poison has penetrated, there is no way they can counteract it.” 
“In other words…” 
“The poison works on all fiends without exception. That’s what a Saint’s blood does,” she finished. 
“Meow? It’s that powerful?” Hans said, only now catching on. 
“I have a technique I can use to get my blood into a fiend, too. Master Atreau told me this technique will always work on any fiend,” said Rolonia. 
“Just who is Atreau Spiker, Adlet?” asked Mora. “How did he acquire such techniques?” 
Adlet tilted his head. “Sorry, but I don’t know, either. He basically never talked about his past.” 
“Who cares about that weird weapon? Chamo doesn’t care about that Atreau guy,” she said, sounding bored. “Yeah, this weapon is supposed to be amazing or whatever, but it didn’t work on Tgurneu, right? So we don’t need it anymore. Chamo’ll kill Tgurneu, slice it all into pieces and eat it up, and make it a toy for the pets in Chamo’s tummy.” 
“Do you get what we’re saying, Chamo? An attack that was supposed to always work didn’t ,” Adlet insisted. 
“So what?” 
“If your slave-fiends tear Tgurneu limb from limb, will it die? If Rolonia drains all its blood, will it die? If Goldof and Hans cut it up, or Mora pounds it to a pulp, or Fremy shoots it, will it die? We don’t know any of those things for sure.” Adlet hammered Chamo with questions. 
“Who cares? Chamo just has to beat it up.” 
“We need to be certain we can kill Tgurneu. In order to find a way to take it down for sure, we have to solve this mystery.” 
This is not good , Mora fretted. Chamo’s mood was worsening. She might snap. 
“…So what do we do, then?” Counter to the Elder’s expectations, Chamo reluctantly backed down. 
“I’ll figure out the puzzle and find a way to kill that monster,” said Adlet. “You think about how you could kill it—and how to counteract that silver powder, in particular.” 
“Okay. Chamo actually does have an idea to test out,” she said. 
Mora was more than a little bit surprised at how cooperative Chamo was being. She was growing. Her progress was slow, but it was sure. 
“We still haven’t solved anything, though,” said Fremy. “We haven’t solved the mystery of Tgurneu, and we still don’t know who the seventh is.” 
“If we can corner Tgurneu, I think the traitor will reveal themselves,” Adlet answered. 

“What do you mean?” 
“The seventh is most likely connected to Tgurneu. At the very least, they’re our enemy, so we have no reason to doubt that they’re allied with the fiends. If we kill a commander, the seventh would consider that as a massive blow. So if Tgurneu is about to lose, the seventh will try to protect it. That’s what I think.” 
“I see. So we don’t wait for the traitor to act—we create a situation in which they are forced to act,” said Mora. 
“What happens if we have Tgurneu cornered but the seventh doesn’t do anything?” asked Fremy. 
“Then we kill Tgurneu,” said Adlet. “That’s really the best option, since killing Tgurneu would be a far bigger victory than figuring out who the seventh is.” 
“Meow. And if we can do both, all the better.” Hans nodded. 
“I feel like this is too dangerous. We don’t even know what Tgurneu or the seventh might do,” Rolonia cautioned. 
“My master taught me there’s nothing worse than a risk-free plan that only goes halfway. Sometimes, jumping right into danger is the safest thing to do. Right now, the best choice is to devote everything we’ve got to taking out Tgurneu.” 
Rolonia looked even more anxious. 
“Relax. I’m the strongest man in the world.” 
“Oh, meow. There he goes again,” said Hans, looking exasperated. 
“I understand. I’ll trust in you. You’re the strongest man in the world.” Rolonia nodded. They all seemed to agree to Adlet’s plan. They would focus all their resources on killing Tgurneu. For Mora, Adlet’s decision was a welcome one. Defeating it was the only way she could save her daughter. 
No matter what, she had to kill Tgurneu. “I have one suggestion.” Mora raised her hand. 
“What is it?” asked Adlet. 
“I have a secret plan. A technique I’ve spent many years developing in preparation for this day. I believe now may be the time to use it.” 
“What does it do?” 
“I would enclose this whole mountain within a barrier, instantly, to trap Tgurneu here. It would both cut off reinforcements and prevent Tgurneu’s escape. I can only use this technique once, but I believe it’s worth an attempt.” 
When Rolonia heard the plan, her eyes went wide. “Hold on, please, Lady Mora! That barrier is dangerous.” 
“I’m fully aware of that. But you heard what Adlet said.” Unable to counter her, the Saint of Spilled Blood fell silent. 
“Will the barrier last very long?” inquired their leader. 
“No. Six hours, at most. But that should be enough time to kill Tgurneu.” 
“I understand. Then do it,” he said without hesitation. 
“When Tgurneu next appears, I’ll let you know immediately,” said Mora. “You decide whether or not I should activate the barrier, Adlet.” 
The boy nodded. “All right. Then we’ve decided our course of action. I’ll work out what’s happening with Tgurneu, starting with why the Saint’s Spike didn’t work, and figure out a way to kill it. You help me out with that, Fremy.” 
“…Fine,” she acquiesed. 
“Hans and Goldof, you clean up the fiends on the mountain. Get their numbers down, at least somewhat. Can you do that?” 
“Of course. I could meownage that by myself.” Hans smiled. Goldof didn’t reply, but he seemed to accept the order at least. 
“Mora, you use your powers to keep watch over the mountain. If anything odd happens, tell me right away. And give Hans and Goldof backup, too.” 
“Understood.” 
“Chamo, you figure out how to deal with that silver powder. If I can’t solve the mystery, you’ll be our main force. Don’t blow this.” 
“Duh. Worry about yourself. You do your best, too.” 
“Um…what about me?” Rolonia raised her hand. Adlet hesitated for a moment. 
“Rolonia is the Saint of Spilled Blood and an expert on the subject. I believe she’ll be of use to you,” said Mora. He nodded. 
Thinking Adlet had concluded his instructions, the group was just about to move out when he stopped them. “I want to say one last thing—to the seventh among us.” He scanned his allies and said, “If you wanna win, you’d better figure out how to kill me first. If you don’t do it soon, you’ll be too late.” 
No one said a word. Silence fell around them. 
“Was that supposed to sound dramatic or something? ’Cause it was pretty lame,” said Chamo. 
She was quite right. Mora and Hans couldn’t restrain their laughter. Rolonia lowered her eyes, covering her mouth, and Fremy had averted her gaze, too. Even Goldof had something resembling a faint smirk on his face. This is the first time we’ve all smiled together , thought Mora. Perhaps there was some solidarity growing in the group, if only very gradually. Adlet was quite the man, willing to play the clown to calm his allies. 
Each of them went off to their separate tasks. Adlet returned to the cave, sitting with his back to the wall. His face was red. Chamo had humiliated him. Damn it, I’m the strongest man in the world! he cursed in his head. 
Fremy and Rolonia came into the cave and sat down a little ways away. They didn’t look at each other. The former was still expressionless, and the latter appeared extremely uncomfortable. 
“I can’t fault you for being wary, but try to get along. We can’t solve the mystery of Tgurneu if we don’t cooperate,” said Adlet. 
“Y-you’re right,” said Rolonia. “Let’s work together, Fremy.” 
“Yeah, might as well.” There was no sign that either of them would shift closer to the other. “I’m putting on some lights.” Fremy placed a tiny gem on the ground in the dark cave. She recited an incantation, and it began to glow. 
“What’s this?” asked Adlet. “Is this your power, Fremy?” 
“No. This is something Mora brought. She said Pipi, Saint of Light, made it. And she brought lots more, so I’ll give you a few.” Adlet accepted the gems, and Fremy told him the incantation. The three of them sat in a circle around the little jewel. 
“I’m sorry, Adlet, but…” began Fremy, “…I frankly doubt you can solve this. We know too little about Tgurneu. We only fought for half an hour.” 
“What makes you say that? You should know Tgurneu better, Fremy,” he said. 
“Sorry, but you shouldn’t count on me.” She shook her head. “I don’t know any of Tgurneu’s weaknesses, and I have no idea why the Saint’s Spike didn’t work, either. Tgurneu planned to have me killed all along—obviously I wasn’t going to be trusted with any important information.” 
She doesn’t get it , he thought. “Did you feel that Tgurneu was hiding something?” 
“…No.” 
“That’s critical. Tgurneu planned to kill you, and so it didn’t allow you to learn anything important. That’s the key.” 
“What do you mean?” asked Fremy. 
“It’s pretty hard to hide something from someone who’s familiar with you—and even harder to keep them from realizing that you’re hiding something. You have to lie, keep them away from the truth, and act natural about all of it. That always leaves some kind of trace behind.” Adlet looked Fremy in the eye and continued. “If we can figure out what Tgurneu lied about, it should be easy to figure out the truth.” 
“We still don’t have enough information, though,” she insisted. 
Then, Rolonia hesitantly joined the conversation. “Um, Addy…can you lend me your sword?” Adlet didn’t know what she wanted it for, but he handed it over, sheath and all. She drew it out and looked at the blade. “Oh, so you’ve already cleaned it. Do you have the cloth you wiped it with?” Adlet went to the trash pile by the cave entrance to pull out the rag he’d discarded there. She took it from him and put it in her mouth. 
“Hey!” Adlet cried. 
“That’s disgusting,” said Fremy. 
The two of them grimaced. Though clearly embarrassed, Rolonia kept on sucking on the blood-soaked rag. “You cut six fiends with this blade.” She removed the rag from her mouth and pulled out her whip, and then licked it like she had the rag. “And I hit nineteen fiends with this whip. There’s only one type of blood among all of those that tastes the same as the blood on your sword, Addy—I’ve managed to identify Tgurneu’s. If you’ll give me a moment, I’ll analyze it in detail.” Rolonia licked the whip and the cloth in turn. Apparently, she was examining the remnants of Tgurneu’s blood clinging to them both. 
“You can learn stuff by doing that?” asked Fremy. 
“Blood contains a wide variety of information, from what the creature ate to their physical attributes and their personal history. I can learn most things about them by licking their blood.” Rolonia alternated between the whip and the cloth for a while and then closed her eyes and reflected. “I understand now.” 
“Understand what?” 
“First of all, Tgurneu is a mixed-type fiend—one that absorbs other fiends in order to make itself stronger. The base of its body is a lizard-fiend, but that’s just the foundation. It seems that its entire strength originates from the other fiends.” 
“That’s quite impressive,” said Fremy. “But I knew that, too.” 
“The base is fused together with seven other fiends,” Rolonia continued. “First, it gained its physical strength by fusing with a giant ape-fiend. It also fused with an octopus-fiend in order to acquire the power to stretch and contract its arms. A crow-fiend gave it sharp sight, and a dog-fiend gave it powerful hearing and a sense of smell. And then a swan-fiend gave it agility…” Rolonia closed her eyes as she continued to analyze Tgurneu’s blood. “This is amazing. Tgurneu has absorbed a primitive amphibian-fiend to gain incredible powers of regeneration. There’s also a snake-fiend that contributed further endurance and strengthened its regenerative abilities. Those are all the different fiends in Tgurneu.” 
Adlet and Fremy met the stream of information pouring out of Rolonia with wide-eyed shock. “I didn’t know that much—not which types of fiends Tgurneu has fused with,” Fremy admitted. 
“Where did you get the ability to do that?” asked Adlet, amazed. 
Rolonia turned her gaze downward shyly. “Um…Lady Mora made me practice licking blood to analyze it. She said it was useful for a lot of things, like healing or counteracting poison. Master Atreau also taught me about fiends, so I thought maybe I could put that to use…” 
Fremy asked Adlet, “Did you know she could do that?” 
“No, this is news to me. Rolonia’s done nothing but surprise me lately,” said Adlet. She responded with a pleased smile. 
Once Adlet, Fremy, and Rolonia entered the cave, Hans and Goldof left the Bud of Eternity to kill the swarming fiends. Mora observed the situation through the earth. The swarms of fiends rushed to attack Hans and Goldof, reacting to their presence immediately. 
“Mya-meow. You clean up the small fry, Goldof. I’ll kill the biggest critters,” Mora heard Hans say. Her powers enabled her not only to see from a distance but also to hear. 
The sun had fully set, and the red tint on the edge of the mountain was now gone. It was their first night in the Howling Vilelands. The light of the moon and stars illuminated Mora and her comrades. This is bound to be a tumultuous night , she considered. There was a large number of fiends in the area she could observe. Once the enemies learned it was time to fight, they began streaming toward Hans and Goldof. 
“Hans, five approach from the east, and ten from the south.” Mora modulated her echo ability so that the sound would only reverberate near Hans. This way, the fiends would not hear her. 
“Goldof, once we’re done cleanin’ things up here, run straight north. It’ll be a pain in the ass if we get surrounded,” Hans instructed. The two of them quickly finished off the cluster of fiends and went on the move. At this rate, it looked like there was nothing to worry about as she continued tracking the battle from afar. 
Then her gaze happened to shift to the side, where she saw Chamo plunging her foxtail down her throat, spewing up a few slave-fiends. “And what are you doing, Chamo?” 
“You don’t need to help, Auntie. Chamo can do this alone.” The slave-fiends left the Bud of Eternity’s barrier. 
Mora observed them with her powers. For a moment, she thought they were heading out to fight the fiends, but then one dragged a pika from its hole. The others went on to capture squirrels, field mice, and more, carrying them back in their mouths. 
“There, there. You’re all such good little guys.” When her creatures returned, Chamo petted their heads, then sank her teeth into the wild animals they had brought her. One after another she downed the kills, splattering her lips bright red. 
“…That girl mystifies me.” Mora didn’t understand what the Saint of Swamps was trying to do, but surely, she had her own plan in mind. Mora decided to leave her be. 
Meanwhile, it seemed all the fiends were now aware of Hans and Goldof’s assault. The mountain was a flurry of activity, and she could hear the fiends that could talk speak to one another. 
“They made their möve.” 
“Trying to rün?” 
“No, just two attàcking.” 
Perhaps listening in on them could help her figure out their plan. Mora stayed alert, listening intently. There was much to do. She could not let her focus weaken for the whole night. 
“But where is Tgurneu?” She scanned the mountain multiple times, but there was no sign of the commander anywhere and no sign of any fiends going to it to receive instruction. What was that fiend doing, and where was it? 
“Don’t let them éscape.” 
“Just two enémies. Just Hans and Goldof.” The fiends didn’t mention Tgurneu, either. 
Tgurneu couldn’t possibly continue to just do nothing. It would act. Perhaps it was already done setting the stage for an attack. 
That was when Rolonia appeared beside Mora. “Pardon me, Lady Mora,” she said. She grabbed her gauntlet, licking it again and again. 
“What is this, all of a sudden?” the Elder asked, startled. 
“I understand, now!” Rolonia cried, and she went back into the cave. 
Mora was baffled. “What are they doing in there?” 
“How’d it go?” Adlet greeted Rolonia when she returned to the cave. 
“There wasn’t much, but there was some of Tgurneu’s blood on Lady Mora’s gauntlet, too.” 
“Did you learn anything?” he asked her. 
“There was a Saint’s Blood in it. Enough that I could tell from just one lick.” 
“I see.” So the poison had permeated Tgurneu’s body, after all. That eliminated the possibility that the Saint’s Spike had failed to hit its target. “Rolonia, can you determine the composition of Tgurneu’s body from its blood, too?” 
“Yes, generally.” 
“Is there a core inside its body?” 
“There is. I could tell that quite clearly from the taste.” 
“How many?” 
“Just one,” she replied. Adlet made a sour look. “Unfortunately, I don’t know why the Saint’s blood didn’t work. I’m sorry, Addy. I want to do a better job, but…” Rolonia’s shoulders drooped. 
“What the hell’re you talking about? We’re so close to solving the puzzle. How could the strongest man in the world get this much information and then not solve it?” Of course, this was all hot air. Adlet was worried. He was glad to have Rolonia’s analysis—but it had only deepened the mystery. 
Adlet had posited a few possible solutions to the riddle of Tgurneu. For example, there was a kind of fiend known as division-type, which could split its own body into pieces to make subsidiary units. It could be that Tgurneu was a division-type fiend that had split its body into two or more parts. It would hide the main unit—the one that contained the core—somewhere else, and then use the other part, which contained no core, to attack them. That hypothesis would explain why the Saint’s poison hadn’t worked. If there was no core inside the body, then the Saint’s poison would have no effect. 
But Rolonia’s examination forced him to reject that possibility. There was a core within Tgurneu’s body, so it was not a division-type fiend. The theory had been shaky to begin with, anyhow. The subsidiary units that division-type fiends could create were only lower-level animals or parasites. An auxiliary could not possibly be as powerful as Tgurneu. 
Adlet had had one other hypothesis: Tgurneu could be a number of fiends merged into one that pretended to be a single being. The head, torso, arms, and legs were all different, independent fiends. Only one had been killed by the Saint’s Spike, while the head and other parts had survived. But this, too, didn’t hold water in light of Rolonia’s analysis. Tgurneu was a single, mixed-type fiend, with only one core inside its body. Adlet was forced to discard this idea, as well. 
So that left one final possibility—that Rolonia was mistaken. But she was such a timid and cautious person, he found it highly unlikely that she would bring forth anything if she wasn’t sure about it. He could trust her analysis. 
“So that disproves both your division-type theory and your fused fiends theory. Can you think of anything else, Adlet?” asked Fremy. Apparently she had been thinking the same thing he had. Adlet shook his head. “Now we understand the situation even less. If Rolonia’s analysis is correct, that means Tgurneu has no hidden powers.” 
“I-I’m sorry.” 
No need for her to apologize , he thought. 
“Rolonia, leave us alone for a minute,” Fremy requested. 
“Huh?” The sudden demand confused the other two. 
“Now.” 
“O-okay. I’ll go right now. Sorry,” Rolonia said, rushing out of the cave. Fremy glanced outside, checking to see that there was no one listening. 
“What’s this about all of a sudden, Fremy?” 
“Do you believe what she said?” She glared at him. 
“Of course. She’s got our only clue to figuring out what happened with Tgurneu.” 
“You’re the one who deduced the seventh would try to protect Tgurneu, aren’t you? Rolonia may be trying to lead you in the wrong direction.” 
“You don’t know that.” 
“I’m saying it’s a possibility.” 
“And I’ve taken that into account. But until we know for sure that she’s the enemy, I’m gonna trust her.” 
“You’re not being careful enough!” Her voice rose to a yell. Rolonia peered into the cave from the outside, and Fremy ordered her away with a gesture. “You need to be more cautious. Be on your guard with the others. At this rate, you’re going to be deceived and end up dead.” 
“If the seventh comes for me, they’re just playing into my hands. I’m the strongest man in the world.” 
Fremy’s expression betrayed anger and the slightest hint of sadness, and Adlet couldn’t tell what she was thinking. “You’re not the strongest in the world.” 
“What did you say?” 
“You’re weaker than me. In fact, you’re the weakest of all seven of us. Drop the ego and know your limits.” 
Adlet believed he was the strongest man in the world. He had conviction. If he were to stop believing in himself, then he wouldn’t be Adlet anymore. “I’m the strongest man in the world. I will kill the Evil God. I’m not scared of the seventh. I’ll protect you and the rest of us. Everyone.” Fremy didn’t say anything. She just shook her head sadly. “I’ve got something to say to you, too. You need to trust your allies more. It’s like you see everyone but me as your enemy.” 
“Because I do. As far as I’m concerned, they are. As long as we don’t know who the impostor is, what else should I think?” 
“You’re going about this wrong. If we don’t trust our own allies and cooperate with one another, then we can’t beat the Evil God. The one who’ll really benefit from that loss of solidarity is the seventh.” 
Fremy didn’t move. She just stared at Adlet. “No. I’ve had enough of trying to trust these people.” 
“You’re so—” 
“If you would let me, I’d kill all of them but you. Then I wouldn’t have to think about the seventh anymore.” 
“Fremy!” At the conclusion of their battle with Nashetania, Adlet had thought they had come to an understanding. But maybe that had all been in his head. He felt a gigantic rift between the two of them. Belief and trust in the other were beyond them, and it had always been like that. An ache stirred in his chest. 
“Rolonia, you can come back. Let’s think about Tgurneu.” To distract himself from his irritation, Adlet called over the other girl. 
“What happened?” asked Rolonia. “You two looked really serious.” 
“It wasn’t that serious,” said Adlet. “Just a pointless waste of time.” 
Fremy revealed no reaction. She looked away from Adlet and stared at the ground. 
The three resumed their discussion, beginning with a question from Adlet. “Rolonia, does Tgurneu actually not have any hidden powers?” 
“It does not. I can tell that quite clearly. Tgurneu is not hiding any abilities at all. If it did have any other powers, I should be able to tell by licking its blood.” 
“So in other words, Tgurneu’s powers are…” 
“Amazing physical strength, vitality, regenerative abilities, and a flexible and tough body. That’s all,” said Rolonia. 
That meant Tgurneu did not have the power to counteract Saints’ blood. “So then it wasn’t Tgurneu’s power that nullified the Saint’s poison? Should we assume that someone else used some kind of power to protect it?” suggested Adlet. 
“But Tgurneu was the only one there,” countered Rolonia. 
“We can’t know that,” said Fremy. “There could have been someone else hiding underground. Another fiend…or a Saint.” 
“A Saint?” Rolonia was shocked. 
“That’s obviously something we should consider,” said Adlet. “Nashetania betrayed us, so it’s surely plausible that another Saint could be a traitor.” 
“Maybe so, but…” 
Fremy sighed. “Isn’t it Mora’s job to supervise the Saints? What was going on with her management?” 
“L-Lady Mora couldn’t be responsible for—” 
“I’m not attacking Mora. I’m just whining,” Fremy said coldly. 
Rolonia’s shoulders drooped. “Maybe it’s my fault.” 
“Why would it be?” asked Adlet. 
“Because Lady Mora spent all her time training me. And she was putting a lot of effort into her own training, too…so while she was busy teaching me to fight, she left the management of the Saints to others. If I were just better…” 
“You really want to make everything your own fault, don’t you?” Fremy complained. “It’s obnoxious. Cut it out.” 
“I-I’m sorry.” Rolonia wilted even further. 
After that, the discussion continued for quite a while. The three Braves shared opinions on what kind of power might render Saints’ blood ineffective. Adlet summoned all the knowledge that Atreau had given him, Fremy brought up the names and powers of fiends that she knew, and Rolonia drew from her scant knowledge of the Saints to consider their powers. 
But they failed to reach a conclusion. They just rejected one possibility after another, unable to figure out why the Saint’s poison had failed. 
Hans and Goldof’s battle with the fiends continued. They had shaved down the horde by about twenty under Mora’s remote observation. 
“Goldöf went to yöu!” 
“Stinkíng Hans, die, die! Eat yöu up!” 
As the fiends tried to surround Hans, Mora listened to their loud conversation and telegraphed her instructions with the power of the mountains. “Hans, at this rate, they’ll have you surrounded. Head for the peak for now and then circle around to the western side.” 
“Yeah, meow ! Run, Goldof! Follow me!” The two of them sprinted off, cutting down monsters as they went. 
Hans was so powerful, simply watching him fight was enchanting. He had to be the most outstanding member of the party, excepting Chamo. And even more startling than his abilities was the accuracy of his situational analysis. Even with Mora’s support, it should have been next to impossible to continue fighting without ending up surrounded. Plus, it was dark, and they weren’t able to use lights. 
Goldof was strong, too. He was following Hans’s directions, in no danger as he fought. For this battle, at least, it seemed Mora had no need for concern. 
“Goldof, if yer gettin’ tired, ya tell me, meow . Can ya still fight?” 
The knight didn’t even shake his head. Still as sulky as ever. 
“Hans, once the situation calms down, could you investigate the situation beyond the mountain? The reach of my powers is limited to this one alone,” said Mora. 
“Meow. ” Hans and Goldof headed to the summit, and from the top, they looked down at the foot of their stronghold. “Don’t see no lights, meow . Don’t look like a big herd is comin’, either.” 
“I see. Understood. Continue your battle.” Mora was impatient. She still hadn’t caught sight of Tgurneu. At this rate, she would be unable to use her barrier to trap the fiend. What on earth are you doing? Mora silently cursed Tgurneu. Why weren’t the commander and the seventh making their move? And what had it meant when it said she only had two more days? Doubts kept popping up in her mind one after another, and the answers refused to show themselves. 
“…” 
Mora had one concern that had been on her mind ever since the party had been trapped inside the Phantasmal Barrier—did the seventh know about Mora and Tgurneu’s secret agreement? Tgurneu had said that it wouldn’t speak of their contract to anyone, but if someone had been eavesdropping on that conversation, that was another story. And though Mora’s promise had been conditional, she had nevertheless promised to kill one of her allies. If this was found out, the Braves would surely suspect her. Fremy might try to kill her on the spot. Even if Mora wasn’t immediately killed, the rest of the group would no longer believe anything she said. To make it worse, she had made grave mistakes during their battle within the Phantasmal Barrier and lost much of her allies’ trust. This was the perfect opportunity for the seventh. But there was no sign that her contract with Tgurneu would be exposed, and aside from Fremy, none of the group strongly suspected Mora. 
What was the impostor after—and what was Tgurneu after? 
“Mora, which way should we go? Are ya sleepin’?” From the summit, Hans asked Mora what to do. 
Flustered, she stopped mulling over her situation and scanned the area with her powers, giving them instructions. “Descend the mountain and circle around to the south side. The fiends’ forces there are thin.” 
“Meow , ma’am.” 
That was when, in the back of Mora’s mind, a tiny spark of an idea was born—but she quickly discarded the possibility. 
It couldn’t be. Mora herself couldn’t possibly be the seventh. 
They must have been discussing their situation for around two hours, and the trio was running out of things to say. They had run through every possible ability that could have stopped the Saint’s poison after it permeated Tgurneu’s body. They had also spent a long time considering what the creature may have been hiding from Fremy, but she had simply not been exposed to enough information to pin down its secret. 
The air between them was heavy. Adlet, Rolonia, and Fremy looked at one another. “Maybe we should change tacks,” Adlet said, unable to stand how circular the conversation had become. 
“How?” asked Fremy. 
“Instead of asking what kind of power could block the poison, we ask if there was anything odd about Tgurneu’s behavior. Let’s think about that.” 
Fremy and Rolonia did not react with enthusiasm. “Everything Tgurneu does is odd,” said Rolonia. “It popped out from underground, talked about how greetings are the first step of something-or-other and complained about my ‘foul language’…” 
She was right. “Has Tgurneu always been like that, Fremy?” Adlet questioned. 
“Oh, yes. ‘Greetings are the first step toward living a bright life.’ That’s what it always said. If its vassals failed to greet it properly, Tgurneu would get mad.” 
What the hell is with that fiend? wondered Adlet. “And what was that mouth on its chest? Is that like its storage closet or something?” 
“That’s right. Tgurneu would put lots of different things in there.” 
“What was inside?” asked Rolonia. 
“Tgurneu often kept memo books and writing tools in there, and a compass and a map…and candy and toys made by humans, too.” 
“It sounds like it’s nothing but mundane things in there,” said Rolonia. 
That was when Adlet remembered—among Tgurneu’s many bizarre actions, there was one thing in particular that had stuck out. “Hey…why did Tgurneu have a fig?” 
“?” 
“Fiends don’t have to eat very often, right? So why was Tgurneu walking around with food?” 
“It ate unusually frequently. It told me that it was just innately hungry more often than regular fiends.” 
“Is that true, Rolonia?” 
“That its body made it eat more often? I couldn’t really say…” 
Adlet thought back to when Tgurneu had appeared in Adlet’s village, eight years ago. Back then, it had taken a seat at a table to speak with the villagers—and for some reason, there had been a large volume of food on that table, too. “Maybe there’s a secret behind that fig.” 
“The fig?” Fremy echoed dubiously. 
“What did Tgurneu normally eat?” 
“Anything. Humans, animals, fruits and vegetables—fruit in particular quite frequently. Tgurneu would make the captured humans grow it, which it then carried in the mouth in its chest.” 
“It ate fruit, huh?” 
“I could tell that from tasting its blood before. Tgurneu really does eat anything,” said Rolonia. “Like figs, and animal meat, too, and grass and things. And…” Partway through, Rolonia hesitated. “It also ate fiends.” 
Adlet was shocked, but Fremy seemed unfazed. “Yes, Tgurneu eats fiends,” she said. “It would eat useless, low-level types, and also those it suspected of being loyal to Dozzu. Tgurneu said it made it stronger.” 
“It even eats its own kind… Sickening.” A fiend that ate ravenously. That part stuck in Adlet’s mind. But what did that imply? He couldn’t say if it meant anything at all. But the thing had pulled a fig from the mouth on its chest and eaten it. That just didn’t strike Adlet as an inconsequential act. “…Tgurneu wasn’t described as a big eater in the old records, though,” Adlet commented absently. 
“Old records?” Fremy seemed curious. 
“You don’t know about Barnah’s Chronicle of War ? It’s a historical document written by a survivor.” 
“I’ve never even heard of it. Does Tgurneu make an appearance in it?” 
Adlet nodded. Anyone who aspired to be a Brave of the Six Flowers would have read Barnah’s Chronicle of War . 
“I’ve read it, too.” Rolonia raised her hand. 
“Heroic King Folmar was cool, wasn’t he?” said Adlet. “Especially in that scene where he accepts Zophrair’s challenge to fight one-on-one.” 
“My favorite was Pruka, Saint of Fire. Though she was the first of the six to die.” Adlet and Rolonia began chatting away. 
Fremy interrupted. “I’m curious. What does it say about Tgurneu?” 
“Tgurneu’s name isn’t mentioned directly,” said Adlet. “There’s just a fiend among Archfiend Zophrair’s underlings that was described as looking just like Tgurneu.” 
“Archfiend Zophrair?” 
She doesn’t know about that, either? Adlet was surprised. “Zophrair was in the first Battle of the Six Flowers. They say it used to rule over all the fiends, ranking second to the Evil God. The author of the Chronicle , Barnah, gave it the name Archfiend .” 
“Such a fiend existed? I had no idea,” said Fremy. 
“You know how the first generation of Braves came to the Howling Vilelands by boat, approaching from the western side?” Adlet began. “They distracted the fiends and disembarked at a vulnerable point where the enemy defenses were thin. Then they headed straight for the Weeping Hearth, taking them by surprise. The Archfiend Zophrair and its twenty-two underlings stood in their way. 
“Apparently Zophrair looked quite bizarre,” he continued. “It had the wings of a peacock, something like a cross between a bird and a cat. Barnah said that it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his whole life.” 
“You sound like you know all about it,” said Fremy. 
“I’ve read Barnah’s Chronicle of War so many times, I’ve memorized it. Let me continue. Zophrair had unique powers. Barnah described it as a controller-type.” 
“What kind of powers did it have?” 
“The power to control other fiends. When Zophrair’s minions fought the Braves of the Six Flowers, they were perfectly coordinated. They didn’t talk to each other or look at each other; they were just flawlessly in sync. And the Chronicle says that no matter how many times Zophrair’s twenty-two minions were killed, they revived again. As long as Zophrair was alive, none of them would fall.” 
“What’s a controller-type?” 
“Zophrair didn’t give orders. It apparently just assumed complete power over its minions. They forfeited their wills to become a part of their overlord. What we know is that Zophrair gave a portion of its own flesh to its minions. It was by giving them its flesh that it could command them. That’s the ‘controller-type’ power. Though that last part was really just a hypothesis on the part of Barnah—the author of the Chronicle .” 
“Apparently, Zophrair also had the ability to strengthen its subordinates,” Rolonia said, supplementing his explanation. “The moment Zophrair died, its minions were radically weakened.” 
“So then what happened?” 
Adlet continued. “Three of the Six Braves held Zophrair in check while the rest of them went straight to the Weeping Hearth and defeated the Evil God. After that, Zophrair challenged Heroic King Folmar, the leader of the Braves, to single combat. Folmar accepted the challenge, and after a fierce struggle, they both died.” 
“…” 
“Zophrair doesn’t appear in the records left by the second generation of the Braves of the Six Flowers,” he continued, “and neither do any fiends with the same ability. Zophrair was the only controller-type fiend, one worthy of being dubbed the Archfiend.” 
“Where does Tgurneu come into this?” asked Fremy. 
“A fiend that resembled Tgurneu was among Zophrair’s minions. Other Braves left a number of their own records aside from Barnah’s Chronicle of War , but his is the only one that mentions Tgurneu.” 
“What did it do in this Chronicle ?” 
“Not much,” Adlet replied. “Fought with the Six Braves, lost, and went down. That’s all.” 
“I didn’t know any of this. This is nothing like what I was told about the old Battles of the Six Flowers. I’ve never heard of the Archfiend Zophrair.” 
That’s odd , thought Adlet. Zophrair was, unquestionably, the most powerful fiend that had ever lived. Judging from their earlier fight, Adlet didn’t think Tgurneu was equally strong. Wouldn’t stories of a creature that powerful have been passed down to later generations of fiends? “You didn’t know about the old battles?” 
“I’ve heard about them, but what I heard was entirely different from what you’ve just told me. I heard that in the first Battle of the Six Flowers, no one led the horde. Tgurneu said they attacked the Braves in disarray and were defeated.” 
“That’s weird.” Tgurneu had clearly been hiding from Fremy the fact that Zophrair had ever existed. But to what end? There were so many things that stuck out here. The food. The greetings. Concealing information about Zophrair. But how was that connected to the enigma of Tgurneu? It was all too obscure. Nothing came to him. “It looks like we just have to go back there.” Adlet was referring to the hill where Tgurneu had attacked them. If they hurried, they could make it in about half an hour. 
“That would be difficult,” Fremy countered. “We’re surrounded. And if there’s actually some kind of clue there, Tgurneu would come try to stop us.” 
Since they still couldn’t solve the mystery, Adlet wanted to avoid another altercation with Tgurneu. They might not be able to escape a second time. But they still had to think of a way to return to that hill—if any clues did exist, they’d find them there. 
“I’ll go. You two stay here,” said Fremy as she got to her feet. 
“You plan to go alone?” asked Adlet. 
“It’s easier that way. I won’t have any distractions.” 
“You can’t. I’ll go, too. You come with us, Rolonia.” 
“Your injuries still haven’t completely healed,” argued Fremy. “And Rolonia is out of the question. I can’t go with someone who could be an enemy.” 
But then—Mora’s cry reached them from outside. “Tgurneu is here!” 
Together, the three dashed out of the cave.