Rokka no Yuusha - Volume 4 - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 
Once Again with a Friend 

“Dummy, dummy, dummy, dummy, dummy!” Chamo yelled on and on as she fought the Dead Host. 
Just like Rolonia , thought Goldof. 
With each swipe of Chamo’s pointer finger, the slave-fiends she had deployed all around moved in a well-coordinated manner. They fought off the Dead Host’s attack, destroying their defensive formation with volleys of acid and poison. “What’s Adlet thinking?! Chamo’s gonna kill that moo-head!” she yelled. 
Once again, the three humans and one fiend were charging the Dead Host guarding specialist number nine. They were already very close to the mountain where Fremy and Mora lay in wait. This was no longer a time for planning. They just had to plunge straight ahead. 
The status quo wasn’t an easy one to work with. Rolonia aside—she’d been basically useless anyway—Adlet’s absence had left a large hole. Goldof had to fight that much harder to make up for it, and he charged in headlong, scattering their enemies. He’d analyzed the Dead Host’s patterns somewhat, and he predicted their movements as the deft manipulations of his spear brought him close to number nine. 
“Doggy! If you come any closer, Chamo’s gonna kill you!” Chamo was yelling from behind Goldof. Dozzu, who’d been backing Goldof’s charge with lightning strikes, panicked and ran. She really might do it. 
As Goldof battled the Dead Host, he paid special attention to everything Nashetania and Dozzu did. As Adlet had said, there was a chance the two of them would use this opportunity to kill Chamo. Goldof was the only one there to protect her. He was doing this for Chamo, but at the same time he was doing this for Nashetania, too. 
Nashetania summoned blades from the ground, smiling as if to assuage his fears. “Haah!” She divided the enemy’s formation with her blades, and Goldof took advantage of the opportunity to plunge forward again. 
As the clash wore on, Goldof wondered if Rolonia was safe. Adlet had just run after her. As long as he was with her, the two of them would probably avoid the worst. But Goldof was also forced to acknowledge the possibility that Adlet was the seventh. 
What was Hans doing? Were Fremy and Mora safe? Where was Tgurneu now? Goldof felt like his head would explode. There were too many things to worry about. 
“Raaagh!” Whatever the case, they still had to push specialist number nine to the mountain. He’d worry about Rolonia after. 
Adlet broke into a sprint, running through ideas of how he could seek out the corpse with a memo on its right arm. 
Behind him, Hans said, “Hrmeow , you serious, Adlet?” 
“Yeah, I’m serious. One of the Dead Host is alive, and they know about Tgurneu’s secret weapon.” 
“Meow , I can’t believe it,” said Hans. And indeed, common sense would lead one to believe it was unlikely. 
Adlet explained, “I saw letters carved into a tree trunk. They were messy and barely legible, just like the message on that corpse. Who wrote it? It wasn’t one of us. It wasn’t a fiend. It had to be written by a Dead Host.” 
“Meow… ” Hans seemed skeptical. 
“You didn’t see it all, so you wouldn’t know, but the enemy was fixated on doing one thing: leading Rolonia to that cave. Nothing about a corpse with a message on its arm came up in their story. Don’t you think that’s weird?” 
“Meowbe, but…” 
The question was whether Adlet trusted what Rolonia had said or not, and he judged that he could believe her. She’d fallen for a trap that had unquestionably nearly gotten her killed. If Hans hadn’t made it in time, she certainly would have died. She couldn’t be the seventh. Most importantly, she’d been doing it all for him. How could he not trust her? 
“Meowkay, then. I’ll go along with yer decision,” said Hans. 
Adlet looked at Rolonia. “Rolonia, you can save one of the Dead Host, right?” 
“I think…I can do it,” she replied. “If their heart isn’t dead yet, then… No, I know I can do it.” 
They still had some time before Tgurneu’s forces would reach the Fainting Mountains. It should still be possible to find the corpse in question before they took down specialist number nine and reached the Temple of Fate. 
Adlet was also worried about Chamo after abandoning her amid Dozzu and its allies. But Goldof would protect her. Besides, he doubted she would go down easy, even against both Nashetania and Dozzu. They had to prioritize finding this unique Dead Host. 
“All right, let’s say yer right.” Hans spread his arms. “How do we find this thing?” 
They heard the shrieks of the Dead Host ahead, and then three corpses appeared in front of them. Hans pounced on them as if dancing while Adlet and Rolonia readied their weapons. 
Suddenly, something strange happened. All three of them flung their heads back in perfect synchronization, as if they’d just been hit by lightning. They wailed, writhing in agony. Meanwhile, screams rose from here and there all around the forest. 
“What the heck?” said Hans, glancing around warily. But Adlet immediately understood what had happened. 
The others had killed specialist number nine. 
“Raaaaaagh!” A charging corpse slammed into Goldof’s armor as he attacked. The knight let the impact of the next hit roll through him, using his opponent’s strength to launch it backward. The corpse crashed into the other behind it. 
Realizing it was in danger, specialist number nine turned tail and ran. Goldof was chuckling on the inside. They’d made it to the mountain where Fremy was. Now they just had to wait for their sniper to make her shot and ensure that specialist number nine never found out about the ambush. Then it would be over. 
But Goldof turned around and yelled back, “Highness…please leave this to me…and get back! Chamo, too!” 
He was warning them back because he was wary of Fremy’s fire. She could be the seventh, targeting any of her inattentive allies after disabling Mora. Goldof was confident he could block a shot from Fremy, and he didn’t care if Dozzu died. 
“Understood, Goldof,” said Nashetania. 
“Why’re you giving orders?” Chamo grumbled. 
The two of them retreated from the front line, as directed. Dozzu gave Goldof a look and nodded. It seemed to understand what Goldof was doing. Now they just had to wait for Fremy to shoot. The success of the operation was hanging on both her skill and her loyalties. 
Mora was with Fremy, lying low in the thicket on the slope of the mountain. They could see out over its entire northern foot, and they could hear Chamo, Dozzu, and the others engaged in combat, too. 
With her clairvoyance, Mora was aware of every occurance on that small foothill. When Adlet and Rolonia had been helping to fight specialist number nine, no Dead Host had been nearby, but now there were a number of corpses searching the area. 
“Mora. Don’t move. You’ll be seen,” cautioned Fremy. 
The two of them were seated, huddled together. While waiting for their prey’s arrival, they had dug a hole in the ground, covering the area with leaves and tree branches to hide themselves. This sort of camouflage was Fremy’s field of specialty. If the two of them were to be discovered now, the entire plan would come to nothing. Keeping her breathing quiet, Mora kept her supernatural eye focused. 
Chamo’s and Goldof’s attacks had driven most of the Dead Host to retreat onto this mountain, but Mora had yet to see any fiend resembling number nine. 
“This is odd,” Fremy muttered. “Adlet isn’t with them, and neither is Rolonia.” 
Their allies still weren’t within Mora’s range. Mora peered through the gaps in the trees into the distance. She couldn’t see clearly, but the number of combatants did seem low. “Has something occurred? It couldn’t be that the seventh…” 
“If anything big happened, Adlet would have thrown a flash grenade and smoke bomb to let us know the operation is off. At the very least, he’s chosen to continue the battle,” said Fremy. 
“Then what is it?” 
“I don’t know. We’ll just have to ask the others.” They had to complete their mission as soon as possible. 
That was when Mora’s clairvoyance picked up a gnarled bug-fiend. Mora was certain that was their target. “There it is,” she said. Her hands were clenched into sweaty fists. 
By contrast, Fremy’s face was the picture of calm. “Direction and course?” 
“Straight ahead of our position, about twenty degrees to the left. It’s proceeding up the mountain in a nearly straight line.” 
“Its surroundings?” Gun still in hand, Fremy silently closed her eyes. She wasn’t taking aim yet. 
“Fifteen of the Dead Host are close enough around it that they could link arms, and specialist number nine is at the center. Around fifty more corpses surround them. It’s entirely walled-in. The slave-fiends are trying to get close, but the Dead Host is preventing them.” 
“Where’s number nine located within its formation?” Fremy asked. 
“Nearly in the center, or just a touch behind that.” 
“Which direction is it looking?” 
Mora focused every ounce of her powers to closely observe number nine and found compound eyes on the part that was most likely its head. She pinpointed where those eyes were facing. “At Goldof. The fiend is wary of our young knight’s attacks.” 
“That’s enough,” Fremy said, and then she pushed the muzzle of her gun out of the brush. 
Mora was surprised. She intends to take it out in one shot? The fiend was surrounded by walls of the Dead Host with no unobstructed line of fire. 
Fremy plucked a hair from her head and flicked it away, telling Mora quietly that she was checking the wind. “When Goldof charges again, say ‘now ,’” she said. 
Goldof was still outside Mora’s range of observation. She poked her head out of the thicket, checking on their fighting allies. Goldof’s black armor was particularly conspicuous. He was yelling, breaking the Dead Host’s ranks as he pushed toward number nine. 
“Now,” said Mora. 
A breath later, Fremy fired. 
With her clairvoyance, Mora saw number nine’s reaction to Goldof’s shout, pushing its face just slightly above the walls of Dead Host. In that instant, Fremy shot it through its head. 
All of the Dead Host stopped, screaming and writhing in agony. Not a single one was left standing. 
“Looks like a success.” Fremy loaded a new bullet. “Perfectly assisted. That’s what made it so easy.” 
“Indeed. But let’s go now and convene with the others. I’m concerned about Adlet and Rolonia.” 
Chamo seemed to have recognized that the fight was over, as she was waving in Mora and Fremy’s direction. The pair got up and dashed down the mountain slope. 
Even with his right arm and both legs torn off, death had yet to visit Rainer. His shoulder had already stopped bleeding. The parasite on the back of his neck apparently had the power to fortify its host’s vitality. The Dead Host wouldn’t even be granted a peaceful death. As Rainer’s consciousness dimmed due to the overwhelming pain, he simply wondered why he’d failed. He’d managed to gain intelligence about the devastating weapon, so how could he have failed to pass it on to the Braves? 
What…will happen to the Braves? Was the world coming to an end, then? Or would the Braves conquer even the Black Barrenbloom and reach victory? Either way, it still meant that Rainer’s long fight had brought about nothing. Please, Braves…fight. Protect the world. Protect my friend. 
Rainer wondered where he had gone wrong, what else he could have done. But he couldn’t hit upon anything, so he gave up his ruminations. It’s all over. I can relax now. He hadn’t been a Brave. He’d just been an insignificant, ordinary human. Perhaps he’d known that full well all along. 
He felt a bolt of agony in the back of his neck. His mouth decided to let out a cry of pain with or without him, and his body began thrashing. On the fringes of his vision, he could see the other Dead Host corpses in torment. He immediately understood what had happened. The Braves of the Six Flowers had killed the fiend controlling them. He understood also that he would die soon. He knew his own body well. 
Rainer realized he could move his left arm. Specialist number nine’s death must have affected his body. But that didn’t matter anymore. Now that he’d lost the writing on his right arm, the Braves of the Six Flowers would never find him. 
The forest was filled with the moans of the Dead Host. Adlet, Rolonia, and Hans paused, listening to the sounds. Cold sweat beaded on their foreheads. 
“I knew they’d pull it off. But I wish they’d waited a bit longer,” Adlet muttered. What bad timing. If what Dozzu had said were true, then in a mere fifteen minutes all of the Dead Host would expire. Would the one who knew about Tgurneu’s secret weapon survive after number nine’s death? Adlet didn’t know, but it seemed unlikely. 
“We have to find him fast, or we’ll lose our chance to learn what he knows,” said Rolonia. 
“Though he might’ve already kicked the bucket a while back neow,” said Hans. 
Rolonia was about to run off when Adlet called out to stop her. “Wait! Searching at random isn’t gonna work!” 
“Yeah, mew got any leads?” asked Hans. 
Adlet leaped into the tallest nearby tree and clambered up to the top. From there, he looked out over everything he could see. He looked hard to see if the one who knew about Tgurneu’s weapon had left any clues. Had he tossed up some cloth like before? Was there anything else? Even the smallest thing would do. Adlet prayed for him to please leave some kind of clue. 
But he couldn’t find anything. 
“What do I do?” Finding just one of the Dead Host among all the corpses scattered throughout this huge forest in only fifteen minutes…was clearly impossible. 
Adlet considered sending Chamo’s slave-fiends out to search, but they’d run out of time before they even made it to Chamo to explain the situation. “Chamo! Fremy! Mora! Goldof! Can you hear me?!” Adlet yelled. “Look for a corpse with writing on its right arm!” But the forest full of moaning cadavers made quite a din. No matter how he yelled, they would never hear him. 
Adlet’s brain was whirling. He had to assume that both the cloth and the tree carvings were signs left by this potential informant. That person had been there just a little while ago, and those were the only clues. Could he figure out where they were based on such tenuous clues? 
“…No. Don’t ask whether you can do it or not.” He could do it. That was what he would believe. If I’m the strongest man in the world, then it’s possible. 
Up a tree, Adlet frantically racked his brains. 
Rainer’s body twisted as moans poured continuously from his mouth. Around him, the other fallen corpses writhed in the same manner. But Rainer’s heart was quiet. Incoherent thoughts wandered about his brain. He’d once heard that memories of the past come back like this when someone is about to die. 
What he recalled was his home village. His first love, Schetra Mayer. Even now, eight years after her death, he could still remember her vividly—her cheerful smile, the warmth he felt just by being beside her. He remembered the small festival in the village square in the fall when the harvest was over, and the times they’d sung together. They’d performed the same songs every year, never getting tired of them. He hadn’t sung once since coming to the Howling Vilelands. 
He saw the faces of the villagers Tgurneu had deceived. Not a single one of them had been a wicked person. It was fear that had driven them to kill Schetra and nearly kill him. Tgurneu had manipulated them into that foolish task. Rainer didn’t hate them. He was just sad. 
Then he recalled Adlet and the childish face he’d had eight years ago. He’d be eighteen now. But Rainer just couldn’t picture him as an adult. I want to see him , thought Rainer. I want to see him again. 
“Addy! We have to go look now!” Rolonia was calling to him from the base of the tree. Adlet didn’t reply to her. He desperately kept working through the problem. 
What he knew for sure was that the one they were looking for could write and throw cloth. Based on that, Adlet hypothesized that the person probably couldn’t move on their own. If they could have, they would have come to the Braves the moment the battle began. All this person had been able to do was carve messages and fling cloth. 
Another hypothesis presented itself: The informant had been trying to write, don’t be fooled —in other words, they’d known that Rolonia was walking into a trap. They’d been chasing her. If they had been close, they would have thrown that cloth at her, not up in the air. So that meant they had been pretty far from her. 
“Rolonia!” Adlet yelled. “Were there any Dead Host chasing you before you came to the cave?” 
“There were! Yes, there were!” she called back. 
“What happened to them?” 
“I shook off most of them!” 
“Did any of the ones you defeated have writing on them?” 
“N-no…I don’t think so!” Rolonia replied, though she was hesitant. 
Adlet followed the logical path further. So what had the informant done after Rolonia had escaped them? He thought back on all the things he’d seen the Dead Host do. One possibility was that they had joined in the fight over where number nine had been. Adlet had seen hordes of them running in that direction. Or they might have chased Adlet. Dozens of corpses had been after him. That was the most likely. The last possibility was that he had been held off by Chamo’s slave-fiends. 
It had to be one of those three. If the informant had joined in to fight against Goldof, Dozzu, and the others, they would be in the southern area of the forest. If they’d been chasing Adlet, they’d be in this area. And if they had been fighting the slave-fiends, they’d be on the western side of the forest. 
“Remember!” Adlet muttered. He scoured his memory for clues. Had any of the Dead Host chasing them had writing on their right arm? Adlet couldn’t remember. He felt like maybe, maybe not. He’d been totally focused on saving Rolonia, and hadn’t been attentive to the bodies of the Dead Host. 
“Addy!” Rolonia was yelling up at him from below. There wasn’t much time left. He just had to run and think at the same time. Adlet jumped down from the tree and gestured for the other two to follow him. 
He sprinted as fast as he could, gasping for breath. Rolonia couldn’t keep up, and he quickly pulled away from her. Hans, running beside him, whispered, “Adlet, be honest, don’t ya think this is hopeless?” 
Adlet glared at him and said, “You moron. We can’t give up on this.” He could imagine just how painful a struggle this person must have borne. 
Adlet didn’t know how the informant had found out about Tgurneu’s secret weapon, but they’d fought with all their strength to tell them about it. They’d written those messages on the Dead Host and hurled cloth into the air. They’d probably fought desperately just to manage that much. How could the Braves of the Six Flowers fail to respond to such dedication to communicating with them? 
Where in the forest would they search? He couldn’t afford to pick the wrong option. 
Slowly, Rainer’s consciousness dimmed. Bit by bit, his spasming body went limp. Moans were still coming from his mouth, but they were getting gradually quieter. 
Sleep now. Forget everything and sleep , he thought, but that moment, he heard a voice, and it brought him back from the brink of oblivion. 
“Is anyone alive?” 
“Is anyone alive?” Adlet yelled hard enough to make his throat bleed. The site he’d chosen was the western side of the forest, the battlefield with Chamo’s slave-fiends. They had less than five minutes left. 
It was a most trivial lead: a single scrap of cloth he’d found while chasing Rolonia, a fluttering rag, caught on a branch. When he’d first seen it, he hadn’t thought anything of it. It had just appeared in the corner of his vision, and he hadn’t spared it a second thought. But now, he understood. The one who could tell them about the weapon had thrown the fabric. They’d thrown it into the sky as a signal to their whereabouts. 
It wasn’t definitive enough to be called proof. But right now, Adlet had no choice but to bet on it. 
“If anyone’s alive, give me a sign!” he yelled. “Tell me about Tgurneu’s secret weapon!” 
Chamo’s slave-fiends were gone now, but the scene was the picture of hell. The remains of Dead Host that had been slaughtered by slave-fiends were lying everywhere, and those that were still alive writhed and moaned unceasingly. 
Adlet called out to them, checking each of the fallen corpses. He’d lift a right arm, scan for any messages, and then move on to the next one. 
“The secret to a locked-room meowstery, a piece o’ Tgurneu, Nashetania, and now a livin’ Dead Host, huh?” said Hans as he searched right arms for messages like Adlet. “Ever since we came here, we’ve been doin’ nothin’ but look fer stuff,” he griped. Adlet ignored him and continued searching the right arms. 
That was when Adlet found a piece of cloth caught on a tree branch. It wasn’t a natural shape for something ripped off during the fight. So I wasn’t imagining it , he thought. 
Rolonia finally caught up with them. Still panting, she helped search for a body bearing a message. But there were so many on the ground, Chamo’s slave-fiends had been fighting over such a wide area, and they didn’t have enough time left. 
“Are you there? Give us a sign! Is anybody alive?” Adlet yelled. 
But no matter how he looked, he couldn’t find the one. 
They’ve come; they’ve finally come. They came looking for me. When Rainer heard that yell, he was temporarily elated. But resignation and despair quickly overtook his heart. They were too late. The only sign they could use to find him, the words on his right arm, were gone. Rainer’s body was still moving. His mouth was still making anguished groans. But his consciousness was already vague and hazy. 
“Are you there? Give me a sign! Is anyone alive?!” the Brave was yelling. 
Rainer weakly raised his left arm and waved his hand. But so many other Dead Host were writhing around him. His gesture was lost among them, and the Brave couldn’t find him. The Braves had to search such a large area, they didn’t even come close. 
“Are you alive? You’re alive, right?” The yelling reached Rainer’s ears. 
But he thought, It’s no use now, Braves of the Six Flowers. You guys are too late. He was so sleepy. His mind was falling into darkness. He didn’t have the energy left to fight it anymore. His left arm fell weakly to the ground. 
“Hrmeow! Answer us!” That had to be the messy-haired swordsman, the first Brave he’d encountered. 
“Is there anyone alive? We’ve come to save you!” That was the girl in the armor. Their voices didn’t reach his heart. 
But that was when he heard the other Brave. “Don’t give up! If you’re alive, don’t give up!” 
Funny… Rainer thought. When he heard that voice, he felt as though he had to fight. He couldn’t give up yet. 
“The strongest man in the world is here! And I will find you, so don’t you give up!” 
What a weird guy , thought Rainer. But oddly enough, the voice brought Adlet’s face to his mind’s eye. I…won’t give up, Adlet. Rainer remembered that once, he’d sworn he’d become a Brave. He had told his only friend that he was a hero. And what made someone a real hero, a Brave, was that they never, ever gave up. 
Think. Think of a way to tell the Braves you’re here—a way to show them you’re still alive. He couldn’t do that with his hand. There was no point in writing anything, either. He’d die before the Braves found the message. He had to call out to them with his voice. But all that would come from his mouth were moans of pain. His left arm was free now, but he couldn’t move his tongue, lips, or throat of his own will. 
There had to be a way… some way. 
“…?” Adlet’s hands abruptly stopped in their search for the corpse with a message. He could hear something. He didn’t know what. But he had caught the sound of something important. 
“What is it, Addy?” asked Rolonia. 
Adlet cupped his hands around his ears and focused. Among all the Dead Host’s moans, one sounded different. 
“…Singing?” Adlet murmured. Now he could definitely hear fragments of a song they’d once sung on the festival days in his now-destroyed village. He couldn’t make out any words. But the tune was clearly from his home. 
Adlet ran toward it as fast as he could. 
Rainer’s hand clenched his throat. Moans poured continuously from his mouth. When he pushed his larynx up, it made a slightly higher moan; when he pushed it down, a slightly lower one. Rainer sang desperately, moving his throat with his left hand. His singing was off-key and barely even recognizable as a song. But still, he kept on singing. 
He’d remembered how eight years ago, he had done the same thing with Adlet and Schetra. No matter how much Adlet had practiced, he’d never gotten any better at singing. So Rainer had grabbed his throat and moved it up and down. The kid couldn’t carry a tune any other way. 
Can the Braves…hear it? He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t signal them. All he could do now was sing. 
With each step forward, it became even clearer to Adlet that this song was definitely from his home village. Behind the wailing chorus of the Dead Host, he could hear a nostalgic melody. For an instant, Adlet nearly forgot his allies, the Evil God, and even the Black Barrenbloom. 
“Where is he…?” Adlet muttered. The one who was singing was the informant and from Adlet’s home village. 
Adlet ran with the singing voice as his guide. Eventually, he found a corpse grabbing its throat. We’d never have found him, no matter how much we looked , thought Adlet. The man’s right arm was missing. “Is it you?” Adlet approached the man. “It’s you, isn’t it?” Adlet clung to the man. 
The man’s body was already growing cold. He was severely wounded. Without immediate treatment, he could die. Slowly, the man’s hand dropped from his throat. 
“Rolonia! Come here! Hurry, hurry up!” Adlet yelled. Rolonia, who had been searching elsewhere, panicked and rushed over to him. 
“Hold on!” cried Adlet. “We’ll save you! Stay with us!” It seemed as though the man couldn’t hear well anymore. His eyes were empty, staring at nothing. Adlet yelled again, louder. 
What filled Adlet’s heart was not the desire to know about Tgurneu’s secret weapon, it was joy at seeing someone from his village, someone he thought he’d never see again, one last time. As Adlet gazed at the man’s face, he wondered who it was. He was young, and close in age to Adlet. But there hadn’t been anyone else his age in the village. 
“It couldn’t be…” he murmured. 
Rolonia ran up and pushed Adlet aside to sit beside the man. She closed up the wound where his right arm had been and then touched her hand to the blood that had seeped in the ground, drawing it out into a spherical glob. She returned the blood to his body and immediately bit into the parasite on the back of his neck, paralyzing it before she slowly pulled it free. 
Watching, Adlet thought, I can’t believe it. He was alive? He pushed the man’s long, wild hair aside to see the scar on his forehead. He could never forget that scar. Adlet had given it to Rainer when they were little. 
“You’re…alive…Rainer.” Adlet’s knees crumpled. All this time, he’d wanted to see his friend, wanted to thank him for saving his life. And to apologize for having escaped without him. “You’ve got to be kidding… Rainer? Is this even possible?” 
That was when Hans approached them from behind. Seeing how rattled Adlet was, he quickly inferred what was going on. “Does it look like this feller from yer village can be saved?” he asked. 
Adlet couldn’t form words, so Rolonia replied for him. “I can’t tell yet. His vitality is almost entirely exhausted…” Silently, she continued removing the parasite. All the feelers and legs were out of his flesh. 
“Rainer! You’re alive?! It’s me! It’s Adlet!” Adlet tried to raise him up, but Rolonia quickly put her hands on Rainer’s chest and used her techniques. She still wasn’t done. 
“Adlet, calm down,” said Hans. “You’ll mess up Rolonia’s healin’.” 
Adlet settled down and waited for Rolonia to finish the treatment. Please save him, he prayed fervently. He’s my only friend. 
Rainer’s mouth opened. “Tg…” His voice stopped. A wheeze leaked from his throat, but it was so shriveled and dry, he couldn’t talk at all. 

“Addy, water,” said Rolonia. Adlet nodded, pulled out his water flask, and poured some into Rainer’s mouth. The flask was quickly emptied. 
Now able to speak, Rainer opened his mouth again. “Braves…of the Six Flowers…listen…Tgurneu…” 
“Rainer, it’s me! Can you recognize me? It’s Adlet!” Adlet was clinging to him. 
Hans stopped him again. “Listen to him first. Mew can be glad about seein’ him after.” He was right. Rainer had fought to tell them about Tgurneu’s secret weapon. They had to listen to what Rainer had to say first. 
“It made…a Temple of Fate. A temple…to steal power…from the Saint…of the Single Flower.” 
Rolonia was channeling everything she had into her healing techniques. Judging from her expression, Adlet could tell immediately that the prognosis wasn’t good. He listened carefully to Rainer. 
“It made…a hieroform…that steals power…from the Saint…of the Single Flower. The…Black Barrenbloom.” All three of them simultaneously held their breath. Rainer knew about the Black Barrenbloom, the very thing they were after. There was no time to ask why. They hung on every word. 
“The Black Barrenbloom…absorbs the power…left behind by…the Saint of the Single Flower. If the Black Barrenbloom…absorbs…all of it…like the power over fate…to defeat the Evil God…and to block its toxin…the Crests will be destroyed…” Blood leaked from Rainer’s mouth. He gasped out the rest in one breath. “Kill the Black Barrenbloom before it takes all the power.” 
“Kill it? What do you mean, Rainer?” Adlet asked him. But he realized that Rainer couldn’t hear him anymore. 
“The closer…the Braves get…to the Weeping Hearth…the stronger…the weapon…gets. Before you fight the Evil God…kill the Barrenbloom… It will come to the Braves…eventually… It has to be close…or it can’t absorb their Crests’ power …” 
Adlet could tell that Rainer’s body was gradually giving out. Rolonia poured her all into healing him, but he still wouldn’t make it. Adlet wanted to yell at him to stop talking, but he understood that he couldn’t. Rainer was trying to impart knowledge that would influence the fate of the world. He had risked everything to bring it to them. 
“The Black Barrenbloom is…” Rainer’s voice was fading. Adlet had to lean his ear toward Rainer’s mouth to hear. “The Black…Barrenbloom is…” 
The three of them listened to his next words. Adlet immediately blanched. Rolonia’s and Hans’s eyes widened in shock. They shared a look. 
“Rainer, is that true?” asked Adlet. “What the hell do you mean by that?!” His heart was racing, and his teeth wouldn’t stop chattering. He couldn’t believe what Rainer had just said. Adlet shook him—but then he realized: Rainer had gone entirely limp. 
“You can’t! You can’t die yet, Rainer! Wake up! Open your eyes!” 
Rolonia clenched her teeth and frantically struggled to heal him. Adlet could tell she was already using all her power. 
He had to ask for more detail about what Rainer had just said. But more importantly, he had to save his friend. He had to take Rainer back home with him to the human realms, to their village. But Rainer’s expression was a peaceful one. It said he had left nothing undone. 
“Don’t you…give me that look, Rainer. Let’s go home. Let’s go home together, Rainer.” 
This can’t be , he thought. He was actually alive. I actually got to see him again. And now it’s over like this? 
“I’ll teach you how to use a sword this time. I’ve gotten so strong. You’ll be shocked. Come on,” Adlet said to him. 
Rainer’s closing eyes opened once more, and he gazed into Adlet’s face. 
Rainer had managed to tell them about the Black Barrenbloom. He hadn’t been able to tell them everything, but that should be enough. Now that he was done, what filled his heart wasn’t joy. It was relief, along with the thought I can sleep now, right? That was how exhausted and wounded he was. 
But before he fell asleep, he called out in his mind. Hey, it’s just like I told you, Adlet. I was a real hero. I saved the Braves of the Six Flowers. I saved them all when their lives were in danger. Now they’re sure to defeat the Black Barrenbloom. They’ll make it to the Weeping Hearth, defeat the Evil God, and save the world. They couldn’t have done any of that without me. Who else could’ve pulled off something like this? Nobody else in the world, that’s who. His heart was brimming with satisfaction. 
As Rainer was falling asleep, someone grabbed him, shook him. The man was saying something. Rainer softly opened his eyes and looked at his face. 
Ha-ha… Isn’t that funny? Rainer thought, opening his mouth. “Hey…you look like…my friend.” And then he slowly closed his eyes. 
“Rainer…” Adlet was frozen, holding his friend’s motionless body. Rolonia gently removed her hands from his chest. There was nothing more she could do. 
Adlet vacantly stared at Rainer’s body. 
“He was your friend?” asked Rolonia. Adlet gave her a small nod. “I’m sorry, Addy. I couldn’t save him,” she said quietly. 
“And here we were headin’ out to find out ameowt the Black Barrenbloom, and we hear a shockin’ tidbit like that. If this is true…it’s a big deal.” 
But Rolonia couldn’t bring herself to think about that yet. Her heart was filled with frustration for failing to save anyone at all. Tears dripped from her eyes. She’d wanted to save the Dead Host. She’d wanted to give Adlet the chance to see the people of his village again, even just one of them. She hadn’t done all that fighting for such a tragic ending. 
If she’d only acted faster, if she had just paid more attention and watched the Dead Host more closely, she might have been able to save this Rainer person. She had never regretted her own stupidity more than in that moment. In her head, she apologized over and over to the Dead Host and to Rainer. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. 
“What am I gonna do if you’re crying here?” said Adlet. Flustered, Rolonia wiped away her tears. 
“Rolonia, you were right,” admitted Adlet. “You were the only one of us who was. We shouldn’t have abandoned them. I’m ashamed of myself for failing to understand that.” 
“Addy…” 
“Thank you. I’m really glad you were with us.” 
She was having a hard time listening to him say this, so she lowered her eyes—because she knew he was holding back tears. Now he was really alone. 
Suddenly, Adlet drew his sword and said to Rainer’s body, “I’m sorry, Rainer. I couldn’t save you. But your dedication won’t go to waste. So…fight with me.” He cut off a tuft of the other boy’s hair, tied it up, and tucked it into one of his belt pouches. “Don’t worry, Rolonia. I’m not alone anymore. Rainer is with me from now on.” Adlet stood up and faced Rolonia and Hans. “Let’s go. We have to meet up with the others.” 
“Mew can do a little more cryin’,” said Hans. “We’re lucky. It don’t look like the fiends are comin’.” 
“…If I’ve got time to cry, I’ll use it to fight. I’ll defeat the Evil God and save the world—like he would have wanted. ’Cause I’m the strongest man in the world.” Adlet turned away from the pair of them and started walking, but then he stopped. “Actually…wait just a bit.” He clung to a nearby tree and buried his face in the trunk. Then he quietly began to cry. 
Watching him from behind, Rolonia decided to try to be with him as much as she could. She would encourage him and keep supporting him. She’d never be able to do much, and she might be a burden, but still, she swore that she would give him everything she had. 
He might have been the strongest man in the world, but he couldn’t live his life all alone. I never want to make him cry again. I will take care of him. 
Meanwhile, Goldof was running through the forest, with Fremy ahead of him. They were headed for the cave Rolonia had gone to earlier. 
The others had left the forest and were heading for the Temple of Fate. The original plan was for all of them to meet up on the way there, so it was possible that Adlet and Rolonia had already gone to the temple. But Fremy was worried about Adlet and couldn’t wait, so she set off to search for him. 
“What is the meaning of this, Goldof?” Fremy glared at him with reproachful eyes. “Why did you let Rolonia go off on her own? Why did you allow Adlet to get into danger like that?” 
Goldof worried about how to explain. If he bungled this, Fremy might attack him, or worst-case scenario, she could blow up the bombs on Nashetania’s knees. “I’ll…explain,” he said. “Once we’ve…met up with…Adlet and Hans.” Fremy clicked her tongue and kept up the pace. 
Earlier, Goldof had checked the Crest on his shoulder. The petals were all there. Adlet and Rolonia had to be safe. Goldof was relieved—they couldn’t be losing allies in this place. 
Goldof and Fremy arrived at the cave, but Adlet and Rolonia weren’t there, only fallen Dead Host and two dead fiends. 
“Where did they go? Seriously.” Fremy was irritated. 
“We must have…passed each other. Let’s…head to the…meeting point…too.” 
Until now, the defense of the area had been entrusted to specialist number nine. Now that it was dead, though, the fiends in the Fainting Mountains would start to take action. They’d probably swarm this area. Goldof and Fremy had to meet up with Adlet and Rolonia as soon as possible and get out of the forest. 
“No. I’m looking a little more.” Fremy searched the area, but the missing Braves hadn’t left any messages. She had no idea where they could be. 
Once Adlet was done crying, the trio left Rainer’s body behind. They didn’t have the time to dig a grave for him right now. Adlet swore that once they’d defeated the Evil God, he would make a proper one for his friend. He prayed that Rainer wouldn’t be eaten by fiends before then. 
He slapped his cheeks a few times, to drive grief from his heart. He had to think about what was going to happen next, now that they knew what the Black Barrenbloom really was. 
They swiftly walked deeper into the forest. All of the others must already have left the forest and started toward the Temple of Fate. They had to hurry up and catch up with them. 
The Fainting Mountains were now in a flurry of activity. Evidently, now that the nearby fiends had realized specialist number nine was dead, they had begun massing to strike back against the Braves of the Six Flowers. The battle with number nine was over, but they wouldn’t have the time to catch their breath. The fight was still ongoing. 
“…Addy. About Nashetania…” Rolonia suddenly began. 
“What?” Adlet replied. 
“I wonder why she targeted me?” 
Adlet considered. He’d already pulled himself together, and the wheels in his head were beginning to turn. 
“Addy, I don’t know anything about that fiend flute. I never tried to trick you, either. But what can I do to have everyone believe me?” 
“Relax. You’ve got me.” Adlet had doubted her once, but those feelings were gone now. She’d done all this for him. She was the one who’d fallen for a trap. 
“I wonder who placed that flute on me? If we can figure that out…” Rolonia was thinking. 
Adlet glanced at Hans, who was walking a little behind them. Hans smirked. “The culprit’s right over there,” said Adlet. 
Rolonia turned around with a foolish “…Huh?” Hans smiled and waved. 
You bastard. Don’t tell me you pulled that stunt? thought Adlet. 
“What…do you mean?” asked Rolonia. “It was you, Hans? Um, so are you the seventh? Then why did you save me?” Rolonia was confused. Without even thinking, she clenched her whip and readied herself for a fight. 
Not the least bit coy about his actions, Hans said, “As expected of the strongest man in the world. So ya saw right through my perfect plan, huh, Adlet?” 
“You can’t screw around like that,” berated Adlet. “Rolonia nearly died.” 
Unsure what to do, Rolonia stopped, her whip still ready. “Can you…explain?” 
“Sure,” said Hans. “First, Adlet, tell me how ya figured it out.” 
Adlet sighed. “You must have wanted to see how she’d react. You isolated her and put her in a desperate situation to see what she’d do, and you used Nashetania to do it. Isn’t that right?” 
“Half right, meow . I’ll give ya seven outta ten.” Hans grinned. 
“Um…I don’t understand. Could you explain from the beginning?” asked Rolonia. 
Hans shrugged and started explaining. “…To boil it down, I’ve always been suspicious of ya, Rolonia. Well, I’m suspicious of everyone but Mora, so it’s not like yer gettin’ special treatment, though.” 
“Huh?” said Rolonia. 
“Yer close to Adlet and Mora right now, and everyone trusts them meowst. Neither of them are really watchin’ ya. Awful convenient position to be in for the seventh.” As they walked, Hans continued to talk. “The seventh is scared of gettin’ found out. They’ve had a bunch of chances to kill us, but they haven’t done neowthin’. The seventh’d rather do anything than be suspected.” 
“That’s true…” 
“Ya saved my life. And then after that, ya did everything Adlet said. Ya made mistakes sometimes but never caused no trouble yerself. It looked to me like you was tryin’ to blend in and not raise any hackles.” 
Rolonia was aghast. Hans went on. “When I heard about the Dead Host, I knew right away what Tgurneu was gonna do. Playing with our emotions to trap us is its specialty. Or meowbe it just likes those tricks.” Tgurneu had done exactly that with Mora and with Goldof, too. The commander manipulated its enemies by putting their loved ones in danger. With Mora, it had used her daughter, and with Goldof, it had used Nashetania. 
“It’s a pretty darn effective way to do things—dependin’ on the enemy. Sometimes I do that sort of thing myself, so I really got what it was goin’ for.” Hans smirked. Adlet was reminded that Hans was an assassin—a villainous sort with no qualms about killing people for money. 
“I figgered it was probably Adlet who’d fall for this one, and maybe you’d fall for it, too, Rolonia. Adlet surprised me when he kept his head, but you got totally suckered. Then I got to thinkin’, meowbe the trap actually got ya—or meowbe you were just pretendin’ as part of some scheme.” 
“What do you mean?” asked Rolonia. 
“For example, ya might step into the trap on purpose and pretend to be in big trouble—then the others would run to save ya. Meanwhile, number nine would get away, and that’d buy time for Tgurneu and the other fiends to make it here. And meowr important, ya might try somethin’ a li’l bolder, too—fer instance, temptin’ Adlet like, Let’s go save the Dead Host together! Then ya’d catch the guy in yer trap and kill him. Afterward, you’d be goin’ all, Addy died because of me! I’ll apologize with my death! with yer little crocodile tears. Though I guessed ya’d actually be more clever ameowt it to keep us off the trail.” 
“When did you come up with all this?” asked Adlet. 
“In the hut, meow . Back when Rolonia and the princess was havin’ a spat.” 
Hans had read so many moves ahead in such a short interval of time. His acuity was shocking. 
“So that’s why I decided to make the first meowve,” said Hans. “And I decided to get the princess to help. I’d plant the flute on Rolonia so that when she went off ameowt savin’ the Dead Host, the princess could pull it out. I’d take all her allies away. If she was the seventh, keepin’ her isolated would make it hard for her to do as much, since she wouldn’t want us suspectin’.” 
“That can’t…” Rolonia trailed off. 
“If you was the impostor, Rolonia, it’d work out. If I found out you wasn’t, I’d just have to reveal the trick. Either way, no problem.” 
“Why did you use Nashetania?” asked Adlet. 
“’Cause I didn’t think I could get Mora to do it, and any of the others might still be the seventh. Funny enough, at the time, the princess and Dozzu were the ones I could trust meowst.” 
“…I remember now,” said Rolonia. “After we had that quarrel, you and Nashetania were talking about something.” 
“Mew got it. That was our strategy meetin’.” Hans grinned. “After that, the princess told Goldof the plan. I made sure Dozzu understood the princess was gonna trick ya, but I told it, Don’t you do nothin’ . And that’s how the princess managed to scare ya out of the group.” 
“And where did you get that flute?” Rolonia asked. 
“Her Highness had it.” 
I get it. So that’s what was going on , thought Adlet. Now that he knew how they pulled it off, it all sounded so absurd. 
Hans went on, “I’ll be honest: I was watchin’ from a distance as ya went off by yerself. I was disguised as one of the Dead Host, of course. I knew right away when ya fell fer our trick and that the princess had done a good job.” 
“…” 
“By that point, I figured the seventh wasn’t you, ’cause an impostor would accept that they were under suspicion and not go off alone. But I kept watchin’ ya—until mew fell into that trap and got captured and just about died.” 
“Wh-what for? I really was about to die!” exclaimed Rolonia. 
“I was tryin’ to make sure that Tgurneu was seriously gonna kill ya. Anyone Tgurneu’s made a serious attempt to kill probably ain’t the seventh. That also means that if it’s deliberately holdin’ back with someone, they’re more likely to be the seventh.” 
A chill ran down Adlet’s spine. That had been a frighteningly dangerous gamble. If Hans had made one wrong move, he could have killed Rolonia by mistake. That could have led the rest of them to decide Hans was the seventh on the grounds that he’d let Rolonia die. 
“I put off savin’ her ’til the very last minute, when I thought it was seriously the end for her, meow .” 
“The same trick you used on me, huh?” said Adlet. 
“That’s right. When yer about to die, yer face can’t lie,” Hans said with a smile. It was an expression to make the blood run cold. “Meow , Rolonia’s face right then was pure despair . She realized it was a trap, ya wouldn’t make it in time, and she couldn’t use her whip. The seventh could never make a look like that if they knew they wouldn’t be killed.” Recalling that moment, Rolonia went pale. 
“I killed a lot of people,” Hans went on. “And I seen a lot of people all calm ’cause they think they ain’t gonna be the one to die. I’ve never misread a one. Rolonia don’t believe she’s the seventh, that’s for damn sure.” Hans didn’t conclude that she wasn’t the impostor—he was taking into account the possibility that the seventh wasn’t aware themselves. “I was basically playin’ the whole thing by ear, but it went pretty good, meow . I’m quite a guy, don’t ya think, Adlet?” Hans grinned at him. 
But Adlet’s anger was plain on his face. If Hans hadn’t made it in time to save Rolonia, or if Nashetania had betrayed them and killed Rolonia right there, or if the seventh or number nine had done something unexpected, it could’ve been catastrophic. Hans’s plan had been fantastically dangerous. 
“…What? Mew mad, Adlet?” Hans’s expression suddenly turned serious. “Adlet, yer too soft. Protectin’ yer allies is important, too, but we ain’t gonna win with just that.” 
“But Hans—” 
“We might never find real proof. Eventually, we might have to kill one of the group whether we want to or not. If ya ask me, we gotta get every scrap of information we can for when the meowment comes.” 
“Even if that means putting our allies in danger?” asked Adlet. 
“Of course. There’s no safe road through this fight. There ain’t no sure victory. Am I wrong?” 
Adlet couldn’t argue with that. At the time Hans had enacted his scheme, they wouldn’t have imagined they’d find out what the Black Barrenbloom really was. There had been no guarantee that making it to the Temple of Fate would gain them anything. Maybe Hans was right, and gathering information wasn’t the wrong choice. 
“Meow , though I sure didn’t expect to find out about the Black Barrenbloom that way,” said Hans. 
Rainer had told them—he’d divulged the secret of what the Black Barrenbloom really was. Adlet thought back on his unbelievable message. 
“So what do we do neow, Adlet?” asked Hans. 
Adlet deliberated, and then replied. “Let’s go to the Temple of Fate anyway. We don’t know for sure about the Black Barrenbloom. I don’t want to be suspicious of Rainer, but I can’t say for sure that his information was correct.” 
“Are we gonna tell everyone?” 
Adlet went silent again. “…Let’s not tell the others yet. When the time comes, I’ll tell them.” Adlet knew this was a terrible choice. But if he told the others, Chamo and Goldof would kill Fremy, and Adlet couldn’t make the decision to let her die. 
“Meow-hee! Soft on Fremy, as usual. But I can’t agree to that. We either kill her or at least tie her up.” 
“Wait just a little longer,” said Adlet. “I want to figure out what she’s thinking.” 
“Let her stay free and see how she reacts? Meow , that don’t sound like a good idea to me, though.” Hans wasn’t convinced, and Rolonia seemed hesitant over it, too. 
That was when they saw two people running toward them from the side—Fremy and Goldof. “We finally found you,” said Fremy. “Where were you?” 
“Oh, you came looking for us? Sorry,” replied Adlet. He wondered if he was capable of acting calm. Is there anything awkward about my expression? he asked himself as he eyed Fremy’s face. 
“What were you doing?” asked Fremy. 
“Rolonia was looking for a way to save the Dead Host, but she didn’t find anything,” Adlet replied. “She fell for a trap, and Hans saved her.” Fremy looked at Adlet, aghast, then turned a resentful glower on Rolonia. 
“I-I’m sorry, Fremy,” Rolonia stuttered. “Because of me…” 
“Meow-hee-hee! ” Hans cackled. “Yep, it was all her fault. Yer allowed to beat her up, meow , Fremy.” 
Fremy ignored Hans’s joke and turned back to Adlet. “Every single time, seriously…” She was angry. Adlet could tell from her expression that she was concerned for his safety. He understood that she really did care for him. 
But right now, he couldn’t look her in the eye. 
At the end of his speech, Rainer had said: 
The Black Barrenbloom is a hieroform in the shape of a human. A girl with white hair and a horn on her forehead. A girl with frighteningly cold eyes. 
His information was difficult for Adlet to believe. Fremy, who had saved Adlet’s life—Fremy, who had fought together with them all this time—was a hieroform created for the sake of killing the Braves of the Six Flowers. But he couldn’t think of anyone else who fit that description. 
“…What’s wrong, Adlet? Do you have something to say?” Fremy asked, noticing Adlet was watching her. So she didn’t realize they had doubts about her? Or did she actually know and was choosing to act calmly? 
Adlet thought back to every expression of hers he had seen so far. When she’d been lovingly holding that dog. When she’d spoken of her past of being raised by fiends. When she’d shared her pain of abandonment. When she’d lamented that the love for her had been fake. When she’d yelled that being with Adlet made her want to live. 
Had all of that been a lie? 
But Adlet couldn’t bring himself to doubt what Rainer had said. He couldn’t ignore the report that his only friend had given his life to deliver to him. 
“I’ve got nothing to say. I’m really sorry,” apologized Adlet, then he put his arms around Fremy’s shoulders and gently embraced her. 
“!” For an instant, she seemed totally confused as to what was going on. She quickly became agitated, peeling Adlet off of her. “What are you doing? Where’s this coming from?” Her eyes were wide in shock. 
Adlet tilted his head and said, “Did I do something weird?” 
“You did. What? What the hell are you trying to pull here?” Fremy’s face was red. 
“Meow-hee-hee-hee-hee! ” Hans laughed, saying, “Gettin’ a little hot here. Though I’d rather y’all put it off until a little later, if ya can.” 
“…Hans is right,” said Fremy. “Leave that sort of thing until later.” 
Adlet recalled the sensation of her delicate frame in his arms. He’d embraced her without thinking—he’d gotten the feeling that this was his last chance to do it. 
Goldof cut in. “Let’s go. Her Highness and the others…are headed…to the Temple of Fate. Hans…you’re going to tell me…about that matter.” 
“Hrmeow. I got it,” Hans said, and he and Goldof set off running. Adlet, Rolonia, and Fremy followed after them. Fremy was still blushing. 
As they ran, Adlet thought, It’s still too early to decide. I’ll do that once we’re at the Temple of Fate and we know everything about the Black Barrenbloom. 
Had Fremy deceived them? Or was she herself not aware that she was the Black Barrenbloom? Was there another horned girl out there besides Fremy? Or was there something else that Rainer hadn’t known? Adlet would get to the bottom of this and then decide. Once he’d come to that decision, he wouldn’t let himself hesitate. 
No matter how cruel a decision that might be. 
“They must be breaking past specialist number nine right about now,” Tgurneu said thoughtlessly as it strode along the plains of the Howling Vilelands. 
Specialist number two replied, “Surely that happéned long ago—if the Bräves and Dozzu aren’t too stupid.” 
“Well, I think number nine has done rather well for a fiend cultivated for recycling purposes. Yes, it deserves a compliment.” 
The troops here, the concentration of the main forces of Tgurneu’s faction, were pushing toward the Fainting Mountains. It would be a few more hours until their arrival. 
“Is the Black Barrénbloom safe?” asked number two. 
Expression puzzled, Tgurneu replied, “You believe there’s a threat?” 
“No…thëre isn’t.” 
“Then it’ll be fine,” Tgurneu said with a smile. 
Thus far, their entire battle with the Braves of the Six Flowers had gone just as Tgurneu had expected. But for the first time, the commander’s grasp of the situation was slipping, and specialist number two had yet to realize that. 
Tgurneu drank in the sun as they proceeded leisurely toward the Fainting Mountains.