The soldier replied, “No, they came two days ago, but they’ve already set off! Who are you?”
Adlet exchanged looks with Fremy. It seemed okay for now to go in. “Adlet Mayer. I’m one of the Braves of the Six Flowers. This girl is…well, don’t worry about it.”
Although he looked puzzled, the soldier descended from the watchtower and opened the gate. Adlet and Fremy entered the fort, and Adlet showed the soldier the crest that proved he was one of the six Braves.
“I am very glad to see you, Sir Brave,” the soldier said. “There is something we absolutely must let you know. Could you please come this way?”
“What is it?” asked Adlet.
“It’s very important. The success of your upcoming battle depends on it.”
Adlet glanced at Fremy. It seemed she also intended to hear what the soldier had to say.
“Please come with me,” invited the soldier. “Oh, I have yet to introduce myself. My name is Loren, private first class of the army of Gwenvaella. I am presently commanding officer at this fort.”
“Commanding officer? You?” Adlet asked without thinking. From the soldier’s manner, Adlet could tell he was quite capable. But he was of low rank, and his equipment was meager, too.
“Everyone is dead—the general, the captains,” he explained. “The lower-ranking troops and I are all that remain. But there is something we must protect, down to the very last man.”
Adlet and Fremy followed Private Loren into the fort. The smell of death hung heavy inside. Human corpses and the bodies of a few fiends littered the ground. The damage was graver than it had seemed from outside.
“This way.” Private Loren beckoned. In the center of the floor, there stood a heavy iron door, which the soldier opened to reveal a basement. Apparently, the fort had been built in order to protect this. He led them into the basement. In this small room deep in the ground, there were five soldiers. And standing by itself in the center of the room was an altar of a shape Adlet had never seen before.
“Is this what you were protecting?” Adlet asked, pointing to the altar.
But Private Loren shook his head. “This is a replica of what we’re here to protect. Please take a look at this map.” A map of the Howling Vilelands and its environs sat on a table in front of the altar. “The king of Gwenvaella set up a certain mechanism to help the six Braves in preparation for the revival of the Evil God. That is what we are protecting.” The soldier put his finger on the continent side of the map. “Presently, a swarm of fiends is advancing deeper into the continent, targeting the Braves of the Six Flowers. I believe you may have already encountered some. However, the moment they find out that the Braves have entered the Howling Vilelands, they will turn around and head back. Their goal is to exterminate the Braves of the Six Flowers. Nothing else matters to them.”
“I see,” said Adlet.
“And so, in the utmost secrecy, the king of Gwenvaella has constructed a mechanism to fence off the peninsula after the Braves of the Six Flowers have entered the Howling Vilelands,” the soldier said, pointing to the border between the Howling Vilelands and the continent. “With the help of three Saints—Fog, Illusion, and Salt—the king has readied a powerful barrier in order to prevent fiends from leaving or entering this forest. It is called the Phantasmal Barrier.” There was a large circle drawn on the map near the entrance to the Howling Vilelands, indicating the range of the barrier.
Fiends were incapable of crossing the sea. The coast of the Howling Vilelands was incredibly rocky, so even if anyone attempted to set sail, they would have no place to dock a boat. Some fiends could fly, but they were few in number. Sealing off this circle would confine the majority of fiends within the area.
“It’s an amazing plan,” said Adlet. “So what’s this barrier like?”
“It prevents entry and exit,” explained Private Loren. “That is all the barrier is intended to do. When it is activated, the entire area within it will be enveloped in fog. Anyone trying to escape the fog will lose their sense of direction, and before they realize what they’re doing, they will find themselves right back inside. Conversely, anyone trying to enter will end up exiting the way they came.”
“I had no idea. This is quite something,” said Adlet, and he glanced at Fremy. From the look on her face, she hadn’t known about it, either.
“The barrier hasn’t been deployed yet,” the soldier said. “Once we have confirmed that all six Braves have entered the Howling Vilelands, we will activate it.”
“How do you do that?” asked Adlet.
Private Loren pointed to a spot a short distance from the fort.
“Here, there is a temple built for the purpose of activating the barrier. The temple is surrounded by fortifications constructed by the Saint of Salt that protect it from fiends, so you don’t have to worry about it being destroyed.”
Hearing the soldier’s description, Adlet was impressed. It was a superb plan.
Next, Private Loren indicated an area on the map near the Howling Vilelands. “One of the Braves of the Six Flowers, Lady Mora, the Saint of Mountains, is waiting here. She visited this fort two days ago. We told her about the barrier then and discussed things.”
One of the six Braves was waiting for them. When Fremy heard that, her expression grew somewhat grim.
“So?”
“The plan is that once all six Braves have gathered at that point, Lady Mora will send up a flare to signal us. When we see that flare, we will head to the temple and activate the barrier. If we are attacked by fiends and annihilated before the six Braves convene, then we will send up a flare instead.”
“What for?”
“In that case, please send one of the Braves to the
