“Then speak. Tell us the reason you allied yourself with the Evil God and how you obtained your counterfeit crest.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t tell you that. There’s just one thing I can say.”
“Then die,” said Mora.
The moment she raised her fist, Adlet yelled, “That now, I’m going to prove that Fremy is a real Brave!” Shocked, Mora’s hand stopped. And then she looked at Fremy.
Adlet couldn’t see behind his back, so he didn’t know what kind of expression Fremy had on her face. “Will you listen?” he asked. “Of course, even if you say no, I’m still gonna talk.”
Mora did not reply. Instead, Fremy asked, “What is this about?”
So you will listen, thought Adlet, and he continued. “I’ll assume one thing—that the one who activated the barrier was one of the seven of us who bear the Crest of the Six Flowers. We have no grounds to say that anyone else entered the temple. I have no time, so I’ll leave out the basis for that.”
“You are the impostor. That is proof enough,” said Mora. He could hear clear agitation in her words. Adlet deliberately ignored her.
“That’s no reason to pull out your weapons. Restrain yourself, be quiet, and watch,” said Adlet as he began rummaging through a pouch on his belt with his left hand. He pulled out a small iron bottle and set it down in front of him. “This is a special substance that my master created. It’s valuable. Use it carefully.”
“Your master? You cannot mean…” Mora faltered. Did she know about Atreau? Adlet didn’t have the time to ask.
“This chemical is used to uncover traces of fiends. It changes color in reaction to a unique substance secreted by fiends’ bodies.”
“…?” Mora seemed suspicious.
Without turning around, Adlet said, “Fremy. Give me one of your bullets. Throw it beside me.”
An iron ball rolled over to him. Fremy wanted to hear what he had to say. It seemed she had doubts, though small, about Adlet being the impostor.
His face still on the ground, Adlet opened the stopper of the tiny bottle with one hand. He dripped some of the liquid inside on the bullet. The bullet turned red, and after about thirty seconds, it returned to normal. “Do you think this is a trick?” he asked. “If you do, then you should inspect this carefully. You’ll be able to tell that this substance will, unmistakably, show you where a fiend has been.”
“Just what are you thinking, you monster?” Mora groaned.
“I sprinkled some of this substance on the altar used to activate the barrier, and the altar did not change color,” he said. “Hans saw it, too. And this drug reacts to Fremy.”
“Adlet…” Fremy started to say something and stopped.
“Fremy did not touch the altar once,” Adlet finished. “This is proof that she is a real Brave; proof that she did not activate the barrier.” Now he had demonstrated beyond a doubt that Fremy was not the impostor. Whatever tricks the seventh had up their sleeve, framing Fremy should prove impossible. Even if they tried, Hans would protect her. There was a chance Adlet could have escaped Mora, but he had chosen to protect Fremy instead. He would probably die as a result. But he didn’t regret it—because he had done everything in his power to do what was right.
“Mora, if you’re the seventh,” he said, “take that. I ruined your plan—your plan to frame Fremy as the impostor and get her killed.”
“Fremy, do not be deceived. Do not let him give you strange ideas,” said Mora.
“Fremy, after I die, you find the seventh,” said Adlet. “Hans is a man you can trust. Work with him.”
“Don’t be deceived, Fremy. You understand now, don’t you? He’s been attempting to ensnare you this whole time, showering you with honeyed words to gain your trust. This is simply one more piece of his plot,” Mora warned. Fremy did not reply.
“Adlet.” Mora clenched a fist and readied a strike. “You are quite the man. Even I thought, for one moment, that you might just be genuine.”
“Don’t kill me,” he said. “You’ll regret it—if you’re a real Brave.”
“This is exactly why…why you are so fearsome. If I fail to kill you now, the rest will come to trust you!”
Adlet closed his eyes. He couldn’t dodge Mora’s attack. Now there was no more he could do. Her fist swung down, whooshing as if to cleave the air itself. But just then, another sound cut through the mist—a high-pitched, metallic ring.
“You fool!” Mora yelled.
Adlet opened his eyes and looked behind him. Fremy’s gun was up, white smoke wafting from the muzzle. The bullet had pinged off Mora’s gauntlet.
“Adlet, I’ve hated you since the moment we met.” Her expression was stony, but from one of her eyes fell a single tear. “I hated myself for feeling like I could trust you.”
“Stop, Fremy! Do not be deceived!” cried Mora.
“I still hate you,” Fremy continued. “The more I talk to you, the more I hate you. I end up believing everything you say, even though I swore I would never trust anyone ever again.”
“Fremy!” Mora swung her first downward once more, but Adlet rolled to avoid the attack. “Enough!” said Mora. “Then I am forced to kill Adlet myself!”
Adlet picked up his sword and stood. Now that the situation was reversed, Mora set upon Adlet even more viciously. Fremy threw a small bomb at Mora and yelled, “Run, Adlet!”
As Adlet fled, he thought, Finally. Finally, Fremy and I have come to understand each other. But he was still far from victory. He had to show them all how the impostor could have created the fog.
Chapter 5
When All Is Explained
“You will not escape!” Mora ran, ignoring the minibombs that flew at her. As she brought her fist down, Adlet dodged, and her gauntlet plunged into the earth like a meteorite, leaving a crater. Mora was not an opponent to be underestimated. “Hmph!”
