“And do you know Houdelka of the Land of Silver Sand? And Athlay, the Saint of Ice?”
Adlet nodded. Both were the names of famous warriors. “Did something happen?”
“They were killed. And we don’t know who did it.”
“Fiends?”
“Probably.”
The creatures known as fiends, minions of the Evil God, prepared for the revival of their lord by secretly readying themselves to attack the Braves of the Six Flowers. They infiltrated the continent, carrying out all kinds of plots—and now it seemed one of them was going around eliminating anyone likely to be chosen as a Brave.
“They’re not the kind of people who’d be taken out that easily by some fiend,” mused Adlet. “How the hell would they—?”
“I don’t know.”
“What a pain in the ass.”
“Adlet, I think it would be best for you to stay here,” she said. “It will be dangerous no matter where you go, but here, you will be heavily guarded.”
“That’s true. Then I’ll stay put until I’m all healed up.”
As she looked out the window restlessly, it seemed the girl had finished delivering her warning. “I’m sorry. If I don’t go now, they’ll be angry with me. Well, they will be angry regardless, but it will be even worse if I stay any longer.”
“I don’t mind. Go on.”
The maiden bobbed her head and was about to leave when Adlet stopped her. “If you do meet the princess, tell her…” He paused. “She’s sure to be chosen as one of the Braves of the Six Flowers. Tell her I’m looking forward to the day we fight together.”
“…Huh?” The girl’s mouth hung open. And then, for some reason, she giggled.
“What?”
“No, sorry. I’ll tell her. If I get the chance to see her.” She walked to the door, turning back for a moment to stick out her tongue. “Adlet, you’re quite the fool, aren’t you?”
Adlet wanted to ask what the girl was talking about, but she was already gone. He wondered what that might have been about, but having no clue, he decided to forget it. He lay down on the bed and gazed up at the ceiling, thinking about this killer who was after the Braves.
“A Brave-killer, huh? Once I’m chosen, I guess I’ll end up fighting whoever that is, too.” The cheerful, happy-go-lucky expression disappeared from his face. Now, a quiet anger lurked in his eyes.
Just as his guest had predicted, for Adlet’s sentence, they settled on an indefinite imprisonment. Well, that’s that, he thought, not bothering to object. Alone in his jail cell, the warrior waited for his wounds to heal.
A few days later, Adlet discovered a gift in his cell—a sword small enough to hide in his bed. He figured this meant that when the time came, he should use it to protect himself. He didn’t know if the girl had arranged it or if he had some other fan.
A month passed, then two. He continued training in his cell so as not to get out of shape. This Brave-killer he’d heard about didn’t turn up.
After three months, his wounds were completely healed. Right around the time Adlet was starting to consider breaking out, something strange happened. One night, the fierce pounding of his heart woke him. His entire body felt hot, and his chest seethed with indescribable excitement. The feeling passed after about ten seconds, and then a faintly glowing crest appeared on Adlet’s right hand. The Evil God had awakened, and Adlet had been chosen to be one of the Braves of the Six Flowers.
“Huh,” Adlet muttered, looking at the crest. “That was surprisingly simple.” He had imagined that his entire body would be enveloped in light or that the Spirit of Fate would appear and order him to defeat the Evil God or something. Feeling a little underwhelmed, Adlet stared at his hand. After a moment, he realized this wasn’t the time. “Hey! Somebody come over here!” Adlet banged on the iron bars of his cell as he called the guards. Once they knew he had been selected as one of the Braves of the Six Flowers, they couldn’t keep him locked up. But if the guards didn’t come, he wasn’t going to get anywhere. “Isn’t anyone there? I was chosen as one of the Braves of the Six Flowers!”
The interior of his cell was strangely silent. He couldn’t detect the presence of any guards at all. Oh, well, he thought, I guess I’ll bust out, and that was when a sudden commotion sounded from the foot of the stairs.
“Why have you come to a place like this? What on earth are you here for?!”
“Batoal! I’m in a hurry! Please, don’t get in my way!”
Both voices were familiar. One of them belonged to the girl who smelled of apples. Adlet figured the other one was the old knight he’d fought in the coliseum. He could also hear the thumping of many footsteps coming from behind the two.
“Adlet! Were you chosen?” the girl cried, running up to Adlet’s cell. She wasn’t wearing the maid uniform from before. She was clad in magnificent white armor, a slim sword belted at her waist. On her head, she wore a helmet in the shape of rabbit’s ears. Adlet had heard somewhere that wearing helmets with animal motifs was a tradition of Piena’s royal family.
The moment he saw her, Adlet understood who she really was and also what a fool he’d been. Most people would’ve figured that out, he thought with a wry smile.
Standing before the cell, the girl said, “It’s been quite some time since we last saw each other. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Nashetania Rouie Piena Augustra, the crown princess of Piena and the current Saint of Blades.”
The apple-scented girl—Nashetania—lifted up her breastplate and showed him the Crest of the Six Flowers near her collarbone. “I have now been selected as one of the Braves of the Six Flowers. I’m very pleased to meet you.”
“I’m Adlet Mayer, the
