“Once we kill Chamö, will the fiends she’s controlling be freëd, then?”
“Who knows? Well, we don’t have to worry about it. They’re just Cargikk’s minions, anyway.” Tgurneu smiled and continued. “Has Mora killed someone for me yet?”
“There are no reports of incidènt at the Bud of Eternity. She must still be undécided.”
Tgurneu shrugged. “Foolish as she may be, I think she understands that she has no time, though. How long does she plan to make me wait?”
As Mora listened in on them, rage turned her skin to gooseflesh. Just how deep was the creature’s contempt for her?
“Will she reälly kill one?”
“She may need another push or two. Still, it’s only a matter of time. Let’s wait a little longer.” After that, Tgurneu continued its stroll.
Beside Mora, Chamo said, “What’s wrong, Auntie?”
“The time has finally come.” From her packs, Mora pulled a stake. It was small, about the thickness of her thumb and thirty centimeters long, and packed with hieroglyphic patterns so fine they were invisible until closer inspection.
In the three years since Mora had made that contract with Tgurneu, she had done much in preparation to kill the fiend. She had summoned a number of Saints to the temple, and together, they had created a variety of weapons. This stake was one of those. She had made it with the help of Willone, master of barrier creation. The Saint of Salt had named this barrier the Saltpeak Barrier.
“Tgurneu has come!” cried Mora, and Adlet, Fremy, and Rolonia dashed out of the cave.
“…That’s the current situation,” finished Mora.
Hans and Goldof were back at the Bud of Eternity, and Mora had just informed the others of Tgurneu’s activities. When Adlet had heard their foe was just ambling along in a casual chat, his eyes had filled with anger. The boy, too, carried deep resentment toward Tgurneu.
“I’m capable of entrapping Tgurneu immediately. Are you ready to kill it?” asked Mora.
Adlet glanced at Rolonia and Fremy and then shook his head in disappointment.
“Still? You had tons of time. Chamo’s all ready.” Chamo pouted.
Mora was disappointed, too. She had known that they were short on leads, but she had also expected Adlet would be able to pull it off anyway. “Then we have no choice. We’ll attack now, as a group.” She raised the stake to thrust it into the ground, but Hans stopped her.
“Hey. How can we fight neow? Nothin’s changed from last time.”
Mora tried to push Hans’s hand away. “We won’t have many opportunities to kill Tgurneu. Do you intend to let this one slip from our grasp, too?”
“I love bein’ in trouble, but I hate bein’ reckless and crazy. And I think fightin’ now is just plain reckless.”
“Have you lost your nerve, Hans?!” Mora couldn’t disguise her irritation.
Rolonia cut in. “Lady Mora, what’s wrong?”
“Why are you so impatient about this?” Fremy joined her.
Mora’s allies were giving her searching looks. If she continued to press the matter, it would only make her look suspicious. “I’m sorry. But this is unquestionably the best opportunity we will have. We cannot let this go.”
“Don’t raise my suspicions—it’ll make me want to kill you,” Fremy said coldly. Rolonia watched their exchange with fright.
“Mora, if you raise the barrier now, how long’ll it last?” asked Adlet.
“It was made to last six hours. But it’s an instantaneous force field—I know not if its strength will be as expected.”
“Give me three hours. We’ll solve the mystery of Tgurneu before that time is up. And if we can’t do it in three hours, we’ll give up and attack Tgurneu together.”
“What’s your plan?”
“I’m thinking we’ll leave the mountain and go back to the hill where Tgurneu first attacked us. Most likely, that’s the only place we’ll be able to find a clue as to its weakness.”
What Mora really wanted to do was to go end Tgurneu’s life right that moment. It had said that she had only two more days. But she couldn’t object to Adlet’s plan. “Understood, Adlet. Be sure to find us a clue. Meanwhile, I will not let Tgurneu escape.” Mora showed the others the stake she held. “This barrier prevents the passage of fiends only. You will be able to pass through freely. Once it is active, head straight to the hill.”
“Wait—then I won’t be able to get out,” said Fremy.
“I’m sorry, Fremy,” answered Mora. “You were not known to us when we made this barrier. You remain here.”
“That’s not good. There may be some clues that we can’t find without Fremy there,” said Adlet.
“Couldn’t you just activate the barrier once Fremy has left it?” suggested Rolonia.
“Then she wouldn’t be able to get back in after. We have no choice—Fremy stays here.” As Rolonia and Adlet talked, Tgurneu remained under Mora’s clairvoyant watch. It was still chatting, seeming entirely without caution.
“I’m about to create the barrier. Shall I?” Mora said, and Adlet nodded. For some reason, Hans’s expression revealed mixed feelings. Fremy also seemed hesitant.
“What’s wrong?”
“Meow, I have some bad memories when it comes to barriers, ya know?”
Mora was in complete agreement, but this was not the time to worry over that. She channeled power from the Spirit of Mountains, and the stake in her hands glowed.
It was fundamentally impossible to erect two barriers in the same location. But the Saint of the Single Flower’s Bud of Eternity had different properties. Saints of past generations had already confirmed that a second force field would not clash with it.
The instant before Mora thrust the stake into the ground, she checked on their target one more time.
Tgurneu was strolling along the mountain as it had been before, still conversing with its minions. “Is Cargikk still doing nothing?” it asked.
“Appàrently. Does Cargikk even want to win?”
“What can you do? The most simpletons can hope to accomplish is to barricade themselves in.” It seemed they were just chatting, entirely unaware of the coming threat.
It can’t be—is this creature nothing more than a fool? The thought crossed Mora’s mind. “Hnh!” She thrust the stake into the ground. The
