“That wouldn’t happen,” said Adlet. No Brave of the Six Flowers would betray the cause. You had to have an unwavering desire to defeat the Evil God, even if it meant your life, in order to be chosen.
“You think it’s impossible? Mora betrayed you once.”
“But she—”
“You should be more suspicious. Our battle has been nothing but the impossible,” said Tgurneu.
Unable to reply, Adlet fell silent.
“In any case,” Tgurneu continued, “it’s safe to consider that Goldof is the one who holds the key to this fight. Who is he, and whose will does he act on?”
“…Goldof said he would protect the princess,” said Fremy.
Tgurneu’s beak shook. Apparently, that was a derisive laugh. “Both you and I have been quite confounded. Hans and Mora are occupied and unable to leave that pit. That imbecile Cargikk is showing no sign of action now, of all times. What on earth does Goldof think he’s protecting Nashetania from?”
“Tgurneu, do you have any clues as to where she’s hiding?” Adlet asked.
The fiend shook its head. “My pawns were watching both her and Goldof. After your fight, Nashetania convened with Goldof, and then Dozzu.”
“What kind of fiend is Dozzu?” asked Fremy.
“Dozzu has the power to manipulate lightning and shape-shift at will. His current form is rather odd, like a cross between a dog and a squirrel. I haven’t seen him in person for two hundred years, but I’m certain that was him—Dozzu is the only fiend out there that can control lightning.”
“And?”
“They were in a pit about one kilometer east of here. My pawns followed them, but before I knew it, two of them were dead and one had fled. Then a few minutes later, Goldof emerged from the pit alone and headed off farther east. My subordinate peeked inside the pit one more time but told me there was no hint or sign of Nashetania.”
“Do you have any idea how Nashetania is hiding?” asked Adlet.
“It’s hard to say, but…”
Uneasy, Rolonia watched the conversation between Adlet and Tgurneu become more involved. Her eyes accused her ally. Are you seriously going to work with Tgurneu?
“She’s probably not using a fiend’s power,” said the fiend.
“What do you mean?” asked Adlet.
“Four-thousand-odd pawns serve me, and I’ve never seen a fiend with the ability to make a human vanish without a trace. No, I doubt such a fiend could exist. You agree, don’t you, Fremy?”
Fremy didn’t reply, but she didn’t deny it, either.
“So you’re saying she’s using a Saint’s power to hide?” said Adlet. “That couldn’t be. Nashetania is the Saint of Blades. There’s nothing she could do with that power to make herself disappear.”
“And therein lies the problem,” said Tgurneu.
The two fell silent. Wordlessly, Fremy asked Adlet, How long are you going to keep talking? You’re not going to kill it?
“Wait,” Adlet whispered.
“…I’ve heard that four hundred years ago, the King of Piena had Saints make him some special hieroforms,” said Tgurneu. “They were passed down through generations of kings, and it’s said that they were bestowed to vassals recognized for their talent and loyalty. Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to discern who holds which hieroform or what kind of powers they might have. Perhaps one of those has the power to conceal a person, and Goldof or Nashetania is using it.”
A hieroform was a tool that contained a Spirit’s power. Mora would know something about that.
“Do you have any proof?” asked Adlet.
“No. But I can’t think of any other possibilities.” Tgurneu suddenly began striding away. “We can’t waste time standing here talking. Let’s search for Nashetania.” Adlet followed Tgurneu, and Rolonia trailed after him.
“So what’s your plan?” asked Adlet.
“First, we’ll head to the place where my pawns last sighted Nashetania. We’ll look for clues there.”
Sounding upset, Rolonia protested. “Are you serious? Addy, are you actually going to work together with Tgurneu?”
“Don’t worry. Just be quiet and follow me,” Adlet said over his shoulder.
The meaning in Rolonia’s expression was clear. I can’t believe this!
But Fremy kept her composure. I’d expect nothing less, thought Adlet. She understood what he was thinking, even if he didn’t say a word.
“If there are no clues there, then we’ll look for Goldof. He has to know something about Nashetania’s location. And then—” Right in the middle of Tgurneu’s sentence, something rolled to its feet. Fremy’s bomb. The instant before it exploded, Adlet leaped and drew his sword.
The attack took Tgurneu by surprise, and it couldn’t defend itself. All it could do was protect its face with its hands and jump away. As the blast hurled the fiend backward, Adlet swung his sword at it. “Now that you’ve told us everything, our business with you is done,” he said.
“You maggots!” Tgurneu blocked Adlet’s sword with one arm. The blade sliced halfway into the limb and then stopped; the fiend’s muscle was frighteningly hard and elastic. Tgurneu threw a punch at the boy’s stomach. Adlet whipped around to circle behind his enemy, wrapping both hands around its neck and squeezing.
Without missing a beat, Fremy shot Tgurneu in the chest. It fell to the ground, taking Adlet with it as he restrained the fiend. Adlet was certain now—this Tgurneu was far weaker than the one they had fought in the Ravine of Spitten Blood. “Rolonia! Go right! Circle it!”
“O-okay!”
Fremy and Rolonia ran to either side of Tgurneu. Tgurneu tried to shake Adlet off, yelling, “Don’t be stupid, Adlet! Don’t you get that I’m telling the truth?!”
Adlet smirked. “Even if I did suppose all of that was true, that’s still no reason for us to let you live.”
“…You’ll regret this.”
Fremy shot its knee, shattering it, while Rolonia whipped blood from its body. The moment Tgurneu stopped moving, Adlet revealed the ace up his sleeve, his weapon that could kill any fiend in one stab: the Saint’s Spike. He found the fig that was Tgurneu’s true form and prepared to pierce it when—
The fiend’s body did something peculiar. Suddenly, its neck stretched and tore off with a loud rip.
“!”
The decapitated yeti
