“Mew better. Chamo’s more strategically important than you.”
“…Rather blunt, aren’t you? But so be it. You’re right.”
The moment Mora was done speaking, a voice called to them from outside the pit.
“This will not do.” The voice was sexless, not clearly identifiable as male or female. A little creature stepped out from between the cracks of a smashed rock and slowly approached the group. It appeared quite odd, similar to a dog but also to a squirrel. It didn’t look at all like a fiend, but there was clearly a horn on its forehead. “Please wait a little longer before you go hunting for Nashetania.”
“Are you familiar with that fiend, Fremy?” asked Mora. The moment she saw it, she felt just the way she had when she’d faced Tgurneu, or when she’d fought Hans. Her senses told her it was a powerful foe. For what reasons, she didn’t know, but it was wounded all over, large gashes marring its face and stomach. But she still had a gut feeling that defeating it would be no easy task, despite its injuries.
“I’ve seen it once before,” said Fremy. “Here, in the lava zone. Tgurneu said it was Dozzu.”
“Quite right. My name is Dozzu. It seems I owe you a considerable debt for your treatment of my comrade within the Phantasmal Barrier,” said Dozzu, and sparks flared out around its horn. This was the traitor to fiends, and if they were to believe Tgurneu’s information, also the mastermind between their battle within the Phantasmal Barrier. Tension shot through Mora’s body.
“Incidentally,” said Dozzu, “it seems you’ve encountered Tgurneu. What did you discuss? I would very much like to be informed.”
“Not tellin’,” said Hans, and he gave a hand signal to Fremy and Rolonia. It meant, Go.
“Can you handle it alone, Hans?” asked Fremy.
“Don’t worry ’bout me. Worry ameowt Chamo.” Hans smiled.
Fremy and Rolonia retreated behind him, then disappeared past a shattered rock hill. Dozzu ignored them.
“Meow-hee? Yer lettin’ ’em go? Ain’t ya come to slow us down?”
“It’s surely enough to stall you, Hans. Nashetania has told me that you’re more powerful than either Adlet or Chamo.”
“Mya-meow. The princess has got good judgment,” Hans said as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
“Might I help, Hans?” asked Mora.
“Hrmeow, naw. You just keep protectin’ Chamo.” Hans raised his swords.
Then Dozzu said, “I think it may be better for us to move a little ways away. I doubt you want to involve the little lady in our battle.”
Hans glanced over at his comrade. “All right, let’s meowve, then. Pretty considerate for a fiend.”
“Not at all.”
“Meow, anyway, are ya okay with those wounds?”
“Thank you very much for your concern, but you need not worry on my behalf.”
Mora silently watched Hans and Dozzu walk away together. Finally, Hans dropped into a fighting crouch, and sparks shot from Dozzu’s forehead. “Now, then, Hans. Let’s battle to the death.”
The fight commenced.
“…What does this mean?” Adlet muttered as he sat on a broken rock.
He was already done searching the whole area of the gem’s effective range. The only place he’d found traces of a hieroform’s activation was that one tiny spot in that pit. What’s more, it had been triggered some time ago. There was no hieroform currently in use within the gem’s area of effect. Was that really how Nashetania was hiding? Something she’d used once a while back that continuously kept her hidden? If Adlet believed what Mora had said, then that shouldn’t be possible.
Adlet examined the region again. Fremy’s bombing had improved the view. The only thing around was some lowered mountains sparsely dotting the area. But no matter where he looked, he couldn’t find Nashetania or Goldof.
Had Tgurneu fooled them? If so, then how, and what was the trick? Adlet thought back on what Tgurneu had said, but he just couldn’t figure it out. The fiend had mostly just talked about Dozzu. It had barely said a thing about where Nashetania might be.
Was Nashetania camouflaging herself not with a hieroform but with a fiend? So then what the heck was the hieroform that went off before?
Adlet could feel his legs trembling a little. He’d never imagined that he’d come this far and still fail to get to the truth or even find any clues at all. But he had a gut feeling. He was overlooking something; there was something he couldn’t see. He just needed something to get the ball rolling, and he could solve all these mysteries.
That was when Fremy and Rolonia ran over from Chamo’s pit toward him.
“Fremy! Rolonia! You find her?” he yelled. But the question was pointless. If they’d found Nashetania, they would have already let him know.
“Bad news!” cried Rolonia. “Dozzu’s come! It’s fighting with Hans right now!”
“What?!”
Fremy and Rolonia explained the situation to him, and Adlet realized things had gone from bad to worse. But he couldn’t go help Hans. He had no choice but to leave Dozzu to his ally.
“What should we do, Addy? About how much time do we have left?” Rolonia was on edge.
“…Goldof,” Adlet replied. “He has the key. I can’t think of anything else.”
But just as they couldn’t figure out where Nashetania was, they hadn’t seen her retainer, either. As Adlet worried, Rolonia told him, “We did see him once.”
Adlet looked at her. Fremy explained in Rolonia’s stead. “Sorry we didn’t tell you earlier. We saw him about thirty minutes ago. He was north-northwest of here, at the edge of the area of effect. We tried to kill him, but he got away.”
“Which way did he run?”
“Out of the circle. The terrain was complex, and we couldn’t find him.”
Adlet didn’t know what to say. He had thought Goldof was fighting to protect Nashetania. So why would he run? He wasn’t going to fight Fremy or Rolonia? He wasn’t going to join Dozzu to kill Chamo?
Suddenly, there was an explosion about fifteen meters off to Adlet’s side. Reflexively, he lowered his center
