So Tgurneu had killed all of Cargikk’s followers. The bodies in Chamo’s pit were from the fight between Cargikk and Tgurneu. Once Tgurneu had dealt with that little bit of interference, it had swiftly come up with a plan to kill Chamo and begun preparations.
“However…” Dozzu interrupted, pushing itself up from the ground and dragging its legs over to interject. “Tgurneu never intended to protect us. His plan was to finish us off once he was done with us and Chamo was dead.” Tgurneu didn’t deny it. It just smirked.
If Dozzu knew that, then why didn’t it run? Goldof was skeptical. That was when, finally, he figured it out. He despaired, realizing what a fool he’d been. Nashetania had been taken hostage, forcing Dozzu to do whatever Tgurneu wanted. Dozzu’s ploy and attempt to kill him had all been on Tgurneu’s orders. What a complicated, bizarre situation. Fiends deceiving, killing, and using each other.
Tgurneu continued explaining. First, it had restrained Nashetania and threatened Dozzu to make the other fiend submit. It had sealed away Nashetania’s special abilities with one of its specialists, number thirty-one, the Saint-sealing maggot.
Next, it created a fake Nashetania to trick the Braves, using a team of two fiends. The first was a transforming type disguised as the princess. The other was a snake with the power to control blades. The snake had been underground, hurling up blades to fake the Saint’s power. Pretending to be the Saint of Blades, however, was not possible for a lesser power. So Tgurneu had made the snake-fiend eat its fig body in order to strengthen its abilities. The shape-shifter had been hiding in the royal palace in Piena until just days ago, which was how it knew Nashetania’s habits and manner of speech. The fiend knew her so well, it could deceive Adlet and even Goldof.
The real issue had been Rolonia. She’d be able to pick out a fake just by licking its blood. To handle that problem, Tgurneu extracted some of Nashetania’s blood and tore off her left arm. He then attached the arm to the transforming fiend, poured her blood into it, and ensured that Rolonia would taste the real Nashetania’s blood from it. That was why even Rolonia hadn’t realized that it was an impostor.
“Her arm… You…you sick…” Goldof trembled with rage.
Tgurneu paid him no mind and continued. Luring in the Six Braves had been simple enough. It had just used the Helm of Allegiance to alert Goldof to Nashetania’s predicament, and the young knight had come running just as planned. The other Braves had followed him into the region.
Then the mastermind had instructed Dozzu to trick Goldof into separating from the group, persuade him to fight the other Braves, and then finally, to have him killed. Tgurneu had put a fiend into Dozzu’s body that sent information back to it, so it knew about everything Dozzu had told Goldof. With Nashetania as hostage, her comrade had no choice but to follow orders.
“How was that? Even a fool like you can understand when I break it down so thoroughly, I’m sure?”
“Where…is she? Tgurneu…tell me!”
The fiend scoffed at him. “The real Nashetania is somewhere here in the lava zone. One of my pawns is particularly adept at keeping things hidden.” It leaned in toward Goldof. “‘Where is she? What sort of power does this fiend have?’ Why would I tell you any of that? I intend to keep her hidden until Chamo dies—which, I estimate, is two hours from now at most.”
“Give her…back.”
“No. I’ve told Nashetania that if she tries to run, I’ll kill her, and if she cancels the blade gem without permission, I’ll kill her then, too. If Dozzu tries to help her escape, I’ll kill her. If he attacks me, I’ll kill her. Just one easy little signal from me, and she’ll be dead.”
“You…shouldn’t be able…to kill her.”
“That was a lie. Of course that was a lie. What are you talking about?”
“Give…her…back.”
“No, I said. And while I’m at it, I’ll tell you something else: Once Chamo is dead, I’m going to kill Nashetania on the spot. You don’t mind, do you? Since she’s the enemy of the Braves, anyway.” Smiling broadly, Tgurneu watched Goldof shudder with fury. “The truth is, I thought you would be the greatest obstacle to this plot. I imagined the information she sent you through the Helm of Allegiance combined with Adlet and Hans’s brains might lead you to find her. That was why I separated you from the other Braves and arranged it so that you wouldn’t be able to share information with them. Well, you ended up breaking off from the group on your own, so it turned out I didn’t need to bother.”
Goldof ground his teeth.
“You were such a good fool. I was listening in on your conversation with Dozzu. Frankly, I had a hard time restraining my laughter. I was the one who ordered Dozzu to incite you to fight the other Braves, but I didn’t think you would actually take it so seriously for me!”
Tgurneu drew back, and then a blade sprouted from its body and impaled the other commander.
“I know what you and Nashetania were after, Dozzu. You planned to have Goldof save Nashetania for you, didn’t you?”
Goldof was taken aback. Dozzu gave a small nod.
“Of course you would,” said Tgurneu. “That was clearly the option that could have kept both of you alive. But it’s just as you see: Goldof, you are incompetent. There’s no way you can save Nashetania. Chamo will die. The rest of you will also die here. And then it will be over.”
Dozzu glared at Tgurneu, but it was not bothered at all. “Hey, do you know why I’m babbling on and telling you everything?” This time, the fiend faced Goldof.
“What?” said Goldof.
“It’s because your knowing won’t hinder my plans at all. If you pass on what I’ve told you to the other Braves, I’ll kill Nashetania.”
“!”
“It’s true that would
