“…”
“Is that enough for you?” asked Adlet. The story had ended up longer than he’d expected. But the night was long. They had plenty of time to talk.
“I envy you,” said Fremy.
Adlet doubted his ears. “What did you just say?”
“I said I envy you.”
Forgetting the pain in his back, Adlet stood. His hand reached for the sword at his waist. “What did you say? You couldn’t have said that you envy me, right?”
“I do envy you. I don’t even have anything to believe in.”
“…” Adlet’s hand moved away from his sword. He sat down again.
“I was abandoned by those closest to me,” said Fremy.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean the fiend who gave birth to me and raised me. The fiend who gave me my gun, gave me my powers as the Saint of Gunpowder, gave me happiness. It abandoned me.”
Adlet didn’t urge her to continue. He just let her talk.
“As I told you before, I was raised among fiends,” she said. “Not peons like those we killed today. Proper fiends with intelligence, courage, and loyalty to the Evil God. I loved them all. I believed they all loved me.”
“…”
“I killed a lot of people on my mother’s orders. I had no doubts. On the contrary, I felt like I had to work harder, kill even more. I wasn’t a full demon, and I had dirty human blood. But I believed that even a half demon could be recognized as a full fiend if I could kill lots of humans,” said Fremy, and her expression looked younger than it ever had. “But I also understood that merely killing weaklings would not count as service toward the Evil God. I had to kill one of the strongest six warriors in the world, break one of the links in the chain. Nashetania and Mora were very heavily guarded. I was unable to approach them. So I decided to challenge Chamo. I believed that if I could defeat Chamo, I would be recognized as a full-fledged fiend.”
“Then you lost,” said Adlet.
“I regret it. I should have gone for Nashetania or Mora instead of challenging that . It was all I could do to escape. And I made another mistake… When she provoked me, I told her my name.”
Adlet couldn’t imagine what the battle had been like.
“I barely survived,” she continued, “and when I came back…my mother tried to kill me, as did the other fiends I had thought of as family. They were done with me. Maybe I should have died then. But I managed to get away.” Fremy stroked her forehead. There was the proof she was a fiend, the scar left by her horn. “What I cannot forgive is not that they tried to kill me. It’s that they pretended to love me. If they had just treated me as their puppet, then the betrayal would not have hurt. If they had always intended to betray me, then they should have raised me as a slave born to fight humans. My mother…my mother…” Fremy was clenching her fists. “My mother pretended to love me.”
“Revenge, huh?”
“It’s not enough to just kill her. I have to destroy what my mother has devoted her life to. I won’t be satisfied until I destroy the Evil God. Once I do, I’ll tell her… Regret what you’ve done. This is what it’s wrought. ”
When Adlet had first met Fremy, something in him had resisted the idea of leaving her alone. Now he finally understood why. She was just like him. Her pain was the same as his—the pain of being betrayed by the people she trusted, of losing her place in life. Pain that made her burn with hatred. Revenge is meaningless. Revenge is a mistake. Revenge gives birth to nothing. There were a lot of people who said things like that, but they didn’t understand. Revenge was not something you did because it was meaningful or right or because you could get something out of it. You sought revenge because it was all you had.
“Back then, I was content,” Fremy continued, as if talking to herself. “I had my mother and my friends. We played together, and we fought together. I had a dog. I wonder what’s happened to it now. Are they still feeding it? Or have they already gotten rid of it, maybe?”
“Hey, Fremy,” he said.
“What?”
“Well, um…hang in there.” Adlet sincerely wanted to support her. He thought she might appreciate a little encouragement.
But what he got in return was an even colder gaze, one heavy with suspicion. “Adlet—why don’t you suspect me?” she asked.
“Huh?”
“How can you believe that story was true? You can’t imagine that I just made it up?”
“What are you talking about, Fremy?”
“If you’re really a Brave, I should be your number one suspect. From your point of view, I have to be the most suspicious.”
“Yeah, maybe so, but…” Adlet trailed off.
“If you were a real Brave, the first thing you would do is try to look for proof that I am the seventh. But you don’t. That alone is enough reason to suspect you.”
Adlet thought her logic was strange. But from her perspective, it wasn’t an irrational argument. “I…” He searched for the answer. Several came to mind, but none quite fit. He had a hard time putting his feelings into words. He remembered when he first met Fremy. It felt like a very long time ago, but in actuality, it had been just that morning. He made a desperate attempt to express how he’d felt at that moment. “I don’t want to believe that you’re my enemy.”
“I can’t understand that,” said Fremy. “Whether you’re a real Brave or the seventh.”
“D-don’t get me wrong, Fremy. It’s not like I like you or anything.”
“I wasn’t talking about that. Don’t be gross,” Fremy spat. “I can’t understand it. I just can’t understand you at all,” she said, and then she abruptly stood. “I’m going back to the temple. The other five will probably be there.”
“You’re going?” he asked.
“Of course.” Fremy’s outline disappeared into the darkness.
Adlet had thought that by talking about their pasts, they had come to understand each other a little. But maybe that, too, had only been momentary delusion. Adlet called into the darkness, “Won’t you come with me?”
Fremy stopped and thought for a moment. “We may have talked a lot, but ultimately, that still doesn’t change the fact that you’re the most suspicious of all of us.”
“I see.”
“But I would be willing to hear you out, just once.” From the darkness, Fremy threw something at him. It was a tiny firecracker of rounded gunpowder. “That was made with my power…the power of the Spirit of Gunpowder. When you strike it on the ground, it explodes. If you set it off, I will know where it happened.”
“So you’re saying I can use this to summon you?” asked Adlet.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t trust you. The next time we meet might be when I kill you.”
“…”
“To use it or not is up to you,” said Fremy, and she disappeared into the darkness.
Adlet stared into the night as he thought. After having spoken with Fremy, he was certain of one thing: She was absolutely not his enemy. It wasn’t logic that inspired this certainty, but his heart. He wanted to protect her—from the Evil God, and also from the seventh. “I’ll protect you, Fremy. And not just you—I’ll protect Nashetania and the others. I’ll protect everyone.” He got no reply.
Adlet lay down and gazed at the dark, fog-covered sky. As he did, his thoughts returned to the past. Five years ago, during his time training with Atreau, slowly edging closer and closer to becoming the strongest man in the world, Adlet had, just once, returned to his home village. The entire area had been nothing but a burned field. Nothing remained. Not the places he’d played with his friend or the house where he’d lived with Schetra—nothing. The scorched remnants of his village told him that what was gone would not return.
Adlet believed that he’d grown stronger not for the sake of revenge. He didn’t fight out of hatred. He had become a warrior because he didn’t want to lose everything again.
But despite those feelings, the ones he wanted to protect weren
’t cooperating.
Chapter 4
Counteroffensive
Meanwhile, the seventh was privately thinking that killing Adlet personally wouldn’t be the best strategy. The impostor wanted to leave the task to one of the other Braves of the Six Flowers, if possible. Then if things went well, they would be able to blame everything on the one who’d done the deed. Even if the impostor wasn’t able to pull that off, Adlet’s death would still tear a wide rift in the bonds of trust between the six Braves. The seventh just had to stay vigilant and use that failure of trust to lead the group to an irreparable falling-out.
The seventh didn’t know what was going to happen. The important thing was to be flexible—to observe the situation closely and use whatever was at hand without getting too attached to any single idea. And most of all, avoiding suspicion was crucial. If the seventh could manage that, victory was assured.
Now then, who would kill Adlet…?
When Fremy returned to the temple, Chamo, Nashetania, and Hans were already asleep. Mora and Goldof were standing watch outside.
“So you live. What happened to Adlet?” asked Mora.
“I lost him,” said Fremy. “He was wounded, and while I would have liked to capture him, I didn’t have my gun.”
“I see,” Mora replied. “You should sleep. You can talk more about it tomorrow morning.”
When Fremy walked into the temple, Goldof called out to her. “I’m sorry for suspecting you,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter. Any normal person would have,” she replied.
Eventually, dawn broke. Fremy told the other five about what had happened after Adlet carried her away. And then she told them about herself, and in particular, her reason for fighting the Evil God.
“Fiends are such heartless creatures.” Mora knit her brows.
“What an awful story,” said Chamo. “If it’s true.”
“Chamo, you still suspect Fremy? The truth has already become clear—Fremy is an indispensable member of our team,” Mora chided her, but Chamo just giggled.
“Meow-hee-hee ,” chuckled Hans. “I’m feelin’ a little uneasy ’bout this, though. Should we really think she’s one of us?”
“Hans, you too? How can you say that?” puzzled Mora.
“Didja actually fight with Adlet?” Hans asked Fremy. “That sword I threw at him sank in pretty deep, ya know?”
“It missed his vitals,” Fremy replied. “Your arm isn’t as good as your mouth.”
“Adlet really seemed to take a likin’ to ya. When everyone was suspicious of ya, he protected ya. When Chamo said she was gonna torture ya, he got mad and stopped her. It’s no surprise yer feelin’ attracted to him.”
“You’re so obnoxious.”
“Meow-hee-hee , the heart of a woman is an eternal meowstery. Yer mouth and yer heart aren’t singin’ the same tune.”
“Hans, be silent for one moment,” ordered Mora. Hans made an exaggerated display of his shock and then shut his mouth. “I have doubts as well,” she continued. “What did you think of Adlet, Fremy? What was your impression when you found out he was the seventh?”
“I thought, Ah, I knew it ,” said Fremy.
“How so?” asked Mora.
“He was trying to get on my good side, showing this forced concern in an attempt to win my trust. Now that I know why, it all makes sense.”
“Meow-ha-ha , what a terrifyin’ woman. Poor Adlet’s love is unrequited!”
Fremy glared at Hans.
“We should be talking about Adlet. How do we capture him?” asked Goldof.
Hans looked at the iron box in the corner of the temple and said, “Most of his weapons are in there. He can’t fight without ’em. If we wait here, I think he’ll be comin’ round to get ’em.”
“Not necessarily,” Fremy countered. “He still has a certain number of weapons hidden on his person.”
“Not enough to fight all of us,” Hans replied.
“That doesn’t mean we can go without a plan,” said Goldof. “We should make our move. We have only a finite amount of time. We should split up and track him down.”
“Goldof is right,” said Mora. “We’ll split into groups of two. First, Fremy—you will come with me to search for Adlet.” Fremy nodded. “Princess, you go with Goldof,” Mora continued. “Do not be gentle with Adlet. Goldof, take care of the princess.” Goldof nodded. Nashetania gave him an uneasy look. “Chamo and Hans, you stay here and lay an ambush for him. Keep your wits about you.”
“Meow? I’ll have only half the motivation if I’m not with a pretty lady. Can’t I switch places with Goldof?” Everyone ignored Hans’s complaint.
“No objections?” verified Mora. “Then let’s go.”
That was when Chamo said, “No. Chamo doesn’t wanna wait.”
“All right, then Fremy can stay here, and you come with me, Chamo,” said Mora.
“Walking all over the place doesn’t sound fun, either. Chamo’s just gonna go play somewhere until the barrier is down.”
“May I scold you a little, Chamo?” A blue vein popped out on Mora’s forehead.
Hans smiled and said, “It’s fine. I can deal with a guy like that by myself.”
“What reliable allies you are,” said Mora. “Well, so be it. Chamo, do avoid getting lost and don’t stray too far.”
Nashetania and Goldof headed out westward. Mora and Fremy were setting off in the opposite direction when Hans called out to one of his companions. “Hey, Fremy.”
“What?” she replied.
“Can you really fight the fiends?”
“What do you mean?”
“If yer beloved mama was standin’ right in fronta ya, sayin’, I’m sorry, forgive me, I’ve always regretted it, let’s live together again , could ya kill her?”
“I could. Because I would know she was lying,” said Fremy.
“No, ya couldn’t.”
Fremy shot Hans an angry glare.
“I’m an assassin,” said Hans. “I’ve taken on a lot of jobs. Husbands betrayed by their wives. Children abandoned by their parents. They all came to me and said, Kill them for me . But ya know, not a single one of ’em was happy to see me do it. At the last moment, most of ’em would be like, No, don’t kill them, after all. ”
“So what?” Fremy demanded.
“Well, I guess it don’t really matter.”
“Let’s go, Fremy,” said Mora, and the two women turned away from Hans and ran into the woods.
After Nashetania and Goldof left the temple, they ran for a while, until Nashetania suddenly stopped. She turned to look behind them and scanned the area multiple times.
“What is it?” Goldof, who had been following her, was confused by her behavior.
“Goldof, I know this is sudden, and this is going to sound strange, but do you trust me?” Nashetania looked Goldof straight in the eye.
“Of course. Whom could I trust but you?” he replied.
But his response made Nashetania frown. “You don’t understand what I mean. What I mean to ask is, will you support my ideas without questioning them?”
“Your Highness, just what are you thinking?”
Nashetania kept her eyes locked on Goldof’s. “Adlet isn’t the seventh. And now I will prove it.”
“Your Highness!” Goldof cried.
“Just this time. Say you will with no complaints. I can tell—Adlet has fallen into a trap, and he’s waiting for my help!”
“I cannot acquiesce. Even if it’s you, Your Highness. Anything but that.”
“I’m not saying this with no plan in mind,” Nashetania persisted. “There’s something that has been bothering me. I still have no proof, and I may just be wrong. But it might be the clue that leads us to the truth.”
“Whom do you suspect?” asked Goldof.
Nashetania replied quietly, “Hans.”
Meanwhile, Adlet was also making his move. He ran soundlessly across tree branches so as not to leave any footprints. Occasional
ly, he would stop and listen to the sounds around him, check that no one was approaching, and then continue. He was heading toward the temple. If he could find proof there that the eighth really existed, he could clear the suspicions against him for the time being. It would be more efficient than running around the forest and searching for the eighth at random.
What are the others doing? As Adlet jumped from one tree to the next, he reflected. Most likely, the six of them had split into groups of two or three to look for him. That would be the logical decision if they wanted to avoid surprise attacks from him. Things might get nasty if they were in groups of two. That would mean one of them was alone with the seventh, who could kill their companion and then pin it on Adlet. That could be the seventh’s next plan. Adlet had to hurry before such underhanded tactics were put into action.
But would surveying the temple be doable? There would be at least two standing guard. At least if Nashetania or Fremy were among them, there would be a way. Adlet could get one of them to cooperate and have her make sure the temple was empty, or he could negotiate with them directly to get into the temple. Adlet knew full well his plan had holes. It was haphazard and chance-based. But at that point, it was all he had.
“Okay.” He had made it to the temple without running into any of his pursuers. It seemed that luck had not forsaken him. He climbed another tree, pulled out his telescope, and surveyed the area. There was no sign of anyone around the temple. Were they lying in wait for him inside? He went around to the back of the temple, approaching it cautiously. He leaped down onto the roof, put his ear to the stone, and listened for any sounds inside. He could hear none. Either the temple was actually empty, or it was a trap to lure him in. And if it was a trap, was it one of the other Braves who had set it for him, or was it the seventh?
Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers, Vol. 1 Page 13