espera..

Raina could hear the sound of battle occurring far away. He heard explosions and the sound of lightning. The Six Flowers are fighting with Dark Specialist Number 9, Raina thought. The swordsman with the unruly hair had been a diversion, and what was going on in the distance was probably the real target.


Raina's body was heading towards the giant tree at the center of the
forest. Alright, Raina thought. If I had followed the swordsman with the unruly hair, I would have been killed before I could do anything, and never gotten to meet up with any of the Flowers.


But if he were able to encounter any of the other Heroes then they might be able to spot the writing on his right arm.


At that moment, Raina felt a wave of exhaustion. It was a sign that he was about to regain control of his left arm. Until today, he'd never been able to move his arm twice in one day. So it seemed clear that he regained control whenever something unusual happened to the Kyoma controlling the corpse soldiers.


...This is great! Things are going well!


Raina was exhilarated. If he were to wave his hand in front of the Six Flowers and show them his right arm, someone would probably realize that he was alive. At the very least, they wouldn't kill him immediately.


The other corpse soldiers were also being made to head to the center of the forest, and as he ran with them, he could hear their shrieks from both in front of and behind him.


The Heroes of the Six Flowers. The moment after this thought, Raina saw something that shocked him. There were a number of leech, lizard, slug, and
strangeofmisha‐like Ky standing in the way of the corpse soldiers.



This is bad!


If the Kyoma discovered the writing on his arm, he would end up being killed. He tried to cover his arm with his sleeve, but before he could, something incomprehensible happened.


A giant slug Kyoma spat acid at Raina. Raina's body leaped to the side, and his right arm swung up and hit the slug. His attack tore off some of the slug's skin, but overall it didn't seem to have any real effect at all.


But the Kyoma weren't just attacking Raina. They were also attacking the other corpse soldiers.


Why are the Kyoma attacking us?!


Without knowing the reason, Raina and the other corpse soldiers fought with the Kyoma.


No matter how he thought about it, it didn't seem like Kyoma would be trying to protect the Flowers.


Wait. Could this also be one of the abilities of the Flowers? Was there a Saint among the Flowers who could control Kyoma?


Raina could still move his left arm, so he tried to point to the words on his right arm. He grabbed his right arm and showed the words to the slug Kyoma.


However, the slug Kyoma continued its attack indiscriminately, and Raina had to use his left arm, which he'd tried so hard to move, to protect his body.


What is this? What in the world should I do? Raina wondered as his body continued to fight.


Chapter Four: Part Two


"Shit! It's getting away!" Adlet shouted.


Adlet and the others were pursuing Dark Specialist Number 9 while navigating the extreme ups and downs of the forest’s center. The specialist was continually ordering the corpse soldiers to keep the Heroes away, and as a result it had already managed to place a fair distance between itself and Adlet's group.


"He's like you, Adlet‐san," Nashetania said as she fought at Adlet's side.


"I can escape much better than this!"


"...What are you getting angry about?" Nashetania asked, dumbfounded.


"Dozzu, I’ve got a question for you,"Adlet said, changing the subject. "We’re chasing that Kyoma right now, but is it really the Dark Specialist?"


"It conforms to the appearance that I heard about."


"Is there a possibility that it's a shape‐shifting Kyoma?"


Dozzu thought for a moment before replying. "Probably not at all. Even though the shape‐shifting Kyoma can change their appearance, they cannot mimic abilities. The sound that is controlling the corpse soldiers has been coming from that Dark Specialist."


"If I were Tgurneu, I would have stationed a number of shape‐shifting Kyoma and used them as decoys."


"Even if he wanted to, he probably could not. There are only a few shape‐shifting Kyoma."


So that's the reason, Adlet thought.


"By the way, this is not good. We are veering off course."


Adlet had noticed that too. Number 9 was heading southeast. If he continued in that direction, they would never reach the mountain to the south where Fremy and Mora were waiting to attack.


Do we have no choice but to start back at square one? Adlet wondered. And to make matters worse, Goldof, Chamo, and Rolonia were late.


"We have to stop our pursuit. Everyone stop. Dozzu, Nashetania, you two intercept any enemies that come this way," Adlet said, and the group came to a stop.


With Dozzu and Nashetania handling the enemies chasing after them, Adlet looked at the crest on his right hand. All of the petals were still present. Hans was safe. Mora and Fremy were alive. So far their plan was going well.


"I’ll go check out the situation," Adlet said, and climbed up a tree nearby. From the top he looked over the forest.


Adlet could see that Dark Specialist Number 9 had stopped a fair distance away from him and the others, and there was still some distance until the mountain where Fremy and Mora were waiting.


Shrieks had been coming non‐stop from the center of the forest and to the north. The Jyuma that Chamo had left behind were fighting with the corpse soldiers in the center, and Hans was fending off the enemy to the north. At least that probably meant there would not be any surprise attacks at Adlet’s current location.


Next Adlet looked to the Fainting Mountains, where he could see a number of Kyoma flying about. They must have noticed that Adlet and the others were approaching, but it didn't seem like they were heading towards the Heroes at all; they weren’t going to get lucky and find the Fainting Mountain completely devoid of enemies. Perhaps Tgurneu had strictly ordered them not to leave their waiting places to prevent even one of the Heroes from setting foot at the Temple of Fate.


Lastly, Adlet looked about the perimeter of the forest. There were still no indications that a large pack of Kyoma was approaching, but the Kyoma that were watching the periphery would probably advance on their location within several hours. And as for the main force that Tgurneu commanded, Adlet had no idea when it would come.


"Adlet‐san! Watch out!" Nashetania shouted, and Adlet instantly recognized the danger.


A single corpse soldier was clawing up the tree with terrible speed and heading right for Adlet. The instant Adlet looked at the enemy, the corpse soldier bared its yellow teeth and shrieked.


"....Ah."


Looking at its face, Adlet recalled the good‐natured old lady who had lived in the house three houses down from his own. Thinking that it would be troublesome for just an older sister and younger brother to live alone, she would sometimes come over and helped with chores. Now that woman was in front of Adlet. And she was trying to kill him.


Adlet blocked her attack with his sword and started to swing his sword to decapitate her. But at that moment Rolonia's words floated into his mind: The corpse soldiers might still be alive.


"Guu!"


For a moment his sword hand stopped, and the corpse soldier attacked again. Adlet was able to dodge the strike, but on reflex he threw out a kick and the corpse soldier hit the ground. Dozzu charred the fallen enemy with electricity, and the once gentle old woman never moved again.


"Haa...haa...haa...." Staring at the scorched Fallen Soldier, Adlet desperately tried to slow his ragged breaths. It couldn't be helped, he told himself. If I had hesitated, I would have been killed, he thought, trying to calm himself.


He called out to the corpse soldier with his heart. Please forgive me. I’m just doing this to protect the world.


"Are you alright, Adlet‐san?!" Dozzu asked.


"I'm not hurt, so don’t worry," Adlet replied, walking along a tree limb and then lowering himself down to the ground.


"No, that's not what I meant."


"...What are you trying to say then? I'm the strongest man in the world." Adlet smiled, but it felt forced even to him. "At the moment, there isn't anything out of place. Things are as we expected. Now let’s attack from the northeast," Adlet said.


Then Chamo and Goldof finally rejoined with Adlet and the others.


Adlet was just about to tell them to start their attack when he realized that Rolonia wasn't with them.


"...Has Rolonia not met up with you yet?" Goldof asked as he looked around the area. He and Chamo didn't know where she was either.


"This is bad. It is dangerous for her to be alone," Dozzu muttered.


"Nashetania, follow me. Chamo, Goldof, Dozzu, keep Dark Specialist Number 9 in position!"


Adlet took Nashetania along and returned down the road they came.


There's no time, Rolonia. What are you doing?




#




Rolonia hadn't lost sight of Adlet and the others, nor had she chosen to act on her own. She was still following Adlet while she fought with the corpse soldiers.


However, at the same time, Rolonia had been observing the bodies of the corpse soldiers, checking if there was any writing anywhere on their bodies. She felt that there had to be another corpse with writing on it.


People were alive. They were writing words on their bodies, clandestinely seeking help. Adlet said that it was a trap, but they couldn’t be so sure of that.


Adlet and the others were gradually getting farther and farther, with about half the corpse soldiers chasing after them. But Rolonia couldn't find another corpse with words written on its body.


Just looking like this is no good, Rolonia thought.


Then a corpse soldier jumped down from a tree and attacked Rolonia. She used her whip to deflect the attack, while at the same time taking the chance to look around and confirm there were no other enemies around.


"Yaa!" Rolonia screamed as she concentrated all of her energy into her whip.


The thirty meter whip was imbued with her blood and undulated like a snake as it restrained the corpse soldier. She took another look around the area and once again confirmed that they were alone. Then she approached the captured soldier.


Earlier, she had licked and analyzed the blood of the parasites, and now she felt that she should be able to remove them from the corpses.


If she tried to forcefully pull the parasite out as is, then the antennae and legs would tighten about the head and the nerves, and the corpse soldier would probably die. However, the composition of the parasites was actually quite simple, and she had a rough grasp of their anatomy. Plus, the corpse soldiers themselves barely had any ability to think.


If she were to pour the blood of a Saint onto the parasite, parceling it out gradually, then she would be able to kill it bit by bit. And then if she slowly pulled out the parasite so as not to damage any critical parts of the human host, she should be able to save the corpse soldier.


Rolonia held the violent corpse soldier down. She then bit her tongue, filling her mouth with blood. Next, she bit the parasite and transferred her blood into it.


If I take too long, it will cause trouble for the others, so I have to hurry, she thought as she slowly paralyzed the parasite.


#


They found Rolonia quickly, but when Adlet noticed what she as doing, he was completely at a loss for words.



"Ah, she's a pain in the neck,hheutha?n"iaNas said, astounded.



Rolonia was trying to extract the parasite from the body of the corpse soldier.


"...Rolonia. Let's go."


Rolonia didn't reply. She was silently gripping the parasite with unbelievable concentration, while slowly pulling the antennae and legs from the corpse soldier's body. Her facial expression looked entirely different than when she was fighting, and Adlet got the feeling that perhaps she was more suited to healing than fighting after all.


"Rolonia‐san, please stop," Nashetania said.


But her words didn't seem to reach Rolonia's ears. Nashetania approached and reached out to pull on Rolonia's arm, but Rolonia stopped her hand.


"It won't be long now, so please wait a bit longer."


Rolonia then continued to remove the antennae and legs. And when the parasite was on the verge of being completely removed, Adlet thought he saw the corpse soldier's mouth move ever so slightly.


And when the parasite was detached, the energy vanished from the soldier's body.


"Water....water...." the soldier rasped.


Rolonia took out a water canteen from her things tied to her waist and poured the liquid into her mouth. When her mouth was full, she poured the liquid from her mouth into the mouth of the corpse soldier.....no, the young boy who used to be a corpse soldier.


Rolonia then took off her armor and exposed her wrists. She set her teeth into the skin around her veins, and blood spilled out from the edge of her mouth.


"Rolonia‐san, what are you..."


The blood splashed down onto the young boy's body, and all the parts of his dry, rotting body where her blood soaked into were returned to life.


"This is the first stage of his treatment. Soon he should wake up," Rolonia said.


But the young boy's eyes never opened. Rolonia desperately placed her hand onto his chest around his heart and started to blow air into his mouth. Adlet watched silently from the side with a face that seemed to indicate he thought she was wasting her time.


"He's done for, Rolonia. Let's go!"


"No, no. Wait a little longer."


"We made our decision! We agreed not to help the corpse soldiers!"


"Well at the moment I can't listen to what you're saying, Ad‐kun!"


Adlet grabbed Rolonia's arm and forcibly pulled her to her feet, but Rolonia shook off his hand and glared at him.


"Follow us!"


Rolonia slung the fallen corpse soldier over her shoulder and followed Adlet and the others. Unexpectedly, she seemed to have strong legs and wasn't struggling at all in spite of running with a person on her shoulder.


"We're going to fight again after this, so put that person down," Adlet said.


"I said it before. Right now, I'm not listening to anything you say, Ad‐kun," Rolonia shot back.


Getting annoyed, Adlet's words became more aggressive. "You can't help them. No matter how you look at it, it's useless."


"It's not useless. I removed the parasite and his heart is moving. If I can give him sufficient treatment, then I can save him."


You're an idiot, Adlet thought.


"If you can give him sufficient treatment? Where's the time for that? We have to defeat Number 9 and head to the Temple of Fate. Once there, we have to locate the Black Barren Flower. Where's the time to give him sufficient treatment?"


"Umm..." Rolonia hesitated.


Meanwhile, Nashetania silently watched the two of them argue.


"In this place, you and Mora are the only ones who can heal people. And you can’t make any tools that can heal in your place. So saving all of the corpse soldiers is simply not possible."


Rolonia said nothing in response.


"And let’s say you do save them all. What will you do after that? Will you throw them into the Wailing Demon territory without any means of defending themselves? Wouldn't you just be waiting for them to get killed and eaten by the Kyoma?!"


Rolonia was silent, but her eyes clearly showed that her resolve hadn't wavered at all. Her silence said that she wasn't listening to anything Adlet was saying.


Rolonia had always followed closely behind Adlet, and when she fought she did so nervously. She loyally followed all of Adlet's directions, even though sometimes he’d wished that she would offer her own opinion a bit more.


Until now, he had never even thought of the possibility that she would ever openly oppose him. Until now, he had never believed that he wouldn't be able to reason with her.


Adlet couldn't understand Rolonia. He didn't get why she would risk danger just to help a corpse soldier who didn't have any connection to her. Even though she should have feared causing trouble for those around her above all else, for some reason, she was suddenly behaving selfishly.


"...Rolonia, you...


You're not hiding something, are you? Adlet wondered. It was the first time suspicion towards her sprouted within his mind.


The three of them reunited with the others. Goldof was repeating his charge again and again in an attempt to break through the enemy ranks, while Chamo's Jyuma and Dozzu's electricity provided support. However, the enemy didn't seem to be running to the south like the Heroes wanted.


"Let's move. We'll attack from the northeast and drive the enemy to the south."


Nashetania nodded in agreement, and Rolonia followed with the former corpse soldier on her back.


After moving to the northeast, Adlet threw the bomb he'd received from Fremy as hard as he could in an attempt to break up the enemy forces. The corpse soldiers swarmed the explosive, bravely sacrificing their bodies to protect the defenseless Dark Specialist. At the same time, Nashetania conjured up blades from the ground and aimed them at the Kyoma.


Attacked from two sides, the Dark Specialist made an especially loud sound and as one the pack of corpse soldiers moved south.


#


The five humans and Dozzu regrouped and continued their pursuit of Number 9. As they ran, Dozzu moved close to Adlet and started to talk to him.


"It seems like your strategy was correct, Adlet‐san."


"What the hell are you talking about? Don’t you know you're talking to the strongest man in the world?"


Even if Fremy were at their current location, it would probably be difficult to eliminate the Dark Specialist. Cautious about being sniped by Fremy, Number 9 had most likely strengthened and reinforced his force's ranks about him. Who knows how many hours it would have taken to kill him that way.


As Dozzu and Adlet ran, corpse soldiers came at them from both sides. Dozzu used his electricity and Adlet his paralyzing darts to take out the corpse soldiers.


"And there is another thing. What is Rolonia‐san hiding?"


Dozzu's question caught Adlet off guard. Dozzu was having doubts about Rolonia in the same way that he was.


"I cannot understand why she would be that obsessed over the corpse soldiers. Does she have some kind of secret?"


"Like how Mora betrayed us, or how Goldof went over to Nashetania’s side?"


"I am not saying that, but..."


Adlet and Dozzu provided support as Goldof once again charged into the enemy. At the moment Goldof was at the center of the fight, and the force of his charge was driving the Dark Specialist in their desired direction.


"Originally, Rolonia was just a cleaning maid. Then she unexpectedly became the Saint of Fresh Blood and was used by Mora. That should be all there is to her. She shouldn't have any kind of secret."


"So then, why?"


Adlet didn't know either. And now, as she was fighting, Rolonia still had the young man on her back.


"Is it alright for things to be like this?"


"There's no way it could be. But there's no need to keep complaining about it. Just leave it to me. "


"Understood. I am just somewhat uneasy."


The number of corpse soldiers attacking the Flowers as they chased after Number 9 was gradually decreasing. So, leaving the fighting to Nashetania and Chamo's Jyuma, the other Heroes came to a stop. Then Dozzu approached Rolonia, who had been bringing up the rear of the group.


"Did you succeed in removing the parasite...? I am shocked," Dozzu said as he watched her carry the young man on her back.


"He's weak, but he doesn't have any major injuries. After this, I'll just revitalize him with some energy. Dozzu‐san, you—you kept saying it wasn't possible, but it is."


"No. Unfortunately, Rolonia‐san, he is already..." Dozzu stopped and shook his head from side to side.


Rolonia looked at the young man on her back. "...Huh?"


She placed her hand on the young man's neck. Then she hung her head and lowered his body to the ground. Without having to ask, it was clear that something had happened.


"Wh‐why? How...?"


Dozzu spoke quietly. "His mind was already gone. Though you were able to revive the body, you could not bring back his mind. Rolonia‐san, you are a saint who possesses exceptional power, but this is something that just can't be helped."


"There's no way to....revive the mind?"


"At least I do not know of one."


Rolonia said nothing back. She just stood there hanging her head. There was a clear sense of distrust in Dozzu’s eyes as he looked at her, and even Chamo and Nashetania cast similar looks in her direction. Chamo was looking at Rolonia scornfully, as if she was useless, and it looked like Nashetania was thinking about something.


This is bad, Adlet thought. They’re starting to suspect Rolonia.


"Let's fight. We still have to end this," Adlet said, and the entire group broke out into a dash.


But Rolonia quietly muttered, "There must still be a way.... There...has to be."


The five humans and the Kyoma resumed their charge, and the battle with the corpse soldiers raged on.


#


"They're strong, they're strong..... They're so strong!" Dark Specialist Number 9 said as the corpse soldiers died in front of him.


He was trembling with delight. Five of the Heroes and their Kyoma companion were fighting the corpse soldiers right before his eyes.


His task was to prevent the Heroes from entering the Fainting Mountains area until the main force Tgurneu commanded reached their location. There were other Kyoma defending the Fainting Mountains, but Number 9 had been tasked with the most important position.


The Dark Specialist didn't know if there was something hidden at the Fainting Mountains, and of course he didn't know who Tgurneu had sent to infiltrate the Flowers as an imposter. There was probably no reason for me to know, Number 9 thought.


"Shit, I can't get close!" Goldof shouted.


His goal was clear. He was trying to kill Number 9 and render the corpse soldiers powerless. However, with the thick wall of corpse soldiers blocking his way, Goldof couldn't get close to the Kyoma.


Chamo's Jyuma were trying to break up the ranks of the corpse soldiers. And though they were gradually pushing into the corpse soldiers, they weren't able to reach Number 9 either. Goldof and Dozzu were launching attacks at the Kyoma again and again, but Number 9 ordered the corpse soldiers to sacrifice themselves by blocking the attacks with their bodies. If he had just five corpse soldiers as shields, then the Dark Specialist could stop any kind of attack.


Historically, it was probably the first time that a single Kyoma had ever succeeded in stopping all of the Heroes of the Six Flowers.


Even the Demon King Zophrair couldn't do it, and he had commanded several dozen Kyoma. And even when Cargikk, Tgurneu, and Dozzu joined forces in the past, it took everything they had to stop Hayuha and the other two Heroes she was with for just a moment. The enemy he was facing now included the Heroes, Dozzu, and Dozzu’s subordinate.


The Dark Specialist Number 9 was drunk on the power he had acquired. He was glad that he'd left Cargikk's side and joined Tgurneu, who had given him new powers and ordered him to change his body in a certain way. It was precisely because of those orders that he had become so strong.


"Back them up! Dozzu! Go!" Adlet shouted as he threw some smoke bombs, obscuring the vision of both the Dark Specialist and the corpse soldiers.


Dark Specialist Number 9 smiled as if this wasn’t a problem. The corpse soldiers lifted him onto their backs and ran in the opposite direction of the charging Dozzu. Goldof and Dozzu's companions were also attacking them from the side, but the corpse soldiers were able to block the attacks with their own bodies.


"Run! Adlet, follow him!" Chamo shouted.


Adlet chased after Number 9; however, as the weakest of the enemies, his attacks of course wouldn't be a problem.


The Dark Specialist continued to escape with the help of his corpse soldiers. If they were to stop at all, then they would all be wiped out.


However, there were a number of corpse soldiers, and if the ones around the Dark Specialist were cut down, all he had to do was call the others from the center of the forest.


Number 9 analyzed the current situation. There were a hundred corpse soldiers guarding the road that continued to the Fainting Mountains, and they were never going to move. There were also about two hundred and five corpse soldiers that had been stranded on the north side of the forest. It was quite a serious blow to their forces, but it wasn’t a fatal loss.


Of the remaining six hundred and fifty corpse soldiers, three hundred of them were prowling about at the center of the forest. If Number 9 were to call out to all the corpse soldiers, then Adlet and the others would be completely surrounded.
But the Dark Specialist preferred not to do that. There was a possibility that the Flowers he couldn't see—Hans, Mora, and Fremy—would charge into the forest while Adlet and his group were distracting him.


While running, the Dark Specialist thought, If this strategy is successful, I’ll definitely be given the highest honor. Tgurneu will give me my own name, instead of just a number.


Before, when that filthy, unseemly human child had been given that honor, Number 9 had shaken with hatred and rage.


No, that isn't right. With my power, I might receive something even greater than that. I could surpass Tgurneu and Cargikk and come to command all of the Kyoma.


The Majin could directly appoint me to the position of Demon King, and then I could name myself.


He would have never stood a chance against Tgurneu, Cargikk, or their so‐called equal Dozzu in the past.


But, bit by bit, a change had taken place within Number 9's mind. It was slowly budding desires and a will in the same way that Tgurneu’s, Cargikk’s, and Dozzu’s had. Within his heart was the desire to rule, and he had started to seek the pleasant feeling of manipulating others as he wished.


Chapter Four: Part Three


What in the world is going on....?


Raina was prowling about the center of the forest, searching for anything that moved. And whenever he found something, he would shriek and attack. But he wasn't fighting the Heroes of the Six Flowers. His opponents were dozens of mysterious Kyoma—lizards, snakes, leeches, and frogs. Scores of giant Kyoma were attacking the corpse soldiers.


The Kyoma were no match for the mass of corpse soldiers. They were quickly surrounded and killed; but then the mysterious Kyoma would strangely change into a mud‐like substance, which would revert back into the form of the Kyoma after a few seconds.


So the corpse soldiers fought and killed them, then fought them again and killed them once more. They were stuck in that continuous loop, and Raina couldn't reach out to the Six Flowers, nor could he meet up with them, or do anything other than fight and kill.


If things continue like this....


His once‐blossoming hope was suddenly withering away.


It seemed like the sounds of the Six Flowers fighting—electricity and explosions— were already very far away. To make matters worse, there weren't any signs that any other Heroes were approaching the center of the forest.


And the Kyoma that Raina was fighting against had no intelligence, so they didn't notice the writing on his arm.


Before Raina's eyes, one of the water snake Kyoma restored itself from its mud‐ like state. A scream left Raina's mouth, and the corpse soldiers around him all pounced on the Kyoma at once. Raina's body was forced to fight too.


Then a sense of fatigue came over his left arm. It was a sign that he was about to regain control over the appendage, making it the third time today.


If these Kyoma are the allies of the Flowers...


Raina desperately took out the sharpened fragment of rock from his tattered pants' pocket. It was the same stone he had used to carve on both his arms and the arms of the other corpse soldiers.


With the stone in hand, Raina's body was forced to charge at the water snake Kyoma, and his right arm grabbed the body of the water snake and stopped it from moving. But at the same time, Raina freely extended his left arm and stabbed the tip of the stone into the Kyoma's body.


He then started to carve into the water snake's body. His goal was to write, "Help me, I'm alive." However, before he could finish even a single word, the water snake twisted its body and freed itself from Raina's hold.


Then the water snake whipped its tail and grazed Raina's stomach. It was an attack of intense force that should have made him scream in agony. However, the parasite in Raina's body forced his body to continue moving regardless of the extreme pain.


This isn't good. I'll be killed, not to mention that I can't write anything.


A numbness started to run through his left arm, so Raina hastily stashed his only tool back into his pocket.


Raina knew that what he was doing was a terrible way to go about things, but he couldn’t think of any other way.


If I continue to fight like this....what will happen? he wondered.


It was unimaginable that the Six Flowers would lose here. They were the strongest six people in the world. No matter how many corpse soldiers there were, taking out Number 9 would probably only be a matter of time for them.


But what if the fight ends? What will happen to me if the Kyoma controlling the corpse soldiers dies?


If Number 9 died and the corpse soldiers returned to being human, that would be good. And even if they remained corpse soldiers, there would still be hope of the Flowers maybe finding him. But what if Number 9 died and the corpse soldiers died as well?


He was almost out of time.


Perhaps the Flowers still hadn't realized that there was someone still alive among the corpse soldiers who knew about Tgurneu's secret weapon. Perhaps the Flowers hadn't seen any of the five corpse soldiers he had carved words into.


No, there's no way that could be true. They will definitely find them.


#


But Raina didn't know that Number 9 and the Six Flowers had already left the area around the giant tree, and the center of the forest had fallen silent. The only things still there were the corpses of about twenty corpse soldiers.


One of the corpses had been entirely roasted by Dozzu, its body twisted in pain. Around its left wrist, some words could faintly be seen. "...something..."


That corpse was one of the soldiers that Raina had carved into to convey to the Flowers that he was alive.


"There is a man with words on his right arm. He knows something important." The rest of those words had been burned by Dozzu's attack.


One of Raina's rays of hope had been completely wasted without ever giving its message to a single person. What's more, at the valley at the edge of the forest, there was another of his chosen corpse soldiers wandering about the north edge. It had followed Hans and crossed the valley, and, with the bridge destroyed, could no longer return back to the forest. All of the Six Flowers were at the south side.
So probably none of them were aware of the corpse soldier at the north.


The words, "A man with words written on his right arm is alive, Find them. They are big, have a scar on their face, and know Tgurneu's secret weapon," were written on its left arm. But that corpse soldier would never cross paths with the Heroes.


And on the road that continued onto the Temple of Fate after exiting the forest, there were about a hundred corpse soldiers assembled into a war camp. They had been ordered to kill everything that approached the temple.


One of the corpse soldiers among them had writing on its arm that read, "The man with writing on his right arm knows something important."


Until the Six Flowers defeated Number 9, they did not intend on heading to the Temple of Fate. So none of them would ever read the words carved into its left arm.


#


The charge to drive Dark Specialist Number 9 into their trap continued, with the Five Heroes and Dozzu slicing non‐stop towards the Kyoma. And as the Heroes advanced, Number 9 got a bit scared and chose to escape to the south. For close to an hour the Heroes, corpse soldiers, and the Dark Specialist had been caught in that same cycle. Charge, attack, retreat.


Rolonia was following behind the others as they chased Number 9.


"That shithead is running again!" Adlet shouted.


"Goldof, can't you cut deeper into their ranks!?" Nashetania yelled.


While they fought, it was completely forbidden to say anything that might insinuate that there were others hiding in wait for the Dark Specialist. If Number 9 became aware of Mora and Fremy's presence, then everything that the Heroes had done would be for nothing.


"...Uh, what should we do?" Rolonia muttered.


If they were to continue fighting as they were, then perhaps Number 9 would be defeated. But at the same time, all the corpse soldiers would also perish, and that was not acceptable. Rolonia wanted to help the corpse soldiers at all costs.


But she also knew that there was no time. She lacked the tools and the people to help her. Also, she hadn't been able to even come up with a method to help the corpses. In her current condition, there was absolutely nothing she could do.


Rolonia wanted information. She wanted someone to tell her a way to save the corpse soldiers, no matter how faint the possibility happened to be.


Then two corpse soldiers that had been circling the center of the forest attacked the group from behind. At the back of the group, Rolonia desperately swung her whip to fight them off.


"I'm sorry!" Rolonia shouted.


It wasn't a situation where she could take it easy on her enemies, and Rolonia had no tool to render them powerless without killing them. So, trembling with guilt, Rolonia swung her whip. The tip of her whip missed, but the center made contact with one of the soldiers right around his heart.


The corpse soldier screamed as a geyser of blood spurted out from its body. But another corpse soldier rushed forward and tackled Rolonia to the ground without caring at all about its comrade. Though pinned to the ground, Rolonia managed to move her whip. The tip struck the soldier’s back, spilling its blood across the forest floor.


But the next moment, the corpse soldier's mouth moved.


"Please...help....us...."


"Huh?"


"Help....in cave...."


Still lying on the ground, Rolonia stared at the corpse soldier, dumbfounded. Then she quickly snapped back to her senses and started to perform first‐aid to keep the corpse soldier alive. But Rolonia's attack had killed him.


"That... That...."


"What the hell are you doing, you stupid cow!" Chamo shouted, kicking Rolonia's leg while she was on the ground.


"Chamo‐san, just now, the corpse soldier talked."


"Yeah right, in your dreams! Stupid cow. Make a bit of an effort and fight!"


Even more corpse soldiers were approaching them from behind. Rolonia desperately swung her whip and repelled them. As she did so, she strained her ears and listened to the corpse soldiers.


I'm sure it just talked. And it said to help them. So the corpse soldiers are alive after all. And they’ve been trying to tell us something.


Rolonia watched as a Jyuma took down one of the corpse soldiers. That corpse soldier looked directly at Rolonia and pointed in some direction.


"Cave..."


Rolonia rushed over to the fallen soldier.


"What's going on? What is over there?"


"In the cave.... Hidden woman.... Help us...."


Before the corpse soldier was finished saying everything, it screamed. Rolonia looked in the direction it had pointed. It was a point a little south of the road that continued to the Temple of Fate. Whatever may have been there, she couldn't see it from where she was.


#


"Stop for a moment," Adlet said between ragged breaths.


Naturally, he was a little tired. Dozzu came to a stop beside him, and both Goldof and Nashetania stopped their charge.


Only the Jyuma, which didn't know exhaustion, were still fighting the herd of corpses.


They were already close to the south hill where Fremy and Mora lay in wait. If they could fight for just fifteen minutes more, then they could probably drive the Dark Specialist into position. And when Number 9 was defeated, then, at last, they could head straight for The Temple of Fate.


Their objective was the truth about the Black Barren Flower, so they couldn't waste a lot of time in the forest. So after they took a moment to regain their breaths, they continued the fight. But right as they were about to move, Rolonia said something from behind.


"Ad‐kun, everyone, did you hear someone?" Rolonia asked everyone.


What is it this time? Adlet thought. "What did you hear?" he asked.


"They talked. The corpse soldier asked us to help it. And it said for us to head to the cave over there... Did any of you hear anything?"


Adlet didn't know. Rolonia exchanged glances with the others, but none of them said a word either.


"If we go there, we might figure out something. Everyone, I'm sorry, but I'm going to go and see."


Rolonia was about to run off when Adlet stopped her.


"Stop. It's a trap. Didn't I say it before? Tgurneu is trying to get us to do this in order to waste time!"


"Rolonia‐san, it is dangerous...and it seems pointless," Dozzu said.


"Do you think they would say something meaningless when they’re moments away from dying? No, there is definitely something at the cave," Rolonia said back to Dozzu.


"Please, Rolonia. Stop this already," Adlet said to her quietly.


He wasn't able to put up with Rolonia's fixation with the corpse soldiers any longer.


"Please. Don't make this more confusing."


"...Ad‐kun."


Rolonia stared at Adlet. Suddenly, a rapier was thrust right between the two of them.


"That's far enough, Rolonia‐san." Nashetania was looking at Rolonia with a cold stare. "I see through your plan."


Rolonia's eyes grew wide.


What is she planning on doing? Adlet wondered.


"What are you doing, princess? Don’t you want to attack the enemy?" Chamo asked.


"Let's wait a little bit on the charge. There shouldn't be any problem if the enemy doesn’t move. What’s more important right now is discussing Rolonia‐san's true identity."


"What are you talking about, Nashetania?" Adlet tried to grab Nashetania's wrist, but she smoothly twisted out of his grip and took a step backwards.


"I'm talking about how it has become more evident that Rolonia is probably the seventh."


A long silence passed among the group. Adlet was completely still, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. It was as if to say to Goldof that if she were planning on putting the companions into a trap, then he would kill her on the spot.


"Adlet‐san, you trust your companions too much. Didn't Dozzu say that the seventh's attack had already begun? Actually, it's quite simple. If you could see things objectively then you'd understand immediately."


Nashetania was trying to appeal to Adlet as if what she was doing was for his benefit.


"She will continue to conceal her identity and kill all of us. The most simple and logical way to do that is to purposefully make a mistake. That way it would be acceptable if we died. But if we didn’t, she could just list some excuses and wait for her next opportunity. Don't you think that's what’s going on
here?" Nashetania stared right at Adlet.


"Has Rolonia‐san really been useful? Adlet‐san, haven't you been covering for her mistakes over and again?"


That's not true, Adlet tried to say. But as they’d advanced through the Forest of Severed Fingers, she had been spotted by the Kyoma multiple times. However, that was because she was bad at being secretive. There was no way that she had purposefully tried to be found.


"Rolonia helped Hans," Adlet replied.


"She only did that to gain your trust."


That's a stretch, Adlet thought. What does she intend to gain from saying stuff like this?


"Don't talk without any kind or proof, or there will be consequences," Adlet said.


"Do you really think I’d be saying any of this without proof?"


Nashetania approached Rolonia. At the same time, Goldof grabbed both of Rolonia's hands.


As Rolonia twisted in his grasp, Goldof reached for her shoulder and ripped off something from between the cracks of her armor.


It was the small fragment of wood that Nashetania had spotted earlier.


"I see. So that's what it was," she muttered.


Goldof let go of Rolonia and stepped back.


"What is this?" Nashetania asked, showing Rolonia the small fragment of wood.


"...I don't know. What is that?"


With just a single glance, Adlet knew what it was. It was a Kyoma summoning flute. It released a sound that couldn't be heard by humans, but it could send a signal to all the Kyoma in the area.


Adlet also had something similar, but this flute with its multitude of holes seemed far more sophisticated than the one Atro had made.


"It is a flute to draw the Kyoma. Why do you have such a thing?"


"...That.....that isn't mine. I don't know what that is. I've never seen it before!" Rolonia was starting to get flustered.


"When we first charged at the enemy, you were excessively concerned about Dozzu. When Dozzu separated from us, you tried to take out something from your shoulder, but stopped when you noticed I was looking. I thought you might be hiding something. So now I’ve checked, and what do you know, I was exactly right."


"I don't know anything. Please stop!"


"Nashetania. If you don't want to die then be quiet," Adlet said.


Allowing his anger to take hold of him, Adlet started to draw his sword. Nashetania was trying to frame Rolonia. He thought about sending Fremy the signal to trigger the explosives on both of Nashetania's knees.


"Why do I have to be quiet? I'm saying this for the benefit of the Six Flowers."


Nashetania faced Adlet as he drew his sword.


"The candidates for the seventh have already been narrowed down. Rolonia‐san, Fremy‐san, and you are the ones with comparably high possibilities of being the impostor."





"And if there is information about the Black Barren Flower at our destination, it is highly likely that the seventh will make a move in order to try and hinder our actions."


"..."


"Are you still going to make excuses for her even after what you’ve seen and heard? Do you think you can overlook this, even if the evidence isn’t definitive?"


"You are our enemy. All it seems like you’re doing is trying to set Rolonia up."


"There are bombs attached to my knees. And I am surrounded by the Six Flowers. If you were me, would you think about trying to set up a trap in a situation like this?"


"That may be so, but there’s no way that we can trust anything you say."


"Chamo wonders if that's true," Chamo said. "Nashetania can't be trusted, but Chamo also doubts what you're saying, Adlet. If there were absolutely no evidence that she’s the seventh, then Chamo would definitely believe you.”


"I'm not saying that, but I..."


"Chamo has wondered a lot, why is this stupid cow getting in our way?"


"...getting in the way..."


"Adlet, should I hunt down Rolonia, or kill the princess?"


With a wide grin on her face, Chamo placed her foxtail grass to her mouth. There were still a number of Jyuma within her stomach.


"Chamo‐san. I don't think we should kill Rolonia‐san immediately. This flute still might not be hers. It's possible that the seventh planted it without her knowledge."


"Maybe, but…" Chamo said.


"What in the world are you saying? What is the meaning of this, Nashetania?"


Dozzu was getting flustered, and at least to Adlet, it didn't seem like he was acting. And Dozzu and Nashetania shouldn't have had any time to conspire together, so this couldn't have been Dozzu's plan.


"I'm just saying what I've seen. I'm not plotting anything, Dozzu."


Nashetania looked back to Adlet. "As Chamo‐san said, we can't definitively say that Rolonia‐san is the enemy, but there is a chance that she is planning to stop us. Or she might have some trap for us in that cave to kill all of us. There's no way that we can let her go."


"But, the corpse soldiers definitely said it,” Rolonia interjected. “They said go to the cave. They wanted us to help them!"


Adlet was shocked. She was placing her thoughts about the corpse soldiers ahead of her concern for herself. Why? Adlet wondered. She can't really be hiding something, right?


At that moment Adlet was taken aback. He was starting to trust Nashetania's words more than Rolonia. He found that unacceptable. However, once suspicion had sprouted inside of him, it wouldn't disappear no matter how many times he denied it.


Nevertheless, Adlet placed his hand on Rolonia's shoulder and spoke. "Don't worry. I don't know what Nashetania is planning, but you’re friend to the strongest man in the world. I won’t let you die."


"....Thank you."


From the way she said those words, Adlet sensed that she still hadn’t changed her mind about the soldiers.


"Do you still plan on going to that cave?"


She didn't say anything, but not answering was the same as admitting it to be true.


"What are you thinking? Don’t you get the situation we’re in? Nashetania is setting you up. She’s trying to frame you."


"But, we have to go quickly. Our chance to help the corpse soldiers might disappear."


"That's enough about the corpse soldiers! Didn't I say it?! Those words, the speaking corpse soldier—all of it is a part of Tgurneu's strategy!"


Adlet simply couldn't understand what Rolonia was thinking. The flute wasn't the only reason he was suspicious. It was also because she was trying to help the corpse soldiers, even though there was no way to actually do so. There had to be a reason behind her incomprehensible behavior.


"Naturally, Chamo can't let you freely go off somewhere," Chamo pressed Rolonia.


"I concur. I apologize, but it is necessary to restrict your movements, Rolonia‐ san," Nashetania said.


"Hey, you stupid cow. Hand Chamo your whip," Chamo said, sticking out her hand.


Rolonia looked at her with eyes full of fear. That whip was her only weapon.


"Until suspicions surrounding you have been cleared up, Chamo will hold onto it. But don’t worry, you won’t need it. After all, you've been useless for a while now."


"But, but this is..."


"Chamo said she'll give it back when everything has been cleared up, but you still aren't handing it over. Why is that?" Chamo continued to move closer to Rolonia while twirling the fox‐tail grass by her mouth. Rolonia backed up in response.


"Without my whip, I can't fight."


"Chamo is saying not to fight. You really have no choice but to give it to Chamo."


Chamo then stuck the grass down her throat. At the same time, Adlet moved to defend Rolonia. The Jyuma Chamo spat out lurched towards Rolonia, and Adlet stopped their attacks with his sword.


"Stop it, Chamo!"


"Chamo doesn't plan on killing her. Chamo is just going to make it so she can't go anywhere!"


Adlet blocked each of the attacks that came from Chamo's Jyuma one by one. He could tell that Chamo wasn't trying to kill Rolonia or him, but he still had no choice but to protect Rolonia.


"Rolonia, if you don't want to pit us all against one another, then give up your whip."


"I...I can't."


Goldof came to grab Adlet, but Adlet kicked him in the side. However, that left an opening in his defenses, and one of the Jyuma rushed past Adlet
and barreled towards Rolonia. In order to keep hold of her whip, Rolonia was forced to defend herself against the Jyuma.


"You're being stupid, Rolonia. If you'd just go along with this you wouldn't get hurt."


"But..."


Despite being so close to the enemy, the companions continued to fight amongst themselves. Nashetania, the ringleader of all the commotion, simply watched from the sidelines.


"Wait a second. This is bad. The Dark Specialist has started to move," Dozzu said.


For a long time the corpse soldiers had been heading towards the mountains to the south, as Adlet and the others had intended. But, as if they had sensed that something was wrong, they seemed to have changed course and were now coming right towards them.


"There's nothing we can do. We have to fight back!" Adlet stood at the head of the group and faced the corpse soldiers.


"Well, Chamo guesses we have no choice. So we'll postpone things with Rolonia till later," Chamo replied.


The Jyuma that were attacking Rolonia changed their targets to the corpse soldiers.


The battle grew fiercer than ever before. Before, they had simply chased the enemy as they ran, but now the soldiers were coming right for them. They had to fight off these corpses while simultaneously forcing them and the Dark Specialist towards the southern mountain where Fremy and Mora were waiting.


What's happening? Adlet thought as he fought. What should I do?


Is Nashetania trying to deceive us? Or did she really discover that there was a chance that Rolonia was the seventh, and was just trying to tell the group? Both possibilities seemed likely, so Adlet couldn't come to a conclusion.


Is Rolonia still just trying to help the corpse soldiers? Or is she really trying to set a trap for the Six Flowers? Adlet didn't know the answer to that either. He had no idea why Rolonia was helping the corpse soldiers so much.


Rolonia was a kind girl. It was natural that she would think to help the corpse soldiers, but why was she risking her life to do so? As he fought with the corpse soldiers, those questions continued to confuse him.


Adlet used a massive amount of bombs, and Goldof charged through the corpse soldier ranks, cutting them to pieces. It eventually stopped the corpse soldiers' charge, and they started to retreat.


But then Nashetania shouted, "Rolonia‐san isn't here!"


Adlet turned around, but Rolonia, who just a moment ago had been fighting right behind him, was nowhere to be found.


No way. Could she have really headed to the cave to help the corpse soldiers?


"Were you not watching her, Chamo‐san?!" Nashetania yelled.


"Chamo wasn't. What were you and Goldof doing?!"


Nashetania and Chamo argued as Goldof puzzled over whether to chase after Rolonia or not.


"What a pain. Now Chamo might not stop at just hurting her," Chamo muttered.


And with that, the suspicions the group had about Rolonia deepened.


"What are you doing, Rolonia?" Adlet wondered.


Even if there were words written on the corpse soldiers, and even if it were true that the corpse soldiers had spoken, he was sure that all of it was just a trap Nashetania had set. And if things continued as they were, Rolonia would probably be killed.


I have to protect her. However, how in the world am I supposed to do that?


"....Rolonia, are you really....?"


Adlet desperately tried to contain the doubt that was forming within his mind.


#


It seems the attack has started, thought Dark Specialist Number 9. The reason he dared to go on the offensive wasn’t to kill the Heroes of the Six Flowers. It was to get close to the Six Flowers and figure out the current situation. I wonder if any of them set a trap, the Dark Specialist thought as the Flowers started to talk among themselves and a quarrel broke out among them.


As he listened to their conversation, his confidence in that idea was changing.


Number 9 thought back to the past about ten years ago.


For a long time, as Tgurneu's subordinate, Dark Specialist Number 9 had forced his body to evolve. He used the large amount of humans gathered by Tgurneu as lab rats and succeeded in turning them into corpse soldiers.


When he showed the corpse soldiers to Tgurneu, for some reason Tgurneu seemed displeased. Even though Number 9 had absolute confidence in the corpse soldiers he had produced, for Tgurneu, it was hard to believe in them.


"This is a bit unsatisfactory. Hey, these so‐called corpse soldiers, can they not speak?"


Number 9 nodded. The corpse soldiers were fighting weapons. There was no need for them to be able to speak.


"Then you can't call this complete. Your order was to make it so that they would be able to talk..."


Tgurneu touched his hand to his chin in thought.


"I see. Well, I’d like you to make just a few corpse soldiers that can move on their own without your commands."


"What purpose could that..."


"Don't ask stupid questions. Believe in me, Number 9," Tgurneu said with a smile.


The Dark Specialist was shocked by Tgurneu's perceptiveness. It was something Number 9 wouldn't have been able to come up with even if he'd racked his brain for a thousand years.


Tgurneu had predicted that someone among the Flowers would try to help the corpse soldiers. And he had also predicted that, if the corpse soldiers were used effectively, they would invite the Six Flowers into a trap which could wipe out all of them.


At first it had seemed unlikely. Humans were foolish creatures, but he had never thought there would be a human so idiotic that they would want to help the corpse soldiers.


And he had never even imagined that such a foolish person would separate from the rest of the Heroes and go off on their own in order to help the corpse soldiers.


The Kyoma emitted a special sound wave and called out to the corpse soldiers in the center of the forest. Lead Rolonia Manchester to the cave in the forest. With that command in mind, one by one he instructed the corpse soldiers on what to say.


Whether Rolonia was a genuine Hero of the Six Flowers or an imposter, Number 9 didn't know. But there was probably no way that Tgurneu would have a fool such as her working for him.


I will kill her quickly, Number 9 decided.


#


At the same time, Mora was lying in wait at the center of the small mountain. She was using her second sight to oversee the entire area, but she couldn't see any corpse soldiers approaching, nor the Kyoma. The mountain had fallen silent.


"They're still not here," Mora muttered.


"They aren't late," Fremy replied in a cool tone. "This is the amount of time it should take. Calm down and wait."


Fremy had said that the most important point when it came to sniping was not to rush. But while Fremy had probably experienced this many times, Mora was unfamiliar with the waiting and couldn't hide her irritation.


The seventh, Dozzu, Nashetania, Tgurneu—there were a number of factors to be uneasy about. And on top of that, Mora was worried about Adlet and Rolonia. The two of them were far too concerned with the corpse soldiers.


It would be far better if they’d just treat the corpse soldiers coldly and not take any strange actions towards them, Mora thought, without any idea what would happen to her companions from here on out.


All she could do was continue to wait.


#


Thirty minutes before Rolonia had gone off on her own, Hans was quietly standing atop a tree at the north side of the forest. Beneath his feet the corpse soldiers were moving about in every direction.


A wire had been run around the forest. Each time the corpse soldiers stepped on it, a wood alarm would be triggered. And each time the wood alarm made a noise, the corpse soldiers would go crazy in search of the enemy.


Hans had made nothing more than simple clappers, but the corpse soldiers lacked the intelligence to see through the obvious trap and realize that the sounds were meaningless.


He smiled widely and ran along the branches without making a single sound.








Chapter Five: Part One


Despite the many corpse soldiers the Heroes had already killed, many more of their brethren still roamed about all over the forest. Rolonia desperately strained her ears to listen for their footsteps, and only when she found a place where there were few enemies did she start to run again.


In the distance behind her she could hear corpse soldiers shrieking, followed by the sound of Dozzu firing electricity.


"...Everyone is fighting."


For a moment Rolonia felt like she should return and help them, but she soon reconsidered. If she were to return now, she would be killed. She had been framed by Nashetania, and now Dozzu, Chamo, and Goldof suspected her. Plus, she herself hadn’t helped matters by running off alone.


Why is this happening? Rolonia wondered.


I have to return, but I don't know what I should do. I can't seem to think of any way to clear up their doubts.


Just several hours earlier, when they had been in the small hut, she had inspected her equipment and there hadn't been anything like that flute Nashetania had found. She must have planted it after that.


But Rolonia had been cautious of Nashetania the entire time they had been together; she would have known immediately if Nashetania got close to her. Quite simply, Nashetania wouldn’t have had any opportunity to plant the flute on Rolonia's shoulder.


So if it wasn't Nashetania, then who was it? Goldof? Dozzu? The seventh? Rolonia racked her brain, but couldn't come up with an answer.


"...Ad‐kun, sorry."


Once again I've caused trouble for everyone. I'm stupid, that’s why I was able to fall into a trap like this. But feeling sorry won't make me any smarter.


As she ran, she recalled Adlet's face. Back then, when Nashetania had accused her, even he had started to doubt her. And that was more painful than anything else.


Rolonia continued onward, weaving her way through the cracks in the corpse soldiers' defenses and heading towards where the cave should be.


I should put off worrying about myself until later. Right now I have to help the corpse soldiers.


"...It's alright. I'll definitely be able to do it."


She was so scared that her teeth were chattering, and she constantly wondered whether or not she could really do anything. But above all of her hesitation and fear, there was even more anger. She could not allow it to happen. She would not forgive Tgurneu who had made the corpse soldiers, nor could she allow her companions to abandon them.


Whether it had heard Rolonia's mumbling or if it was just by chance, a single corpse soldier noticed Rolonia. Rolonia immediately tried to escape to the side, but the corpse soldier screamed and alerted its fellows.


"Uwaa!"


Corpse soldiers surrounded her on both sides and rushed towards her. Her shoulder gauntlets were able to stop their attacks, but she staggered from their strikes and started to pitch forward. She couldn't withstand their attacks like Goldof could.

Rolonia picked herself up and ran, but as she did another corpse soldier appeared, standing in her way.


If I don't fight, I can't go forward, Rolonia realized, so she gripped her whip with both hands and swung it around.


She tried to shout insults and curses, because if she didn't then she wouldn't be able to fight. But the words wouldn't come. When her opponents were Kyoma she could fight them. But the enemies in front of her were humans.


Rolonia frantically swung her whip and stopped the corpse soldiers' advance, but her movements were slow and were only able to block their attacks.


"Ack!"


As Rolonia tried to move forward, one of the corpse soldiers managed to strike her face. The blow broke her nose and blood started to gush out from her nostrils.


Instantly, her power as the Saint of Fresh Blood activated. Her broken nose started to repair itself, and the bleeding began to slow.


But the corpse soldiers didn’t give her the time she needed to heal completely and relentlessly rushed at her one after another.


"I'm sorry!" Rolonia shouted, swinging her whip with all her strength.


The whip weaved its way through the gaps in the trees and knocked down each of the corpse soldiers one by one. She couldn’t afford to take it easy on them, which unfortunately meant a number of them were killed.


Rolonia was wracked with guilt, but she continued onwards. There was no time to heal these corpse soldiers. She needed to keep going until she reached the cave, and hopefully she would find something there. Still, Rolonia didn't know if what awaited her would actually help the corpse soldiers.


However, whatever was there had to have some sort of importance. The corpse soldiers had definitely said so.


At that moment Rolonia heard the voice of a fallen corpse soldier behind her.


"Please....help...." it rasped, right before it died.


"So it's true, after all," Rolonia muttered.


Some of the corpse soldiers were still alive. Though a parasite had invaded their minds and wrapped itself around the nerves of their necks and spines, there were still some whose minds hadn't yet died.


She then heard a sound come from yet another location. It was another corpse soldier that had been chasing her.


"...Don't...kill....," the corpse soldier moaned as it tried to attack Rolonia.


Rolonia rolled to the side to dodge the attack.


"Please wait! I will definitely save you!" Rolonia shouted. She continued to run towards the cave.


#


For a long time Raina had been wandering about the forest. The voices of the corpse soldiers to the north were dwindling more and more. The area to the south had gone silent for a while, but then once again it erupted with the sounds of fighting.


The Six Flowers.... Why aren't you coming this way? I'm here, Raina thought, just as a lizard Kyoma appeared before his eyes.


A shriek erupted from his mouth, and he along with all the corpse soldiers who flocked to his call were forced to attack the Kyoma.


The lizard Kyoma swung its tail and spat acid at the corpse soldiers. It wasn't fighting to defend itself; it was only focused on taking out the corpse soldiers, even if it only managed to take out one of them.


Again?!


The assembled corpse soldiers held down both of the lizard's arms and legs. Then Raina's body stomped down on its head again and again until the Kyoma became a lump of mud.


So far they had killed a lot of Kyoma, but the words carved into his left arm hadn't been discovered even once. And so neither did the mysterious Kyoma stop fighting, nor did the Six Flowers come looking for him.


So these Kyoma are no good. He had to meet up with the Heroes by any means possible, but Raina didn’t have control of his left arm, and the place where the Six Flowers were fighting was extremely far away.


Raina madly tried to think of a way to get close to the Six Flowers. However, with his left arm as his only hope, none of his ideas could be of any use while it wasn’t moving.


He had written on the arms of five of the corpse soldiers. But where are they? he thought, exasperated. However, it wasn’t that strange to think that, since there were so few of them, not even one of them had made contact with the Six Flowers. Perhaps the Six Flowers hadn’t discovered the writing at all.


…No way.


A terrifying thought floated into Raina’s mind, and a chill ran down his back.


If the Flowers had already discovered the writing on their arms but had chosen to ignore it, then all of Raina's hopes would come to an end.


Would they give up, believing there was no way to help the corpse soldiers? Or would they decide that there was no value in going so far as to risk their lives in order to hear Raina's information? Or, perhaps, would they think that even the writing was one of Tgurneu's traps? Any one of those possibilities would be the end of Raina.


The moment he thought that, a shriek from a nearby corpse soldier pierced the air. There shouldn't have been any of the mysterious Kyoma in the direction it came from. Raina's body reacted to that sound and dashed towards it as fast as his limbs could carry him. All the corpse soldiers in the area followed suit simultaneously.


The number of corpse soldiers heading towards this new sound was far greater than those that were fighting with the Kyoma. They were heading towards the Six Flowers.


Maybe they’ve come searching for me? Raina thought as his chest swelled with hope.


Did they notice me? No, they don’t need to notice me. As long as they read the writing on my right arm...


Before long they spotted a warrior. In between the gaps of the trees, Raina could faintly see a metallic sheen. That warrior was running as fast as they could towards the center of the forest.


As they chased after the warrior, Raina realized that the warrior was a short girl holding a whip. And she was fighting in such a way that she wouldn't kill the corpse soldiers. The warrior with the unkempt hair that he'd seen earlier had cut down any enemy in front of him without hesitation. However, this girl was only using her whip to protect herself and was not inflicting any fatal wounds on the corpse soldiers.


Raina was sure that she was trying to help the corpse soldiers, or at the very least, she was trying not to kill them. If he could show her the words on his arm, she would realize that Raina was alive.


I can see hope! Now, left arm, move now! he desperately wished as his body was forced to run. But his left arm wasn't listening to his pleas.


Then suddenly Raina heard a strange sound. It sounded liked someone was talking to the warrior.


Raina tried to look over the area, but his neck wouldn't move. But there most likely weren't any of the other Flowers around, and the corpse soldiers were definitely not the ones talking.


Again someone said something, but this time Raina could hear it clearly.


"....Help....me..."


The voice came from a corpse soldier. It was one of the corpse soldiers that was chasing the armored girl alongside him.


Why is this corpse soldier talking? Raina was confused. He had thought that, other than himself, all of the corpse soldiers had become living corpses incapable of thought. Was I wrong?


He then heard many of the corpse soldiers speak: "We are alive," "Don't kill us", "Go to the cave," "Help us". Though what they were saying was different, the message they were trying to get across was the same. They wanted her to help them, and they wanted her to go to the cave.


When we were lying in the cave, there wasn’t a single corpse soldier who had spoken. So why are they now able to talk all of a sudden? Did something happen to Number 9, or did someone do something to make them able to speak again? Raina thought as he chased the armored girl.


But then it all became clear.


Idiot. For crying out loud, I’m such an idiot.


Raina's swelling hope changed to despair in the blink of an eye.


The only reason why the corpse soldiers were talking was that they were being manipulated by a Kyoma.


And from that realization, Raina quickly understand his next question. The reason they were being made to speak was because Dark Specialist Number 9 was trying to lure that armored girl to the cave. And it seemed extremely likely that he planned to kill her there.


...Stop, Six Flowers. There is nothing there!


Raina wasn’t just despairing for the girl. He was also thinking about what would happen afterward, if the armored girl realized it was all a trap. The Six Flowers would probably think that the writing Raina had left behind was just another element of the enemy's trap. All of it just fed into Tgurneu's plan.


What should I do? What should I do?


The armored girl was already getting smaller and smaller. She dodged the attacks of the corpse soldiers, then used her whip to lift herself off the ground and climb up a tree. She then ran along the branches and continued deeper into the forest.


And soon Raina could no longer see her.


#


Rolonia had disappeared. Adlet was well aware of that, but there was no way that he could chase after her. They were still fighting to drive Number 9 to the southern mountain, and the enemy was slowly being pushed back. However, the Dark Specialist's defenses were strong, as expected.


"Shit, shit... What do I do?" Adlet muttered as he lobbed bombs at the enemy.


Rolonia had probably gone to help the corpse soldiers. Doesn’t she get the danger we’re in?


Adlet didn't know her real intentions. Is she really trying to help the corpse soldiers? Or could it be that Nashetania was right, and she’s trying to deceive me?


"...What are you thinking?"


A corpse soldier approached from behind and tried to pin Adlet's arms behind his back. Adlet calmly dropped his hips, grabbed the corpse soldier's arms, and chucked him forward. The corpse soldier hit the ground with his neck. Then Adlet stomped on it.


How was suspecting Rolonia going to help things? She had fallen into both Tgurneu’s and Nashetania's traps. But then again, what good would come out of going to help her?


Both the things Adlet “should do” and the things he “had to do” spiraled about his mind.


"Goldof!" Adlet shouted.


He looked over to Adlet from the center of the enemy forces, where he was trying to charge forward.


"Protect Chamo! And Nashetania and Dozzu too. Don't let the soldiers lay a finger on them."


"What are you talking about?!" Goldof shouted back.


"Alright, listen up! I’m ready to act as if Dozzu and Nashetania are betraying us. So if Chamo is injured even a little, then you can consider Nashetania's life over!"


The problem with Adlet going to help Rolonia was Chamo. She would be left all alone with Dozzu's allies. So for the time being, Adlet had no other choice but to have Goldof protect Chamo for him.


Adlet believed that Goldof was fighting to keep everyone safe, not to achieve Nashetania's ambitions. Granted, he still didn't know just how much of a threat he really was. But at the moment, Goldof was his only option.


"Chamo, I’ll be relying on you for everything else!"


"What are you talking about?" Chamo replied.


Without giving an answer, Adlet rushed off in the direction Rolonia had gone.


The corpse soldiers wandering about the center of the forest were nowhere to be found. Perhaps they were chasing after Rolonia.


Rolonia, why are you so intent on sticking up for the corpse soldiers? Adlet wondered as he ran.


Think. There has to be some kind of reason. Adlet thought back to when they first learned about the corpse soldiers. Then he remembered the time they had met up again at the Illusion Fog Barrier. Still, his mind couldn't hit upon anything, so he dug deeper into the past. He recalled the time two years ago when he had met her at the mountain where Atro was living. Piece by piece, he revisited each of his memories.


Then a single memory reemerged in Adlet's mind.


"It can't be.... Rolonia," Adlet muttered.


There’s no way that could be it.


#


Meanwhile, Rolonia was also thinking back to the time when she had first met Adlet Maia.


#


“Life was enduring until death.” That was Rolonia Manchester's belief.


I was born unlucky, so until I die, I have to persevere. It’s an impossible way of living, but there is nothing I can do about it. Rolonia had lived her whole life believing that.


That was until the day she met Adlet Maia.


Rolonia was born in Lindo, the country of blue wind. It was a very small country on the eastern outskirts of the continent—so small that most of her companion Heroes had no idea where it was.


A lot of the population lived their lives raising cows, and Rolonia's parents were no exception. Rolonia grew up staring at cows as they blithely ate weeds, and she never grew tired of them. Sometimes there was a cow that tried to stray from the herd, and it was Rolonia's job to blow on a whistle and call for her father or a herding dog.


Rolonia had loved cows. If she were asked what she believed to be the most incredible thing in the entire world, she would have answered "cows” without a moment's hesitation. Later, when her armor was being made at the Head Temple, Rolonia even went so far as to choose a cow design, even though the other Saints viewed its resemblance to the animals as a disgrace.


Her father was quiet, but he was a very compassionate man. Her mother was cheerful and talkative, and skilled at games. Through their influence she was raised to love all things, and to feel sad about other people's unhappiness.


If she had lived without any intrusions from the outside world, then she would probably have just been a simple, kind‐hearted cowgirl. And she would definitely have been far happier.


But when Rolonia was about seven, bandits attacked her hometown. As they were just a small village in a small country, they did not have the power to combat an enemy that appeared so suddenly. The bandits proceeded to pillage everything, down to loose change on the ground. And in just one night, Rolonia lost both her parents and everything that was important to her.


After that, Rolonia started to realize the truth of world. It was full of pain and sadness, and people without power, intelligence, or charm had no way of escaping from it.


Now an orphan, a major businessman in the neighboring country adopted her. He was called a benevolent person for raising children who didn’t have any family.
However, that was just a mask that he showed the world.


He forced the orphans to work on the farmland he owned, and he would whip those that neglected their work without mercy. But even the orphans who worked hard never received a single copper coin of compensation. They were never called slaves, but in reality, that's exactly what they were.


To the children who were placed in that cruel environment, their options were limited. They couldn’t change their circumstances or revolt against the unreasonable demands of their master. And it was extremely rare for anyone to even attempt to escape.


But despite the fact that the kids were extremely weak, they did find an outlet for their dissatisfaction and despair. That outlet was the dumbest of the children, Rolonia.


Each time Rolonia made a mistake, the children would beat and ridicule her. No matter how small the mistake, the children would never overlook it. They would all have fun whenever someone spotted Rolonia making a mistake. And before long it would even happen openly right in front of the adults that were supervising them.


Rolonia never fought back. She believed that she was the one who was bad. Everyone got angry because she had made a mistake, and so she was the perpetrator, and everyone else was the victim.


And even though she tried not to make another mistake, she was never able to work adequately in the end. To make matters worse, even when Rolonia hadn’t done anything wrong, the other children would still say she was at fault.


Gradually she started to learn that no matter what she did, it would always be bad. No matter how hard she tried, it would be meaningless. She was just a slow person who couldn't do anything and only caused trouble for others.


At the very least, Rolonia tried to live her life without causing trouble for those around her. However, even that effort was pointless.


Because she never talked back no matter what, the children would blame everything that they did wrong on Rolonia. Her mistakes, the dissatisfaction with their worsening circumstances—all of it was made Rolonia's fault, and she was condemned for it all.


Soon Rolonia gave up even making an effort to not cause trouble for others. She would just shrink into herself, show a servile smile, and pray that the kids wouldn't bully her anymore.


Then one day a robbery took place at the farm. The leader of the children had planned it, but, naturally, all of the blame was placed on Rolonia. And even then, Rolonia believed it really was her fault.


#


Kicked out from the farmland, Rolonia wandered the land in order to stay alive. Each time she found a place to work she asked to be employed, but she was refused again and again.


Then, when she was walking through one town, she saw that a well‐dressed girl's shoes were dirty. Rolonia mustered up her courage and asked the girl if she would allow Rolonia to polish her shoes with her own clothes.


With a mean smile, the girl replied, “Are you asking me to let you work no matter what the job?”


That girl was an acolyte at the Temple of Fresh Blood, aiming to become the Saint. And that day, Rolonia gained a new job.


Although the place she lived and the food she ate were different, Rolonia's life hadn't changed. Naturally, she was still slow, and the people around her didn't see her as anything other than an outlet for their dissatisfaction and resentment. But Rolonia felt no doubts about that, and she had no desire to try to remove herself from that environment.


Everything she did was bad. Now her only purpose was to live to the best of her ability without causing trouble for others. Her only hope was to live without making others angry.


That was when Rolonia started to believe, “Life was enduring until death.” But then the new Saint of Fresh Blood was selected.


#


At first Rolonia wondered if there had been some kind of mistake. After that, she actually asked if someone had made a mistake. There was no way that someone like her would be a good fit for a Saint. In all of her life, she hadn't been able to do a single thing right.


Rolonia trembled at the thought of being ridiculed as the worst Saint.


After the time to hold the ceremony to relinquish the Saint's abilities was set, for a while Rolonia felt relieved. She wondered if the number of people who would get angry with her would decrease now that she was a Saint and not a servant.
But it turned out Rolonia's nightmare was just beginning.


At the Head Temple, per Mora's recommendation, Rolonia got stuck with undergoing education for gifted Saints. Of course that was just a part of Mora's secret plan, but Rolonia hadn't known anything about that at the time.


“You will work hard to become a Hero of the Six Flowers.” When Rolonia heard that objective from Mora, she felt such an intense fear that she had trouble breathing and fainted. When she awoke, there was a moment when Rolonia thought that it had all just been a bad dream. But when Mora told her it was real, she fainted again.


As Mora had perceived, Rolonia's talent as a Saint was exceptional. Mora had said that Rolonia's skills were even starting to surpass the leaders at the head temple such as herself and Leura the Saint of the Sun.


But learning that didn’t make Rolonia happy. It just made her feel even more afraid. Despite having unrivaled talent, she was a useless, talentless Saint. She strongly believed that was her fate. After having been so ingrained in her mind, her servile way of thinking wasn’t something that could be changed easily.


By Mora's command, Rolonia apprenticed under renowned knights and warriors with years of military service. But she wasn’t able to grasp their instruction and simply wasted their time.


Then Rolonia visited the enigmatic anti‐Kyoma specialist Atro Spyker and met Adlet Maia.


#


Rolonia clearly remembered the first time she had seen Adlet. Her first impression had just been fear. Adlet was shirtless and throwing darts at a target. His teeth were clenched, his eyes were blood shot, and his hands were cracked and blistered from throwing the darts. The instant she saw him, Rolonia thought he was like a Kyoma from one of the legendary tales of the Six Flowers. His whole existence seemed to be nothing other than hatred and the desire to kill.


"I’m Adlet Maia. Eventually I will be the strongest man in the world, but right now I’m not. Don’t talk to me.”


Even though he felt the need to demand it, she didn't want to talk with him at all anyway. Rolonia nodded again and again and started to back away. The next instant, Adlet let out a war cry and came rushing towards her.


Rolonia grabbed her head and crumpled to the ground. However, his real target had been Atro. Atro easily tossed Adlet to the ground, then proceeded to kick him again and again. When Adlet was unable to move, Atro stepped on his face and spat on him.


This is such a dreadful place. Why has this happened to me? Rolonia wondered, cursing her fate as she watched Atro torture Adlet.


#


Several days passed. As they had both agreed, Adlet and Rolonia didn't interact with each other at all. Rolonia was instructed by Atro about the Kyoma, and when she wasn’t being taught, she studied on her own by reading the books Atro had written himself. Atro personally took care of her.


But during the breaks between her lectures and her self‐study, Rolonia stared at Adlet. It seemed like he was more working on hurting himself than training. Every day he challenged Atro, but it always seemed like it was just to be tormented.


I wonder what he's doing. Though the thought crossed her mind, she didn't have the courage to talk with him.


Still, Rolonia couldn’t figure out why she was so interested in Adlet. Maybe she had fallen in love with him when they met without her realizing it. Or perhaps she pitied him for getting hurt. Or perhaps she was superimposing the image of him injured and suffering on the ground onto the memory of herself and all of the bullying she'd experienced in the past.


Then one night Rolonia went into the cave where Adlet had been sleeping, deliberately breaking Atro’s order not to interfere with Adlet.


Rolonia figured she would heal Adlet while he was sleeping and then try to run away right after. She guessed that he wouldn’t get angry about that. However, the instant she laid her hands on him, Adlet jumped up.


"What did you come here for?!"


He was angry, and if things got any worse, he would kill her. Rolonia jumped back and trembled in the corner of the cave.


"M‐M‐M‐Master Atro told me to treat you..."


Rolonia lied to him on the spur of the moment, but she immediately regretted it. People always figured out whenever she was lying. But Adlet unexpectedly lay down and allowed her to treat him.


With an inexperienced hand, she awkwardly healed his wounds. The ability to heal was the only thing that people other than her parents had ever praised her about. She’d always wondered when she would actually put it to use. Rolonia’s lips stretched into a thin smile.


After that she decided she would talk with Adlet. But when Rolonia told him about herself, Adlet become enraged. He shouted and wanted to know why she would throw away power that she had gone through so much trouble to acquire. With tears spilling down his face, he begged for power.


Rolonia thought she had again ended up saying something bad, so she tried to get Adlet to stop crying. However, as she tried, she also burst out into tears. Adlet had been the first one to start crying, but, conversely, Rolonia was the one who ended up needing to be consoled. If an outsider were to see them, they would probably think they were a pair of idiots.


As dawn approached, Adlet apologized to Rolonia.


"My bad. I'm sorry. Things must be tough for you too."


"I... No, it's alright."


"How I am now is no good. I need to become stronger. If I were really strong, then I wouldn't have made you cry." Adlet flashed a lonely smile.


He isn't the person I thought he was, Rolonia felt. He was a young boy, delicate, but extremely compassionate.


After that, Rolonia's eyes followed Adlet wherever he went. And little by little, the reason for her doing so started to change.


Chapter Five: Part Two


After their night in the cave, Rolonia would talk with Adlet whenever possible, even though his training left him little time to spend with her. And though it was completely contrary to his orders, Atro never mentioned if he was disgusted or indifferent to her actions.


As if he were making up for yelling at her the first time they'd met, Adlet treated her nicely. He listened to her concerns and ramblings about the past. Sometimes he would offer her advice, other times he would encourage her, and at times he would even scold her. All the while, Rolonia would heal Adlet's wounds and cheer him up.


However, Adlet wasn't just a kind boy. When he lamented the fact that he didn't have power, he would show a face more terrifying than anything Rolonia had ever seen before—though after their first meeting, he never took his anger out on her.


Adlet was a mysterious boy. One moment he seemed to be full of hatred like a Kyoma, but the next instant, he would smile cheerfully. When he had a terrifying face, Rolonia didn't want to get close to him. But when he was kind she could talk with him peacefully.


He could be both kind and terrifying, and Rolonia didn't know which side was the real him. She knew that he was strongly determined to become a Hero of the Six Flowers, but they never talked about why he wanted that so badly.


Over time, Rolonia realized that she was enjoying her conversations with him. Other than her late parents, he was the only person she could talk to without feeling afraid. He was the only person in the whole world to whom she could tell her true feelings. Though they had only just met, Rolonia was starting to hold him dear in her heart.


And it didn't take long for her to realize that what she was feeling was love.


#


One day after a lecture, Rolonia asked Atro if Adlet could become one of the Heroes of the Six Flowers. Atro coldly replied the chance was one in a million due to one reason: Adlet didn't have any talent. But somehow, it seemed like even Adlet was aware of that.


Rolonia was unable to resist the mystery. Why would someone continue to challenge something when they knew they couldn't do it?


If it wasn’t possible, then it would be better just to give up. To try really hard and fail would lead to far more injuries than not trying at all. That way of thinking had been ingrained into Rolonia's mind.




Then, late one night while she was healing Adlet’s wounds, Rolonia tried asking him about it.


"...Adlet‐san, how? How are you able to keep going and not feel like giving up?"


To her question, Adlet answered back coldly, "Are you saying that to me too, Rolonia?"


Rolonia feared that she had made him angry and she trembled just thinking about being hated by her only friend. However, Adlet just smiled.


"Everyone says that. They say I have no talent. My master, the other disciples who ran away, and all of the people who would sometimes come here, like you. At first I thought, don't screw with me; but recently even I'm starting to wonder if everyone is right.”


"Adlet‐san. That's..."


"So, I’ve decided to answer like this. If I can’t change the fact that I have no talent, maybe that’s fine."


"...Huh?"


Adlet smiled and continued, "Isn't it far more incredible for someone who doesn't have a sliver of talent to become the World's Strongest than someone who was born as a prodigy?"


"Uh, yeah."


"If I can do that, I will certainly be the strongest. A prodigy could never experience such a marvelous feeling as that."


"..."


"I’ve quit crying about how I wish I had talent. I’ll make myself become the World's Strongest just like I am."


Rolonia fell silent.


For so long she had believed that she was a bad person and that trying your hardest was pointless. However, Adlet was reaching for a lifestyle completely different from her own.


And that side of Adlet seemed radiant to her.


Even though he didn't have any kind of power, Adlet was going to continue fighting without ever giving up. Whereas Rolonia, despite having the abilities of a Saint, just continued running away.


Suddenly, Rolonia felt ashamed to be at Adlet's side.


"Adlet‐san. If you never get strong.... If no matter how hard you try it doesn't work, what will you do?"


"...That's a difficult question," Adlet said, and laughed quietly. "Well, there's no need to think about that. I will never give up as long as I live. That way I don’t have to worry about failure."


I see. So it’s really okay to think like that? Rolonia wondered, and smiled.


#


It's no good if I continue like this, Rolonia thought. If she continued to be scared and run away, then she would never be able to be by Adlet's side. I have to change. I have to become strong. If I don't, then Adlet will just look down on me.


Rolonia loved Adlet. However, he would probably never look at her like that. Becoming strong was everything to him; he had no time for relationships. On top of that, Rolonia wasn't smart, or pretty. Really, there was no way that she would ever be a good match for him.


Nevertheless, Rolonia wanted to be with Adlet. She wanted to devote herself to him. She wanted to see him smile. She wanted to become the person who could be by his side. And that is what she wished for.


#


The entire time Rolonia had been on the mountain, she’d known that Adlet had been given a single, albeit extremely difficult assignment. From the day Rolonia came, he had one month to defeat Atro, using whatever means necessary. If he couldn't do that, then he would be banished and driven off the mountain.


Even Rolonia, who was a complete amateur when it came to fighting, could understand the difference in skill between Adlet and Atro. It didn’t matter if he tried to take him by surprise or if he plotted some strategy. Adlet just couldn't touch Atro.


On the last day before the deadline, Atro nonchalantly went into the classroom in a small hut. The next instant, Adlet dropped down from the rafters where he had been hiding and attacked Atro.


Without any sense of panic, Atro thrust out his short spear. Adlet swatted it to the side with his sword, but before he could follow up with another attack, Atro landed a kick that sent him flying backwards. Adlet tumbled across the hut floor before finally stopping at Rolonia's feet.


"Master Atro, I'm sorry!" Rolonia shouted.


Then she touched some cloth in her bag that had been soaked with her blood. At her touch, the cloth stretched out of the bag like a living creature, wrapped about Atro and bound his arms to his body.


"Great job, Rolonia!" Atro shouted and stood to his feet.


Atro then thrust his javelin forward, but Adlet dodged it and grabbed it with his left hand. At the same time, he held his sword to Atro's throat.


"Whatever means necessary, you said,” Adlet said with a smile.


Seeing Adlet like that made Rolonia shiver. Is this really a good thing?


"Did you think I was clever enough to come up with a plan like this?" Adlet asked.


Atro replied by quietly dropping his javelin. He then tore off the cloth that was wrapped about him and left the classroom.


Rolonia didn't quite understand what was happening, but for the moment, it seemed like Adlet had succeeded. Adlet tossed away his sword and jumped up for joy. He then rushed over and hugged Rolonia.


"I was a fool. There’s no need to fight alone. It doesn’t matter how I do it, or if I get help from my friends. If it ends with me winning, then I am the World’s Strongest."


He then picked up his sword and ran outside.


"Thank you, Rolonia. But I can’t be satisfied with this. I have to keep training!"


As his footsteps grew distant, Rolonia remained all alone in the classroom, blushing at the memory of Adlet’s embrace.


#


Her time on the mountain passed in the blink of an eye, and before Rolonia knew it, the day she was to leave was on the horizon. Though it was hard to believe, Adlet and Rolonia had become close friends. In fact, Rolonia stopped using polite language and instead of Adlet‐san she started to call him Ad‐kun. 1


And about three days before they parted, within the dark cave, Adlet started to talk about his past. Rolonia didn't know why he suddenly brought it up, but she figured that maybe it was Adlet’s form of a last will or something like that. Under Atro's instruction, Adlet was usually forced to dance with death—if he made even the slightest mistake, then he could easily die. So he probably wanted to leave behind some proof that he'd existed.


He told her about how a single Kyoma suddenly appeared at his village, and how in one night the villagers all seemed to transform into different people. He also told her about his sister and best friend who died protecting him. Bit by painful bit, he revealed his past.


"...That....” Rolonia was at a loss for words.





1 -San is the standard polite last name honorific equivalent to Mr./Ms. –Kun is used for young boys or close male friends. It denotes a sense of endearment that is completely absent when using –San.


"Can you not tell anyone about this? It’s why I said not to talk to me when we first met."


"How come?"


"That Kyoma was completely calm when he came to my village. He already knew the inner workings of my village and wasn’t surprised or scared at all. I feel he has connections in the human world."


Adlet gritted his teeth.


"I don't want him to know that I’m alive. If he knows that I'm planning my revenge, then he’ll come and kill me. At the moment, I'm...sadly no match for him."


"But..."


So this is serious. I have to tell Mora or Weylynn, Rolonia realized. But as if he knew what she was thinking, Adlet shook his head.


"I will kill him. I will kill him and get revenge for him destroying my village. I have to do that. So stay quiet."


It was an irrational request, but Rolonia wondered if his situation could actually be handled rationally.


As promised, Rolonia never told anyone about what Adlet had told her. Although she believed it was a bad idea, Adlet’s request was more important than her feelings.


“Ad‐kun, if you become a Hero of the Six Flowers, defeat that lizard Kyoma, and return.... What will you do next?"


Adlet hesitated for a moment.


"Hmm, I don't know. I guess I'll end up thinking about that later. I will become the strongest man in the world, so I'll probably be able to do anything."


"Ad‐kun, what do you want to do?"


Again Adlet hesitated.


"Do you want to return to your village and live life how you used to?"


Adlet shook his head.


"The people at my village died a long time ago. They’re in the stomachs of the Kyoma." Adlet’s words were full of both loneliness and anger.


"That may not necessarily be true. They could be alive."


"I wonder," Adlet replied, though there was no energy in his voice. "I wonder what I should do if I see them again. They killed Sis and Raina. Maybe the moment I saw their faces, I would kill them all."


Adlet gave her a look that made her shudder, but soon his eyes returned to a sad look.


"But I would most likely regret it afterwards. Maybe I’d continue to regret it until the day I died."


His heart was swaying back and forth from his fond memories of the villagers to his feelings of hatred towards them.


"You know, I think it’d be better not to kill them after all," Rolonia offered.


Adlet gave her a small smile.


"I don't think anything will go back to how it was. And I think it would take time for you to forgive them. But someday, you would be able to become close once more and live together in peace."


"If that happens.... I’d like that."


Adlet didn't say it, but his tone clearly implied that he didn't think that would ever become a reality.


"...Ad‐kun."


If you sacrifice your entire life to gain power and end up fighting your whole life, then you’ll be left with nothing but regret and loneliness. That’s too sad. I want you to be happy, Adlet. You need to be happy.


"I wonder if they’re alive. If they're already dead then I would be lonely—I’d be completely alone."


"...Ad‐kun."


"I want to see everyone again," Adlet said, and buried his face into his knees. Then he began to cry quietly.


Until that time, Rolonia hadn't even thought about fighting with the Kyoma or anything like that. But that was the first time she started to feel that she couldn’t forgive the Kyoma who had visited Adlet's village.


Though the chance is one in a million, if there is some kind of mistake and I am selected to be one of the Heroes of the Six Flowers, then I should help the people from his hometown, Rolonia decided, and immediately she was filled with a new determination.


I will prove to you that I can help save the people from your hometown. And for your happiness, Adlet, I feel like I can become strong.


#


After that Rolonia descended the mountain and headed back to the Head Temple.


Adlet didn't come to see her off when she left. However, he did notice she was leaving during a break in his sword training and gave her a big wave. He doesn’t think about me as much as I think about him, Rolonia realized, feeling a bit lonely.


But no matter how he felt about her, meeting him had definitely changed Rolonia. At least, she believed it had. It was true that even if she left the mountain she would still be bad. She had poor memory, was scared of everything, and didn't have any confidence in herself. Humans couldn't change themselves overnight.


Even so, there was no reason why she couldn’t fight the fact that she was a good‐ for‐nothing. If she was a bad person then she should try hard not to be. And if that didn't lead to any results, then she would deal with it and try again. Life was suffering until death. So she decided to persevere and improve instead of running away and staying the same.


If she just continued to quit and run away like she had done her entire life, then she would have no qualification to be Adlet's friend.


After gaining the power of the Saint, she met many people and learned a variety of things. Her greatest teachers were Mora, Weylynn the Saint of Salt, and Ueron the Saint of Medicine, as well as the legendary military master Tomas, the Aged Hero Straud, and the Anti‐Kyoma specialist Atro.


However, everything they taught her was far less important than what she learned from Adlet. And he probably hadn't even intended to teach her anything.


She really wanted to be by his side and support him. She wanted to talk with him more. She wanted to heal his wounds, and she wanted him to touch her. But probably none of that would make Adlet happy.


Maybe the two of them would never meet again.


Nevertheless, Rolonia believed that all the important things she learned from him would be enough to make her happy.


#


Using her whip to hang from a tree limb, Rolonia hoisted her body up into the air and leaped forward. Repeating that again and again, she advanced through the forest.


It was simply impossible for her to look for a way to help them while fighting with them at the same time, so she was trying to get away from the corpse soldiers so that she could search the cave carefully when she arrived. Thankfully, the number of corpse soldiers chasing after her was decreasing quite a bit, and it seemed like she was slowly pulling away from the rest as well.


"I'm tired, but so are the soldiers," Rolonia muttered.


Rolonia still didn't know what was in that cave, and it might be a trap like Adlet had said. Still, she wanted to bet on that slight chance.


When Adlet found out that his villagers had all been transformed into the corpse soldiers, a number of things had happened. He’d secluded himself at the center of the hut, then gritted his teeth and, wearing an expression of sorrow, said to abandon the corpse soldiers; and then he had told Rolonia not to distract him anymore. At each of those moments, Rolonia's chest burned and her body shook with anger.


If Adlet were to abandon the corpse soldiers in their current state, then he would regret it for the rest of his life, and that was something Rolonia couldn't allow.


She might not be able to help all of the people from his hometown, but at the very least she wanted to help just one of them. She wanted to at least be able to let him see one of them one more time, if only for a moment.


She wanted to fight for the happiness of the people whose lives had been changed by the Kyoma, and for the person who to her was the most precious in the whole world.


Rolonia knew that she was giving Adlet and the others a hard time, but she wasn't able to ignore how she felt.


"Just a little more!"


Rolonia was approaching the edge of the forest; however, she still hadn't been able to shake off all of the corpse soldiers.


"Ugh," she grunted and turned around.


She had no choice but to fight. Of course she wanted to make them unable to fight without having to kill them, if that was possible. However, she was also aware that if she didn't break both of their legs or inflict similar damage, then it wouldn't stop them from coming after her.


Rolonia swung her whip at two approaching corpse soldiers, making sure not to use too much strength. But the soldiers nimbly dodged the weak attack, threw up their arms, and attacked Rolonia.


"Guah!"


Her pauldrons2 blocked their blows, but the force of their fists still flung her backwards. As she spiraled back through the air, she swung her whip, aiming for their arms and legs and trying as hard as possible not to inflict a fatal injury.


Rolonia's whip struck the legs of one of the corpse soldiers, breaking them, and then the next attack directly hit the arm of another corpse soldier. Its sleeve tore off, and a jet of blood sprayed out into the air as the soldier dropped to the ground. But within the carnage, she noticed something on its arm.


There were words carved into its flesh. She moved over closer and read, Look for me and help. The man with words on his right arm. He knows about Tgurneu’s secret weapon.


It was a message from one of the corpse soldiers seeking help. She had seen something just like it earlier: Help. I know, had been written on the arm of another corpse soldier.








2 Armor plating that covers shoulders.


Is the message saying that one of the corpse soldiers knew about Tgurneu's plan? Is Tgurneu's secret weapon the Black Barren Flower? If that’s true, then now I have to help the soldiers even more. Still, I can’t find out anything until I reach the Temple of Fate.


"I wonder if, by any chance, Nashetania‐san knew about this," Rolonia said to herself.


Nashetania had gotten in the way of Rolonia trying to heal the corpse soldiers, so maybe her goal was to conceal the truth of Tgurneu's secret plan. If so, then Nashetania, Goldof, Dozzu, the seventh, and Tgurneu were working together.


Maybe they are all trying to hide the truth of the Black Barren Flower, Rolonia thought as she left the two fallen corpse soldiers and pushed onwards to the cave.


#


Number 9 noticed that Adlet had disappeared from sight. He knew that Rolonia had fallen into a trap, so it seemed likely that he had left in a hurry to go help her.


Tgurneu had said that he was the one among the Six Flowers whom Number 9 definitely shouldn't underestimate. However, he wasn't that formidable. His plan was to charge into the corpse soldiers without any kind of strategy, and now he was blindly rushing off to save Rolonia without any clue about the trap.


Even so, Adlet chasing after Rolonia was a bit of a problem, so Number 9 ordered the corpse soldiers wandering about the forest to intercept and stop him.


The next instant, one of the sparks from Dozzu’s electricity reached all the way to Number 9. The disruption made the sound wave he was emitting to control the corpse soldiers fluctuate slightly.


In response, Number 9 commanded the brainless corpses to strengthen his protection and then continued south.


#


As Raina pursued the armored girl, he could feel fatigue wash over his left arm. The next moment, he was once again able to move it.


If I can just move a bit faster, Raina thought. If I can move my arm while I’m close to that girl, then I might be able to show her that I’m alive.


He moved his left arm and struck a tree with the tip of his index finger. A splinter stabbed into him, causing a trickle of blood to run out from the tip. Using that blood he attempted to write, Don't be tricked, on his clothing. It was tough because his body was still being forced to chase after the armored girl, and on top of that he couldn't move his neck, so he was unable to see what he was doing. But he hoped it was legible enough to get the point across.


Before anything else, he had to stop that armored girl and tell her that there was a trap. If she were to die, then telling her the truth about the Black Barren Flower would definitely be out of the question.


Raina ripped off the section of his clothing with the words written on it. His clothes were in tatters and tore easily. He then balled up that cloth and threw it straight up into the air. The wind took it, and he prayed that it would be sent towards the girl.


Is there anything else....anything else I can do? Raina wondered.


His left arm was moving again. There had to be things he could still do.


He took out the small fragment of stone that he'd placed in his pocket, then he stuck his arm straight out to the side. His upper arm collided with the trunk of a tree, and Raina's body tumbled to the ground face up.


With his left arm, Raina grabbed hold of the tree trunk and used it to keep his body still. Both of his legs scrambled rapidly to right him, and his right hand stuck its nails into his arm to tear it off from the tree.


Raina put up with the pain and jabbed the fragment of stone into the tree. He then moved it about and tried to write.


Other Flowers, you may be following the armored girl. Tell her not to be fooled.


It was taking all the energy in his body to hold onto the tree, continue to grip the stone fragment in his hand, and try to write a message despite the rest of his body violently struggling to free itself.


But it was pointless. Don't, was all he could write before numbness once again gripped his left arm. He was again losing control of his arm, and the instant the energy started to leave his limb, his right arm tore it from the tree. Raina's body was then forced to a stand and rushed off in the direction of the armored girl.


Within his confined field of vision, Raina could see the small cloth falling through the air. He had prayed that the cloth would ride on the wind all the way to the girl, but it just floated in the air for a bit before coming right back down.


Powerless, Raina thought. No matter how many words he left behind, they wouldn't reach anyone. And even though he had realized the trap, he couldn't tell anyone about it.


Am I nothing more than a bystander? This entire time he had fought with the goal of helping the Six Flowers and saving the world, but really, he couldn't do anything but watch.


No, Raina said to himself. Raina thought about Adlet. Surely he was living peacefully somewhere, and he was praying that the Six Flowers were protecting the world for him.


I will protect his happiness. He is my friend for life, and I am his. As long as Adlet is alive, I cannot lose hope.


Whenever Raina felt like giving up, whenever he felt weighed down with powerlessness, he would always encourage himself with the memory of Adlet.


My left arm will move again, so I’ve got to figure out what to do when that happens. There has to be something else I can do.


As Raina tried to think of a plan, a lizard Kyoma with four heads on long, serpentine necks appeared and attacked him. And even though Raina wished for it not to interfere, his silent pleas didn't reach the Kyoma.


Chapter Five: Part Three


As Adlet fought with the corpse soldiers, his mind went back to two years ago when he had told Rolonia about his past, when he had burst into tears right in front of her and said how he wanted to see the villagers from his hometown again.


Could Rolonia be trying to help the corpse soldiers for me?


"Rolonia, you idiot."


She didn't need to worry about him, nor did she need to fight on his behalf. The only things she should think about were protecting the world and protecting herself.


In a sense, maybe I'm the one who brought about this situation? But, it doesn't matter. I can't let Rolonia die. I have to help her.


Dozens of corpse soldiers were chasing after Adlet, and each time one of them screamed, their numbers increased. Adlet’s smoke bombs clouded the soldiers’ vision, allowing him to hide atop the tree branches as he ran.


Aside from the corpses that were chasing him, Adlet could also see another group of dozens of corpse soldiers running to the south. They were probably going to reinforce the corpse soldiers that were fighting Goldof, Chamo and the others.


The attacks from the corpse soldiers were non‐stop, but Adlet managed to evade their attacks long enough to scale a tree. From the top of the tree, he looked about the area in search of Rolonia and spotted a piece of cloth floating in the air at the edge of his vision.


"...What is that?"


Is Rolonia trying to send me a message? he wondered. Maybe she’s closer than I thought.


Adlet headed in the direction the cloth had fallen, running from tree to tree along the limbs before dropping down to the forest floor. But no one was there, and there was no sign that Rolonia had been fighting there either.


I came here for nothing, Adlet thought and started to run, when out of the corner of his eye he spotted something strange carved into a tree trunk.


"...Are those words?"


It seemed like just a scratch in the bark, but once he started to look at them as words, it became clear that was what they were.


"Don't," was written, and above that there were signs that someone had tried to write something else.


Adlet didn't understand what it meant, but there was no time to think about it. Though he had managed to shake off most of the corpse soldiers, one managed to find him and immediately shrieked to its comrades. In response, the corpse soldiers came barreling towards Adlet one after another, and once again Adlet had to run.


He looked down to the crest on his right hand and saw that all of the petals were still there. For now at least, Rolonia was still safe.


#


As he fought with the lizard Kyoma, Raina once again felt a wave of exhaustion grab hold of his left arm. And, for the fourth time that day, he was able to move his arm again.


The first time he moved it, it had seemed like he was close to victory. But now it just brought a gloom of despair.


The armored girl had left without noticing him and there were no signs of any of the other Heroes coming near.


Don't give up, he thought, trying to cheer himself up.


He tore his clothes into shreds and threw pieces of it into the air over and over again. He may not have had time to write "don't be tricked," but even so, he needed to tell the Flowers that something was happening, and that there was someone different than the other corpse soldiers.


Heroes of the Six Flowers, notice me. I'm here.


However, though he had tried throwing a bit of his clothing with a message up into the air, it just came tumbling back down to the ground after being carried on the wind for only a moment. It wasn't able to rise above the branches, let alone reach the Heroes.


A number of Kyoma were approaching to support the group that was fighting with the corpse soldiers, and when Raina turned to the new arrivals, the lizard Kyoma lunged at him. Its mouth was stretched wide open, and inside that massive darkness Raina could see everything he had struggled for coming to an end.


#


Rolonia had finally exited the forest, and was now close to the Fainting Mountains. But she still couldn't find the cave.


She walked slowly and vigilantly, her whip tightly gripped in her hand. As Adlet had said, there was a chance that this was all a trap, so she couldn't let her guard down.


As she walked about looking for the cave, Rolonia recalled something that one of the corpse soldiers had said. “In the cave… Hidden woman…. Help us.” Maybe that woman knows of a way to help the corpse soldiers, Rolonia figured. I have to find out.


Then suddenly she heard a voice echo towards her.


"Are you one of...the Six Flowers?" The voice was so faint that it was hard to make out what it was saying.

Rolonia spun around and spotted a ragged figure standing within the shadow of a boulder a few meters away. Without thinking, she uncoiled her whip and prepared to fight.


"No. I am not a corpse soldier.... Please. Don't attack...."


Rolonia looked at her a bit closer. It was true. Though her body was just as filthy as the corpse soldiers and she was wrapped in rags, her skin was full of life, and she didn't have a parasite in her neck. Judging from her appearance, Rolonia guessed she was over 60 years old and most likely didn't have the strength to fight, or any kind of weapons on her. Then again, neither would a Saint.


"I am not your enemy. Please, the corpse soldiers.... My husband, please help them."


"I'm sorry, but please don't come any closer!" Rolonia said in a loud and firm voice.

The woman stopped almost immediately. Rolonia then swung her whip, and the tip struck both of the woman's shoulders and thighs. Rolonia didn’t want to do it, but it couldn't be helped.


"Ahhh! No, I'm not a corpse..."


"I'm sorry," Rolonia said, cutting her off. "I don't intend on attacking you, but I just have to make sure."


Rolonia licked the old woman's blood left on the tip of her whip. She partially suspected that the woman was a metamorphosis Kyoma. Back during their battle yesterday, a metamorphosis Kyoma had fooled everyone into thinking that it was the real Nashetania, so Rolonia made sure to thoroughly analyze the blood on her tongue.


However, Rolonia didn't taste even a hint of Kyoma's blood. The woman was definitely human.


"I'm... I'm sorry about that." Rolonia said, approaching the woman. "I.... I am searching for a way to help the..."


Before Rolonia could finish talking, the old woman fell on her in an embrace.


"You came, you really came! This is great, so great!"


Rolonia pulled the woman off of her. "Who are you? By any chance, do you know of a way to help the corpse soldiers?"


"You came to help! I thought it was hopeless! I thought we had been abandoned!"


Rolonia shook her a bit to calm her down. "What in the world is going on? Why are you here?"


"I fear this is not the time to have that talk. Please, follow me. I ask that you show compassion for the corpse soldiers."


The old woman took Rolonia by the hand and started to hurry away from their location.


As they ran, she explained, "Ten years ago, I was brought to the Wailing Demon Territory. The time after that was truly hell. And to make matters worse, half a year ago I was deemed to be no longer of use, and the Kyoma tried to make me into a corpse soldier....but my son hid me. So for all of this time, I've been surviving by pretending to be one of the corpse soldiers."


"Do you know of a way to help the corpse soldiers?"


"Yes."


"How?"


"...My son and my son's friends fought to release the humans in the Wailing Demon Territory. In the process, they found out the secret of the corpse soldiers. But all of them were killed or turned into corpse soldiers before they were able to tell the world.... I was the only one they could tell."


The old woman wore a face of sorrow, and her body was frail, injured, and exhausted. It didn't seem like she was acting. Rolonia didn’t completely trust her eyes, but she believed this woman.


"I heard about a cave from the corpse soldiers."


"Ah, so it’s true. Even though my son and his companions were turned into corpse soldiers, they are still trying to help everyone."


Tears started to glitter in the old woman's eyes.


"Are you....are you from Adlet‐san's village?" Rolonia asked, and the old woman's eyes opened wide. But then she shook her head.


"I don't know any Adlet..."


Rolonia felt a bit of despair after hearing that. She wished Adlet could see one of his villagers again. But on second thought, Rolonia realized what she wanted. In reality, helping the corpse soldiers wasn't just for Adlet's benefit. It would help all
the people who had been killed despite havinghdinogne not wrong.



"Well then, what will you do about the corpse soldiers?"


"Shh. There is someone over there."


Halfway up a mid‐sized mountain ridge, the old woman came to a stop and placed her hand to her mouth. Rolonia scaled up the ridge without making a sound and quietly peeked out. There was a cliff, and at the bottom of it was the opening to a cave. At the entrance there was a spider Kyoma using its four front legs to hold down a corpse soldier, and around the spider, ten corpse soldiers stood in wait.


"...Have you seen the insect Kyoma? The bony Kyoma at the center of the forest?"


"That's Dark Specialist Number 9. He is fighting with my companions right now."


"Actually, there is another Kyoma besides Number 9. The two Kyoma are working together to control the corpse soldiers."


Rolonia listened closely to the old woman, while also keeping her eyes trained on the spider Kyoma. So far, it didn’t seem to have noticed them.


"The other Kyoma destroys people's minds and changes them into living corpses. Then the bony Kyoma inserts parasites into their bodies to control them."


If I can kill that Kyoma... Rolonia gripped her whip tightly. Her usual curses were on the verge of spilling out from her mouth. But right as she was about to explode with rage, the woman stopped her.


"The spider Kyoma is not the one destroying their minds. It is just protecting it."


"What do you mean?"


"The Kyoma destroying their minds...is inside the body of that corpse soldier."


Rolonia stared at the corpse soldier the spider was holding down.


"It is a leech‐like Kyoma about 50 centimeters long, concealed inside that person’s body. It is destroying the minds of the corpse soldiers, though I don’t know how.”


In other words, killing that spider Kyoma would release the pinned down corpse soldier. And then she would kill the leech Kyoma within its body to free all the other corpse soldiers.


Again, Rolonia's grip tightened on her whip.


"But, my son said that we can’t kill the leech Kyoma first. If the minds of the corpse soldiers return while still exposed to the parasites, then everyone will die."


Rolonia considered the possibility for a moment. If I killed that leech Kyoma, then I would wipe out all of the corpse soldiers. My companions would be able to head to the Temple of Fate immediately. It was tempting, but in the end, Rolonia couldn't do it.


There is a corpse soldier that knew about Tgurneu's secret plan. I have to find that person and ask them about it.


"You have to kill the bony insect Kyoma and then destroy the leech Kyoma. If even a little bit of time passes, the leech Kyoma will go berserk and make it so that the corpse soldiers’ minds will never be able to return to normal."


"I understand. I'll tr....try."


But I don't have any confidence I can do it, Rolonia was about to say. But she swallowed those words and instead said, "I'll definitely be able to do it. I'm a Hero of the Six Flowers."


Adlet had said that in order to accomplish something, first you had to believe yourself that you could do it. Then you had to say it. So Rolonia decided to put his advice into practice.


"I will prove I can do it. So try not to worry."


Rolonia didn’t suspect a thing. At first she had wondered whether the woman was a part of some trap, but now she believed the old woman's words completely. It wasn’t just because she was human, or because of the desperation in her voice. In fact, the biggest reason was probably the fact that Rolonia’s own desire to help the corpse soldiers was clouding her ability to doubt people.


Rolonia stuck her whip into the ground and sat.


Adlet and the others were most likely driving Number 9 towards the southern mountain, and soon they would be within Fremy's range. All of which meant that there was no longer any time left.


But there was still one last thing that Rolonia had to check before she left. She looked at the old woman's face and said, "Is the person who knows about Tgurneu's secret weapon friends with your son?"


"Huh?"


The old woman looked at Rolonia, completely taken by surprise.


"There are words written on the bodies of the corpse soldiers. Do you know anything about that?"


The old woman was astounded by her words.


"What are you... What in the world...."


The woman didn't know. Rolonia was about to ask why not, when the spider Kyoma shrieked. Rolonia immediately shifted her attention to the spider and rushed towards the cave. She would think about the woman’s response later.


I have to take out both the spider Kyoma and the other corpse soldiers with just one attack, she thought as the spider Kyoma spat thread in her direction.


Rolonia jumped with all her strength and then latched her whip onto a tree to lift her higher into the air. Once aloft, she swung with her whip to dodge the thread before landing back to the ground and heading right for the spider Kyoma. There were only about five meters between her and the spider, and since it had been caught off guard, it wasn’t able to move before she was within striking range.


“...gigi!" The spider Kyoma shrieked, and the ten corpse soldiers scrambled towards Rolonia all at once.


Without missing a beat, Rolonia cut open her wrists with her nails, and a geyser of blood erupted from her body. The amount of blood was much more than should have been possible for one human body to hold, and all of it rained down onto the Kyoma and the corpse soldiers. The instant the Saint’s blood touched the spider, it began to scream and jerk in pain.


Meanwhile, for the corpses, the blood simply got into their eyes, temporarily making it difficult to see and forcing them to stop moving.


Manipulating blood was Rolonia's only trump card.


"I'm sorry!" Rolonia shouted and swung her whip. The whip revolved about the vicinity and mowed down the soldiers. Then it slashed apart the spider Kyoma's body, and within an instant, the Kyoma was dead.


Then the corpse soldier that the spider Kyoma was holding down clawed to its feet and charged at Rolonia. She was able to jump a bit to the side, but the corpse soldier still managed to clip her shoulder, sending a wave of numbness through her arm.


Rolonia grunted from the blow, but she couldn’t kill this corpse soldier. Instead, she swung her whip and bound both its arms and legs. The corpse soldier crashed to the ground, and Rolonia rushed over and bit into its shoulder.


From the taste of its blood, she tried to locate the other Kyoma within its body. However, Rolonia's tongue detected nothing other than the same flavor she'd tasted from the other corpse soldiers.


That can’t be right. As she bit into the soldier again, the old woman started to run over.


“What are you doing? The Kyoma is in its chest! Allow me to help!"


The woman had almost reached Rolonia’s side when suddenly an angry shout echoed through the air.


"Rolonia! Get away from her!" Adlet shouted from atop the ridge.


#


Adlet sprinted through the forest with the corpse soldiers trailing right behind him. He used smoke pellets to block their vision and explosives to scatter them, but they just kept coming. In the end, he was forced to use his sword to cut down those that made it past his devices. He was trying to avoid fighting as much as he could so that he could make up some ground, but so far he still hadn’t been able to catch up to Rolonia. But the corpses were fierce, and Adlet’s evasion and defenses took all of his concentration.  If he lost focus then he would be killed, and he would have failed to protect Rolonia.


Suddenly he heard the shrieks of the corpse soldiers and some Jyuma to the side.


I've got it, Adlet thought. I'll lead the corpse soldiers right into them.


There were five or six Jyuma clumped together in a corner of the forest. Lizard Jyuma, water snake Jyuma, and water spider Jyuma were trading constant blows with the corpse soldiers. Adlet ran right past them.


He felt bad for the Jyuma, but he also needed to shake off his pursuers. And just as he'd expected, half of the corpse soldiers that were following him were distracted by the Jyuma and stopped their pursuit.


It made things a bit better for Adlet. He climbed up another tree and scanned over the area. He was sure he had run a decent distance, but he still hadn’t closed the distance between him and Rolonia.


All he could see from the top of the tree was a Jyuma eating part of a corpse soldier, and a piece of cloth stuck on a branch. Other than that, there was nothing out of the ordinary, and absolutely no trace of Rolonia.


Hearing the corpse soldiers gaining on him once again, Adlet threw some bombs, then dropped back down to the forest floor and continued running.


"Chii!" A corpse soldier came at Adlet from the side.


He’d already used up all of the smoke pellets in his waist pouches, so that defense was off the table. Of course, there were still some pellets in the iron box on his back, but he didn’t have any time to take them out. Instead, Adlet came to a stop and blocked the corpse soldier’s attacks with his sword. For a few moments he deflected the strikes as he waited for the other corpse soldiers to approach. Then, when the others were in range, Adlet threw his chain up and hooked it to a branch.


The instant the other corpse soldiers lashed forward, Adlet pulled the chain taut and rushed up the tree trunk. As he ran up the bark, he dropped a bomb beneath him. Adlet then jumped off the tree, crossed his arms in front of his face and tucked his legs into his chest just as the bomb went off. The force of the explosion seared Adlet’s skin, and slim fragments of the tree shot off the trunk and stabbed into his body. Still, with a twist in the air, he righted himself and landed on the ground in a crouch.


The corpse soldiers were able to avoid the direct explosion, but the shockwave from the bomb blew them violently to the ground. It didn’t stop them from still trying to pursue Adlet; however the impact from hitting the ground broke most of their bones and rendered them immobile.


Having shaken off all of the corpse soldiers, Adlet continued his search for Rolonia. He exited the forest, and afterward he scaled up a ridge.


"I'm sorry!" he heard Rolonia shout from somewhere.


She’s still safe, Adlet thought and headed in the direction of her voice.


There was a large cave at the foot of the mountain they were on. Rolonia was there, but Adlet could also see a dead Kyoma and the dead bodies of the soldiers. There was still one corpse soldier alive, but Rolonia was using her whip to restrain it.


This is bad, Adlet thought.


Rolonia didn't have any weapons besides that whip. If she were to be attacked right now, she would have no way of defending herself.


As panic gripped Adlet, he noticed what looked like an old woman moving towards Rolonia. Maybe she’s not an enemy, he wondered for a moment, since he didn't see any kind of parasite on the back of that woman's neck. However there was no way that an old woman should be where they were.


But most importantly, Rolonia was heading into a trap, and anyone who resembled an enemy had to be taken out.


"Rolonia! Get away from her!" Adlet shouted.


The old woman was already close to Rolonia, and to make matters worse, it didn't seem like Rolonia was cautious about her at all. Out of options, Adlet threw a paralyzing dart at the old woman. Whether she was a human or a Kyoma, it would have no problems stopping her from moving.


But then the worst possible situation he could imagine happened.


"Wait Ad‐kun!" Rolonia shouted and leaped in front of the dart.


The dart cut open Rolonia's wrist, and in the blink of an eye, the energy drained from her body. As her legs lost the power to support her body, her whip slipped out of her hand.


"Now!" The old woman shouted, and a snake Kyoma with five heads sprung up from the ground.


"...Huh?" Rolonia mumbled through lips that struggled to move.


Without any time for Adlet to shout for her to run, the snake Kyoma coiled about Rolonia's body.


Rolonia tried to reach for the handle of her whip that was restraining the corpse soldier, but before her fingers could reach it, the old woman snatched it away.


"Kill her!"


The corpse soldier stood to its feet and swung its hands down towards Rolonia's face.


"I won't let you hurt her!" Adlet shouted.


Before the corpse soldier's fists hit Rolonia, Adlet shot out the blade of his sword, and it stabbed through the corpse soldier's face.


Seeing the corpse soldier die, the woman ran away screaming, "Come, now! This is our only chance!"


The ground at Rolonia's feet then swelled up, and corpse soldiers jumped out from the dirt. After that, dozens of corpse soldiers came running out from the cave. And though Adlet had no idea where they had been hiding, several corpse soldiers came rushing towards them from the forest.


"Why...Why...why?!" Rolonia muttered.


With her body paralyzed and her whip stolen, Rolonia was not in any position to fight.


I have to kill that snake Kyoma, Adlet decided, until he realized his fatal mistake. The anti‐Kyoma weapon, the Stake of the Saints, was still in his iron box. He had thought he wouldn’t need it since they were fighting corpse soldiers, so he had prioritized the smoke pellets and other equipment.


"Run, Rolonia! Run!"


"No, get… Get back!" Rolonia shouted from the ground as blood shot out from her wrist and showered down on the snake Kyoma. It shrieked and convulsed in pain, but it continued to barrel down towards Rolonia.


Adlet threw all of the bombs he had left at the approaching corpse soldiers, but he was completely surrounded, and he didn’t have enough to hit them all.


"Gaa!” A single corpse soldier attacked Adlet from behind and grazed his back, causing him to gasp sharply. At the same time, five more corpse soldiers that had avoided the bombs were heading right for the motionless Rolonia.


This can't be real, Adlet thought. Am I going to lose a friend in a place like this? To a single worthless Kyoma? All because of some obvious trap?


Why? Why did I let Rolonia go off on her own? Why didn't I trust her? If I had been with her, she would never have fallen into so simple a trap as this.


"Rolonia!!!!" Adlet screamed.


Drowning in fear, Rolonia shut her eyes and waited for the inevitable.


Then a light flashed all around Rolonia.


The next instant, the necks and arms of the corpse soldiers that were trying to rush towards her were cut off and danced through the air, and the snake Kyoma that was restraining Rolonia was also sliced into pieces.


"...Huh?" Rolonia uttered, still barely able to move her mouth.


A single corpse soldier was holding swords in both of its hands. It reached down and patted Rolonia's head before turning around to Adlet.





"Umeow. What are you doing, Adlet? Protecting your companions is your job, meow."


"...Hans...‐san?" Rolonia asked, her face completely pale and her voice trembling.


Covered in dirt and wearing shredded clothes, Hans smiled.


#


The remaining dozens of corpse soldiers were soon taken care of. Hans was responsible for killing most of them, whereas Adlet wasn't able to do anything but assist him while Rolonia just stared in shock.


Hans dodged the corpse soldiers with grace, as if he was predicting each of their attacks, and then he would end their lives with a precise strike from his sword. It was like watching a masterful and well‐rehearsed dance. Hans had only been fighting with the corpse soldiers for little under three hours, yet in that short time he had come to perfectly understand how they behaved and fought.


Beyond his inhuman physical talent and specialized swordplay, his superior ability to learn might have been Hans' greatest weapon.


Soon the area went quiet. It seemed like all the corpse soldiers that had been dispatched for the trap had been dealt with. No longer in danger, Adlet shifted his focus back to Rolonia and helped her up to her feet.


Fortunately, she didn't have any serious injuries. Adlet then yanked out the sword lodged in the head of the corpse soldier he’d killed to save Rolonia and inserted it back into its sheathe.


"There was no leech Kyoma..." Rolonia said as she touched the corpse soldier's body. "It was...a lie."


Rolonia hung her head.


"Why.... She was human.... Why?"


Adlet spotted a corpse at the top of the ridge. The old woman that had deceived Rolonia was lying on the ground. Adlet approached her just to make sure, but it was indeed the old woman and she was already dead. It looked like she had been killed by the corpse soldiers.


Adlet didn't know why she had participated in luring the Flowers into a trap. As far as he could see, it didn't appear that her family had been taken hostage. It could be that she was trying to guarantee her survival if the world were annihilated. Or maybe she was just being forced to stay alive through some Kyoma's power.


It doesn't really matter, Adlet decided and turned his attention to Hans.


"Hans, how did you know that Rolonia would be here?" Adlet asked, staring at Hans.


Hans' disguise was quite impressive. His hair and his clothes were covered in dirt. One part of his body was discolored after being rubbed with some rotten flesh, and he had probably gotten his clothing from another corpse soldier. Plus, he had a dead parasite tied to the back of his neck with some string, the same string that he'd gotten from Adlet's iron box. From the beginning, he had planned to disguise himself as one of the corpse soldiers.


"Meowhi. I thought it would end up like this one way or another."


That wasn't an answer, Adlet thought.


"Thank you....very much, Hans‐san."


Hans shrugged.


"You were easily tricked, meow. I thought you were an idiot before, but you're even more of an idiot than I could've imagined, meow."


"...I..."


Adlet looked to Rolonia. He had no intention of getting angry with her. The entire time, she had been thinking of him. Everything she had done was because she couldn’t bear to see Adlet suffering.


"Adlet, does it look like Number 9 has been killed, meow?"


"We've been driving it towards the mountain, but I think there’s still time left until it’s in position. I'm also worried about Chamo, so let's head back," Adlet replied and started to run, taking Rolonia with him.


But as they moved, Adlet realized something wasn’t quite right. He remembered the cloth he had seen floating in the air earlier.


"Hans. Did you throw some cloth into the air?"


"What are you talking about, meow?"


Rolonia also seemed like she didn't know. If that’s so, then who threw that cloth? Maybe it ripped off by accident and flew into the air. Is that likely? It was a small point, but something about it weighed on Adlet's mind.


"Ad‐kun, Hans‐san."


Rolonia had been running behind Adlet and Hans, but suddenly she stopped. It looked like she was thinking about something. With a serious look, she pleaded with both of them.


"I've caused trouble for both of you....and for that I am truly sorry. But...please listen to just....one more thing.


"What's the matter?" Hans asked.


"I have something I'd like you to look at."


Rolonia walked around in search of something and eventually stopped at a fallen corpse soldier. She lifted up its left arm and Adlet and Hans both read the words that were carved into its skin.


"Look for me and help. The man with words on his right arm knows about Tgurneu’s secret.”


"There are people among the corpse soldiers who have words on their arms."


"I see, meow, Rolonia. One of the corpse soldier guys is alive, and he knows about Tgurneu's secret weapon." Though Hans was smiling, there seemed to be a slight anger burning within his eyes. "Have you lost your memory or something? Have you already forgotten how you were just tricked and nearly killed?"


"No, you're wrong," Adlet said. He looked again at the words. Then he recalled the event from earlier: around the place where the cloth was floating about in the air, there was a tree with what looked like words carved into the bark.


He got the feeling that those words and the words that were written on the arms of the corpse soldiers were similar.


"That old woman who tricked me, she didn't know about the words on the corpse soldiers or Tgurneu's secret weapon."


"...umeow? What does that mean?"



"They are different. The person who wrote these words  andptlhee  peo that
tricked me are different. Clearly, Tgurneu deceived me. However, there is still another person who left behind these messages."


"Rolonia... That can't be true," Hans said.


"Someone is alive among the corpse soldiers. And they know about Tgurneu's secret weapon!"


"There's no way. You know that isn't possible," Hans replied.


"I think it's true," Adlet cut in, putting a stop to Hans’ opposition. Hans didn’t reply, but just looked Adlet in the eyes suspiciously. "I saw it too," Adlet continued. "What Rolonia is saying isn't a lie."


Adlet then started to run.


"One of the corpse soldiers is alive! It's the corpse soldier with writing on its right arm!"


#


But at that same time, Raina fell down to the damp earth and looked up to the heavens. He could see the blue sky through the gaps in the canopy of trees above.


His body wasn't moving anymore; the parasite had relinquished control.


...It's over, Raina thought.


The old woman who had told him the truth about the Black Barren Flower floated in the back of his mind.


I'm sorry, miss. It was no use. I tried my best, but it was no good.


A number of mysterious Kyoma and dozens of corpse soldiers were fighting around him, but the shrieks from both groups seemed to be getting farther and farther away.


Raina had once again regained control of his left arm, but he didn't even try to move it anymore.


Adlet's face appeared in his mind, and within his heart, he called out to his friend who was living out there somewhere in the world.


Adlet, I wasn't a hero. I was just a worthless man.


Raina couldn't move anymore; both of his legs had been broken. But even worse than that, he had lost the only proof that could show that he was alive.


His right arm had been ripped off completely.








Chapter Six: Part One


"Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot!" Chamo spat as she fought the corpse soldiers.


She's just like Rolonia, Goldof thought.


Even though the Jyuma were spread out across the forest, each time Chamo moved her index finger, they would all move at once. They confronted the attacking corpse soldiers and spewed noxious acid to break their formations.


"What is Adlet thinking? Chamo is gonna kill that stupid cow!"


The three humans and Dozzu continued their assault on the corpse soldiers surrounding the Dark Specialist. They were already next to the mountain where Fremy and Mora were waiting, which meant the time for developing their strategy had passed. However, the situation wasn’t the most ideal. The hole left by Rolonia’s absence, to say nothing of Adlet’s, was huge, and Goldof had no choice but to make up for them.


Goldof pushed forward, using his spear to knock down anyone who stood in his way. He had come to somewhat understand the corpse soldiers' behavior, so he was able to predict their movements as he bore down on the Dark Specialist.


"Dog‐san! If you come any closer, Chamo will kill you!" Chamo shouted from behind him.


Dozzu, who had been supporting Goldof by picking off soldiers with his electric strikes, distanced himself from Chamo in a panic. It was very likely that Chamo would really kill him.


As they fought, Goldof was keeping an eye on Nashetania and Dozzu. As Adlet had said, it wasn’t unreasonable to think the two of them would seize this opportunity to kill Chamo, and Goldof was the only one who could protect her. His vigilance was both for Chamo’s benefit and Nashetania’s.


Nashetania laughed while conjuring blades from the ground. It didn’t seem like she was concerned about Goldof at all.


"Haaa!" Nashetania used her swords to punch a hole in the enemy forces, and into that opening Goldof once again pushed forward.


I wonder if Rolonia is safe, Goldof thought. Earlier, Adlet had run after her. If he was with her, then the worst case scenario probably wouldn't happen. However, Goldof couldn't deny the possibility that Adlet was actually the seventh.


What is Hans doing? I wonder if Fremy and Mora are safe. And where is Tgurneu right now? Goldof felt like his head was about to tear apart. There were way too many things that he had to worry about.


"Oaaa!"


But, for now, he had to focus on pushing the Dark Specialist into position. He would worry about Rolonia later.


#



While he ran through the forest, Adlet thought about how he would search for the corpse soldier with the writing on its right arm.


"Umeow. Are you serious, Adlet?" Hans asked from behind him.


"Yeah, I'm serious. There’s someone alive among the corpse soldiers. And they know about Tgurneu's secret weapon."


"I, meow, don't buy it," Hans said.


Understandable. If someone viewed the situation from a sensible point of view, they would see that the possibility of there being a living corpse soldier seemed unlikely.


"I saw it. There were things carved into the trunk of a tree. It was the same unskilled, almost illegible scrawl written on that corpse soldier. So who wrote it? It wasn't one of the Flowers, nor was it a Kyoma. The only possibility is that it was one of the corpse soldiers."


"Meow..." Hans tilted his head to the side.


"You haven't seen it yet, so you probably wouldn't know, but the only thing that the enemy has been trying to do is lure Rolonia to the cave. They haven't said a word about the corpse soldier with words on his right arm. Doesn't that seem unnatural?"


"Meow, that may be so..."


The problem was whether or not to trust what Rolonia was saying. I can believe her, Adlet decided. She had fallen into a trap and definitely been within moments of being killed. If Hans hadn't come in time, she would have definitely died. There was no way she was the seventh.


But above everything else, Rolonia had fought for Adlet. How could he not trust her?


"I understand, meow. I’ll follow your decision."


Adlet looked over to Rolonia.


"Rolonia. Can you help the corpse soldiers by yourself?"


"I think I can do it. If they aren't dead yet.... No, I can definitely do it.”


Tgurneu's main forces had only reached as far as the southern mountains, so there was probably still time. They would defeat Dark Specialist Number 9, head to the Temple of Fate, and, after finding the corpse soldier in question, they would figure out what to do at the temple.


Adlet was worried about Chamo being left all by herself with Dozzu and Nashetania, but Goldof would most likely protect her. And it didn't seem like Chamo could be killed so easily, even by opponents such as Nashetania or Dozzu. So Adlet decided he should prioritize finding the corpse soldier.


"Hold up a sec. What if what you're saying is true?" Hans said, spreading his hands out wide. "How will you find them?"


Right then they heard the screams of corpse soldiers coming from directly in front of them. Three corpse soldiers scurried into their path. Hans jumped through the air, as if it were a dance, and Adlet and Rolonia prepared their weapons.
However, before Hans could reach the soldiers, their bodies twisted simultaneously, as if they had been struck by lightning. Then they started to scream in agony as their bodies contorted violently. Most unsettlingly, their screams weren't the only ones they heard. The Heroes could hear screams echoing throughout the entire forest.


"What's going on, meow?" Hans asked, spinning around to check the surroundings.


However, within a moment Adlet had already figured it out.


Fremy had killed Number 9.



#


Goldof rammed through the onslaught of corpse soldiers, not flinching an inch as the corpses' attacks struck his armor. The corpse soldiers fought with all of their strength, which Goldof was using against them. He redirected their momentum as they attacked, and caused them to lose their balance and crash into the other corpse soldiers.


Inside Goldof's head he was chuckling at Number 9. The Kyoma had sensed danger and turned and fled, but the safety it was seeking would actually be its downfall. The entire battle, the Heroes had managed to keep the Kyoma in the dark about the plan for Fremy to snipe it, and it had no clue that Mora and Fremy were waiting just ahead of it on the mountain. Thus, the unsuspecting Dark Specialist ran right into position, and the battle entered its final stage.


However, instead of signaling Fremy, Goldof turned around and
shouted, "Princess, I'll leave this area to you. Please head this way! You too, Chamo!"

There was still a chance that Fremy was the seventh, which meant it was very possible that after dispatching with Mora, Fremy might pick off her companions one by one as they had their guard down. Goldof wasn't that worried about himself because he was confident that he could withstand one shot, and he didn't really care if Dozzu died.


"We understand, Goldof," Nashetania said.


"Why are you commanding Chamo?"


As Goldof ordered, the two of them headed away from the front lines. Dozzu then glanced at Goldof and, probably guessing Goldof's intentions, nodded. Now all Goldof had to do was wait for Fremy's shot.


And whether Fremy was really an ally or not completely depended on what she did next.


#


Mora and Fremy both waited with anticipation within the overgrowth at the center of a small mountain, from where they could see the entire north foot of the mountain. They were already starting to hear the sounds coming from the fight between Chamo, Dozzu, and the others with the Kyoma.


With the power of her second sight, Mora was completely aware of everything happening on the small mountain. Although she was sure Adlet and the others were fighting with Number 9, at the moment, she couldn’t see any corpse soldiers on the mountain. However, a number of them were searching around the area.


"Mora, don't move. We'll be spotted."


The two of them were sitting huddled together. They had dug holes into the ground and were waiting in them with branches and leaves to conceal them. This kind of camouflage is Fremy's area of expertise, Mora noted. However, if the two of them were spotted, then their entire plan would come to nothing. So Mora tried to breathe as quietly as possible as she continued to watch the battle below.


Pushed back by Chamo and Goldof's attack, a large number of corpse soldiers were retreating to the center of the mountain. But Mora still hadn’t seen anything that resembled how Number 9 had been described to her.


"This is strange," Fremy muttered.


"Adlet isn't with them. Neither is Rolonia."


Or at the very least, Adlet and Rolonia hadn’t entered within the range of Mora’s second sight. Through the gaps in the trees, she could faintly see some people fighting.


"Did something happen? Could it be the seventh...?"


"If something serious happened, then Adlet would have thrown up the firecracker and smoke bombs to tell us the plan was stopped. The only thing I’m certain of is that Adlet is still going through with the fight," Fremy replied.


"If that's so, then what’s going on?"


"I don't know. We have no choice but to ask Chamo and the others."


Then we need to kill the Dark Specialist as soon as possible, Mora thought, just when she spotted the figure of a bony insect Kyoma with her second sight.


"It's here."


Though Mora's hands and face were covered with sweat, Fremy looked completely calm.


"What’s its direction and course?”


"Looking straight out from our position, it’s about twenty degrees to the left. It’s heading for the summit and mostly moving in a straight line."


Fremy, with her rifle gripped in her hands, quietly closed her eyes. It didn't seem like she was aiming anymore.


"Fifteen corpse soldiers have assembled shoulder to shoulder and are moving with Number 9 at the center. And there are another fifty or so corpse soldiers surrounding the area around that group. It’s like a wall. Right now the Jyuma are trying to get close, but they’re being repelled."


"Where is Number 9 among the corpse soldiers?"


"It's roughly at the center. Maybe a little bit towards the back."


"Can you see where Number 9 is looking?"


Mora utilized her second sight to the fullest and stared right at the Dark Specialist, to the point where she could see that it had compound eyes on the part of its body that resembled a head, all of which were pointing in the same direction.


"Goldof. Number 9 is worried about his charge."


"That's enough," Fremy said and then stuck out her rifle from the branches and leaves.


Does she plan on taking it out with one shot? Mora wondered in shock.


The Dark Specialist was surrounded by a wall of Kyoma, and it didn't seem like Fremy would be able to get a clean shot. Unperturbed, Fremy removed a single strand of her hair and flicked it with her finger to check the condition of the wind.


Then she said quietly, "When Goldof starts his next charge, say, ‘now’."


Goldof still hadn't entered into the range of Mora's second sight, so Mora stuck her head out of the hole and looked for their companions.


With a roar, Goldof rushed towards Number 9, his black armor standing out like a sore thumb as he swatted away the corpse soldiers in his path.


"Now."


After a single breath, fire erupted from Fremy's rifle.


With her second sight, Mora could see Number 9 lifted its head a bit above the wall of corpse soldiers when it heard Goldof shout. And in that moment Fremy shot a bullet through its face.


For a moment, all of the corpse soldiers stopped moving. But the very next instant, they all dropped to the ground and began to shriek and writhe about in agony.


"It looks like we succeeded," Fremy said as she loaded another bullet into her rifle. "You were a perfect help. Thanks to you, things went smoothly," Fremy added.


"Right. Now, more importantly, we should quickly regroup with the others. I'm worried about Adlet and Rolonia."


As if she realized that the fight was over, Chamo waved her hand in Mora's direction. Mora and Fremy both stood up and started down the mountain slope.


#


His right arm had been torn off and both of his legs were broken, and yet death still hadn’t come for Raina. In fact, the bleeding from his right arm was already starting to slow. The parasite at the back of his neck seemed to have the power to prolong a corpse soldier's life, robbing the corpse soldiers of a peaceful death.


Why did I fail? Raina wondered as the pain wreaked havoc throughout his body. Why, after going through so much to figure out the truth, was I unable to tell the Heroes about the Black Barren Flower?


Heroes of the Six Flowers.... What happened to you?


Maybe now the world will come to an end. Or perhaps, despite everything, the Flowers can still manage to destroy the Black Barren Flower and secure their victory. Regardless of the future, Raina was sure of one thing. His long fight hadn’t led to anything.


Please, Heroes...win for me. Protect the world and my friend.


What did I do wrong? What was I able to accomplish? Raina tossed those two questions about his head, but he eventually gave up because he simply couldn't come up with anything.


Everything is over. I wonder if the world will ever be good again.


I wasn’t a Hero. I was nothing more than just an ordinary, good‐for‐nothing human. Wasn't that obvious from the beginning?


Then a horrific pain exploded at the back of his neck. His mouth involuntarily let out a shriek, and his body thrashed on the ground. At the edge of his vision he could see that the other corpse soldiers seemed to be suffering in the same way.


After a few moments, he realized what had happened. The Heroes of the Six Flowers had killed the Kyoma that was controlling the corpse soldiers.


At the same time, he also came to the solemn conclusion, I’ll probably die soon.


He could feel his body again, and once again, he was able to move his left arm. The effect of the Dark Specialist’s death had already extended to him. But even so, it didn't matter anymore. He had lost his right arm with the writing, and so it was impossible for the Heroes to find him.


#


The wails of the corpse soldiers completely enveloped the forest. Adlet and his companions stopped to listen, and a cold sweat started to bead on Adlet's forehead.


"They succeeded, as usual,” Adlet muttered, referring to Fremy and the others. “I just wish they had waited a little longer.”


This is definitely some bad luck. If Dozzu's explanation is correct, then all of the corpse soldiers will die in just 15 minutes.


Would the corpse soldier who knew about Tgurneu's trump card survive the death of Number 9? Adlet had no idea, but the chance of that being the case seemed exceedingly low.


"...We have to find them quickly. Or we'll never know what Tgurneu is planning," Rolonia said.


"Well, they might have been dead for a while now, meow.”


Rolonia was about to run off, when Adlet shouted, "Wait! We’ll never find them if we search blindly."


"Even though you’re saying that, meow, do you have any leads?"


Adlet climbed up the highest tree near him, and when he reached the tip, he looked over the area. He strained his eyes, searching for any clue that the corpse soldier who knew about Tgurneu's plan may have left behind. Maybe there was something like the cloth that he'd seen in the air earlier, or something else.
Anything, no matter how minor, would be helpful. Adlet prayed that some kind of clue had been left behind for them.


But he couldn't find anything.


"...What should we do?"


The corpse soldiers were scattered throughout the vast forest. Within 15 minutes they could probably locate one of them, but happening across the one in question was simply impossible.


What if we make Chamo's Jyuma search for them? Adlet thought. But before they could reach Chamo's location and tell her what was going on, it would be too late.


"Chamo! Fremy! Mora! Goldof! Can you hear me?" Adlet shouted from the tree top.


"Find the corpse soldier with writing on its right arm!"


But the cries of the corpse soldiers were so loud that they utterly drowned out Adlet's voice. No matter how hard he shouted, his voice was never going to reach the others.


Adlet frantically racked his brain for ideas. In his mind, he saw the cloth that had been thrown into the air and the words that had been carved into the tree. Those were clues left behind by the corpse soldier who knew Tgurneu's secret. They couldn't be anything else.


A while earlier, the corpse soldier in question had been at those locations, and yet those were the only clues. Can I pinpoint his location with such small pieces of information?


"...No, it's not a question of whether I can do it or not."


I absolutely can do it. That, he believed. If I am the strongest man in the world, then it can't be impossible.


So Adlet continued to think at the top of the tree.


#


Raina's body twisted and jerked as groans of pain continued to spill from his mouth. He wasn’t alone; all of the other corpse soldiers had collapsed to the ground and were suffering just like he was. However, despite the outward display of agony, Raina's mind was at peace.


Random memories popped up in the back of his thoughts. He'd heard that when death was close, people saw visions from their pasts just like this.


He was remembering his home village.


The face of his first love, Shetra Maia, popped into his mind. Even though it had been 8 years now since she'd died, he remembered her as clearly as ever. He remembered her cheerful smile and the warmth he felt from just being by her side.


At the harvest at the end of autumn, the village held a lively festival in the square. People would sing there together, and it was always the same song. They would sing it every single year over and over again, but they never once got sick of it.
Though after coming to the Wailing Demon Territory, none of them ever sang it again.


The faces of the deceived villagers floated by in his mind. None of them were bad people. Even their killing of Shetra and their attempts to kill Raina had been spurred on by fear. Tgurneu had pushed the villagers into those foolish mistakes. So Raina didn't hate them at all; he just felt sorry for them.


And then he recalled Adlet. He saw the face of his childhood friend from 8 years ago. Now he would be 18 years old, but Raina couldn't imagine Adlet as an adult no matter how hard he tried.


I want to see you again, Raina thought. Adlet, I want to see you again.


#


"Ad‐kun! We need to hurry and search!" Rolonia called up to Adlet from the forest floor.


However, Adlet didn't answer and continued to rack his brain for a solution.


The only things he knew for sure about the corpse soldier was that it could write and throw cloth. So from that, Adlet could surmise that the corpse soldier probably couldn't move on its own. If it could, then the moment the fighting started, the soldier would most likely have come to the Flowers. Writing and throwing things were about the most that it could do.


And though he didn’t have any concrete evidence, there were some things that Adlet could guess from the past events. The corpse soldier had been trying to write. ‘Don't be tricked’. So in other words, it had known that Rolonia was being deceived. That meant it had been following Rolonia.


If the soldier was close to Rolonia, then it would have thrown the cloth at her and not into the air. Since it didn’t, that must mean it had been a fair distance away from her.


"Rolonia! Before you went to the cave, were there corpse soldiers chasing after you?!"


"Um, yeah, there were!"


"What happened to them?"


"I lost most of them."


"Did any of the fallen soldiers have writing on them?"


"...Uh, no! I don't think so!" Rolonia replied hesitantly.


If what she said is true, then what did the corpse soldiers do after Rolonia slipped away?


Adlet thought back to each of the actions he'd seen the corpses take until that point.


One possibility was that they had joined the fight with Goldof and the others. Adlet had seen a lot of the soldiers running off in that direction. Or maybe it had chased after Adlet. After all, dozens of corpses had run after him. In fact, that option held the highest probability of being true. And another possibility was that the corpse soldier had been stopped by Chamo's Jyuma.


But which of the three was it? If the soldier had joined in the fight with Goldof and the others, then it would be at the south of the forest. If it had run after Adlet then it would be nearby. And it would be to the west if it had been fighting with the Jyuma.


"...Remember," Adlet muttered. There was a clue within his memories; he just had to find it.


Did any of the soldiers that came after me have writing on their right arm? Adlet couldn't recall. He felt like it was possible, but at the same time, he also got the feeling that he was mistaken. Truth be told, at that time he had only been thinking about helping Rolonia and hadn't paid any attention to the details of the soldiers' bodies.


"Ad‐kun!" Rolonia shouted again.


There was little time left. He had no choice but to think on the run. Adlet scaled down the tree and motioned with his hand for Rolonia and Hans to follow him.


Adlet ran with everything he had, gasping for air but never stopping. Unable to keep up, Rolonia was left in the dust as Hans and Adlet tore through the forest.


At his side, Hans asked Adlet quietly, "Adlet, honestly, isn't this impossible?"


Adlet glared at Hans. "You idiot. How can we give up?" He could imagine all of the painful battles the corpse soldier had gone through just to tell them about Tgurneu’s secret.


Adlet didn't know how the corpse soldier knew about Tgurneu's plan, but that soldier had fought with all their strength to try and tell the Heroes. It had written on the bodies of corpse soldiers and thrown messages on cloth. As small as those actions seemed, perhaps it had taken everything the corpse soldier had to accomplish that.


The corpse soldier was trying to tell the truth about Tgurneu's secret weapon. How could they not respond to it?


But where in the forest should I search? Time was running out, and Adlet couldn’t afford to make a mistake.
#


Raina's consciousness was slowly falling into darkness, and bit by bit his strength was leaving his writhing body. There was still a groan coming out from his mouth, but that too was getting quieter and quieter.


I should sleep already. I should just forget everything and sleep.


The moment Raina thought that, he heard a voice that pulled him back from the clutches of unconsciousness.


"Is someone alive out there?"


#


"Is someone alive out there?" Adlet shouted, to the point where his throat was raw and it felt like blood was coming up from his throat.


Adlet had chosen the west part of the forest, and now they were at the place where Chamo's Jyuma had fought with the corpse soldiers. But there were less than 5 minutes left.


The clue he had based his decision on was a tiny detail: when he had been searching for Rolonia earlier, he had seen some Jyuma eating corpse soldiers and a piece of cloth hanging from one of the tree branches.


When Adlet had first seen it fluttering at the edge of his vision, he didn't think anything of it. But now he realized that the cloth had been thrown by the corpse soldier who knew about Tgurneu’s weapon. The soldier had thrown it up into the air as a way to convey to the Heroes that it was alive.


It was far too minor to call proof. However, at the moment, Adlet had no choice but to bet on that chance.


"If there is someone alive, then give us a sign! Tell us about Tgurneu's secret weapon!"


Chamo's Jyuma were all gone, but the scene they left behind was pure hell. The corpse soldiers that had been killed by the Jyuma were scattered all over the place, and even the living soldiers were just writhing and groaning in agony.


While Adlet called out to the living corpse soldier, he looked to each one of the fallen corpses. One by one he lifted up their right arms and searched for any kind of writing.


"Is there a corpse soldier that has information about some secret entrance, Tgurneu's core, or Nashetania?" Hans asked as he started to go around just like Adlet and search the corpses’ right arms for writing.


"We've been doing nothing but searching since we came here, meow," Hans grumbled.


Ignoring him, Adlet continued to investigate the corpses.


Then he found a piece of torn cloth hanging from a tree limb. The cloth had an unnatural look, as if it had been ripped off during battle. So I was right.


Rolonia finally caught up with them and joined them in their search, even though she was panting heavily from the run.


But there were far too many soldiers, and the area where Chamo's Jyuma had been fighting was vast. Plus, their time was dwindling fast.


"Are you not here? Give us a sign! Is there anyone alive here?!" Adlet shouted.


But even as he looked over the surroundings, he didn't spot anyone.


#


They came. They finally came looking for me.


For a moment Raina felt overjoyed as he listened to their voices, but soon despair and resignation took over his heart. They were late, and he no longer had his right arm with the writing on it, which was the only mark he had for them to locate him.


Raina's body was still moving about and groaning in agony, but his consciousness was already going blank.


"Are you not here? Give us sign! Is there anyone alive here?"


The Heroes of the Six Flowers were calling out to him. Raina weakly lifted up his left arm and waved his hand. However there were tons of corpse soldiers writhing around him. Raina's wave simply blended in with the movements of all the others. Plus, they had way too much ground to cover, and at the moment they weren't even getting close to Raina.


"Is there someone alive? Anyone alive at all?"


Raina heard their shouts, but he was thinking, It's already no use, Heroes of the Six Flowers. You're all too late.


Raina badly wanted to sleep. His consciousness was slowly fading away, and Raina simply didn’t have the strength to fight anymore. Completely drained, his left arm dropped to the ground.


"Umeow! Respond, meow!"


That was probably the swordsman with the disheveled hair he'd encountered first.


"Is there someone alive?! We have come to help you!"


And that was probably the voice of the armored girl. But neither of their words punched through the fog in Raina's mind.


But then Raina heard the voice of another of the Heroes.


"Don't give up! If you're alive, then please don't give up!"


…That's strange, Raina thought.


Hearing that man’s voice made him feel the need to keep fighting. The man’s voice made him feel like he couldn’t give up yet.


"The Strongest Man in the World has come! I will definitely find you, so don't give up!"


That's a strange guy, Raina thought. However, what was stranger still was that when he listened to that man's voice, Adlet's face appeared in his mind.


I....will not give up, Adlet, Raina remembered. Once, he had promised that he would become one of the Heroes of the Six Flowers. He had told his only close friend that he himself was a Hero. And Heroes would never give up.


That’s why they were Heroes.


Think. There has to be a way to tell the Flowers that I'm alive.


He couldn’t get their attention with his hand, and writing something was equally meaningless since he would probably die before the Heroes found the words.


He had no choice but to call out to them, but the only thing coming out of his mouth were groans of agony. He had control of his left arm again, but he couldn’t get his tongue, lips, or throat to move.


There has to be a way, right?


Chapter Six: Part Two


"Huh?"


Adlet’s hands came to a stop, and he halted his search. He had heard something. He didn't know what it was, but he had definitely heard something important.


"What's the matter, Ad‐kun?"


He ignored her, cupped his ears, and focused all his energy on listening. Amidst the sea of corpse soldier cries, another sound drifted in the air.


"...A song?" Adlet muttered.


It was the song that was sung on the day of the festival at his destroyed village. It was only for a moment, and Adlet hadn’t been able to make out the words, but he was sure it was the song of his hometown.


Without another moment of hesitation, Adlet ran as hard as he could in the direction of that song.


#


Raina was holding his throat. The groans were still spilling out from his mouth, but when he pressed his windpipe upwards it produced a high pitch, and when he pressed down on it, a slightly lower pitch would come out.  Desperately, Raina used his left hand to manipulate his throat into emulating singing. The intervals and the pitch were off, and if he was being honest with himself, it was barely recognizable as a song. Nevertheless, Raina continued to sing.


Raina remembered back in the day when Adlet simply couldn't get the hang of singing. At that time, Raina had grabbed Adlet’s throat in the same way to change his pitch. Most likely, Adlet wouldn’t have been able to sing a single proper note without Raina’s intervention.


Six Flowers... Can you hear me?


He couldn't speak, nor create any kind of signal to get their attention. The only thing he could do now was sing.


#


With each step the sound grew clearer and clearer, and soon Adlet was positive it was the song from his village. Through all the interference of the corpse soldiers’ cries, he could distinctly hear the nostalgic melody. For an instant, Adlet completely forgot about his companions, about the Majin, and even about the Black Barren Flower.


"Where...." he muttered.


The singing must be coming from the corpse soldier that knew about Tgurneu's trump card, and that person was someone from his village. So Adlet ran, relying on the singing voice to guide him. It didn’t take long before he spotted a corpse soldier grabbing its own throat.


There’s no way I would have found them without the song, Adlet thought as he realized the corpse soldier was missing its right arm.


"Is it you?" Adlet asked as he stepped closer, before exclaiming, "It is you!" Adlet dropped down and clung to the corpse soldier's body. Its body temperature was already starting to drop. And to make matters worse, there was a high chance it would die from its severe injuries without immediate first aid.


The corpse soldier's hand that was gripping its throat slowly dropped.


"Rolonia! Come over here! Hurry! Hurry up!" Adlet shouted.


Rolonia hurried over from where she had been searching.


"Stay with me! Help is here! Hold on!"


It already seemed like the corpse soldier wasn’t able to hear them anymore, and its eyes just stared blankly at nothing.


Adlet shouted at the soldier again, but his heart wasn't filled with the desire to learn Tgurneu's secret. For so long, Adlet had believed he would never see anyone from his home again. But now that he was face to face with one of his villagers, joy flooded through his body.


But who is this corpse soldier? Adlet wondered as he stared at their face. The corpse soldier was young, about the same age as Adlet, but there shouldn't have been any men in his village that were the same age as him. At least not anymore.


"....No, it couldn't be."


"Ad‐kun! Get out of the way!"


Rolonia came barreling over and pushed Adlet aside to sit next to the corpse soldier. She sealed up the area where his right arm had been removed, and then she placed her hand on the ground soaked with his blood. Using her ability, she pulled the blood up from the ground and shaped it into a solid globe before returning it to the corpse soldier’s body. Immediately after that, she bit into the parasite on the back of its neck and paralyzed it. With the creature inactive, she carefully extracted it from the soldier’s body.


I can’t believe it. He was alive? Adlet thought as he watched her work.


Adlet reached out to the corpse soldier's long, unkempt hair. And when he lifted it up he saw a scar on his forehead. He could never forget that scar. It was the same scar that Adlet had given Raina when they were young.


"You were...alive...Raina?"


Adlet crumpled to his knees. All this time, he had wanted to see him again. All this time, he had wanted to say thanks for helping him. He had wanted to apologize for being the only one who had managed to escape.


"This isn't true. Raina, this...this isn't possible."


While Adlet sat there, a storm of emotions swirling about in his mind, Hans approached from behind. It only took him a moment to surmise what was happening from Adlet’s behavior.


"It looks like we helped a guy from your village."


Adlet couldn't say anything. Instead Rolonia answered.


"...I don't know yet. He's used up a lot of his life force...."


Silently, she continued to pull out the parasite until every bit of the tentacles had been removed.


“Raina! You were alive?! It's me! Adlet!"


Adlet tried to wake Raina up, but he didn’t react. Rolonia placed her hand on his chest and began to use her power to treat him. It seemed like his healing still wasn't complete.


"Adlet, calm down, meow. You'll make Rolonia mess up."


Adlet came back to his senses and waited still for Rolonia to finish her treatment.


Help him, please, Adlet prayed. He is my only friend.


As if in response to Adlet’s prayer, Raina's mouth opened. "Tgur...."


Raina's voice stopped, a wheezing sound coming up from his throat. His bone‐dry mouth couldn't say anything.


"Ad‐kun, water."


Adlet nodded, took out his canteen, and poured water into Raina's mouth. Once the canteen was empty, Raina again tried to speak.


"Heroes of the... Six Flowers, listen... Tgurneu..."


"Raina, it's me. Do you understand? It's Adlet."


Again, Adlet clung to Raina's body, and again he was stopped by Hans.


"First let's hear him out, meow. You can enjoy your reunion later."


Hans was right. Raina had fought to tell them about the existence of Tgurneu's secret weapon. They had to hear what he had to say first.


"The Temple of Fate... was built. From the Saint of the Single Flower... because the power was stolen... temple."


Rolonia was giving everything she had to heal Raina’s body, but from the look on her face, Adlet could tell things weren’t going very well. Adlet strained his ears and kept listening to Raina's words.


"From the Saint of the Single Flower... power stolen... Saint Instrument... Black Barren Flower... created."


Adlet, Rolonia, and Hans all gulped at the same time. They were pursuing the Black Barren Flower, and somehow Raina knew about it. Adlet wanted to ask him how he’d gotten that information, but now wasn’t the time.


"The Saint of the Single Flower... remaining power... The Black Barren Flower... absorb... in order to defeat... the Majin... power to manipulate fate... power to defend against poison everything... Black Barren Flower... absorbed all power... crests eliminate..."


Blood dripped down from the side of Raina's mouth, but before any of them could react, Raina added, "Kill the Black Barren Flower before all of the power is absorbed."


"Did you say kill? What do you mean, Raina?" Adlet asked, but Raina couldn’t hear him.


"The Six Flowers... The Land of Fallen Tears... the closer they get…the Black Barren Flower... power will increase... before fighting the Majin... kill the Black Barren Flower... Sooner or later... will come close to the Six Flowers... if they don't come close to the Six Flowers... can't absorb the power of the crests...."


Adlet could see that Raina's strength was leaving his body by the second. Rolonia hadn’t stopped trying to heal him, but it was too late.


He wanted to shout for Raina to stop talking, but he knew that was something he couldn't allow. What Raina was trying to say was information that would influence the fate of the world, and he had risked his life to tell it.


"The Black Barren Flower..."


Raina's voice was getting quieter and quieter. They had to lean so close that their ears were nearly touching his mouth to hear him.


"The Black... Barren Flower..."


The three of them listened to what Raina said next, and Adlet's face went white. Both Rolonia’s and Hans' eyes shot wide open, and their gazes met in shock.


"Raina, is this true? What in the world does it mean?"


Adlet's heart was racing and his teeth were chattering. He couldn't believe what Raina had said.


Adlet shook Raina, but the moment his hands touched his skin, Adlet knew that all the energy had left Raina's body.


"Don't die; you can't die yet, Raina! Wake up! Open your eyes!"


Rolonia gritted her teeth and continued to use her healing abilities. However, she was already pouring all of her energy into his treatment and it wasn’t enough.


He had to ask in more detail about what he'd just heard, but at the same time, he felt it was more important to help Raina. He had to bring Raina back to the human world and take him back home to their village.


Despite everything, though, Raina seemed relaxed. It was as if his face were saying ‘I have nothing left to do’.


"Don't make faces like that, Raina. Let's go home, let's go home together, Raina."


Is this real? Adlet wondered. Even though he was alive all this time and struggled for so long, and even after all the effort he went through to be able to see me again, is it really going to end like this?


"Next time I'll teach you how to use a sword. You'll be surprised how strong I've become," Adlet said to his friend.


And then Raina’s eyes opened and looked up at Adlet’s face.


#


He had made it to the Flowers and told them about the Black Barren Flower. He hadn't been able to tell them everything, but maybe it had been enough. But though he had done everything he needed to, Raina's heart wasn't filled with joy. It was filled with the relief of knowing that it was now okay for him to sleep. His body was battered and broken, and he was beyond exhausted.


But before he could fall asleep, Raina called out to his friend in his mind.


Hey, it's just as you said, Adlet. I really was a Hero.


I helped the Heroes of the Six Flowers. I saved them from the danger of total annihilation, and now they’ll definitely defeat the Black Barren Flower. They’ll safely reach the Land of Fallen Tears, defeat the Majin, and save the world for me.


There’s no way they could have done any of that without me.


Perhaps I was the only person in the world who could have done something like this, Raina wondered as a sense of accomplishment blossomed within his chest.


But as he was slowly falling into the clutches of sleep, someone grabbed Raina and shook him. Raina couldn't make out what he was saying, but the guy was definitely speaking to him. Raina slowly opened his eyes and looked at his face.


...Haha, that's hilarious. Raina thought.


"Hey... you... you look like my friend," Raina said, and then his eyes slowly fell back shut.


#


"...Raina."


Frozen on the ground, Adlet silently held onto the still body of his friend. Quietly, Rolonia took her hand away from Raina’s chest. There was no longer anything she could do.


Adlet stared at Raina’s corpse in shock.


"Was he your friend, Ad‐kun?"


Adlet nodded slightly.


"I'm sorry, Ad‐kun. I couldn't help him," she whispered.


"So now, as we’re going to find out about the Black Barren Flower, we've heard something preposterous, meow. If it's true... that would be a serious problem," Hans said.


But Rolonia still couldn't think about that. The regret of not being able to help anyone welled up in her chest until it bubbled over and spilled down her face as tears. She had wanted to help the corpse soldiers. Even one would have been okay, because then Adlet would have still been able to be together again with someone from his hometown.


I didn’t fight all this way for this…. If I had just acted faster, or been more careful and observed the corpse soldiers more closely, then I might have been able to save Raina.


Rolonia had never regretted her own stupidity more than she did now. In her heart she apologized to the corpse soldiers and Raina over and over again.


I'm sorry that I wasn't able to help you.


"Rolonia, how is crying supposed to help?" Adlet said.


Rolonia hurriedly wiped away her tears.


"But you were right, Rolonia; you were the only one who was right. Me and the others had thought we needed to abandon the corpse soldiers. The fact that I didn't realize what was going on is shameful."


"...Ad‐kun."


"Thank you, Rolonia. I'm really glad that you're here with us."


Rolonia dropped her head. His words were painful to hear. She knew that, as he spoke, he was fighting back the urge to cry himself. And now with Raina gone, he felt truly alone.


Adlet suddenly drew his sword and called out to Raina's dead body.


"I'm sorry, Raina. I couldn't save you. But your efforts will not be wasted. So... we shall fight together."


Adlet cut off a lock of Raina's hair, then coiled it up and stashed it in one of the pouches on his waist.


"Don't worry, Rolonia. I’m not lonely anymore. From now on, I’ll always be with Raina."


Adlet stood and turned to Rolonia and Hans. "Let's go. First thing we should do is regroup with the others."


"It's alright to cry a little bit more,” Hans said. “Fortunately, there don’t seem to be any Kyoma coming.”


"...If I have time to cry, then I'll fight. To carry on Raina's wishes, I will defeat the Majin and save the world. Because I am the Strongest Man in the World."


Adlet turned his back on the two of them and began to walk. But then his legs stopped.


"No... Actually, wait a second."


Adlet grabbed a nearby tree and pressed his face into the trunk. Then he started to silently weep.


Looking at his back as he cried against the tree, Rolonia thought, I will be by your side as much as I can, and I will cheer you up and continue to support you. There is no way I can do anything very important, and I might just end up causing trouble for you. Even so, I vow to do my best.


Even if you are the Strongest Man in the World, you can't survive all by yourself.


I don't want to make you cry ever again. I will protect you.


Chapter Six: Part Three


Meanwhile, Goldof was running through the forest behind Fremy, on their way to the cave Rolonia had been looking for. They weren't sure, but there was a chance that both Adlet and Rolonia were at the cave. Fremy hadn’t been able to bear waiting for Adlet any longer and had gone off to search for him, though the others had already left the forest and were heading towards the Temple of Fate. The plan was to meet up after finding the two lost Heroes.


"Goldof, what does this mean?" she asked with a reproachful look. "Why did Rolonia act on her own? Why did she expose Adlet to danger?"


Would any explanation be good for you? Goldof wondered. If he explained poorly, Fremy would likely attack him. And in the worst case scenario, Nashetania's legs would be blown off.


"I will explain. That is, after we meet up with Adlet and Hans."


Fremy clicked her tongue and kept on running. Earlier, he had looked at the crest on his shoulder. All the petals were still there, so both Adlet and Rolonia were probably safe. Goldof was relieved. They couldn't afford to lose a companion in a place like this.


Goldof and Fremy eventually reached the cave. However, Adlet and the others were nowhere in sight. There were just the dead bodies of the corpse soldiers and the corpses of two Kyoma.


"Really, where did they go?" Fremy asked, irritated.


"We probably just passed one another. We should head to the meeting spot."


Up until that point, Number 9 had been entrusted with protecting the area. But now that he was dead, the Kyoma at the Fainting Mountains were beginning to move, and perhaps they would come their way. They had to meet up with Adlet and the others as soon as possible and get away from the forest.


"No, I will search for a bit longer."


Fremy started to scan the area, but she couldn't find any messages left behind by Adlet or Rolonia for them. Simply put, Goldof and Fremy had no idea where they were.


#


When Adlet stopped crying, he, Rolonia, and Hans left the area, with no choice but to leave Raina's corpse right where it was. At the moment, they didn't have the time to dig a grave for him.


But Adlet promised to dig his grave after they defeated the Majin. He just prayed that his body wouldn't be eaten by Kyoma before he got back.


Adlet slapped his face over and over again, trying to drive the sadness out of his heart. He had to think about what they were going to do next, now that they knew about the Black Barren Flower.


The three of them were running quickly towards the center of the forest. Chamo, Mora, and the others had already left the forest and were probably on their way to the Temple of Fate. Adlet and the others wanted to follow them and regroup soon.


Unfortunately, the Fainting Mountain range was alive with activity. Noticing that Number 9 had been killed, the Kyoma nearby all seemed to be assembling to intercept the Flowers. The battle with The Dark Specialist was over, but they didn't have any time to even take a breath. They were still right in the middle of the fight.


"...Ad‐kun, what about Nashetania‐san?" Rolonia asked.


"What?"


"Why do you think Nashetania‐san came at me?"


Adlet pondered the answer. His mind had already grown calm once more, and now it was starting to think as normal.


"Ad‐kun, I don't know anything about any kind of Kyoma‐summoning flute. I didn't try to make you fall into some kind of trap, Ad‐kun. What should I do to get back everyone's trust?"


"Relax and follow me."


There was a time when even Adlet had suspected Rolonia, but that feeling was completely gone. She had acted for his benefit, and she was the one who had fallen into a trap.


"I wonder who planted that flute on me. If I knew that...." Rolonia trailed off in thought.


Adlet looked to Hans, who was running a little bit behind him. Hans grinned.


"If you're looking for the culprit, then I'm right here."


"...Huh?" Rolonia said in a stupid voice as she twisted around to face Hans.


Hans only smiled and waved his hands.


This guy went too damn far, Adlet thought.


"What do you mean? Is it you, Hans‐san? Umm, are you the Seventh, Hans‐ san? ...If so, then why did you help us?" Rolonia asked, confused.


Without thinking, she gripped her whip and began to take a defensive position.


Without any signs of nervousness, Hans replied, “Well, Adlet was able to see through my perfect plans simply. But that is to be expected of the Strongest Man in the World, meow.”


"But I wasn’t screwing around, since Rolonia was about to die."


Rolonia was completely lost and didn't know what to do, so she stopped, standing still with her whip in her hand.


"Explain, will you?" she asked.


"Right, meow. First, let's hear Adlet's deduction."


Adlet sighed.


"You probably wanted to see our reaction. You would isolate Rolonia and drive her into a corner, then try and confirm how Rolonia would act. And so you used Nashetania. That's my theory."


"It's half correct. Actually, about 70% right, meow," Hans said with a smile.


"Um, I don't understand. Would you mind explaining from the beginning?" Rolonia asked, and Hans shrugged.


"...It's simple. I’ve always suspected you, Rolonia. Well, I suspected everyone other than Mora, so don't think you were special, meow."


"Huh?"


"Rolonia, you’re close with the two most trustworthy people at the moment— Adlet and Mora, meow. And those two people aren't really cautious about you. For the Seventh, that would be a great position to be in, meow."



Hans continued to talk as he walked. "The Seventh fears theintrguth be found
out. They’ve had many chances to kill all of us, but they haven't made a move. That kind of Seventh hates being suspected above anything else, meow."


"That's right, but...."


"Rolonia, you saved my life. After that, you did exactly as Adlet said. Sometimes there were some blunders, but there wasn't really any trouble from you. To me it seemed like you were acting in a way that wouldn't make you stand out or be suspected."


Rolonia had a blank look on her face.


Hans continued. "When I heard about the existence of the corpse soldiers, I was soon able to read Tgurneu's play. He’s skilled in appealing to our emotions in order to lure us into a trap. But more than that, I figured that he might actually enjoy these kinds of tactics."


"Even in Mora's and Goldof's situations, Tgurneu used the exact same strategy. He exposed their loved ones to danger and manipulated their actions. With Mora he used her daughter, and with Goldof he used Nashetania."


"Granted, it depends on the opponent, but it's actually an effective tactic. In fact, sometimes I've even used such kinds of tactics myself, meow, so I really understand what Tgurneu is trying to do."


He grinned, and Adlet recalled that Hans was an assassin. He stole people's lives for money without ever blinking at the implications. He was a wicked person.


"I thought that perhaps Adlet would be the one caught in this trap, but, just maybe, Rolonia could also fall into it, meow. Contrary to my expectations, Adlet evaded the trap but Rolonia fell for it beautifully."


"Then I wondered if Rolonia was really falling into the trap, or if she was just pretending to fall for it and might actually be planning something."


"What do you mean?"


"For example, if you fell into the trap on purpose, you would pretend that you had gotten yourself into a truly desperate situation. Then the other companions would have to come and help you. During that time, Number 9 would get away, and you would stall until Tgurneu or the other Kyoma arrived."


"But, worse than that, you might have made an even gutsier move. 'Let's go help the corpse soldiers together,' you would say to coax Adlet and those with him.
Then Adlet would fall into the trap and be killed. Afterward, you would then explain, `It's all my fault that Ad‐kun died. I am truly, truly sorry for his death,’ or something like that while pretending to cry. In reality, I think it would have been a more skillful way to remove all suspicions from you, meow."


"When did you think all of that?"


"In that hut, meow. When you and the princess‐san were bickering with each other."


In such a short time, he was able to predict that far ahead into the future? Again, Adlet was shocked by the sharpness of Hans' mind.


"So, with that, I decided to make the first move and conspire with princess‐san. I planted the flute on Rolonia's body, and when Rolonia said that we should go help the corpse soldiers, the princess‐san would reveal the flute. As a result, Rolonia would be isolated from everyone."


"If Rolonia was the Seventh, then being isolated would be enough to restrict her actions, since the Seventh hates being suspected after all, meow."


"That..."


"If Rolonia was the impostor, then all would be good. And if I realized I was wrong, then I’d have no issue revealing my plan to everyone. Regardless, neither choice would be a problem."


"....Why did you use Nashetania?" Adlet asked.


"Because Mora didn't seem like she’d be a good fit for this kind of work, meow. And there is still a chance that the others are the Seventh. At this point, the people that I could rely on the most, as strange as it sounds, are the princess‐san and Dozzu."


"...I remember. After I argued with Nashetania, you talked with her about something, right, Hans‐san?"


"That's right, meow. At that time, we were meeting to plan out our strategy, meow." Hans laughed. "After that, princess‐san revealed the plan to Goldof. I also told Dozzu that the princess was going to trap you, Rolonia, but I reminded him not to interfere at all. Then, as you would expect, princess‐san did everything perfectly, and Rolonia was successfully isolated."


"...Where did you get that flute?" Adlet asked.


"Ah, the princess had it."


I see, so that's how. It was a completely absurd turn of events, Adlet concluded, now that he heard how it had all happened.


"To tell you the truth, meow, I saw you, Rolonia, separate from Adlet and the others and act on your own. I was watching from afar in my corpse soldier disguise, meow. So I knew immediately that you had easily fallen into the trap, and that princess‐san had done her role well."


Rolonia was speechless.


"That was when I decided that the chance of you being the Seventh was low. If you were the Seventh, Rolonia, you would have understood that you were being suspected, so you wouldn't have acted on your own. But I continued to watch you. You fell into a trap and you were driven into a corner, right up until the verge of death, meow."


"Wha...what was all of this for? I was really about to die!"


"I did it to confirm whether or not Tgurneu was seriously trying to kill you, meow. The people that Tgurneu has seriously tried to kill are most likely not the Seventh.


Conversely, if I saw that Tgurneu was taking it easy on someone on purpose, then they would be a prime candidate for the Seventh."


A chill ran down Adlet's spine. It had been a terribly dangerous wager. If it had gone poorly, then Rolonia would have died completely innocent; and it was also possible that by standing by and watching Rolonia die, Hans himself would in return have been considered the Seventh.


"I put off helping Rolonia until the very last second. I waited until you truly believed that it was all over for you, meow."


"You used the same kind of tactic with me, right?" Adlet asked.


"That's right. The face of a human as they are about to die cannot lie," Hans said and smiled. It was a smile that gave people the chills.


"At that time, Rolonia was in despair, meow. She knew that she had fallen into a trap, she understood that Adlet wouldn't reach her in time, and she couldn't use her whip. The face she made then was not a face that the Seventh would make, since they would be under the impression that they wouldn't be killed, meow."


Rolonia went pale, as if remembering her close encounter with death.


"I have killed many people, and I have seen the faces of countless people who didn't want to die. There is no way that I could mistake what I saw in Rolonia's expression then. So I'm sure that she doesn't believe she is the Seventh, meow."


Adlet noticed that Hans didn't actually declare that Rolonia wasn't the Seventh. He still believed there was a possibility that the Seventh wasn't aware of their identity.


"It was largely a haphazard strategy, but it went well. Adlet, you’re quite the guy, huh?"


Hans was smiling, but Adlet's face was full of anger. What if Rolonia's rescue had come too late? What if Nashetania betrayed them and killed Rolonia on the spot? What if the Seventh or the Dark Specialist had done something unexpected? The Six Flowers might have suffered a devastating blow.


The plan had been way too dangerous.


"...Meow, Adlet? You’re mad?" Hans suddenly stopped laughing and made a serious look. "Meow, Adlet. You're too soft. Protecting our companions is important, but we’ll never be able to win by only doing that."


"But Hans..."


"There may come a time when we’re forced to get rid of somebody, but we might not be able to find any clear evidence. So we have to gather more information, no matter how small."


"Even if that means exposing our companions to danger?"


"Of course. There are no safe paths in this fight, and our victory isn’t certain. Am I wrong?"


Adlet couldn't argue with him. Up until just a while ago, none of them could even imagine the true identity of the Black Barren Flower. What if, when they finally reached the Temple of Fate, there wasn’t any proof? As Hans said, it might not be the wrong choice to focus on gathering information now.


"Well, I hadn’t even imagined who the Black Barren Flower could be, and yet we still found out, meow,” Hans said.


Adlet remembered Raina's words. Those unbelievable words. The true identity of the Black Barren Flower.


"So, what should we do from here on out, Adlet?"


Adlet puzzled over the answer for a moment, before replying, "We should head to the Temple of Fate after all. The truth of the Black Barren Flower hasn't been completely proven. I don't want to doubt him, but even Raina's information cannot be definitively called correct."


"Will you tell everyone?"


Again Adlet fell silent.


"We shouldn't tell everyone yet. If the time comes when we should tell them, then I'll do it," Adlet said.


Even Adlet knew that was the lowest thing he could do. But if they were to tell the truth of the Black Barren Flower, then Chamo or Goldof would probably kill Fremy. Adlet couldn't make the decision to have her killed.


"Meowhi. As expected, you're sweet on Fremy, meow. You can't ask that request of us. Fremy should either be killed, or at a minimum, tied up."


"Wait a little longer. I want to confirm Fremy's thinking."


"You're going to let her go and watch her response? That doesn't seem like a good plan, meow."


Hans wasn't convinced, and Rolonia too was lost.


Then two figures ran up to them from the side. It was Fremy and Goldof.


"We finally found you. Where did you go?" Fremy asked.


"Aah, did you come looking for us? Sorry about that."


Am I acting calm and composed? Do I look clumsy or awkward at all? Adlet asked himself as he stared at Fremy's face.


"What were you doing?" she asked.


"We were looking for a way to help the corpse soldiers, but we didn't find it. Rolonia fell into a trap, but Hans rescued her."


Fremy looked like she was at the edge of her patience, Adlet thought. She turned and looked at Rolonia with resentment.


"I'm... I'm sorry, Fremy‐san. It's all my fault."


"Meowhi, it's my fault, Fremy. Feel free to beat me up, meow."


Fremy ignored Hans' joke and redirected her gaze at Adlet.


"Really, you always, always...." Fremy was angry, but from her face he could see that she was trying to convey that she was concerned about him. Her eyes told him that she felt he was important to her.


But at the moment he couldn't meet her gaze directly because of Raina’s last words.


"The Black Barren Flower is a Saint Instrument in the form of a human. She is a girl with white hair and a single horn on her forehead. And the look in her eyes is terribly cold."


The information was hard to believe. Fremy had rescued Adlet's life, and until now, they had fought side by side, but he couldn't think of anyone who could fit that particular description other than Fremy.


"...What's the matter, Adlet? Don't you have some kind of excuse?" Fremy said, noticing Adlet's averted gaze.


Adlet recalled all the faces Fremy had shown him since they first met.


The face that she had when she lovingly hugged her dog. The face that she had when she told him about her past being raised by Kyoma. The face she had when she told him about the pain of being discarded like trash.


The time she lamented that everything she had experienced with the Kyoma had just been false love, and the time she shouted at Adlet that being with him made her want to live.


Had all of that been a lie?


But at the same time, Adlet couldn't doubt what Raina had said. His close friend had given his life to tell Adlet. He couldn't simply ignore it.


"I have no excuses. I'm really sorry," Adlet said, and then he threw his hands around Fremy's back and gently pulled her into a close embrace.


For a moment it looked like Fremy didn't know what had happened. She then quickly recoiled and tore Adlet off of her.


"What are you doing? What's with you all of a sudden?" Fremy's eyes were wide open in shock.


Adlet just craned his neck to the side and said, "Did I do something strange?"


"Yes, you did. What's with you? What in the world were you thinking?"


Fremy's face had gone completely red.


Laughing, Hans said, "Meowhihihi, she's burning up, meow. If you can, I want you to do a bit more later, meow."


"...What Hans said. We'll do that later."


Within Adlet's chest he recalled the feeling of her slender body. Without thinking, his body had moved and hugged her. Perhaps it was because he felt that if she were to run from the group, then he'd never get another chance to hold her.


"Let's go. The princess and the others are heading to the Temple of Fate. Hans, explain what we've been talking about for me."


"Umeow. Got it," Hans said, and then he and Goldof ran off.


Adlet, Fremy, and Rolonia continued after them. Fremy's face was still red.


It's still too early to make a decision, Adlet thought as he ran. I'll do it after we finally reach the Temple of Fate and I completely uncover the truth of the Black Barren Flower.


Does Fremy suspect us? Or does she not know that she’s the Black Barren Flower? Is there a girl other than Fremy with a horn on her forehead? Or is there some other fact that even Raina wasn't aware of?


I'll make a decision after I’ve made sure of all the facts. But when I make that decision, whatever it may be, I cannot hesitate about what happens next.


No matter how cruel I have to be.


#


"Oh, so Number 9 was just beaten, huh?" Tgurneu said in a carefree tone as he crossed the plains of the Wailing Demon Territory.


Dark Specialist Number 2 replied, "It was probably a long time ago, if the Flowers and Dozzu aren't too stupid."


"Well, for a Kyoma that was raised to recycle and reutilize waste, I think he did quite well. Yeah, I should commend him."


Tgurneu's main force was making their way to the Fainting Mountain range. It would probably still take a little more time until they arrived.


"Is the Black Barren Flower safe?" Number 2 asked.


Tgurneu stared at the Dark Specialist in puzzlement. "Is there something that could be a threat?"


"No... there isn't, but..."


"Then she's fine," Tgurneu said with a smile.


#


So far the battle with the Flowers hadn’t deviated greatly from Tgurneu’s expectations. However, for the first time ever, certain victory was beginning to slip from Tgurneu and the Kyoma’s fingers. But neither Tgurneu nor Number 2 were aware of that. As Tgurneu enjoyed basking in the sun, he continued to lead his forces towards the Fainting Mountain range without a care in the world.








Epilogue


It was about a month before the Majin’s reawakening. In a corner of the land called the Plain of Severed Ears, there was a small hut. It was crude, with only walls and a roof and no form of decoration. And within that hut a single Kyoma was sleeping.


It was an ant Kyoma, though far larger than a human. Its stomach was swollen to an unnaturally large degree, its limbs were thin, and both its chest and head were small. Perhaps it couldn't even walk without dragging its massive stomach along the ground. But what was most strange about the Kyoma was that there seemed to be what looked like human breasts attached to its stomach.


And the Kyoma was dreaming. Just like a human.


It dreamed of a time eighteen years ago.


#


There was a room carved into a cave, filled with stuffed rabbit toys, drums that made a noise when you shook them, and plain blankets of various colors and patterns. And at the center of the room, there was a single bed.


It was soft and luxurious, the likes of which common people could never get their hands on. And a Kyoma was sleeping on that gorgeous bed.


"Hello, Dark Specialist Number 6. It's a great morning, don't you think?" A three‐ winged lizard Kyoma entered the cave.


"Good morning, Master Tgurneu. Yes, today is a fine day.” The Kyoma that had been called Number 6 respectfully moved to the new Kyoma and returned the greeting, all the while dragging its giant stomach.


"No news?"


"That's right. Until now, I had been sleeping," Number 6 said, and in response Tgurneu turned to the center of the bed.


There was a human female baby sleeping there. As Tgurneu looked down at her, the baby opened her eyes.


"Ah, she’s awake."


Tgurneu waved, and the baby pointed both of her hands at Tgurneu and smiled.


"It appears that the baby is more emotionally attached to you than myself," Number 6 said.


"Ahaha, you don't have enough love, Number 6."


Then one of Tgurneu's subordinates entered the cave holding a small puppy. Tgurneu showed the puppy to the baby, whose eyes widened in puzzlement. Then the child burst into tears, as if she had caught on fire.


"He‐ hey, hey."


"She’s a cowardly baby. You can't show her new things so suddenly."


Number 6 picked the baby up into an embrace with its front legs, and the child instantly stopped crying. Tgurneu released the puppy, which wandered about without a clue as to what was going on.


As the baby clung to Number 6, she stared silently at the puppy.


"She doesn't seem to hate it. They will probably grow closer soon."


Tgurneu heaved a sigh of relief before saying, "Right, right. I decided on a name. I will go with Fremy after all. A lot of candidates were put forward, but the one I came up with first was the best."


"...Fremy," Number 6 muttered within its mouth. It was a name that smacked terribly of being human, but he didn't think it was bad.


"And I finally found out the name of the father. His name was Meria Speeddraw," Tgurneu added.


"So then this child will be Fremy Speeddraw."


"Honestly, you just had to eat him right after copulation. Couldn’t you have at least heard his name before eating him? Finding his name took time I didn't want to spend."


"I deeply apologize. I just couldn't suppress my hunger..."


The baby—Fremy—hung her head on Number 6 as she cuddled with the Kyoma.


"Ah, it's fine. At any rate, the name has been decided. That’s a good thing. ‘The Black Barren Flower’ is a pitiful name."


"Yes, you have given her a good name. Even she seems happy."


"Really? As far as I can tell from her face, she doesn't understand a thing," Tgurneu said with a laugh.


When Number 6 had given birth, dread of how ugly the child would probably be had rushed through the Dark Specialist.


Number 6 had known that there was no way a beautiful Kyoma could be born from having a child with a human. Even so, the ugliness of this child far exceeded Number 6's fears.


At first Number 6 had been uneasy. Can I give this child love? Can I raise this child and shower love onto her as Tgurneu had commanded? Can I even acquire this emotion called “love” that the humans possess? And even if I did, can I even love a baby this ugly? Number 6 had thought, No, that would be impossible for any kind of Kyoma.


"Fremy. Fremy." Number 6 called the baby's name again and again. Each time it called the baby's name, a feeling of joy welled up within its chest. Is this what the humans call love?


And now Number 6 didn't feel any uneasiness. The ugliness of the child was not a reason to be unable to love her. Number 6 was the only person who would ever give Fremy love, and that fact changed the Kyoma’s heart.


I will never leave this child for all eternity, The Dark Specialist swore.


#


Back in the small hut, Number 6 opened its eyes. An old dog was lying down at the center of the dreary room with its head drooping to the ground.


"...Oh, isn't it time to eat?" Number 6 muttered, and then retrieved a plate from nearby. The Kyoma used a small wooden pestle to mash the corpses of some mice, then stuck the plate out to the dog, which promptly began to eat.


"Are you lonely?" Number 6 muttered.


The old dog snorted.


"I see. That child definitely wants to see you too," Number 6 said, and then stroked the dog's head with its forelegs. "You can see her soon. After the Majin awakens, that child will return."


The old dog growled quietly.


"It's okay. Master Tgurneu will definitely protect Fremy. Just relax and wait."


The dog silently laid down.


"Right... He'll definitely protect her, I know it. Master Tgurneu is really a kind Kyoma."


After Number 6 spoke, the Kyoma and the old dog sat quietly in the hut, waiting for Fremy's return.


Afterword


Long time no see. It’s Ishio Yamagata.


Did you enjoy "Rokka no Yuusha 4"? Toru Kei‐san’s manga version of "Rokka no Yuusha" is being serialized in the webcomic "Super Dash and Go". If it agrees with you, I'd be happy if you would enjoy that as well.


#


It has gotten remarkably warm.


By nature I'm strong against the heat, and usually I can ride out the summer with just my electric fan, but recently some problems have come up. The apartment complex I'm living in has started a large‐scale renovation. Because of that, it has become really noisy during the day and I can't open my windows. Nights are quiet, but I usually sleep right in the middle of the time they are working on the construction.


And so, closed off in my room, even my last ray of hope, my fan, is unable to help me.


If I open my window, I won't be able to sleep due to the noise from the construction. But if I close it then the steaminess would keep me up.


And if I turn on the AC, then I would be worried about getting a headache or a sore throat the next day.


By no means do I blame the people doing the construction. If my window is closed, I can live comfortably, so it would probably be unreasonable to seek any further reduction of sound.


I feel trapped with no way out.


I wonder what I should do.


#


Sometimes I go to karaoke alone to get rid of stress. Wetting my throat with beers or sours, I just do nothing but scream, and for a short time I am able to forget about the hardships of work.


In the world it is said that going to karaoke alone is embarrassing, and there seem to be people who avoid it at all costs, but I think they are missing out on the relief
it could bring. Recently I’ve heard ethreat th are some karaoke parlors that cater
to individuals. However, there are still none in my hometown. I hope that they spread and become more and more popular.


By the way, my voice is terribly low and I can’t sing on key.


The only way it would be good for me to sing would be to lower the pitch, but I feel like the popular songs to sing at karaoke are recent songs like anime songs, or Vocaloid1, and no matter how high I try to sing, I just can’t sing them well. And even if I lower the pitch, I get this uncomfortable feeling and can’t sing pleasantly.


So when I am searching for songs that sit well with me, I always choose songs from the Showa Era. Now I am singing on rotation: Dark Ducks’ "Woodsman’s Song"2, Namajiki Miyuki's "Without even blinking”3, and Cyborg 009's "For whom"4; and when I’m singing I sometimes forget which era of human history I’m from.


However, even among this group of songs I’ve been singing recently, I’m still searching for a song that I can sing well.


#


And now for the final thanks.


To the illustrator Miyagi‐san, to my manager T‐san, to everyone at the editorial department, and to all the people who were involved with this book, I'd like to say thank you very much. I look forward to working with you more in the future.






1 A popular voice synthesizer computer program.
2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyLWK9sOWzE
3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccp0WO1h7SQ
4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4CjzMjcM8U


And to all my readers, let's meet again in the next volume.


Until then,


Ishio Yamagata


Project Leader and Translator : Zero Ender


Supervisor : Hikaslap


Ebook Editor : Dozzu


Editor : Jarrguy


E‐book Typesetter: DevilHands


Translation Group : NanoDesu Translations