A long time had passed. Adlet’s raised sword had not moved an inch closer to Tgurneu.
Adlet had watched the white bird-fiend fly off, but Tgurneu and its minion had been speaking in code. He didn’t know what they’d said.
“…Damn it!”
He knew it was impossible to protect both Fremy and the Braves.
Not letting anyone important to him die was what made Adlet the strongest man in the world. But sometimes, you had to make tough decisions. Someone who couldn’t make those hard calls couldn’t call himself the strongest in the world, either.
Tgurneu was leaving itself open now, and this would be Adlet’s only chance to kill it. Tgurneu had weakened his love, and the boy had regained his sanity. If Tgurneu cranked up its ability to full force, he would be under its control again.
He had to kill Tgurneu. Right now.
“…!”
But his sword didn’t move.
He tried banishing from his heart the desire to protect Fremy. He tried crushing the feelings on the verge of overcoming him. Again and again, he told himself it was a sham, just Tgurneu controlling him. But despite this knowledge, he still couldn’t do the deed.
He saw Fremy’s face in front of him. She’d saved him twice in the Phantasmal Barrier. And since they’d come to the Howling Vilelands, though she’d said nasty things to him, she’d also been concerned for him. When he had embraced her suddenly, she’d seemed so bashful, like a completely normal girl. And at the Temple of Fate, she’d asked him to save her.
All his various memories of her made him waver.
Just thinking about losing her was enough to nearly tear his heart to pieces, and knowing those feelings were a lie didn’t ease the pain one bit. He was frustrated at himself for doing exactly what Tgurneu wanted. He wanted to kill himself that very minute for bringing it joy. But he still couldn’t drive his blade home.
“That’s a good expression, Adlet. Agonize more. Amuse me further.” Tgurneu smiled and leaned in toward Adlet’s face. “I know—I’ll tell you something nice. The truth is, there were plenty of other ways for me to kill the Braves of the Six Flowers. There was no need for me to adopt such roundabout methods simply to win. But I chose to create the Black Barrenbloom. I chose to raise up a seventh and control his love—all to see your face now.”
“…What?”
“It was all for this moment. I made the Black Barrenbloom so I could witness your reaction. That was why I gave you the seventh crest that I’d acquired and raised you.”
The boy’s expression changed. “You…raised me?” he stammered, sword still in hand.
As if to say I’m glad you asked , Tgurneu continued, “That’s right, I raised you—to lead you to the Howling Vilelands and make you betray the Braves. And…to see this very visage.”
Tgurneu went on:
“First, I destroyed your village to ignite your hatred of fiends because, unfortunately, you didn’t have even a hint of desire to become a Brave of the Six Flowers. By destroying your village for you, I gave you a reason to become stronger.”
Adlet was struck speechless. So it’s my fault my village was destroyed?
“Then I used my human pawns to teach you about Atreau. Just as I expected, you became his apprentice for me.” Tgurneu leaned in close to Adlet’s face. “Yes, yes. I’ll tell you this, too: Atreau was another of my pawns.”
That’s a lie! Adlet wanted to yell. Atreau hated fiends and had spent his life researching them. He couldn’t have been Tgurneu’s ally.
“It doesn’t look like you believe me. But it’s true. Fifty years ago, I induced Atreau to hate fiends, and just as I’d calculated, Atreau then aspired to become a specialist in fiend eradication. Not unlike you.”
Adlet couldn’t reply.
“Atreau was a truly foolish man. Absolutely all his research was leaked to me. You’ve seen his records before, haven’t you? I know everything in the documents that summarize the results of his labors. I also knew that his best weapon, the Saint’s Spike, wouldn’t work on me. If not for that, I wouldn’t have allowed myself to take the hit from it when we first met.”
If that’s true, then there’s no way I can defeat Tgurneu, is there? But Adlet rejected that idea. I’m the strongest man in the world. Even if Tgurneu knows about all my secret tools, I’ll win.
“And it’s even thanks to me that you became the strongest man in the world.”
“Bullshit. I…accomplished that myself—”
“I know that when you first apprenticed to Atreau, you were hopelessly weak. But one day, you regained the ability to love. It was from that point on that you began getting stronger.”
Adlet recalled what had happened four years ago, that dream of the girl, sitting in a corner of his memory for so long.
“That was when I implanted the love in you. Subsequently, you regained the desire to protect and became stronger. Do you understand? It was the power of love I implanted in you that gave you that strength. Without me, you would have been barely a mediocre warrior. I was the one who made you the strongest man in the world.”
It was strange. Adlet felt as if his body was suddenly shrinking. Like every pillar in his life was turning out to be sand: the days upon days of hell he’d endured to get stronger, the secret tools he’d acquired, the pride at being the strongest man in the world that had kept him going. Like none of this would work against Tgurneu.
Because they were all gifts from Tgurneu itself.
“Let me tell you who you are. My pawn. My puppet. And…” Tgurneu stroked Adlet’s cheek again. “My greatest toy. Do you think a toy can defeat its owner?”
Adlet was shaking so hard, his teeth chattered. Along with the hate, terror welled up in him—not of facing a strong foe but of seeing everything he’d believed in crumbling.
“No! I’m the strongest man in the world! I’m not your toy!” Adlet shouted.
Tgurneu laughed aloud. “I thought you would say that. And that you would yell.” The fiend exposed itself to the tip of Adlet’s sword. “Come on, Adlet. Hate me more. Agonize on the threshold between love and hate—because I cultivated you to ensure you would show me that expression.”
He hated Tgurneu. But he couldn’t kill it. If he did, Fremy would die.
“It may be about time for the Braves to carry out your plan. Oh, this isn’t good. At this rate, they’ll find out where I am. I might lose my life.”
“…They…will. You’re…going to die here.”
“Before that happens, Adlet, could you tell me what that scheme is? If you don’t tell me, I’ll die. And will Fremy, too.”
“…Like hell I will!”
“Oh, you’ll tell me eventually—just as I arranged for you to.”