At last you've come back.
Lord Tigre... Good morn--
L-Lord Tigre!
Legions of voices, multitudes of dreams
Step over them all
Tailwinds, blow hard against our backs
"Lord Marksman and Vanadis"
Up in the skies, stars
Down on the ground, the remains of dreams
Grinding footsteps and the soul's chagrin
are the only route there is to glory
Wind, O wind, whip our hearts aflame
Blazing torches raised to skies that herald victory
What could possibly be gained
by stopping our march?
It is only in our surviving
that we can show we are right
Legions of troops, multitudes of convictions,
onto the swirling battlefield
Until the farthest reaches of the skies are calm,
turn your wailing and anger to strength,
and become a silver flash of wind
You put a sword in his mouth to wake him?!
Inconceivable! What if he had gotten hurt?!
Oh, but Lim was the one...
Hey, it's all right, isn't it? I can still eat, no problem--
No, it's not all right!
A-Anyway, what's up? You're up and at them so early this morning.
Y-Yeah...
I'm heading back to the Jhcted royal capital.
I thought I'd ask about your disposition from here on out.
From here on out, huh?
Once I shush the king, I'll come right back here.
I'll also need a soldier detail. A hundred or so--
Already taken care of. Rurick will be leading them.
Oh, okay!
What's wrong?
Lady Eleonora, why do you put so much confidence in him?
Confidence, huh?
Primarily, it's because... he has a truly fascinating power.
Also, I do not dislike him.
Neither do you, do you?
There is much of value there, but I do not place my trust in him.
All right, all right. Just help Tigre out.
Hey there, what's with that outfit?
You're going to the commune of Hunawihr, right?
I'm coming, too. I've prepared lunch for you.
I'm going to see how the commune is doing. This isn't for pleasure.
I'm going, too!
Titta...
With you!
Yeah, okay. I did let you get spooked.
Why don't you come with me?
Right!
The tranquility that had come upon Alsace
was a result of both the Thenardier and Ganelon armies withdrawing.
But ultimately, it would be a brief calm.
The next move for their camps would be...
Damn that Ganelon! He heard that my army had been defeated,
and pulled back his own forces!
He's waiting to see how I react.
So it seems.
When will the new dragon be ready?
In about a month.
What shall we do about Count Vorn and the Zhcted war maiden?
We'll use Serrash against Vorn.
The notorious band of assassins? He's as good as dead.
Also, we'll fight a war maiden with a war maiden!
Are you all okay?
Yes. Thanks to you, my lord.
We hid in the woods, like we were told,
and they went right on by us.
I really am glad.
Meanwhile, Elen went to the Zhcted royal capital of Silesia,
for an audience with Viktor, the king.
Lift up your face.
Mistress of the Shining Demon Slayer, Eleonora Viltaria...
I have heard that you took an army into Brune territory,
without first gaining my permission. Is this true?
It is as you say, Your Majesty.
Was there a reason why you did this? Tell me.
Based on your response, I will determine a fitting punishment
for your reckless conduct.
I was hired to do so.
What? Hired?
By whom?
By Count Tigrevurmud Vorn,
nobleman of Brune, and Lord of Alsace.
Hmph. So, what was this Count Vorn's objective? His ambition?
By his own word, the peace of Alsace.
What whitewashing!
Do you mean to draw our land into a dangerous conflict
by behaving like mercenaries?!
If I may...
I would address Your Majesty.
Sofya Obertas...
Brune is not thinking of bringing our land into conflict in the midst of their strife.
Before too long, they will come to inquire of our intentions.
When they do, we may explain to them the position of our land.
While there is indeed an issue with her taking action
without obtaining Your Majesty's leave,
from times of yore, battle has always favored haste over caution.
My, my, my, of all the people to run into.
Imagine, starting a war without permission...
Still lacking in your self-awareness as a war maiden, I see,
Eleonora Viltaria.
Hmph! And I see you still haven't grown any, Ludmila Lourie.
What do you say? If you adopt a humble attitude and bow your head,
I would be happy to show you how to make your height and breasts grow.
I never asked you.
You've become quite the smarty, haven't you?
You, the human embodiment of boorishness and inelegance,
offering to teach others?
Ho-ho...
Geez,
this won't do, you two.
It's like I'm always telling you, do not quarrel with each other.
She's the one who--
No, she's the one!
Incidentally, Elen, why are you still here?
I was sure you had already left the palace.
Oh, right.
Thank you, Sofy. Your speaking up saved me.
I had absolutely no desire to cave in.
Cave in? It was a far cry from that, wasn't it?
I need to have a word with Sofy! You go away!
Count Vorn? I feel sorry for him, having to put up with you.
Elen,
you have at least turned Ludmila against you, that's for sure.
Huh?
Mila--Ludmila has had a long acquaintance with Duke Thenardier.
Huh? Her and Thenardier?! That's absurd!
Yes. She does not like the sort of person Duke Thenardier is.
In fact, it's safe to say she hates him.
So then...
Her association with the House of Thenardier
started long before she was ever born.
Do you think a girl as serious as her
would ever be able to let her personal feelings come first?
Duke Thenardier is not the only enemy that you and Count Vorn have.
Ludmila Lourie...
A war maiden for a war maiden
Ulus Volen Tigre's father. Deceased. Well-liked by fiefdom, even now. Entrusted the black bow to Tigre.
Lord Tigre! Lord Tigre!
Lord Tigre, wake up!
Lord Tigre!
Come, till the ground.
It hurts!
Tigrevurmud...
We are here in case anything happens.
We serve so that those people can live peaceful lives.
That is what a feudal lord is for.
Father...
Tigrevurmud, you are...
Father... Father...! Father!!
Father!
Titta...
Did you sleep well?
I-I'm sorry! I was waiting for the right time to wake you,
but before I knew it...
You must have been exhausted, too. Sorry.
Oh, no! I really am sorry!
Thanks. I think I've worked something out as a result.
Sure!
This is a fine day for hunting, assuming nothing comes up.
I'll stay with you, wherever you go!
Just as you helped me, Lord Tigre,
now it's my turn to help you.
Thanks. I'll have to carry on, as well.
No, I will carry on.
That horse--
Sir Mashas!
He's here, isn't he?
Yeah.
Uh...
Well then, Tigre,
would you care to explain what's going on?
I understand the circumstances.
Lady Limalisha, I apologize for suspecting you and those under you.
No, I should apologize. You couldn't help but be cautious
upon suddenly seeing soldiers from another land here.
Sir Mashas, I'm sorry to trouble you so soon after you've arrived.
Don't worry about it. Nothing bad came of it. Now then, Tigre...
Yes?
About what happens now...
I'm going to fight Duke Thenardier.
Then you're siding with Duke Ganelon?
No. I do not intend to align with either of them.
And you're sure you reached this conclusion after careful thought?
I am obligated to defend Alsace, which I inherited from my father,
and the people who live in it.
No, even without that obligation, I want to defend it.
I am a feudal lord, here to defend them in case anything happens.
Afterward, Mashas would head to the capital,
to have an audience with the king of Brune,
to appeal the morality of Tigre's cause.
Meanwhile, Tigre was going land to land, looking for allies.
I heard the gist of the situation from Mashas.
To be frank, with the request coming from you alone, I declined.
Even though you may be in the right,
you were powerless in the face of Duke Thenardier.
Lord Augre!
"Were"?
Tigre...
Or rather, Count Vorn, you have not only Mashas,
but the distinguished and powerful forces of Zhcted as an ally.
You could go up against either Duke Thenardier or Duke Ganelon.
Then, will you help?
You are on your way to becoming a third force,
next to Thenardier and Ganelon.
While they swear allegiance to the royal family,
they refuse to maintain their place beneath them.
There are many of us who think so.
The mansion of Kikimora?
A villa, just past the Vosges Mountains.
Oh, you're here!
Here, drink up!
I got the king's permission for the present.
However, there are two trouble spots.
If I obtain the land of Alsace,
I must present all of it to the kingdom.
Present it? You mean, Alsace will be confiscated?
Ultimately, that's only if it becomes her territory.
Mm-hmm. The war is just getting started.
We can change the situation in any number of ways.
There is a second problem.
The king said this to me at the end.
"Think first about the interests of Zhcted, and behave prudently."
That's normal, isn't it?
It's hard for you to understand, huh?
The problem with what His Majesty said
is the part about thinking first of our national interests.
Huh?
For example, if a nobleman with ties to Duke Thenardier
asserts that the duke's victory is in Zhcted's best interests,
then it's possible they could take part in this war.
Are you sure you can interpret it that way?!
He said it in that way in order to let it be interpreted that way.
For the king, it doesn't matter who the winner is,
as long as he is tied in to all of the interests involved.
Hmm? A caretaker?
I'll go see.
Be that as it may,
it's safe to think the aristocracy won't make any first moves.
The hierarchy in our land starts at the top with the king,
and the seven war maidens come next, below him.
The nobility is down below that.
None of them has the power to challenge a war maiden head-on.
The problem is...
The other war maidens, right?
Not all of the war maidens are on our side.
But they aren't enemies, either.
At the moment, we only need to be cautious about one of them.
One of them?
One that harps about good manners or character
every time she opens her mouth-- who more than anything,
looks like a potato that's just starting to put out shoots!
Who are you calling a potato?!
Lim! For what reason did you allow her to set foot in here?!
I could not very well turn a war maiden away.
War maiden?
One of the prized war maidens of Jhcted...
Mistress of the Piercing Point of Smiting, Ludmila Lourie.
Pleased to meet you. Tigrevurmud Vorn.
Tigre, this woman is not a guest. There's no need to treat her as one.
It looks like I was right to peek in, just in case.
I have come to see you, Count Tigrevurmud Vorn.
This place will not do. Let's change locations.
Why are you coming with us?
You wanted to change locations, right?
We're going to Rodnik. Tigre is coming with us.
You're free to tag along.
What is it you want to speak to me about?
Duke Thenardier has other allies and partners outside the kingdom.
And I am one of them
You have no chance of winning.
A trap?
We're boxed in.
Are they assassins?
They're coming out awfully slowly to be bandits.
So, which one of us are they after?
You don't mean...
No, I'm the one who chose this road.
Even Tigre is a fine target now.
If he were to die here,
Duke Thenardier and his bunch would do a jig for joy.
It would mean driving me out of Brune, as well.
Not a very pleasant idea, for numerous reasons.
There are more coming!
Serrash...
Lim!
With this kind of snake,
she's still okay. Once I suck out the poison, she can manage.
Lim!
Lavias!
Cielo Zam Kafa!
Have you finished performing first aid?
To think things would get this chaotic over one royal subject...
Eleonora, you are a failure as a war maiden.
I'll go find a doctor.
I'll meet you in Rodnik.
Ludmila Lourie!
Thank you for your help.
It's all right!
"Episode 4: Snow Princess of the Frozen Ripple"
Far away, you dwell upon
memories burning bright in your heart
as though to drive away
unforeseen dark omens
While bending back the power
flooding to your fingertips
trace the arc that takes aim at the target
Keep going forth unceasingly
All you have to do is face it down
Even if you cannot win, you can undermine
This arrow will not miss
O pulsing wind and bow of black,
strike through even destiny