U-Um...
Um... Why are you sitting next to me?
If you truly wish to know your companion intimately,
sitting next to them will yield the greatest results.
That's dating 101.
See? And now you know.
Now you won't commit the boorish blunder of sitting face-to-face with your date.
Whoa, that's way too close! Please back off a little!
I want you.
Huh?
Situated between the Zepharos Empire to the north and the Chevron Kingdom to the south,
Zapharos Empire
Chevron Kingdom
Lautreamont Knight Country
lies Lautreamont Knight Country.
Known as the Dragon-Rearing Land,
it boasts the largest dragon population on the Ark Strada continent.
This small country, which has a population of fewer than five million, is home to a unique school known as
Ansullivan Dragonar Academy.
It aims to educate and guide the young men and women who have been dubbed breeders,
due to the contracts they have formed with dragons.
I called you to the student council office for one reason. I wish to ask you something,
Ash Blake.
Y-Yes?
Don't you want to join the student council?
Riot in the Streets
Does it taste good, Lancelot?
Oh, Lancelot. I only became a Dragonar because you grew into a Maestro.
And I will soon become an Ark-Dragonar.
I promised him I would.
That I would become a fine, upstanding knight.
But still...
What is with that joker, Ash Blake?
Being able to ride the Pals of others like that defies all reasonable logic.
How does he manage to pull it off?
Watch out!
Dragon on the loose!
Your Highness! A young Strada has suddenly—
M-Me? On the student council?
That's right.
But...
Regarding that suspicious pair you came across in the woods...
If they were indeed Imperial spies,
then it is likely that they have the Academy in their sights.
Ever since the war that took place fifty-two years ago, the Zepharos Empire
has mistakenly believed Ansullivan Dragonar Academy to be a military school.
But it's not.
Exactly.
And as long as Rebecca Randall and her Cu Chulainn are around,
we will not allow them to do whatever it is they wish to do.
Which is why I'd like your help as a student council member.
B-But I...
Give it some thought, won't you?
Wh-What's that?!
A Level 2 alert?
Now calm down!
Behave yours—
What?! Why would the princess do something so rash?
Probably because she thinks of you as her rival.
Huh?
Her Highness is a perfectionist and an extremely sore loser.
She wouldn't blithely accept having a classmate
who can expertly ride any dragon thrown at him.
No need to worry.
Rebecca-san!
Heed my call...
Cu Chulainn!
Rebecca Randall commands thee: Present the Ark thou hath created unto me!
So that's an Ark?!
Mmm, scrumptious!
All that commotion...
Thanks to Rebecca-san, everything worked out in the end.
But the princess as my rival?
Ow!
Ow, ow, ow!
You sure have some nerve, ignoring me like that.
S-Sorry! I just had something on my mind...
I said, what's with all those people gathered over there?
Ah! Those are tourists who have come to see the statue of St. Durham.
St. Durham?
He was a first-generation paladin, Durham Lautreamont.
This was some five hundred years ago now.
That armor is Ark, right?
You can tell?
There are some Ark design sketches stored in the Dragweiss.
Oh?
Although the sketches our ancestors left behind are really only for reference.
So will you make me an original Ark one day, too?
But I guess you'll have to become a Maestro first, huh?
How dare you?! Why should I have to make an Ark for my dog?
That would go against the laws of nature!
Sheesh, where did that come from?
Oh, that's right. We learned about it in class.
For dragonkind, presenting an Ark to their master is part of giving up their entire selves—
Ow!
It can't be! Is that the same guy from before?
How am I going to report this to Milgauss-sama?
Well, well.
Isn't this a lovely place for a chance encounter?
In terms of taste and quantity, the Dragonfang Inn is second to none.
Plus, student council members can eat here for half price.
Go on. Eat as much as you like.
Um, but what are you two doing here together?
I'm making good on the date I promised to the winner of the Dragonar Festival.
And Her Highness must fulfill her obligations as the winner, too.
She seems to have a lot on her mind lately.
I was hoping she'd open up and talk to me today, but...
Well, you see how she is.
Ow, ow, ow!
Anya?
Anya!
What's wrong?
N-Nothing.
How are things in town?
They all seem free of worry. It's like they've forgotten about the war.
Of course. No one here uses dragons as weapons.
Ansullivan is a very kind town.
But that kindness is without meaning.
Now, Deep One.
A darkness and light more irresistible than death's abyss.
Its blood, its flesh...
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
Come forth, promised child of magica-technica!
What is it?
Nothing good.
Wh-What is that?
Dragonar Academy
Hurry! Run!
Wh-What is that?!
A dragon?
Its flesh is rotten!
Eco!
Hold it, you oaf! Just who do you think I am?!
This town is full of fantastic boutiques, you know!
What on earth is she doing?
So be a good boy and get lost, would ya?
Eco!
Watch where you're grabbing!
Why, you...
That's enough!
Dammit! What do we do?
Rebecca-san!
Manifest now, O ye sure-striking mystic spear...
Its name:
Gae Bulg!
Get him!
All right!
It's regenerating?
What the hell is this thing?!
Ash! Take the princess and get out of here! Hurry!
Princess!
Snap out of it, Princess!
Geez! What's with this thing, anyway?
Eco...
She hasn't given up yet.
Princess!
Geez! Some princess you are!
Isn't now the time to prove your ability as a royal?
Here, I'll apologize in advance:
Sorry!
Ash...?
I need to ask you a favor!
Summon Lancelot and let me ride him!
Ride him? Where?
Over there!
I can ride any dragon. I might be able to hold him off.
What? Are you out of your mind?
C'mon, just call Lancelot already!
Eco!
Get on! We might still be able to make it!
H-Hey, you!
Don't touch me in strange places!
Who do you think I am?!
I am a member of the honorable dragon race—
Stop this alre—
Hello, Eco. This the Dragon Workshop.
And I am Navi.
Navi?
I am someone who will teach and guide you while you're still immature.
Yes, that sounds about right.
Why... do you look like that?
Listen, if things continue like this, he will die.
Are you all right with that?
Ash!
It is true that he possesses the natural ability to ride any dragon he comes across.
But he needs something more.
As he is now, he cannot defeat a Necromancia.
Necromancia?
It is a dead dragon, which has been resurrected by artificial means.
When you say he needs more...
You mean his Ark?
Bingo.
Built by the sacred Maestro, this Dragon Workshop is a shared place for craftworking dragons.
The Ark is one of the things the Maestro produced.
But an Ark is a made-to-order set of armor.
A mere copy would be a poor fit,
and would perhaps even endanger the life of the one who wore it.
So what do I do?
Simple. Pick and choose the best-fitting parts from amongst the abundance of sketches here,
and put them all together.
I have his size data right here.
When did you get this?
I fooled around with him a little in his dreams prior to your birth.
Don't mess with my dog, you hear me?
So what will you do?
Has the sheer number of sketches deterred you?
Is the idea of selecting each part so daunting that you'll give up before you even begin?
That smug smirk of yours is really ticking me off!
Of course!
Of course I'll do it!
Are you all right?
Yeah... Sorry.
Lancelot has reached his limits,
and you won't be able to last much longer, either.
I know that!
But I'm sure of it.
The astral flow is telling me, through my Seikoku,
that Eco's still alive!
While this glows, I'll never give up!
So you better hang in there, too, Eco!
I'll save you. Don't give up!
He's pretty full of himself... for a pet dog.
The mana is increasing. The bond between Breeder and Pal—
no, between Ash and Eco...
I see it!
Almete, gorjal, peto, espaldar, brafonera, falda!
Bujeta, hombrera, brazal, guarda, greba, escarpe!
Espolazo!
Ash!
Giving something like this to a pet dog is such a waste, but...
Huh?
Take it!
But this...
Is that an Ark?
How awe-inspiring.
I-It's not like I made this just for you or anything!
It's not an original. It's just some makeshift armor!
It's not like it's a present for you!
Thanks, Eco.
With this, I feel unstoppable.
Princess!
Understood!
Lancelot sure is a good dragon.
What?
You've got the best Pal.
You don't need to be trying anything stupid, like riding other dragons.
Wh-What are you talking about? And why are you bringing that up now?
Ash...
You may be deity or devil,
but as long as you're a dragon, I will ride you!
Milgauss-sama...
Quite the unexpected ambush.
The experiment has ended in failure. But it has not been for nothing.
We have that boy... and that girl.
The girl?
Let us retreat.
Necromancia? Is that you?
Ah, so you once had a master, too.
Are you sure about that?
All right. Leave it to me.
Manifest now, O ye light-graced sword.
Grant unto me the power to purge all darkness.
Its name:
The divine blade, Aix-les-Bains!
Eco!
Ash!
Congratulations once again on getting your Pal!
Thanks, Raymond.
This has made me painfully aware of the student council's shortcomings.
Ash, Silvia.
I again urge you two to join the student council.
If Lancelot and I can be of any use, I'll join.
We must not allow an attack like that to ever occur again.
What about you, Ash?
I...
All right. I'll join, too.
Then, with that, let us bring this little joining ceremony to a close.
Hey! How dare my pet go all googly-eyed over a human female!
Er, Miss President...?
That's not how my joining ceremony—
And to celebrate the newest members of the student council...
That hurts...
Cheers!
I-I can't reach.
Next Time
Hello, Ash Blake. You look like a real masochist. Am I right?
What makes you think that?
Whereas I am both a really real sadist and a real masochist.
That's amazing. Thanks for sharing!
Next Episode
Iron Blood Valkyrie
And so...
Yes?
My nights are amazing.