We vowed to be together forever.
And that vow brought me happiness.
I realized how much I loved him.
And that realization brought me happiness.
He told me he would make me happy.
And those words brought me happiness.
He brought an incredible amount of happiness and joy into my life.
Which is why I can say for certain,
and no one can convince me otherwise,
that I am the happiest girl in the world right now.
Island 28
Town of Grimbjhal
Careful, ironmonger! You could hurt someone!
It wasn't me!
Oh, for crying out loud!
Hold it!
I've got you now!
Hey... It's not safe! Get of—
I can't generate the venenum in time!
Ow...
I'm sorry!
Are you hurt?
Are your organs intact?
Get back here!
Hey, Mom...
Don't stare at her.
Hey, is she...
Why is someone without any fur on this island?
She's disfeatured.
Oh, my hat...
Get out of here!
Yeah, yeah.
Get out, filthy disfeatured!
I know, I know.
Wait.
Let go! I'm—
Just wait a second.
That little cat had it in its mouth.
It's yours, right?
Thank you.
Are you all right?
Yeah...
Are you new here?
Yes.
Oh, jeez.
Hey, even he's...
Yeah, look.
What's going on?
Come on. This way.
That should do it.
Uh, are you—
This island has no good food or local specialties.
Um...
And it doesn't welcome those of us who lack fangs or horns.
Not exactly a tourist destination.
I know that.
Come with me.
You've had it with this place, right?
If you wanna leave, I'll walk you to the port.
Hey!
Thank you for all your help.
And I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you.
And, uh...
While I know I have no right to ask this of you, um...
Someplace you wanna visit?
This view is what you wanted to see?
Yeah.
I've seen sky islands from higher up and farther out.
But I've never gazed down on one from the heart of town.
So I've always wanted to do this once.
That so?
Yeah.
I've gotten my wish, along with some good memories.
I can go without regrets now.
Thank you so much for today!
I had many wonderful experiences. And you made them all possible.
You're giving me too much credit.
I'm not.
Are they here for you?
I felt like I was in a fairytale, but time's up.
Mind if I make one last request?
I'd really like it if you could forget you ever met me.
What the heck?
Goodbye.
Well, I have no right to poke my nose into her business.
Long time no see, Grick.
Is Anara doing all right?
He screwed up last month and became Third food.
Uh, sorry about that.
No worries. We're salvagers.
The moment we chose to treasure hunt on the surface, we were ready to die.
Right.
Seriously, don't let it bother you.
Anyway, I might be able to land you a job.
It's for the military.
Oh, come on!
Try to hide your displeasure a little!
This job requires no special skills or experience.
They only seek someone trustworthy.
Nope.
Sorry, but I'll pass. Ask someone else.
They'd also prefer a disfeatured, with no fur or horns.
Where will I find someone else who fits so perfectly?
Come on...
I appreciate your looking out for me.
But I live here of my own free will.
I get it.
You wanna keep living as an outcast, like a dead man walking, right?
I bet you can't bring yourself to seek a happy life.
It's not like I don't get where you're coming from, but even still,
I want you to live a normal life up in these skies.
The dead won't ever come back.
I can accept that.
But you're still alive, man!
Hey, just make a boatload of cash on this job
and leave this debt-ridden lifestyle behind!
Find your path to walk in life.
Isn't this coffee a bit salty?
Oh, damn it all. Fine!
You'll take it?!
And what am I supposed to do in the military?
Let me remind you that I can't fight or kill people.
Don't worry.
You'll be a caretaker of a warehouse with some special weapons.
This already sounds like bad news.
Well, I'll let them know you're coming!
Get them to fill you in once you're there.
Man, this coffee sure is salty...
Fringes of Sky Archipelago Règles Aile, Island 68
The warehouse is on this island, huh?
Brr...
Oh, man. I really hope I don't run into wolves.
Right now, I'm just a frail, powerless disfeatured.
This bridge is practically falling apart...
Talk about being in the middle of nowhere!
Wai—
Ow!
Hey, Pannibal! Don't just run off alone!
I've taken down a suspicious individual.
Right... Like there's anyone here—
Aren't you...
Wh-What are you doing here?
I have a ton of questions—
But first, help me.
Orlandry Merchant Guild, Warehouse #4
Something's wrong.
It's nothing like what Grick said.
I'll be out in a minute.
It's been forever, Willem!
Welcome to the secret weapons warehouse!
Huh? Have you grown a little taller?
Why are you here,
Nygglatho?
Why, you ask? Why wouldn't I be?
This is where I work!
That damn Grick set me up!
You two are still good friends, huh?
Too bad that friendship is over now.
Keep it down when we're indoors.
Everyone's in bed now.
"Everyone"?
This warehouse is
run jointly by the Guardian Wings Military and the Orlandry Merchant Guild.
So, at least on paper, it needs caretakers from both parties.
I represent the guild here.
And you're the military caretaker.
I heard about that.
That uniform looks lovely on you.
I feel I'm gonna choke in it.
Oh, don't rain on my parade.
Toppings really accentuate the flavor of a dish.
Right now, you look about twice as appetizing as before.
Then, my life is in twice the danger.
Oh, ye of little faith.
Remember what I said?
While I may be a troll, and you are an extremely rare feast in my eyes,
I have no plans to dig in yet.
Really, now?
I mean, it'd be such a shame...
You're the last of your kind.
I know not to waste you on a passing burst of appetite.
Of course, if you say I can eat you, I shall consider it.
May I eat you?
Hell, no.
Really? Won't you change your mind?
At least an arm...
No, even a finger will do.
Quit it. Let's get down to business.
So, what am I supposed to do here?
Nothing.
Huh?
Uh, do you plan to stay on this island?
Well, obviously. How else will I do my job as caretaker?
I became a military employee, so I'm in for the long haul.
But the two previous caretakers didn't show up after the first day.
Really?
What will you do?
If you say you can't stay here,
I'll gladly arrange accommodations away from the island.
And I won't get stabbed the moment I take my eyes off you?
Wow, mean.
What kind of monster do you take me for?
One that devours people.
Anyway, I'm not into quitting a job I've taken on.
I fully intend to stay right here.
I knew I could count on you!
Now, after so long, I get to take care of you again.
That makes me kind of happy.
Don't get the wrong idea, Willem.
This isn't about a man and woman together and whatnot.
She's just trying
to fatten a tasty-looking lamb before she eats it.
Why the scary look?
Just to confirm...
You really don't plan to eat me, right?
Right.
Honestly, I simply wish to take care of you.
We trolls are bound by natural instinct to serve our guests with dedication.
I won't tell you to let me eat you yet,
so in return...
Help me sate my other instinct!
Back to the topic.
This building is the weapon warehouse I'm to look after, correct?
You meanie...
Well, that is correct.
This looks nothing like it.
Aren't we talking about weapons like guns or artillery...
Let's continue the discussion tomorrow.
It's gotten rather late,
and the naughty walls have ears.
I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!
Hey, don't shove!
Hey, Nygglatho. Thanks for having us.
Yeah, have us!
Get back to your rooms...
Uh, before that, we'd like to greet the new caretaker.
...or I'll eat you!
Goodnight.
Let me show you to your room.
Yeah, I really am allergic to you.
Huh?
You meanie...
Jeez, such a lively place.
Pops!
Pops?
Sheesh, Pops. How long are you going to sleep?
Think he's asleep?
Don't ask me. I've never seen a man before.
We should probably keep it down.
I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!
What? What? What's going on?
Hey, caretaker,
beautiful night, isn't it?
Have us!
Nygglatho will hear you.
So, who are you girls?
Collon!
Pannibal.
Tiat!
If you speak all at once, he can't hear you!
I'm Lakhesh.
I'm sorry.
Collon,
Pannibal,
Tiat,
and Lakhesh.
Okay, I've got all your names now.
Where'd you come from? What's your name?
What's your deal with Nygglatho? Your conversation was really suggestive.
What kind of food do you like? And what can't you eat?
And of all these questions,
which will you answer first?
I guess I'll answer your question first.
I like spicy meat dishes,
and I can't stand reptrace cuisine.
Nygglatho and I are basically farmer and lost lamb.
Until this morning, I lived on Island 28.
And the name's Willem.
Willem Kmetsch.
Looks like you'll be seeing me around for a while.
You mean you'll live here?
Probably.
It's not that big a deal.
Y-You see,
no military caretaker has ever lived here before.
Right, Nygglatho did say something like that.
Oh, come on.
What are you girls doing?
Weren't you told to give him space?
Er, well...
Curiosity overwhelmed us!
Yeah, that's right.
You could say it was out of our hands.
Weren't you told?
Goodnight!
Later, Willem! See you tomorrow!
Those girls...
Sorry the little ones caused such a fuss.
I don't mind.
I'm used to dealing with kids.
Or wait...
I was.
Well, don't spoil them too much, okay?
It'll go right to their heads.
I'll keep it in mind.
A-Also,
I'm sorry Pannibal attacked you earlier.
She didn't mean any harm.
I'm not mad.
You provided hot water immediately, so I even avoided a cold.
Um... And, well...
Chtholly.
My name's Chtholly.
Like, I know this is really belated,
but we didn't introduce ourselves back in that town.
Oh, yeah. I'm Willem.
Pleased to meet you, Chtholly.
Y-Yeah.
Um... And...
Never mind. Sorry to disturb you.
Goodnight.
Oh, wait up...
I'd like to ask you something.
I'm here as caretaker for some special military weapons or something.
Yes.
And this is a warehouse that's used to store those weapons.
Correct.
Then why does it look nothing like a warehouse?
Why don't I see those weapons anywhere?
Even if I put those questions on the back burner, I have to ask...
Who are you girls?
Why are kids living in a military facility?
You came here without even knowing that?
Yeah.
And you played with those girls without knowing anything?
Yeah.
Are you, uh...
the type who just goes with the flow?
Oh, very well.
I'll answer your questions.
The answer to the first set of questions lies in the second.
And the answer to the second set lies in the first!
What do you mean?
You needn't overthink it.
I mean exactly what I say.
We are the special weapons that you mentioned.
We'll be in your hands starting tomorrow,
our caretaker!
526 Years Ago
Orphanage on the Outskirts of Gomag City, Imperial Territory
Here you go.
I've been waiting for this!
Time to eat!
Enjoy your meal.
The night before the final battle...
Can't you find anything good to say, Pops?
Like what?
Hmm...
"Once this war is over, I'll get married," or something?
Uh, I don't see that ending well at all.
Because it's the kind of thing that characters likely to die in a story say, right?
They get killed off first because it's more dramatic.
I get that reasoning. I really do.
When characters you want to live end up dying, it's sadder.
But you know...
It must suck for those who get killed off due to the creator's absurd reasoning.
Well, yeah.
So, Pops, since you're headed to the final battle now,
hold on to something concrete!
A concrete reason to come back here.
Anything will do.
If not...
I'm not sure I'll be able to send you off with a smile tomorrow...
Butter cake.
Huh?
I like your butter cakes.
Bake an extra-large one for my next birthday.
Huh? You'll fight to return alive just for cake?
Something wrong with that?
No, it's just...
Fine, whatever.
I'll settle for that.
In return, since you suggested it,
I'll feed you enough cake to give you heartburn.
Within a year from that night,
humanity was wiped out.
And of course, the young quasi-brave failed to fulfill his promise.
Next Episode
late autumn night's dream
Next Episode:
late autumn night's dream.