Go for it!
Hang in there!
You can do it!
It's so cold...
Where did this come from?
Chtholly, are you awake?
WorldEnd: What do you do at the end of the world? Are you busy? Will you save us?
Man, I'm bored! Bored, bored, bored!
Surface Survey Ship, Saxifraga
So bored!
Quiet, Nopht.
Rhan, I know you're actually bored, too.
What is that? An ancient book?
One of our finds from yesterday.
You can read emnetwiht writing?
I can connect the dots between words and guess at what they say.
And... well?
What does it say?
"The human race should have never come into being.
The visitors were the ones who created them.
It was the gods' first mistake,
and it was the biggest."
What the heck?
That is my best guess at what this book is saying.
"Beasts... by humans... truth... leash..."
Oh, this might be vice versa.
"Humans unleash the beasts, and fill the world with the ashen truth."
Whoa!
Get off me, Nopht.
It's talking about the beasts destroying the surface, right?
Wow. It's a prophecy.
No.
This seems to be a fairytale or a textbook of sorts.
More likely, humans created the beasts in accordance with this text.
That would be the natural assumption.
I see.
However, this almost makes it seem like...
Who is it?
Is this the waiting room for the fleet escort?
I'm a salvager with your fellow passengers, the Orlandry Merchant Guild.
The name's Grick!
Pleased to meet ya.
Chtholly!
It's you! You aren't a ghost!
Tiat...
Hey, she hasn't fully recovered yet.
Forgive her.
She seemed out of sorts the entire time you were broken.
Yeah.
For some reason, I just felt so down...
I see.
I see you've grown up, too.
Hey, Chtholly!
Are you all better now?
Morning.
Feeling all right?
Yeah, morning...
Are you going out now? You're wearing your hat.
Oh, no. I just have horrible bed-head today.
Anyway, how was morning practice?
Piece of cake!
Now I'm hungry...
Same.
I'm starving.
Pipe down, girls.
You can have breakfast after you wash your hands and face.
Yes, ma'am!
Shall we get going, then?
Aren't you two eating?
I'd like to give her a checkup first, just in case.
Oh...
See you.
The survey unit's adviser, you say?
Yeah.
I figured I should come say hello to the ones who'll hold my life in their hands!
That's a funny thing to say.
Do we really look like beast-fighting escorts to you?
Frankly, I still don't fully believe it.
Really, I'd very much like to laugh it off...
But the thing is
you're girls with dug weapons.
It matches what I've heard too perfectly.
What's the word? "Leprechauns"?
You know that much?
A couple of friends happen to be in the know.
Anyway, here's a token of friendship!
You haven't been home in more than a month. You probably miss good food.
I bought these on Island 31 on my way here.
They're meat pies!
A-Are you kidding me?
You can't curry favor with us using such—
We'll gladly take them.
Hey, Rhan!
As it turns out, we have nothing in particular to do.
We could join him for a chat, don't you think?
Well, if you say so...
"Grick," was it?
Yeah.
Have you been a salvager long?
Somewhat, yeah.
Have you ever run into a beast?
Huh? You want to ask me something about beasts?
Yes.
What in the world are the beasts, anyway?
Where were they born? And how?
And why did they wipe out the emnetwihts on the surface?
You seem to care an awful lot about that.
While they may threaten your existence,
they are the very reason for ours.
I would learn a lot more if I could just bite off some of your flesh.
Yeah, please don't.
So...
Is there anything wrong with my body?
I wouldn't say "wrong."
I wouldn't say that, but...
Thanks for coming shopping with me.
You're even carrying the stuff back.
I had an errand to run anyway, so don't mention it.
You've been working at that bakery for a while, right?
I'm surprised they let you.
The military brass didn't like the idea, but Nygglatho convinced them.
What do you think?
How do you feel about us weapons working for money like anyone else?
Grown-ups are supposed to ensure that kids can do what they want.
As long as it's not anything wrong, I won't have a problem with it.
Um, I love you, Willem!
I don't know what having a father is like, but this sure feels like it.
I already consider you my kids, more or less.
Really?
Wait, who would that make the mother?
Nygglatho?
But Chtholly's...
Come on, get going.
I have to start cooking.
The silver test came up negative.
And what does that mean?
Silver powder reacts to irregular death.
Simply put, it's a drug that's used to detect spirits.
And leprechauns are a type of spirit,
so your blood should have turned black when mixed with the silver reagent.
But there was no reaction at all.
I don't know the reason, but right now,
your body is not a leprechaun's.
Wait!
What are you talking about?
What's happened to my body?
I have no idea.
This is simply the natural conclusion based on the findings.
Are these strands a result of that, too?
A side effect of your coma, perhaps?
What's going to happen to me?
You really don't feel anything wrong with your body?
N-No, I feel perfectly normal.
Then don't worry about it now.
Leave it to me. I'll look into it some more.
Okay.
Don't get any weird ideas about dyeing your hair.
I don't think it'd bother Willem.
Wh-What are you talking about?
But until everything is cleared up,
stay away from your dug weapon.
No telling what might happen.
But then...
What good is a fairy soldier who can't wield a sword?
Want to prepare to get married, then?
Seriously, Willem's contract will eventually expire.
Of course, knowing him,
I'm sure he would stay if we all asked.
Why not just do that, then?
Non, non! That wouldn't be persuasive enough!
We need to drill it into his head that this is his home!
R-Right...
The best way to do that is for him to have a wife and family.
Huh?! Is that how it works?
That is how it works.
Honestly, I was thinking of volunteering myself—
Don't!
I... wouldn't stand a chance.
Then become a fine lady and hook that man already.
Waste too much time,
and I or another girl will beat you to the punch.
Looks yum!
Time to dig in!
So good!
Wow, this is heaven!
You're too well prepared, TO.
What do you mean?
If you only baked cake for her, you figured she'd hold back, right?
I'm impressed you baked enough for all of us.
Now, that's what you call a plan.
Hey, Ren. Where's Chtholly?
Probably in her room.
Did something happen?
She doesn't eat sweets in front of others.
Talk about putting on airs!
Well, it isn't much of an issue.
You can take it to her room yourself
and spend some sugary-sweet time together.
Don't make it sound dirty.
Er, you know...
I don't want to seem childish in front of the other girls.
And, uh, from what I've heard...
When I eat stuff like that, I really let myself go.
As the eldest, I have a reputation to uphold.
What's with the look?
It's just that making a big deal out of the most pointless thing
shows that you're still a kid.
Say what?
Shall I also get you some tea, my lady?
Such a nice, sweet aroma.
Right?
Seems delicious.
It actually is.
Can I really eat this?
Do you even need to ask?
Who do you think I baked it for?
I did it...
I... I kept my promise.
Must've been rough, huh?
Yeah... Yeah!
It really, really was!
I know I said this yesterday.
But welcome home, Chtholly.
I'm home...
I finally got to say it.
Yeah. And I finally got to hear it.
Does the red hair look weird?
It's a very pretty color.
Looks great.
Huh? Oh.
Hmm...
O-Okay, I'm good!
Really? You aren't under the weather or anything, right?
I'll be mad if you push yourself.
I'm fine!
And I have cooking, laundry, and lots of other stuff to do!
Don't get too worked up.
I won't.
Just wait, and you'd best be ready!
Hey!
What happened to wiping your shoes before you come inside?
We're sorry.
If I'm really freed from being a fairy soldier,
and I'm allowed to pursue the same dreams as everyone else,
then...
I want to live, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him.
I want to see the same things, walk down the same path,
eat the same food, and take in the same sights as he does.
If I could spend my life that way, with him...
Getting better at housework is all well and good, but it's like...
She only does stuff for Willem?
Making yet another spicy meat dish?
And this one's tailored to a certain someone's taste buds, too...
O-Oh, shut up!
Only the one on cooking duty is allowed in the kitchen!
It's a very pretty color.
Looks great.
Yep.
When did you hear that?!
It's amazing how girls in love are so full of life!
But I don't know about hogging the kitchen just to get through to one guy's stomach.
How is said fairy soldier?
It's been around five days since she awoke, and so far, she seems fine.
I see. That's great news.
Uh...
What's with your getup?
I'm currently under suspension for leading a losing battle.
I cannot wear my uniform.
Huh...
So, why are we here? We even made the off-duty lizard come all this way.
To discuss Chtholly's immediate future.
I thought we three should talk about it.
Those girls are weapons. They cannot retire or be discharged from duty.
So, although Chtholly is not a leprechaun now,
she is still a fairy soldier on paper.
And she can't turn down an order to sortie, huh?
Could you adjust the sortie lineup on your end, First Officer?
I could, but the order might come from a higher-up.
Say, doesn't the Great Sage have some influence with the military?
That man is the military's top adviser.
Then make sure he receives a report that goes like this:
"In order to research leprechaun physiology,
TO Kmetsch has chosen fairy soldier Chtholly Nota Seniorious as a test subject."
What is that about?
If I indirectly ask to be given responsibility for Chtholly,
he'll probably agree to it, figuring he can make me owe him one.
What kind of relationship do you think you and the Great Sage have?
The bigger issue is how to replace Chtholly.
Ithea and Nephren can't handle the load by themselves.
Oh, about that...
I heard from the guild that beasts attacked the surface survey team.
And that the Saxifraga was sunk.
Saxi...
And what of the warriors aboard?
Both are a bit worn out, but apparently unhurt.
Hang on a second, you two.
Survey team? Both?
Oh, right. You only arrived a month ago.
Do you know how many battle-ready fairies we currently have?
Other than Chtholly, three.
Including Tiat, who hasn't been paired with a sword.
The answer is five.
Ithea, Nephren, Tiat. And then, we have Nopht and Rhantolk.
And where are they right now?
Surely you can put two and two together.
For real?
For real.
What's that?
B-Beast!
You moron!
That thing reacts to sound and motion.
Shut up and sit tight.
Oh, come on... What's wrong with them?
Okay, this is bad news.
I expected a beast to put up a better fight.
Insane...
Do you mean the beast?
Or perhaps...
Next Episode
slight light, slight hope
Next Episode:
slight light, slight hope.