So good!
Hey, you've been drinking too much, you know.
You have some too, Elch!
Th-Thank you, Emerada.
Hey, miss?
What is it, Melinda?
Have some of this, too!
Oh! Looks tasty!
You're putting me in a great mood!
There's clean streets, delicious food,
and kind villagers here, too.
We're happy to hear that.
Those of us here in Coconono Village
are able to live in comfort thanks to our lord,
Oslo El Gustave, and Emperor Lindworm Von Freyjagard.
We're always talking to each other about how we'd like to share
this happiness with as many people as possible.
Mama always goes to extra lengths when we get travelers and makes too much food!
Melinda, you don't need to tell them that.
Oh, sorry!
I never thought the world could be a whole different place in the very next region.
You can say that again!
Don't be shy. We still have plenty more!
Then maybe I will have a refill!
Sure!
Yay!
It Seems Shinobu Has a Shinobi's Intuition!
I drank, I ate, and now I...
take a nap!
Are you okay?
I'm sorry about this. The villagers got too excited.
Don't be. She'll be absolutely, perfectly fine!
I see.
We don't have any other guests today, so we hope you have a great stay.
H-Hey.
Hm?
Y-You two should, um...
hurry up and leave the village.
Melinda!
Let's get going!
C-Coming.
What was that?
Man, I still can't believe there's a village this well-off within the empire.
If they're comfortable as is,
then they might not agree with the teachings of the Seven-Light Faith.
What should we do then, Shinobu?
Well, in that case...
Well, how do you feel?
Sobered up now?
Wh-Wh-What the hell are you doing?!
Huh?
You're already sober?
Of course I am.
There's no way a shinobi would get drunk off so little.
Th-Then why were you putting on that act?
Because something wasn't right.
Huh?
Didn't you notice?
The people in this village kept encouraging us to eat and drink,
but they barely even touched the food themselves,
even though they were all starving.
Starving?
Yes, starving.
They hid it with makeup and such,
but their skin was rough and dried out,
and their eyes were so jaundiced even an amateur could spot it.
Those are classic symptoms of malnutrition.
What do you mean?
When we first entered this village,
I only had a vague sense that something was wrong, but now I know.
Follow me.
Listen, El.
This is the truth behind this village.
What is this...
They lure travelers into their inn,
fill them up on food and drink until they can't move,
and do this.
They're killing them and stealing all of their money?
Looks like that's not all.
This village feels more like a den of thieves
that's literally sucking their victims dry.
Wait, did we just eat...
You don't have to worry about that.
What we ate was regular animal meat.
All villagers, out of your homes!
The Silver Knight, Jeanne Do Leblanc, is here for the inspection!
All right, everyone's here.
Now, then...
The greeting!
Thank you very much for your good work today.
We commoners were able to enjoy another happy day today.
All of which is thanks to His Imperial Majesty!
What?
Everyone, correct your posture!
All good! You may go home!
Wait! You there, parent and child!
Yes, what is it?
There is dirt on your daughter's right sleeve!
Huh?!
Your attire must always be free of dirt and fraying, clean and beautiful.
Anyone who lives in His Imperial Majesty's lands
must strive to maintain those minimum standards.
Bring her here!
We shall dole out the punishment!
What is this? What's the point of all this?
Who knows?
But, sometimes, those who hold absolute authority over people
will do things that no normal person could ever understand.
Mama! Mama!
P-Please wait!
A child's mistake is the parent's mistake!
If you must punish anyone, please punish me!
You stopped smiling.
As the people protected by His Imperial Majesty himself,
you must show your gratitude to him
by maintaining a smile at all times.
These are the laws of Duke Gustave.
Smile! Can you not smile?!
This is awful!
All this over a little stain on her clothes?!
What are you planning to do?
Save them!
Those people tried to deceive and murder us, you know.
But that girl...
She was trying to warn us.
She told us to run.
So...
I understand how you feel, El.
But if that's how it's gonna be, then I have a plan.
Hello, hello!
Who are you?
If you keep going, she really will die.
So could you knock it off?
That uniquely shaped weapon is a shuriken...
Are you a ninja from Yamato Empire?
So you've come out to rescue that young girl, have you?
A real daredevil.
Hey, care to make a deal with me?
A deal?
Surrounded by all those men of yours, even I'm not likely to win.
But I will be able to take over half of them down with me.
That includes you, by the way.
However, if you'll promise to stop your cruelty toward that child,
then I'll let you capture me without a fight.
Very well.
Release the girl!
Yes, ma'am.
Melinda!
Thanks.
Seize her!
Take that woman with us!
You're going to go rescue them?!
That's right.
Those guys might even take me straight to the heart of our enemy here, too.
Just make sure you tell Micchan that I let myself be captured, okay?
Shinobu...
Well, what to do next...
They didn't take me all the way to the lord's castle,
but I should be able to gather some information in this one, too.
I could break out of these easily,
kidnap the owner of this castle,
and have them tell me everything they know about Gustave.
That would be the most efficient thing to do...
Open it.
Torturing her already?
You go stand outside.
Huh?!
B-But isn't it too dangerous to leave you alone with her, Captain Jeanne?
I'm a woman, too.
I don't want to let a man watch a woman being brutally tormented.
You don't need to show an enemy that kind of mercy.
Are you suggesting you'd rather I beat you out of here by force?
P-Pardon me!
Um...
It might not be my place to say this,
but aren't you taking a shinobi too lightly?
Thank you so much!
For saving my daughter!
I saw the basement of this inn.
You all were planning on murdering us, weren't you?
And not just murder us...
Please forgive us.
In your dreams! Why are you doing that?!
Because we have no choice...
If we don't do it, we can't survive...
Coconono Village was originally a small farming village
that made its livelihood growing wheat.
However, the moment Gustave became our lord,
he issued the beautification decree.
It meant that we had to ensure that both we and our streets were beautiful.
Of course, all the expenses for that had to come out of our own pockets...
That left our village completely penniless...
We couldn't get muddy, so we could no longer work the fields properly.
We spent every day fighting against starvation,
eating everything we could possibly eat...
When there was finally nothing else left, we...
Even though we were poor,
as long as we had our beloved families and a little bit of food on the table,
we could share real happiness...
But now it's all come to this...
I can't smile anymore.
There's no happiness left!
What you've done can never be forgiven.
However...
Thank you for saving that young girl earlier.
Uh, what exactly is going on here?
My name is Jeanne Do Leblanc.
I'm an Imperial Silver Knight in service to Count Blumhardt,
and a member of the Azure Brigade that worries for the future of the Gustave region.
If you have come from the Yamato Empire to infiltrate this region of Gustave,
then you and the Azure Brigade share a common enemy in Duke Fastidious,
Oslo El Gustave.
They say the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Would you be willing to lend us your aid and help the people suffering here?
Oh, what a beautiful and gallant form!
This golden statue
will surely display His Majesty's glory to the people.
The statue will be placed at the center of
the grand fountain in the central plaza of the imperial capital.
Wonderful.
Now, let us make four more of these
and place one in each of the lands in the cardinal directions.
Start procuring the gold at once.
I-If I may offer my humble opinion,
making just one of these golden statues
has placed a heavy burden upon the people within your domain...
I have heard that it's not uncommon for your people
to eat the flesh of travelers or relatives to stave off starvation...
If we were to try and create four more statues while they're in that state, then...
My people will perish?
Y-Yes, sir.
That is fine.
Knights prove their loyalty to His Majesty through deeds of arms.
Nobles prove their loyalty to His Majesty through proper governance
of the lands they're entrusted with.
So how then, do lowborn peasants prove their loyalty?
There is but one answer:
through dying for His Majesty.
Do you understand, Oscar?
By the way, have we managed to suppress the rebellion that occurred in Findolf?
Sir!
Once winter is over and the path for our army clears,
100,000 troops are ready to descend upon Findolf.
When winter is over?
Buchwald and Arclide haven't marched yet?
Huh? No, sir...
So you're telling me we have allowed those pests to
trample over His Imperial Majesty's sacred land for over a month?!
What a disgrace!
What ineptitude!
My deep apologies, Your Imperial Majesty!
Now I am angry.
It is time to use L'age Soleil!
Hup...
Danger...
Danger is approaching the seven heroes.
I need your help.
Please, you must guide them.
What was that voice?
The seven heroes?
Those pests devouring the lands of Freyjagard!
They shall know the heat of the rage burning within me!
Help us...
Help us!
Please... help us!
Emergency!
Sending an emergency broadcast to all communication terminals!
We have an emergency, bear!
Altitude, 6,000 meters!
Distance, 200 kilometers!
A flying object is rapidly approaching Dormundt from the south-southeast, bear!
Ringo, I understand what's going on from the emergency broadcast.
What's this flying object?
I don't have any exact details on it, but...
From its angle and trajectory, we have a rough idea of its point of origin, bear!
It came from the Gustave region!
A-At this rate,
it will land right in the middle of Dormundt!
Then this is probably Oslo El Gustave's Heaven's Flames.
Wha?!
Ringo.
Leave it to me!
Bearabbit, fire the anti-air missiles!
Roger that, bear!
It's no use, bear!
It didn't work at all, bear!
Why not?!
I imagine some kind of magic acted to protect it.
If it's unharmed after that, then it's going to be beary difficult to shoot it down!
Ringo, were there any changes to the spear's trajectory
and predicted landing point after we intercepted it?
H-Hold on.
I'm calculating now.
It's been diverted to the noble residences on the southeastern block.
Mikogami Tsukasa
Attack it with missiles to further divert it outside the city.
The farther away, the better.
S-Sure, but...
W-Will we be okay?
I've spent this last month researching Gustave's Heaven's Flames.
From that, I suspect these Heaven's Flames
are closer to an incendiary bomb than an explosive.
So long as as we avoid a direct hit, it's not that big a threat.
Please do it.
All right!
Bearabbit, let's use our missiles to redirect that spear
into the ocean outside the city!
Bear!
It's going well, bear!
Last one!
Let's finish it with the fourth round, bear!
No way!
It evaded it, bear!
Oh, no, bear!
It's going to impact, bear!