Hey, are you sure we should be
attending the wedding ceremony with you?
Capital Stuttburg
Brother Erich said I should bring my friends if I had any.
Though I'm just glad the academy is out for summer break right now.
Ta-da!
When I show up in this dress that I picked out,
I'm sure all the nobles will want to employ me!
Because it's so showy!
Are there any nobles coming to your brother's wedding?
Hey.
He's marrying into the Brandt family, which I've heard is a knightdom,
so yeah, there should be at least some.
Onward I go on the path to becoming a retainer!
Oh, sorry...
Huh?
Er?
I don't trust it.
A ship flying in the sky?
Don't worry, little Er.
A magic airship won't fall out of the sky.
I thought only your friends were invited to come?
Yeah, Brantag is heading to the capital to report the status of his domain,
so he's just guiding us since it's on the way for him.
Oh?
Is that a guidebook for the capital?
Yeah. To be honest, there's something I've always wanted.
I see... It won't fall out of the sky, huh?
Well, I wouldn't say it's impossible.
I mean, if it gets attacked by a huge dragon,
it's bound to fall, y'know?
True, it would probably fall in that case.
The 8th Son? Are You Kidding Me?
Episode 4: Obligations? Are You Kidding Me?!
Hey, what's going on?!
I thought this magic airship's flight path was avoiding the lands where monsters live?
Yes, but what you see outside right now is an undead version of an ancient dragon,
so that logic doesn't apply here.
Enough excuses! Just do something about it!
Do want us to die?!
Everyone, please rest easy!
The powerful mage, Brantag Ringstat, will be dealing with it right away!
I can't beat that thing.
What?!
That's an undead.
The only way to defeat it is by purging it with holy magic.
But I can't use holy magic.
Then this ship is...
Don't worry. You have another mage on board.
Huh?! Wait, I can't do it!
I mean, th-th-that's—
Your master would have taken care of it with a smile.
Listen up. I'll protect the ship.
The moment you leap off and take flight,
waste no time purging it with your holy magic.
Okay, boy, brace yourself.
Here we go.
Oh, wait a second.
One more thing.
A magic barrier!
I told you I'd protect it, didn't I, my disciple's disciple?
I should have expected that from my master's master.
Now...
I can focus on this moving puppet.
That's it, Well!
You've got it!
Don't lose!
Settle down, you three. It's dangerous!
I need more.
More, more...
Even brighter holy light!
Now, I hope this...
finishes it!
Go!
Hey, you three!
Yeah!
Hey, boy!
I told you to use your bag to collect those bones!
Huh?
Oh, shoot.
Cheers!
Looks like we'll make it to the capital safely.
I'm glad.
I've been wanting to do some shopping.
It might prove difficult to go shopping.
Hey, Aruterio. You were aboard this ship, too?
Yeah. I enjoyed watching from afar as you defeated that dragon.
Sheesh...
Oh, this is one of my partners from back when I was still an adventurer.
Huh? You were members of the same party?
He's the head of a huge merchant company in the capital now.
He's known for his business's political ties.
That's about the gist of it. Nice to meet you, little hero.
It's a pleasure to meet you.
So what did you mean about shopping being difficult?
Oh, well, you'll understand once we're in the capital.
Oh, look at that!
That's the capital,
Stuttburg.
Hey, why don't we go enjoy the town for a bit first?
Good idea!
I might want to buy one of the capital's dresses!
Uh, well, I have some things to attend to,
so please take care of the rest. All of it. Everything.
He escaped.
Escaped?
Huh? What?
Did we do something wrong?
You did a splendid job of slaying that ancient dragon.
His Majesty awaits you at the castle.
Please come this way.
His Majesty?
This place is huge...
Well!
We'll be heading to your brother's, okay?
Bye-bye!
Huh?!
Hey, boy, you'll get lost.
Oh, p-please wait for me!
The slayer of the ancient dragon, Wendelin von Benno Baumeister,
and standing in for Brantag Ringstat,
Aruterio Märchen, have both arrived!
Raise your heads.
You truly are young...
Wendelin von Benno Baumeister.
Yes?
In honor of your achievements
in slaying an ancient dragon and defending the lives of the passengers on our magic airship,
I hereby grant thee the sixth rank of baronet.
Hey, remember what I taught you earlier? Your pledge.
My sword shall be wielded for Your Majesty,
for our kingdom,
and for our people.
Huh? Did I just become a baronet?
In addition, we hereby bestow upon you the twin dragon medal.
Are you sure it was okay to miss seeing His Majesty?
It's fine.
The boy is the star of the show, anyway.
Oh, thank you.
Um, is Well really going to become a baronet?
Oh, I'm sure he'll earn a noble rank at least that high.
I can't believe he'd be granted a higher noble rank
than our father on his journey to my wedding ceremony.
Oh, yeah, your family only had the rank of knight, didn't they?
Um, if he really is being made a baronet,
wouldn't that create a separate, independent line?
Yeah, it means his name will be removed from your family line
and placed at the head of a new Baumeister family.
Is Well going to stop being an adventurer and leave us?
No, no, even if he is granted nobility,
he's just a noble of the robe, one without any land.
He won't have any reason to stay in the capital,
so whether or not he goes adventuring should be entirely up to him.
Yeah, this is an exciting promotion for Well!
There are some exciting aspects to it, but...
But?
Well, I'm sure our boy is getting a full taste
of the fetters that come with noble society.
170,000 gold coins for the bones and magic stones?
Lord Marshall Edgar, I believe 130,000 coins is the fair amount.
So he told me to collect them because they go for a high price.
Lord Commissioner Ruckner,
are you suggesting we should be stingy with the reward for Sir Baumeister
after he risked his life in battle?
Oh, but I didn't really—
We do not have an unlimited budget.
Sir Baumeister is already a citizen of this kingdom,
so I'm sure he understands the circumstances.
Um...
With the bones of this ancient dragon and the magic crystals
we could create from such a huge magic stone,
we could make several of our magic airships operational again!
Sir Baumeister had the foresight to see that, and you intend to waste his efforts?
Uh, I just—
We're discussing priorities right now.
I'm sure Sir Baumeister already understands that!
I think both of you need to calm down a bit.
Each of you makes a good point.
So why not compromise and provide 150,000 gold coins?
Cardinal Hohenheim, this is not such a simple matter.
With all due respect,
Sir Baumeister is the center of attention here in the capital right now,
as the believer of the light who defeated that bone dragon.
I do not believe it would be prudent for the royal family
to embarrass themselves before Sir Baumeister any further.
Forgive my intrusion. I simply couldn't bear to watch them
waste any more of your precious time, Sir Baumeister.
Oh, I was just—
Now, let us begin making the arrangements.
Looks like we have Cardinal Hohenheim trying to
curry favor with you, to bring you under the church's influence,
while Lord Marshall Edgar is hoping to use you in his efforts to strengthen the military.
Meanwhile, Lord Commissioner Ruckner is just focused on reducing the money they spend on you.
Sir Baumeister!
Please behold this!
My secret technique: Spinning Spear!
Is that some kind of street performer?
No, that's someone hoping you'll hire them as a retainer.
Huh? Me?!
Of course.
You're a noble with a promising future,
who just received the twin dragon medal that no one has earned in over two centuries.
What do you say?! I'm confident that I'm second to none when it comes to the spear!
What do you think you're doing?!
My name is—
Stop! Stop!
Do that in your own home!
W-Wait just a...
You're going to be swamped with hopefuls like that,
along with rich merchants begging you to wed their daughters.
I'm going to be swamped with this stuff?
You probably won't be able to set foot outside for a while.
Huh? Then when am I supposed to go shopping?!
That's why I said it might be difficult.
It's the price of fame you pay for being a proper noble.
This is so inconvenient...
It's been a long time.
Hey, Well.
How have you been?
You guys don't seem very happy.
The truth is, we haven't received the wedding gift from our family yet.
That's bad... isn't it?
Of course it's bad.
Everyone attending will think the groom's family is a bunch of crass, rude nobles.
Worse yet, I just got a letter from our brother, Kurt...
Though I'm sure the one who actually wrote it was Amalie.
Anyway, to sum it up,
it said they don't have the money, so he's asking me and Paul to pay it for them.
What does he think two guards like us can do?
Does he have any idea how humbly we have to live?
Then what about getting them flowers?
Well, a wedding gift is also a symbol of noble status.
So it has to be something gaudy and extravagant.
Status, huh?
But doesn't this also mean they'll be shaming the Duke of Bleichröder, too?
Huh? Why would it go that far?
Because, Well,
the Baumeister family are vassals of the Duke of Bleichröder.
Vassal
Noble
Lord
Bleichröder
Duke
Vassal
Noble
Vassal
Noble
Vassal
Baumeister
Knight
Vassal
Noble
Lord
Bleichröder
Duke
Lord
Viscount Monjera
Vassal
Baumeister
Knight
Vassal
Brandt
Knight
Fifth Son
Erich
Eldest Daughter
Miriam
The lord is supposed to lend their vassal money
Wedding Gift
when they can't prepare a wedding gift.
Loan
So as it is now, it will look like Duke Bleichröder
refused to lend us the money.
Though, of course, it's our family's fault for
not asking the duke to lend it in the first place.
We probably didn't ask because we have no way to repay it.
Um, should I go ahead and pay for it?
Congratulations on your wedding!
Baumeister Family
Being a noble is such a pain.
Hey, you don't look too thrilled there, nobleman.
Keep sighing, and all your happiness will escape.
Hey, Aruterio.
Man, I had to hunt this down.
We weren't carrying it at any of our shops,
so I had to ask a trader I know for it.
Huh? You mean...
You found it for me?!
Apparently he obtained it from Mizuho in the north.
Just what is this "kome-kouji," anyway?
Hey, are you trying to start some kind of business?
If you are, could you let me know first?
What's going on all of a sudden?
Brantag said he was going to show us the capital's nightlife.
Just come with me!
Come on! We're home!
Whoa... Hang on!
Quit pulling!
Just come on! Hurry!
Wait, I said!
Household Chore Chart
Breakfast
Well
Dinner
Iina • Louise
Dishes
Er
Laundry
Er
Cleaning
Er
Shopping
Er
Misc
Er
You were trying this back home, right?
Making "miso," you called it?
Yeah, but I couldn't get it to ferment well.
It always ended up rotting.
I figured it would be difficult without kome-kouji.
Hup...
There. Normally, we would now let this rest for a whole year...
But I'll use magic.
Please, ferment correctly this time!
Now that I think about it,
I once spoke to an artisan who made miso
back when I was still an employee at a trading company.
He asked me if I knew the difference between fermentation and rot.
If I remember right, the correct answer was that they're both the same process,
but it's fermentation when it's useful to people,
and it's rot when it's harmful.
Maybe it's the same with being a noble.
It brings a lot of trouble with it,
but I have to live in this world regardless, so...
It's delicious!
I think it's better if I live intelligently,
and get others to believe I'm the fermenting kind of noble.
You summoned me, Grandfather?
Oh, you're here.
Elise, I've decided who your husband will be.