Original subtitles

You two better be able to pull your weight, hear me?

We already showed you our levels.

We're both well over 300.

These two have a decent reputation as adventurers, but I'm not so sure they'll be useful.

Maybe I shouldn't have gone so hard on them.

I recognize that voice...

You there! Human child!

I figured there was a chance we'd have a run-in with her,

but I didn't expect it to happen so fast.

I've never forgotten for a second over these three years.

The way she betrayed, disparaged, and tormented me...

with that smug, irritating voice.

I can't lash out, not just yet.

I've waited three years for this.

There is a proper time and place to deal with scum like her.

To get the ultimate revenge...

I must play nice.

How dare you!

Nemumu.

Ew, gross!

No more! Cover that hideous face right now!

Yet, she was the one who demanded to see it. Typical.

Good lord! I need to wash my eyes out!

With a face like that, you're better off dead!

Seems the illusionary burn scars that I made using the Fool's Mask worked wonders.

Thanks for not jumping in, you two.

It was a close call.

Blimey, what an absolute insufferable bellend.

You said it.

But it frustrates me to think back to three years ago,

when I was dumb enough to not even realize how big of a piece of shit she is.

There's no time to waste. Let's go.

Righto.

Yessir.

The drying trail

And the mystifying sky

Come together as a guide

At the hour of death

The fate reeled in by hand

Is a haze of countless lies

Abruptly there come whispers

The falsehoods of sinners

What are they asking?

Where is the trust?

Worlds connected

By tears that flow

The sound of solitude

Was supposed to change

If we joined hands

Now it fights incessantly

To reach for you

The beat simply dances

Do not resist

Life has already

Slipped right through

These hands that snatched the shell

EPISODE 9

KICK OFF

Jeez. You guys don't give up, do you?

You better stop chasing us, unless you want to die.

Oh yeah?!

Fat chance of that!

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Get back here, dammit!

This should be the place.

Nobody's here yet, though.

Good point. Let's just wait for a bit.

What a surprise. They actually managed to keep up.

Run all you want. You won't escape from us!

We're tougher than nails!

Here I thought you'd give up and turn back. Guess there is some bite behind all your barking.

A shame they don't put their talents to work at something more worthwhile.

Using their gifts in such a petty way has led them to their own deaths.

Pure irony, wot.

Huh?! You're the only ones dying today!

Getting killed by elves is a real honor. You should thank us!

Hey, Mera! Take care of them, would you?

Hah! Who are you even talking to?

Don't try to bluff your way out of this!

Think you're hot shit because people have been calling you the "Black Motley," huh?

You never should've messed with us, cuz now we're gonna bury you six feet under!

But it's not too late to beg for your life. Grovel hard enough and maybe we'll let you off!

That's a two-way street, cretins.

You made your choice when you hurled all those nasty insults at our dear Master.

Now you'll pay for it with death.

Wh-What the hell?

And for the record, I couldn't care less how hard you beg.

So just shut up and die!

Sorry about that, Mera. I hate to waste your time.

Aw, don't mention it!

I mean, they tasted like absolute shit. But for you, my Master?

I'd gladly devour a thousand of those bastards or more, bones and all!

You're a bally good member of the team, Mera. But blimey, you send shivers down the spine.

I hate to agree with a blockhead like Gold, but yeah. You do.

Aw, we're all friends here! What's there to be afraid of?

Indeed.

There is no one among us who considers your orders a waste of time, Master.

After all, our very purpose in life is to serve you to the best of our ability.

My partner here agrees with every word you said, Lady Iceheat!

Damn, straight. You can always count on me to have your back, my man.

Please excuse us for being late.

Iceheat, Mera, Suzu, and Jack. Reporting for duty.

Hey all! Good to see you!

Sorry to saddle you guys with escort duty.

It's fine. Flying isn't really an option when there are so many adventurers around who might spot you.

Thanks. Well, lead the way.

Of course. Just leave everything to us!

Suzu?

Speak clearly, would you? The Master is with us now.

Shucks! Let me apologize, Lord Light and Lady Iceheat.

It's okay. I know how she is, Lock.

Don't force yourself, Suzu.

I must say, I'm surprised that you went to the trouble of joining us, Jack.

Gotta uphold the bro code.

I can't just sit on my ass when my man is out here putting his nose to the grindstone, ya know?

Well, I'm just chuffed to bits to see you, mate!

It was all Lady Ellie's idea.

And I'd never leave the Lightmeister hanging.

Hot damn. I'm sensing some hostility, ladies. What's with the all the death stares?

Does my little nickname for him really bother you that much?

We're all part of the same crew here. No need for fancy titles.

Besides, the Lightmeister doesn't want us to act like we've got sticks up our asses all the time, ya dig me?

Jack, old chap! I think you've made your point!

Let me flip the script.

Don't you realize that your arbitrary need for proper decorum with Light

is only forcing him up on a very lonely pedestal?

Cuz if that's what you want for him, then we're gonna have to throw hands.

That's enough.

Chill out, Jack. Don't pick a fight with everyone.

Same with you ladies. You know Jack and I have an understanding.

So keep your cool, okay?

All righty, then.

We hear you loud and clear.

Sure.

Well, shoot. That did nothing to fix the bad vibes.

What a mess.

I haven't seen you like that in a while.

Huh?

All geared up with your gauntlets.

I only see you wearing maid attire down in the Abyss.

Well, that's because I've been learning the ins and outs of the maid's code under Mistress Mei.

In fact, it's been so long that even I feel weird wearing these now.

Then why not just ditch the maid outfit entirely?

Excuse me? I'm not going to strip in front of Master Light like some sort of floozy!

I'm going to have to knock some proper sense into you later, Mera!

Good. They helped lighten the mood.

You know I'm always happy to have a slugfest.

Gold, my dude. You didn't skip out on training while I wasn't around, did ya?

Perish the thought!

Really, now?

Then, you won't mind sparring with me later.

Looks like Gold has things covered on this end.

Get your act together, partner!

You have to pay proper respect to Lord Light or else Lady Mera's gonna gobble you up!

Suzu suffers from extreme shyness.

So her musket, Lock, is the only thing she can really converse with.

Say, Nemumu?

Yes?

Suzu is a girl, right?

Huh? Well, I assume so.

She was listed as "androgynous" on her card.

What do you suppose that means?

Maybe it's some kind of skill.

I'll have to ask Ellie later.

Yeesh! They're late!

Mya!

Mew, mew!

It's His Blessedness!

Wow. It's pretty imposing up close like this.

Master Light!

You're finally here!

Mew!

Welcome!

Sorry to keep you waiting.

We know you've been busy. Come, let us talk inside.

Meow!

I'll show you the way!

As if you had any idea.

Wow. It's just as huge on the inside!

I haven't activated anything yet, but the interior is furnished with my magical enchantments

as well as technology that I reversed engineered by analyzing the dungeon core from the Abyss.

It's completely impervious to outside interference, whether magical or physical.

So please rest easy.

Say hello to one of my pets. I summoned him to help enact the plan.

Wow, this is your pet?

The top floor has been made into a wedding hall to host the main event.

If you don't mind,

may I please take this opportunity to refresh everyone on the details of "Operation: Revenge on Sasha"?

Sure, go ahead.

Then, please give me a few minutes of your undivided attention...

Blessed Lord Light came up with the basis for this plan.

The idea is to congratulate Sasha on her royal marriage by treating her to a very cold dish of revenge.

However, to avoid wasting such a good opportunity, I have added a few of my own unique touches to the plan.

Oh, really?

As you know, the White Knights are renowned as the Elven Queendom's strongest warriors.

So, in the interest of testing our own forces, I have orchestrated a series of battles against them.

I see.

After that's finished, the White Knights will be captured.

This should cripple the Elven Queendom enough that we can bend it to our will

and gather all information they have regarding the "Maestro."

At the same time, we can probe into neighboring countries to learn their condition and military strength.

This tower will act as our base of operations to that end.

While the operation is underway, I'll have this shadow here take on the job of ranking up the Black Motley.

Your Blessedness can wait comfortably and watch how things unfold until the main event starts.

I can always count on you to have all the bases covered, Ellie!

I'm honored by your kind words.

Aoyuki is having her beasts lure Sasha here as we speak.

Oh god, what kind of monster is that?!

Lady Sasha! It's way out of our league!

Let's go back!

Don't be stupid! What am I paying you all that damn money for?!

And when she gets here?

All guests will be greeted.

By your pet, I'm assuming?

A d-dragon?!

How is this even possible?!

L-Lady Sasha!

We're going back.

Dammit. There's nothing I can do!

Only the White Knights can handle a monster like that!

Now what do I do? How can I kill Light before anybody finds out?

I'm positive that no-good wretch Sasha will come back after she fetches the White Knights.

Then we will pit the strongest warriors of the Abyss

against the strongest warriors of the Elven Queendom - the White Knights.

I guarantee this battle will serve as the perfect preshow entertainment for you, Your Blessedness.

You're certain of this?

Yes, there are numerous huge creatures with snakes for tails that are guarding the tower's perimeter.

I believe they are the reason why the other monsters were pushed outside of the ancient forest.

My god.

Huge creatures, you say?

They're really just prowling around?

And it gets worse! There's even a dragon that's nesting in the tower itself!

A dragon?!

Such a powerful monster...

I don't buy it.

This could spell the end of the Queendom.

How does a walking disaster pop out of nowhere?

I'm telling you the truth! I went to investigate for myself, out of fear for our people!

As a matter of fact, a similar report came in not too long ago.

Huh?

It was filed by the Black Motley.

The very same party who brought the heinous crimes of a foolish ex-member of a certain Knighthood to light.

Out of concern for her fellow elves,

Lady Sasha braved the dangers of the forests to gather the intel that you insisted upon.

Surely the time has come to take action.

The White Knights will answer the call, won't they, Sir Hardy?

So be it.

Rest assured, I shall lead my White Knights to slay the dragon

and solve the mystery behind this tower once and for all!

Please, sir!

All I'm asking is for permission to join the knights on their mission to slay the dragon!

You can relax. I planned on you going from the start.

Huh?

The brave action that you took on behalf of our nation is to be lauded, after all.

Thank you!

This will get me close to Light.

However, there are strings attached.

What do you mean?

Well, I would like you to go and borrow a little something from your father's collection.

You'll need it, otherwise someone at your level will be nothing but a hindrance.

Am I wrong?

Well...

I consider you two like the apple of my eye.

You understand what that means, yes?

Father?

I have a favor to ask.

Are you ready, men?

Stick to the plan. We'll enter the forest and follow Lady Sasha's directions to reach the tower quickly.

You sure you're up to this, Sasha?

You better not go halfway and then chicken out on us.

Please trust me!

I know how to guide you all safely to the base of the tower!

Lady Sasha is level 500.

I'm certain that she can handle herself. But, even if things go awry, I will keep her safe.

Oh, Sir Mikhael!

Fine, I guess.

What I wouldn't give to be engaged to such a patriotic lady! I envy you, Vice Captain!

Didja know it was the Chancellor who gave the order for Sasha to join us, Nhia?

I heard she even borrowed an item from her family's treasury, Khia!

Betcha it's all because the Vice Captain is buddy-buddy with the Chancellor, Nhia.

The world of adults is scary, Khia!

Aw hell.

I really wish they wouldn't drag their political bullshit into our field missions.

All according to plan.

The White Knights have entered the forest.

How is Sasha fairing?

Let me zoom in.

She's hard at work!

You never disappoint, Ellie! Everything's going smoothly.

You honor me with your praise.

I can't even hide how eager this is making me.

What kind of twisted face will you make when you get here?

Hurry and show me, Sasha.

Hey, Sasha. Are you sure this is the right way?

Yes, I'm positive.

I left marks the last time I came through.

See? That's one there!

Please watch your step.

I know time is of the essence right now,

but I would just hate to see you get hurt.

Oh, Sir Mikhael...

It's all sunshine and roses with these two.

Mewrph.

There it is, Nhia!

Right you are, Khia!

Whoa.

That's one big-ass tower.

How do you even make something like this?

So huge, Nhia!

Mind boggling, Khia!

Excellent work, Lady Sasha. You took us right to it.

Oh, Sir Mikhael...

Look there, Nhia!

What could it be, Khia?

It's a monster, Nhia!

How exciting, Khia!

And now they're gone, Khia.

Look, Nhia. Here comes more.

Three more to worry about.

What's the plan, Captain?

I can't take all of them, but I could lead the charge by making a good dent in their number.

No, our main concern is the dragon.

We should avoid all the battles that we can until we know exactly how many and how strong they are.

Roger that.

Besides, it's almost time for the adventurers who we hired to launch their diversion.

There goes five monsters.

Per your report, that should be all of them, right?

Yes. I didn't see any more than that.

Okay. Then we'll breach the tower now.

And kill the dragon.

Chances are very high there are more monsters aside from the dragon waiting inside.

Keep your wits about you.

Silent.

I can't hear a thing. Not even the sound of my own heartbeat or breathing.

Just sheer silence.

This can take a serious mental toll,

enough to drive any regular person mad after just a few minutes.

This is the rare skill that earned him the alias, "Hardy the Silent."

Everything is going like I planned.

Now, I just need to find Light and snuff him out!

It's finally time, Your Blessedness.

Yep!

Please enjoy the festivities.

Nothing shakes your confidence, does it?

Of course.

Trust me when I say this will make for a most delectable appetizer before the main course arrives.

What?!

Huh?!

A teleportation trap, eh?

We got baited?

They've totally split up our forces.

That was a teleportation trap. We've been sent somewhere else.

Come make your way up here, nice and easy.

We're throwing this party for you, after all!

At the edge of sharpened doubts

I repaint my colors and form as I wish

Caught, cherished, tamed

I am not like you

Flickering, weeping, taking only myself as an ally

As I spread my wings, I begin to see

Steering with the wind's guidance

I cut through the murky sky

Soaring to unreachable heights

Even old rain bounces off the ground and dances

You can't take this from me

With steadfast eyes, I set my course that day

NEXT EPISODE

THE TOWER WAR