2 - An Unwanted Medal of Honor
Source: Crunchyroll
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(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
[00:02] I
Please, don't shoot!
[00:07] Gu
Who are you?!
[00:08] I
I-I've fled from the Empire!
[00:11] I
I can't take that place anymore!
[00:15] Gu
Another asylum-seeker?
[00:17] Gu
Are you alone?
[00:19] I
My mom's with me!
[00:21] I
She's in the cave back there.
[00:25] Gu
I understand.
[00:26] Gu
You can relax now.
[00:28] Gu
The Republic accepts most asylum-seekers.
[00:31] Gu
Lead us to the caves.
[00:33] I
Thank you!
[00:34] I
But is this all of you?
[00:37] Gu
Yeah, we're the only ones here.
[00:38] Gu
Unless she's a particularly
full-bodied madam,
[00:41] Gu
we'll be good.
[00:44] I
I see.
[00:45] I
It's just you three, huh?
[00:47] I
Pattern three!
[00:55] Gu
Iriq!
[00:56] Gu
Turn off the light and fall back!
[00:57] Gu
You bastard...
[01:03] Gu
Let me go, damn it!
[01:04] Gu
Die!
[01:21] I
Kus, searchlight.
SIGN An Unwanted Medal of Honor
[03:09] I
This one's still breathing.
[03:12] I
Torway, what about yours?
[03:14] Gu
Iriq...
[03:15] Gu
Iriq, wake up.
[03:17] Gu
Come on, Iriq.
[03:17] T
Sprite, your master is...
[03:20] Gu
Iriq?
[03:21] I
Torway.
[03:23] I
Save that for later.
[03:26] T
He's dead.
[03:28] I
Looks like you're going
to have to tell us, then.
[03:31] I
Skywarrior Nihad Hyu.
[03:33] I
We'll treat your wound,
[03:34] I
but only after you've answered our questions.
[03:37] I
First, where is your base?
[03:40] H
T-To the east,
a half-day away by blimp...
[03:45] I
Good.
[03:46] I
What was your mission, and how
many were with your squad?
[03:50] H
Patrolling this side of the border...
[03:53] H
There were just three of us.
We didn't have a squad.
[03:56] I
Where is your blimp?
[04:00] I
I can't hear you.
[04:01] I
You're delaying your treatment.
[04:04] H
Along the coast once you leave the forest.
[04:09] H
I'm so cold...
[04:10] H
Stop... stop the bleeding, please.
[04:13] I
Got it.
[04:14] I
This is my last question.
[04:16] I
Nihad, have you ever been to the border?
[04:27] I
You can come out, Princess.
[04:31] Y
Your Highness, I'm glad you're safe.
[04:36] I
Unfortunately, all your partners are dead.
[04:41] I
I swear by the god Alderamin in heaven
[04:45] I
that we will regenerate you
and treat you well
[04:49] I
at an imperial church.
[04:51] I
So entrust us with your souls, please.
[05:03] I
Thank you.
[05:04] I
I accept your soulstones.
[05:09] T
You're carrying him?
[05:10] T
We can just put him
somewhere safe in the bushes...
[05:13] I
Torway,
[05:14] I
it's okay for you to revel
in your first victory now.
[05:19] I
So at least allow me this luxury.
[05:24] I
He told us everything
we wanted to know, right?
[05:35] T
How could I miss at that range?
[05:38] Y
A moving enemy is nothing
like a training dummy.
[05:42] Y
In that situation,
[05:43] Y
you usually struggle to operate
at even half your potential.
[05:46] T
The enemy was barely moving...
[05:50] T
Plus, you and Ikkun were both able to
stay calm and make the right moves.
[05:54] T
But I...
[05:56] Y
Listen up, Torway Remeon.
[05:58] Y
The fact that you have an air gun
makes you valuable to us.
[06:02] Y
Even here, that allowed me to
approach the enemy in relative safety.
[06:08] Y
You should learn from Ikta.
[06:11] Y
He knows what he can and can't do
[06:14] Y
and uses that to make decisions.
[06:18] T
You understand Ikkun really well, don't you?
[06:26] Sh
This is my responsibility.
[06:28] Y
Your Highness...
[06:30] Sh
I was the one who ordered you
to see me back safely.
[06:38] Sh
The Empire and the imperial family
exist to aid people's lives,
[06:41] Sh
and yet we keep taking them for no reason.
[06:45] Sh
But forgive me.
[06:47] Sh
I must return.
[06:51] Sh
I must hasten the rot and collapse
of the great tree as much as I can...
[06:57] Sh
For that, I accept any
of Hell's punishments.
[07:01] I
You're bleeding, Princess.
[07:05] Sh
I don't care!
[07:06] I
Matthew! Haro!
[07:06] Sh
This blood is rotten!
[07:08] Sh
This blood... the blood
of the Katjvanmaninik,
[07:11] Sh
rotted so long ago...
[07:18] I
Tastes normal.
[07:20] I
Princess, blood doesn't go bad
as long as it's in the body.
[07:27] I
Therefore, what you're saying
is unscientific.
[07:30] Sh
Unscientific?
[07:32] I
It's a word my master made up.
[07:34] I
It refers to a way of thinking
that's illogical and wasteful.
[07:39] I
When the ship sank,
[07:41] I
I went through quite a bit
of trouble to save you.
[07:45] I
So please, take care of your life.
[07:50] Sh
I thought you hated me.
[07:55] I
Well, what happened before was
basically just a childish tantrum...
[08:00] I
I'm sorry.
[08:09] Sh
Yatori,
[08:11] Sh
underneath it all, what kind
of man is Ikta Solork?
[08:16] Y
He's a very twisted man.
[08:19] Y
However, Your Highness,
[08:21] Y
you can't build a house out
of only straight sticks.
[08:37] I
I've memorized their names.
[08:41] Gi
It was an act of legitimate self-defense.
[08:44] Gi
Ikta,
[08:45] Gi
please don't get depressed.
[08:48] I
Thank you, Kus.
[08:54] Sh
So this is a blimp.
[08:57] Sh
Huh? Fire spirits?
[08:59] T
Oh, when I came here
with Ikta last night,
[09:03] T
we took out their soulstones.
[09:05] Y
You already have a plan for
this blimp, don't you, Ikta?
[09:10] I
Of course. We're using it
to help us cross the border.
[09:14] M
We're riding it over?
[09:16] I
Matthew, my dear friend,
[09:17] I
unfortunately, this can only carry three.
[09:20] M
What's the plan, then?
SIGN Kioka Republic Western Border Garrison
[09:27] Gu
So the sun rises uneventfully
once more, does it?
[09:31] Gu
I'm glad that none of my comrades died,
[09:35] Gu
but does the Empire have no serious
intention of fighting this war?
[09:39] Gu
Excuse me, Second Lieutenant.
[09:41] Gu
Allies from our rear.
[09:43] Gu
That's sudden.
[09:44] Gu
What unit are they with?
[09:45] Gu
Well, they're all quite unusual.
[09:51] Gu
I'm Second Lieutenant Nejif Harurum,
and I'm in charge here.
[09:53] I
Second Lieutenant, dire news!
[09:56] I
Please look at the eastern sky!
[10:00] Gu
A blimp?
[10:03] I
Blimps are expensive.
[10:06] (Flashback) I
Every one of them is dear to the Kioka army.
[10:11] (Flashback) T
I see.
[10:12] (Flashback) T
So, this balloon itself is what we use
to barter with the Kioka forces.
[10:16] (Flashback) Y
Will they be willing to negotiate, though?
[10:20] (Flashback) Y
They'll think we're spies,
[10:22] (Flashback) Y
even if we pretend to be asylum-seekers.
[10:24] (Flashback) I
Sure, if the negotiations drag on.
[10:28] N
A blimp's been stolen?
[10:30] I
We found these people and
fired a warning shot,
[10:35] I
but one of them escaped toward the blimp.
[10:40] N
They took the blimp?
[10:42] I
I make no excuses.
[10:44] I
If the court orders me drawn and quartered,
[10:46] I
I won't complain—
[10:46] N
Then, what are the demands
of the blimp thief?!
[10:50] I
"I don't care what happens to me.
[10:52] I
Return my family to the Empire.
[10:55] I
And then I'll bring down the balloon."
[10:58] (Flashback) Y
So, you'll have a fictional man
making threats.
[11:02] (Flashback) H
But why would we want to go back
[11:05] (Flashback) H
if we've already sought asylum?
[11:07] (Flashback) I
I'll tell them the warning shot
scared you or something.
[11:11] (Flashback) I
What's important is how we get them
into self-preservation mode.
[11:17] N
Send them back?
[11:19] N
My mission is to eliminate anyone
who crosses the border!
[11:22] I
However, consider this...
[11:25] I
These asylum-seekers
[11:27] I
crossed over the sea that's under
your jurisdiction to get here.
[11:31] N
That's true, but...
[11:35] I
If the winds above us
tilt towards the Empire,
[11:38] I
that blimp will be gone for good!
[11:40] I
There's no time!
[11:42] I
Your decision, sir!
[11:46] I
Well, that went better than expected.
[11:50] I
I'm taking tips, everyone.
[11:53] Y
You're one hell of a con man.
[11:55] T
You sent up an unmanned blimp
and used it to threaten them...
[11:59] T
That's amazing, Ikkun.
[12:00] H
He'd be more likely to heed a warning
from an ally, wouldn't he?
[12:05] M
I'm not completely happy with this.
[12:08] M
I finally got that air gun
and now I've lost it.
[12:11] I
Matthew, my dear friend,
forgive me for that.
[12:15] I
We can't cross the border with weapons.
[12:19] Y
Don't fret over what was lost.
[12:21] Y
Rejoice that you survived.
[12:23] I
Okay, it's about time.
[12:27] I
Princess, you can have this back.
[12:30] I
This is proof of who you are,
and it's about to be very important.
[12:34] ---
R-Right...
[12:39] I
Is there something stuck on my face?
[12:42] Sh
No, nothing.
[12:47] Sh
Ikta Solork.
SIGN Katjvan Empire Eastern Region Garrison
[12:51] Gu
Princess Chamille,
[12:53] Gu
I'm glad you're back safe.
[12:56] Sh
Raise your head,
Lieutenant General Hazaf Rikan.
[12:59] Sh
Thank you for coming
to greet me personally.
[13:02] Gu
Your words honor me.
[13:04] Gu
However, I still can't believe
[13:07] Gu
that after you went missing,
you landed in Kioka territory.
[13:10] Sh
I only survived because
of the help of these five.
[13:16] Sh
I'll introduce you.
SIGN 1 Month Later
[13:21] I
Even a life of luxury in a top hotel
gets boring after a month.
[13:27] H
C-Can we take this sugar home?
[13:30] H
I'd like to give it to my little brothers...
[13:33] M
We'll get an even bigger reward
from the imperial household.
[13:36] M
We saved the princess, after all.
[13:39] Y
There's only one reward I want, though.
[13:43] Y
Another shot at the
High-Level Officer's exam.
[13:46] M
I-I'm sure it'll be fine.
[13:48] T
Hey, everyone!
[14:00] Y
Read this.
[14:01] Y
You'll wake up.
[14:04] Y
The Eastern Region fell to the Republic.
[14:06] Y
Lieutenant General Hazaf Rikan
died in battle.
[14:11] I
You should withdraw,
Lieutenant General Rikan.
[14:14] (Flashback) Gu
What?
[14:15] (Flashback) I
This battle has no meaning.
[14:17] (Flashback) Y
You're overstepping your bounds, Ikta!
[14:18] I
Even when it's time to attack,
[14:20] I
the Eastern Garrison is only defending!
[14:22] (Flashback) Y
Ikta!
[14:23] I
That's because the Emperor ordered you to!
[14:27] (Flashback) I
Ow...
[14:28] (Flashback) Sh
There's no need to stop him.
[14:31] (Flashback) Sh
I'll allow it.
[14:32] (Flashback) Sh
Let him say what he likes.
[14:34] (Flashback) Y
Yes, Your Highness.
[14:36] (Flashback) I
This whole war is rigged.
[14:40] (Flashback) I
The Empire failed to develop the East
and wants to be rid of it.
[14:44] (Flashback) I
But the Imperial Army wants
the people to think that
[14:47] (Flashback) I
it was seriously fighting Kioka.
[14:49] (Flashback) I
That's why a famous general's
been placed on the front lines.
[14:53] (Flashback) I
This is insane. Do you
intend to accept it?
[14:58] (Flashback) Gu
Solork-kun, I'm glad
you're not one of my men.
[15:04] (Flashback) Gu
Because I don't have to punish a young man
for being worried about me.
[15:10] (Flashback) Gu
We cannot withdraw.
[15:12] (Flashback) I
Whether you withdraw or not,
Kioka will take the Eastern Region!
[15:15] (Flashback) I
The result is the same!
[15:17] (Flashback) Gu
The process is different.
[15:18] (Flashback) Gu
It's one thing to obey
the Emperor's orders and lose it,
[15:22] (Flashback) Gu
and quite another to disobey—
[15:23] (Flashback) I
I'm telling you,
that's unscientific thinking!
[15:30] (Flashback) Y
Excuse me.
[15:32] (Flashback) Y
Please forget what you heard.
[15:35] (Flashback) Gu
Take him away.
[15:36] (Flashback) ---
Yes, sir!
[15:37] (Flashback) I
Are you trying to become
a second Bada Sankrei?
[15:43] I
I told them...
[15:44] Y
Don't be too full of yourself.
[15:46] Y
One man's opinion can't change the war.
SIGN Katjvarna News
Eastern Region Garrison Falls
[15:49] H
"Lieutenant General Rikan's rearguard forces
[15:52] H
suffered the full brunt of the enemy attack
[15:55] H
and were all but decimated."
[15:57] T
But many of the soldiers were able
to escape because of his actions.
[16:02] T
He was worthy of his reputation.
[16:05] I
Every hero dies of overwork.
[16:10] Gu
You're the five students who
saved the princess, right?
[16:16] Gu
Weep with joy,
[16:20] Gu
for you have been given the honor
of an audience with the Emperor.
SIGN Capital City Banhatahl, Old Cathedral
[16:23] Gu
Alsankurt Kitra Katjvanmaninik awaits.
[16:27] M
H-Hey, Torway,
[16:29] M
you can't meet the Emperor's eyes
during an audience, right?
[16:32] M
Or cough, or sneeze.
[16:33] T
Ma-kun, calm down.
[16:36] H
Ilf, Shohka, Echiri, your big sis
is going to do her best.
[16:44] Y
Ikta,
[16:45] Y
I'm not grabbing you and pinning
you down in front of the Emperor.
[17:04] I
I know.
[17:07] Sh
Here they are, Father.
[17:09] Sh
These are the ones who
successfully escorted me
[17:13] Sh
out of the Republic's territory.
[17:16] Gu
Due to your actions, my daughter,
[17:18] Gu
carrying the 900-year-old blood
of the Katjvan court in her veins,
[17:21] Gu
has returned to me.
[17:24] Gu
That is no different than
saving the Empire itself.
[17:27] Gu
I shall give you all the rewards
that are within my power to grant.
[17:32] Gu
Raise your heads.
[17:35] Gu
I hereby bestow upon you five
the title of Imperial Knights.
[17:43] M
We get... a decoration?
[17:47] Sh
We will now have a ceremony
to celebrate your new titles.
[17:50] Sh
Guide them.
[17:55] M
Th-Then, we...
[17:58] H
We can go to High-Level Officer's school?
[18:02] T
It would be more accurate to say
that we're going to be forced to.
[18:06] T
An Imperial Knight is a soldier.
[18:09] T
And a soldier can't disobey the army.
[18:13] I
Now you've done it, Princess.
[18:15] I
You've ruined my plans for my life.
[18:20] Y
Your Highness, I'm grateful for the honor.
[18:24] Y
But the title of Imperial Knight
is given to a soldier.
[18:29] Y
Giving someone the title so they
become a soldier is backwards.
[18:34] Y
Is there precedent—
[18:34] Sh
There is no precedent.
[18:37] Sh
That's why I made you the first.
[18:40] I
From the people's perspective,
[18:43] I
the defeat at the Eastern Garrison
had no upside.
[18:46] I
So now, you want heroes
to make them feel better.
[18:51] Sh
That's right.
[18:53] Sh
The news of what you did
is the one light the people have.
[18:58] Sh
I have no choice but to
use it for political ends.
[19:00] I
Hey, Princess.
[19:02] I
What do you intend to do,
locking us in like this?
[19:08] Sh
Did you learn to be so suspicious
from your father, Solork?
[19:12] Sh
No, Ikta Sankrei?
[19:16] I
That's the imperial family for you.
[19:17] I
Less than a month for someone to
track down a person's identity, huh?
[19:21] Sh
General Bada Sankrei,
[19:23] Sh
one of history's finest generals,
[19:26] Sh
who was arrested and humiliated
[19:28] Sh
for disobeying orders and died in prison.
[19:31] Sh
And you're his legacy.
[19:34] I
I wasn't born from a tree trunk.
[19:37] I
Even little "Ikta-kun" has parents.
[19:39] Sh
And the man you call your master,
[19:42] Sh
the first one to come up with
the way of thinking called "Science,"
[19:45] Sh
was the blasphemer Doctor Anrai Kahn,
[19:48] Sh
who fled to the Kioka Republic
last year, right?
[19:52] I
If you asked him, he'd say
"blasphemer" was a compliment.
[19:55] Sh
There's more I know.
[19:57] Sh
Your mother is Yuhka Sankrei,
[19:59] Sh
a beautiful woman whom the lecherous
Emperor invited to his harem from Kioka
[20:03] Sh
and then gave to General Bada
as a reward for his efforts—
[20:05] ---
Ikta!
[20:06] I
Say one more word about my mother
[20:08] I
and I snap your neck with my bare hands.
[20:16] Y
That would be bad.
[20:18] Y
I'd have to kill you then, too.
[20:27] M
This is my air gun.
[20:30] Gu
That blimp fell into imperial waters,
[20:33] Gu
and General Rikan ordered its recovery.
[20:37] T
General Rikan...
[20:40] Gu
I have a message from him.
[20:42] Gu
"Young heroes, I'll be praying
for your success in battle
[20:45] Gu
and longevity from the afterlife."
[20:59] Y
I get the feeling I'm seeing you act
quite unlike yourself a lot lately.
[21:05] I
Hey, Yatori.
[21:06] I
You've gained the title of Imperial Knight,
[21:10] I
far more valuable than acing an exam.
[21:13] I
This is a great day for you.
[21:16] I
Right?
[21:18] I
But what about me?
[21:20] I
It's the exact opposite.
[21:23] I
This is without doubt
the worst day of my life.
[21:27] I
It's comparable to the day
I lost my mother.
[21:32] I
Today I became three of the things
[21:37] I
I never wanted to be at once.
[21:40] I
A noble, a soldier...
[21:43] I
And a hero.
[21:51] Narr
Imperial Year 905, December.
[21:54] Narr
A few days after the death of Hazaf Rikan,
[21:58] Narr
Ikta Solork became a soldier.
SIGN Next time: The Knights of the High-Level Officer's School.
SIGN The Knights of the
High-Level Officer's School