2 - An Unwanted Medal of Honor

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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