E1 - First Begin with a Hero

Source: Crunchyroll
Translator:
Editor:
Timer:
QC:
(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.)
[00:25] ---
    Kazuya,
[00:27] ---
    why do you think people have families?
[00:33] ---
    Huh?
[00:35] ---
    So that they don't die alone.
[00:38] ---
    As I was attending to your grandmother,
    I dwelt on that thought.
[00:42] ---
    We lost our son and your mom
    much too early, but you were still here.
[00:48] ---
    It was because of you that we
    found fulfillment in our lives.
[00:56] ---
    Grandpa...
[00:58] ---
    Once I go to join your grandma,
    you're going to be all alone.
[01:05] ---
    Kazuya, start a family. And no matter what
    comes your way, keep them safe.
[01:13] ---
    Do that, and when the end comes,
[01:16] ---
    I promise you, you will consider
    your life to have been a good one.
[01:20] ---
    These will be the final words of wisdom
    I leave to you, my grandson.
[01:27] ---
    When he said those words, I thought
    they sounded like a dying wish.
[01:30] ---
    "Ancestral resting place"
    When he said those words, I thought
    they sounded like a dying wish.
[01:33] ---
    Grandpa has now joined
    Grandma where she is.
[01:43] ---
    And now I... am all alone.
[01:58] ---
    "Never mind, face forward,"
[02:03] ---
    my heart just cried until it was hoarse
[02:09] ---
    When you lose something,
    is that the end of it?
[02:14] ---
    Is there no putting things back
    the way they were?
[02:20] ---
    Just as a line of clouds
    moves off somewhere
[02:26] ---
    when you take your eyes
    off of them for a moment,
[02:31] ---
    so does everything else
[02:36] ---
    I never thought there was a version of me
[02:43] ---
    that the world would have a need for
[02:48] ---
    But when I believed in what I believe,
[02:54] ---
    I found myself as I truly am
[03:00] ---
    Hello, yes, the first step
    I take after nodding
[03:05] ---
    Hello, yes, is toward
    the yet-unseen horizon
[03:18] ---
    "First Begin with a Hero"
[03:24] ---
    Hmm, what do we do?
[03:27] ---
    Mm-hmm, whatever shall we do?
[03:33] ---
    What can we do about this?
[03:38] ---
    Your Majesty,
[03:39] ---
    at this point, I believe our
    only move is to summon a hero.
[03:49] ---
    "The Prince"
    "Niccolo Machiavelli"
[03:54] ---
    You do understand the procedure, right?
[03:56] ---
    Yes.
[03:58] ---
    Very well, we will now perform
    the Hero Rite of Summoning.
[04:34] ---
    Huh? Whoa!
[04:39] ---
    "The Prince"
    "Niccolo Machiavelli"
[05:09] ---
    Huh? Eh?
[05:11] ---
    I can't believe we actually
    summoned someone.
[05:15] ---
    Everything is worth trying at least once.
[05:17] ---
    Whoa, hey...
[05:35] ---
    O hero!
[05:37] ---
    Thank you for answering our call!
[05:40] ---
    I didn't answer anything. I was summoned
    here without my say-so.
[05:46] ---
    I-I suppose you were. From your
    standpoint, it must seem that way.
[05:52] ---
    You aren't, by any chance, angry that
    we summoned you here, are you?
[05:55] ---
    Can you imagine that I wouldn't be angry?
[06:00] ---
    Could I at least ask you
    to explain the situation?
[06:03] ---
    I'll decide whether to lose
    my temper after that.
[06:05] ---
    Y-Yes indeed... an explanation...
[06:10] ---
    ...mm-hmm, allow me to explain...
[06:14] ---
    This is the supercontinent Landia.
[06:16] ---
    Many races--including humans,
    elves, dwarves, and dragonewts--
[06:21] ---
    have made their homes here, forming
    a number of countries of various sizes.
[06:28] ---
    However, roughly ten years ago, on
    the northernmost end of the continent,
[06:32] ---
    a horde of monsters arrived from a void
    that appeared, called the Demon World,
[06:37] ---
    and all hell broke loose among
    the northern countries.
[06:42] ---
    Centered around the Gran Chaos Empire,
[06:44] ---
    which boasted the largest
    territory on the continent,
[06:46] ---
    the various nations united together
    to form a punitive force,
[06:49] ---
    and mounted an invasion
    of the Demon World.
[06:52] ---
    However, that punitive force
    was wiped out.
[06:56] ---
    With these nations losing their main
    military force on this expedition,
[07:00] ---
    they no longer had the strength to repel
    the monsters from the Demon World,
[07:04] ---
    and the Demon World's forces have
    now occupied a third of the continent.
[07:09] ---
    At present, this territory is known
    as the Demon Lord's Domain.
[07:11] ---
    "Demon Lord's Domain"
    At present, this territory is known
    as the Demon Lord's Domain.
[07:14] ---
    "Demon Lord's Domain"
    Perhaps because the number
    of monsters attacking
[07:15] ---
    Perhaps because the number
    of monsters attacking
[07:16] ---
    "Union of Eastern Nations"
    has been divided due to
    the expansion of the battle lines,
[07:19] ---
    "Elfrieden Kingdom"
    has been divided due to
    the expansion of the battle lines,
[07:20] ---
    "Elfrieden Kingdom"
    the nations of mankind have been
    able to barely keep them in check.
[07:21] ---
    "Gran Chaos Empire"
    the nations of mankind have been
    able to barely keep them in check.
[07:25] ---
    That deadlock remains
    in place to this day.
[07:30] ---
    So then, I hope you're not telling me
    to go and defeat those monsters.
[07:34] ---
    No, not that, exactly.
[07:39] ---
    Ahem...
[07:41] ---
    Hero, this is truly difficult
    for me to say...
[07:48] ---
    "Gran Chaos Empire"
[07:51] ---
    "Gran Chaos Empire,
    capital city, Valois"
[07:52] ---
    "Gran Chaos Empire,
    capital city, Valois"
    At the moment, there is no large-scale
    movement in the Demon Lord's Domain.
[07:56] ---
    However, the forces
    stationed along the border
[07:59] ---
    have been informed
    to remain ever vigilant.
[08:02] ---
    The soldiers' morale is high, with
    the charge to protect the world of men,
[08:06] ---
    but as their postings become drawn out,
[08:09] ---
    their toll on the nation's treasury grows
    heavy, and is becoming problematic.
[08:14] ---
    So, about that other matter...
[08:17] ---
    Other matter?
[08:20] ---
    The matter of our request
    to the Elfrieden Kingdom
[08:23] ---
    to contribute financially
    to the war effort.
[08:24] ---
    The deadline is approaching,
    but they have yet to respond.
[08:28] ---
    You're going to turn me over to
    the empire in the place of financial aid?
[08:33] ---
    I'm so sorry about this!
    I hope you will forgive me!
[08:37] ---
    Currently, the nation who is primarily
    containing the Demon Lord's Domain
[08:40] ---
    is the Gran Chaos Empire, who shares
    the longest border with them.
[08:45] ---
    Our own Elfrieden Kingdom is being
    greatly benefited by their efforts,
[08:49] ---
    which is why the empire
    has sought financial assistance
[08:54] ---
    from those countries who do not share
    a border with the Demon Lord's Domain.
[08:57] ---
    If money will do, then why not pay it?
[09:01] ---
    It sounds far preferable to
    fighting these monsters, right?
[09:04] ---
    The thing is, we can't.
[09:07] ---
    Yes. In addition to our nation facing
    a chronic shortage of food,
[09:11] ---
    the expansion of the Demon Lord's Domain
[09:12] ---
    has sent us an influx of refugees
    who were chased from their homes,
[09:15] ---
    and it is costing us much
    to deal with them.
[09:17] ---
    Oh, we are in no position to pay
    any financial assistance.
[09:22] ---
    However, within the
    empire's request for aid
[09:25] ---
    is a clause that states that if we
    cannot contribute any assistance,
[09:28] ---
    then we may perform
    the Hero Rite of Summoning
[09:32] ---
    that has been handed down
    through our nation,
[09:35] ---
    and send the hero thereby
    summoned to the empire.
[09:38] ---
    So it is with the utmost
    reluctance that we--
[09:40] ---
    ...would sell off your own daughters
    to pay your debts, would you?
[09:47] ---
    So, what happens to me after
    I'm turned over to the empire?
[09:51] ---
    Well, we aren't sure what happens to you.
[09:54] ---
    And what is a hero in the first place?
[09:57] ---
    It is said that a hero is the one who will
    lead the revolution into a new age.
[10:02] ---
    Th--
[10:06] ---
    That's more than a little vague, isn't it?
[10:08] ---
    Er, you see, our information is scarce,
[10:11] ---
    and he is someone
    shrouded in mystery, so...
[10:14] ---
    I hope the reason the empire
    wants you to hand me over to them
[10:17] ---
    isn't to unravel the mystery of what
    a hero is through dissection...
[10:20] ---
    ...or anything like that, is it?
[10:24] ---
    So it could be?
[10:25] ---
    Th-There isn't a chance in a million
    that they would do such a thing!
[10:29] ---
    That's right! Not a chance in a thousand,
    not one in a hundred, I'd say.
[10:33] ---
    Why is that possibility rising?
[10:38] ---
    Still, I'm stuck here. My life plan
    was to become a local civil servant,
[10:44] ---
    and now I'm at risk of being dissected
    in this outlandish place?
[10:50] ---
    I could run, but that's going
    to be easier said than done.
[10:54] ---
    If I screw up and get captured, the
    situation will only get worse and worse.
[10:58] ---
    Which means that everything
    hangs on the next thing I say.
[11:04] ---
    Sire, may I ask you a question?
[11:07] ---
    Wh-What is it?
[11:09] ---
    Are the requests for assistance from
    the empire limited to just this once?
[11:13] ---
    W-Well, of course, they--
[11:15] ---
    No, I believe that the requests
    will keep coming
[11:19] ---
    for as long as the monsters
    continue to attack.
[11:22] ---
    I'm sure you're right.
    One other question...
[11:26] ---
    This has to do with hero summoning.
[11:28] ---
    Is it the sort of thing where you can
    summon as many people as you like,
[11:31] ---
    so long as you perform the ritual?
[11:33] ---
    Oh, well, you see...
[11:38] ---
    According to our records,
    the last time a hero was summoned
[11:42] ---
    was nearly 500 years ago. It took place
    only once, at our nation's founding.
[11:47] ---
    We are unable to perform
    summonings very often at all.
[11:50] ---
    Assuming that's true,
[11:52] ---
    then I am the one card this country
    has to play under the circumstances.
[11:57] ---
    Is that about right?
[11:58] ---
    Th-That seems about right.
[12:00] ---
    In that case, wouldn't it be a vacuous
    move to give me up right now?
[12:05] ---
    V-Vacuous?
[12:07] ---
    Dear, "vacuous" means something foolish.
[12:11] ---
    O-Oh, that "vacuous."
[12:15] ---
    I think it might be working.
[12:17] ---
    If we are thinking ahead, should we not
    first review the country's finances,
[12:21] ---
    adopt policies to increase its might,
[12:24] ---
    and build up enough national strength
    to reject these sorts of imperial demands?
[12:29] ---
    E-Enough national strength
    to reject imperial demands?
[12:34] ---
    B-But the idea of us being able
    to accomplish that is completely--
[12:37] ---
    I was told that heroes are those who will
    lead the revolution into a new age.
[12:45] ---
    You never know, we might be able to bring
    about some change in this country.
[12:51] ---
    "Elfrieden Kingdom: A multiethnic state
    with various races coexisting.
    To prevent human supremacy,
    a tripartite system is in place."
[12:54] ---
    "Souma Kazuya: Age: 18 years old
    Considers things realistically and acts
    rationally, but can behave impractically
    when family is involved."
[12:57] ---
    ...or so I said, but at the moment,
    I don't have a plan.
[13:02] ---
    Whatever the case, I just have to find
    a way to come up with this aid money.
[13:07] ---
    Can we start by having you tell me
    everything about the country's finances?
[13:11] ---
    I need budget reports, and any data on
    agriculture, forestry and fisheries,
[13:14] ---
    on your economy, trade, and industry,
[13:16] ---
    and on your land, infrastructure,
    and transport, if you please.
[13:19] ---
    Marx, if you would?
[13:22] ---
    At once.
[13:25] ---
    And so, a wide range of
    topics were discussed,
[13:28] ---
    as the conference between
    the Elfrieden king, Albert,
[13:30] ---
    the prime minister, Marx,
    and the hero, Souma,
[13:34] ---
    went on for three days and nights.
[13:40] ---
    All of you present,
    I would like your attention.
[13:44] ---
    I, Albert Elfrieden,
    the 13th King of Elfrieden,
[13:51] ---
    hereby abdicate the throne,
[13:53] ---
    and give it over to our summoned hero,
    Souma Kazuya!
[13:58] ---
    H-Huh?!
[14:02] ---
    Further, I am also announcing
    the engagement of my daughter,
[14:07] ---
    Liscia Elfrieden, to Souma!
[14:13] ---
    Huh?!
[14:15] ---
    April 1546 by the Continental Calendar.
[14:18] ---
    The throne of the Elfrieden Kingdom
    is given over to Souma Kazuya.
[14:23] ---
    This news reaches the Three Dukedoms--
[14:26] ---
    the trio of dukes who head
    the kingdom's armed forces--
[14:29] ---
    "Vargas Duchy,
    Red Dragon City"
    where it creates no small stir among them.
[14:33] ---
    Albert has stepped down?!
[14:35] ---
    Yes, sir. Further, he has ceded the throne
    to Souma, the summoned hero.
[14:43] ---
    "Walter Duchy,
    Lagoon City"
[14:49] ---
    That's quite the bold move,
    coming from him.
[14:53] ---
    "Carmine Duchy,
    Randel"
[14:56] ---
    I will wager that Liscia will be beside
    herself when this news reaches her.
[15:08] ---
    Father, Mother, please be all right.
[15:14] ---
    Ah, right there, right there,
    that's the spot...
[15:18] ---
    Father! Are you all... right?
[15:22] ---
    Father!
[15:23] ---
    I heard that the throne had been
    usurped and came flying here!
[15:26] ---
    And then I find the two of you in there,
    casually carrying on like that!
[15:29] ---
    The throne has not exactly been usurped.
[15:32] ---
    I abdicated it in favor of Souma
    of my own free will.
[15:36] ---
    But why would you
    suddenly do such a thing?
[15:39] ---
    Because I am convinced that he is more fit
    to be king of the country than I am.
[15:45] ---
    I made my decision responsibly,
    as one who was in charge of the kingdom.
[15:50] ---
    And I won't have any arguments!
[15:52] ---
    B-But Father, how could you declare
    my engagement without asking me?!
[15:56] ---
    That's something the two of you
    can discuss between yourselves.
[16:00] ---
    This marriage arrangement
    originated with me.
[16:04] ---
    If you don't want to go through with it,
[16:06] ---
    I doubt that Souma will insist.
[16:09] ---
    Mother!
[16:10] ---
    You should go and meet Souma first.
[16:14] ---
    This is your life, after all,
    so you should decide for yourself.
[16:23] ---
    What does he mean, the two of us
    should discuss it ourselves?
[16:26] ---
    Obviously this guy can't
    be up to anything good.
[16:29] ---
    I'm coming in.
[16:32] ---
    Hey, whoever just came in...
[16:35] ---
    Huh? Me?
[16:38] ---
    Are you able to read?
[16:41] ---
    D-Don't take me for an idiot!
    I've had my share of education!
[16:45] ---
    --Okay, what's three plus two?
    --Five.
[16:47] ---
    Six times two?
[16:48] ---
    Twelve, of course.
[16:50] ---
    Forty-two divided by seven?
[16:51] ---
    Seven! No, I mean six!
[16:54] ---
    Good. Come over here
    and help me with this work.
[16:58] ---
    Help you? Who do you think I am, anyway?
[17:02] ---
    Fresh manpower.
[17:04] ---
    I am Liscia Elfrieden,
    daughter of the king--
[17:07] ---
    I mean, the former king, Albert Elfrieden.
[17:12] ---
    You're a princess?
[17:14] ---
    Don't I look it?
[17:15] ---
    Oh, no, you're wearing what
    looks like a military uniform, so...
[17:18] ---
    Not "like" a military uniform,
    it "is" one!
[17:22] ---
    I'm stationed with the army under
    command of Duke Carmine.
[17:25] ---
    I was out performing my duties on patrol,
    until I came rushing back here.
[17:29] ---
    O-Oh, is that right? But, mm-hmm,
    now that you mention it,
[17:33] ---
    there is something princess-y about you.
[17:37] ---
    I'm Souma Kazuya.
    For better or worse, I'm the king now.
[17:43] ---
    I'm not a princess anymore.
    Thanks to you stealing the throne away,
[17:48] ---
    my position right now
    is really up in the air.
[17:51] ---
    Stole it away? Your old man
    all but dumped his throne on me.
[17:56] ---
    What happened, anyway? I know
    that you're the hero they summoned,
[18:02] ---
    but how did that turn into you suddenly
    ending up being delegated the throne?
[18:05] ---
    That's what I'd like to know. I was
    just looking out for my own safety.
[18:11] ---
    Huh?
[18:15] ---
    I wonder if those two will get along well.
[18:19] ---
    They'll be fine. I'm sure of it.
[18:23] ---
    When I brought up fiscal reforms,
[18:25] ---
    I knew I might end up being tasked
    with overseeing financial management,
[18:29] ---
    but I never expected to be made the king.
[18:32] ---
    Uh, listen, I'm sorry
    for how I acted earlier.
[18:35] ---
    There's nothing you need to apologize for.
    Actually, you're the victim here.
[18:39] ---
    You've been engaged to me out of the blue.
[18:42] ---
    A-About that matter...
[18:43] ---
    You don't have to give our
    engagement another thought.
[18:46] ---
    Huh?
[18:47] ---
    I'm only keeping the throne warm for now.
[18:49] ---
    After a few years of this,
    I'll probably give up being the king.
[18:52] ---
    Huh?
[18:54] ---
    I never wanted to do anything more than
    put in the work to raise enough funds
[18:58] ---
    to keep me from being
    handed over to the empire.
[19:01] ---
    Then again, now that I've been
    shown the throne, I'll at least do
[19:03] ---
    what it's going to take to get
    the country's finances back on track.
[19:08] ---
    But beyond that, I'll leave any further
    decisions in the hands of the people.
[19:13] ---
    And of course, you can
    cancel our engagement.
[19:18] ---
    I meant that when you say you will quit
    being the king after a few years,
[19:22] ---
    do you really think you can do anything
    about this country in a few years?
[19:25] ---
    And before you answer that, what are you
    doing about the aid to the empire?
[19:29] ---
    Hmm? Oh, I've already
    secured the aid money.
[19:34] ---
    "Principality of Amidonia"
[19:36] ---
    "Van"
[19:38] ---
    "Principality of Amidonia,
    capital, Van"
[19:43] ---
    It looks like a custodian for the items
    coming out of Elfrieden has been found.
[19:48] ---
    There is a great demand among
    the wealthy when it comes to jewelry
[19:52] ---
    sourced from royal families.
[19:54] ---
    Investing all those funds to snap up
    the standout pieces first
[19:58] ---
    was the right call to make.
[20:00] ---
    And as a result,
    we did a fair bit of business.
[20:03] ---
    I must say, this new king
    is taking some rather bold action.
[20:07] ---
    Right now, their country doesn't
    need jewels that nobody can eat.
[20:11] ---
    They need money to get the economy moving.
[20:14] ---
    I wasn't sure what they were thinking,
    making their summoned hero their king,
[20:17] ---
    but if he knows that much,
    he could be a formidable opponent.
[20:21] ---
    Yes.
[20:23] ---
    Huh?! You sold off
    our national treasures?!
[20:26] ---
    The national treasures belong
    to the whole country!
[20:28] ---
    You can't sell them just like that!
[20:30] ---
    Oh, take it easy. If they belong
    to the whole country,
[20:34] ---
    then it's fair to sell them for the sake
    of the country's subjects, right?
[20:37] ---
    Maybe so, but there are so many
    cultural and historic pieces!
[20:40] ---
    Yeah, I made sure to hold those back.
[20:44] ---
    I put the national treasures that have
    historic or cultural value in Group A,
[20:48] ---
    those with no historic or cultural
    value went into Group B,
[20:51] ---
    and the rest got put into Group C.
    Only Group B got sold off.
[20:56] ---
    Group A would have more
    long-term fundraising value
[20:57] ---
    by being put on display in
    a museum or something,
[21:00] ---
    rather than selling them off, after all.
[21:03] ---
    Okay, that might be true...
    But what about Group C?
[21:08] ---
    That's magic stuff, which frankly,
    I'm not sure how to handle.
[21:11] ---
    I'd have to say those
    were more like weapons.
[21:14] ---
    We can't just carelessly sell them,
    nor can we put them on display.
[21:18] ---
    Though the full set of antique hero gear
    looks like it would go for a lot.
[21:25] ---
    Mind if I sell that?
[21:26] ---
    Don't you dare. You're supposed
    to be a hero, remember?
[21:46] ---
    Regardless of his sudden
    ascension to the throne,
[21:49] ---
    on the surface, the country
    appears to be tranquil.
[21:52] ---
    But how long will that last?
    Anyhow, Canaria...
[21:58] ---
    Go and determine with your
    own eyes just how capable
[22:02] ---
    this new hero-turned-king is.
[22:04] ---
    Selling the national treasures like
    that--you really are a surprising hero.
[22:08] ---
    Don't be like that. If I hadn't, they
    would have handed me over to the empire.
[22:13] ---
    That's true, but still...
[22:15] ---
    Tell me, have you already sent
    that aid money to the empire?
[22:18] ---
    No, not yet. I told them to hold out
    paying until the very last day.
[22:23] ---
    Then how about if instead of
    paying it to the empire,
[22:26] ---
    you redirected it to the military?
[22:28] ---
    Your plan is to position ourselves
    to be able to resist the empire, right?
[22:32] ---
    At the military academy, they taught us
    to spend heavily on defense,
[22:36] ---
    but to spend not a pittance on tribute.
[22:38] ---
    You're saying that rather than offering
    tribute for a momentary peace,
[22:41] ---
    in the long run, we'd be better off
    building up the military?
[22:46] ---
    Allow me to chain your adage
    and immediately activate my own!
[22:50] ---
    "Time is money"!
[22:51] ---
    The financial assistance takes on this
    card's effect, and by sacrificing it,
[22:54] ---
    we gain time, which is what our country
    needs most in this situation!
[22:58] ---
    Why are you talking like that?
[23:00] ---
    Never mind. The point is,
    even if we build up our military,
[23:04] ---
    if we neglect all of our domestic
    problems, it won't mean anything.
[23:07] ---
    Until we resolve our food shortage
    and refugee issues,
[23:11] ---
    we'll continue to lose
    the support of the people.
[23:13] ---
    In which case, it won't take much for
    outside forces to instigate an uprising.
[23:17] ---
    We'd be creating a more
    vulnerable country.
[23:19] ---
    They wouldn't! The people of this nation
    love their country! They wouldn't revolt!
[23:24] ---
    That's idealistic thinking.
[23:26] ---
    In the long run, people with empty bellies
[23:28] ---
    have neither morals nor patriotism.
[23:31] ---
    You can't show concern for others if you
    have no breathing room yourself.
[23:34] ---
    Isn't that right?
[23:37] ---
    You really are a huge realist, huh?
[23:41] ---
    Yeah. Perhaps I am.