E11 - Sacrifice the Plum Tree to Preserve the Peach Tree

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.)
[00:18] ---
    How did you get in here?
[00:19] ---
    One should have a library storing
    all manner of documents,
[00:23] ---
    and an outstanding librarian over it.
[00:24] ---
    You found the blueprints
    for Red Dragon City.
[00:28] ---
    So you know about the underground
    escape routes and everything, then?
[00:32] ---
    This is our first time meeting
    face to face, isn't it, King Souma?
[00:36] ---
    I am Castor Vargas.
[00:38] ---
    Acting King Souma Kazuya.
[00:41] ---
    I am Tolman, servant of
    the House of Vargas.
[00:44] ---
    Tolman has nothing to do with this matter.
[00:48] ---
    If I end up getting defeated here,
    you may entrust the air force to him.
[00:51] ---
    He will serve you exceptionally.
[00:54] ---
    If you're going to be this gracious
    about it, why not give it up now?
[00:58] ---
    Can a man back down once he has
    made up his mind to do something?
[01:01] ---
    I do not intend to go
    down easily, of course.
[01:05] ---
    Your Majesty, please stay back.
[01:18] ---
    "Never mind, face forward,"
[01:23] ---
    my heart just cried until it was hoarse
[01:29] ---
    When you lose something,
    is that the end of it?
[01:34] ---
    Is there no putting things back
    the way they were?
[01:40] ---
    Just as a line of clouds
    moves off somewhere
[01:46] ---
    when you take your eyes
    off of them for a moment,
[01:51] ---
    so does everything else
[01:56] ---
    I never thought there was a version of me
[02:03] ---
    that the world would have a need for
[02:08] ---
    But when I believed in what I believe,
[02:14] ---
    I found myself as I truly am
[02:20] ---
    Hello, yes, the first step
    I take after nodding
[02:26] ---
    Hello, yes, is toward
    the yet-unseen horizon
[02:37] ---
    "Sacrifice the Plum Tree
    to Preserve the Peach Tree"
[02:40] ---
    You're a hero, aren't you?
    Care to try facing me one-on-one?
[02:44] ---
    Don't be ridiculous.
    There's no way a regular guy
[02:46] ---
    who's typically stuck in the
    castle could measure up to you.
[02:49] ---
    Castor, how long are you going
    to point your sword at His Majesty?!
[02:54] ---
    Watch it, you little kid!
[02:56] ---
    I didn't want to say this
    in front of His Majesty,
[02:58] ---
    but I've been alive for decades.
[03:00] ---
    Ha! I've been fighting on behalf
    of the kingdom for a century!
[03:13] ---
    Not too shabby, dark elf woman!
[03:15] ---
    It's Aisha. And I won't let you
    lay a finger on His Majesty!
[03:24] ---
    What brute strength you have.
[03:25] ---
    True, I may not be that bright.
[03:28] ---
    But even so, if my strength can be useful
    in supporting His Majesty's reign,
[03:31] ---
    then having "brute" strength
    is fine by me.
[03:34] ---
    That's fine loyalty. Do you find
    Souma to be a good master?
[03:38] ---
    I don't know. But I do wish
    to remain at his side.
[03:42] ---
    I want to stay with His Majesty
    and the princess forever!
[03:45] ---
    You really are very much
    like myself and Carla.
[03:47] ---
    Nonetheless, without the
    strength to match that loyalty,
[03:50] ---
    you cannot defend yourself,
    to say nothing of your master!
[04:01] ---
    Freeze right there! Ice Sword Mountain!
[04:19] ---
    I never expected the princess
    to be hiding inside that puppet.
[04:25] ---
    You've beaten me.
[04:26] ---
    Duke Vargas...
[04:30] ---
    Don't make that face. I stood by my pride,
    fought well, and was beaten,
[04:36] ---
    thus I regret nothing. But never mind me,
[04:39] ---
    I have a question I'd like
    to ask you, Princess.
[04:42] ---
    What is it?
[04:44] ---
    Is he a good king?
[04:47] ---
    Yes. To me, he is a good king.
[04:51] ---
    Some might call me self-indulgent
    for this, but I want Souma to be the king.
[04:56] ---
    If Father were to demand the throne back,
[04:59] ---
    then I would fight Father
    at King Souma's side.
[05:04] ---
    You'd be willing to go that far?
[05:08] ---
    The battleship exploded.
[05:10] ---
    Liscia, the air force will be returning.
[05:14] ---
    A slave collar?
[05:17] ---
    The collar's master is set
    to Souma Kazuya.
[05:20] ---
    If you attempt to harm its master...
[05:23] ---
    ...the collar will tighten,
    and my head will roll automatically.
[05:27] ---
    I understand.
[05:43] ---
    How dare you do that to my father!
[05:45] ---
    Stop, Carla! We've been beaten!
[05:49] ---
    No more, Carla! Duke Vargas has
    a slave collar around his neck.
[05:54] ---
    If you kill Souma, then Duke Vargas
    will end up dying, too.
[06:07] ---
    Tolman...
[06:07] ---
    Yes, sire?
[06:09] ---
    I hereby grant you the temporary
    commission of Air Force General.
[06:13] ---
    Take the lead of the air force
[06:15] ---
    and fall under the command
    of the Forbidden Army.
[06:17] ---
    As you command.
[06:19] ---
    But may I ask you one thing first?
[06:22] ---
    What?
[06:23] ---
    What is to become of Duke Vargas
    and Lady Carla?
[06:27] ---
    Their case will be reviewed
    once the fighting is over.
[06:29] ---
    I will not speak to that at this moment.
[06:36] ---
    Your orders, please?
[06:38] ---
    How would you like the air force
    to operate going forward?
[06:42] ---
    First, announce the
    outcome of this battle.
[06:45] ---
    Declare to the duchy that
    Duke Vargas has been captured,
[06:47] ---
    and that the air force is now under
    the command of the Forbidden Army.
[06:50] ---
    Once your force is assembled,
    you'll make for the Carmine Duchy.
[06:53] ---
    Yes, sire.
[06:57] ---
    Sorry to keep you, Georg Carmine.
    I'm on my way.
[07:15] ---
    Carla may not seem like it, but she's
    actually quite the devoted type.
[07:19] ---
    She's conscientious to the core,
    so she'll do whatever is asked of her,
[07:22] ---
    no matter how much she might dislike it.
    I know she's a good girl.
[07:26] ---
    A-Also, you may not be able to tell
    with all her armor on, but...
[07:30] ---
    Liscia, I know what you're thinking.
    You're begging for Carla's life.
[07:36] ---
    But are you sure you've considered
    the risks that come from doing so?
[07:41] ---
    Carla has committed
    the crime of rebellion.
[07:43] ---
    If I took her as a concubine,
    that could likely be overlooked.
[07:47] ---
    But if the king wrests the law,
    he will lose the trust of the people.
[07:52] ---
    Well... But even so...
[07:54] ---
    You don't have to plead for my life.
[07:56] ---
    He sent us letters time and again
    urging us to offer our allegiance,
[07:59] ---
    but we were the ones who rejected them.
[08:01] ---
    I consider myself to be a warrior.
[08:03] ---
    Having come to this, I will not
    be unwilling to lose my life.
[08:06] ---
    I wish you could have taken that resolve
[08:09] ---
    and directed it into something
    that won't make Liscia grieve.
[08:11] ---
    Multiple wyverns approaching
    from the sky to the east!
[08:15] ---
    It's the air force!
[08:18] ---
    Tch, it's Duke Vargas's air force!
[08:21] ---
    Are they what the ground
    forces have been waiting for?!
[08:30] ---
    It's all right, Hal. We've won the gamble.
[08:38] ---
    Souma really pulled it off, huh?
[08:41] ---
    Yes, he has.
[08:43] ---
    The anti-air repeating bolt
    throwers have been silenced!
[08:45] ---
    We will now commence aerial
    bombardment of Randel Castle!
[08:49] ---
    Make absolutely sure not to drop
    them on the residential sections!
[08:59] ---
    I brought the air force,
    according to plan.
[09:02] ---
    And we outlasted the army's attack,
    according to plan.
[09:05] ---
    It was only a day and a half, right?
    You had to be able to last that long.
[09:10] ---
    You dumbass!
    They were using cannons against us!
[09:13] ---
    It was pretty dangerous,
    I'll have you know!
[09:15] ---
    Same here. Duke Vargas gave us
    a real run for our money.
[09:19] ---
    That man certainly does speak
    freely with the king, doesn't he?
[09:23] ---
    Halbert has special permission to be
    chummy. In other words, he's one of us.
[09:35] ---
    Th-The air force has betrayed us!
    We must come up with a strategy, quickly!
[09:39] ---
    Please give us your instructions!
    What are we supposed to do now?
[09:47] ---
    Duke Carmine!
[09:49] ---
    What is the damage report
    from the bombardment?
[09:52] ---
    Sir, some of the roofs and towers
    have been blown away,
[09:55] ---
    but fortunately, we have
    sustained minimal casualties.
[09:58] ---
    However, Souma now has air superiority.
[10:01] ---
    I see.
[10:03] ---
    Which means that we have as good as taken
[10:05] ---
    all of the people of this city hostage.
[10:09] ---
    Yes, sir.
[10:10] ---
    Then we have lost the battle.
[10:14] ---
    Wh-What are you saying?!
    The army remains virtually unscathed!
[10:19] ---
    We can easily recover the situation!
[10:21] ---
    If we use the people as human
    shields and hide in the castle...
[10:26] ---
    Use the people as human shields
    and hide in the castle?
[10:29] ---
    Do you actually mean that?
[10:32] ---
    What is so wrong about
    sacrificing your subjects?
[10:35] ---
    That is the sort of people
    you are, isn't it? Honestly...
[10:43] ---
    Wh-What are you doing?!
[10:44] ---
    These are slave collars, aren't they?!
[10:47] ---
    I get it! You're going to offer our heads
    to the king to beg for your own life!
[10:50] ---
    That's a dirty trick, Georg Carmine!
[10:53] ---
    It is outrageous to think that
    I would lower myself to your level.
[10:57] ---
    Take them away.
[10:58] ---
    Your Majesty...
[11:00] ---
    The mission that you ordered,
    to construct and defend the fort,
[11:03] ---
    has been accomplished.
[11:05] ---
    That was quite the feat. Ludwin, I will
    see to it that you and your men
[11:08] ---
    are rewarded afterward. Assemble your
    troops, and prepare to move out.
[11:13] ---
    Yes, sire. We'll attack Randel at once.
[11:15] ---
    No. The fighting here is already done.
[11:18] ---
    Huh?
[11:22] ---
    I have done my part. I no longer
    have any regrets in this life.
[11:29] ---
    Now then, Beowulf, would you
    see to myself, as well?
[11:33] ---
    Yes, sir.
[11:44] ---
    Send out a messenger to the
    Forbidden Army with our surrender.
[11:47] ---
    With the exception of the
    corrupt noblemen's forces,
[11:50] ---
    all of our soldiers were only
    following my orders.
[11:52] ---
    I will accept full responsibility.
[11:55] ---
    I leave the rest in the hands of you
    and Glaive. Understood?
[11:59] ---
    Yes, sir.
[12:00] ---
    There's a white flag over Randel!
[12:03] ---
    Y-Your Majesty... how did you...?
[12:10] ---
    "Carmine Duchy, Randel
    An area under the control of Georg
    Carmine, general of Elfrieden's army."
[12:13] ---
    "Gaius Amidonia
    Age: About 50
    Sex: Male Race: Human
    Height: 180cm"
[12:23] ---
    King Albert gave me this wine.
[12:26] ---
    I was planning to drink until I passed out
    the day the princess was married.
[12:30] ---
    My only regret is being unable to see
    the princess in her wedding gown,
[12:34] ---
    but when I consider that this
    is a wedding present
[12:36] ---
    greater than anyone else could offer,
    it doesn't feel so bad.
[12:47] ---
    I bring word. King Souma
    has not entered Randel,
[12:49] ---
    but is already leading the Forbidden Army
    away and heading west.
[12:53] ---
    He has ordered the army to
    follow the Forbidden Army
[12:55] ---
    as soon as they have regrouped.
[12:58] ---
    In that case, I will step over
    your old-growth trunk.
[13:01] ---
    I see, so that's what this is!
    The king was going after the bigger fish!
[13:07] ---
    Very well, my king, and my princess,
[13:10] ---
    go ahead and step over this
    old-growth trunk hand in hand!
[13:14] ---
    Glory to these young sprouts,
    and to Elfrieden!
[13:20] ---
    What's going on? Explain it to me.
[13:23] ---
    I can understand why you'd ask.
[13:29] ---
    This is something that
    Duke Carmine arranged.
[13:31] ---
    Duke Carmine?
[13:33] ---
    I never intended to fight the
    Three Dukedoms in the first place.
[13:37] ---
    Then why--
[13:38] ---
    It may have looked as though Duchess
    Walter fell in line after my ultimatum,
[13:43] ---
    but the truth is, she had been
    following me since before then.
[13:46] ---
    That's thanks to Juna.
[13:49] ---
    Right. Her granddaughter, Juna,
    mediated on our behalf.
[13:54] ---
    I didn't know how the other
    two dukes would act,
[13:56] ---
    so I asked Duchess Walter to keep
    this fact to herself for the time being.
[14:01] ---
    From the stories Liscia told me
    about Duke Carmine, I thought,
[14:05] ---
    he's not an unreasonable man if
    you speak heart-to-heart with him.
[14:09] ---
    But then, he started harboring
    those corrupt noblemen.
[14:12] ---
    That wasn't a part of the scenario
    that Hakuya and I came up with.
[14:16] ---
    Honestly, I didn't know what
    Duke Carmine was thinking.
[14:20] ---
    But then Halbert's father, Glaive,
    requested an audience with me.
[14:26] ---
    All right, let's hear it.
[14:28] ---
    Yes, sire. Duke Carmine intends to gather
[14:30] ---
    all the noblemen who have
    committed offenses into one place,
[14:33] ---
    stage a rebellion together with them,
    and have Your Majesty stamp them out.
[14:39] ---
    To round up all of the corrupt noblemen,
[14:41] ---
    who would cause trouble if
    they remained concealed,
[14:43] ---
    he took a confrontational
    posture toward Your Majesty,
[14:47] ---
    to draw any dissidents to his side.
[14:50] ---
    You've got to be kidding me!
    Who asked him to do anything like that?!
[14:53] ---
    Your anger is indeed justified, sire,
[14:56] ---
    but this was Duke Carmine's own idea.
[14:59] ---
    Your Majesty, when wheat spoils,
    it also spoils the wheat around it.
[15:04] ---
    The problem with nobility
    is the network they have.
[15:07] ---
    Even if you know a nobleman is corrupt,
[15:09] ---
    if their relations by
    marriage beg for mercy,
[15:12] ---
    you'll have no choice but
    to let matters stand.
[15:14] ---
    That is why it is necessary for
    them to be looked down on
[15:17] ---
    as insurrectionists against the state.
[15:20] ---
    Do we really have to take things so far?
[15:22] ---
    Yes, sire. But there is one
    other reason, as well.
[15:25] ---
    There's more?
[15:27] ---
    The property that Your Majesty seized
    was only what was on the surface.
[15:31] ---
    The truth is, the noblemen who have
    gone over to the Carmine Duchy
[15:34] ---
    have employed mercenaries from Zem.
[15:37] ---
    This proves that you have not
    taken away all of their assets.
[15:42] ---
    These noblemen are more sinister
    than perhaps Your Majesty is aware.
[15:46] ---
    Is Georg trying to get the nobles
    to use up all of their hidden funds?
[15:51] ---
    But that would mean their money
[15:53] ---
    would end up flowing to Zem, from where
    the mercenaries are being sent...
[15:56] ---
    Ransom money?!
[15:58] ---
    Yes, sire. While capturing
    the corrupt nobles,
[16:01] ---
    all the mercenaries hired by them
    will also be taken prisoner.
[16:05] ---
    After he gets the corrupt
    noblemen to hire mercenaries,
[16:08] ---
    their hidden funds will wind up in Zem.
[16:11] ---
    Thus, when their mercenaries
    are taken prisoner,
[16:12] ---
    he'll recover that money as their ransom
    and keep everything contained.
[16:17] ---
    Yes, sire.
[16:20] ---
    Why do I have to squander someone
    who can think so far ahead?!
[16:24] ---
    If he's prepared to do that much,
    he should just work with me!
[16:26] ---
    Please, you must understand, Your Majesty,
[16:28] ---
    Duke Carmine is entrusting
    the future to you.
[16:31] ---
    Why does he place so much trust in me?
    We've never even met.
[16:35] ---
    Someday, when you do meet
    Duke Carmine in person,
[16:39] ---
    that is a question you can
    ask him yourself.
[16:44] ---
    Duke Carmine risked his life.
    I hesitated to tell even Liscia.
[16:49] ---
    He only let me in on it just before
    he delivered his ultimatum.
[16:54] ---
    Are you saying that my father's
    and my opposition was...?
[16:58] ---
    I'm sorry.
[16:59] ---
    I could have told Duke Vargas about this,
[17:03] ---
    but if even a word of it leaked out,
    then Duke Carmine's...
[17:06] ---
    ...life-risking strategy would fall apart.
[17:10] ---
    If Duke Carmine was risking his life,
    then this is no big deal at all.
[17:16] ---
    Carla...
[17:21] ---
    "Altomura"
[17:29] ---
    That damn Weist has blown his chance.
[17:35] ---
    Someone has stepped out onto the wall!
[17:45] ---
    But how? How is Excel here?
[17:48] ---
    She was in Lagoon City during the
    conference with the Three Dukes.
[17:51] ---
    Even in haste, it takes three days
    to get here from Lagoon City.
[17:55] ---
    Could she have been in Altomura
    since before the conference?
[17:58] ---
    Then she's been in contact with Souma?!
[18:02] ---
    Father, this is a trap!
    We must retreat at once!
[18:05] ---
    What kind of nonsense is that?!
[18:23] ---
    This is Souma Kazuya,
    acting King of the Elfrieden Kingdom.
[18:28] ---
    Having defeated Duke Vargas of the
    air force, and Duke Carmine of the army,
[18:32] ---
    I am in control of all the armed forces.
    The civil war has been concluded.
[18:38] ---
    However, we are unable to
    sheathe our swords just yet!
[18:41] ---
    For you see, the Principality
    of Amidonia's military
[18:44] ---
    has taken advantage of this chaos
    to infringe upon our territory!
[18:51] ---
    Their princes have insisted on taking
    back their lost territory for generations,
[18:54] ---
    constantly raising tensions
    along our border.
[18:57] ---
    The current Amidonian prince, Gaius VIII,
[19:01] ---
    has promoted friction between
    myself and the Three Dukedoms,
[19:03] ---
    and operated in secret for their benefit!
[19:06] ---
    Will merely driving them out suffice?!
[19:09] ---
    Here in this time when all of
    mankind is supposed to be united
[19:11] ---
    against the Demon Lord's armies,
    can we excuse such barbarism?!
[19:14] ---
    Nay! Absolutely not!
    As such, the Elfrieden Kingdom
[19:20] ---
    hereby declares war against
    the Principality of Amidonia!
[19:23] ---
    Why, you insolent brat!
[19:26] ---
    You call three generations of our
    royal family's wishes barbarism?!
[19:29] ---
    I'm sure you are watching this, Gaius!
[19:31] ---
    I am sending my forces
    westward immediately.
[19:34] ---
    The target of my conquest is
    the Amidonian capital, Van.
[19:39] ---
    While you are dawdling around at Altomura,
[19:42] ---
    we will burn your city to the ground.
[19:46] ---
    You have set your hand against
    my territory, and my house,
[19:49] ---
    and now you will suffer the consequences!
[19:53] ---
    We're returning to Van at once!
[20:08] ---
    First you defeat Duke Carmine,
    and now you declare war on Amidonia.
[20:13] ---
    This isn't something you can do on a whim.
    How much have you planned this?
[20:23] ---
    What's happening?
[20:25] ---
    There is word that Prince Gaius
    departed Altomura yesterday.
[20:33] ---
    Princess, I bring news. Prince Gaius
    has arrived on the plains of Van.
[20:39] ---
    I see.
[20:40] ---
    Then again, they didn't
    arrive unharmed, did they?
[20:44] ---
    No...
[20:48] ---
    Goldoa Valley... Am I right?
[20:51] ---
    You are too perceptive, I'm afraid.
[20:53] ---
    This Souma guy really is
    a piece of work, huh?
[20:56] ---
    He knows exactly what my
    dumb old man is thinking.
[21:00] ---
    What do you mean by that?
[21:02] ---
    You see, the shortest route would be
    to go through the Ursula Mountains.
[21:07] ---
    Even if they were marching double time,
[21:09] ---
    they'd still pass through the
    mountains during the night.
[21:21] ---
    Word is that it was a hellish night.
[21:23] ---
    Men abandoning their
    friends calling for help,
[21:25] ---
    scrambling through the blood and muck...
[21:29] ---
    The way out of the valley is just ahead!
[21:37] ---
    The vanguard of the principality's
    forces is through the valley.
[21:40] ---
    Shall we give pursuit?
[21:44] ---
    No need. We have carried out
    our duties. Prepare to withdraw.
[21:49] ---
    By the time they exited the valley,
    30,000 soldiers had become 15,000.
[21:56] ---
    Following that, His Highness
    gathered soldiers and provisions
[21:58] ---
    from the surrounding villages,
[22:00] ---
    and managed to recover
    their number to 25,000.
[22:03] ---
    Doesn't he know that doing so
    will turn the people against him,
[22:06] ---
    and even if he takes back Van,
    he's inviting a rebellion?
[22:10] ---
    By the time he replenished
    his men and arrived at Van,
[22:14] ---
    the plains were already filled
    with Elfrieden Kingdom banners...
[22:18] ---
    The wind blowing by rushes
    through the world,
[22:22] ---
    connecting us when otherwise
    we never would have met
[22:27] ---
    Unfurling wings that no one else can see,
[22:28] ---
    Unfurling wings that no one else can see,
    Van has fallen...?
[22:31] ---
    I take flight in search of a miracle
    that no one else can find
[22:43] ---
    Seeking the courage to keep on choosing
[22:48] ---
    the outcome of an ever-meandering morrow,
[22:52] ---
    I never want to fear change
[22:56] ---
    or doubt the blueness of the sky
[23:01] ---
    More than any dreams I once had
[23:03] ---
    and beyond any future I've imagined,
[23:05] ---
    I want to keep on drifting along
[23:09] ---
    within this transcendentally beautiful
    moment I'm spending with you
[23:13] ---
    If I can make that come true...
[23:17] ---
    I shoot up through the blue
    to the sky where we connect
[23:22] ---
    Grasp my destiny and reel it in
[23:25] ---
    And through our joined hands,
[23:30] ---
    you feel my helpless wish for eternity
[23:35] ---
    Even if this is only an illusion
[23:37] ---
    taking place within someone's dream,
[23:39] ---
    I'll still take this blowing wind
[23:41] ---
    and hold on tight as I take flight