E18 - Seeing Snake Shadows in Every Cup

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.)
[00:10] ---
    I heard that the second queen and
    a consort have been settled on.
[00:14] ---
    You're locked down here in the dungeon,
    but quick to hear these things.
[00:19] ---
    The guards were happily
    chatting away about it.
[00:23] ---
    How did you feel about it?
[00:25] ---
    Like I said to Aisha,
[00:27] ---
    the number of queens and consorts
    that Souma has will keep increasing.
[00:30] ---
    Once that happens, the power dynamic
    will become complicated.
[00:35] ---
    So having kindred spirits as--
[00:37] ---
    I didn't ask what you thought, Liscia.
    I asked how you felt.
[00:46] ---
    It stung a little in here.
[00:54] ---
    Did you see Duke Carmine?
[01:00] ---
    But when I was informed
    that he took his own life,
[01:03] ---
    I was surprised by how calm I felt.
[01:07] ---
    It's not that I don't feel sad.
    On the contrary, my heart is breaking.
[01:12] ---
    But I had a feeling things might
    end up the way they did.
[01:17] ---
    Liscia...
[01:18] ---
    I had a hunch that Duke Carmine
    was likely to choose to perish
[01:22] ---
    along with the darkness
    that has pervaded the kingdom.
[01:26] ---
    And that Souma would have no choice
    but to accept his commitment.
[01:31] ---
    It's what these two people I think
    the world of have decided on.
[01:35] ---
    So no matter how painful,
    and how sad it makes me feel,
[01:39] ---
    I have to accept it, or it would
    be an affront to their resolve.
[01:44] ---
    Liscia, that's how far
    you're prepared to go?
[01:48] ---
    Then you must also know that coming
    down here for me is pointless.
[01:53] ---
    That has nothing to do with this!
    You're still alive,
[01:57] ---
    and this can go any number of ways!
[02:00] ---
    "I'm just a coward."
[02:02] ---
    That's what he said
    during the battle at Van.
[02:08] ---
    He's still fighting, even now.
    For you, and his family.
[02:15] ---
    On the battlefield, I got to see the
    weight of everything he's carrying.
[02:19] ---
    So then...
[02:22] ---
    Which is exactly why I can't
    accept your intercession.
[02:25] ---
    Carla, why not? Duke Carmine took upon
    himself the darkness of the kingdom
[02:30] ---
    and gave his life in return! There's no
    point in you martyring yourself!
[02:35] ---
    No, that's not what I'm doing, Liscia.
[02:39] ---
    I don't want to be a burden to you
    or your loved ones anymore.
[02:50] ---
    "Seeing Snake Shadows in Every Cup"
[02:51] ---
    "Seeing Snake Shadows in Every Cup"
    Owing to the appeal
    of Duchess Excel Walter,
[02:53] ---
    who distinguished herself
    in this recent war,
[02:56] ---
    the right to trial for
    Castor Vargas and Carla Vargas
[03:00] ---
    has been transferred from
    the Royal Court of Elfrieden
[03:03] ---
    and granted to Provisional King Souma.
[03:06] ---
    This trial by the king is now in session.
[03:10] ---
    Now then, it's time for
    the trial of Castor and Carla.
[03:19] ---
    Former Air Force General Castor Vargas
    and his daughter, Carla,
[03:24] ---
    failed to recognize His Majesty King
    Souma's advancement to the throne,
[03:26] ---
    and rose up in hostilities.
[03:28] ---
    The charge of "treason" is applicable,
[03:31] ---
    and the punishment of
    "forfeiture of territory and property,
[03:33] ---
    as well as execution"
    is considered fitting.
[03:41] ---
    These two have certainly
    committed some foolish actions.
[03:45] ---
    However, they did not
    plot to usurp the throne.
[03:49] ---
    Their loyalty to Albert, the former king,
[03:52] ---
    as well as their friendship with Georg
    Carmine, is what led them astray.
[03:57] ---
    His Majesty's throne was formally
    relinquished by King Albert.
[04:02] ---
    It is beyond the pale for a retainer
    to harbor any misgivings.
[04:05] ---
    The sudden change in the throne
    threw not just the Castors,
[04:09] ---
    but the people at large into confusion.
[04:12] ---
    I believe the fault lies in part with
    Your Majesty. What do you say?
[04:17] ---
    Fortunately, no one lost their lives
    in the fighting at Red Dragon City.
[04:23] ---
    Please, could you at the very
    least spare both of their lives?
[04:31] ---
    Castor, do you have anything
    to say in your defense?
[04:37] ---
    Only one thing--I am the one
    who instigated the war.
[04:41] ---
    Carla did nothing more
    than follow my orders.
[04:43] ---
    Father!
[04:46] ---
    I will take her guilt and
    punishment on myself. So...
[04:50] ---
    So can I ask you to at least
    spare Carla's life?!
[04:55] ---
    Father!
[04:59] ---
    Carla was the one
    who led the air squadron.
[05:03] ---
    You cannot tell me that she
    raised the flag of rebellion
[05:07] ---
    without being prepared
    to face the consequences.
[05:11] ---
    Carla, do you have anything
    to say in your defense?
[05:14] ---
    I do not.
[05:16] ---
    Don't you have anything to say at all?
[05:18] ---
    Very well, there is one thing.
    I apologize for my lack of clarity.
[05:26] ---
    Are you not going to beg for forgiveness?
[05:28] ---
    I will not. Please judge me as you will.
[05:32] ---
    I see.
[05:35] ---
    Well,
[05:36] ---
    how do the rest of you think it
    appropriate that they be judged?
[05:40] ---
    I am asking your opinions in light of what
    these two have just said, of course.
[05:46] ---
    Your Majesty, you sound as though
    their guilt has already been decided!
[05:51] ---
    Hmm? Who is that man?
[05:54] ---
    Piltory Saracen,
    head of the House of Saracen.
[05:58] ---
    I regard this as the place to determine
    the severity of one's crimes.
[06:01] ---
    Just because Duke Vargas and his daughter
[06:03] ---
    have agreed to submit
    themselves to any punishment,
[06:06] ---
    that should not be taken
    as an admission of guilt!
[06:13] ---
    Well said, young Saracen!
[06:16] ---
    Owen Jabana, head of the House of Jabana.
[06:20] ---
    Prime Minister, Duke Vargas there
    has been keeping this kingdom safe
[06:26] ---
    since before we were even born--
    for over a hundred years, in fact.
[06:32] ---
    Are you saying that we should reduce
    his sentence because of his service?
[06:35] ---
    Oh, no. Nothing of the sort. Duke Vargas
    has already lost his status and honor.
[06:42] ---
    Is not going further and taking his life,
    as well as the life of his daughter,
[06:46] ---
    too severe a sentence for these charges?
[06:49] ---
    So forgive the traitors--
    is that what you are saying?
[06:53] ---
    As old as I am,
    it would be a shame not to.
[06:56] ---
    Duke Vargas could serve for another two,
    even three hundred years.
[07:00] ---
    There is no one in the kingdom right now
[07:03] ---
    better suited to leading
    the air force than Duke Vargas.
[07:06] ---
    That is all I am saying.
[07:08] ---
    Your Majesty, you are the one who said,
[07:10] ---
    "If you possess an aptitude,
    we'll make use of it," are you not?
[07:13] ---
    Are we now to lose this
    hard-to-find talent?
[07:17] ---
    I would stand by my friend to the end--
[07:23] ---
    What do the rest of you think?
[07:25] ---
    The law is the law.
[07:27] ---
    If we forgive this, it sets a poor
    example for other retainers.
[07:31] ---
    Any fool who defies Your Majesty
    will be of no use to you henceforth.
[07:36] ---
    Acts of treason are a blot on
    the good name of the nobility.
[07:39] ---
    Your Majesty,
    please pass your just decree.
[07:42] ---
    --Indeed.
    --Yes, yes.
[07:45] ---
    Your Majesty, it's true,
    the law is the law.
[07:48] ---
    However, the more strictly you apply it,
[07:51] ---
    the further the hearts of
    the people will turn from you!
[07:54] ---
    For my part, I am not concerned
    with how strictly the law is enforced.
[07:58] ---
    I just wish to know what
    Duke Vargas's character is--
[08:19] ---
    Kill them.
[08:36] ---
    Machiavelli's The Prince has
    been called "the devil's book,"
[08:40] ---
    and in the few hundred years
    since it was first published,
[08:42] ---
    it has come under attack
    by the Christian church.
[08:46] ---
    Particularly singled out for
    criticism is Chapter VIII--
[08:50] ---
    "Concerning Those Who Have Obtained
    a Principality by Wickedness."
[08:56] ---
    Chapter XVII outlines "Whether it
    is better to be loved than feared."
[09:05] ---
    Chapter VIII asks,
[09:07] ---
    "How is it possible for a person to
    take a country by nefarious means,
[09:10] ---
    and subsequently live a peaceful
    life without insurrection?"
[09:18] ---
    and answers, "Because they were
    skilled in employing cruelties."
[09:23] ---
    Further, in Chapter XVII,
[09:26] ---
    it asserts that "It is better for
    a ruler to be feared than loved."
[09:31] ---
    Also, it declares, "When leading an army,
[09:34] ---
    one never needs to be concerned
    with one's reputation for ruthlessness."
[09:40] ---
    However, in Machiavelli's Chapter VIII,
[09:43] ---
    he states, "The best use of cruelties
    is to perform them all at once,
[09:47] ---
    so as not to repeat them afterward."
[09:51] ---
    But he stops short of giving
    any examples of these cruelties,
[09:56] ---
    and the ruthlessness
    that a ruler must bear.
[09:59] ---
    He does not simply say,
    "Kill all of your enemies."
[10:04] ---
    If you carefully read the examples
    that Machiavelli does give,
[10:07] ---
    you will see that targets
    of these cruelties
[10:09] ---
    are not always enemies,
    but often one's own allies.
[10:14] ---
    Machiavelli says to purge
    the informers, the opportunists,
[10:20] ---
    and other treacherous insiders
    nestled among your allies all at once,
[10:23] ---
    regardless of how cruel
    others may call it.
[10:45] ---
    It's all right. They're under my command.
[10:48] ---
    Your command? Huh?
[11:07] ---
    Carmi--
[11:17] ---
    Aisha, put your sword away.
[11:19] ---
    B-But sire...
[11:21] ---
    This is Kagetora,
[11:23] ---
    leader of the Black Cats, an intelligence
    unit that reports directly to me.
[11:34] ---
    Contact the members of the Forbidden
    Army standing by outside their homes.
[11:37] ---
    Tell them to seize the evidence.
[11:41] ---
    If they meet resistance,
    have them put it down.
[11:55] ---
    Your Majesty,
    if it is not too much to ask,
[11:59] ---
    could you explain what just happened?
[12:01] ---
    The nobles of those
    12 houses are connected
[12:05] ---
    to Amidonia and various other nations.
[12:07] ---
    Hmm, they were indeed like weathervanes,
[12:11] ---
    siding with whomever
    was blowing the hardest.
[12:14] ---
    Yeah. People may call me cruel,
[12:17] ---
    but it was necessary to cut out the root
    of that disease once and for all.
[12:22] ---
    But these are houses that have
    long served the royal family.
[12:26] ---
    Indeed, there were those
[12:27] ---
    who have been in service to
    the royal family for generations.
[12:30] ---
    However, they were in contact with
    other nations behind the king's back,
[12:34] ---
    and when suspicions arose,
    they stirred others up
[12:36] ---
    to make sure the investigations
    never fell upon themselves.
[12:39] ---
    That is the sort of people they were.
[12:42] ---
    If anything were to happen,
    and those who are dear to me,
[12:46] ---
    like Liscia, Aisha, and Juna
    ended up getting hurt as a result,
[12:49] ---
    I don't want to ever regret thinking
[12:52] ---
    "I should have killed them
    when I had the chance."
[12:59] ---
    Machiavelli also says
    the following in The Prince:
[13:04] ---
    "Fortune is something that no human
    action, no matter how well-considered,
[13:07] ---
    is able to change,
    but one should also consider
[13:11] ---
    that at least half of that Fortune
    rests within our own hands."
[13:18] ---
    He means that we can't
    prevent sudden changes of fate,
[13:21] ---
    but if we prepare ourselves ahead
    of time for sudden changes of fate,
[13:25] ---
    we can mitigate the course
    that fate takes.
[13:29] ---
    I understand what you're thinking, Souma.
[13:32] ---
    But what do we do about the
    Houses of Saracen and Jabana?
[13:36] ---
    Permit me to explain it to everyone.
[13:39] ---
    The preceding heads of these two families
    were in league with the 12.
[13:45] ---
    That is true enough...
[13:48] ---
    However, that ended with
    the current generation.
[13:51] ---
    Piltory and Owen both
    cut their ties with them.
[13:56] ---
    Piltory, despite his youth,
    excels at military and literary arts,
[13:59] ---
    and Owen is a man of honesty and passion.
[14:03] ---
    These two will serve His Majesty
    with no hidden agenda.
[14:08] ---
    We pledge allegiance to Your Majesty.
[14:11] ---
    Stand up. I dislike all this formality.
[14:17] ---
    I have to say, though, if we had been
    in conformity with the other 12,
[14:22] ---
    we would not have our heads right now.
[14:26] ---
    If that had happened,
    I was to provoke the two of you,
[14:29] ---
    to try to make you angry. After all,
    if you pandered to His Majesty,
[14:34] ---
    as the other 12 did, he would not
    have much use for you in the future.
[14:40] ---
    True enough! Better to have
    kept us out of your business.
[14:44] ---
    You thought this through that far ahead?
[14:51] ---
    Your Majesty, it is time.
[14:56] ---
    All right.
[15:07] ---
    Castor Vargas, as you
    rejected my ultimatum,
[15:12] ---
    the crime of treason will be
    applied to you.
[15:14] ---
    I understand. The entirety
    of the crime rests with me.
[15:18] ---
    So please, spare Carla, at least!
[15:22] ---
    You are not the one
    who gets to decide that.
[15:25] ---
    I now pronounce judgment!
    Your crime of treason is manifest!
[15:31] ---
    However, I acknowledge
    your accomplishments
[15:34] ---
    in having served to defend
    the kingdom for over a century.
[15:39] ---
    Thus, I shall spare your life.
[15:42] ---
    You will be remanded over to Excel.
[15:44] ---
    However, entry into the former
    Duchy of Vargas is forbidden.
[15:49] ---
    As is any contact with your son,
    Carl, and his mother, Accela.
[15:53] ---
    Excel, your son-in-law is
    the one who committed this act;
[15:57] ---
    keep a close watch over him.
[15:59] ---
    Yes, sire. I shall abide by your command.
[16:06] ---
    Carla, you are just as guilty.
[16:09] ---
    Moreover, you do not have the
    distinguished history of your father.
[16:13] ---
    Unfortunately, I cannot
    reduce your sentence.
[16:15] ---
    I understand.
[16:17] ---
    In that case, kill me! Carla only
    turned against you at my direction!
[16:23] ---
    Please! May all my merits go toward Carla!
[16:28] ---
    Take him away.
[16:33] ---
    Let me go! Please! I beg you!
    At least spare my daughter's life!
[16:38] ---
    Let me die in her place! Please!
[16:49] ---
    Your crime is evident.
[16:51] ---
    But, since you are an accessory,
    capital punishment would be unjust.
[16:56] ---
    Your life will be spared, but your status
    will be reduced to that of a slave.
[17:00] ---
    Your owners will be the royal family,
    which is to say, myself and Liscia.
[17:06] ---
    Yes, sire.
[17:08] ---
    Further instructions will follow,
[17:10] ---
    but I have one order for you upfront.
[17:14] ---
    As you wish.
[17:19] ---
    If I ever go astray, you are to kill me,
    then and there.
[17:24] ---
    If I become a tyrant, I want you
    to take on the role of stopping me.
[17:31] ---
    Why would you tell me
    that out of the blue?
[17:35] ---
    Because Liscia and the others
    might not be able to do it.
[17:39] ---
    When I think that someday I may grow
    drunk on power and become a tyrant,
[17:45] ---
    it scares me.
[17:47] ---
    I worry about whether or not Liscia
    and the others would stop me.
[17:53] ---
    Carla, I want you to be
    the one who takes my life
[17:56] ---
    before I bring sorrow upon myself,
    along with those most dear to me.
[18:04] ---
    I shall abide by your command.
[18:10] ---
    Thus shall your judgment be!
[18:23] ---
    --Souma!
    --Your Majesty!
[18:26] ---
    I'm fine. Just a little tired.
[18:29] ---
    But...
[18:31] ---
    I'm fine, okay?
    I'd like to be left alone for a bit.
[18:42] ---
    Princess, His Majesty looked to me like a
    soldier returning from his first battle...
[18:48] ---
    ...after killing someone
    for the first time.
[18:51] ---
    When Souma executed those 12 noblemen,
    he wasn't his usual self.
[18:58] ---
    Tell me, Aisha, how do you support
    a soldier who's killed his first person?
[19:03] ---
    Well, let's see... I've never been
    through it, so I don't know for sure.
[19:09] ---
    Something I often hear, though,
    is to make them forget about it.
[19:13] ---
    Make them forget about it, huh?
[19:19] ---
    Hey, Aisha, would you help me
    make him forget about this?
[19:32] ---
    Commit your cruel acts all at once...
[19:37] ---
    A ruler never needs to be concerned
    with his reputation for ruthlessness...
[19:43] ---
    He must dare to choose fighting
    so that he does not perish...
[19:48] ---
    When the time to perish does come,
[19:50] ---
    it will be too late to regret what
    he should have done earlier...
[19:55] ---
    I understand what Machiavelli is saying,
[19:58] ---
    but even so, I'm having second thoughts
    about whether it was the right decision.
[20:14] ---
    Huh?! Wh-What do you think you're doing?!
[20:19] ---
    Huh? I-I mean, sorry. I thought
    I told you to leave me alone.
[20:27] ---
    There's no way we can leave you
    alone when you're like this.
[20:32] ---
    B-Begging your pardon.
[20:35] ---
    What is this?! What are you trying to do?!
[20:38] ---
    Well, you know, trying to make you
    forget about this, you know?
[20:43] ---
    Huh?
[20:46] ---
    Whatever! You're free to do
    whatever you want with us, okay?
[20:50] ---
    In any case, this is my first time
    doing anything like this...
[20:54] ---
    ...so please be cordial, Your Majesty.
[20:57] ---
    Do whatever I want? Please be cordial?
    What are you both saying?!
[21:04] ---
    Um, Souma, it's cold.
    Can we get under the covers?
[21:16] ---
    Your hand is so cold.
[21:24] ---
    You know what, Souma?
[21:27] ---
    I thought I had a pretty good idea of
    the weight you had on your shoulders.
[21:34] ---
    Every time Your Majesty
    has a difficult decision,
[21:36] ---
    it's a painful experience
    for you, isn't it?
[21:40] ---
    But we're family, aren't we?
[21:43] ---
    We can't let you carry such heavy
    responsibilities all by yourself.
[21:47] ---
    You're treating us like strangers,
    Your Majesty.
[21:49] ---
    Why even have a first queen
    and a second queen?
[21:53] ---
    Even if it's not official yet...
[21:56] ---
    Just as when we were having a hard time,
    you were there to support us,
[22:00] ---
    when you're having a hard time,
    we're here to support you.
[22:05] ---
    Listen, you two...
[22:07] ---
    Mm-hmm?
[22:08] ---
    What is it?
[22:10] ---
    This sure is warm.
[22:19] ---
    Reparation payments to take back Van?
    Is my brother an idiot?
[22:25] ---
    When reparations are paid, it's the old
    men and old ladies in town who suffer.
[22:30] ---
    He could have just turned
    it over to the kingdom,
[22:32] ---
    and avoided any post-war
    accountability, couldn't he?
[22:36] ---
    Indeed. The principality
    hadn't been entirely defeated,
[22:40] ---
    so if they had just left
    the territory as-is,
[22:42] ---
    then neither the kingdom nor the empire
    would have come on so strongly.
[22:47] ---
    Then maybe we could have
    made an additional move.
[22:51] ---
    However, it may not have
    been quite so simple.
[22:55] ---
    Yeah, maybe.
[22:58] ---
    Sebastian, you met Souma once, right?
[23:01] ---
    After seeing him up close,
    what do you think of him?
[23:04] ---
    Well, let me think... He looked like
    any ordinary young man on the outside,
[23:09] ---
    one who is openly able to lend
    an ear to the opinions of others.
[23:13] ---
    Most of all, I felt that he cared deeply
    for those who were close to him.
[23:19] ---
    So he's a king who's the complete
    opposite of my own father, huh?
[23:23] ---
    In that case, we may still have a chance.
[23:26] ---
    He's just the kind of opponent I need
    for the greatest gamble of my life!
[23:31] ---
    Princess, are you sure about this?
[23:34] ---
    Yeah. This is where we
    get things back on track.
[23:37] ---
    No more letting my brother or
    Souma do things their own way.
[23:41] ---
    We'll be the ones who get the last laugh!
[23:46] ---
    It's what we gotta do.