# E8 - The Forest in Labour
Source: [Crunchyroll](https://www.crunchyroll.com/watch/GWDU8PPD8/the-forest-in-labour)
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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] ---**
Because of the existence
of magic in this world,
**[00:12] ---**
their technological systems seem
a little strange in my view.
**[00:18] ---**
For example,
there's the *Battleship Albert*.
**[00:21] ---**
It's the single ship possessed
by the Forbidden Army,
**[00:23] ---**
which bears the previous king's name.
**[00:25] ---**
Looking at it as a whole,
one might think it strange
**[00:28] ---**
that a world that hasn't even reached
the industrial revolution
**[00:31] ---**
should have a battleship such as this.
**[00:34] ---**
However, despite being made of iron,
**[00:37] ---**
as long as its buoyancy is taken
into account in its configuration,
**[00:39] ---**
it can still float on the water.
**[00:41] ---**
In other words, the outside of
a battleship can be fashioned,
**[00:44] ---**
even with the technological level
of the middle ages.
**[00:47] ---**
The reason they were not built
until after the industrial revolution
**[00:50] ---**
was that there were no engines
that could propel a heavy iron ship.
**[00:54] ---**
However, in this world,
there are sea dragons,
**[00:56] ---**
who have the brute force necessary
to tow an iron vessel.
**[01:00] ---**
By taming them and
having them pull the ships,
**[01:02] ---**
long-distance voyages become possible.
**[01:05] ---**
That is why they were able
to build iron ships.
**[01:08] ---**
The same goes for the cannons
mounted on the battleship.
**[01:12] ---**
This world already has gunpowder.
**[01:14] ---**
However, there are no firearms.
**[01:17] ---**
Since intermediate magic was used as
a means of launching long-range attacks,
**[01:20] ---**
guns were never developed.
**[01:23] ---**
Also, there is something
they call infusion spells,
**[01:26] ---**
and by imparting various effects
to an object using these spells,
**[01:30] ---**
you can make them stronger,
**[01:31] ---**
or increase their ability
to cut through things.
**[01:34] ---**
So, while they have no guns,
they did have cannons.
**[01:38] ---**
That's because for some reason,
**[01:40] ---**
any non-water magic is greatly
limited while on the water,
**[01:44] ---**
so cannons were developed
as a means to attack battleships.
**[01:48] ---**
It turns out that technology
is developed as it is needed.
**[01:53] ---**
And here in this world of unbalanced
technological systems,
**[01:56] ---**
I was attempting to advance
my own civic projects.
**[02:11] ---**
*"Never mind, face forward,"*
**[02:16] ---**
*my heart just cried until it was hoarse*
**[02:22] ---**
*When you lose something,
is that the end of it?*
**[02:27] ---**
*Is there no putting things back
the way they were?*
**[02:33] ---**
*Just as a line of clouds
moves off somewhere*
**[02:39] ---**
*when you take your eyes
off of them for a moment,*
**[02:44] ---**
*so does everything else*
**[02:49] ---**
*I never thought there was a version of me*
**[02:56] ---**
*that the world would have a need for*
**[03:01] ---**
*But when I believed in what I believe,*
**[03:07] ---**
*I found myself as I truly am*
**[03:13] ---**
*Hello, yes, the first step
I take after nodding*
**[03:18] ---**
*Hello, yes, is toward
the yet-unseen horizon*
**[03:30] ---**
"The Forest in Labour"
**[03:54] ---**
Whoo... Man, why does the Forbidden Army
have to do road construction?
**[03:59] ---**
You there! No goldbricking!
**[04:01] ---**
Stop running your mouth
and get back to work!
**[04:05] ---**
Hey, Kaede--
**[04:06] ---**
Oh, no you don't!
**[04:07] ---**
Hal, you serve under me! You will
address me as "Site Foreman"!
**[04:12] ---**
Foreman, is this really a job
for the Forbidden Army?
**[04:17] ---**
There were unemployed people
from the capital hired to do this,
**[04:20] ---**
but they are extremely shorthanded.
**[04:22] ---**
After all, this project is to
build a network of roads
**[04:25] ---**
that goes throughout the kingdom,
starting from the newly-built port city.
**[04:29] ---**
Even so, is this something you'd
usually make the Forbidden Army do?
**[04:33] ---**
Our job is to protect the kingdom.
**[04:48] ---**
Mmm, this is good!
**[04:49] ---**
The sauce mixed in with the meat
has a nice salty sweetness to it!
**[04:53] ---**
This is a dish that the king thought up,
and he calls it "*shogayaki*."
**[04:57] ---**
I have to hand it to that king. He has
a talent for cooking, if nothing else.
**[05:03] ---**
After the mystic wolves came
to the country as refugees,
**[05:07] ---**
a settlement was set aside for them,
and that's where they make seasonings
**[05:10] ---**
called "shoyu" and "mirin,"
which are used in these.
**[05:12] ---**
The mystic wolves are able to
make their way in the kingdom
**[05:15] ---**
by manufacturing these seasonings,
**[05:17] ---**
and we get to eat this delicious food!
**[05:20] ---**
It's a policy that kills
two birds with one stone!
**[05:25] ---**
What's more, it's amazing that we can
eat some fresh vegetables.
**[05:29] ---**
These came from
the village closest to here,
**[05:31] ---**
which is connected by
the road to the capital.
**[05:34] ---**
The power of roads that make supply
lines easy to maintain is tremendous.
**[05:39] ---**
So the road we made
is already coming in useful?
**[05:43] ---**
With this kind of
transportation capability,
**[05:44] ---**
we're making a huge contribution
to solving the food shortage.
**[05:48] ---**
We are?
**[05:50] ---**
Once distribution gets smoothed out,
**[05:51] ---**
imbalances in supply and
demand will be eliminated,
**[05:53] ---**
and food prices will come down
to some extent.
**[05:57] ---**
The king has all that
in mind in doing this?
**[06:00] ---**
The king is an amazing man. He has
so much foresight, it's almost scary.
**[06:06] ---**
Once we finish eating,
are you going to take a nap?
**[06:09] ---**
Yeah, I guess. The king does
recommend sleeping after a meal
**[06:13] ---**
to increase efficiency, after all.
**[06:15] ---**
Given that the king comes
from a different world...
**[06:18] ---**
Oh, the king! And the princess, too!
**[06:21] ---**
Halbert, are you settled in
with the Forbidden Army?
**[06:23] ---**
Yes, sire! No problems at all!
**[06:26] ---**
That's so stiff. Where's that spirit
you had when you first laid into me?
**[06:30] ---**
I-I am terribly sorry about that, sire!
**[06:33] ---**
It was an awful act of rudeness
against Your Majesty--
**[06:35] ---**
This is a royal decree.
Stop being so formal.
**[06:38] ---**
And drop that "Your Majesty" business,
too. Call me "Souma."
**[06:41] ---**
Oh, but sire...
**[06:43] ---**
Hal, did you not hear me?
That was an order.
**[06:46] ---**
A-All right... Souma.
**[06:49] ---**
That's better. I've been
hoping to find a guy my age
**[06:53] ---**
that I can just chat informally with.
**[07:01] ---**
So this is how you make a road, huh?
**[07:04] ---**
I've walked on them many times,
**[07:07] ---**
but I've never even wondered
how roads were built.
**[07:11] ---**
This is ostensibly an inspection,
**[07:13] ---**
but watch closely,
and think of it as an education.
**[07:20] ---**
What's that mushy stuff?
**[07:22] ---**
A mixture of volcanic ash and lime.
**[07:26] ---**
In the world I come from,
they called it Roman concrete.
**[07:30] ---**
It has the property of
hardening over time.
**[07:33] ---**
Its toughness is such that one
of those can't make cracks in it,
**[07:36] ---**
even at a full gallop.
**[07:38] ---**
That's pretty amazing.
It's really that hard?
**[07:41] ---**
No, in fact, it has a certain
degree of flexibility,
**[07:44] ---**
which distributes the forces it takes.
**[07:46] ---**
Back in my world, there are
buildings made of this concrete
**[07:49] ---**
that are still standing after 2,000 years.
**[07:55] ---**
Are those streetlamps
on either side of the road
**[07:58] ---**
the same kind we have in the capital?
**[08:00] ---**
Yes. They're designed
so that when it gets dark,
**[08:02] ---**
the lightmoss inside them provides light.
**[08:05] ---**
Also, the roadside trees planted here
are "warding trees,"
**[08:08] ---**
from the God-Protected Forest.
**[08:10] ---**
Warding trees?
**[08:11] ---**
Aisha, would you mind explaining?
**[08:13] ---**
Right!
**[08:17] ---**
These warding trees
constantly emit a frequency
**[08:19] ---**
that monsters and wild animals
seem to find unpleasant.
**[08:23] ---**
It's probably to prevent giant boars
and such from devouring them.
**[08:28] ---**
In the God-Protected Forest, we plant
these warding trees around our villages,
**[08:31] ---**
in order to keep monsters and animals out.
**[08:35] ---**
Sort of like a rudimentary barrier, huh?
**[08:38] ---**
Yeah, but if we plant them
too close together,
**[08:40] ---**
there's no telling what
they will do to the ecosystem,
**[08:43] ---**
so we moderately space them apart,
**[08:45] ---**
making it just hard enough to keep
wild animals from getting too close.
**[08:49] ---**
But why? Wouldn't it be better
to keep them out completely?
**[08:52] ---**
Okay, Liscia,
**[08:54] ---**
what do you do when animals who
seasonally change hunting grounds,
**[08:58] ---**
such as gray wolves or red bears,
are unable to migrate because of the road,
**[09:01] ---**
get stuck where they are,
and their food runs out,
**[09:03] ---**
so they start attacking
livestock and people?
**[09:06] ---**
Or suppose instead that it's
giant apes or giant boars
**[09:08] ---**
who find themselves stuck in one place
and eat up all the food,
**[09:12] ---**
and have no choice but to descend
on settlements and eat up their farms.
**[09:15] ---**
Then what do you do?
**[09:17] ---**
I get it, we shouldn't stop them entirely.
**[09:21] ---**
But why are you being so specific?
**[09:23] ---**
Because animal control is an issue
that local authorities all share.
**[09:29] ---**
Local... authorities?
**[09:31] ---**
I didn't know you were thinking so far
ahead! Leave it to you, Your Majesty!
**[09:42] ---**
What's that?
**[09:44] ---**
A messenger kui.
**[09:46] ---**
A kui is a kind of bird that has more
than just a homing instinct.
**[09:49] ---**
It can detect the frequency
of its master from a distance.
**[09:52] ---**
I see. So that behavior makes them
useful as long-distance messengers.
**[10:00] ---**
It looks like it brought
a letter for Aisha.
**[10:08] ---**
Oh, no!
**[10:09] ---**
What is it, Aisha?
**[10:11] ---**
It's a message from my father,
the chief of the dark elves.
**[10:15] ---**
Last night, there was a large-scale
landslide in the God-Protected Forest,
**[10:19] ---**
and it swallowed up half of a village.
**[10:23] ---**
It says that the God-Protected Forest
has had a long stretch of rain...
**[10:28] ---**
...and that there are many
who are... missing...
**[10:34] ---**
Souma...
**[10:38] ---**
Hey, what do we--?
**[10:39] ---**
Shh! The king is thinking right now.
Do not disturb him.
**[10:44] ---**
Kaede...
**[10:46] ---**
...how many men do we have here right now?
**[10:48] ---**
Sire, there are 54
from the Forbidden Army,
**[10:50] ---**
and four engineers on loan
from the civil engineering guild!
**[10:53] ---**
Of those, there are six who are
earth mages, including myself!
**[10:57] ---**
All right, this group is going to go to
the dark elves' village to rescue them.
**[11:01] ---**
Your Majesty!
**[11:02] ---**
Aisha, one-on-one,
I am far weaker than you are.
**[11:07] ---**
But I am in a position to mobilize
a lot more manpower.
**[11:10] ---**
So let me handle this. We will
save as many lives as we can.
**[11:17] ---**
Aisha, crying will have to wait.
**[11:19] ---**
If outsiders like us are to enter
the God-Protected Forest
**[11:22] ---**
and carry out a rescue, it's best
that we have you with us.
**[11:26] ---**
I need you to show us the way.
**[11:28] ---**
--Right!
--Mm-hmm.
**[11:30] ---**
Disaster relief is a race against time.
**[11:33] ---**
Luckily, this place is closer to the
God-Protected Forest than the capital.
**[11:36] ---**
We'll head from here directly to the site.
**[11:38] ---**
As you wish, sire. I will get
the soldiers ready to go at once.
**[11:42] ---**
Go to it.
**[11:45] ---**
Liscia, you go back to the capital and
request that they send a rescue party.
**[11:49] ---**
Also, ask Hakuya to send relief supplies
to the dark elves' village.
**[11:53] ---**
All right, I'm on it.
**[11:58] ---**
Aisha, how long will it take to get to
the God-Protected Forest from here?
**[12:01] ---**
Half a day by fast horse.
At a normal military march,
**[12:04] ---**
it will take two days,
no matter how fast we hurry.
**[12:06] ---**
Two days?
**[12:08] ---**
Assuming it happened around midnight,
about half a day has already passed.
**[12:12] ---**
And however fast we go,
**[12:13] ---**
we won't arrive until
two-and-a-half days after it happened.
**[12:16] ---**
Having only half a day before hitting the
72-hour threshold is going to be tough.
**[12:20] ---**
Seventy-two-hour threshold?
**[12:22] ---**
During natural disasters like this,
**[12:24] ---**
after three days from the incident,
which is to say, 72 hours,
**[12:28] ---**
the death rate of those who
need rescuing shoots way up.
**[12:31] ---**
Then let's head for the
God-Protected Forest right away!
**[12:34] ---**
I know! But a normal military march
will take too much time.
**[12:38] ---**
Is there any magic that can instantly
transport a large force to another place?
**[12:42] ---**
No! If there were such a thing,
**[12:45] ---**
we wouldn't need to be pouring so much
sweat into building these roads, right?
**[12:49] ---**
Damn, isn't there any
other way to move us?
**[13:22] ---**
"Star Dragon Mountain Range
Population: Several hundred dragons
An autonomous dominion created
by the Mother Dragon, Tiamat."
**[13:25] ---**
"Excel Walter: Displays an attachment
to whatever subject holds her
interest. Although seasoned,
there is also a girlish side to her."
**[13:34] ---**
My king, it is a pleasure
to make your acquaintance.
**[13:37] ---**
I am the dark elf chief and
Aisha's father, Wodan Udgard.
**[13:43] ---**
Let's dispense with the formal greetings.
**[13:45] ---**
Right now, rescue efforts come first.
**[13:49] ---**
For now, I brought about 50 Forbidden
Army soldiers who were with me.
**[13:53] ---**
In the coming days, a second unit
with relief supplies should be arriving.
**[13:58] ---**
You can start by explaining the situation.
**[13:59] ---**
Right.
**[14:01] ---**
The landslide occurred on a slope
to the east of this village.
**[14:06] ---**
We have already counted
over a hundred dead.
**[14:10] ---**
There are still more than
40 people unaccounted for.
**[14:13] ---**
In that case, please compile
a list of those who are missing.
**[14:17] ---**
If we cross them off the list once
we determine whether they're safe,
**[14:19] ---**
no one will slip through the cracks.
**[14:20] ---**
Very well. I will arrange for it at once.
**[14:23] ---**
Also, pull some people to have them
stand watch over the mountain.
**[14:27] ---**
If the mountain moves even a little bit,
**[14:29] ---**
or there are any unusual sounds,
have them report it.
**[14:32] ---**
It will be no laughing matter if there's
another slide while we're out rescuing.
**[14:35] ---**
Your Majesty, please allow me
to carry out that duty.
**[14:40] ---**
My daughter has played in
the God-Protected Forest
**[14:43] ---**
since she was a child,
and knows the area well.
**[14:46] ---**
I think it is safe to let her do this.
**[14:49] ---**
There are others whom you once
ran around the forest with, right?
**[14:53] ---**
They should know the forest
just as well as you do.
**[14:58] ---**
Reach out to them and take them with you.
**[14:59] ---**
Yes, as you wish.
**[15:02] ---**
We're counting on you, Aisha. Just make
sure you don't do anything crazy.
**[15:07] ---**
We are about to begin working
to search for those who are missing.
**[15:11] ---**
Listen close for voices in
the dirt asking for help,
**[15:15] ---**
and work cautiously to rescue them!
**[15:17] ---**
Time to show off the excavation skills
you developed while building roads!
**[15:23] ---**
But no matter what,
don't get in over your heads.
**[15:25] ---**
If you think another slide is coming,
**[15:26] ---**
get out of there,
even if in the middle of a rescue.
**[15:29] ---**
I will not have a single casualty
from my rescue detail! Understood?!
**[15:34] ---**
Yes, sire!
**[15:45] ---**
I heard a voice!
**[15:46] ---**
Huh?
**[15:50] ---**
Under this thick trunk!
They're still breathing!
**[15:53] ---**
Huh?!
**[15:55] ---**
I don't hear any voice--
**[15:56] ---**
They're here! Hurry and dig!
**[16:04] ---**
Are you serious?!
**[16:21] ---**
I'm surprised you could tell
anyone was buried there.
**[16:24] ---**
This is what told me.
**[16:26] ---**
What is that, a mouse?
**[16:28] ---**
Carved out of wood.
**[16:37] ---**
I'm controlling them to go around looking
in places where people can't get into.
**[16:42] ---**
Oh, so this is that Living whatever-it-is
power that I've heard about.
**[16:46] ---**
Yeah. I made up a few prototypes
for exploring dungeons,
**[16:50] ---**
but I didn't expect them
to be useful here--
**[16:54] ---**
What's wrong?
**[16:57] ---**
H-Hey, are you all right?
What suddenly came over you?
**[17:03] ---**
Oh, sorry...
**[17:05] ---**
One of my wooden mice out searching...
**[17:08] ---**
...just located some
horribly mangled remains...
**[17:11] ---**
You could tell from just a glance
that they were dead, then?
**[17:18] ---**
I see. All of the missing
have been accounted for.
**[17:23] ---**
Unfortunately, there are some among
them who are now cold, lifeless bodies,
**[17:27] ---**
but if Your Majesty had not
come rushing to our aid,
**[17:29] ---**
their numbers would
have been even greater.
**[17:32] ---**
As chief of the dark elves,
I once again express my thanks.
**[17:37] ---**
Majesty! Father!
**[17:41] ---**
The princess has arrived from the capital,
**[17:42] ---**
and so has the second relief unit.
**[17:45] ---**
They're here?
**[17:46] ---**
It's too late...
**[17:59] ---**
It's true, they aren't here
in time to search.
**[18:02] ---**
But the relief part is actually
just getting underway.
**[18:06] ---**
Tending to the wounded, removing the
sediment, building temporary housing--
**[18:11] ---**
there are any number
of things still to do.
**[18:15] ---**
But that won't bring the dead back.
**[18:19] ---**
Stop that, Robthor!
**[18:21] ---**
This man is my younger brother, Robthor.
**[18:25] ---**
He lost his wife in this disaster,
**[18:27] ---**
and his only daughter is still wandering
the border between life and death.
**[18:32] ---**
I know he must be somewhat distraught,
so I beg you to forgive him.
**[18:36] ---**
No, it's okay.
**[18:37] ---**
My king,
**[18:38] ---**
I've tried to keep the forest safe!
So now why...
**[18:43] ---**
...why has the forest taken my family?!
**[18:45] ---**
Robthor!
**[18:47] ---**
This is no time to be assigning blame.
**[18:50] ---**
That goes for yourself, as well.
**[18:54] ---**
Right now, mourn your wife's death.
**[18:57] ---**
And pray that your daughter's spirit
remains in this world.
**[19:18] ---**
My uncle opposed thinning the forest.
**[19:21] ---**
He felt that for dark elves,
guardians of the forest,
**[19:24] ---**
to log it instead was out of the question.
**[19:26] ---**
Ah, that explains it.
**[19:29] ---**
If my uncle had been more
cooperative toward thinning,
**[19:32] ---**
do you think his family
would have been spared?
**[19:35] ---**
There's... no way of knowing.
**[19:39] ---**
It's true that if some moderate trimming
is done and the undergrowth comes in,
**[19:42] ---**
allowing the soil's water-retaining
ability to increase,
**[19:44] ---**
we can create an environment
less prone to landslides.
**[19:48] ---**
But ultimately, it would
still only be "less prone."
**[19:51] ---**
In the case where
prolonged rains are the cause...
**[19:54] ---**
...then they could conceivably
happen anywhere.
**[19:56] ---**
Are you saying that he
merely had bad luck?
**[20:00] ---**
In regard to the location
of this landslide, yes.
**[20:03] ---**
However, thinning would be a
constant operation within the forest.
**[20:07] ---**
Hearing unusual sounds,
having the forest look like it's moving,
**[20:11] ---**
and other signs of an impending landslide
would be easier to notice, to be sure.
**[20:14] ---**
Once they're spotted,
plans can be formulated,
**[20:17] ---**
and evacuation would have been possible.
**[20:19] ---**
Protecting the forest--
it sounds so noble to say,
**[20:22] ---**
but the thought that he is
protecting it at all is mistaken.
**[20:25] ---**
Nature is not so weak that it
needs people to protect it.
**[20:29] ---**
If it's egotistical for people
to presume to destroy nature,
**[20:31] ---**
then it's also egotistical
to presume to protect it.
**[20:35] ---**
Nature typically goes through destruction
and rebirth all the time,
**[20:38] ---**
and we're just trying to keep it
in a state that suits us.
**[20:43] ---**
All mankind can do is
tweak things through thinning,
**[20:46] ---**
maintaining the forest in a way
that makes it possible to coexist.
**[21:09] ---**
I wasn't able to do anything
this time around, huh?
**[21:13] ---**
You went and brought back
the relief unit, didn't you?
**[21:16] ---**
Everyone gave their all.
**[21:18] ---**
On the contrary, *I* was the one
who couldn't do anything.
**[21:22] ---**
Nonsense! I heard you made
a huge difference.
**[21:27] ---**
My role is to be the king.
**[21:30] ---**
It's not the king's job to direct things
onsite during an emergency.
**[21:34] ---**
The king's job is to make
preparations ahead of time,
**[21:37] ---**
before the emergency happens.
**[21:39] ---**
I neglected to do that.
**[21:41] ---**
What are you talking about? Souma, you...
**[21:44] ---**
I think using the Forbidden Army
as a rescue team went pretty well.
**[21:48] ---**
But beyond that, there are plenty
of places where I've fallen short.
**[21:52] ---**
A means of information exchange,
a means of long-distance shipping,
**[21:55] ---**
stockpiling rescue supplies
in each area,
**[21:57] ---**
having medical teams assigned
to rescue parties...
**[22:00] ---**
None of it was sufficient.
**[22:03] ---**
I've been so occupied with the food
shortage and the Three Dukedoms...
**[22:07] ---**
...that I failed to prepare
for everything else...
**[22:10] ---**
Souma...
**[22:18] ---**
*The wind blowing by rushes
through the world,*
**[22:22] ---**
*connecting us when otherwise
we never would have met*
**[22:26] ---**
*Unfurling wings that no one else can see,*
**[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*