E5 - The Night Before Battle

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.)
[00:26] Eldrie
    That's...
[00:38] Eldrie
    Mentor!
[00:41] Eldrie
    I always believed in you!
[00:52] Eldrie
    Lady Alice...
SIGN    The Night Before Battle
[02:29] Alice
    I just looked at the Eastern Gate.
[02:32] Alice
    There's not much time before the gate's destroyed
    and the enemy pushes through.
[02:37] Eldrie
    The enemy army has about 50,000 troops.
    We have 3,000.
[02:41] Eldrie
    We have to give them what training we can.
[02:45] Alice
    Where are the other Integrity Knights?
[02:47] Alice
    From above, I could only see seven outside.
[02:53] Eldrie
    That's everyone.
[02:55] Alice
    That's ridiculous!
[02:57] Alice
    There should be 31 members of the order,
    including me!
[03:00] Eldrie
    Surely you're aware, Lady Alice.
[03:02] Eldrie
    That Prime Senator Chudelkin
    had been used a retuning art
[03:06] Eldrie
    on knights who showed symptoms
    of memory issues.
[03:09] Eldrie
    Ten of those knights have yet to awaken
    from that art.
[03:14] Eldrie
    At this time, 21 knights are awake.
[03:17] Eldrie
    Four are watching over the Cathedral
    and the capital,
[03:20] Eldrie
    and four are patrolling the End Mountains.
[03:24] Alice
    That leaves thirteen.
[03:27] Eldrie
    Our forces are already stretched too thin.
[03:30] Eldrie
    And yet, Lady Alice...
[03:33] Eldrie
    Do you intend to shield that young man
    while you fight?
[03:38] Alice
    Of course I do.
[03:41] Alice
    Because I swore to protect him.
[03:43] Eldrie
    You mustn't, Mentor!
[03:44] Eldrie
    Should you encumber yourself
    with such deadweight in battle,
[03:47] Eldrie
    not only will it diminish the power of your sword,
    it could expose you to danger yourself!
[03:55] Bercouli
    Well, don't get so worked up, Eldrie.
[03:59] Bercouli
    Yo, little one.
[04:00] Bercouli
    I'm relieved to see
    you look better than I expected.
[04:03] Bercouli
    Have your cheeks filled in a little?
[04:05] Alice
    Uncle.
[04:08] Alice
    It's been a long time.
[04:13] Eldrie
    Commander—
[04:19] Alice
    Uncle.
[04:22] Alice
    Is he going to kill Kirito?
[04:26] Bercouli
    It's all right, little one.
[04:38] Alice
    U-Uncle...
[04:40] Bercouli
    Little one, did you just see that?
[04:43] Alice
    Yes. It was only for an instant,
    but I definitely saw the flash of a sword.
[04:47] Bercouli
    I launched an Incarnate Sword,
    or rather, a dagger at that young man.
[04:52] Bercouli
    If it had hit,
    it would've sliced some skin off his cheek.
[04:56] Alice
    If it had... hit? Which means...
[04:59] Bercouli
    That's right. He stopped it.
[05:02] Bercouli
    With his own willpower.
[05:09] Bercouli
    It doesn't look like the young man's mind is here.
[05:12] Bercouli
    But he's not dead.
[05:14] Bercouli
    Listen.
[05:15] Bercouli
    The boy wasn't protecting himself,
    but you, little one.
[05:20] Bercouli
    So he'll be back one day.
    That's what I think.
[05:24] Bercouli
    Probably when you need him the most.
[05:37] Bercouli
    So you see, Eldrie.
[05:40] Bercouli
    We can look after one young man.
[05:52] Alice
    All right. Wait a moment, okay?
[06:08] Alice
    Kirito.
[06:10] Alice
    Even though your heart has been lost
    since that battle,
[06:16] Alice
    you still tried to protect me
    from Uncle's sword technique.
[06:20] Alice
    What do you think of me?
[06:24] Alice
    What do I think of Kirito?
[06:28] Alice
    No. I'm only a created being.
[06:32] Alice
    Who continues to occupy Alice Zuberg's body.
[06:35] Alice
    A puppet who exists to fight.
[06:37] Alice
    I'm not allowed the luxury of feeling anything
    other than the intent to fight.
[06:43] Alice
    But maybe...
[06:46] Alice
    it's because I've been suppressing my feelings
    that you can't hear my voice.
[06:55] Alice
    If I were to unleash all of my willpower
    at this moment,
[06:59] Alice
    would you respond?
[07:08] Tiese
    U-Um...
[07:10] Tiese
    W-We've brought your dinner, Lady Knight.
[07:14] Alice
    Thank you. I appreciate it.
[07:17] Ronie
    U-Um, it's bread and something to drink.
[07:20] Alice
    You don't have to be afraid.
[07:23] Alice
    Are you two from the North Centoria
    Imperial Swordcraft Academy?
[07:27] Tiese
    Yes! I'm Primary Trainee Tiese Schtrinen
    of the Human Guardian Army Supply Corps.
[07:33] Ronie
    Primary Trainee Ronie Arabel, of the same.
[07:37] Alice
    You don't have to be so formal.
[07:39] Alice
    Here, I'm just another swordsman,
    nothing more.
[07:43] Alice
    Please call me Alice.
[07:47] Alice
    What's the matter?
[07:48] Tiese
    O-Oh, it's nothing.
[07:50] Tiese
    It's just that you seem so different
    from when we met you at the academy.
[07:55] Alice
    You... think so?
[07:57] Alice
    Anyway, is there something you wanted?
[08:01] Tiese
    Yes.
[08:04] Tiese
    Um, Lady Kni— Lady Alice, we heard
    that you arrived with a dark-haired young man.
[08:11] Ronie
    And we were wondering
    if he might be someone we know.
[08:16] Ronie
    So we thought...
[08:17] Alice
    Oh, yeah. That's right.
[08:19] Alice
    You two were friends with Kirito
    at the academy, weren't you?
[08:23] Ronie
    So it is Kirito-senpai!
[08:25] Tiese
    Then Eugeo-senpai must...
[08:28] Alice
    This might be too harsh for you to bear.
[08:33] Alice
    But I have faith,
    that as Kirito's, as well as Eugeo's juniors,
[08:39] Alice
    you're surely capable of accepting it.
[09:27] Tiese
    I just... heard...
[09:29] Tiese
    Eugeo-senpai's voice.
[09:32] Tiese
    He said, "Don't cry. I'll always be here."
[09:45] Alice
    Did you two have feelings for Kirito and Eugeo—
[09:48] Ronie
    That's not it! I... I'm...
[09:52] Tiese
    Lady Alice, you know the Taboo
    Kirito-senpai and Eugeo-senpai violated, don't you?
[09:58] Alice
    Yes. I was told they killed another student.
[10:04] Tiese
    How about what led them to break that Taboo?
[10:09] Alice
    No, not that much.
[10:12] Tiese
    Kirito-senpai and Eugeo-senpai
    raised their swords to save us.
[10:18] Tiese
    If only we'd been a little wiser
[10:21] Tiese
    they wouldn't have fought the Church
    to change the law, and no one would've died.
[10:27] Tiese
    We've committed an irreparable crime!
[10:32] Tiese
    That's why...
[10:34] Tiese
    no matter what happens, we can't ever...
[10:38] Tiese
    ...admit we're in love with them!
[10:49] Alice
    No, you're wrong about that.
[10:51] Alice
    You've committed no crime.
[10:53] Ronie
    Lady Alice, you...
[10:55] Ronie
    You're an esteemed Integrity Knight,
    Lady Alice, so you can't understand!
[10:58] Ronie
    Our bodies were played with,
    and our pride has been tainted by sin!
[11:04] Alice
    The body is nothing more
    than a vessel for your heart.
[11:07] Alice
    The heart... the soul is the only thing
    that truly exists.
[11:12] Alice
    And what determines the nature of your soul...
[11:14] Alice
    is you alone.
[11:18] Alice
    I know I can do it.
[11:27] Alice
    Just like how Kirito showed me.
[11:44] Alice
    You see?
[11:46] Alice
    Your body and appearance
    merely follow your heart.
[11:50] Alice
    Your heart can't be tainted by anyone.
[11:52] Alice
    I was born in a village in the hinterlands,
    and I should've grown up to be like this.
[11:58] Alice
    But when I was eleven,
    I was taken away as a criminal,
[12:02] Alice
    my memories were erased by an art technique
    and I became an Integrity Knight.
[12:06] Alice
    There were times when I cursed such a fate.
[12:08] Alice
    But...
[12:09] Alice
    Kirito taught me that there was something
    that I could do... that I should do.
[12:15] Alice
    And that's why I'll never hesitate again.
[12:17] Alice
    I've decided to accept myself as I am
    and move on.
[12:24] Alice
    I'm sure there's a wide, long, and straight path
    meant only for you, too.
[12:44] Bercouli
    Yo.
[12:46] Alice
    Uncle. Good morning.
[12:50] Bercouli
    About where we're going to put that young man.
[12:53] Bercouli
    If you want, I can ask the rearguard unit—
[12:55] Alice
    No.
[12:56] Alice
    It's fine.
[12:57] Alice
    I met his former pages from the academy,
[13:01] Alice
    and asked them to look after him
    once the battle begins.
[13:04] Bercouli
    Oh? That's good to hear.
    So how is that black-haired boy?
[13:08] Bercouli
    Did he react in any way,
    coming into contact with people from his past?
[13:14] Bercouli
    I see.
[13:15] Bercouli
    To be honest, I can't help but feel that
    he'll be the one to set the course of the coming battle.
[13:21] Alice
    What?
[13:22] Bercouli
    Even if he had help from you and his partner,
[13:25] Bercouli
    defeating the prime senator
    and the pontifex was an incredible feat.
[13:29] Bercouli
    I'm not sure if I'd be a match
    for the intensity of his willpower.
[13:34] Alice
    That can't be.
[13:36] Bercouli
    When our willpower clashed yesterday,
    I definitely felt it.
[13:40] Bercouli
    That boy has the same amount as,
    or even more experience in actual combat than me.
[13:45] Alice
    What do you mean by actual combat?
[13:49] Bercouli
    Just what I said. A fight for life.
[13:54] Bercouli
    The Taboo Index prohibits any battles to the death.
[13:58] Bercouli
    So where did that boy gain that kind of experience?
[14:00] Alice
    Uncle, Kirito's actually—
[14:02] Fanatio
    My lord.
[14:04] Fanatio
    It's almost time for the war council.
[14:07] Alice
    Lady Fanatio.
[14:16] Alice
    Lady Fanatio... with makeup on?
[14:19] Fanatio
    It's been a long time, Alice.
[14:21] Fanatio
    I'm glad you're well.
[14:23] Alice
    She sounds... feminine?
[14:25] Alice
    I-It's been a long time.
[14:27] Fanatio
    Hey, Alice, I hear you brought
    that black-haired boy with you.
[14:31] Alice
    Uh, yes.
[14:32] Fanatio
    I see.
[14:33] Fanatio
    Then could I see him briefly
    after the war council?
[14:37] Alice
    Why?
[14:38] Fanatio
    I just want to thank him.
[14:41] Alice
    Thank him?
[14:41] Fanatio
    Yes.
[14:42] Fanatio
    For fighting and defeating me.
[14:46] Fanatio
    In all my years as an Integrity Knight,
    that boy is the only one
[14:50] Fanatio
    who fought me all-out,
    even though he knew I was a woman.
[14:54] Alice
    What do you mean...?
[14:57] Fanatio
    Whenever a man fights me,
    there's always a slight difference in his swordplay.
[15:02] Fanatio
    When I realized that,
    I hid my face with a helmet
[15:05] Fanatio
    and mastered the art of continuous attacks
    to prevent opponents from getting close.
[15:09] Fanatio
    But that was only because
    I was self-conscious about my own gender.
[15:14] Fanatio
    That boy saw right through me,
    and didn't hold back as he crossed swords with me.
[15:19] Fanatio
    During my battle with him,
    I unleashed all of my sword skills and art techniques,
[15:24] Fanatio
    and when it was over,
    all my trivial obsessions had vanished.
[15:29] Fanatio
    See? It's no wonder
    I want to thank that boy, right?
[15:33] Fanatio
    Not to mention, I'm also a little annoyed.
[15:35] Fanatio
    Because when he saw my exposed face,
    he didn't find any womanliness in me.
[15:40] Fanatio
    So I thought I'd try a few things...
    and maybe if I do this or that, he might wake up.
[15:47] Alice
    I am grateful for your kind words,
    but he's resting in his tent right now.
[15:51] Alice
    I shall pass on your regards to him later.
[15:54] Fanatio
    Oh, my. I need your permission to see the boy?
[15:58] Fanatio
    Whenever you asked to meet with the commander
    while he was on duty,
[16:02] Fanatio
    I don't think I ever refused you
    due to my personal feelings.
[16:05] Alice
    Surely I don't need your permission to see Uncle.
[16:10] Alice
    First of all, if you wished
    to be beaten up by a male knight,
[16:14] Alice
    shouldn't you have just asked Uncle to do so?
[16:17] Fanatio
    Oh, but he's exempt.
[16:19] Fanatio
    Since he's the most powerful swordsman
    in the world,
[16:21] Fanatio
    of course he would go easy on everyone.
[16:24] Alice
    Oh, is that right?
[16:26] Alice
    Whenever he trained with me, Uncle was always
    drenched with sweat from going all-out.
[16:33] Fanatio Alice
    - My lord, is that true?
    - Uncle, it's all your fault for—
[16:36] Bercouli
    Hey! It's time to start the war council.
[16:43] Fanatio
    For the last four months,
    we've considered all kinds of strategies,
[16:47] Fanatio
    but have concluded that it will be difficult
    to repulse an all-out attack at our current strength.
[16:53] Fanatio
    On our side of the End Mountains,
[16:55] Fanatio
    there's nothing but grassland and rocks
    for 10 kilors in all directions.
[16:59] Fanatio
    If they force their way in this far,
    then we'll be surrounded and massacred by the enemy.
[17:05] Fanatio
    Therefore, we...
[17:07] Fanatio
    ...have no choice but to fight in this narrow ravine,
    that's 100-mel wide and 1,000 mel long.
[17:13] Fanatio
    We'll set up a defensive position here,
[17:14] Fanatio
    and relentlessly repel the enemy's advances,
    and strike them down.
[17:18] Fanatio
    This will be our basic strategy
    throughout this operation.
[17:20] Fanatio
    Does anyone have any thoughts so far?
[17:24] Eldrie
    The enemy forces include ogre units
    equipped with longbows,
[17:27] Eldrie
    as well as the even more dangerous
    order of the dark mages.
[17:31] Eldrie
    What are we going to do
    about their long-range attacks?
[17:34] Fanatio
    It will be a risky gamble, but...
[17:39] Fanatio
    There's no sunlight in that ravine,
    even during the day,
[17:42] Fanatio
    and not a single blade of grass on the ground.
[17:44] Fanatio
    In other words, spatial resources are sparse there.
[17:48] Fanatio
    If we can consume every last bit of it
    before the battle starts,
[17:51] Fanatio
    in theory, the enemy will be unable
    to launch any powerful art techniques.
[17:55] Fanatio
    Needless to say, the same is true for us.
[17:58] Fanatio
    However, we only have 100 or so
    sacred arts wielders on our side.
[18:02] Fanatio
    Should we find ourselves exchanging art techniques,
    the enemy will be sure to consume far more resources.
[18:08] Deusolbert
    I see. I believe you're right, Vice Commander.
[18:11] Deusolbert
    But if the resources are exhausted,
[18:14] Deusolbert
    won't we be unable
    to restore the life of the wounded?
[18:17] Fanatio
    That's why I said it was a gamble.
[18:20] Fanatio
    We've brought all of our high-level reagents
    and healing potions with us.
[18:24] Fanatio
    If we restrict all art techniques to healing arts,
[18:26] Fanatio
    and use our medicines to assist,
    the reagents should last for at least three days.
[18:31] Alice
    There's one more problem.
[18:33] Alice
    Lady Fanatio.
[18:35] Alice
    No matter how sparse Solus
    and Terraria's blessings may be,
[18:38] Alice
    there must be a vast amount of resources
    in that ravine that have built up over the years.
[18:44] Alice
    Who would be able to deplete that power
    in the short time we have before the battle?
[18:50] Fanatio
    No, there is someone.
    Just one who is capable of that.
[18:54] Alice
    Just one?
[18:55] Fanatio
    That would be you, Alice Synthesis Thirty.
[18:59] Fanatio
    Perhaps you haven't realized,
[19:01] Fanatio
    but your power has surpassed that
    of any Integrity Knight.
[19:05] Fanatio
    I'm sure you're capable of wielding it now.
[19:08] Fanatio
    The true sacred power
    that can split the heavens and rupture the earth.
[19:13] Alice
    All right, please look after Kirito for me, will you?
[19:16] Tiese
    Yes, you can count on us.
[19:18] Ronie
    Lady Alice, we promise to protect Kirito,
    no matter what.
[19:25] Alice
    Kirito, this could be our last goodbye.
[19:32] Alice
    I'll do my best, as well.
[19:33] Alice
    I'm going to burn every last drop
    of the life that you gave me.
[19:37] Alice
    So if I should fall,
    and call your name with the last of my strength,
[19:42] Alice
    will you stand up
    and draw that sword for me?
[19:45] Alice
    If you're awake, it won't matter if the enemy
    has thousands, or even tens of thousands.
[19:49] Alice
    Make a miracle happen again
    and protect everybody.
[19:53] Alice
    After all, you...
[20:01] Alice
    After all, you defeated Administrator.
[20:06] Alice
    You're the most powerful swordsman of all.
[20:11] Eldrie
    Lady Alice.
[20:15] Eldrie
    Let's head out now.
[20:18] Alice
    Eldrie?
[20:21] Eldrie
    What is it?
[20:23] Alice
    You've served me well until now.
[20:27] Alice
    I was truly blessed to have you by my side.
[20:32] Alice
    You didn't choose a senior male knight
    like Sir Deusolbert.
[20:35] Alice
    You wished to be trained by an amateur like me
    because you were concerned about my heart.
[20:41] Eldrie
    Not at all!
[20:42] Eldrie
    I would never be so insolent.
[20:44] Eldrie
    It was just because I was so in awe
    of your splendid sword skills.
[20:50] Alice
    Thanks to your support,
    I was able to walk this dangerous path until today.
[20:56] Alice
    Thank you.
[21:00] Eldrie
    Lady Alice.
[21:01] Eldrie
    Why are you speaking in the past tense?
[21:04] Eldrie
    Why would you imply
    that your path is about to end here?
[21:09] Eldrie
    I... I still haven't learned enough from you!
[21:13] Eldrie
    My sword, my arts...
    I'm still nowhere near your level!
[21:17] Eldrie
    I need you to continue training and guiding me,
    forever and ever...
[21:22] Alice
    Integrity Knight Eldrie Synthesis Thirty-One!
[21:26] Eldrie
    Yes...
[21:27] Alice
    Here are my final orders as your mentor.
[21:31] Alice
    Make sure you survive.
    Live to see the advent of peace.
[21:34] Alice
    And then, take them back.
[21:37] Alice
    Your true life and your loved one.
SIGN    November 7, 380 HE The Eastern Gate
[23:36] Alice
    Next time: "Battle of the Knights."