Original subtitles

Master, there's something I'd like to discuss with you.

Allucia, good to see you.

What is it?

A matter of importance that will affect your future.

What?

Master...

We're going...

to buy you some new clothes.

Huh?

EPISODE 8

The Old Country Bumpkin Gets Struck by a Lightning-Fast Sword.

A delegation from Sphenedyardvania

will soon be visiting Baltrain.

Oh, come to think of it, Surena mentioned it.

She said requests for monster hunts are up because of it.

Miss Lysandra did?

Damn that Lysandra.

I can't believe she told Master about this before I did.

Er, um, Allucia?

Oh, sorry. I'll continue.

The Order has been tasked

with guarding the dignitaries while the delegation is here.

VIPs.

So, leaders of the Church of Sphene will be coming?

No, the country's political and diplomatic matters

are handled by the parliament, headed by the royal family.

They'll be our guests.

I see.

I'd like to talk to you about that, Master.

Huh?

That doesn't sound good.

Along with enlisting your help with security,

I'd also like to arrange for you to meet the royal families of both countries.

Ooh, good idea!

It's a great chance to spread Master Beryl's name at home and abroad.

I... Isn't that just a bit much?

I know you don't enjoy being in the limelight much, Master.

But please remember your position as a special instructor who was given

the royal seal of approval.

I can't say no when she puts it like that.

Very well, then.

I appreciate your understanding.

There would be no greater honor

than to have your assistance, Master Beryl.

Hey, we do it every year, so don't worry about it too much.

Complacency is the enemy, Curuni.

Oops, sorry.

Now, to the main topic.

That wasn't it?!

If you're going to be meeting royalty,

you need to be dressed appropriately for the occasion.

Oh, right.

So that's where going shopping for clothes comes into it.

Took her long enough.

He certainly does.

Members of the Order

can wear either their armor or ceremonial uniforms.

Since you're not a member of the Order, you don't have either, do you Master?

Hmm... I guess I can't get away with wearing my regular clothes.

Okay, I'll find something suitable when I have time.

Absolutely not!

Why might that be?

Sorry Master, but you're not well versed in stores in the capital as yet.

I'll introduce you to a reputable clothing store,

so just leave it to me.

I'd be grateful if you could spare some time tomorrow afternoon.

Okay, I guess I'll leave it to you.

Thank you.

Well, I have some work to do, so I'll take my leave.

Y... Yeah.

Having her take care of an old guy like me this way

is really kinda embarrassing.

The Commander was really forward just now, wasn't she?

Well, he is her Master, so I guess he's important to her.

Yeah, that's true.

But I wonder if that's all it is.

I'm home.

Oh, welcome back.

What's this?

It came for you.

I wonder what it is.

Clothes?

"Dear Beryl. This is to say thank you for the other day."

Someone who knows this address and would do something like this...

That would be Ibroy.

It seems a friend of mine sent some clothes for you, Mewi.

This kind of frilly stuff doesn't suit me.

That's not true.

There are plenty of choices here, so wear the ones you like.

Now, let's have dinner.

Dig in.

Yeah, thanks.

Oh, that's right.

I'm going to be guarding some VIPs at work soon.

I need to get myself some proper clothes,

so I'm going shopping with Allucia tomorrow afternoon.

Allucia... That girl from the Order?

Yeah, the one with silver hair.

You met at headquarters, right?

Do you want to come shopping with us?

Nope.

Really?

Despite her appearance, Allucia's really kind to younger kids.

- You don't have to-- - I'm not going.

Yeah, okay.

Why's Mewi getting so bent out of shape?

Understanding girls her age is too hard for an old guy like me.

Sorry to keep you waiting.

Is something wrong?

Oh, no.

I've just never seen you dressed like that before.

Going to a clothing store dressed as a knight would be rather odd, right?

That's true.

It looks good on you.

Th... Thank you.

Well, let's get going.

Yeah, I'm in your hands.

I have a pretty good idea which stores the Commander will go to.

You have no shame.

You say that, but you're curious too, aren't you?

It's not that I'm not curious, but...

Let's go!

I've gotta hand it to Baltrain's Central District.

The stores just exude that high-quality air.

Let's start with this store.

You're fine, but I'm totally out of place here.

That's not true at all.

Welcome.

Oh, Miss Citrus.

Nice to see you.

We're going to look around a bit.

Please, go ahead. If there's anything you like, just let me know.

That's all well and good, but there's too much to choose from.

And I really don't trust my own taste.

I think it would be best to leave it to Allucia.

Master, what do you think of this?

It's a doublet.

It's got frilly bits.

You have a good eye, Miss Citrus.

Really?

You don't like it?

Um, maybe it's a little bit flashy.

I think it would suit you.

Yeah, you're saying that because selling stuff is your job.

But I'd look like this in it.

You think it'd suit me?!

Hmm, let's see what else they have.

Very well.

Leaving it up to Allucia is dangerous.

If I don't take the initiative here,

I'll end up wearing some hella fancy clothes.

How about that over there?

Well, I think it's a little plain.

I think it would be just right for me.

And it looks comfortable.

If you say so, Master.

Excuse me, could you hold this for us for now?

Of course.

I'm fine with what we've chosen.

But I can't just ignore everything Allucia is doing for me.

We'll be back.

Let's go and look at some other stores, Master.

Oh, okay.

By the way, Master, we haven't had lunch yet, have we?

No. Shall we stop somewhere to eat before we move on to the next store?

Yes!

The sparks are flying methinks.

You think?

This restaurant is a good choice for lunch in the Central District.

It's so stylish, I feel a bit intimidated.

I'd never come to a place like this myself, so I'm glad you chose it.

Here you are.

It's presented so beautifully.

It's a shame to eat it.

If you keep looking at it it will get cold.

Oh, that would be a shame, too.

Let's eat.

Shopping and having lunch together.

Now this is a bona fide date!

Hmm? Did you say something?

No, nothing.

How's your food?

It's really good.

The Commander looks like she's really enjoying herself.

Yeah, I've certainly never seen her look like that before.

That's what you call an honest-to-goodness date.

If that's the case, then wouldn't what we're doing now be a date too?

Not at all.

No?

Sorry about that.

You showed me so many clothes at so many stores,

and I ended up with what I picked out at the first store we went to.

Not at all, so long as you like them, that's all that matters.

Besides...

You did nothing wrong, Allucia.

I should have gone with you right from the beginning.

I'm sorry I was so thoughtless and put you in a scary position.

There's time before the next carriage. Wanna get something to eat?

Back then, we didn't end up going out to eat, did we?

We finally did.

Nothing.

Really?

Okay, I'll be going now.

Thanks for today.

Thank you, too.

The Commander just keeps watching him go.

W... What? That's a bad idea!

Commander.

Henblitz. What is it?

Forgive me.

I've pretty much been spying on you.

It's fine.

Nothing you saw is reason for me to be embarrassed.

Commander, may I ask you something?

Yes, what is it?

What is Master Beryl to you?

- Good morning. - Morning.

Sorry about yesterday.

You really just jumped in with both feet, and I was so shocked, I ran away.

I didn't tell the Commander you were with me, so don't worry.

I feel bad, considering I was the one that invited you along.

Don't worry about it.

Good morning.

Good morning, Commander.

G... Good... morning.

I'm gonna go practice my swings.

What's wrong with Curuni?

Perhaps she wants space to swing her sword freely.

Zweihänders are long, after all.

I see.

I want to make my Master happy.

That's all.

I'm sorry to interrupt everyone's training,

but I'll be taking over the hall for a while.

What do you mean?

When my Master comes, I'll be challenging him to a bout.

You and Master Beryl?!

There is no one here who doubts his prowess anymore.

Having him face off against me prior to meeting the royal family

will drive it home further.

Win or lose, him holding his own against you giving it your all

will show he's more than qualified to be an instructor.

Yes.

May I ask you something?

What is it?

Is that the only reason you wish to face off against him?

If... If I can beat him,

I thought I'd share a desire of mine with him.

Now then, I'll go and get ready.

What were you talking about?

She's going to face off against Master Beryl.

She said if she wins, she'll tell Master Beryl what she desires.

What? So, she's gonna tell him she loves him?!

She did seem to be having fun yesterday, after all.

The Commander is beautiful and intelligent,

and while strict, she's also kind.

Would any man turn her down if she confessed her feelings to them?

Morning.

Good morning.

Everyone's working hard, I see.

Good morning, Master.

Oh good morning.

It's unusual for you to be in the training hall at this time.

You've come to get some exercise, have you?

Yes. I'd like to cross swords with you.

Right... Huh?

The delegation is due to arrive soon,

so I thought I should give my sword a workout.

If you're open to the idea, of course.

I see... I guess practice swings really don't cut it.

- Shall we get to it, then? - Yes.

Henblitz, please give the signal to begin.

Very well.

It's been years since I faced off against Allucia.

She's the Commander of the Order now. If she goes all out, I'm not gonna win.

At least this will help her get some exercise in.

Master.

Do you know what people call me?

Why don't you tell me.

It's a little uncivilized,

but they call me "Lightning-fast Allucia."

Begin.

Just as I expected.

With most of my opponents, that would have decided the outcome here.

Nah, if it ended now, you wouldn't get the exercise you need.

That was so fast, I didn't see it.

The one thing I do know is that Allucia is serious.

No one has ever blocked me three times before.

I'm flattered to hear that.

What's going on?

That slight tell that usually comes before the move to strike wasn't there.

She really lives up to her nickname.

I can't keep parrying her blows forever.

Which means...

I'll have to go on the attack.

These aren't the moves of someone who just sits around doing paperwork.

She probably trains every day, no matter how busy she is.

This student of mine is amazing.

But I can't lose to her.

If I win here, she may just become an even better swordsman.

I'm so happy.

I can now show you the skills I've acquired

since leaving your side, Master.

Yeah. What you're showing me is amazing.

Who's gonna win?

The Commander has the advantage.

Master Beryl appears to be barely holding his own.

If the Commander likes the Master,

I kinda thought it would be great for them to get together.

But seeing them like this, I don't know how to put it,

but maybe the Master would prefer the status quo as it is.

Come on, focus harder.

Don't miss even the slightest movement.

I see it!

Her speed isn't absolute.

Maybe she uses her knees so well that it appears her moves are so sudden.

But knowing this doesn't make it easy to parry her blows.

Plus, her eagle eyes mean I can barely land a hit.

She's not an opponent I can beat in a fair fight.

Now!

One point.

Is that... okay?

A real battle has no rules.

Besides, there's probably only one person in the world capable of using

a move like that against the Commander.

You're right.

You beat me.

Your swordsmanship is clean, but maybe a little too clean.

You won't always come up against opponents that fight fair,

so keep that in mind.

Thank you for your tutelage.

Oh, is that the time?

I'm gonna go get some lunch.

Thank you, Master.

Wow, that really had my heart racing.

You probably learned a lot just now.

Honestly, there's no way I could match up to that level.

So... um... like...

Were you going to tell the Master how you felt about him if you beat him?

- What? - Sorry.

I told her about our conversation.

It's fine.

If I had won, I was just going to ask the Master

to buy me some new clothes.

Master bought himself some new clothes,

so I thought if I won, it would be okay to ask that much, at least.

Wh... What, so that's what it was?

So, shopping for clothes with him was lots of fun, huh.

Sorry for the weird question, Commander.

I'm kinda hungry all of a sudden. I'm gonna go get lunch.

Commander, may I ask you something?

Yesterday, today... You're full of questions.

Go ahead.

You were actually going to tell him how you felt if you won, weren't you?

I want my Master to be happy.

It would be wonderful if I could be the one to make him happy,

but it doesn't necessarily have to be me that does so.

You don't understand?

Honestly, I can't get my mind around it.

But that bout just now...

Partway through, I forgot who it was

I was hoping would win.

And I don't even know why I felt that way.

Then I guess it's the same kind of thing as that.

So yeah, I was just barely holding on.

I was so relieved when I won.

So it was a legit battle, then.

Yeah.

Seeing my student becoming so strong and coming at me for real was great.

Maybe she wanted you to only have eyes for her...

Hmm?

You say some funny things, Mewi.

Well, it's true, right?

With that shopping trip yesterday, it wasn't you that did the inviting.

That girl... she really likes...

Don't go any further.

Why not?

Because she's my student. And there's a huge age gap between us.

You're hung up on the most trivial things.

If an old guy like me stopped caring about such stuff, it would all be over.

Fancy food is daunting for old guys.

Especially if they're accompanied by a beautiful woman.

- Am I that beautiful-- - It was just a general statement.

Next time : "The Old Country Bumpkin Goes on His First Hunt in Ages."