01x04 - Spell of Proof Still Distant

[bunniefuu]

The king will reward you

for your recent battle.

You were selected

to sortie with those solists.

So that was my first mission from god?

Little one, we commend you.

Set your sword upon the scales.

We shall grant you unwilting iron commensurate

with the deeds of which it tells.

These must be the scales.

Unwilting iron will bless you with sustenance

and go on to bless many with the same.

The god tree still won't look at me. Figures.

I still have two missions to go.

Call me anytime.

Await the divine summons, little one.

Did you meet with your parents?

Yeah. But I doubt I'll see them again.

You seem content.

Well, I feel nice and refreshed

after everything that's happened.

By the way, you and Kir are two of the

top four solists. Who're the others?

Taken an interest?

A bit.

One is called Tiziano,

but they're missing at the moment.

I don't even know if they're

a man or woman right now.

Oh, so they're a mermaid?

Mermaids can change everything

from their appearance to their aura.

If Tiziano has changed gender and gone

into hiding, we'll never find them.

Are they strong?

Very.

What about the other one?

He's a bit of a special case as well.

But he's strong?

What's his name?

Adonis.

Bye Bye, Earth

Bye Bye, Earth

I didn't get picked again?

How many times in a row is this?

What's a paw tree doing here?

Oh, pops!

They're so cute!

They look surprised they were born.

I know!

Don't be afraid.

Guess they won't let me near them.

Reminds me of that guy.

Don't get involved.

You damn sword thief!

Spit it out! Where'd you hide them?!

What's all this about?

Shandy Gaff!

This hardly resembles a duel between solists.

This thief is no solist,

and I won't treat him like one!

He's not looking down on them.

He pities them

Oh, sorry

Come on! Let's go!

Looks like your words carry weight,

even with that lot.

Well, see you around.

What started that ordeal?

He took the sword of a solist

who recently died in battle.

Their next of kin demanded

its return, and he refused.

Huh?

What good is a sword you

didn't grow yourself?

I don't know his reasons.

He takes the swords of the

fallen from battlefields

and buys up the swords of those

who renounce the blade.

I wonder why he doesn't just

grow a sword of his own.

You think maybe he can't?

Those gloves

They make him seem like he's afraid

to touch a sword directly.

Oh well. I'd just get passed over, anyway.

Hey! Speak up!

Yeah!

Adonis!

Don't you think this is a little much,

all of you ganging up on just one guy?

It's her!

The girl who beat Kir!

You k*lled them?

You always start with something

soft when testing a sword's edge.

Can't say I approve of feeding wildflowers.

Y-You can find pops anywhere.

Besides, they wilt in no time.

This guy lost it over a few lousy

pops too, and look at him.

If you're so weak that you can only

cut down helpless creatures,

you shouldn't be solists!

I won't take that lying down!

I'll take you all on!

Talk about brute strength.

What did the pops ever do to you?

How heartless can you be?

Come on.

This is the second time you've

seen me this worse for wear.

Where do you live?

I've got no problem ditching you,

if you'd prefer.

Sorry.

That paw tree was planted to grow

pops for people to practice on.

A truly sharp sword has to be able

to cut soft things as well as hard.

What? That's awful!

Solists can't grow without cutting things.

But I agree. If they can only cut down

helpless creatures, they shouldn't be solists.

If that's how you feel,

you should've said so sooner.

Did you want me to think

you're as bad as them?

How do you know my name?

Did Gaff tell you?

That's right.

I hear people call you the sword thief.

I've heard about you, too.

Isn't your name

Belle Lablac?

Right in one. What else have you heard?

He called you "the girl of reason"

"The Girl of Reason"

Raven blossoms

Avian flowers that take flight

to deliver news of death.

Raven

Avian messenger of death

They grow from corpses.

Each one blooms to inform

a bereaved relative.

So he just heard about a death in the family.

Want me to clean those up?

No, leave them.

I'm going to the castle.

In the shape you're in?

Aren't you going too?

Why bother? I won't get picked.

I'll give you a ride.

I bet Bamboo will like you, too.

Bamboo.

This is my shell.

It's always eating itself,

so it doesn't exist anywhere.

I've never invited anyone else inside before.

Restau Rant

The magic of consumption

Restau Rant.

Uh Wow.

Wait, where's Adonis?

And this room has no windows,

not to mention a door!

Am I trapped in here?

Sorry, but you'll have

to make yourself comfortable.

I'm not feeling up to much.

What's the matter? Sit.

S-Sure.

Bamboo seems to like you as much as I do.

One of these is all I need to patch myself up.

It might as well be an illusion.

I thought the priests kept sacred

ashes under lock and key.

A few bribes, and they'll give

me some under the table.

So

what is a "girl of reason," anyway?

Beats me.

What do you mean?

I don't think Gaff really knows either.

I heard his master—your

master—called you that.

Said you have some special destiny.

I'm not that big a deal.

I just don't know my way home.

How do you mean?

I don't where to go to find my people.

You don't say.

Why do you take swords from folks?

I'm just asking Park City something.

You are?

This isn't even all.

I have more rooms in here.

Why?

Did you add something to its spell?

The Question mark.

Question

Of those who doubt

A glyph from the age of gods

signifying one who doubts.

It can change any sword to suit me.

This is my spell and also my other name:

"The Question."

Why did these swords and their

wielders need to fight?

What does it mean to be a solist?

What is Schwert Land?

Who is the king? Who is our god?

I won't ask you to understand,

but I can't live any other way.

He's like those pops.

He doesn't know anything.

Not why he's here or why he goes on living.

I bet we're the same.

Once I add my Question to a sword,

no one else can handle it.

It changes the meaning

of the spell, you see.

I was right. He can't grow a sword himself.

The reason, and his resentment,

are buried deep, deep down,

engulfed in darkness.

I doubt anyone can reach them down there.

Not anyone at all.

Looks like we made it in time.

Solists

What's this?

Make the heavens resound with Schwert Musik.

Everything Bamboo sees and hears.

All serves our god's harmony.

Tiziano's scales have tilted toward evil.

They have whispered in the ears

of the evil, inciting them,

and sworn to strike at the good.

Tiziano, huh?

One of the top four solists?

Our god will play the divine

summons, here and now.

They've finally crossed into evil.

What happened?

Tiziano's got a bad habit of seducing

people irrespective of gender,

then dangling themself as a prize

to make their lovers fight each other.

Basically, they play god.

Gaff couldn't take it anymore

and broke their sword in a duel.

Restore the scales to the

balance our god desires.

I don't know where they

disappeared to afterward,

but it sounds like they

finally went over to evil.

You chosen solists of good,

show forth the notes of your blades.

Now they've stirred up the Underdogs

and sworn vengeance on the Topdogs.

Underdogs

Evil

Topdogs

Good

I had no idea.

Shandy Gaff, Kir Royale, Boule

Vardier, Grog, Cablegram, Aldila,

So this is where their sword being broken

and their good being tested got them

It's my story in reverse.

What do you mean

about their good being tested?

There's only one way to fix a broken sword.

I can't tell you the details,

but when you use it,

a sword tests its wielder.

The sword tests you?

Carrol, Bosom Caresser,

Stinger, Gordon, Benedictine,

Wait, so how is that your story in reverse?

I started out on the outside.

Czarine, Volga Boatman,

Belle Lablac,

Adonis the Question,

Jack Rose, Xanthia, Camper, Robert Burns,

The king's still calling names.

What's going on?

Brace yourself.

This selection couldn't be worse.

Bellini, Gwyn

I swear.

He keeps harping on me about matching

everyone else. What the hell for?

We're forming bands for this fight.

What's wrong with moving

to counter what I see coming?

You've got to follow the choreography

in a battle of the bands, featureless.

Lay off with the "featureless" stuff.

Sure thing, Lablac.

Call me Belle.

Little one, we shall no longer call

you "featureless" henceforth.

You're such a goof.

Oh? Fancy finding you together.

Hey, is it true you organized

the bands for this fight?

The chosen solists are horribly mismatched.

I grouped you all as best I could.

"Take your complaints to the king," you mean?

The second band and closing act

will follow after you.

You don't need to vanquish

Tiziano on your own.

Don't do anything rash.

This whole battle is rash.

What do you mean?

Listen up, Belle.

The stage for our fight will be the Katakombe.

The Underdogs consider it sacred ground,

the way the Topdogs do their castle.

They know more ways in and out than I

can count, plus all the passages inside.

The opening act is fighting now

to secure our way in though, right?

The Underdogs will fight like hell.

Do the Topdogs understand that?

That's why I assigned you to the first band.

You know the place like—

Do you really think anyone will listen to me?

Failing to win their trust

could get you k*lled.

Adonis!

The balance will shift considerably.

Dear me. I suppose I must make do until

the threads of fate pull it back to me.

Oh? Color me impressed.

I mean you no harm,

roaming prince of Denari Land.

I haven't heard from you in a long time,

roaming prince of Schwert Land.

I have nowhere left to roam.

Oh?

You don't sound like the man who reached

my land through sheer determination,

questing for the world's enigmas.

I merely came to ask the one who would

abscond with reason what he intends.

I was dispatched to observe

and judge reason.

Absconding with her will come later.

What is there to judge?

If her menace can't be managed,

I'll k*ll her and all who know of her.

But to depart this land,

she must question its reason.

So it all comes down to Deus Ex Machina.

A divine symphony of iron and blood

The gods' resistance, I suppose.

Indeed. And this god will try many a

ploy to keep reason at bay,

so fiercely that it may nip reason in the bud.

I won't let that happen.

That's what you came to ask of me, is it not?

Why don't you go yourself?

Your curse, is it?

Very well.

But I have one more question for you.

What is that girl to you?

She's like a raven blossom sprouting

from my body after I've fallen in a play.

She will carry the corpses of words

to heights I can never reach.

She is my hope.

Quite a sword you've got there!

Lend it here.

H-Hey!

Sorry, Runding.

You actually lifted that massive sword?

That's my Gordon!

Solist Gordon

I could swing that little thing,

no sweat, Benedictine!

Director Benedictine

With us around, that little girl

won't have anything to do.

Who are these two idiots?

Everyone, we're approaching the Katakombe.

Stay vigilant.

Conductor Camper

Lablac, I don't want trouble.

Stay in formation.

I absolutely forbid any improvisation.

I'll be careful.

Hey, don't let it get to you.

He's always like that.

Solist Perry

He finds some poor unfortunate to pick on.

Who's he calling a "poor unfortunate"?!

Can't he see you're trying your best?

The hell's with this script?!

I'm so sorry! I had no time to take requests!

I might slip and hack up

the guys ahead of me.

Put me up at the front! Got that?

Libretto Gwyn

Yes, of course!

They're revising the script now?!

How utterly thoughtless.

They'll never win renown that way.

Chained

A locked sword

His sword is chained. That's our recorder.

Try not to catch his attention.

As long as you devote yourselves to your duty,

Pianistus Cassis

I won't need to report

anything more to the king.

First band, halt!

What is this place?

It's been washed clean, but the

air's stagnant and I smell blood.

Where's the opening act?

We haven't got a prayer.

The opening act pities us.

They're waiting for us to take the stage

and get massacred.

This is no joke!

It's a joke, all right. A sick one.

God's telling it, and it's not funny.

It's all we can do now to survive

long enough to laugh it off.

Now, let the Schwert Musik begin!

Fourth Movement

Spell of Proof Still Distant

Get back, you idiot!

He's already dead!

Something's controlling him!

Who is our enemy?

Want me to tell you when that watery

lass went off the deep end?

Fifth Movement

Performance of Swords and Scales, Good and Evil