Maximizing time.
RECURRENCE
PREVENTATIVE MEASURES
It's simple. Examine
the root cause of a problem
then develop a strategy
to eliminate it,
so you're not wasting time
repeating mistakes.
[UCHIMURA]
To do that, you must have
a firm grasp of the situation.
A similar product has
appeared on the market
at half the price.
Were they able
to make a viable copy
in less than a month?
No, not possible.
Even if they could perform
a disassembly analysis,
they'd need more time.
What in the world is going on?
Saketoba.
BAR
-[MASTER] Basashi.
-[music playing on radio]
[UCHIMURA]
Caesar salad.
[MASTER]
Da-Dashimaki tamago.
Go, wait,
what about Gobou-te
Oh, not good.
Go, go,
what bar snack
starts with "go?"
-[footsteps approaching]
-Um.
[SYLPHID]
Goma tofu.
Hm?
Nice, that's a really good one.
[SYLPHID]
Master, please stop the music.
All right.
[clicking]
♪
Well, I had no idea.
♪
Ah, I'm feeling it.
It's stealing my heart
right out from my chest.
[gasps]
Maybe that's it!
Someone started stealing them!
Some villager
must be reselling the ones
we gave to deter beasts!
[UCHIMURA] But the ones
distributed within the country
all went to places
hit hardest by the beasts.
I can't imagine
why they'd resell them.
[door opens]
-Uchimura!
-[UCHIMURA] Whoa,
-what's going on?
-That stone
you were handing out
like candy,
it totally stopped working,
so you tell me!
Huh?
[UCHIMURA]
Now our product's defective?
Wait, a recall?
Anything but that!
[crow cawing]
EPISODE 7: CONDITIONS TO
BECOME A FIRST-CLASS MERCHAN
[UCHIMURA]
Just awful.
Magical beasts.
Looks like they got wild.
Once I heard the Demon Army
had our backs,
I let my guard down.
Here's what I don't get.
Didn't you install
those devices yourself,
Mr. Uchimura?
So, why didn't they work?
[VILLAGE HEAD]
If this keeps up,
our food supply will run out
on us in no time at all.
[grunts]
We've been receiving complaints
from a handful of villages,
too.
I've been running
all over the place
doing damage control.
♪
-It's gone?
-Do you think
somebody dug up the Rosemarin?
They may have?
We should check
the other devices' locations.
[birds chirping]
♪
[boys panting]
[UCHIMURA]
Hmm.
So, it's true.
All the Rosemarins we donated
to their village are gone.
Pretty obvious
why it didn't work.
Now what?
Should we go check out
the other villages, too?
Hmm.
[UCHIMURA]
If the thief's a villager,
wouldn't they at least
leave a few
to keep the beasts away?
Hmm, the only
other possibility would be
[UCHIMURA]
Ms. Ulmandra, Olulu,
please give me
all the dates and locations
of the complaints
we've received.
[insects chirping]
[ULMANDRA]
Hey, Uchimura, wait up!
Do ya wanna tell me
why you're in such a hurry?
What's the point
of checking a village
that didn't even
file a complaint?
-[UCHIMURA] Shh.
-Huh?
No one can see us over here.
[chuckles softly]
[ULMANDRA] Huh?
Is he flirting?
No, this is Uchimura
we're talking about.
It must be work-related.
Wow, sheesh,
honestly, I can never tell
what you really mean.
-Shh.
-Uh.
Be patient
and stay still for me.
[ULMANDRA]
Oh.
[ULMANDRA] [heart beating]
Olulu,
tonight's the night
I become a real woman.
[heart beating]
Huh?
[grass rustling]
Oh.
♪
[both gasp]
Looks like we figured it out.
You're the thieves who've been
stealing our Rosemarins!
Selling them to
the Rampage Kingdom, huh?
That's how
you can undersell us.
They cost you nothing.
[both gasp]
Now, tell me
who hired you guys.
I ain't snitching!
Die!
[Ulmandra grunts]
-[thuds]
-Hm.
[groans]
[grunts]
Of course,
I freaking knew it!
The only thing
he thinks about
is his job!
[thuds]
[GIRL] [gasps]
Hurry run!
[both panting]
-As if I'd let you--
-Easy,
just let them go.
[ULMANDRA]
What?
[UCHIMURA] They're carrying
a ticking time b*mb.
♪
[BUTAGALIAN] Here is
the order as requested, Sire.
[KING]
Is it now?
You are delivering
at a steady pace.
You've not only
invented a product
almost identical to that
of the Demon Army's
classified item,
but you've managed
to mass produce it.
You certainly are
an excellent merchant,
Butagalian.
Oh, no, I could do no less.
It is the merchant's job
to provide the customer
with whatever he might want,
whenever he might want it.
To procure whatever
amount of it he may desire.
And to do so
by any means necessary.
[carriage rumbling]
[BUTAGALIAN] I'm
the great merchant, Butagalian,
and I'm known by two titles.
One is "The Prophet."
The other is
"The Merchant of Death."
Want to know the secret to
becoming obscenely wealthy?
Let me tell you.
Buy low and sell high.
That is the simple truth
of business.
That's why merchants
search the world
to find products
at a cheap price.
♪
But you amateurs are too slow.
Once one merchant has
the jump on a product,
it's over.
The true goal is
to find products
no one knows exist,
but that fill a hole
in the market
and sell for a massive profit.
Merchants are like prophets,
you see.
When I heard the Demon Army
had contacted
the Rampage Kingdom,
it suddenly dawned on me.
Though chief
of a small country,
the Demon Overlord
is a mighty leader.
If he's making a move,
then there must be profit
to be had.
Still, this product
took me by surprise.
It meets the demands
of the Rampage Kingdom,
it's easy to ship
and it fetches a high price.
You couldn't wish for
a more perfect product
than that.
I met with a cohort
to replicate it,
but it proved
much too difficult a task.
A normal man
would have given up there.
However, I am a merchant.
A merchant's job
is to trade goods.
There's no reason he has
to supply them himself.
If you can't make it,
then just you have to take it.
♪
Dear trader of the Demon Army.
Supposedly, you are the finest.
But, what now?
Just by swiping
the fruits of your labor,
I'm making a fortune.
If you were to learn of this,
you'd probably call me
a swindler and a cheat.
-[horse snorts]
-Simpleton,
I'm sure you have no idea
what it means to be a merchant.
There is no good
and evil in business.
[horse neighs]
[carriage rumbling]
-[spears clang]
-What?
[SOLDIER]
Merchant of Death, Butagalian.
By the orders of the King,
you are under arrest.
[BUTAGALIAN]
Huh?
[Butagalian groans]
[MALE RK SOLDIER 7A]
We have captured him.
Good work.
[gasps]
Your Majesty!
This must be
some kind of misunderstanding!
I've done nothing wrong!
Watch this.
[shatters]
Wha?
[KING] All the stones
you've recently brought to me
have been worthless.
Tell me the meaning of this,
Butagalian?
But they must've
been mishandled!
I would never
dare to supply you
with a faulty product, My King,
that's bad business!
[electricity crackling]
[whimpers]
[electricity crackling]
I'm asking you
why this happened,
not how you feel about it.
Explain why you would force me
to hold a piece of garbage
in my hand,
Butagalian.
[BUTAGALIAN]
What?!
What in the world is happening?
All I did was steal the stones
and sell them to him!
The stones should be real!
So, why are these
defective now?
Did I walk right into a trap?
Hmph.
Apparently,
this man can explain it to you.
[Butagalian breathes shakily]
[footsteps approaching]
Hmm?
[UCHIMURA]
Pleasure to meet you.
Name's Dennosuke Uchimura.
♪
[BUTAGALIAN]
Ahh,
the Dennosuke Uchimura,
in the flesh!
I heard that
a new Elite General
was appointed to the Big Four
who had achieved quite a lot
in a short time!
I've heard he's powerful enough
to single-handedly
tame the most rabid beasts,
even minotaur and ogre chiefs.
The most dangerous man
in the Demon Army.
That is who this seemingly
average man is?
I understand why they say
you can't judge him
by his appearance.
[UCHIMURA]
I'm sure you've heard
the Demon Army
is currently producing
a new magical device
called the Rosemarin.
It utilizes new technology
that's capable of warding off
magical beasts.
But in recent days,
there have been numerous cases
of theft in our territory.
[shudders]
[UCHIMURA] In order to protect
the army's new technology
and secure
our citizens' safety,
we couldn't overlook this
and allow any more
to suffer such loss.
That's why we used this.
You see,
at first glance, it looks
very similar to the Rosemarin,
but it's just a dummy stone
that holds no power.
Oh.
You have replicated it well.
Even I couldn't
tell the difference.
[UCHIMURA]
Yes, well
So, by tonight?
You know it takes
an extremely skilled artisan
to make a realistic fake!
But that's exactly the reason
I'm asking you to help me!
[SYLPHID]
Hmm.
Cake from the boulevard.
-Huh?
-Sugar's been proven
to help recharge the brain!
-Hurry and get me some cake!
-Yes, ma'am!
[footsteps receding]
[UCHIMURA] Oh, we need
a few real Rosemarins
to defend the village, too.
Go ahead
and take 'em from storage!
Based on where the complaints
came from,
we honed in on which villages
would be targeted.
After we were able
to confirm the theft,
we had the Demon Army
provide their assistance
by setting up a few dummies
in every village at once.
[grunts]
Because of this,
the number of thefts
has already decreased.
So, tell me, why are you
selling our dummies
to the Rampage Kingdom,
Mr. Butagalian?
[shudders]
[BUTAGALIAN]
He got me good.
I fell right into his trap!
He wanted to wait
until this moment to expose me.
This was all planned out.
And in front of the King,
no less, so there's no escape.
I'm done for.
There's nothing
I can possibly do.
Except
But, My King, this is
all a misunderstanding!
[BUTAGALIAN]
grovel!
I would never do anything
to deceive you, My Lord!
Our products must've
gotten mixed up!
I just need a chance to get
to the bottom of this mess!
I'm sure I can fix it.
Believe me, I have nothing
but sincerity for you, My King.
[BUTAGALIAN] I'm showing him
how pathetic and pitiful I am.
Please
[BUTAGALIAN] I don't care
how much crow I must eat.
No matter how humiliating
a situation is,
I must get through it!
If I survive, I can start over!
I will give you
anything you want
as my sincerest apology!
I shall hand you
my entire fortune
if that will assist you
with any issues that may arise!
[BUTAGALIAN] No matter
how ugly my groveling looks,
I will survive.
I must live.
No matter what.
I must live!
The King sentences you
-to death.
-[electricity crackling]
[groans]
[shudders]
[gate slides open]
[Butagalian shudders]
[thuds]
[beast growls]
[Butagalian screams]
[BUTAGALIAN] Don't stay away!
Not like this.
I don't want to die yet!
Not like this!
Butagalian can't die!
I can't afford to die!
I must live through this!
I need to survive!
I must survive!
I don't wanna die!
I can't afford to die here!
I just can't.
I can't. I can't. I can't.
No! No, no, no!
No, no, no, no, no, no!
My dear children!
[roars]
[explodes]
[whimpering]
[shudders]
What are you trying to do now,
Uchimura?
Hold on, but why?
Tell me,
why would you dare to interfere
with a royal punishment?
Uh!
When you told me
you wanted to expose
Butagalian's evil deeds,
I heard your plea
and even let you join.
But I don't recall
ever giving you permission
to intrude upon my judgment.
This is an act of interference
in the internal affairs
of another country.
I hope you're prepared
for what's to come of it.
No, Sire.
The only thing
I interfered with
was your crocodile's bite.
What's more,
I fully intend to give the King
a mouthful right now!
You think you're clever.
[electricity crackling]
-Hm.
-Well,
I do have a soft spot
for inferior beings.
So be it.
[growls]
Now, explain.
[BUTAGALIAN] He's not
actually going to listen.
Come now, tell me.
How do you reason this?
I'd like to hear your thoughts.
Why are you willing
to sacrifice your life
for the sake of the fool
cowering behind you?
Sacrifice?
You are mistaken, oh, King.
I'm demonstrating
my loyalty to you
by stopping you
before it's too late.
If you lose Mr. Butagalian,
this kingdom will perish.
I promise you.
-That so?
-Huh!
[UCHIMURA]
This is all for your sake
and the sake of your kingdom.
Uh!
I couldn't stand by
and watch that happen.
[KING]
I don't follow you.
What does a mere
merchant's fate
have to do with my country?
There are countless
other merchants
who would gladly
do business with us?
There's nothing
special about him.
♪
There's orange powder.
♪
[UCHIMURA]
The Rampage Kingdom's economy
is built off of gold mining.
But the manpower
and the yields have diminished
over the years, haven't they?
Thus, it's important
to efficiently smelt gold
from its ore
to increase the purity.
And that's exactly where
orange powder is essential.
Adding magic
to this special powder
allows the purest form of gold
to be extracted from the ore.
And the person
handling said powder
is Mr. Butagalian, is it not?
What does that matter?
I can obtain that powder
from any merchant I choose.
[UCHIMURA]
No,
he's the only one
who can procure it.
This country's
orange powder supply
heavily relies on imports
from the distant
country of Toki.
But as of late,
Toki has placed restrictions
on how much orange powder
they're willing to export.
That powder was among
the causes of a civil w*r
over the scarce resources
in Toki.
As such, they are very cautious
of exporting their resources.
The only merchant allowed
to sell their product abroad
is Mr. Butagalian here.
How do you know that?
Research. I started wondering
if it was possible for us
to domestically produce
our own gold as a resource.
It turns out, it wasn't.
Mr. Butagalian helped
w*r-torn countries
get back on their feet
when the w*r ended.
He brought them
the food and supplies
from around the world.
He earned his nickname,
"The Merchant of Death"
by proactively doing business
in the worst conflict zones.
Because of this,
there are countries
that feel indebted to him
and only allow him to handle
certain resources for them.
Toki is one of those countries.
You see, he was willing
to brave perilous conditions
to help those people survive.
If that's not enough
to let him live, what is?
Hmm.
[electricity crackling]
[snaps fingers]
I don't understand though.
Why are you the one
preaching his worth?
Neither my country's situation
nor Butagalian's
has anything to do with you.
Wouldn't it be better for you
if we both failed?
[BUTAGALIAN]
He's right.
The Rampage Kingdom
and the Demon Army
are competitors.
And I'm a thief
who's done actual damage
to the Demon Army's
territories.
Why is this man willing to go
so far for others?
What is he trying
to get out of this?
Excuse me, I don't,
-I don't get the question.
-[BOTH] What?
Isn't it normal
to help a person in need
when you're in a position
to do so?
Profit can't be
all you care about.
There's much more to life
than the bottom line.
Wait, am I,
the odd man out?
Uhh.
Uh?!
[laughs]
[inhales deeply]
More to life
than the bottom line?
Normal to help?
What are you talking about?
-Uh?
-Huh?
[KING]
You're a funny guy!
[chuckles]
[laughs]
I needed that.
I'm off.
-[yawns]
-What, so are we still
[KING] I laughed so hard
I wore myself out.
It's nap time.
[UCHIMURA] So,
does that mean Mr. Butagalian
is off the hook or
[door slams shut]
-Hmm?
-Hmm?
Oh, man, I'm glad we both
made it out of there
in one piece.
Huh, me too.
[BUTAGALIAN]
This guy.
He completely
defused the situation
by making the King laugh.
Was that luck?
No, no,
he's clearly
too calculating for that.
What is he after?
Is it my assets?
Is he going to use
all of this against me
for future blackmail?
-[UCHIMURA] Mr. Butagalian.
-Huh?
[trembling]
TREMBLE SHUDDER
[UCHIMURA]
I've never been so scared!
I thought I was going to die!
I'm sorry,
my nerves caught up to me.
Could you please
lend me a shoulder?
Thank you, I'm so sorry!
Hmm?
[footfall]
Pa!
Wait, could that be
[Butagalian groans]
[all laughing]
I missed you!
We got worried when we heard
they found out
about everything!
[BUTAGALIAN]
What in the world?
It was all Mr. Uchimura.
He had me gather everyone here.
[UCHIMURA]
Actually,
I'd previously heard about you
and that prompted me
to do some research
of my own into you.
And that's how I found out
what you did.
I learned all about
your background and how,
when you were doing business
in the conflict zone,
you picked up w*r orphans,
adopted them,
and put them to work.
No, you're wrong about that!
We work for him
because we like to help him!
[chuckles]
That's pretty obvious.
Right, that's why
I couldn't stand by
and let you
be thrown to the wolves.
It's so heartwarming to see you
reunite with all your children.
What the
I'm floored.
[BUTAGALIAN]
This man risked his life
by facing off with King Rampage
because he knew
about my family?
He did all that
for me and my children?
I'm so grateful!
Thank you so much,
Mr. Uchimura!
Thank you!
[BUTAGALIAN]
Now, you're entrusting me
with the Rosemarin sales?
[UCHIMURA]
Yes.
You already
travel all over the world,
so, you're perfect for the job.
But still, it's just,
isn't it odd when I was the one
who was stealing from you?
Why are you trusting me
with something
so important now?
[chuckles softly]
Well, I would prefer
that you refrain from doing
what you did
with the chimozu, but
it's difficult for me
to travel too far for business
because of my duties
in the army.
So, I would like to
ask a reliable merchant
to do so for me.
[BUTAGALIAN]
He's so kind.
For the sake of my children
and because
of your trust in me,
I have decided
to change the way
I do business from now on.
I'll work hard to make
this venture a massive success
and I guarantee to distribute
your product far and wide.
I won't let you down.
You have my word.
[UCHIMURA]
I'm counting on you!
♪
[birds chirping]
[BUTAGALIAN]
Oh, that's right.
There is one more thing
I wanted to mention to you.
Hm?
And that is?
[BUTAGALIAN] Just something
I heard from a merchant buddy,
there seems to be
disturbing movement
running through the guild
in the Demon Overlord's
territory.
[hissing]
[MASTER] Those who can
selflessly act for other people
can selfishly act
for themselves, too.
-[music playing on radio]
-Basically,
whether you
or someone else pours it
[sighs]
sake's delicious stuff.
MIZUIRO NO TEGAMI
SHIZUE ABE
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