01x09 - A Hero Conflicted

[bunniefuu]

- Mm

- Snazzy, ain't it?

The suit?

It's brand new!

Hm?

My shirt and necktie, too, boo.

Oh yeah, how 'bout we pop a

quick selfie for the socials?

- If there's something

you'd like to discuss,

please keep it brief.

Though, I can probably guess

what you're here about

- My goodness, things sure

have gotten messy!

- The Republic's facing

enormous backlash

from the global community over

their little terrorism incident.

What a disaster. Am I right?

Of course, it would happen now,

just when we're

moving towards peace.

- Peace was never an option

not even from the start.

The Kingdom was never going to

accept the Republic's terms,

much less recognize

its claims to the land.

- Then just what do ya' think

we're supposed to do

about it, Freddie-boy?

It seems to me there is no way

to avoid a full-blown w*r

between us and the Republic.

Still, at the end of the day,

the Republic does have

Leo on their side

And as long as he's around,

trying to fight them

the traditional way

just isn't gonna fly.

- But without him

- What are you implying?

- If Leo conveniently

goes missing,

the Republic loses its leader

and crumbles to pieces.

- You are so smart.

It's an unfortunate situation,

but seeing as things

have gone so sour,

it's high time we

hold Leo accountable

and see to it

that he disappears.

Course, you and

your old pals

are the only ones capable

of pulling that off.

Max, of course,

is a lost cause

And Yuria?

Well, she's long since retired.

- I should be able to take care

of Leo just fine all by myself.

- Bet ya' didn't

know this, but

Back in the day, I had

a buddy like him of my own.

We were classmates in school,

even joined the Magic Bureau

at the same time.

If you can believe it, he even

had better grades than me!

He kept on climbin' that big

corporate ladder, y'know?

Then one day

I found him out.

He'd been committing fraud

the whole time.

Naturally, I publicly

exposed his wrongdoings.

The poor fella lost everything.

And in his despair, well

- And I'm guessing

that would be

When you took

your friend's place

on the fast track to success,

isn't that right?

- Woo, bonus points for

the savage jab, Freddie!

Well

Now that I'm what the kids

would call "old,"

I'd probably choose to settle

things in private instead.

Nevertheless, I don't think

my younger self

made the wrong decision.

I did what I felt was right.

The guy was headed

down the wrong path.

And that's just sad.

So painful, for me

It still gives me

nightmares sometimes.

- Give me a break.

Do you really think

I would hesitate

to wipe the floor with

that traitorous t*rror1st

if given the opportunity?

No. Not even for a second.

I will go. By myself.

Your not-so-subtle

persuasion isn't needed.

- Heh, fair enough.

Swell.

Make sure you

come back alive, my man.

[Fred grunts]

[door opens and shuts]

Good lad.

You truly are my type of guy

Freddie-boy.

["One Room Adventure"

by MADKID plays]

[birds chirp]

[toilet flushes]

- [Zenia] Your Grace

About my analysis of

the substance,

I may need a little more time.

- Well then

I suppose that's fine.

We'll wait and see

what comes next.

Oh, hiya, Max.

Yesterday was pretty

rough, wasn't it?

Is your tum-tum

feeling better yet?

[Max groans]

Oh man!

Poor Max

You're really broken up

about it, aren't you?

I've never seen you

like this before.

[Max cries]

Wait a second

Hey!

What in the hell is this,

you butthole?!

Are you just moping around

because you lost a stupid bet?

What's the matter with you?!

And why are you gambling

in the first place?!

Are you insane?!

You can't go blowing

90K on a boat

when you don't

even have a job!

- I know, but

If I won, the payout

woulda been 40-to-1

- Woulda, shoulda, bullcrap!

- Okay, okay I'll stop.

And make a safer bet next time.

Got any cash?

- Fine But only 50,000

- You are not helping!

- Ugh, this isn't the time to be

wasted on gambling and nonsense.

Look at the TV.

- is completely unacceptable!

We will never give in

to t*rror1st demands!

- It is with a heavy heart,

I'm afraid, that we the Kingdom,

must launch a military operation

to destroy the Gamma Republic.

- [Man on TV] The whole thing

is simply ridiculous!

- If you ask me,

it's kinda terrifying.

I just hope they get it over

with as quickly as possible.

[Max grumbles]

- And it's like,

where's the Hero?

- [Man on TV] Wasn't it

one of his friends

who caused all this

in the first place?

- The Ministry has the

power to stop this thing,

so why haven't they?

[Max yawns]

Max the Hero needs to

step up and fix this.

- Gimme a friggin' break!

What am I, their damn

mother or something?

sh*t, these people, I swear

Ugh

- Just where do you think

you're going?

- Wherever I want.

- I'm coming, too!

[Max whistles]

If I leave him alone,

he might do something stupid

and blow more money.

- Have fun, you two!

[Max groans]

- Okay, so now that we're out

Is there anywhere special

you wanna go?

- If I was by myself,

there certainly would be

- Oh, well

Then we oughta go

check it out together!

Don't worry,

I won't get in the way.

- Hell no.

- [Demon Lord] Oh, come on,

what's the deal?

Why do you hate

hanging out with me?

Where is this place, anyway?

- [Max] Give it a rest,

would ya'?

It's not the kind of place

you go with another person.

- Good thing I'm not a person.

I'm the Demon Lord!

- Quit arguing semantics!

Human or demon, it ain't gonna

happen one way or another-

- Not just a demon.

Demon Lord, thank you very much!

- Whatever, man.

- [Sara] Hey, Max.

Is that your girlfriend?

- Um Hey, you look familiar.

Oh, I remember now!

You were playing soccer

with Max the other day.

I appreciate that.

Thanks for looking out

for my associate.

- [Sara] Skank.

- A what? Excuse me?!

What did you just say,

you grubby little urchin?!

Where did you even learn to

talk to people like that, kid?!

- You look like a bimbo.

[Demon Lord grumbles]

- Whatcha got there

in your bag, kiddo?

- [Sara] Badminton racquet.

- Yeah, but you're

all by yourself.

- [Sara] Yep.

I wanted to find

someone to play with.

Wanna play with me?

- Jeez

It's already gettin' hot out.

Go play with your friends.

- Oh, lighten up, Max.

At least it's better for you

than freakin' gambling.

[Max grunts]

- The old man loses

another round to the lady!

You're pretty good at this

ain'tcha, missy?

- You're a sucky partner.

Is this why you didn't ever

amount to anything in life?

- [Max] Ah come on.

So, your mom doin' okay?

- Yeah.

Her belly's gotten

as big as a house now.

She'll be having

my little brother soon.

- Oh You must be so excited!

- [Sara] Here.

- What?

- It's your turn to play now.

- Oh?

You want to challenge me?

Alright then!

I'll take you on!

- That's not what I meant.

You and Max should play

a round while I rest up.

I'm just gonna chill.

Huh? Uh, well, okay then.

- If she catches wind of your

powers, we're in trouble.

Just play easy.

- Yeah, I gotcha.

Here it comes!

Take this!

[both laugh]

- [Demon Lord, Telepathically]

Are you sure it's a good idea

to just sit this one out?

Your former companions are about

to go to w*r with each other.

- [Max, Telepathically]

Goddammit, not you too.

They were my friends

ten years ago.

It ain't my circus

And they ain't

my monkeys, got it?

- [Demon Lord, Telepathically]

But Leo and Fred could die.

You're just going to sit there

and let that happen?

- [Max, Telepathically]

Why should I care?

Far as I know,

it's their decision, right?

Besides strikin' it rich

on the races

is more important

than that bullshit!

[shuttlecock whistles]

[Demon Lord grunts]

- The Max I knew

ten years ago

would never have said

something like that!

Never! Never! Never!

- That's the thing

about humans

After ten years, we can change

to completely different people!

Ain't got the luxury of

bein' young forever!

It's somethin' you freaks of

nature could never understand!

[Max grunts]

[Sara whines amazedly]

Let's go!

- Now, die!

[both grunt aggressively]

- [claps] That was awesome.

Good job, Mr. Hero, I've gained

some respect for you.

- 'Preciate it, kiddo

- [Demon Lord, Telepathically]

So much for "playing easy"!

You decided to make it personal!

- [Max, Telepathically] Me?

You're the one

who went full tilt!

- [Demon Lord, Telepathically]

Ha!

You thought that

was all my power?

If you ask me,

someone's lost his edge!

- [Max, Telepathically]

Shut your yap trap!

And get your stupid head

outta my head!

- [Demon Lord, Telepathically]

Why? There's plenty of room!

[Sara hums suspiciously]

- Um

- Oh I almost forgot.

I brought a special

souvenir for you, Max.

- Hm?

- [Sara] Here.

- A piece of candy?

- Yep. I was told

to give it to you.

- Hm

- I have a question.

Will you teach me

your swinging technique?

- What was that?

You want me to do what?

- Oh, but that was just a fluke.

Nothing suspicious about it.

[Demon Lord exclaims]

- Seriously?

Come on

What she want from me?

- [Sara] Max, heads up.

[Max grunts]

- [Soldier] Captain Galmoff!

Preparations for

the attack are complete!

- Listen to me, Fred.

I will not have you

stepping out of line!

My troops will move in first,

and then I will send-

- No need, Captain.

- S'cuse me?

- I'd like the Royal Army

to stay here

and ensure that the media

and all other civilians

refrain from entering the area.

- What? Don't be absurd!

You intend to turn us into a

bunch of damn security guards?

- [Fred] We can avoid any

unnecessary bloodshed that way.

- Do not talk down to me!

You're just as bad as Leo!

Whose fault do you think

this damn w*r is, anyway?!

Remember!

I am the commanding

officer out here!

So just shut your mouth

and follow my orders!

You bumbling suits are

not ready for- [shouts]

[Lim exclaims]

- Shut your mouth!

I don't care!

- Chief Secretary

What have you just done, sir?

If the Ministry finds out,

you know what'll happen.

- They'll strip me of my

position as Chief Secretary.

But none of that really

matters to me anymore.

Why don't we end

this thing Leo?

[Galmoff whimpers]

- [Vodka]

Former Chief Secretary.

- [Fred]

Yes, former subordinate?

- [Lim] Oh, so, we're just

Okay.

- [Vodka] They're using some

sort of powerful barrier spell

to protect the wall.

The Kingdom's arsenal

of magical weapons

weren't even able

to put a dent in it.

- Despite the situation,

we haven't heard a peep

out of anyone inside.

It makes me wonder what

the Republic's up to.

- Their stronghold is empty.

- What? Seriously?

- By now they must already know.

There's no point in defending

this place anymore.

It was a very wise decision.

[magic whooshes]

[magic rumbles]

[Lim exclaims]

[soldiers exclaim]

[reporters exclaim]

[intense music plays]

Now then I've got

one final order for you.

Do not let anyone

cross this moat.

- Wait, I'll come with you-

- Understood, sir.

- Thank you for all your help.

- Be careful, sir.

- If he can fly, did he really

have to blow up the damn wall?

- Following a large blast

moments ago,

the border wall separating

the Kingdom and the Republic

has been demolished!

It would appear that

a full-fledged battle

has just begun.

Rigid travel restrictions

remain in place

as the situation

continues to- [gasps]

It seems there's been

another expl*si*n of light!

Perhaps another one of Chief

Secretary Fred's magic spells!

- Oh-h*, look at our boy go!

Leave it to the Hero's buddies.

I do love it when they

put on a show!

Give 'em hell, Freddie-boy!

Go all magical on their a*s.

Sure would be fantastic if you

could put this whole fiasco

to rest for me.

If Leo goes down,

the Republic will collapse.

But even if Fred were to lose,

it's still a done deal.

The Republic's t*rror1st attacks

aren't stopping any time soon.

And even though Trachigo

allied with the Republic

for access to resources,

they'll be forced to

rescind their support.

And without Trachigo

backing them,

the Republic stands alone.

After that, we simply wait

until they starve to death.

But ya' know the idea of

losing my darling Freddy

sure does make this

old man glum.

Well, on the bright side,

I'll be able to pick

someone more open-minded

as the next secretary.

- Oh my God!

[Grimms spits]

Terrible news, sir!

- What?

What's wrong?

What's going on?

Hey, wait a minute

Isn't today my day off?

- There's no time

for relaxing right now!

The whole thing's

being broadcast live!

- Well, yeah! I can see it

on the Television right there.

Plainly.

- That's not what I meant!

Here, look at this!

- What's this?

What am I looking at?

Is this a PooCube livestream?

"The Kingdom Invades

the Gamma Republic!

Happening Live!"

What the hell? How are they

getting this footage?

I thought the media wasn't

allowed beyond the border wall!

- Hey!

Don't you dare turn your

crooked back on me, Fred!

What kind of idiot do you

think I am- [grunts]

- [Girl] What?

- Yo, Fred's a beast.

- What in the hell?!

Which TV station

is getting this shot?

- Wait a second!

I thought it was

you guys sh**ting this!

- So, how do I watch it, again?

- Seriously?

Are you not, like,

on any social media?

- You've gotta be kidding!

If they stream it and

poo-poo hits the fan,

we can't make excuses!

Ban the account!

- Every time we take

the video down,

it gets re-uploaded!

[phone vibrates]

- Where's Grimms?

He has got be the one who

put Fred up to this insanity!

What are we supposed to do if

state secrets get spilled live?

C'mon, Grimms! Where are you?

- So, Grimms is this

your little handiwork?

- No, no, of course not!

All I did was convince Fred to

fight on behalf of the Kingdom!

I never meant for it to be

broadcast to the whole world!

- [Reinhardt] Are you sure?

- [Grimms] What?

- There are times when

I don't know what's going on

inside that head

of yours, Grimms.

It's troubling.

- No matter how this plays out,

it must end here.

- [Mizuhara] Is the drone

rolling right now?

- [Sugitani] Yep,

no problems on my end.

What about you?

- [laughs]

I set up 7,700 throwaway

accounts just for this!

They can't possibly

take them all down!

Hopping the moat,

climbing the wall, sneaking in,

and camping out in the woods

totally paid off!

- Kinda wish you'd told me

what we were gonna do

before we got here.

The Chief Secretary clearly

knows he's on camera right now.

Honestly, I expected him to

smash the damn thing to pieces

as soon as he saw it.

- [Mizuhara] If he lets us film

him, I certainly won't complain!

- [Sugitani] Seems kinda

weird though, right?

The Kingdom should be

scrambling to stop this footage

from getting out.

- He probably doesn't care

about any of that anymore.

The Hero and his companions

fought to protect the Kingdom.

And now the Kingdom's got them

at each others' throats.

Each one has their own

reasons, of course.

Now, Fred's a patient man,

but even he has his limits.

He's throwing it all

out the window for this fight.

Challenging Leo,

his brother-in-arms

Something so devastating is

it's just

It is exactly what

the public wants to see!

- [Sugitani] Not wrong there.

- [Mizuhara] Now, keep

the camera rolling!

We have to expose the truth!

- [Sugitani] Mm Yeah.

[birds chirp]

[tense fantastical music plays]

[Leo grunts]

- You came.

- What's with the atrocious hair

you've got going these days?

Doing it for the ladies or what?

You're too old for that.

- It sounded like my men

tried to stand in your way.

- They did their best.

And now they're unconscious.

You might send someone

to tend to their injuries.

- [laughs] I'm more worried

about how many mosquito bites

they'll get while lying there.

I told 'em not to

interfere, but

They're friends, so

- You could've waited closer

to the wall if you wanted to.

- Probably.

So, have you gotten

to see Max again?

- Wait, did you see him?

- [Leo] Yeah, he surprised

the crap outta me.

- That b*stard

He was telling the truth.

I'll k*ll him!

- Man, I didn't even

recognize the guy at first!

He had a disguise.

And well he hasn't

lost his touch at all.

Still strong as hell.

[drone whirs]

Are we gonna leave that

contraption up there?

- If you'd prefer

not to be on camera,

feel free to destroy it.

- Fine with me, why don't we

make it easier for 'em to watch?

[Leo grunts]

[expl*si*n booms]

- Oh my gosh!

- That good enough?

- It's a special occasion.

How about we do

the people one better?

[both cough]

- Ugh, that's gonna

k*ll my allergies!

Did the drone survive?

- Somehow It's still up.

[earth rumbles]

[both gasp]

[epic music plays]

[Mizuhara whimpers]

[all gasp]

- Not too shabby, right?

- I like it.

It's got a great view.

[epic music concludes]

Nice knowin' ya

Fred, my fiend.

- I'm going to turn this place

into your grave, you know

Leo.

[epic music plays]

- Leo Fred, boy

How did it ever come to this?

[epic music concludes]

["Mirai=Teleport"

by Nenne plays]