How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom (2021–2022): Season 1, Episode 7 - Thus Saith the Elder - full transcript

Magic in this world
is categorized as fire,

water, earth, wind, light,
and dark. These six elements.

Fire, water, earth, and wind magic

manipulate their respective elements
and are used offensively.

Light magic is mainly used for healing.

Dark magic is unique.

It's not exactly magic
that manipulates darkness.

Any unique magic that doesn't
fall under the other five elements

is collectively called dark magic.

As you can tell by watching
Liscia and Aisha's training,

some can also imbue
their weapons and attacks with whatever



magic they have an aptitude for.

Among those, people who can cause
greater effects with magic

are called mages.

When mages are enlisted in the military,

they are assigned depending

on which element they use.

Fire element mages go to the Army.

Wind element mages go to the Air Force.

Water element mages go to the Navy.

Earth element mages go to
the king's personal Forbidden Army.

Moreover, light element mages
act as medics, so they are

evenly distributed to each army.

Thanks to the fact that we have
earth element mages,

I am able to



assign a chunk of the Forbidden Army
to civil engineering.

By the way, my Living Poltergeist magic

is categorized as
the miscellaneous dark element.

In a world like that,

I am about to go on a little adventure.

ORIGINAL STORY BY DOJYOMARU

Um…

Are you the temporary adventurer
who's joining our party?

Hey, can that be…?

Yes, he must be the rumored adventurer
in a mascot costume.

He looks strange,

but they say he's strong.

Will we be okay
with a guy like him in our party?

Well, our quest for today is just to

investigate the underground
passages of Parnam,

so it's beginner-level.

Why not?

It's kind of cute.

Even still…

Ahem.

Anyway, I look forward
to working with you.

Despite his looks, he's so nimble.

I guess we didn't need to worry.

This quest is so easy.

All we have to do is
search these passages and see

if there are dead ends
and what kind of creatures live here.

But we shouldn't let our guard down.

Everyone, stop.

-What's wrong?
-There's something there.

And it's pretty huge.

A salamander.

No way! I've never seen one this big!

Wait!

Salamanders have extremely acidic mucus.

It's dangerous to use
close combat weapons.

Then I'll attack with magic.

You use fire element magic.

That doesn't work on salamanders.

Which means we have…

no choice but to run!

That's hot!

Be careful!

If his body fluids manage to touch you,

it won't be pretty!

I know!

Mascot Man!

Face down!

What are you doing?

I think we've come far enough.

Yeah…

But is Mascot Man okay?

He got a lot of fluids splashed on him.

Jeez…

I can't believe you tripped there.

What would have happened

if I didn't help you?

Well, you don't have to
apologize that much.

Plus, you also saved me so…

What?

You're happy that I didn't burn my skin
with the acid?

I'm an adventurer, you know.

I'm used to getting cuts and bruises.

Is it just me,
or are they having a conversation?

Mascot Man isn't even saying anything,

so how does Juno know what he's thinking?

Can it be the power of love?

No way…

My goodness…

I'm glad I made the surface
acid-resistant just in case.

Souma?

What are you doing here?

That thing…

Why does it look larger
than the last time I saw it?

I had a craftsman in the castle town
custom make it.

-You can move that with your magic too?
-Of course.

Don't tell me…

The adventurer in a mascot costume
that everyone's gossiping about…

Oh, that's probably him.

You joined an adventurer's party

and investigated underground passages?

But why would you do that?

I have something in mind.

So I wanted to see
the underground passages myself.

I have no clue what you're scheming.

But did you get what you wanted?

Somewhat, yes.

Plus, it was fun to go on an adventure.

NINE-HEADED DRAGON ARCHIPELAGO UNION

PONCHO PANACOTTA

A FEW DAYS LATER, MORNING

I like the look on your faces.

Your eyes are hollow and lifeless.

Your faces look like that of ghosts

wandering around a graveyard.

I know…

How all of you sacrificed sleep to work

and tackle numbers day in and day out.

How you commuted to the castle
despite your family's pleas to stop.

All of you are my true treasures.

Be proud!

The amount of stress you suffered is equal

to the amount of people you saved!

Thanks to your hard work,

we were able to acquire enough funds
to last us a while.

Now we can officially set
Project Venetinova in motion.

Venetinova?

Yeah.

It's the new city
we're going to make here.

Since it's by the coast,
are you going to make a port?

Yes. We're planning to make it
the largest bay city in the country.

But we already have a major port

in Lagoon City in the Walter Duchy.

Souma, don't tell me…

No, no!

I'm not preparing to start
trouble with Duchess Walter.

Then what's your reason

for building a new port?

At the same time as building a new city,

we'll build roads too.

If we build a transport network
connecting the port to each city,

we can control both
maritime and land transport

and make the distribution of goods
much smoother.

Once the project is complete,

Venetinova will become
the heart of this country

and the transport network
spreading from there, its blood vessels.

The heart
and blood vessels of this country…

Is making distribution smoother

that big of a deal?

It sure is!

Liscia,

do you know what determines
the price of goods?

Things with high demand become pricier

and goods with surplus become cheaper.

I know that much.

Right.

Prices are determined based on
supply and demand.

We can't help it if the goods
are inherently limited in quantity.

But with smoother distribution,

if one part of the country
is running low on something

we can transport it from
an area where there's a surplus.

If the excess and deficiency
of products is solved

and the supply and demand
is well-balanced,

the hiked prices will eventually go down.

Then we can uniformize prices
throughout the country.

Of course, it's a good thing

for the prices to go down but…

Liscia,

what has the highest demand
in this country right now?

What do the people want the most?

Huh?

Food!

That's right.

The fundamental cause for food shortages

is a decrease in
the domestic production of food crops.

But the soaring prices
that result from the supply shortage

make the situation worse.

No matter how high the prices are,

it's not like you can stop eating.

So food expenses strain their budget

and people have less to spend elsewhere,

which then slows down
the economy of our country.

We're working on
the changeover from cotton,

but we won't see results right away.

So whatever we can do

immediately to suppress
the soar in food prices

will have the biggest effect.

That's why I need to acquire enough funds

and execute this plan no matter what.

Once this project is complete,

our reform will result in
a huge advancement.

That is all possible because you

identified unnecessary expenses

and squeezed out the funds.

I thank you on behalf of the people.

Your names may not be recorded in history.

However, you contributed
far more to this country

than one hero can on the battlefield.

That is something

I, Souma Kazuya,
will remember until I die.

All of you are the real unsung heroes!

Your work was truly amazing.

Therefore, I will reward you.

You may take a five-day vacation
from tomorrow.

Under normal circumstances,
I'd give you a bonus too,

but there would be no point if I used

the funds you squeezed out for us.

I'm really sorry.

In exchange, you can each take one bottle
from the castle's wine cellar.

Celebrate with it or sell it for money.
Whatever you want.

What was that all about?

I get that you're happy,
but you went a little overboard.

I was working until the break of dawn,

so I was high on sleep deprivation.

But you are able to, you know,

alternate your consciousness

and rest using
your Living Poltergeist, right?

Well, yeah…

But we were so close to reaching enough
funds needed for the upcoming plan

that I used everything that I had.

I know that you are working hard,

but don't make me worry too much.

We can't afford to lose you.

If that ever happens,
you can summon another hero.

Let me get some sleep. When I wake up,

let's go to the construction site
for Venetinova together.

Ludwin and the rest went ahead
and started working already.

I have to go check on that.

Okay. Good night.

He's asleep already.

He must've been so tired.

You said we can summon another hero,

but that person won't be you.

I…

want you, Souma.

It's closer to Parnam than I thought.

I didn't even get hungry.

It's close to the center of the country

and the terrain is ideal
for making a port.

Why was such an optimal location
left untouched?

Your Majesty!

Thank you for coming.

You too, Princess Liscia.

Welcome to the construction site
for Venetinova.

You too, Aisha.

Good work on guarding His Majesty.

Ludwin,

let's not waste time.

What's the status on the construction?

We've finished marking the territory.

Construction was going as planned until…

What happened?

Was there an issue?

Well… Let's not do this here.

I'll explain inside the tent.

There are people
protesting against the construction?

Yes.

They're residents of a village
a bit inland from here.

An elderly man named Urup is leading them

and saying that we cannot build
a city on this land.

Why are they against it?

Apparently, this is Kaijin's territory,
and we will incur his wrath

if we build houses here.

Kaijin?

According to the old man,

he is the god of the sea.

Kaijin, the god of the sea, huh?

This world has gods like that too?

Well, there may be people
who believe in things like that.

But I can't imagine they really exist.

I have never seen one either.

I'm sure it's some kind of superstition.

But they're saying that
if you build houses on

Kaijin's holy ground,
a humongous monster will appear

from the sea and swallow them up.

A huge monster from the sea
swallows up houses?

Ludwin!

I want to talk to that old man.

Where can I meet him?

The village is not very far from here,

so I can take you there now.

Oh, it's you again?

I've already talked to you
about Kaijin many times.

Building a city there is… Huh?

Excuse me, elder.

Can you please tell me more
about this Kaijin?

Who are you?

I'm the acting king of Elfrieden,

Souma Kazuya.

Y… Your Majesty!

So, Urup, about this Kaijin you speak of…

Your Majesty,

please rethink your plans
to build a city there.

That land originally belonged to Kaijin.

So when land dwellers build houses there,

he destroys the houses in his rage.

That's why nobody in our village,

or the one next to us,
or the one next to them

would even think of living there.

Urup, can you tell me in detail,
where Kaijin's holy ground

starts and ends?

Kaijin's holy ground, huh?

Your Majesty, do you believe
that Kaijin actually exists?

No, he probably doesn't.

But the fact that they have
passed down this folk tale

must mean that there is
a lesson for later generations in there.

That's what I believe.

You believe that's true about this Kaijin?

Yeah.

The lesson this folk tale teaches

is to not build houses
within a certain area.

If you ignore that,

a humongous monster appears from the sea

and swallows the houses whole.

I think the "Kaijin's curse"
is actually a tsunami.

But I've never heard of that area
being hit by a tsunami.

The intervals between the tsunamis
are probably very long.

It may be 100, 200,

or even thousands of years.

Thousands of years…

Before I returned to the castle,

I went around the villages
surrounding the site

and heard their local folk tales.

With that I got a sense
of the tsunami's general range.

And that is the area
which is marked on this map?

It covers most of

Venetinova's construction site.

Yeah, almost perfectly.

So, Your Majesty, will you cancel
the construction of Venetinova?

We will continue with the plan.

However, we will change the site.

Change? At this stage?

When the land has
a V-shaped inlet like this,

it's ideal for a port.

But if there's a tsunami,
it's prone to suffer more damage.

The new construction site can be here.

We did consider that area
as one of our candidates.

But must we go this far

for a tsunami that may or may not come

once in a thousand years?

There's no guarantee that the tsunami

will not come anytime soon.

I'll take this opportunity

to make Venetinova a city that is
resilient against natural disasters.

So you mean it's

"better safe than sorry"?

All of the elders that I spoke to

said that Kaijin's wrath

shook the earth as a prelude to the curse.

An earthquake?

That's right. When there's
a large earthquake underwater,

the movement of the faults
alters the seabed

which results in the sea surface…

Forget the logic behind it.

Just remember that when the ground

shakes even just a little,

it may create a tsunami.

Understood.

Just in case,

we should be prepared for a tsunami

to come anywhere
along this country's coastline.

So the need to flee from shore

as soon as possible
when there's an earthquake

and if possible, evacuate to higher ground

must be thoroughly informed

to everyone who lives by the coast.

Understood.

In that case,

we should prepare an evacuation site

and a path to get there
in case of an earthquake.

That sounds good.

So, in terms of the construction…

We'll build a foundation
over the entire area

and raise the elevation
of the construction site.

That will take a very long time.

I'll send over the earth element mages
from the Forbidden Army.

That will affect other
construction schedules

but we have no choice.

We'll place the residential
and commercial areas

a bit inland, away from the coastline.

Important facilities like the consulate

should be there as well.

In that case, what should we do
with the port facilities…

His Majesty seems especially
passionate about this.

He frantically squeezed out
funding for this project, after all.

I don't blame him for becoming passionate.

His Majesty is really thinking
about the welfare of this country.

Yes, he sure is.

Hey, Aisha…

Yes?

Do you like Souma?

Yes.

I love and respect him.

Aisha…

Let's support Souma together
so he can always be smiling.

Of course!

Subtitle translation by: Kiko Morita