Fushi takes on numerous challenges in preparation for the Nokker attack in a year.
But all of his efforts amount to nothing.
During a break, he meets a girl named Eko at a settlement.
His interaction with her provides new hints.
Amazing.
Did you make your own little Earth or something, Fushi?
The range of Fushi's senses expanded further.
The Value of Flesh
Renril...
I've never been to such a crowded town.
It's going to take time until I'm ready to protect it.
I hope it works out well.
Joaan, we've secured lodging.
Let's find a meal.
Okay.
How's your left arm?
Any new information?
No, nothing in particular.
It said it's learned to write, didn't it?
Yes.
How did it communicate with other Nokkers?
They can't write or speak, can they?
"We have always communicated through images."
"We don't need language."
Like the clay pot people, almost.
Does it know what we're imagining, too, then?
"Unfortunately, we don't."
"Your bodies are made not to expose your thoughts to the outside."
"Stealing another's thoughts without consent
is not something we can do, even among other Nokkers."
Is that really true?
We have no way of knowing.
The man in black mentioned that a while back, too.
That he can't control people's minds.
So, what do you think?
Do you think we can protect this town?
I think so.
As long as we follow the Guardians' plans, I think we'll be all right.
Your family's taking command while you're away, right?
It's good that you can trust them with your goals.
Let's strive to reclaim Parona and the others as soon as possible.
Yeah. I'll do my best.
Truly, thank you for doing all this for me.
Huh? For you?
I mean, it's for everyone's sake, I guess.
Y-Yeah. I'm aware.
The immortals Bon's looking for...
Entities like me...
More allies...
I'm excited.
I will hereby choose the people who will be defending our future.
The Nokkers have warned that they would be
attacking Renril, the capital of the nation of Sonia.
We're down to less than six months.
Our nation will, of course, aid them.
To that end,
we will be choosing those among the Uralis army who are especially capable.
You will be risking your life for this mission.
I don't know if all of you will survive, or if even one of you will.
Either way, what is at question here is not your abilities,
but your willingness to commit your life with us.
I will ask several questions.
If your answer is "yes," remain.
If your answer is "no," leave.
Gods of Bennett, Monjo and Zumla...
I am about to commit a sin.
Please take pity on me.
Let's begin.
Who among you love our Kingdom of Uralis and our prince,
Bonchien Nicoli la Tasty Peach Uralis?
All right.
Who among you loves Fushi?
Well?
Does everyone here support Fushi?
Prince Bon's will is our will.
So long as Bon-sama does not say "no" to that question, neither will we.
All right, next.
Who among you have family, a lover, or a friend?
Who among you have at least one person to protect?
Who among you are nonetheless ready to give your one life
to us and sacrifice it for us?
Are none of you afraid of dying and leaving behind your loved ones?
Do none of you want to run away?
All right, the rest of you will be leaving as soon as Renril is ready.
Brother...
The ones we've chosen are waiting for us.
Why are you guys still here?
You mean us?
My grandmother and grandfather both went to the other side right after they passed.
As I died, I could feel Heaven waiting for me.
But I wasn't satisfied with how pathetic I was.
I didn't want to go above.
I'm the same way.
Unresolved business, I guess you could say.
Though, now, you are the one keeping me in this world.
Unresolved business...
God will be judging me for sure this time, if things go my way.
Pleased to meet you.
You're the man who will take us to Renril, are you not?
Kai Renald Rawle!
You won't weed anyone out that way,
Prince Bonchien Nicoli la Tasty Peach Uralis.
H-How...
You're the only one who could guess my name before you've even seen my face, Bon-sama.
Why did you ask such questions?
What did you hope to accomplish by identifying the disloyal?
The mission awaiting those chosen today
will be, in some ways, worse than death.
So I wanted to give them an excuse to run away.
I see.
I suspected there was a reason.
I'm glad I chose the opposite answer on purpose.
Not to worry.
My loyalty is not so cheap that I would abandon my mission
because I'm afraid of a fate worse than death.
But you had an ill father, didn't you?
He passed away two months ago.
My life belongs to no one now.
So, Your Highness, who gave you your life?
It was granted by the demon, Fushi.
Many in the Church of Bennett don't believe Fushi's been sealed.
I'm among them.
And there are rumors that Fushi is capable of resurrecting the dead.
If you are truly Prince Bon, you may have been given life by Fushi.
In which case, Fushi may be a new god.
I'm sorry I brought a guest over when you were having an important discussion!
It's fine, Pocoa.
I called him over from the head church of the Church of Bennett.
We'll be heading to Renril together.
People will have to learn about this secret eventually.
It might as well be sooner rather than later.
For Renril's sake.
There are three of you.
There's one besides you two who lives in Renril.
He's going to be our liaison.
He'll inform us of the politics in Renril and provide communication with the royal family.
Hey, you made it.
Long time no see.
Can we trust them?
Trust who?
The people you've collected.
One has loyalty.
One has apostasy.
One has cunning.
All are worthy of trust.
I'm coming in.
Bon!
Hey, it's been a while.
Come with me. There are some people I want you to meet.
You mean the immortal allies you mentioned before?
Yeah.
But they aren't that just yet.
They're people who have the potential to become immortal.
What do you mean by that?
I can't be sure until they die once.
So, for now, they're just ordinary people.
I brought them here as ordinary people.
Listen, Fushi.
You need to acquire the three people you're about to meet before the Nokkers get here.
What for?
Insurance.
In case you lose more vessels.
Is that what you meant by immortal?
I won't accept such allies!
I've already told them about you.
Stand tall, Fushi the immortal.
Hey, wait, Bon!
These are your new allies.
Kai Renald Rawle of Uralis.
We've met several times before.
I look forward to working with you.
Hairo Rich, former Bennett guard.
So you're the demon that everyone's so scared of?
You're just a kid!
Are you serious, Bon?
He's Messar.
I'm Fushi.
I'll work hard to protect this town with you.
Thank you.
Guess we're stuck with each other, Mister Immortal.
Everyone, ready your requests.
We're going to meet the princess.
So you're the men who've gathered to protect Renril.
There are fewer of you than I'd expected.
Yes, for now.
Eventually, we hope to gather far more men to protect the city.
We shall do the same.
So, what is it that you need?
We need the cooperation of the citizens of Renril.
We request that you address them on our behalf.
We request your soldiers' cooperation, as well.
The castle.
Give us the blueprints.
And a map of the underground.
All of Renril.
I see.
If you are to make demands, you ought to first give.
And obtain it for yourself.
The people's trust, the soldiers' trust,
and the castle's trust, if that's what you request.
Then, Renril will be yours.
Do you think you have time for that?
The Nokkers could eliminate everyone in this town at any moment.
They begin to move once they're about this big.
They could even be hiding within the castle walls right now.
If that happens, you're dead meat.
Watch your mouth!
How dare you speak that way to our princess?!
I apologize!
He's still young.
I accept his assertions.
But my response to your demands stands.
I hope the situation will have changed next time.
Fushi! What was that attitude?
We need to gain the princess's trust!
There is no trust.
Not between us, either.
Are you angry?
I've used the people I've met for battle countless times.
I've always felt guilty about it.
I've never once been able to brush that aside.
You know that, too, don't you, Bon?
Yet, now you're telling me to use those three for battle.
If I were you, I'd do that.
Your refusal to use your capabilities is the same as not saving anyone.
Is something the matter?
His eyes were twitching.
I can't trust him anymore.
A fight, huh?
You don't have to be with him, you know.
I've always found him unfit for you.
You have me.
We'll always be together.
I'm gonna lose again?!
It isn't over yet.
Messar, was it?
Bon told me to ask you about Renril.
I want to make a base from scratch.
What do I do?
You'll need the princess's permission.
Also, don't talk down to me.
Fine, I'll do it myself.
I can't stand around waiting.
Do it how?
I can figure it out using money.
Stop.
The princess is strict when it comes to outsiders.
Do things properly.
Don't tell me what to do when all you do is play games.
Why don't you join us?
It's mealtime soon.
You'll only be a nuisance in town.
Let's play a game.
Perfect.
Go ahead and play my game.
Connect three vertically or horizontally, and you can take a piece from your opponent.
Once you're down to two, you lose.
I only have three pieces.
Just like the Nokkers versus us.
The Fly Rule applies here.
Until I'm down to three pieces, I can only place adjacently.
But you can move anywhere you want.
Like this.
Place a piece here to prevent one of yours from being taken.
Messar loves this game, yet he's bad at it.
What?!
You put yourself at a disadvantage by trying too hard to win in the early game.
Is that wound from when you were in the Uralis army?
This one? No.
Is it something you can fix with your powers?
Nah, I can't.
How much have you heard about me?
That if you remember me, I can have eternal life even after death.
That's an exaggeration.
Do you really want me using your body?
No.
I hear our enemies say that flesh bodies are unnecessary.
That's what Bon-sama told me.
This battle is one of control between the spirit and the body.
It requires an immortal body to fight.
I used to live with my father and grandmother.
My father was a weaponsmith in a small town.
I used to help occasionally.
We made swords for Uralis's army.
It was noble work.
Fool!
But at about the time my grandmother's illness worsened,
my father became harsh toward me.
Every day was a living hell.
I couldn't wait to escape.
Then, one day...
I felt as though the Nokkers might free me from my miserable life.
We're getting out, Mom!
The Nokkers never saved me.
Hey, over here!
Help!
Gotcha!
Okay, pull it up!
Put your back into it!
It sucks that your village got destroyed.
You can come to my place if you want.
I fled and joined the Uralis army.
Some time passed, and my grandmother died.
And then...
it was my father's turn.
Kai...
I'm sorry for everything.
Thank you.
That's when I realized that I was glad I hadn't died.
If I had died, my story would have been one that concluded with my having held
a pointless grudge against my father.
I started to feel that life is worth living for as long as you can.
Uh-huh.
At times, the body becomes a guide for the spirit.
I disagree with the Nokkers,
even if they take my body and make me the same as them.
It's over.
But with your superpowers, the pieces come back to life.
Eko.
What's wrong?
The dust cloud?
Eko-san's been curious about that area this whole time.
I hear the clay pot people are very sensitive to change.
Shall we go, Fushi-san?
Let's win the trust of the people.
I know it's an old building,
but I never thought it would suddenly collapse.
The foundation must have been rotten.
What shall we do?
I've already acquired this place,
on the third day after coming to Renril.
So you can build it, then.
Yeah.
I want to rebuild this entire town.
I suspected as much.
Sir.
Would you allow us to take care of it?
If you could just make an enclosure around here,
I'll rebuild it for you in a snap.
You will?
There must be a trick.
Just so you know, we don't have any money.
I don't need any money.
Just let me use the area behind your home.
Here we go.
What?!
They rebuilt the water wheel house overnight?
Those people did?
With the cooperation of the people?
Yes.
But apparently, only one man went inside.
The town is abuzz talking about it.
Preview
"Take it for yourself," said Princess Alma.
Messar and Alma, Hairo and the citizen soldiers...
In conversing with Fushi, they teach him of their secret pasts.
Secret Behind the Veil