Harpy (Chapter 37)
As Shuro and Kabru process the negative ramifications of Falin's resurrection, the three parties are suddenly interrupted by a surprise attack involving harpies and Falin herself who's become a dragon chimera monster.
Chimera (Chapters 38)
While the surviving party members try to find and revive those who perished from the Chimera attack, Shuro a has long but brutal talk with Laios over their supposed friendship.
"Harpy" contains the following tropes:
Chimera Falin and harpies
- Admiring the Abomination: Falin appears as a deadly giant chimera. Despite fearing how to deal with her, Laios' initial thought is how cool she looks.
- Anger Born of Worry: Shuro's anger over the whole black magic mess is more because of Falin's predicament over being mad at the others for practicing it.
- Bathos:
- After Chimera!Falin reveals herself to everyone's horror, Laios thinks that her transformation is the "coolest" thing he's ever seen.
- Then when Falin takes off her shirt to prepare a fatal spell, Marcille and Shuro look on with wide-eyed embarrassment.
- Battle Strip: Falin removes her shirt which also exposes her hooters to everyone. Her suitors Marcille and Shuro are both shocked and blushing from the action.
- Continuity Nod:
- Marcille recognizes Kabru as being part of the party that was wiped out by the Treasure Insects.
- Holm was able to capture and control an undine.
- While confronting his fallen sister, Laios thinks back to his own ideologies on how monsters are dangerous and look out for themselves.
- Delayed Reaction: Chilchuck takes a few seconds in order to properly freak out after Laios admits that he spilled the beans to Shuro.
- Dumb Muscle: Tade has some difficulty figuing out how to restrain Chimera!Falin since she's more accustomed to beating up monsters.
- Funny Background Event: Senshi sticks to the background holding onto his plate of jelly donuts while everyone battles Chimera!Falin.
- Harping on About Harpies: A murder of harpies show up to terrorize the three parties while accompanying Chimera!Falin.
- Hero Killer: Thanks to her massive size and magic power, Falin is able to kill various members of the Kabru-Shuro Alliance.
- It's All My Fault: Chilchuck blames himself for not intervening during Laios and Shuro's sour reunion.
- Male Gaze: There are a few instances where Falin's chest is viewed up close.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": Everyone gets this reaction when the see what's become of Falin.
- Mercy Kill: Kabru actually convinces Laios to put down his transformed sister. Unfortunately, it doesn't work out thanks to Falin exploiting his kindness.
- Mood Whiplash: The episode starts with an intense showdown as Shuro and Kabru process the gravity of using black magic to bring back Falin. But after Shuro reveals his disdain for Laios' light-hearted nature, it cuts to an Imagine Spot of him in a goofy style.
- Neck Snap: Falin does this to Daya after strangling her.
- No-Sell: Kabru's critical stab attacks on Falin's human neck and organs do very little to stop her. Laios later points out that this means she either has redundant organs elsewhere in her dragon body, or the regular human organs were absent entirely.
- Oh, Crap!: Marcille quickly identifies a new spell that Falin is about to unleash and orders everyone to take cover.
- Smarter Than They Look: Even though Falin has become a bloodthirsty monster, she's still smart enough to use magic spells to protect herself.
- Terrain Sculpting: Chimera!Falin unleashes a super spell that creates giant pointy stalagmites across the dungeon floor to attack the dungeon adventurers.
- Total Party Kill: Luckily subverted, but most of Shuro and Kabru's parties are decimated by Chimera!Falin. Thankfully, they are revived shortly after.
- Wham Episode: The three parties get a first look at a Chimera-formed Falin, and most of the two are completely destroyed in the battle to show how much of a monster she has become. They do get better, but the Touden party's situation changes followed this and the next segment of the episode.
"Chimera" contains the following tropes:
Harpy egg tamagoyaki
- And Then What?: Shuro furiously demands to know what Laios' idea of there being "another way" that doesn't involve using more black magic.
- Bathos: Kabru's PTSD flashback ends with him and Laios in chibi form.
- Benevolent Boss: After making the order of returning to their homeland, Shuro thanks his Amazon Brigade for their efforts.
- Big "SHUT UP!": Shuro tells this to Laios regarding his next course of action in saving Falin from the Mad Mage.
- Bittersweet Ending: Heavily bitter with only a dash of sweet. The Touden Party using black magic is exposed to Shuro and Kabru's parties meaning that it'll only be a matter of time before the authorities learn of Marcille's malpractice. Not to mention that Shuro, whom Laios regarded as his first and closest friend, reveals that he's always hated him for his inability to get a clue. But at the very least, Shuro and Laios have a better understanding of each other and the young lord wishes the Touden Party well with their endeavors. And before leaving, he presents an emergency plan should they survive the Mad Mage.
- But Now I Must Go: Guilty about failing Falin twice and learning how she became a Chimera, Shuro decides that he and his party return to the surface rather than stay to help Laios save her. He plans to inform the Island Lord of the news and then head back home.
- Chekhov's Gun: The eastern dish from last episode is still held by Senshi up to this point. After Laios and Shuro finish fighting, he gives the food to Shuro to eat and recover.
- Dark and Troubled Past: After Laios presents a monster dish for a meal, Kabru recalls how his hometown was eradicated by a monster attack which left him as the Sole Survivor.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Shuro confesses that he secretly hated Laios for being socially awkward and how he can never pick up on social cues. And Laios admits that he always struggled to do that and questions why Shuro could never be straightforward with him. For many viewers, it comes as a parallel to people with autism who are criticized and scorned by their supposed friends for not understanding social cues.
- Everyone Has Standards: Despite her adoration for her ward, Maizumi is disappointed to see him acting like a child while fighting Laios.
- First Friend: Shuro was actually Laios' first friend he made when he came to the Island. And the reveal of him having always hated Laios for his Innocently Insensitive nature breaks his heart.
- Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Laios gives a modest slap in the face to Shuro who won't stop yelling at him about his plan to save Falin.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: Marcille ends up getting a bad reputation from everyone after she's revealed to have used black magic which was what led to Falin's chimeric transformation. Shuro even tries to have her taken to the surface to confess her crimes to the Western Elves.
- Hidden Disdain Reveal: Shuro confesses that he could never stand Laios for being so careless, thickheaded and socially awkward, not helped by how genuine he is despite all that.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Shuro has very little faith in Laios' chances of saving his sister and is planning on telling the Island Lord about everything that happened. That said, he does give Laios a magic bell that'll contact Shuro so he can send one of his servants to smuggle Laios and his friends to the East so they can live there in secret. He also sincerely hopes that Laios doesn't die.
- My Greatest Failure: Shuro somberly regrets not telling Falin how he truly felt about her before being separated.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Laios and Shuro beat the snot out of each other while revealing their personal problems with each other. This goes on while the rest of their friends and retainers revive the fallen.
- Once Done, Never Forgotten: Marcille is constantly chewed out by some of Shuro and Kabru's party because of her revival spell on Falin, which Shuro blames it as the reason behind her new form. Others like Maizumi refuse to have her use any form of revive on their fallen party members, but at least allow her to heal them when Falin leaves.
- Once More, with Clarity: In the last segment, Laios remembers having a friendly conversation with a healthy and stoic Shuro. When Shuro reveals his disdain, the same memory reveals that he was exhausted and was barely tolerating Laios' bothersome friendliness.
- Properly Paranoid: Chilchuck feared that the moment Laios and Marcille catch sign of Falin, they'll drop everything to go after her again. He previously convinced them that they and Senshi return to the surface to be more properly prepared but, given the situation with the Mad Mage and the possible consequences when news of how Falin's resurrection was handled reaches the surface, they decide to press on. Chilchuck is explicitly frustrated that his fear was confirmed.
- Rejected Marriage Proposal: Downplayed. Laios brings up that Shuro proposed to Falin and wonders if she turned him down. Shuro clarifies that she needed time to think about it but never gave a solid answer.
- Trauma Button: Laios happily presenting a plate of harpy omelet forces Kabru to recall his childhood trauma against the monsters from his hometown.
- We Will Meet Again: Kabru promises Laios that they will meet again in the future. Laios is a little confused by this.
- White Mage: Holm is an expert in revival magic and tends to the deceased.
"Things will work out somehow."
