Melty is revealed to be the younger daughter of the King and coldly rejects her. The King legally bars Naofumi from leveling up and it seems that the Church has it out for him, and he gains new allies among a ragtag group of knights.
Tropes for this episode include:
- Ancient Grome: The mercenary country Zeltoble looks like this at a glance.
- Didn't Think This Through:
- King Aultcrey, spiteful as always, had the Shield Hero and his party banned from using the country's Dragon Hourglass to get class upgrades. Not only would this hinder all Four Heroes in their fight against the wave in the long run, but when Naofumi finds out that he could just leave the country and get their class upgrades there, he decides to do just that.
- Itsuki helped a team of rebels to overthrow the tyrannical government... and he left without helping establish a better alternative. Now the rebels had since taken over and started doing the exact same thing their previous lord tried doing and the peasants are worse off then ever.
- Friend in the Black Market: Beloukas, the Castle Town Slave Merchant makes his reappearance as Naofumi asks him about where to get some Class Upgrades; where Beloukas was willing to tell Naofumi about the other countries he could visit to use their Dragon Hourglasses and how long it would take him to get there. He then offers to Naofumi some Wyvern Talons for Filo to use as a weapon in the meantime, and knowledge on a Monster to test them out on.Beloukas: Ordinarily I would charge for valuable information like this. But since it's you who's asking, I'd be happy to tell you for free.
- Full-Circle Revolution: While traveling around the northern regions of Melromarc, Naofumi stumbles across a group of starving refugees. When asking for information about their situation, Naofumi finds out that they are the survivors of a kingdom that Itsuki visited to help a resistance movement that was formed in retaliation of the rulers' high taxes. Only after Itsuki had killed the ruler and left; the new rulers wound up raising taxes further that the nation eventually fell apart. The refugees bitterly state that they would have been okay had the first ruler not been killed.
- Karmic Jackpot: A small band of royal knights and adventurers volunteer to join Naofumi during the next wave because he defended their families in Lute Village attacked during the first wave.
- Kick the Dog: King Aultcrey has banned Naofumi and his party from receiving class upgrades. Given the satisfied look the nun gives him when she tells him how much it would have cost, the Church was probably in on it too.
- Local Hangout: Elhart's Weapon Shop serves as this to Naofumi and his party, the titular owner even lampshades this at the end of the episode when Naofumi and Akes' squad go inside to strategize for the upcoming Wave.Elhart: My Shop isn't exactly your meeting room, y'know.
- Moving the Goalposts: When Naofumi enters the Three Heroes' Church in order to use the Dragon Hourglass inside to Class Upgrade Raphtalia and Filo, one of the attending nuns says that the price for Class Upgrading one of his companions was 100 Gold Pieces. When Naofumi immediately hands over a bag of 100 Gold Pieces to the nun in order to upgrade Raphtalia, another Nun shows up saying that the King has decreed for the Church to not provide Class Upgrades to the Shield Hero or his Companions, resulting in Naofumi storming out after taking back his money.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Unlike with Itsuki, when Ren finds out that he made a bad situation worse by slaying that dragon without disposing of the body, Ren is visibly shaken.
- Never My Fault: When Naofumi chastises Itsuki for the damage he done in the village to the North, Itsuki accuses him of "trying to change the subject".
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Naofumi and his party come across a town on the brink of collapse, the towns-people willing to give up the last of their possessions for food. It turns out that they were originally governed by an Evil Overlord who were taxing them into poverty and then using that money to hire mercenaries to keep them all in-line. Itsuki found out and helped lead a band of rebels to overthrow him... only for the rebels to take power and become even more tyrannical.
- Pet the Dog: Naofumi had always demanded payment of some sort for his services due to needing money and resources he was scammed out of by the kingdom. But when he comes across the starving refuges who barely have anything, Naofumi refuses to charge any of them and sets up an emergency kitchen to feed them.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: When Ren and Itsuki complain about how Naofumi has been taking the credit for their heroic deeds, Naofumi in-turn points out the harsh realities of what their short-sighted heroics had caused, citing the dragon Ren slew and the lord Itsuki helped overthrow.
- Token Good Teammate: Ake and his party serves as this among the Royal Knights of Melromarc, in that they actually want to work with the Shield Hero in fighting back against the Waves.
- Secret Test of Character: Naofumi would only allow Ake and his small band of knights and Mages to join him on the next wave if Ake can purchase a trinket Naofumi made that is worth 150 Silvers. When they follow through, he gives them the trinket but declines the money, telling Ake's party to use it to buy themselves better equipment for the next wave. Naofumi was just wanting to know if they truly were sincere.
- Sewer Gator: The capital's sewers is full of roaming monsters. Naofumi thinks that they were sent here when they became uncontrollable.
- Shout-Out: When Itsuki decides to take on a job request to overthrow a tyrannical lord, he smugly proclaims that they need to be taught that "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility", causing Naofumi to spit his drink. Apparently Naofumi's universe has Spider-Man in its pop-culture, but not in Itsuki's.
