The Wave of Catastrophe is coming ever closer. Naofumi has collected new shields and new skills, and Raphtalia is coming along as a competent fighter. She even looks older now! Will they be able to survive the Wave?
Tropes for this episode include:
- Anger Born of Worry: While Naofumi and Raphtalia try and buy more equipment for her from the blacksmith, Raphtalia angrily scolds him that he needs protection just as much as she does.
- Dark Is Not Evil: When Raphtalia requests that the blacksmith make a custom Adventurer Outfit for Naofumi, he pulls through and makes a more advanced version of his current outfit that fits his Anti-Hero personality called "Barbarian Armor", intending it to make him look like a bandit. While Naofumi thinks its design is counterproductive for his image as a hero, he acknowledges that it isn't so bad.
- Destructive Saviour: Using a fire spell, the Royal Knights destroy some of the remaining monster horde in the village... and some of the village along with it. If Naofumi wasn't quick enough, he and Raphtalia would have burned along with it.
- Doomsday Clock: The Dragon Hourglass is a giant artifact housed in the village used to countdown when the Wave of Catastrophe occurs, and even allows government-sanctioned adventurers to level-up.
- Gardening-Variety Weapon: While the villagers return with weapons to help Naofumi fight off the monster horde, their weapons are all farming equipment since they are a farming village and are thus ill-equipped to handle it.
- Hero of Another Story: We only see the end of the Sword, Bow and Spear Heroes ending the Wave by killing a chimera.
- Karmic Jackpot: After the village is evacuated, some of the villagers regroup with weapons to help fight off the remaining monsters, inspired by Naofumi's willingness to fight for them. After the Wave ends, the entire village honor him for his help.
- Kick the Dog: When Naofumi runs into the other Cardinal heroes and their parties, Motoyasu mocks Naofumi's sub-par equipment and offers Raphtalia a spot on his team, telling her that she isn't safe with Naofumi.
- Kill It with Fire: Naofumi deals with the army of zombies going after him at the watch-tower by dousing them with lamp oil and lighting them on fire.
- The Royal Knights take some of the monsters invading the village by surprise with a fire-spell.
- Knight in Sour Armor: While the other heroes and their parties are off fighting the waves at the source, Naofumi prioritizes the safety of the villagers, acting as a distraction against an army of The Undead so that the village can evacuate until the knights get there. He continues to do this even as he questions why he is fighting so hard for complete strangers in the first place.
- Militaries Are Useless: While The Royal Knights were able to take out a few monsters with a fire spell by surprise, most of them are completely out of their depth when facing the rest of the monsters with The Knight-Captain ordering his men to leave Naofumi and Raphtalia to take care of the monsters in Lute Village so they could go and support the Three Heroes, The Knight Captains' knights managed to reach to them after they had already killed the Wave Boss.
- Averted with The Vice-Captains' own squad; who disregards their Knight-Captains' orders and stayed with Naofumi and Raphtalia to help the Shield Hero hold the line and evacuate the villagers. Afterwards, helping to clear out any monster stragglers with Raphtalia, and putting out the fires they inadvertently caused to the residents' houses.
- Mistaken for Pedophile: Due to his cynically warped view of reality caused by his Trauma Conga Line, the fact that Raphtalia's leveling up had prematurely aged her into a teenager goes completely unnoticed by him, everyone complimenting and hitting on her making him think that everyone is the country is "full of lolicons."
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: When Naofumi asks for the recently-arrived battalion of Royal Knights to get into formation and help him and Raphtalia to buy the villagers more time to evacuate during the Wave; The Knight Captain disregards this to have his men go join The Three Heroes. His Vice-Captain on the other hand...Vice-Captain: "Phalanx Formation to support The Shield Hero! TO BATTLE!"
- Younger Than They Look: After a week of leveling up, Raphtalia has gone from being a little girl to a woman in her late teens. This is apparently normal for demihumans.
