Ruins in the Fog

Ruins in the Fog (霧中の遺跡) is the fourth episode of Season 2 and the twenty-ninth of overall episode The Rising of the Shield Hero anime.

Synopsis
The Spirit Tortoise’s head was cut off, but Ost, its familiar, is still alive. It could revive at any moment. The allied                        armies need to get back into fighting shape, and fast. Naofumi makes the risky move of heading onto the Tortoise’s back with only a small group, and tries to find its true weak spot.

Plot
Rishia recalls her past, in which she lived with her impoverished but happy family, until one tragic day a nobleman from the neighbouring town raided Rishia's parents's home and attacked them, over debts illegally levied on them but they hand no means to pay back, and took Rishia away as a payment. Rishia was kept prisoner in the nobleman's dungeon, devoid of all hope, until the day she was rescued by the Bow Hero, who revealed the nobleman's evil to everyone, making Rishia instantly fall in love with him. Back to present, Rishia is at the coalition camp, speaking to Raphtalia, Elrasla, and Ost Horai, expressing her worries about the Bow Hero's safety and how she wants to help him as retribution for her past rescue. Ost reassures her that Itsuki is safe. The group is approached by Naofumi, Filo, and Eclair, the Shield Hero warns them that when the sun rises they'll depart, heading towards the Spirit Tortoise's enormous mountain shell.

At morning, they all depart in Naofumi's cart, stating that since the Spirit Tortoise's familiar, Ost, is still alive, that means the gigantic beast will soon resurrect and restart its rampage at any moment, and worse, the military coallition still needs reinforcements and supplies for the oncoming war. Naofumi says his party will climb onto the Tortoise's shell and search for any possible vulnerable spot, probably the monster's back. Filo, Raphtalia and Eclair didn't like the conference with the country leaders, though they all enjoyed Ost's companionship (namely Filo, who complained about the lack of food there). Though notable for having saved lots of soldiers during the previous battle, Ost sadly rejects the praises because she has a "real job" which she cannot reveal yet. They arrive at the Tortoise's mountain shell, and Filo takes the entire party there.

As they start their long climb across the mist-filled pathways, Ost questions why everyone treats her so kindly as her job is to steal souls at the Spirit Tortoise's behest, but the party explains her kindness in fighting at their side, like a "comrade-in-arms". Naofumi asks if Ost does remember something, and the lady feels like if there was fog in her memories - and Rishia somehow feels the same. As it's evening, Naofumi decides to set camp until morning. Night falls, Rishia comments to Ost that Filo and Raphtalia look like "real sisters" as they sleep together. Talking to Ost, Rishia recalls her time with the Bow Hero's party until she got kicked out, and Ost casually asks if Rishia feels better with herself as a party member under Itsuki or Naofumi, leaving Rishia quite embarrassed. Ost suddenly feels a stinging pain, and Naofumi tells them that something is wrong because the fog around them dissipated. Ost points towards a specific direction, prompting the party to go there and find the horrendous scene of a destroyed village with all his inhabitants long deceased.

The next morning, the party brings Queen Mirellia along to the village, she orders the troops to collect the corpses. This sounds specially hard for Rishia (due to her time spent in the nobleman's dungeon) and Raphtalia (who was a prisoner at Idol Rabier's demi-human dungeon along with Keel and the late Rifana). Ost pays her respects to the dead villagers, and Rishia joins her in the pray - even the battle-hardened coallition troopers feel sad about the tragic fate of the villagers. Queen Mirellia reveals her Shadows found a ruined temple up there and asks Naofumi's party to come along, and it's soon found that the temple was actually a shrine dedicated to the Spirit Tortoise. Naofumi speculates if it was in this place that the Tortoise's seal was broken and caused the beast's resurrection. Rishia still feels out of place within Naofumi's party, but Raphtalia and Eclair try to raise her spirits. Rishia finds and translates ancient writings describing the Spirit Tortoise's role as the "Guardian Beast of the World" - Eclair notices that Rishia excels in reading and translating rather than sword fighting, and Elralsa notices Rishia's latent ki manuipulation ability which could make her master Hengen Muso style quite quickly. Rishia adds that these ancient writings come from another world to be used by the current Heroes, and Naofumi is left shocked upon discovering the writings are in Japanese, from his own world! He is able to discern the words "seal", "seventh" and "shatter", and ponders if the word "seventh" is related to the mysterious blue number 7 that appears in his Shield's interface. Ost starts to recall memories, as the place has information about the Spirit Tortoise and how to break its seal. When she tries to reveal how to truly kill the Tortoise, the shrine starts collapsing, forcing them to a quick getaway.

Another of the Shadows reports that the Spirit Tortoise will soon resurrect. Ost reverals that the now destroyed shrine has an entrance which leads into the beast's very body, and they must venture there to find and destroy the Tortoise's heart. Naofumi tells that he, Raphtalia, Filo and Ost will enter the massive body while the Queen, Eclair, Elralsa, and Rishia must fall back and command the armies, but Rishia refuses and states that, despite being worried about Itsuki, she now fights along the Shield Hero and thus will follow with his party into the beast's body. Naofumi agrees without further objections. As they journey inside the Tortoise's massive intestines, Rishia comments with Ost that she feels thankful for being part of Naofumi's party, in her own clumsy way. All of a sudden, they are attacked by three human adventurers, one of them brandishing a combat scythe, who claim to have been sent by Queen Mirellia herself. Naofumi, however, doesn't buy it, and tells Raphtalia to cast Anti-Mirage magic, revealing the adventurers to be actually Glass, L'Arc, and Therese, the Vassal Heroes from another world, in disguise, much to Naofumi's complete surprise.

Light Novel & Manga Differences

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Trivia

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