A Parting in the Snow

A Parting in the Snow (雪の別れ) is the eighth episode of Season 2 and the thirty-third of overall episode The Rising of the Shield Hero anime.

Synopsis
Naofumi’s party heads for the Dragon Hourglass of Mikakage, in order to get to Sikul, the country that summoned Kizuna. Along the way, he sells rare healing items to make a hefty profit. He hears a rumor about a genius mage…

Plot
Kizuna uses her Vassal Weapon as a grappling hook to allow herself, Naofumi, Rishia. and Raphtalia to the other side of the Japanese-like wall and into the forest ahead. The Shield interface displays there are 10 days before the next Wave strikes, and Filo is still nowhere to be found. Kizuna suggests them to head towards "Sikul" (or Sickle), the country which summoned her to this world, which is at least one week on foot. Naofumi asks if she can use portal skills and she mentions "Return Codex", but it requires a certain tool that she still doesn't have, so they decide to go to the capital of Mikakage and use its local Dragon Hourglass to teleport to Sikul. Kizuna explains Naofumi that though they exist in other worlds, Dragon Hourglasses (named "Return Dragon Vein" in her world) have different uses too. The capital, however, is still 3 days ahead, so they'll have to walk, pass through checkpoints and buy a special pass to be allowed into the capital (to which Naofumi complains about being a "travelling merchant" again).

The party arrives at Mikakage, a country with predominant Feudal Japanese aesthetics but also with European-looking merchants and workers. There are several different races like the Demi-Human Grass people, the "Jewel" people (like Therese) and "Spirit" people (which resemble Glass) who are very dependent on pure spirit energy. Kizuna explains that due to this, Spirit people normally cannot grind levels easily, and thus only incorporeal attacks (like Naofumi's Soul Eater Shield) can truly affect them. Kizuna also adds that this kind of energy can only be recovered by normal means, and healing items won't work for it, so Spirit people benefit less from magic than other races. They soon see notices saying that the neighbouring countries are possibly breeding monsters to use as weapons and researching teleport technologies in other to artificially reproduce the Heroes's unique abilities. As they take shelter for the night in a close-by inn, Kizuna explains the resemblances about the currencies in this and Naofumi's world, and the girl assures her need for more money. Naofumi uses his Shield to craft a soul-soothing potion, which restores SP (soul power) - which he remembers L'Arc having given one to Glass to restore her status in the last Wave -, and Kizuna states that this kind of potion is extremely valuable for Spirit people, so Naofumi intends to grind levels and sell these potions to earn money fast. Raphtalia feels envious of Rishia's red fish dish, but the green-haired girl willingly gives it to the tanuki girl, since demi-humans need more food for growth (much to Raphtalia's embarrassment).

The next day, using folkloric masks to disguise themselves as travelling merchants, Naofumi's party announce and sell a lot of soul potions to Spirit people, making money quite fast. Later, in the nearby woods, they take down a huge two-headed dragon monster, though they oddly did not gain any EXP. Kizuna's Hunting Tool crafts an Earth Stone, which restores magic once held in hand, and Naofumi instantly earns 3000 EXP; Naofumi in turn gives Magic Water to Kizuna, but the girl only gains weapon enhancement EXP. Later that day, Naofumi auctions one soul-soothing potion, which is bought by a rich-looking young guy buys for 30 gyokugin (silver doumons); Rishia then "trips down" (on Kizuna's hand hitting her legs) and loses an entire box of potions, but one last bottle is still safe, and then sold for 4 kinban (a kinban is a gold doumon, worth 100 silver ones). With more than enough money to buy a pass to the capital, they decide to buy new equipments - more specifically, Japanese-style clothes for them all. Kizuna doesn't want to change her haori (the upper part of a traditional kimono), since it was given to her by Glass herself. They finally get to the country capital, where it's pretty cold - a possible sign of incoming snow. At a nearby castle with tight security, a crowd is gathered where they know about how a genius mage from another nation developed a way to replicate the Dragon Return Vein, but Naofumi's party shares a worry about "who" this genius mage could be... instead, they see a completely different person, a young man accompanied by two girl guards and an older man, the young man in question has short blue hair with a small ponytail, dresses in regal winter clothes, and flaunts a nasty smirk.

Naofumi notices the man, referred to as "Kazuki-sama", is just as arrogant and pompous as Kyo is. As the snow start falling, Kizuna plays snowball fight with Rishia and Raphtalia for a while, but closer to evening the snow hits pretty hard. Once inside an INN to take shelter, the party discusses about Kyo again (whom Kizuna didn't know about until the moment) and how to take him down (since Naofumi's and Kizuna's weapons are useless to fight, and Raphtalia's and Rishia's levels are too low against him). Since there are only less than 6 days until the next Wave happens, Raphtalia suggests to go now to Kazuki's manor, since it's not so heavily guarded at nighttime under a huge blizzard, their priority being the Hourglass above anything else. Once there, they are attacked by the security, hinting they fell for a trap. Raphtalia opens a way through the guards, and the party follows. After going through a number of empty rooms, some of them blocked by huge black concrete walls, the party splits up, Naofumi with Raphtalia, and Rishia with Kizuna. Naofumi and Raphtalia find the Hourglass, with Kazuki's group guarding it, and Kazuki reveals himself to be in league with Kyo indeed. Kazuki, however, was told "dead or alive" regarding the Shield Hero's party. Naofumi quickly dispatches the guards via Meteor Shield, with Rishia and Kizuna arriving right after. The Hunting Hero swings up towards the Hourglass and activates the Return Dragon Vein, but Raphtalia seems to be outside the teleportation effect. Kyo makes his presence known, and reveals himself to be the one who imprisoned Kizuna in the Infinite Labyrinth and now intends to separate Raphtalia from Naofumi just for the sake of causing pain to the Shield Hero. Raphtalia, however, urges Naofumi to go ahead anyway, assuring him that she'll always be "his sword", and engages Kazuki in swordfight. The party teleports somewhere leaving Raphtalia behind, much to Naofumi's grief.

Light Novel & Manga Differences

 * In the light novel and manga, Raphtalia is separated from Naofumi and Rishia while travelling from Raphtalia's World to Glass' World. In the anime, she was separated later when Naofumi and Kizuna attempted to use the dragon hourglass to escape enemy territory.
 * Trash #2's name was never released in the light novel and manga as part of a running joke that Naofumi cannot learn names. However, it was revealed to be Kazuki in the anime
 * Trash II was only hinted to be working with Kyo in the light novel and manga. However in the anime he fully confessed it to Naofumi.

Trivia

 * TBA