Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the Serpent (2026) Movie Script
Dark eyes
[groaning]
are watching.
-[crowd] Heave-ho! Heave-ho!
-[festive music playing]
All right! Everyone form
an orderly line now!
[groaning]
Please bring any celebratory offerings
here to me!
That guy!
[crowd] Heave-ho!
[whimpering]
[gasps] It's been a while!
It's good to see you, Medicine Seller!
[grunting]
No, Master Sakashita.
Don't strain yourself!
I'm still young. I can do it!
[crowd gasps]
It's been a whole year since you left.
[Medicine Seller]
It appears everyone is well.
I'm glad to see it.
This is quite a lively scene.
[Sudo] It is.
We have a big celebration coming up.
Do you?
This little guy must be returned.
Are you sure, Master Sakashita?
I know how fond you are of that beauty.
He left it on accident
after the commotion a year ago.
It needs to be returned
-to its rightful owner.
-[ornament chimes]
[screams] The Medicine Seller is back!
It's been a while. Good to see you!
Can you believe what they're doing?
Every day we have to do all this hard
work to prepare for the baby's delivery!
We're completely worn out!
Don't complain, Kume.
A royal birth
is meant to be a happy occasion.
Listen! The child of His Majesty
is about to be born!
[all exclaim]
That certainly is a happy occasion.
Is it Lady Fuki?
[Sakashita] No.
Lady Fuki gave birth to her beautiful
little princess just last month.
[baby crying]
The Birth Celebratory Ceremony
was duly performed for her then, as well!
[Medicine Seller]
Another child who is not a boy.
[coughing]
This time, it's Lady Yukiko.
[Medicine Seller] Lady Yukiko.
His Majesty's official consort?
[straining]
Yes. She's about to give birth
to her second child.
-[groans]
-[Kume] Yes, but still.
There's so much to do for the celebration
and we're short a man.
[chuckles]
So now it's up to Tome and I.
We're stuck helping
with all the heavy lifting too.
I didn't mean to!
Be careful. We know it's not your fault.
Master Sakashita hurt his back
while trying to help carry
all the celebratory offerings.
There were so many!
A serpent motif for a celebration?
Quite unusual.
[Tome] Serpents are incarnations
of the Water Goddess.
-Is that so?
-See?
Serpents are even on the pillars.
[Tome] There are serpent talismans
all over the building.
I see.
This Water Goddess, who is she?
[Tome] She's the goddess
who guards the oku.
Every day, we are given blessed water.
And we say thanks to the Water Goddess.
[maids chant]
And then all the maids
drink a cup of the holy water.
Water?
[pants] Kume! Tome! It's Lady Yukiko!
-[crowd gasps]
-Is it here?
-[Tome] Medicine Seller, please excuse us!
-[rattling]
Ah!
We'll see you all later.
[chanting]
May the Water Goddess bless us
and grant her a son.
[Suikoin] I wonder if Lady Yukiko
will be able to do it.
[Tokiwai] I am certain that Lady Yukiko
will give birth to a male successor.
[Suikoin] You said the same
about her first child,
but in the end, she birthed a girl.
[Tokiwai] It is not up to a mother
to choose
whether she gives birth
to a male or a female child.
Then it appears her faith
in the Water Goddess must be lacking.
It has been three years since Lady Yukiko
married into this family.
[chanting continues]
She does not require your reminders,
Madam Suikoin.
Lady Yukiko fully understands her duty.
You may rest assured,
she is well prepared.
[whimpering]
[groaning]
[Yukiko screams]
[chanting continues]
[groaning]
What are you folding, Medicine Seller?
It's almost among us.
Oh. Is the baby almost here?
[rumbling]
-[people screaming]
-What's happening?
-The ground is shaking!
-[ornament chimes]
[crowd] Heave-ho! Heave-ho
[Medicine Seller] Go on.
[all shouting]
-Protect the celebratory offerings!
-[grunts]
How long must we sit and wait for her?
[Medicine Seller] A Form
[giggles]
My lady, the baby is a boy!
has been born. Oh!
MONONOKE THE MOVIE: CHAPTER
THE CURSE OF THE SERPENI still recall many years ago
when we first met.
Please, I beg Your Majesty to forget it.
I am relieved. The male successor
has been birthed safely.
[Botan] This means
you will lose your place
as the mother of the next ruler.
Are you truly okay with that?
[Fuki] Certainly.
[both giggle]
Have you figured out
what it really is yet?
[Medicine Seller] If a mononoke
has been born,
there must be one who gave birth.
The oku has a guardian deity,
does it not?
You mean the Water Goddess?
Yeah, I suppose.
The maids place all their faith in her
and worship her every day.
Though, I don't know if she
Well, Lady Ama was a real person
who lived in the oku!
Lady Ama? Who might that be? Do tell.
[Majesty] Do you remember? We would often
meet here in secret to play.
I apologize.
I was not aware of my duties back then.
The job belongs to a maid
to keep the ruler company. I'm aware.
[Sakashita] Around 150 years ago, Lady Ama
was the one who established the oku.
In honor of that grand achievement,
the oku now worships her
as the Water Goddess.
So Lady Ama established the oku.
Medicine Seller!
It appears the time to make use
He's fast!
of this pass, is now.
[stairs creaking]
[Yukiko sobbing]
[Tokiwai] The previous time
an official consort gave birth
to a male successor was the third consort.
That was 150 years ago.
[Suikoin] You speak as if you are
the ruler of the entire realm now.
[chuckles]
[Tokiwai] Madam Suikoin.
From now on,
you can entrust the realm to me.
[Suikoin] Tokiwai, you are not
the male successor's mother.
[Tokiwai] No, but Lady Yukiko
is like a daughter to me.
[scoffs] You act like Lady Yukiko's mother
even with no blood relation to her.
I support her with all of my might.
Always.
[ornaments chiming]
A mononoke
is here.
in the oku!
Hmm.
People are gossiping about you,
calling this a blessing
that wasn't meant for you.
They're saying it only happened
because Lady Fuki took a break
from performing night service,
that she was the one who was really meant
to give birth to the male successor!
[pants]
-[chuckles] Father, look!
-Hmm?
[daughers giggle]
-[Futsukazuki] They're so pretty!
-[Mikazuki] It's sparkly and shiny!
[giggling]
[Kawa] You've been pushed out to
this corner of the residential quarters.
Here, in the oku, Madam Suikoin
and Lady Botan hold the power.
Although you are the official consort,
you cannot speak on matters of governance.
You cannot even manage
to bear a male successor!
You will be forced
to spend your whole life in the shadows!
Lady Yukiko, doesn't that frustrate you?
[Yukiko coughing]
[Yukiko] Kawa.
This baby, where did it come from?
[Kawa] You're much too naive, my lady.
That's exactly why Lady Fuki
gets His Majesty's attention instead!
[Yukiko] That can't be.
His Majesty, I am the only woman he loves!
-[rumbling]
-[Kawa screams]
-[screaming]
-[snake rattles]
The mononoke!
[baby cries]
Wait! Which way?
The scales are pointing all around us!
Then how will we know where it's going?
Mononoke, how long
have you been here in the oku?
[menacing music plays]
[grunting]
[panting]
I've got you now!
-[ornaments chime]
-[music stops]
[both] Huh?
Go with him!
-We're on it!
-Understood, sir!
[gasps]
He's alive!
Kawa, who is this child?
He is the successor!
[screams]
-How is he so fast?
-[Sudo] That's the north chamber!
-Lady Yukiko!
-Faster!
You're lying. It can't be.
Because [cries]
my baby's
[crying]
[choking]
[crying]
It's in here.
Who are you?
This is bad.
I didn't make it in time.
[grunting]
[bellowing]
Whoa!
What is this thing?
[grunting]
[whimpers]
[Yukiko screams]
-No, stay back!
-[screams]
No! Please, let go!
-[screams]
-[gasps]
[sighs]
[Medicine Seller] If it catches you,
it will strangle you! Hurry!
Go outside!
Secure Lady Yukiko and the successor!
Asanuma! You're with me!
-Coming!
-[gasps]
Lady Yukiko!
Get out of here!
A man?
[Suikoin] What is the meaning of this?
Kawa.
[grunts]
-What was that?
-[Botan] A mononoke, my lady.
[Medicine Seller] A form with white scales
extending to three sides.
-[all gasp]
-Slithering through the oku,
a serpentine apparition
which shakes it to its core.
The name of this ayakashi
that has now become a mononoke
is Hebigami.
-Hebigami?
-What an exquisite sound.
-How bizarre.
-A serpent?
You don't mean the Water Goddess?
Are you suggesting the Water Goddess
is a vengeful spirit?
Please forgive me, my lady!
[Medicine Seller] Oh?
And you, how dare you bring
the precious successor out of the room?
-How could you possibly do that?
-My lady, why don't we move elsewhere?
Tokiwai, there's something I [groans]
Come now. Why don't you get some rest?
-Who is that man?
-He's the Medicine Seller I mentioned.
He has exorcized mononoke twice before,
when they appeared in the oku.
I have granted him a pass.
[Medicine Seller] There is a winding river
of emotions whose flow cannot be stopped.
And eyes that seek to bind
all they can see, under their control.
You're spouting nonsense.
The peace and safety of the oku
is maintained by the Water Goddess's
divine protection and His Majesty's power.
-Mononoke must be slain.
-How dare you speak out of turn?
[Medicine Seller] However, one cannot slay
a mononoke with an ordinary sword.
[Suikoin] What?
[Medicine Seller] A master from the realm
of Shuga entrusted to us 64 guardians.
I stand before you,
wielding the Sword of Kon.
A blade of Yin.
It is also known as the Sacred Sword.
To draw this sword,
three conditions must be met.
The Form, the Truth, and the Reason.
I require the name of the mononoke's Form,
the Truth of its emotions,
and the Reason it came to be.
All three elements
must be presented to the sword.
Therefore, without the Reason
the mononoke was born
and the Truth of why it curses people,
the sword cannot be drawn.
And all of you
will remain at the mercy of this Hebigami.
And so I ask of you,
present to the Sacred Sword
the nature of this grudge,
powerful enough to shatter bones
and strangle throats.
A sacred sword to slay mononoke?
I now request that you share with me
all that you know.
[Hiramoto] Councilor Fujimaki.
I come bearing news.
[Fujimaki] Hmm. It is about the birth
of the male successor, I presume?
I see you were already aware.
Hiramoto, do you believe me incompetent?
As chief councilor,
I must always keep a keen ear out
for any happenings in the realm.
This is certainly a time for celebration.
My sincerest congratulations, my lord.
Do you find it surprising
that I'm celebrating, Tokita?
Not at all. Of course not.
Your daughter, Lady Fuki.
She has just given birth to a princess,
has she not?
[Yoshimichi] She has.
[Fujimaki] Although she failed
to give birth to the male successor,
-she may become his wet nurse instead.
-[Yoshimichi] Pardon?
[Fujimaki] One hundred fifty years ago,
Lady Ama became His Majesty's wet nurse,
and gained immense power
as his foster mother.
Eventually, her power grew even greater
than that of His Majesty's
official consort, you know.
[Yoshimichi] I'm aware, but--
There is no need for modesty.
Tokita, your family will reign
over the realm.
And I will support you. All I ask from you
is a small favor in return.
[sighs] This will surely make Lady Yukiko
hate me even more.
But Councilor Fujimaki was the one
who entrusted you with the successor,
was he not?
Unfortunately, it leaves you
with less time now
to dote upon your own beautiful daughter.
-[baby cries]
-I know, hush, hush.
This child is so quiet.
Don't you find it strange?
Good morning, Lady Yukiko.
Did you rest well?
Tokiwai.
[Tokiwai] Don't you fret, dear.
Allow me to fix that makeup of yours.
[Yukiko] Where is Kawa?
There is no need for you
to worry about that, Lady Yukiko.
Medicine Seller! Thank you
for all your help when we last met.
This is our official scribe, Lady Asa.
Have you found anything?
[Asa] The worship of the Water Goddess
began 150 years ago
Oh.
by the Mizorogi family,
who were close retainers of Lady Ama.
However, regardless of
how hard I searched,
I could not find any connection
between the Water Goddess
and serpents anywhere.
Tokiwai, where's the baby?
Are you asking about the male successor?
Don't worry, my lady.
Now is the time to rejoice.
After all your work, you finally get to
become the mother of the next ruler!
No. My baby is dead!
[rumbling]
The hebigami is not the Water Goddess?
[creaking]
I understand. The hebigami's emotions
towards the oku are certain.
[whimpers] How long do you think
this ground shaking is going to go on for?
I'm surprised you're not more scared
of the mononoke, Kume.
Why? Just because
some mononoke suddenly appeared
doesn't mean we get to stop
doing all our work.
[rumbling stops]
Oh, it's finally done.
[Asa] What should we do then?
With purifying salt
to cleanse the space around us,
we shall mark the bond
between human and ayakashi, and sever it.
With salt?
A salt barrier. Of course.
An inexhaustible amount of salt
will be required.
It's unusual for you to request
to speak with me, my son.
[Majesty] I was informed
that one of the maids died.
[Suikoin] You need not concern yourself
with this matter, Your Majesty.
There is nothing to fear.
The Water Goddess will always
watch over the bloodline of the rulers.
You remain protected.
It's none of my concern. I understand.
We have already made
an announcement to the country
that a male successor has been born.
[Yukiko] I shall tell everyone
the truth of what happened.
And then what?
[Yukiko] Then the baby must be returned
to his real mother.
[Tokiwai] Why would you want that?
If you entrust the baby to a wet nurse,
you will be the mother
of the next ruler without any issues.
You'd be in control of the entire realm.
[Tsuyu] Please do not worry, my lady.
I, Tsuyu, will protect
the precious princess with my life.
[gasps] Oh. Uh, Your Majesty!
[Botan] Will this really be enough
to keep the hebigami out?
It will keep the mononoke out
for one night.
No more than that?
-[baby cries]
-Oh!
[Fuki] Would you like
to hold the successor?
[groans]
[Majesty] If only you had borne
the male successor
things would never have come to this.
Huh?
Even if it's only one night,
it does us no good
to protect the grand chamber alone.
We must protect
the residential quarters as well.
Certainly.
I will be sure to find enough salt.
Oh, really?
Your Majesty wishes that I had borne
the successor? But why?
[grunts]
I want the child back now.
I beg you, give him back to me!
Goodness sakes, my lady.
Are you all right?
[Yukiko] I have something to tell you
about the successor.
-Lady Yukiko, let's go now!
-It's all right. Let her speak.
[Yukiko] Your Majesty,
this child is not mine.
[rumbling]
-There you are.
-To the grand chamber, everyone!
The time has come at last to fulfill
my promise to the Water Goddess.
Is the whole oku going to collapse on us?
Lady Botan said to go to
the grand chamber. You'll be safe there!
Come on! Get everyone
to the grand chamber, now!
[all] Yes, sir!
[Yukiko] I had a stillbirth.
This child isn't mine.
I'm so sorry. I could not bring your child
into this world.
[Tokiwai] That's not true.
Lady Yukiko fulfilled her duty admirably.
[Hokuto] I need to calm
the hebigami somehow.
But Father, can't we pray for protection?
It's all right. Even the hebigami
cannot approach this altar's barrier.
Listen, you two go hide.
If you stay behind this water,
you will be safe.
[Futsukazuki] Father, come with us!
[Hokuto] No. I cannot.
Why can't you? [cries]
[Hokuto] Because this is the duty
of the Mizorogi family.
[Tokiwai] There is no doubt
that the successor is Lady Yukiko's child.
[Yukiko] How many lies must you tell?
This is enough!
-[baby cries]
-Why won't you let me help you?
The successor is
[ornaments chiming]
-That's enough from you.
-[chiming stops]
[baby crying]
This child has been switched!
[wailing]
The same as before.
What are you saying?
Medicine Seller!
Everyone out!
-It has us surrounded.
-What?
It's here!
[menacing music plays]
Oh.
-The hebigami.
-I'll hold it off!
No one move!
[Tokiwai] Why can't you
just do as I tell you?
Then you can leave the successor with me!
[Yukiko] We cannot keep this child here!
-He must return to his real mother!
-Don't step out of the barrier
or you'll be killed!
-[Tokiwai] Let go of me, right now!
-No! I won't!
Stop this, please!
[wailing]
Who do you think has been
looking after you all this time?
You won't fight for your power
or perform night service.
I have had to take care of you
because you're so incapable!
I have been the only one
-who cares about your happiness at all!
-What are you saying? My happiness?
But you couldn't even let me do that.
-[Yukiko] Tokiwai.
-Don't move!
There's a salt barrier
around the grand chamber.
[Tokiwai crying]
Get out of here, now!
-What about you?
-Don't worry.
Go to the grand chamber!
[Tokiwai] Lady Yukiko gave birth
to the male successor.
-Get out of there!
-There is no way for you to escape this.
You don't understand
how much I did for you!
Something's not right here.
-Lady Botan, what is the meaning of this?
-Madam Suikoin.
Get outside, right now!
[grunting]
Your Majesty!
[Tokiwai] You really are
such a foolish, stupid girl.
Those eyes!
-[gasps]
-[roaring]
[grunting]
A mononoke!
[whimpering]
Tokiwai!
Hurry, get out!
Come on, get in quickly, everyone!
The one who switched the babies was me!
Tell me now!
The hebigami, what made it angry?
Hokuto.
I had to replace the stillborn successor.
So I brought in an abandoned child
from the outside!
Terrible!
That's not all.
We haven't uncovered its truth.
[Hokuto] Damn it!
The water?
So you managed to waste
His Majesty's precious seed.
-[grunting]
-Come, hurry!
-[chiming]
-[all] Huh?
[whimpering]
-[both] Wait, Father!
-You two!
-Why'd you come here?
-This is bad!
We're coming with you.
We belong to the Mizorogi family too!
We want to help
protect the oku too, Father!
Wait, Mister Mizorogi!
[Medicine Seller] Stay there!
What's that?
-Mikazuki!
-Leave the kids alone!
They're innocent!
They don't know anything!
[growling]
[daughters scream]
[Medicine Seller]
We must reveal its Truth!
-If I don't exorcize it
-[all gasping]
it will never stop!
[Futsukazuki] I'm scared!
[daughters scream]
[gasps]
-It all started 150 years ago!
-What?
[Hokuto] In order to continue the reign
of His Majesty's lineage!
-Run away!
-[whimpering]
So by the orders of Lady Ama, my ancestor,
Saku Mizorogi, deceived everyone.
Lady Ama began all this?
You mean, the wet nurse
of the Third Emperor?
[Hokuto] In place of the male successor
they never had,
Saku Mizorogi went to the streets
and picked up an abandoned baby.
No! But that means
His Majesty's ruling bloodline
has long since ended.
Enough of these outrageous claims,
Mizorogi!
We had to lie in order to protect
his reign and ensure peace.
We protected His Majesty's family lineage.
Nonsense. Stop lying!
We protected the strength
and order of our land.
What I need to know now is
the hebigami's true nature. Its Truth!
If there's anyone who could hold a grudge
over this decision, it would be
the one who was forced to take in
a fake successor.
Got her!
[Hokuto] The mother
who was burdened with the lie.
Father, no!
I've got you!
It would be
[all gasp]
The third consort!
[clanks]
Hmm?
So the third consort is just like me.
We have acquired its Truth!
[groaning]
[both] No, Father!
[all exclaim]
It can't be!
The Third Consort was blessed
Was that still not enough to defeat it?
with the birth of a true male successor!
You believe that the state of mind
of a human and a mononoke are the same.
-They are not.
-No! This is absurd!
The noble bloodline of His Majesty
has long been protected at the oku.
[roaring]
So all of this is because of the passions
of the third consort?
The male baby was switched
with a foundling?
[Hiramoto] Indeed.
Although it appears that the lady's maid
responsible for the incident
died in the commotion
caused by a mononoke.
[Fujimaki] So Tokiwai is dead now?
-Tokita.
-Yes, sir.
It seems that
your precious daughter, Fuki,
didn't have to become
a wet nurse after all. [laughs]
I'm certain
that he will begin nursing soon.
I can't believe that this is just
plain old salt. Right, Tome?
[Medicine Seller] Do not touch it.
I-- I'm sorry, sir!
If this salt line is severed at all,
the mononoke will be able to enter.
There are still around ten people
whose whereabouts are unknown.
[crying]
You can't see me! Peek-a-boo!
[chattering, cooing]
Excuse me, Lady Yukiko.
I'm not coming here
to take the successor from you.
Then what exactly do you want?
[Fuki] Perhaps you could
move closer to the center.
[Hokuto] You saved
both of these children's lives today.
You have my gratitude.
[Medicine Seller] The hebigami
seems to hate water.
[Hokuto] Yes. We have
the Water Goddess's protection.
Oh, really?
So, we must bring everyone to the altar.
They'll be safest underground.
Up until this point,
the person most in my way has been you.
But His Majesty wants--
I would appreciate if you did not speak
as if you know His Majesty
better than I do.
[Majesty] That's all pointless now,
is it not?
I don't suppose you believe any of this?
Our family's bloodline
was all based on a lie.
I am no different from that baby.
I beg of you, do not fall for this.
It is all just a bunch of nonsense
Mizorogi has made up!
-Does this mean they lied to us?
-You don't believe it, do you?
I'm not deceiving anyone.
I speak the truth.
It all seems like
a madman's ramblings to me, nothing more.
Your line has peacefully led this nation
for 150 long years!
Is that not, in and of itself,
undeniable proof
that Your Majesty's bloodline is true?
There can be no doubt
the most noble blood in this whole world
runs through your veins!
[Majesty] The seed of doubt
has already sprouted.
It can never be fully plucked away.
Just as once-poisoned water
can never be cleaned completely.
It can never be cleaned completely?
[Suikoin] You are the true heir,
born from my own womb!
You are the ruler without a doubt!
You are my son!
[Majesty] I believe it is true
that you gave birth to me.
I was born to become no more
than a breeding horse.
To lie with women. To create a successor.
My child, what in the world
has gotten into you?
You mean to tell me
that something remains here in the oku?
I require Form, Truth, and Reason.
A mononoke is the form
of truth and reason.
But to confirm them this time,
it seems that
I need all of your eyes.
[grunting]
Are you all right, Hokuto?
-[Hokuto] I'm sorry.
-There's no need.
All this time, I have had to protect
[Majesty] I know.
Whether it be now or back then,
I still remember.
Hey, listen! I have something to tell you!
It's a super big secret!
-A secret?
-Mm-hmm.
But you can't tell anyone about it, okay?
You gotta promise it stays
between us forever. Got it?
I promise!
I heard that His Majesty
is actually not the real bloodline!
There's actually no true ruler anymore.
You already told me the truth
all those years ago.
[Medicine Seller]
The Water Goddess's divine protection.
Oh.
Oh.
[Asanuma] Councilor Fujimaki!
What brings you here?
Where is Lady Yukiko?
I need to speak with her.
Oh. Well, I'm glad that you're safe, sir.
[panting]
And the mononoke?
Let's go.
-[chimes]
-[all scream]
-The mononoke is close!
-[whimpers]
[Fujimaki] I see that the whole oku
has gathered together here.
What a strange thing for you to do.
However, I have something to say
that everyone present should hear.
A certain strange rumor
has made it to my ears.
It is regarding the male successor.
[maids gasp and chatter]
I hear that even Lady Yukiko herself
has admitted that the infant
is not the true successor
and that it is instead a different child
that has been switched out.
If that is indeed true,
this is a grave situation,
tantamount to treason against His Majesty.
The one responsible has already died.
You may rest assured.
Regardless, as councilor,
I still have one remaining concern.
There is a possibility
that your first child,
the princess, may have been
switched out at birth as well.
Fujimaki.
[maids gasp and chatter]
[Yukiko] How could you say that?
[Fujimaki] Lady Tokiwai was also the one
present at your first childbirth,
was she not?
-Therefore--
-That's not the case here!
Your first child may also be a foundling.
There is no doubt
that my daughter was birthed by me!
How can we be sure? Someone
who has allowed any room for doubt
cannot be entrusted
with the future of this nation!
Until a new male successor is born,
it would be best
to make the current successor the princess
born to Fuki of the Tokita family.
I can't believe you'd be so cold!
You promised!
After Lord Katsuma's death,
you promised Tokiwai that
my daughter would be the successor!
You became her guardian!
-It's here!
-Give the title back to my child!
[chimes]
[Fujimaki] What are you doing?
The hebigami
has gotten through the barrier!
The hebigami?
[Third Consort] How could you do this?
[choking]
[all screaming]
[Hiramoto] What is this?
[screaming]
[crying]
Get to the underground altar now!
The Water Goddess will protect us there!
[all screaming]
[Sakashita] Take His Majesty
to the underground altar!
[all] Yes, sir!
Come on!
We need to protect the male successor!
Hebigami!
If you intend to consume the whole oku
I am Botan Otomo,
administrator of the oku.
-Lady Botan, no!
-Let's go!
You have to go through me first!
Hurry up! To the altar!
Snap out of it!
This way!
Wait! Allow me to help you.
[Medicine Seller] Run!
We need to go!
[Hokuto] Was it all a mistake?
Protecting the oku
for the past 150 years?
-[Majesty] Possibly.
-[Hokuto] What?
[Majesty] But regardless,
protecting it was the only option.
[panting]
[Suikoin] What is there to fear?
The Water Goddess
grants us her divine protection.
Lady Yukiko?
[Hokuto] Get to the shrine, now!
The mononoke won't be able
to pass through the water!
The Water Goddess will protect us there!
-We must go now.
-Right.
It's been waiting for this moment
the whole time?
The hebigami
is manifesting!
-[people screaming]
-[roaring]
-We're not gonna make it!
-It's collapsing!
Lady Ama is protecting us!
Lady Ama, the Water Goddess.
Amazing! Divine protection!
Thirty years ago,
I passed through this Nanatsu Gate!
I'm not about to give up
on this place now!
Master Sakashita!
[Sakashita] All this time,
I've lived in the oku!
Just as expected, Mr. Sakashita.
I will help protect the oku
from monsters like you!
What in the world
[people screaming]
-Where are we?
-[whimpering]
It swallowed us.
We are now in the belly of the beast.
[snarling]
Every time a mononoke showed up,
a rope has snapped.
[all screaming]
Water Goddess, save us.
Protect us, please.
[Hokuto] And in the end,
the whole barrier
[Medicine Seller] broke down.
[all screaming]
No! The shrine!
I know what caused this mess.
All of you deserve the blame!
-Most of all, that filthy, rotten baby.
-Stop, please.
Hey, watch out!
[Suikoin] It has brought complete disaster
to the oku.
What? He's only a baby! He's innocent!
[Suikoin] He is only as innocent
as you are.
He's the sin of an official consort
who failed to bear a male successor!
[people screaming]
[roaring]
[people scream]
-Good morning.
-Good morning.
[Third Consort] From the very first time
we met, I was in love with him.
His gentle gaze.
[gasps]
[Majesty chuckles]
His lovely voice.
His soft skin.
I loved everything about him.
There's no need for that.
[consorts giggling]
If we do not have a successor,
chaos will spark all across the land.
These people, are they
If you cannot birth a male,
we must find others to do it then.
We will have concubines
and their attending maids
who will reside with His Majesty.
Is that you, Lady Ama?
Do you really believe
His Majesty would allow
anyone but me to be by his side?
[gasps] Your Majesty?
-Mizorogi.
-Yes, my lady?
[Lady Ama] His Majesty understands
that his duty is to protect this country
and to ensure peace and order
throughout the realm.
I'm sure you understand your duties
as the official consort as well.
If you truly love His Majesty,
then you will have no issues with this.
[consorts moaning]
[consorts screaming]
[crying]
That must have been when the oku began!
[baby cries]
[Suikoin] An entire castle of women
to protect His Majesty.
Indeed.
For the past 150 years,
we have all devoted ourselves
to that same cause.
Therefore I will not allow it
to be destroyed now!
The rot that has befallen us
must never be allowed to persist.
I beg you, do not do this.
Lady Yukiko. If you lack
the determination required
to take action,
then I will cut out the rot myself!
-[all screaming]
-Stop this!
[snarling]
[Majesty] Mother.
That is enough.
[mechanical whirring]
That strange sound again.
[screaming]
[screaming]
It's happening again!
Protect the water!
All this time, the mononoke
They were all after this shrine!
[Third Consort] You would make a child
who is not truly of His Majesty's blood
the successor?
[Lady Ama] It appears we have no choice.
[Third Consort] Why would you not
simply bring in another concubine?
Though, I suppose
they've all failed thus far.
[Lady Ama] We were unable
to produce it in time.
[Third Consort] What?
[Lady Ama] His Majesty has passed away
earlier this morning.
[Third Consort] He
[Lady Ama] Although
he was so looking forward
to seeing his male successor.
[Third Consort] But how?
He had fallen ill, unfortunately.
[Third Consort]
Were you hiding this from me?
[Lady Ama] I believe it was not him,
but rather you,
who had been avoiding His Majesty.
But isn't it wonderful?
You will be the mother
of the next ruler now.
Tell me.
Is that not exactly what you wanted?
[Suikoin] Why did you stop me?
Everything I did was all for you!
[Majesty] As I said before,
I am the same as that baby.
-No! That's not true!
-It is, Mother.
I, too, am an imposter.
[Suikoin] You are not!
I am also rotten.
[wailing]
Madam Suikoin.
Watch out!
[screaming]
[snarling]
Is that
[Third Consort] In the end,
if it didn't really matter
whether or not
the successor's bloodline was true
[groaning]
then what were we even protecting?
[Majesty] It was terrible,
what I did to you.
None of this would've happened
if we hadn't made you give birth.
Huh?
Your Majesty,
isn't having a son what you wanted?
[Third Consort] What was it all for?
I looked away. I pretended not to see.
I pretended not to know.
It had to be hard.
[Majesty] It was simply
what the oku wanted.
I did what they expected me to do.
Lady Yukiko,
surely it is the same for you.
His Majesty and his consort.
That is how it has always been.
We are but vessels
for producing successors.
How can this be?
When did I become
yet another pawn for the oku?
How long have I been
I chose to marry you.
We are still just human beings.
[Third Consort grunts]
Are we still?
I never wanted to put up with this!
I wanted him to always stay by my side.
I wanted His Majesty to be mine
and only mine.
[Yukiko] Is it so hard for you to imagine
that I truly do love you?
Even if I can't be happy,
I still love you because I want to.
Your Majesty, I loved you so much.
[Yukiko] I wanted to love you
more than anything.
I wanted to share
all of my joy and all of my sorrow.
I wanted to laugh with you.
To cry with you.
To hold each other
and believe that we were one.
But I am the ruler. And as such,
I will never be anything else.
The oku.
This despicable place
should never have existed.
She was burdened
by all the lies around her.
I am sorry. I cannot make you happy.
Her heart had been shackled.
And because of that,
she was crushed by her feelings.
I am the same. I will never be able
to be anything other than this.
[Medicine Seller] I have now acquired
its Reason.
Its Form, its Truth, and its Reason
have all been exposed.
Let the sword at last be released!
[grunting]
[Lady Ama] You were a foolish woman
until the very end.
[baby coos]
Mizorogi, things are finally
looking up for you, aren't they?
The mother is gone.
Nothing stands in your way now.
The realm will belong to your son.
[Saku] I wouldn't dare, my lady.
The Mizorogi family
has already severed ties with that child.
Indeed. However, it is not so easy
to completely sever love.
It is a parent's love that remains.
[Lady Ama] Mizorogi.
From this day forward, you shall protect
your son and his descendants for eternity.
Once I begin my meditation,
you must build an altar underground.
Help the faith take root as its priest.
You shall enshrine the oku's secrets
and guard them forever.
People are prone
to feeling confused and lost.
That confusion
will eventually cause conflict.
And in the end,
that conflict will become destructive,
threatening the peace
of our precious world.
Therefore someone must
set the course for the people.
All these years, with these emotions,
you did not want to bring change
upon the oku, Hebigami.
You wanted to destroy it!
[Lady Ama] What's the matter?
I'm sorry, Lady Ama,
but I don't understand.
Why would you do that?
[Lady Ama] Because I want to become water.
[Saku] Become water?
[Lady Ama]
Humans cannot live without water.
A single cup of water
can quench one's thirst.
Rain and rivers
nourish crops in the fields.
But in return,
water asks for nothing.
It simply continues to flow.
And then, behind it,
the water leaves a single path.
That is exactly what I wish to do.
I will become water.
But what about happiness?
[Lady Ama] Happiness?
[Saku] To give thanks to the water,
people should offer their prayers
to make sure it is always happy.
[Lady Ama] From now on,
I will entrust the oku to you.
Imbued with the power of Kon,
one of the eight swords of Yin and Yang
I shall purify you and lay you to rest.
Mononoke
perish.
Flash strike!
Forgive me.
The hebigami has been exorcized!
You saw it with your own eyes!
I saw.
The oku!
Save us, please!
[sobbing]
Water Goddess,
you're the only one I trust!
There you are. Revealed at last.
Who might you be?
Just another Medicine Seller.
Why are you here?
[Medicine Seller]
The flow has become stagnant and rotten.
The water which fills the oku
and flows into the town
leaves behind a foul odor
reaching every corner of the country.
-[rumbling]
-What is happening there?
The whole sky is
What is going on here?
Now, where are you really?
[voices] I am here.
-I am here.
-I am here.
[Medicine Seller]
The eternal eyes gazing upon
countless human deeds and emotions.
-I am here.
-I am here.
[Medicine Seller] People can shed tears,
but they cannot become water.
-I am here.
-I am here.
[Lady Ama] The people of this world
require my protection.
[Medicine Seller] Then tell me why
you do not protect yourself?
-[screaming]
-[voices] I am here. I am here. I am here.
[Medicine Seller] I see you now.
These countless gazes,
they include you too.
The name of the mononoke
now manifesting is
Hyakume!
I have now acquired its Form.
In this world,
there is no escaping the eyes.
Let me go!
[Yukiko screams]
[Medicine Seller] And there is no escaping
their judgment or sorrow.
[Yukiko] Give him back!
[Medicine Seller] This mortal world
is no more than countless paintings
captured by countless gazes.
But when those gazes are broken
what remains
[Yukiko screams]
is the truth!
This mononoke's vessel is comprised
of all the people living in this world.
Their grudges! Their suffering!
And their sorrow!
[Asa] I wanted to stay close
to the person most dear to me.
I never wanted to send her away.
My family's future rests on my shoulders.
But I didn't want
to perform night service.
I wanted to fall in love.
I wanted to be free of this place.
Fuki
I wanted to do the right thing. I wanted
to lead everyone down the right path.
[Sakashita] I wanted to express
what was in my heart.
The baby! The baby! Where's the baby?
I only wanted my son to love me.
-Madam Suikoin.
-I wanted to be someone less important.
[Kame] I wanted to live up
to their expectations.
[Hokuto] I wanted to tell them
what really happened that day.
These are all their true feelings.
I have now acquired its Truth.
[all] Everything I did
was for the good of the oku.
Their feelings are inexhaustible.
Will I really be able to defeat it?
I can't. Not on my own.
I'm calling out to all the 64 guardians
spread across this world!
The Sword of Kon is facing a torrent,
a monster who swallows endless tears,
while enshrouded in eternal flame.
It is the jaws of passion
that crush those within its grasp.
Therefore, I use the mirror of Masumi
to fashion the peak of Shuga.
I shall transcend time
and open the pathway leading to Juyoku.
[snarls]
I call you!
[vocalizing]
Sword of Kon, I have heard your call.
I have come to assist.
I'm at your command.
[Medicine Seller] Sword of Ri,
with the power
of the eight swords of Yin and Yang,
I humbly request your assistance.
It is yours.
This world contains many emotions
and deeds which cannot be avoided.
[grunts]
[Medicine Seller] When people
stand together, gather together,
and live together,
individual wishes become warped,
confused, even torn apart.
Their own desires bring them pain,
and their own love can kill them.
This is the way of the world.
-Sword of Kon!
-Sword of RI!
[both] May now be released!
[grunting]
[The Successor] I did not want to be born.
I want to disappear.
I did not want to be born.
While pain and suffering
will always haunt this world,
as hopes and dreams take root,
people will continue to go about
their lives as they always have.
But in this case, we will put an end
to the sorrow's physical form
with these Sacred Swords united!
Flash strike!
Perish!
[both yelling]
I'm sorry. All this time,
I've been thinking
about nothing other than myself.
[Yukiko] Hello, little one.
It's nice to meet you.
Would it be all right if you lived here,
with me as your mom, in the oku?
I may not be your real mother,
but I will love you as my own.
Is that all right?
So please, wake up.
[crying]
It seems you finally found your voice.
My sweet baby. Are you hungry?
Here you are.
We made it out.
[Sakashita] That was a month ago.
The oku is still the oku.
It's just another day
with 2,000 maids busy with their work.
[giggles]
[Kame hums]
LADY ASA
[customer] One dango, please!
Sure! Coming right up!
Here we go, careful now.
TO KAME
[yawns]
[Sakashita] The scars from that incident
still remain.
But little by little,
things are starting to change.
Hmm. [grunts]
[grunting]
[laughing]
-[Futsukazuki laughs] I got you!
-[Mikazuki] It's freezing! Ooh.
[Futsukazuki] Here!
It tastes good.
[grunting]
[Sakashita] Perhaps we have Lady Yukiko
to thank for that.
I believe that the oku will persevere.
So, what brings you here this time, then?
Please don't say there's already
gonna be another mononoke here!
The mononoke will exist
as long as people live in this world.
Are you leaving? Already?
[Medicine Seller]
My business here is complete.
[sighs] But
[grunting]
Wait! Will we ever see each other again?
Who can say?
Goodbye now.
[maid] Come on, come on, hurry!
We finally made it!
-Slow down!
-No.
We made it at last!
So this is it! The oku!
[laughing]
[both] So exciting!
[laughing]
The human world
[ornament chimes]
CHAPTER III
THE CURSE OF THE SERPENTHE END
SEE YOU SOME OTHER TIME
[groaning]
are watching.
-[crowd] Heave-ho! Heave-ho!
-[festive music playing]
All right! Everyone form
an orderly line now!
[groaning]
Please bring any celebratory offerings
here to me!
That guy!
[crowd] Heave-ho!
[whimpering]
[gasps] It's been a while!
It's good to see you, Medicine Seller!
[grunting]
No, Master Sakashita.
Don't strain yourself!
I'm still young. I can do it!
[crowd gasps]
It's been a whole year since you left.
[Medicine Seller]
It appears everyone is well.
I'm glad to see it.
This is quite a lively scene.
[Sudo] It is.
We have a big celebration coming up.
Do you?
This little guy must be returned.
Are you sure, Master Sakashita?
I know how fond you are of that beauty.
He left it on accident
after the commotion a year ago.
It needs to be returned
-to its rightful owner.
-[ornament chimes]
[screams] The Medicine Seller is back!
It's been a while. Good to see you!
Can you believe what they're doing?
Every day we have to do all this hard
work to prepare for the baby's delivery!
We're completely worn out!
Don't complain, Kume.
A royal birth
is meant to be a happy occasion.
Listen! The child of His Majesty
is about to be born!
[all exclaim]
That certainly is a happy occasion.
Is it Lady Fuki?
[Sakashita] No.
Lady Fuki gave birth to her beautiful
little princess just last month.
[baby crying]
The Birth Celebratory Ceremony
was duly performed for her then, as well!
[Medicine Seller]
Another child who is not a boy.
[coughing]
This time, it's Lady Yukiko.
[Medicine Seller] Lady Yukiko.
His Majesty's official consort?
[straining]
Yes. She's about to give birth
to her second child.
-[groans]
-[Kume] Yes, but still.
There's so much to do for the celebration
and we're short a man.
[chuckles]
So now it's up to Tome and I.
We're stuck helping
with all the heavy lifting too.
I didn't mean to!
Be careful. We know it's not your fault.
Master Sakashita hurt his back
while trying to help carry
all the celebratory offerings.
There were so many!
A serpent motif for a celebration?
Quite unusual.
[Tome] Serpents are incarnations
of the Water Goddess.
-Is that so?
-See?
Serpents are even on the pillars.
[Tome] There are serpent talismans
all over the building.
I see.
This Water Goddess, who is she?
[Tome] She's the goddess
who guards the oku.
Every day, we are given blessed water.
And we say thanks to the Water Goddess.
[maids chant]
And then all the maids
drink a cup of the holy water.
Water?
[pants] Kume! Tome! It's Lady Yukiko!
-[crowd gasps]
-Is it here?
-[Tome] Medicine Seller, please excuse us!
-[rattling]
Ah!
We'll see you all later.
[chanting]
May the Water Goddess bless us
and grant her a son.
[Suikoin] I wonder if Lady Yukiko
will be able to do it.
[Tokiwai] I am certain that Lady Yukiko
will give birth to a male successor.
[Suikoin] You said the same
about her first child,
but in the end, she birthed a girl.
[Tokiwai] It is not up to a mother
to choose
whether she gives birth
to a male or a female child.
Then it appears her faith
in the Water Goddess must be lacking.
It has been three years since Lady Yukiko
married into this family.
[chanting continues]
She does not require your reminders,
Madam Suikoin.
Lady Yukiko fully understands her duty.
You may rest assured,
she is well prepared.
[whimpering]
[groaning]
[Yukiko screams]
[chanting continues]
[groaning]
What are you folding, Medicine Seller?
It's almost among us.
Oh. Is the baby almost here?
[rumbling]
-[people screaming]
-What's happening?
-The ground is shaking!
-[ornament chimes]
[crowd] Heave-ho! Heave-ho
[Medicine Seller] Go on.
[all shouting]
-Protect the celebratory offerings!
-[grunts]
How long must we sit and wait for her?
[Medicine Seller] A Form
[giggles]
My lady, the baby is a boy!
has been born. Oh!
MONONOKE THE MOVIE: CHAPTER
THE CURSE OF THE SERPENI still recall many years ago
when we first met.
Please, I beg Your Majesty to forget it.
I am relieved. The male successor
has been birthed safely.
[Botan] This means
you will lose your place
as the mother of the next ruler.
Are you truly okay with that?
[Fuki] Certainly.
[both giggle]
Have you figured out
what it really is yet?
[Medicine Seller] If a mononoke
has been born,
there must be one who gave birth.
The oku has a guardian deity,
does it not?
You mean the Water Goddess?
Yeah, I suppose.
The maids place all their faith in her
and worship her every day.
Though, I don't know if she
Well, Lady Ama was a real person
who lived in the oku!
Lady Ama? Who might that be? Do tell.
[Majesty] Do you remember? We would often
meet here in secret to play.
I apologize.
I was not aware of my duties back then.
The job belongs to a maid
to keep the ruler company. I'm aware.
[Sakashita] Around 150 years ago, Lady Ama
was the one who established the oku.
In honor of that grand achievement,
the oku now worships her
as the Water Goddess.
So Lady Ama established the oku.
Medicine Seller!
It appears the time to make use
He's fast!
of this pass, is now.
[stairs creaking]
[Yukiko sobbing]
[Tokiwai] The previous time
an official consort gave birth
to a male successor was the third consort.
That was 150 years ago.
[Suikoin] You speak as if you are
the ruler of the entire realm now.
[chuckles]
[Tokiwai] Madam Suikoin.
From now on,
you can entrust the realm to me.
[Suikoin] Tokiwai, you are not
the male successor's mother.
[Tokiwai] No, but Lady Yukiko
is like a daughter to me.
[scoffs] You act like Lady Yukiko's mother
even with no blood relation to her.
I support her with all of my might.
Always.
[ornaments chiming]
A mononoke
is here.
in the oku!
Hmm.
People are gossiping about you,
calling this a blessing
that wasn't meant for you.
They're saying it only happened
because Lady Fuki took a break
from performing night service,
that she was the one who was really meant
to give birth to the male successor!
[pants]
-[chuckles] Father, look!
-Hmm?
[daughers giggle]
-[Futsukazuki] They're so pretty!
-[Mikazuki] It's sparkly and shiny!
[giggling]
[Kawa] You've been pushed out to
this corner of the residential quarters.
Here, in the oku, Madam Suikoin
and Lady Botan hold the power.
Although you are the official consort,
you cannot speak on matters of governance.
You cannot even manage
to bear a male successor!
You will be forced
to spend your whole life in the shadows!
Lady Yukiko, doesn't that frustrate you?
[Yukiko coughing]
[Yukiko] Kawa.
This baby, where did it come from?
[Kawa] You're much too naive, my lady.
That's exactly why Lady Fuki
gets His Majesty's attention instead!
[Yukiko] That can't be.
His Majesty, I am the only woman he loves!
-[rumbling]
-[Kawa screams]
-[screaming]
-[snake rattles]
The mononoke!
[baby cries]
Wait! Which way?
The scales are pointing all around us!
Then how will we know where it's going?
Mononoke, how long
have you been here in the oku?
[menacing music plays]
[grunting]
[panting]
I've got you now!
-[ornaments chime]
-[music stops]
[both] Huh?
Go with him!
-We're on it!
-Understood, sir!
[gasps]
He's alive!
Kawa, who is this child?
He is the successor!
[screams]
-How is he so fast?
-[Sudo] That's the north chamber!
-Lady Yukiko!
-Faster!
You're lying. It can't be.
Because [cries]
my baby's
[crying]
[choking]
[crying]
It's in here.
Who are you?
This is bad.
I didn't make it in time.
[grunting]
[bellowing]
Whoa!
What is this thing?
[grunting]
[whimpers]
[Yukiko screams]
-No, stay back!
-[screams]
No! Please, let go!
-[screams]
-[gasps]
[sighs]
[Medicine Seller] If it catches you,
it will strangle you! Hurry!
Go outside!
Secure Lady Yukiko and the successor!
Asanuma! You're with me!
-Coming!
-[gasps]
Lady Yukiko!
Get out of here!
A man?
[Suikoin] What is the meaning of this?
Kawa.
[grunts]
-What was that?
-[Botan] A mononoke, my lady.
[Medicine Seller] A form with white scales
extending to three sides.
-[all gasp]
-Slithering through the oku,
a serpentine apparition
which shakes it to its core.
The name of this ayakashi
that has now become a mononoke
is Hebigami.
-Hebigami?
-What an exquisite sound.
-How bizarre.
-A serpent?
You don't mean the Water Goddess?
Are you suggesting the Water Goddess
is a vengeful spirit?
Please forgive me, my lady!
[Medicine Seller] Oh?
And you, how dare you bring
the precious successor out of the room?
-How could you possibly do that?
-My lady, why don't we move elsewhere?
Tokiwai, there's something I [groans]
Come now. Why don't you get some rest?
-Who is that man?
-He's the Medicine Seller I mentioned.
He has exorcized mononoke twice before,
when they appeared in the oku.
I have granted him a pass.
[Medicine Seller] There is a winding river
of emotions whose flow cannot be stopped.
And eyes that seek to bind
all they can see, under their control.
You're spouting nonsense.
The peace and safety of the oku
is maintained by the Water Goddess's
divine protection and His Majesty's power.
-Mononoke must be slain.
-How dare you speak out of turn?
[Medicine Seller] However, one cannot slay
a mononoke with an ordinary sword.
[Suikoin] What?
[Medicine Seller] A master from the realm
of Shuga entrusted to us 64 guardians.
I stand before you,
wielding the Sword of Kon.
A blade of Yin.
It is also known as the Sacred Sword.
To draw this sword,
three conditions must be met.
The Form, the Truth, and the Reason.
I require the name of the mononoke's Form,
the Truth of its emotions,
and the Reason it came to be.
All three elements
must be presented to the sword.
Therefore, without the Reason
the mononoke was born
and the Truth of why it curses people,
the sword cannot be drawn.
And all of you
will remain at the mercy of this Hebigami.
And so I ask of you,
present to the Sacred Sword
the nature of this grudge,
powerful enough to shatter bones
and strangle throats.
A sacred sword to slay mononoke?
I now request that you share with me
all that you know.
[Hiramoto] Councilor Fujimaki.
I come bearing news.
[Fujimaki] Hmm. It is about the birth
of the male successor, I presume?
I see you were already aware.
Hiramoto, do you believe me incompetent?
As chief councilor,
I must always keep a keen ear out
for any happenings in the realm.
This is certainly a time for celebration.
My sincerest congratulations, my lord.
Do you find it surprising
that I'm celebrating, Tokita?
Not at all. Of course not.
Your daughter, Lady Fuki.
She has just given birth to a princess,
has she not?
[Yoshimichi] She has.
[Fujimaki] Although she failed
to give birth to the male successor,
-she may become his wet nurse instead.
-[Yoshimichi] Pardon?
[Fujimaki] One hundred fifty years ago,
Lady Ama became His Majesty's wet nurse,
and gained immense power
as his foster mother.
Eventually, her power grew even greater
than that of His Majesty's
official consort, you know.
[Yoshimichi] I'm aware, but--
There is no need for modesty.
Tokita, your family will reign
over the realm.
And I will support you. All I ask from you
is a small favor in return.
[sighs] This will surely make Lady Yukiko
hate me even more.
But Councilor Fujimaki was the one
who entrusted you with the successor,
was he not?
Unfortunately, it leaves you
with less time now
to dote upon your own beautiful daughter.
-[baby cries]
-I know, hush, hush.
This child is so quiet.
Don't you find it strange?
Good morning, Lady Yukiko.
Did you rest well?
Tokiwai.
[Tokiwai] Don't you fret, dear.
Allow me to fix that makeup of yours.
[Yukiko] Where is Kawa?
There is no need for you
to worry about that, Lady Yukiko.
Medicine Seller! Thank you
for all your help when we last met.
This is our official scribe, Lady Asa.
Have you found anything?
[Asa] The worship of the Water Goddess
began 150 years ago
Oh.
by the Mizorogi family,
who were close retainers of Lady Ama.
However, regardless of
how hard I searched,
I could not find any connection
between the Water Goddess
and serpents anywhere.
Tokiwai, where's the baby?
Are you asking about the male successor?
Don't worry, my lady.
Now is the time to rejoice.
After all your work, you finally get to
become the mother of the next ruler!
No. My baby is dead!
[rumbling]
The hebigami is not the Water Goddess?
[creaking]
I understand. The hebigami's emotions
towards the oku are certain.
[whimpers] How long do you think
this ground shaking is going to go on for?
I'm surprised you're not more scared
of the mononoke, Kume.
Why? Just because
some mononoke suddenly appeared
doesn't mean we get to stop
doing all our work.
[rumbling stops]
Oh, it's finally done.
[Asa] What should we do then?
With purifying salt
to cleanse the space around us,
we shall mark the bond
between human and ayakashi, and sever it.
With salt?
A salt barrier. Of course.
An inexhaustible amount of salt
will be required.
It's unusual for you to request
to speak with me, my son.
[Majesty] I was informed
that one of the maids died.
[Suikoin] You need not concern yourself
with this matter, Your Majesty.
There is nothing to fear.
The Water Goddess will always
watch over the bloodline of the rulers.
You remain protected.
It's none of my concern. I understand.
We have already made
an announcement to the country
that a male successor has been born.
[Yukiko] I shall tell everyone
the truth of what happened.
And then what?
[Yukiko] Then the baby must be returned
to his real mother.
[Tokiwai] Why would you want that?
If you entrust the baby to a wet nurse,
you will be the mother
of the next ruler without any issues.
You'd be in control of the entire realm.
[Tsuyu] Please do not worry, my lady.
I, Tsuyu, will protect
the precious princess with my life.
[gasps] Oh. Uh, Your Majesty!
[Botan] Will this really be enough
to keep the hebigami out?
It will keep the mononoke out
for one night.
No more than that?
-[baby cries]
-Oh!
[Fuki] Would you like
to hold the successor?
[groans]
[Majesty] If only you had borne
the male successor
things would never have come to this.
Huh?
Even if it's only one night,
it does us no good
to protect the grand chamber alone.
We must protect
the residential quarters as well.
Certainly.
I will be sure to find enough salt.
Oh, really?
Your Majesty wishes that I had borne
the successor? But why?
[grunts]
I want the child back now.
I beg you, give him back to me!
Goodness sakes, my lady.
Are you all right?
[Yukiko] I have something to tell you
about the successor.
-Lady Yukiko, let's go now!
-It's all right. Let her speak.
[Yukiko] Your Majesty,
this child is not mine.
[rumbling]
-There you are.
-To the grand chamber, everyone!
The time has come at last to fulfill
my promise to the Water Goddess.
Is the whole oku going to collapse on us?
Lady Botan said to go to
the grand chamber. You'll be safe there!
Come on! Get everyone
to the grand chamber, now!
[all] Yes, sir!
[Yukiko] I had a stillbirth.
This child isn't mine.
I'm so sorry. I could not bring your child
into this world.
[Tokiwai] That's not true.
Lady Yukiko fulfilled her duty admirably.
[Hokuto] I need to calm
the hebigami somehow.
But Father, can't we pray for protection?
It's all right. Even the hebigami
cannot approach this altar's barrier.
Listen, you two go hide.
If you stay behind this water,
you will be safe.
[Futsukazuki] Father, come with us!
[Hokuto] No. I cannot.
Why can't you? [cries]
[Hokuto] Because this is the duty
of the Mizorogi family.
[Tokiwai] There is no doubt
that the successor is Lady Yukiko's child.
[Yukiko] How many lies must you tell?
This is enough!
-[baby cries]
-Why won't you let me help you?
The successor is
[ornaments chiming]
-That's enough from you.
-[chiming stops]
[baby crying]
This child has been switched!
[wailing]
The same as before.
What are you saying?
Medicine Seller!
Everyone out!
-It has us surrounded.
-What?
It's here!
[menacing music plays]
Oh.
-The hebigami.
-I'll hold it off!
No one move!
[Tokiwai] Why can't you
just do as I tell you?
Then you can leave the successor with me!
[Yukiko] We cannot keep this child here!
-He must return to his real mother!
-Don't step out of the barrier
or you'll be killed!
-[Tokiwai] Let go of me, right now!
-No! I won't!
Stop this, please!
[wailing]
Who do you think has been
looking after you all this time?
You won't fight for your power
or perform night service.
I have had to take care of you
because you're so incapable!
I have been the only one
-who cares about your happiness at all!
-What are you saying? My happiness?
But you couldn't even let me do that.
-[Yukiko] Tokiwai.
-Don't move!
There's a salt barrier
around the grand chamber.
[Tokiwai crying]
Get out of here, now!
-What about you?
-Don't worry.
Go to the grand chamber!
[Tokiwai] Lady Yukiko gave birth
to the male successor.
-Get out of there!
-There is no way for you to escape this.
You don't understand
how much I did for you!
Something's not right here.
-Lady Botan, what is the meaning of this?
-Madam Suikoin.
Get outside, right now!
[grunting]
Your Majesty!
[Tokiwai] You really are
such a foolish, stupid girl.
Those eyes!
-[gasps]
-[roaring]
[grunting]
A mononoke!
[whimpering]
Tokiwai!
Hurry, get out!
Come on, get in quickly, everyone!
The one who switched the babies was me!
Tell me now!
The hebigami, what made it angry?
Hokuto.
I had to replace the stillborn successor.
So I brought in an abandoned child
from the outside!
Terrible!
That's not all.
We haven't uncovered its truth.
[Hokuto] Damn it!
The water?
So you managed to waste
His Majesty's precious seed.
-[grunting]
-Come, hurry!
-[chiming]
-[all] Huh?
[whimpering]
-[both] Wait, Father!
-You two!
-Why'd you come here?
-This is bad!
We're coming with you.
We belong to the Mizorogi family too!
We want to help
protect the oku too, Father!
Wait, Mister Mizorogi!
[Medicine Seller] Stay there!
What's that?
-Mikazuki!
-Leave the kids alone!
They're innocent!
They don't know anything!
[growling]
[daughters scream]
[Medicine Seller]
We must reveal its Truth!
-If I don't exorcize it
-[all gasping]
it will never stop!
[Futsukazuki] I'm scared!
[daughters scream]
[gasps]
-It all started 150 years ago!
-What?
[Hokuto] In order to continue the reign
of His Majesty's lineage!
-Run away!
-[whimpering]
So by the orders of Lady Ama, my ancestor,
Saku Mizorogi, deceived everyone.
Lady Ama began all this?
You mean, the wet nurse
of the Third Emperor?
[Hokuto] In place of the male successor
they never had,
Saku Mizorogi went to the streets
and picked up an abandoned baby.
No! But that means
His Majesty's ruling bloodline
has long since ended.
Enough of these outrageous claims,
Mizorogi!
We had to lie in order to protect
his reign and ensure peace.
We protected His Majesty's family lineage.
Nonsense. Stop lying!
We protected the strength
and order of our land.
What I need to know now is
the hebigami's true nature. Its Truth!
If there's anyone who could hold a grudge
over this decision, it would be
the one who was forced to take in
a fake successor.
Got her!
[Hokuto] The mother
who was burdened with the lie.
Father, no!
I've got you!
It would be
[all gasp]
The third consort!
[clanks]
Hmm?
So the third consort is just like me.
We have acquired its Truth!
[groaning]
[both] No, Father!
[all exclaim]
It can't be!
The Third Consort was blessed
Was that still not enough to defeat it?
with the birth of a true male successor!
You believe that the state of mind
of a human and a mononoke are the same.
-They are not.
-No! This is absurd!
The noble bloodline of His Majesty
has long been protected at the oku.
[roaring]
So all of this is because of the passions
of the third consort?
The male baby was switched
with a foundling?
[Hiramoto] Indeed.
Although it appears that the lady's maid
responsible for the incident
died in the commotion
caused by a mononoke.
[Fujimaki] So Tokiwai is dead now?
-Tokita.
-Yes, sir.
It seems that
your precious daughter, Fuki,
didn't have to become
a wet nurse after all. [laughs]
I'm certain
that he will begin nursing soon.
I can't believe that this is just
plain old salt. Right, Tome?
[Medicine Seller] Do not touch it.
I-- I'm sorry, sir!
If this salt line is severed at all,
the mononoke will be able to enter.
There are still around ten people
whose whereabouts are unknown.
[crying]
You can't see me! Peek-a-boo!
[chattering, cooing]
Excuse me, Lady Yukiko.
I'm not coming here
to take the successor from you.
Then what exactly do you want?
[Fuki] Perhaps you could
move closer to the center.
[Hokuto] You saved
both of these children's lives today.
You have my gratitude.
[Medicine Seller] The hebigami
seems to hate water.
[Hokuto] Yes. We have
the Water Goddess's protection.
Oh, really?
So, we must bring everyone to the altar.
They'll be safest underground.
Up until this point,
the person most in my way has been you.
But His Majesty wants--
I would appreciate if you did not speak
as if you know His Majesty
better than I do.
[Majesty] That's all pointless now,
is it not?
I don't suppose you believe any of this?
Our family's bloodline
was all based on a lie.
I am no different from that baby.
I beg of you, do not fall for this.
It is all just a bunch of nonsense
Mizorogi has made up!
-Does this mean they lied to us?
-You don't believe it, do you?
I'm not deceiving anyone.
I speak the truth.
It all seems like
a madman's ramblings to me, nothing more.
Your line has peacefully led this nation
for 150 long years!
Is that not, in and of itself,
undeniable proof
that Your Majesty's bloodline is true?
There can be no doubt
the most noble blood in this whole world
runs through your veins!
[Majesty] The seed of doubt
has already sprouted.
It can never be fully plucked away.
Just as once-poisoned water
can never be cleaned completely.
It can never be cleaned completely?
[Suikoin] You are the true heir,
born from my own womb!
You are the ruler without a doubt!
You are my son!
[Majesty] I believe it is true
that you gave birth to me.
I was born to become no more
than a breeding horse.
To lie with women. To create a successor.
My child, what in the world
has gotten into you?
You mean to tell me
that something remains here in the oku?
I require Form, Truth, and Reason.
A mononoke is the form
of truth and reason.
But to confirm them this time,
it seems that
I need all of your eyes.
[grunting]
Are you all right, Hokuto?
-[Hokuto] I'm sorry.
-There's no need.
All this time, I have had to protect
[Majesty] I know.
Whether it be now or back then,
I still remember.
Hey, listen! I have something to tell you!
It's a super big secret!
-A secret?
-Mm-hmm.
But you can't tell anyone about it, okay?
You gotta promise it stays
between us forever. Got it?
I promise!
I heard that His Majesty
is actually not the real bloodline!
There's actually no true ruler anymore.
You already told me the truth
all those years ago.
[Medicine Seller]
The Water Goddess's divine protection.
Oh.
Oh.
[Asanuma] Councilor Fujimaki!
What brings you here?
Where is Lady Yukiko?
I need to speak with her.
Oh. Well, I'm glad that you're safe, sir.
[panting]
And the mononoke?
Let's go.
-[chimes]
-[all scream]
-The mononoke is close!
-[whimpers]
[Fujimaki] I see that the whole oku
has gathered together here.
What a strange thing for you to do.
However, I have something to say
that everyone present should hear.
A certain strange rumor
has made it to my ears.
It is regarding the male successor.
[maids gasp and chatter]
I hear that even Lady Yukiko herself
has admitted that the infant
is not the true successor
and that it is instead a different child
that has been switched out.
If that is indeed true,
this is a grave situation,
tantamount to treason against His Majesty.
The one responsible has already died.
You may rest assured.
Regardless, as councilor,
I still have one remaining concern.
There is a possibility
that your first child,
the princess, may have been
switched out at birth as well.
Fujimaki.
[maids gasp and chatter]
[Yukiko] How could you say that?
[Fujimaki] Lady Tokiwai was also the one
present at your first childbirth,
was she not?
-Therefore--
-That's not the case here!
Your first child may also be a foundling.
There is no doubt
that my daughter was birthed by me!
How can we be sure? Someone
who has allowed any room for doubt
cannot be entrusted
with the future of this nation!
Until a new male successor is born,
it would be best
to make the current successor the princess
born to Fuki of the Tokita family.
I can't believe you'd be so cold!
You promised!
After Lord Katsuma's death,
you promised Tokiwai that
my daughter would be the successor!
You became her guardian!
-It's here!
-Give the title back to my child!
[chimes]
[Fujimaki] What are you doing?
The hebigami
has gotten through the barrier!
The hebigami?
[Third Consort] How could you do this?
[choking]
[all screaming]
[Hiramoto] What is this?
[screaming]
[crying]
Get to the underground altar now!
The Water Goddess will protect us there!
[all screaming]
[Sakashita] Take His Majesty
to the underground altar!
[all] Yes, sir!
Come on!
We need to protect the male successor!
Hebigami!
If you intend to consume the whole oku
I am Botan Otomo,
administrator of the oku.
-Lady Botan, no!
-Let's go!
You have to go through me first!
Hurry up! To the altar!
Snap out of it!
This way!
Wait! Allow me to help you.
[Medicine Seller] Run!
We need to go!
[Hokuto] Was it all a mistake?
Protecting the oku
for the past 150 years?
-[Majesty] Possibly.
-[Hokuto] What?
[Majesty] But regardless,
protecting it was the only option.
[panting]
[Suikoin] What is there to fear?
The Water Goddess
grants us her divine protection.
Lady Yukiko?
[Hokuto] Get to the shrine, now!
The mononoke won't be able
to pass through the water!
The Water Goddess will protect us there!
-We must go now.
-Right.
It's been waiting for this moment
the whole time?
The hebigami
is manifesting!
-[people screaming]
-[roaring]
-We're not gonna make it!
-It's collapsing!
Lady Ama is protecting us!
Lady Ama, the Water Goddess.
Amazing! Divine protection!
Thirty years ago,
I passed through this Nanatsu Gate!
I'm not about to give up
on this place now!
Master Sakashita!
[Sakashita] All this time,
I've lived in the oku!
Just as expected, Mr. Sakashita.
I will help protect the oku
from monsters like you!
What in the world
[people screaming]
-Where are we?
-[whimpering]
It swallowed us.
We are now in the belly of the beast.
[snarling]
Every time a mononoke showed up,
a rope has snapped.
[all screaming]
Water Goddess, save us.
Protect us, please.
[Hokuto] And in the end,
the whole barrier
[Medicine Seller] broke down.
[all screaming]
No! The shrine!
I know what caused this mess.
All of you deserve the blame!
-Most of all, that filthy, rotten baby.
-Stop, please.
Hey, watch out!
[Suikoin] It has brought complete disaster
to the oku.
What? He's only a baby! He's innocent!
[Suikoin] He is only as innocent
as you are.
He's the sin of an official consort
who failed to bear a male successor!
[people screaming]
[roaring]
[people scream]
-Good morning.
-Good morning.
[Third Consort] From the very first time
we met, I was in love with him.
His gentle gaze.
[gasps]
[Majesty chuckles]
His lovely voice.
His soft skin.
I loved everything about him.
There's no need for that.
[consorts giggling]
If we do not have a successor,
chaos will spark all across the land.
These people, are they
If you cannot birth a male,
we must find others to do it then.
We will have concubines
and their attending maids
who will reside with His Majesty.
Is that you, Lady Ama?
Do you really believe
His Majesty would allow
anyone but me to be by his side?
[gasps] Your Majesty?
-Mizorogi.
-Yes, my lady?
[Lady Ama] His Majesty understands
that his duty is to protect this country
and to ensure peace and order
throughout the realm.
I'm sure you understand your duties
as the official consort as well.
If you truly love His Majesty,
then you will have no issues with this.
[consorts moaning]
[consorts screaming]
[crying]
That must have been when the oku began!
[baby cries]
[Suikoin] An entire castle of women
to protect His Majesty.
Indeed.
For the past 150 years,
we have all devoted ourselves
to that same cause.
Therefore I will not allow it
to be destroyed now!
The rot that has befallen us
must never be allowed to persist.
I beg you, do not do this.
Lady Yukiko. If you lack
the determination required
to take action,
then I will cut out the rot myself!
-[all screaming]
-Stop this!
[snarling]
[Majesty] Mother.
That is enough.
[mechanical whirring]
That strange sound again.
[screaming]
[screaming]
It's happening again!
Protect the water!
All this time, the mononoke
They were all after this shrine!
[Third Consort] You would make a child
who is not truly of His Majesty's blood
the successor?
[Lady Ama] It appears we have no choice.
[Third Consort] Why would you not
simply bring in another concubine?
Though, I suppose
they've all failed thus far.
[Lady Ama] We were unable
to produce it in time.
[Third Consort] What?
[Lady Ama] His Majesty has passed away
earlier this morning.
[Third Consort] He
[Lady Ama] Although
he was so looking forward
to seeing his male successor.
[Third Consort] But how?
He had fallen ill, unfortunately.
[Third Consort]
Were you hiding this from me?
[Lady Ama] I believe it was not him,
but rather you,
who had been avoiding His Majesty.
But isn't it wonderful?
You will be the mother
of the next ruler now.
Tell me.
Is that not exactly what you wanted?
[Suikoin] Why did you stop me?
Everything I did was all for you!
[Majesty] As I said before,
I am the same as that baby.
-No! That's not true!
-It is, Mother.
I, too, am an imposter.
[Suikoin] You are not!
I am also rotten.
[wailing]
Madam Suikoin.
Watch out!
[screaming]
[snarling]
Is that
[Third Consort] In the end,
if it didn't really matter
whether or not
the successor's bloodline was true
[groaning]
then what were we even protecting?
[Majesty] It was terrible,
what I did to you.
None of this would've happened
if we hadn't made you give birth.
Huh?
Your Majesty,
isn't having a son what you wanted?
[Third Consort] What was it all for?
I looked away. I pretended not to see.
I pretended not to know.
It had to be hard.
[Majesty] It was simply
what the oku wanted.
I did what they expected me to do.
Lady Yukiko,
surely it is the same for you.
His Majesty and his consort.
That is how it has always been.
We are but vessels
for producing successors.
How can this be?
When did I become
yet another pawn for the oku?
How long have I been
I chose to marry you.
We are still just human beings.
[Third Consort grunts]
Are we still?
I never wanted to put up with this!
I wanted him to always stay by my side.
I wanted His Majesty to be mine
and only mine.
[Yukiko] Is it so hard for you to imagine
that I truly do love you?
Even if I can't be happy,
I still love you because I want to.
Your Majesty, I loved you so much.
[Yukiko] I wanted to love you
more than anything.
I wanted to share
all of my joy and all of my sorrow.
I wanted to laugh with you.
To cry with you.
To hold each other
and believe that we were one.
But I am the ruler. And as such,
I will never be anything else.
The oku.
This despicable place
should never have existed.
She was burdened
by all the lies around her.
I am sorry. I cannot make you happy.
Her heart had been shackled.
And because of that,
she was crushed by her feelings.
I am the same. I will never be able
to be anything other than this.
[Medicine Seller] I have now acquired
its Reason.
Its Form, its Truth, and its Reason
have all been exposed.
Let the sword at last be released!
[grunting]
[Lady Ama] You were a foolish woman
until the very end.
[baby coos]
Mizorogi, things are finally
looking up for you, aren't they?
The mother is gone.
Nothing stands in your way now.
The realm will belong to your son.
[Saku] I wouldn't dare, my lady.
The Mizorogi family
has already severed ties with that child.
Indeed. However, it is not so easy
to completely sever love.
It is a parent's love that remains.
[Lady Ama] Mizorogi.
From this day forward, you shall protect
your son and his descendants for eternity.
Once I begin my meditation,
you must build an altar underground.
Help the faith take root as its priest.
You shall enshrine the oku's secrets
and guard them forever.
People are prone
to feeling confused and lost.
That confusion
will eventually cause conflict.
And in the end,
that conflict will become destructive,
threatening the peace
of our precious world.
Therefore someone must
set the course for the people.
All these years, with these emotions,
you did not want to bring change
upon the oku, Hebigami.
You wanted to destroy it!
[Lady Ama] What's the matter?
I'm sorry, Lady Ama,
but I don't understand.
Why would you do that?
[Lady Ama] Because I want to become water.
[Saku] Become water?
[Lady Ama]
Humans cannot live without water.
A single cup of water
can quench one's thirst.
Rain and rivers
nourish crops in the fields.
But in return,
water asks for nothing.
It simply continues to flow.
And then, behind it,
the water leaves a single path.
That is exactly what I wish to do.
I will become water.
But what about happiness?
[Lady Ama] Happiness?
[Saku] To give thanks to the water,
people should offer their prayers
to make sure it is always happy.
[Lady Ama] From now on,
I will entrust the oku to you.
Imbued with the power of Kon,
one of the eight swords of Yin and Yang
I shall purify you and lay you to rest.
Mononoke
perish.
Flash strike!
Forgive me.
The hebigami has been exorcized!
You saw it with your own eyes!
I saw.
The oku!
Save us, please!
[sobbing]
Water Goddess,
you're the only one I trust!
There you are. Revealed at last.
Who might you be?
Just another Medicine Seller.
Why are you here?
[Medicine Seller]
The flow has become stagnant and rotten.
The water which fills the oku
and flows into the town
leaves behind a foul odor
reaching every corner of the country.
-[rumbling]
-What is happening there?
The whole sky is
What is going on here?
Now, where are you really?
[voices] I am here.
-I am here.
-I am here.
[Medicine Seller]
The eternal eyes gazing upon
countless human deeds and emotions.
-I am here.
-I am here.
[Medicine Seller] People can shed tears,
but they cannot become water.
-I am here.
-I am here.
[Lady Ama] The people of this world
require my protection.
[Medicine Seller] Then tell me why
you do not protect yourself?
-[screaming]
-[voices] I am here. I am here. I am here.
[Medicine Seller] I see you now.
These countless gazes,
they include you too.
The name of the mononoke
now manifesting is
Hyakume!
I have now acquired its Form.
In this world,
there is no escaping the eyes.
Let me go!
[Yukiko screams]
[Medicine Seller] And there is no escaping
their judgment or sorrow.
[Yukiko] Give him back!
[Medicine Seller] This mortal world
is no more than countless paintings
captured by countless gazes.
But when those gazes are broken
what remains
[Yukiko screams]
is the truth!
This mononoke's vessel is comprised
of all the people living in this world.
Their grudges! Their suffering!
And their sorrow!
[Asa] I wanted to stay close
to the person most dear to me.
I never wanted to send her away.
My family's future rests on my shoulders.
But I didn't want
to perform night service.
I wanted to fall in love.
I wanted to be free of this place.
Fuki
I wanted to do the right thing. I wanted
to lead everyone down the right path.
[Sakashita] I wanted to express
what was in my heart.
The baby! The baby! Where's the baby?
I only wanted my son to love me.
-Madam Suikoin.
-I wanted to be someone less important.
[Kame] I wanted to live up
to their expectations.
[Hokuto] I wanted to tell them
what really happened that day.
These are all their true feelings.
I have now acquired its Truth.
[all] Everything I did
was for the good of the oku.
Their feelings are inexhaustible.
Will I really be able to defeat it?
I can't. Not on my own.
I'm calling out to all the 64 guardians
spread across this world!
The Sword of Kon is facing a torrent,
a monster who swallows endless tears,
while enshrouded in eternal flame.
It is the jaws of passion
that crush those within its grasp.
Therefore, I use the mirror of Masumi
to fashion the peak of Shuga.
I shall transcend time
and open the pathway leading to Juyoku.
[snarls]
I call you!
[vocalizing]
Sword of Kon, I have heard your call.
I have come to assist.
I'm at your command.
[Medicine Seller] Sword of Ri,
with the power
of the eight swords of Yin and Yang,
I humbly request your assistance.
It is yours.
This world contains many emotions
and deeds which cannot be avoided.
[grunts]
[Medicine Seller] When people
stand together, gather together,
and live together,
individual wishes become warped,
confused, even torn apart.
Their own desires bring them pain,
and their own love can kill them.
This is the way of the world.
-Sword of Kon!
-Sword of RI!
[both] May now be released!
[grunting]
[The Successor] I did not want to be born.
I want to disappear.
I did not want to be born.
While pain and suffering
will always haunt this world,
as hopes and dreams take root,
people will continue to go about
their lives as they always have.
But in this case, we will put an end
to the sorrow's physical form
with these Sacred Swords united!
Flash strike!
Perish!
[both yelling]
I'm sorry. All this time,
I've been thinking
about nothing other than myself.
[Yukiko] Hello, little one.
It's nice to meet you.
Would it be all right if you lived here,
with me as your mom, in the oku?
I may not be your real mother,
but I will love you as my own.
Is that all right?
So please, wake up.
[crying]
It seems you finally found your voice.
My sweet baby. Are you hungry?
Here you are.
We made it out.
[Sakashita] That was a month ago.
The oku is still the oku.
It's just another day
with 2,000 maids busy with their work.
[giggles]
[Kame hums]
LADY ASA
[customer] One dango, please!
Sure! Coming right up!
Here we go, careful now.
TO KAME
[yawns]
[Sakashita] The scars from that incident
still remain.
But little by little,
things are starting to change.
Hmm. [grunts]
[grunting]
[laughing]
-[Futsukazuki laughs] I got you!
-[Mikazuki] It's freezing! Ooh.
[Futsukazuki] Here!
It tastes good.
[grunting]
[Sakashita] Perhaps we have Lady Yukiko
to thank for that.
I believe that the oku will persevere.
So, what brings you here this time, then?
Please don't say there's already
gonna be another mononoke here!
The mononoke will exist
as long as people live in this world.
Are you leaving? Already?
[Medicine Seller]
My business here is complete.
[sighs] But
[grunting]
Wait! Will we ever see each other again?
Who can say?
Goodbye now.
[maid] Come on, come on, hurry!
We finally made it!
-Slow down!
-No.
We made it at last!
So this is it! The oku!
[laughing]
[both] So exciting!
[laughing]
The human world
[ornament chimes]
CHAPTER III
THE CURSE OF THE SERPENTHE END
SEE YOU SOME OTHER TIME