Sentenced to Be a Hero (2026) s01e04 Episode Script

1
My knight.
This is not the road we initially took.
We got new orders.
There's no one road for heroes.
There are more people
on the road with us now.
The place we're going
is holding a bit of a festival.
By the way, Xylo.
Yeah?
Can we take a break already?
We just had one.
Can't go on
Is that our destination?
Yes. That fortress is an important part
of the Second Capital's defenses.
A natural stronghold protected
by a river and sheer cliffs
Mureed Fortress. Also known
as the Wayfarer's Nest.
Low prices here!
Everything's fresh, but only for today!
Why, you have excellent taste, sir!
Whoops. You'll need more military scrip.
Could I have five of these?
Anyone want to send letters?
We can take 'em anywhere
in the Federated Kingdom!
Take this to my mother.
Fresh out of the repair shop
and indulging already?
You're incorrigible, Dotta.
Hey, it's no biggie. They won't get mad
over a little stealing. It's a festival.
I know we haven't attended the Great Exchange
in a while, but make sure you don't get caught.
Verkle Corp merchants are very tight-fisted.
Aw, c'mon. Loosen up. We don't get
vacations often, so let's enjoy this one.
Heroes like us don't get vacations.
Even now, we're "on standby."
Of course, that's not to say we're not
allowed the occasional rest period.
You sure love to sound smart, Venetim.
Now if only we could get some girls
Stop now.
Even if there were such an establishment
nearby, we'd never be allowed to use it.
You got that right.
Commander-in-chief! Where are you?
Commander Xylo!
Yeah?
Commander Xylo.
The traveling merchants have arrived.
Go buy me wine.
Sorry, but our treasury's bare.
Did you forget spending all of our scrip?
If you want booze, you'll need
someone to take out a loan.
I'm sure Venetim's got time to kill.
The chancellor is keeping an eye
on that sticky-fingered Dotta.
He's always got some excuse, huh?
What about Tsav?
He's not back from his mission yet?
Yeah, he's still out on loan
to another unit.
This is insubordination.
Does no one have respect for their king?
Tch. Can't I get a moment's peace
to do some reading?
My knight! I have been looking
for you everywhere.
Not a single quiet moment.
The door was unlocked.
Does that not seem incautious?
Dotta unlocked it and left.
He took the key with him.
My knight, are you not attending
the Great Exchange?
I don't wanna talk to any Holy Knights.
Then come make merry with me!
Why should I?
Just go to the Great Exchange yourself.
I-I am a goddess, and therefore
have no interest in such things.
You don't want a Holy Knight escort, is that it?
Let us speak no more of it.
Instead
I shall grant you the honor
of playing with me.
Does that not make you happy?
Zigg?
Venetim taught me the rules.
I shall prove a formidable opponent.
By employing the venerable
"hidden spear" strategy
used by the royal family
in the Kingdom of Meht
Don't do that.
If Venetim taught you that,
he was probably messing with you.
Anyway, I'm busy right now.
What? Reading?
Can you not save that for later?
I even made you a bookmark.
Don't care. Use it yourself.
Although I must say, it is a surprise
to see that you love reading.
What manner of boo—
It's poetry.
Poetry?!
Xylo Y-You
What's the big surprise?
What manner of poetry is it?
I shall grant you the honor
of reading it to me.
Rejected.
Then, at least allow me to read
over your shoulder.
That is surely permissible?
I can't see what a goddess
would get out of this.
It's a book of old poems
called Dragon-Drunk.
It was written by a drunken poet
by the name of Altoyard Comette.
In his later years, he began
dreaming of becoming a dragon,
and practiced flying every night
until it was the death of him.
What a curious story.
There were a lot of poets
like him back then.
I might've been a poet, too,
if I hadn't joined the military.
A poet?!
What's the problem? Why is that so—
Xylo Forbartz.
So this is where you were.
I didn't expect Goddess Teoritta
to be with you.
Kivia. I did not expect
to see you here, either.
Funny seeing the noble captain of the
Holy Knights demean herself by coming here.
Has our punishment been decided?
Or do we have our next mission?
Both are true.
But that's not why I'm here.
I want to talk to you.
To me?
Follow me. I'll unlock—
I shall accompany you.
It appears the Great Exchange has begun.
Let us talk as we shop.
If Kivia is in attendance, then I, as a goddess,
will surely be allowed to go.
Yes, it surely must be so.
Now, let us proceed, my knight.
For heaven's sake.
Xylo, behold!
Is that some kind of food?
Or a decoration, perhaps?
It's candy. You've never seen it before?
"Can-dy"?
This did not exist in the time I was created.
They look very much like jewels.
What is that long, thin food?
Fried noodles.
A western dish. Cut wheat dough into strips,
then fry 'em in butter and fermented sauce.
Yes, I see.
And that?
Look. The one with the bear sign.
That's
The hell? I've never seen that before.
Miwoolies Creams.
An iced treat popular in the First Capital.
Shaved ice is placed atop whipped cream,
then sprinkled with honey and nuts.
The flavor is exquisite.
That bear is their mascot.
They're currently holding a contest to name it.
Magnificent. The constant advancement
in culture is on full display!
Never heard of it.
Surprised you have.
Why wouldn't I know it?
I enjoy iced treats as much as anyone.
What exactly is going through
your head right now?
My knight.
It looks delicious, does it not, Xylo?
Truly delicious indeed.
Well? Do you not wish to try it?
If you insist.
Pick out two you think look good.
Wait, three?
I'll pass. I'm saving my scrip.
You heard her. Just the two.
Go ahead.
Of course.
Leave it to me!
Xylo. You've given me reason
to reevaluate you.
You saved my men at Couveunge.
At Zewan Gan, you saved the people
we were ready to abandon.
And the people you saved were all grateful.
Yeah?
Guess it wasn't for nothing, then.
I see you're capable of smiling, at least.
There's just too many things that piss me off.
Regardless, you've proven
yourself quite capable.
And by forming that pact
with Goddess Teoritta,
I believe you may have saved her, too.
What's that mean?
Goddess Teoritta was discovered
in the northern ruins.
After her excavation, we of the Thirteenth Order
of Holy Knights, assigned to pact with her,
were dispatched to handle
oversight and operations.
But conflict soon arose between
the military and the Temple.
Sorry to hear it.
How dare you! It's because of you!
Because you killed Goddess Senerva!
What?
That incident gave the military an idea.
"If goddesses can be killed,
maybe we can make more goddesses."
So the military wanted us
to analyze Teoritta.
Analyze her, huh?
Dissect her, you mean.
Of course, the Temple opposed it,
but the military won out.
However, that situation
is now beginning to change.
In a very short time,
your unit has taken out two Demon Lords,
and proved the usefulness
of Goddess Teoritta.
Her usefulness?
You're saying they thought
she was useless before?
They'd just found her. How would they know?
We knew her power was to summon swords.
That was written in the ruins
where she was found.
It's said the goddesses first came to us
during the First War of Subjugation,
in what is known as the Great Civilized Era.
The goddesses act as a kind of "gate,"
with each one having a different nature.
One produces various poisons.
One calls down lightning and raging storms.
One sees the future.
They awaken in response to Demon Blights,
and when their task is finished,
they return to sleep in their coffins.
I know about the goddesses' powers.
They say one of the goddesses brought
Tatsuya here from another world, too.
It was judged that the ability
to summon swords
was far weaker than the abilities
of the twelve other goddesses.
And despite knowing what was to become
of Goddess Teoritta, we still
Yeah, that explains it.
So your suicidal plan in Couveunge
was an attempt at atonement.
Disgusting. Just because
she's not useful as a goddess
Here you are, dear.
Thank you very much.
Xylo! I have made the purchase!
I bought one for Kivia, too.
Come, you two, let us—
Tell me about our next mission.
What?
If we do good there,
she won't get dissected, right?
I don't know what kind of
"usefulness" they're after,
but I'll make those Galtuile
bastards choke on it.
It's defense.
This fortress will be defended
by your hero unit.
To the death.
To the death?
Yes.
You'll defend that fortress from the Demon
Blight by yourselves and to the bitter end.
So it's a literal suicide mission?
Stay calm, Xylo. Don't snap
and beat anyone to death—
Who the hell do you think I am?
Excuse me. Could you perhaps enlighten us
on the details of this particular plan?
You'll stay here at the fortress. That's all.
A war of attrition, then.
How long do you want us to hold out?
Until you die.
The Ninth and Thirteenth Orders will be
at the rear, conserving their strength.
Once you're all dead and the fortress is taken,
they'll execute a special attack.
And what might this "special attack" be?
Poison.
The ninth goddess will perform
a miracle for all to see.
And you think that'll kill the Demon Lord?
I hear you've been throwing
all kinds of stuff at that thing
without ever managing to take it down.
That's right.
Our last plan was to use a sniper to deliver
the goddess's deadly poison directly,
but that just put it into a torpor
it soon recovered from.
So not even Tsav could put it down?
Between that result and
the third goddess's future-sight powers,
Galtuile decided to revise the plan.
We'll set a massive poison trap here
in Mureed Fortress,
and kill the Demon Lord continuously.
So you plan to overwhelm
its incredible regenerative abilities.
And we're just there
to buy some time, then die?
Yes.
Let Mureed Fortress become the eternal resting
place for Demon Blight Number Fifteen, "Iblis."
Excuse me, Commander?
Why can't we simply leave after luring
the Demon Lord into the trap?
Because those were Galtuile's orders.
If any of you leave the fortress,
the sacred seals on your necks
will kill the whole unit instantly.
The whole unit, you say?
Why is that necessary?
Is there some reason you'd prefer us dead?
They hate us that much?
Understood. We'll carry out the plan.
But I'd like to discuss
a few revisions, if I may.
Revisions?
The rule that we all die if even one of us
leaves the fortress, for instance.
That seems highly counterproductive.
Why?
We're antisocial criminal
miscreants, remember?
We can expect at least one of our number
to try to save his own skin,
making it impossible to carry out the plan.
I propose a change.
You should kill us if we all leave the
fortress at once, rather than just one of us.
That would substantially increase
our chances of success.
Oh, and regarding Goddess Teoritta
Our goddess is a kind, compassionate soul.
Even if we order her away,
she will surely wish to remain with us.
I request permission for her to stay.
I'm not authorized to make that call.
Th-The goddess is under the jurisdiction
of the Thirteenth Or—
Xylo.
Contact Captain Kivia at once.
Right.
What else do you want me to get?
Soldiers. We don't have enough.
Understood. What else?
Weapons and provisions.
Understood. What else?
A pardon.
Understood. What else?
Forget the pardon.
I want cavalry and artillery if possible.
Can you call Jayce and Rhyno back?
They're still on the western front.
We might get Tsav back, though.
Tsav, huh?
Hey, what are you two muttering about?
R-Really, Xylo. That's not
where Captain Kivia's room is.
R-Right.
I'll get it all handled.
You can trust me.
I don't trust you one bit.
Can you really get this done?
Well, let's just say
All of you might not believe me,
but despite how I look,
I was on the verge
of saving the world once.
What a dreary place.
I won't be taken for a proper trial, then?
A thousand pardons, Venetim Leopool.
I would have preferred to talk
in a slightly nicer room.
I've honestly been wanting to meet you.
I actually respect you.
Respect me? You want to make
a living as a con man as well?
You really shouldn't respect me, then.
I got caught, after all.
That's right. You're totally right.
And as far as my crime goes,
I suppose trying to sell the palace off
to the circus was a bridge too far.
Yes. You really elevated fraud
to a whole new level, didn't you?
In order to sell the land to
a circus performing in the area,
you fabricated a story about
the whole capital being relocated.
Very impressive.
I was going to take the advance payment
and split, but it got out of hand.
Investment fraud. Forgery. Counterfeiting.
I have at least a hundred complaints
from the Verkle Development Corporation.
I'm sorry. Truly, I am.
I don't want your apologies.
More importantly, what inspired you
to become a con man?
Well, I've always hated
seeing people look disappointed.
I'd make up whatever lie
would get me through a situation,
and even try to make it all consistent.
That must have taken a lot of effort.
I'm impressed you managed to keep
a plan of this scale consistent, too.
Right.
So, uh, should I be expecting
the death penalty?
No, I'm afraid not.
You aren't actually going
to be punished for the fraud.
Not for the fraud? Then, why—
The real problem is right here.
That third-rate paper I worked for?
What about it?
It's an article you wrote.
It says spies under the influence of
the Demon Blight, pretending to be human,
have infiltrated the Temple, Galtuile,
and even the royal family.
Yes, I do believe I wrote that. They'd run out
of scandals about Holy Knights and goddesses,
as well as stuff the royal family had done.
They told me they wanted an article
that would inspire fear in the populace.
Well, to be honest
Fraud isn't a problem. Nor are forgery,
inflated scandals, or conspiracy theories.
Those are all fine by us.
But
We can't have you telling the truth.
You, in particular, are capable of convincing
people of the most outrageous things.
At least, you're skilled enough
to make us think you are.
W-Wait a minute.
Hold on just a second. I—
To keep you from ever speaking
the truth in the future,
we'll include a special feature
in your sacred seal.
What? W-Wait—
I'm afraid the death penalty
is too good for you.
Wait just a minute!
Y-You can't.
I don't I don't know anything.
I just didn't want to disappoint them.
Venetim Leopool.
I am sentencing you to be a hero.
I can't believe he got us everything
I asked for except the pardon.
If the goddess is in danger,
Venetim'll be the one to get her out, right?
He's one clever dude.
That guy will get himself killed
"in the chaos of the battlefield" someday.
And I suppose Tsav has already arrived?
Yeah, probably.
I think that guy might
be worse than Venetim.
That Tsav He's just so volatile.
He did it again!
The man's unstoppable!
That's the seventh in a row!
Another winning roll!
Looks like the pot's mine.
Come on. Pony up the scrip.
Oh, is this what you're doin'?
Got a problem?
Well, ya see
As it happens, I've got good eyes and ears.
I'm also a total good guy, see? The kind who
can't stand to see wrongdoers go unpunished.
Now, if you'll just drop the scrip
and scram, I won't hafta—
You bastard.
Shut your mouth right now!
Take back those damn lies or I'll—
No one wants this, right?
The naughty hand of a fraudster.
Look, I warned ya, man.
Anyway
I'm hungry.
Sentenced to Be a Hero
Sentenced to Be a Hero