Maoyū Maō Yūsha - 8

"Take This Sword, My Lord"

You know you're in trouble when the Church and the State decide to declare you a heretic.

This week marks the return of the Young Merchant, who comes to speak business with Maou and realizes almost instantly that the girl he's talking to isn't the Crimson Scholar at all, but Maid Ane in disguise. Sensing a potential ally, Yuusha kidnaps the Merchant away to the demon world, where he ultimately convinces him to help Maou's plan. The Merchant is hesitant, but of course when a businessman sees money, he's bound to follow it, and Gate City certainly does smell like money. It's the only place on Earth where humans and demons are on good terms and where trade and communication goes freely from one side to the next. It's essentially become a perfect example of the world Maou envisions and interestingly enough, Yuusha is the one who brought it all about. As much as he laments his lack of political power, there's clearly some of his wife's Maou's influence showing through in his actions. The fact that he even considered making the Merchant an ally is proof, and the manner in which he did so is extremely reminiscent of the way in which Maou herself convinced him to join the cause.

Meanwhile, Maou is facing a crisis of her own. Apparently her mission is far more dangerous than Yuusha and the rest of the household were told, and Head Maid promises to slay her should anything go wrong. It's probably safe to say that whatever ritual she's about to perform involves a power struggle with the past kings, during which she runs the risk of losing herself. We're not told much else, but we'll find out soon enough, as well as how she was able to contact the Female Mage that Yuusha spent a year searching for and why it was necessary that she do so. Unbeknownst to her, however, things at home have only gotten more complicated on behalf of the White Night king and his influence on the Pope. As it turns out, the Church has suddenly discovered that the magical potato is actually a demon crop (to be fair, it does look kind of demonic, being a root and all) and that the Crimson Scholar is a heretic (if only they knew how much) for spreading it throughout the kingdom. Unfortunately for the Winter King, there's nothing he can really do to outright protect Maou and her household; the Church, after all, is the real political power in this world and there's only so much a ruler can do to limit its influence.

Unfortunately, this disastrous news means that sacrifices have to be made, and as is the way such things work, it's the one with the lowest status who has to bear the brunt of it; Maid Ane will take Maou's place and be arrested. Of course, Yuusha promises to rescue her and take her into hiding, but regardless, it means that Ane has to sacrifice her hard-earned position and peace with her sister for the sake of her master, which, while brave, is very unfair indeed.

On another unfair note, Onna Kishi has realized how futile it is to fight against Maou for Yuusha's affections, so she does the next best thing: she pledges herself to him as his loyal knight. I really think that Kishi will regret this someday; it's one thing to love someone as an equal but another thing entirely to become a tool for them. It isn't fair to her and it's a choice made on a rash decision, which Yuusha should have refuted completely. Unfortunately, both of them will have to find out the hard way that there's no return policy on a knight's pledge of loyalty.

N.B,: Thanks to Ivan for all the wonderful caps!