Maoyū Maō Yūsha - 10

“So Now Their Plans Are Finally Coming To Fruition?”

It's been way too long since I studied economics, so I can't tell if Maoyuu is bullshitting its way through this one or not.

When two sides are embroiled in conflict, it creates the perfect situation for a third party to seize its chances and make a killing doing it. In incredibly basic terms, the Young Merchant has done just this: he's taken the opportunity that the split between the Winter Country and the Central Nations has created and used it to boost the political and economic power of the Alliance. I understand that his plan mostly makes use of artificial scarcity, inflation, and buying on credit, but I get a serious headache thinking of all the details involved in the economic model. For all I know, this could be perfectly sensible economics, or it could be totally made up and I'd never find out. As a result, I'm unable to judge the series' take on the accuracy of the plan, but I do have an issue with the effects of the plan on the Winter Country outside of the specifics of how it works.

From what I remember of the episode three weeks ago, Yuusha and the Young Merchant joined forces to help reach Maou's goal, so why would the Young Merchant attempt to strangle the economy of both sides at once, rather than focus on the Central Nations? Is this simply an oversight on his part, in that he can only see as far as making profit without seeing the effects of his plan on the South? I don't really think that this is the case, since the Merchant seems to be quite perceptive about his business and its effects on the world around him. Perhaps this is a question that is easily answered when the plan is better understood, but for now I'm baffled. Much easier to understand is the religious standoff between the Winter and Central countries; this has real world ties into the Protestant Reformation and reflects the idea that when your religion becomes too distasteful to you, it's best to break off in order to pursue your own ideals (it's 3 AM, I'm not going into the historical details or analysis of this, even if it is my major). Long story short, the Church of the Light Spirit is far too corrupt and power-hungry for the Winter Country's liking, and after its actions in the capture of Maou/Ane, they're more than ready to break away and claim they are the true Church.

Of course, that's like giving a king the finger, and the South is in danger on both political and economic fronts now that they've affronted everyone around them and face the threat of starvation due to high export rates. Without Maou, Yuusha and the others have dug themselves into a hole and now they're facing the stark reality of war on their doorstep.

Meanwhile Maou is facing her own crisis, in which she runs the danger of having her mind overridden by the Demon Kings of the past. Other than revealing the fact that she was a pedophile (is Yuusha seriously younger than me? Dammit, I'm getting old), we also find out that a traditional Maou relies almost exclusively on military prowess and strength, whereas our Maou is a new breed, a scholar eager to test her theories in the real world. I'm not entirely sure I follow the logic as to why she has to return and commune with the congregate of Kings, but it's likely that she'll probably be what helps dig the South out of their little predicament when she's overcome this trial, though perhaps Yuusha will finally prove he's not useless before that happens.

N.B.: Thanks to Ivan for the screencaps!