Shuumatsu no Izetta – 08
Yuri bait continues.
No happy endings here.
Legends
The lieutenant discovers the map.
Berkman’s right hand man sneaks into Eylstadt, and with the help of the Germanian spy we previously met, is able to uncover the map of the ley lines. Along the way, we are teased with a brief romance between Bianca and the Germanian lieutenant, which is meant to parallel the story of the White Witch. Legend says that the prince of what would later become Eylstadt was saved by the White Witch when he was injured while hunting. The two fell in love, but could not be married because witches were feared and hated at the time. Later, the country was attacked by an enemy nation, and the prince was wounded in the battle. The war was almost lost, but the White Witch intervened and drove away the enemy. Ultimately, the prince succumbed to the wound he suffered in battle, and the White Witch swore to protect the country in his place until the end of her life. There are very obvious parallels between the legend and the circumstances of Izetta and Finé. However, the theme of forbidden romance is reflected here by the lieutenant’s short relationship with Bianca, which has a sad ending as she was forced to kill him when it is revealed that he is a Germanian spy.
Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but… SHOT THROUGH THE HEART, and questionable writing’s to blame.
Additionally, the theme of sad endings is further extended by a different rendition of the story of the White Witch. In the version told by the lieutenant, the prince had a wife when the White Witch came to the aid of his country. Jealous of her husband’s love for the witch, the wife betrayed the White Witch when the prince died. The wife discovered the witch’s secret and sealed away her power, then sold her out to an enemy nation, where she was tortured and eventually burned at the stake. Yikes. Quite the depressing ending compared to the fairy tale told in Eylstadt. Obviously no such betrayal will be happening to Izetta as Finé considers her a dear friend, but I’m starting to worry that the show might have a sad ending of its own now that Germania seems to have gotten ahold of the map revealing the locations of the ley lines. Things might not be so bad, as Seighart and the Royal Guard should suspect that the secret is out after the incident at the old castle, and thus take appropriate precautions to not expose Izetta to unecessary risks. But at the same time, I can see Berkman finding ways to force them to put Izetta in compromising situations.
Threats
Yeah, something’s wrong with her.
And there’s also the matter of the mysterious witch that Germania possesses, whom we might have met at the masquerade ball. That girl accompanying the disguised Berkman sure behaved strangely, and definitely had a mysterious connection with Izetta. So odds are high that she is the witch in question. Given what we saw, it seems that she is drugged and/or brainwashed in some way, which is probably how Otto forces her to obey his orders. But in any case, the point is that the map of the ley lines landing in Germanian hands means that not only will they be able to counter Izetta much more effectively, they can also leverage their own witch against other nations in the war. If this happens, Eylstadt might be forced to reveal the secret of the witches to the allies or the entire world in general, as that would pretty much be the only way to stop Germania. The revelation of the witches’ crippling weakness could be good in that Atlanta might reconsider its decision to attack Eylstadt in addition to Germania, since Izetta would no longer be considered a threat. But I can also see Atlanta just taking advantage of such a revelation to take down Izetta and Eylstadt nonetheless.
All in all, things are actually looking very scary for our heroine. Her secret has been revealed to the enemy, and the map with all the details has also been leaked. Not to mention, there is the threat of an attack from Atlanta looming beyond the horizon. And it doesn’t end there. Should Eylstadt be forced to reveal the secret of the witches to counter Germania’s own witch, it’s entirely possible that the people of Eylstadt might lose faith in Izetta. I’m pretty sure that there is still a culture of fear when it comes to witches in general, and the only thing keeping Izetta safe in Eylstadt right now is that she is merely associated with their legend of a certain special witch. But if even the people of the country she fights to protect start to doubt her, things can easily go south very quickly, resulting in a bad end. I guess it all comes down to whether the show chooses to pursue an ending that parallels the depressing alternate take on the legend of the White Witch, or if it chooses instead to pursue an ending that overturns the sad fate that awaits witches in a world that fears and hates them.
Not even yuri bait is safe from NTR. And this is the part where Finé becomes jealous and betrays Izetta to Germania. Wait, what?
About Sumairii
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Izetta has to be packing an overlimit power. Just threatening anything to do with Finé is enough to get her going, but now, surrounded on all sides, she’s got to have some dramatic cosmic power attack waiting deep inside.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
But the trigger to release that power could be the death of Fine, so like the legend of the White Witch the red-haired witch swears to protect Eylstadt in the place of her dead love (which could be a platonic love. I do think it safe to say that Izetta does love Fine, although it might not be a yuri love.)
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I’m following Sum’s lead, he has some very tight yuri goggles…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Well, yuri is always preferable to platonic love.