Episode 17 continues with the confrontation between the Prince and the others. They decide that Yukiya will accompany Natsuka to the Underground.
Hamayu is hesitant. She doesn’t think Natsuka—even with his royal parentage—is enough to placate the Underground.
Natsuka insists. “And I’ll have Yukiya in case of trouble,” he adds. He seems to think that the Underground will be wary of the soldiers under the control of the North, where Yukiya is from, preventing any rash actions on their part.
Once again, our secondborn son is drawn into conflict owing to his birth.
Yes, I understand Natsuka’s reasoning but I still feel uneasy.
Let the boy breathe.
Our Prince is also dissatisfied but goes along.
Natsuka drives the nail deeper by asking Yukiya if he wants to protect his homeland. Reminding the poor boy that they are doing this for information's sake; information the Underground won’t give up willingly.
Throughout this season, we’ve seen the issue of Yukiya’s parentage brought up in different scenarios and with different results. But this has to be the most…annoying instance.
The boy is thirteen years old for crying out loud. All his life, he has been subjected to ridicule, and undue pressure because he is the grandson of the Lord of the North.
Now, monstrous monkeys are attacking Yamauchi and somehow, the adults—Natsuka, I’m looking at you—are still trying to find a way to use him to their advantage.
Seriously? Let this boy breathe.
As coolheaded as ever, Yukiya agrees, grasping the necessity and urgency of the situation.
Natsuka, Rokon and Yukiya—with their attendant guards—then head to the Underground.
Upon arrival, it’s obvious that this is not going to be an easy meeting. Tobi of the Underground, the person they are here to see, dismisses them instantly.
“We asked for the Prince.”
They aren’t going to take replacements, no matter how royal the substitute is. Natsuka is taken aback. He flounders, trying to explain his brother’s absence and that the agreement was never breached.
Tobi interrupts again.
“Your oh-so-noble birth and upbringing aren’t worth a bronze piece down here.”
The Lord of the Underground insists that the only thing that matters is trust and that Nazukihiko is breaking that trust with his absence.
The meeting is fracturing. Natsuka offers Yukiya up as a hostage to demonstrate the crown’s sincerity. After all, what could the Underground desire more than a Northern hostage?
Much more, it seems.
The men of the Underground are agitated, insulted by Natsuka’s proposition. They gather their arms and hedge the group in, ready to restrain them.
Yukiya breaks through at the last moment and falls to the floor in supplication. He begs Tobi to reconsider, acknowledging how useless his birth is here in the Underground.
He tells Tobi of the attacks in the North and how dear the victims were to him.
“So please tell us about the monkeys…I’ll gladly die to keep my home safe.”
His speech seems to be invigorating the crowd present. Not to kindness and empathy but to unease.
When it seems like nothing will come out of the meeting, a man steps out from the shadows.
King Saku. The first king of the underground.
King Saku, seemingly impressed with Yukiya’s speech, agrees to help him. Oh, and he berates Natsuka for his uppity attitude.
King Saku clears up the misunderstanding, telling Tobi that the Prince isn’t involved with the “you-know-what” issue. Most likely, referring to the sagecap drug ravaging the Underground.
In response to Yukiya’s impassioned plea, King Saku offers Yukiya a clue. Behind a large rock, in a dark tunnel, there are “white shards” that offer a hint to what plagues the Yatagarasu. Yukiya is told to retrieve one of the shards in exchange for information and is given a lamp that will extinguish in four hours. If he doesn’t return in time, the boulder will be rolled in front of the tunnel, locking him inside.
How delightful.
The clock starts ticking and Yukiya heads deeper into the passage. Of note is the fact that, with the exception of King Saku, no one has come out of the passage alive.
We reach the two-hour mark and Yukiya arrives at a large mound of…skulls and bones.
White shards.
Yukiya picks up one of the bones and is about to return when he sees two kids emerging from another passage behind the mound.
Ravens? No.
Their eyes betray them instantly. These are monkeys.
They chase him, hunting him and as Yukiya struggles against them, he sees figures approaching in the distance. Probably more monkeys.
Thankfully, the Prince arrives just in time. Unsheathing his sword, Nazukihiko lops off the head of one of the kids, allowing Yukiya to retreat to a safe distance.
My thoughts so far
Yukiya is more mature and level-headed than Natsuka. Surprise, surprise.
The firstborn prince was shocked at how he was dismissed in the Underground, floundering when he realised his birthright meant nothing.
It was Yukiya’s humility and impassioned plea that brought him King Saku’s notice and saved the lot of them.
If it isn’t already obvious, I am not happy with Natsuka. While his thought process and actions are well within what we have come to expect from him, it doesn’t make it palatable.
Yukiya’s maturity dazzled me in this episode. Yukiya’s parentage is a touchy subject for him as we have seen in previous episodes. We know how much pain his bloodline brought him and his adoptive family.
We know how disappointed he was when he realised he was selected as Nazukihiko’s aide because of that bloodline.
Now, we are seeing how he handles that heavy burden, going as far as urging Natsuka to offer him up as a hostage when the meeting started going south.
Without a doubt, Yukiya displays wisdom far beyond his age. I guess that is what happens when your clan sees you as a burden and the world seems set against you. You grow up quick.
There was little of Koume in this episode but I don’t believe that the anime is through with her. After all, we are yet to find out her father’s connection to the attacks and if she is guilty of anything.
