Seirei no Moribito - ep8

This is one conversation intensive episode. Yet somehow while almost the entire episode sees the blacksmith basically trying to decide whether to make Balsa a new spear, it still doesn’t fail to awe with its setting and pacing.

Chagum wakes up to find Balsa missing.In actual fact, Balsa’s already awake and practicing her spear fighting skills outside. Balsa tells him to have his breakfast and to prepare for a trip down to visit a blacksmith.

Seems that CHagum has never seen a blacksmith at work. Balsa even teases him that there’s an aristocrat saying that if a swordsman sees a blacksmith at work, he’ll never grow strong, thus Chagum will never grow strong anymore now.

Chagum’s witty enough too, questioning whether Balsa has seen blacksmiths at work before. Balsa replies that of course she has, but she is not an aristocrat, so it might not apply to her!

The blacksmith whom Balsa visits turns out to be working for the Imperial court. He doesn’t want to make a new spear for somebody who goes against the imperial court. Yet Balsa would only state that yes she has gone against the court, but not telling the full story.

Hence a clash of 2 stubborn people. Balsa refuses to leave until he forges a new spear, while the blacksmith refuses to forge one until Balsa tells him the whole story. But in the end, the blacksmith asks Balsa to adjourn to another room, as he will have customers arriving soon.

The customers turn out to be Mon and Jin, from the group of elite hunters here to pick up their new swords. The Blacksmith tries to draw out what’s going on, but indicating that their old swords seem pretty worn out. But they reply that it’s not because of Balsa, who has since been killed, but rather were damaged in battle. The old man then direct them to the room where Balsa and CHagum are, for the swords are kept there.

But just before Jin opens the room, the blacksmith draws back their attention by starting a discussion about the qualities of a sword. Mon and Jin gives pretty typical answers about the balance of hardness and flexibility in the forging. But to the blacksmith, it’s about harmony between the blacksmith and the wielder.

When Mon indicates that the blacksmith’s swords were all of the best, he laughs that it’s actually otherwise. All the swords he has created were all demonic swords. The ultimate sword is created not to kill, but to severe a person’s karma. Both the blacksmith and wielder must think this way, otherwise a demonic sword is created.

When asked, the blacksmith indicates that there was once a swordsmen who fit the criterion of creating an ultimate blade. A friend was in trouble due to politics, and this swordsman took into his care the child of this friend. The blacksmith had not wanted to make a blade for him, but his story moved him to do so.

The assassins sent after the swordsman were actually friends with him. But their families were held hostages, and they didn’t have a choice. Hence the swordsman suffered the ultimate pain of having to kill his friends to protect the child. In the end however, the blacksmith’s skills were insufficient, and the swordsman remained tormented till his death. But the child has survived and is now an adult.

This draws Mon to tell a story of a warrior who did the same thing of taking in a child. And the additional thing of this warrior was that she didn’t kill any of the hunters, even though she needed to take back the child from the hunters.

In the end, the blacksmith goes into the room himself to take the sword, keeping Balsa’s presence a secret. In addition, he tells Balsa to come back in 7 days time to collect her spear. A week later sees Balsa wielding a gleaming, reflecting and sharp spear.

Thoughts

No action, but the suspense thanks to the pacing was surprisingly high. So we’ve got more background now, knowing more about the swordsman who took care of Balsa. They even accurately portrayed Balsa’s emotions even as the blacksmith recounted his tale.