The episode opens with Naotsugu accompanying Shiroe to a meeting with Eins. Eins makes it clear that he believes that Shiroe was the one responsible for the Round Table’s major accomplishments, and came to the conclusion that he can’t make the Akiba Government work without him. Also, Eins says that the Round Table’s time is over.

As we see in a flashback from Naotsugu, he and Shiroe had talked the day before, with Shiroe basically echoing what Eins was saying. In his mind, while there was a need for the Round Table at the time it was formed, the situation in Akiba has evolved to the point where the Round Table is no longer relevant. It was kind of sad to hear Shiroe articulate this, but there was a lot of truth to his words.

This meeting becomes more interesting with the head of the Saiguu family (the one that is supposed to marry Rayneshia) making an appearance. Malves is here with him, but Malves’ appearance is more for comic relief than anything else, especially every time the head of the Saiguu family would tell him to quiet down. After how cocky Malves came across in the previous season, it was kind of nice to see him getting knocked down a peg or two.

There’s also a meeting between Rayneshia’s parents and Calasin and Isaac. Rayneshia’s father says that whether or not Rayneshia goes ahead with the engagement is up to her. If she decides she wants to stay in Akiba, he won’t stop her. We also see how cunning Rayneshia’s mother is, as she figures out exactly what Calasin is thinking and can easily counter his points. Rayneshia had mentioned in a previous episode just how cunning her mother is, and that’s clearly on display in this scene.

Meanwhile, Rayneshia is with Akatsuki and a couple of the members of D.D.D. We learn that the D.D.D. guild is splintering into smaller groups, but that D.D.D.’s new location will serve as a hub for all of these smaller guilds. As it’s pointed out, D.D.D. was a ridiculously big guild, and trying to maintain it as it was would be unrealistic going forward. The girls also talk about Rayneshia’s engagement, and she sounds resigned to her fate. But when one of the D.D.D. members passes on a message from Krusty, which includes a message clearly pointed at Rayneshia, she realizes what she truly wants.

These two groups come together when Rayneshia and the other girls arrive, wearing their Round Table uniforms. Rayneshia makes it clear that she intends to stay in Akiba and serve as a bridge between the Adventurers and the People of the Land. Seeing that Rayneshia still believes in the Round Table, Shiroe puts up an… interesting idea to decide whether the Round Table will continue in a new fashion or if the Akiba Government will be overseeing Akiba. From the preview, Shiroe’s idea is going to be focus for the next episode. Why is it not surprising that Shiroe would suggest something that the people in Yamato would find to be novel? Leave it Shiroe to find another way to shake things up in this world.

For a lot of the episode, there was almost a sense of defeat running throughout it. Even though Shiroe never vocalized his thoughts out loud at the meeting, we could tell from his thoughts that he was ready to give up on the Round Table. However, we never do get to find out whether or not he would have seriously considered Eins’ proposal of having Shiroe serve as an advisor for the Akiba Government. And with Rayneshia and the girls, it felt like Rayneshia was ready to do what her parents wanted, and you could also feel a bit of a pall when hearing about the downsizing of D.D.D. As a viewer, I was just about ready to accept that the Round Table would be finished. So when Rayneshia arrived at the meeting and announced her intention of staying in Akiba, and seeing this move Shiroe, it felt like a beam of light was coming into a dark tunnel.

I’m looking forward to seeing next week’s episode, which will likely determine the fate of Akiba and how the series will progress going forward.

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