What Happens
Master of the Sword, Chapter 2
Count Julius, the King’s brother, resents the rising prestige of commoners like Griffith, and how easily the King seems to accept it. Foss, one of the Royal Ministers, informs him of the rumor that his White Dragon Knights, one of the most distinguished units of the Midland army, may be replaced as the King’s bodyguard for the autumnal hunt, an honor they have always had, by none other than the Band of the Hawk. The Count is furious, but Foss reminds him that hunts are dangerous things, and you never know when a stray arrow might strike the wrong target…
Assassin, Chapters 1-4
During the autumn hunt the nobles are enjoying themselves, but the King’s daughter, Princess Charlotte, complains that she finds hunting cruel, and Griffith cheers her up by teaching her to reed whistle. A boar suddenly dashes out of the woods and spooks her horse, but she is saved by Griffith, who suddenly finds a crossbow bolt sticking out of his breastplate. A bolt fired, unbeknownst to him, by one of Count Julius’s men. The Hawks are horrified, but quickly discover Griffith is alright. The bolt was stopped by the Behelit, which only Guts thinks was more than simple luck. Things begin to look fishy when Griffith points out that the bolt was poisoned.
That night, Griffith tells Guts he investigated the poison on the bolt and found out it was too expensive for someone of lower rank to afford. It had also been bought recently by only one man, an elite bowman of the White Dragon Knights, and a maid at the Count’s estate Griffith paid off had overheard the same man discussing the attempt with the Count, who hadn't sounded pleased. So Griffith has a task for Guts, one he can’t do himself because of the risk to his prestige: he wants Guts to kill Count Julius.
At the Count’s estate, Guts sees Julius with his thirteen-year-old son Adonis, whom he treats harshly despite the objections of his steward, and Guts is reminded of his own treatment by Gambino. Although he is able to kill Julius without hassle, someone else enters the room. Guts quickly dispatches him, only to discover that it was Adonis. He is spotted and the alarm sounded, but he fights his way out of the castle and escapes through the sewers. Back in town, he asks the Casca and the others where Griffith is, and is told he was invited to a ball hosted by Princess Charlotte.
Precious Thing
At the ball, Guts sees Griffith alone with the Princess outside the reception hall. Casca has followed him, and convinces him not to approach Griffith in such company smelling like a sewer and sporting an arrow wound, which she bandages with a piece of her sleeve. Instead, they overhear Griffith’s conversation with Charlotte.
She admits that the ball is really an excuse to divert the nobles’ attention from the war, and wishes it all would end. Griffith explains that if men fight, they do so because they must to attain their dreams. But not all dreams are created equal, and some inevitably consume others; in order to truly be someone’s friend, you must not be willing to let their dreams overtake your own. They are interrupted by a servant bearing the news that Count Julius and Adonis are dead. Behind Charlotte’s back, Griffith seems rather pleased.
Departure for the Front
As the Midland army heads out on a new campaign, Minister Foss tries to ascertain Griffith’s role in recent events. The latter is unperturbed and cheerful as ever, which convinces Foss he is involved, but clever enough to hide it. He is certain Griffith hasn’t caught on to his own plotting yet, only to find the latter staring at him unnervingly from across the hall.
Griffith meets Princess Charlotte, who gives him a lodestone and holds onto its mate, saying this will guarantee his safe return. Her step-mother, the Queen, is less than pleased she’d do such a thing for a commoner.
Casca, Chapters 1-2
The Hawks engage the Blue Whale Ultra Heavy Armoured Fierce Assault Annihilation Knight Corp (I think I got winded just typing that), but unfortunately for Casca, it’s also her time of the month. Things get worse when she finds herself facing Sir Adon, the Blue Whales’ pompous, chauvinistic commander, who insults her prowess as a soldier and insinuates that she slept with Griffith to get her position. Guts intervenes, confused by her subpar performance, and easily defeats Adon’s attempt to use his family’s alleged ultimate spear technique. Casca faints, but as Guts tries to grab her a bolt fired by Adon knocks him off his horse, sending the two over a cliff and into the river below.
Guts manages to swim to the riverbank and take shelter in a nearby cave, where he is forced to strip the still-unconscious Casca and hold her against him to keep her warm and forestall a fever, effectively repaying her for doing the same three years ago. The next morning he asks her why she joined the Hawks, given how difficult such a life would be for a woman.
Casca explains that she grew up in a mountain village plagued by poor soil, war taxes, and enemy raids. One day a passing noble offered to take her on as a maid and her parents, for whom six living children was more a curse than a blessing, quickly accepted. Unfortunately for Casca, he wanted her, but not as a maid. She tried to run, but before the nobleman could rape her she was saved by Griffith, then a young soldier with only a few under his command. Or rather, he let her save herself by giving her his sword, which she used to kill the nobleman. Having nowhere else to go, she begged to join him, and while he warned her it would be dangerous he didn’t stop her.
Commentary
Royalty? Check. Given a sheltered life by her doting father? Check. Well above the hero’s station? Check. Loves him because he’s so different from everyone else? Check. Hates violence and wishes everyone would just get along? Check. Wicked stepmother? Check. Could Princess Charlotte be any more of a stereotypical love interest? Looks like Griffith’s got everything a fantasy hero could want – youth, good looks, charm, he's risen from humble origins, has prodigy-like skill in swordsmanship and warfare, loyal companions, a princess for a love interest, he’s ruthless towards his enemies. Wait, what?
Both Charlotte and (last volume) Judeau have commented on how he’s able to go from acting like a carefree kid to speaking in a wise and philosophical manner, and that’s what’s so great about him. Don’t tell that to Guts. He’s just seen that if you mess with Griffith, he’s gonna mess with you, and the fact that he kept it between him and Guts shows it’s not a side he wants to share with others. Unless they’re a noble who resents his rise to power, everyone else still sees him as a charming youth and a romantic hero thanks not only to his exploits but his perceptive and intelligent nature while still being likable and unpretentious.
However, a close reading of his words reveals that this side of him is a façade. He may phrase it nicely, calling the Hawks “valuable comrades, dedicating themselves to the dream I envision”, but he also says that the only kind of person he’d consider a friend and an equal is “someone who wouldn’t be compelled by anyone” and who’d oppose anyone who tried to, even if it was Griffith himself. In other words, alongside the fact that he just used Guts to do his dirty work, it’s clear he may appreciate what the Hawks are doing for him, but he still sees them as his inferiors, tools to be used in the pursuit of his dream.
That hasn’t worked out very well for Guts. As far as I can tell, this is the first time he’s realized that violence can have consequences beyond whether you or the other guy is the one killed, that sometimes you can end up harming, or killing, someone you didn’t intend to. Like many of the later situations he’ll face, his options were limited, especially if he wanted to get away unidentified, but he felt some obvious empathy for Adonis, and killing him wasn’t something he had in mind.
Now that he’s heard Griffith’s view on people and seen his lack of remorse – was he counting on Guts killing Adonis as well? – Griffith’s concern for him takes on a whole new light. He doesn’t seem like much of a caring friend anymore.
So, Casca. If there’s one reason why being a soldier and a woman in a society not generally open to that combination sucks, I think getting your period in the middle of a battle is it. Sure, Adon is clearly full of himself, but standing up to someone like him is hard when you’re not at the top of your game, and that can make him seem right when you’re already sensitive to how unusual your situation is. Guts’s complaining the next morning doesn’t help either – yeah, he did save her life, but she’s a little sensitive to anything that suggests she’s weak or vulnerable at the moment. Then again, tact isn’t exactly Guts’s strong suit.
It’s also much clearer why she always seems to be mad at him about something, usually putting Griffith of the Hawks in danger. Thanks to Griffith, she now has friends and subordinates who respect her, and she’s actually not that different from Guts in this respect. That she cares about them has been easy enough to deduce, so this just really confirms it. Of course, since she always seems to be uncomfortable when Griffith is around Princess Charlotte, or with the attachment he has to Guts, there’s probably a bit more going on here, even if she isn’t willing to admit it.
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