Summary
In the conference hall, Saha announces the result of the votes: Asha's sentence is death by hoti yama, to be carried out at the Time of Earth. 12 hours later, during the Time of Creation, will be the hearing of her last words. If she can offer any plausible defense in her statement, then there will be the possibility of cancelling hoti yama and postponing the execution. Ran, sitting next to Rana, begins to fret. He decides to search for Leez and jumps up from his seat.
Airi and Ruche discuss the revelations concerning Asha from the trial. Airi expresses her disappointment in her former idol and points out that Lorraine is not present for the sentencing. Ruche is surprisingly accepting of everything and Airi, who notices this, comments on it. Ruche explains that she knew everything prior to the trial thanks to her sister, the person who tipped off Saha. She adds that she was upset at first, but later came to terms with it all. Ruche says that she is unable to understand why Asha used hoti visnu for the purposes she did, yet never once used it to help the people who truly needed it. They continue talking for a bit about their votes concerning Asha's guilt or innocence until Claude interrupts. He surprises both of them and comments that there is no use in speculating why Asha revealed that she could use hoti visnu.
Back in Mirha's room at the Temple of Wind, Leda pores over the document on Kaz Lehn, which notes that he is unsuitable to become either a magician because of his Nil attributes or a fighter because of his weak constitution. Mirha arrives and asks her where Leez is, and Leda responds that Saha had picked her up. Leda then asks about the outcome of the conference, and Mirha tells her it was worse than she could have expected. They then discuss the results of the case. Mirha had not known that Asha had been practicing her magic on halfs. In the end, Mirha failed to prevent Asha from receiving the death penalty.
Ran is just about to give up looking for Leez when he finally runs into her (holding a document envelope) together with Saha. Ran is worried about Leez and what she has heard about the trial, but Leez just calmly tells him that she learned about hoti yama from Saha, who had explained the spell and the phases of execution to her. Once Saha leaves, she tells Ran that she now knows that she herself will die in just a few years. Despite Leez's calm attitude and concern for Asha, Ran still looks at her anxiously.
Early the next morning, at the Time of Creation, Asha's covered prison cell sits on a platform on the shore of a lake. The speaker explains that 12 hours earlier, the executioner and prisoner were placed within a circle of flowers. The executioner then cast hoti yama using the flowers as the outer limit of the spell's range. The spell's success is verified when the flowers wither 12 hours later, which they have by now. In the seating area, Claude complains to Saha that he should have given him the honors. The speaker continues to explain that the flower test is necessary in case the prisoner has a short lifespan left and thus would appear almost unchanged by the spell. The speaker then announces that the first 12 hours have already passed, and they may now listen to Asha's final statement. As the cover is pulled away and Asha is revealed to the remaining onlookers, they are all shocked to see that Asha still appears to be the same age, and some of them question if the spell worked correctly, until they notice that Asha's hair is now a little longer. Leez looks on in surprise.
Currygom's comment
(No comment.)
Afterword
Currygom's afterword for this episode (posted April 13, 2015):
- (thumbnail - Saha): This chapter isn't over yet. It's longer than expected, huh? But the next chapter will be even...
- (Airi and Ruche looking up): I just liked this scene.
- (Leez pulling on Ran's sleeve): Focus on scenes like these.
- (Claude and his box of donuts): The orange ones are curry-flavored.
- I don't have much to write...
Notes
- The Time of Earth is 6-8PM (around sunset, which happens to be the time God Kubera's hair turns gold). The Time of Creation is 6-8AM (around sunrise). See also: Calendar
- Since Claude has the ability to see a person's lifespan,[1] he knew ahead of time that Asha would be dying soon anyway. In fact, he, and now the executioner and Saha, know that Asha should have died in N13 (the year after her disappearance) and has somehow exceeded her lifespan.[2]
- When Claude used hoti yama on Leez, she advanced to around age 20, close to Asha's (presumed) current age.[3] At the time, Ran avoided explaining the part about how it was the age of natural death to avoid getting Leez upset.[4]
- Foreshadowing that points towards Asha's early demise:
- Asha has blood on her towel not long after she uses hoti visnu in the water channel.[5]
- Visnu tells her that the spell will eat away her existence with each use.[6]
- She doesn't look well after she uses the spell when Yuta takes a bite out of her arm.[6]
- Ran asks her why she talks like someone who is about to die.[7]
- Sometime after Asha resurrects Teo and later greets Yuta at the Kalibloom checkpoint, Yuta asks her if she is feeling ill.[8]
- Curryom states in her afterword that the next chapter will be longer than The Night it Rained Fire, which has 20 episodes. The next chapter will have 30 episodes.
References
- ↑ Kubera, Season 2 Episode 20: The Weapon of a God (8)
- ↑ Kubera, Season 2 Episode 143: Your Justice and Mine (9)
- ↑ Kubera, Season 2 Episode 27: Reflection (1)
- ↑ Kubera, Season 2 Episode 28: Reflection (2)
- ↑ Kubera, Season 1 Episode 100: Lies for You (12)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Kubera, Season 2 Episode 10: Blood (5)
- ↑ Kubera, Season 2 Episode 24: Caution (4)
- ↑ Kubera, Season 2 Episode 93: Taboo (5)