Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? IV

Episode 8

Is Ryu a monster, or is she still grieving the loss of her familia? Most of the characters know which side they think she falls on – or at least, they're willing to overlook the fact that they might agree with her motivation in favor of a big payout. Few episodes so clearly show us the difference between Bell's morals and those of a majority of adventurers as this one, which goes even further than Aiz and her confrontation with Weine. In that case, Aiz was unable to accept that the world was different from what she had been told, more mired in her preconceptions than anything else. In the case of Ryu, it looks like more than a few of the people with Bell and Bors are aware that Ryu's vengeful rampage had a solid reason behind it, and may even agree with why she did it – they're just not willing to walk the walk and stand up for her. Even when they realize that the man she's after is the sole survivor of Rudra Familia, some of the Evilus group that set the trap that killed Astraea Familia, they're only marginally torn: sure, not taking Ryu in would be an acknowledgement that sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands, but think of the money.

It's almost certainly not nearly that simple, but that's also how it looks to a horrified Bell. He's already struggling with the growing realization that one of his friends is capable of true brutality, and I think a piece of him wonders what he'd do in her situation, especially after he stood up for the Xenos and faced down Aiz. But no one else seems to be putting that much thought into the situation; they've got a much more black-and-white view of events. The Guild said to bring in Ryu, and they'll pay handsomely for it. End of story. Whether this is a perspective they developed after years of Dungeon work or if they've always been harder and more cynical than Bell isn't certain, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. Bell's true strength is his ability to keep standing up for what he believes is right, to ensure that everyone has a hearth to return to. He's a genuine hero, which is what keeps drawing people and gods alike to him. And that means that he needs time to sort out what Ryu's side of the story is while still preventing her from killing anyone else, if that's even possible anymore.

Ryu herself is the true mystery here. We don't know how she learned that a survivor of her earlier rampage was still around, nor do we really know what happened in the past. It's a piece of her history that Ryu keeps tucked close to her heart, as if she's afraid to forget it, and her sudden return to vengeance might suggest that she's also afraid that by not fully avenging her fallen, she's betraying them. She's only really able to deal with her grief and survivor's guilt by telling herself that she's fully taken care of the killers, and not only is she yet another reason why I'd love a “therapist” class in RPG-based fantasies, but she's also at risk of pushing away the people who would listen to her and stand up for her. But to allow that, she'd have to let go of some of her anger, and that seems insurmountable right now.

She may be forced into it, of course, because she's not the only threat in the Dungeon. Marie's words to Bell about something that shouldn't be on the floor lurking around – probably the giant snake thing – and the huge hole that the Dungeon hasn't even begun to repair are major warning bells. Ryu can, to a degree, be predicted, especially since everyone now knows who her target is. But a monster, even worse, one that's likely an irregular, can't be so easily figured out. Ryu may need to take a backseat soon, lest she prove a dangerous distraction to the real danger in everyone's midst.

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Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? IV is currently streaming on HIDIVE.