Episode 9

"Another Visit, a Mermaid, a Misunderstanding, and Zombies" (Saihō to, Ningyo to, Gokai to, Zonbi) is the 9th episode of In the Land of Leadale anime series. It is scheduled to air on March 2, 2022.

Synopsis
Cayna wakes up with a hangover in a remote town. With a headache, she hears rumors that she can hear something like a song from the well. Cayna summons the summoned beast, the flying fish, and dives into the pit to find out the cause. Then, a huge limestone cave stretched out beyond that! What was the identity of what was in front...!?

Summary
Cayna is enthusiastically met and embraced by Lytt who welcomes back into the village. Marelle then appears and greets the newly returned Cayna as well. For the occasion, Marell not only offers Cayna a room at her inn to stay at for the night, but planned to throw a reunion party for her as well.

The next morning, Cayna exits the inn with Li'l Fairy on her shoulder noting her headache and heartburn. Kee appears and claims that she's suffering from symptoms of a hangover again. After vowing once again to never consume alcohol, she overhears the villagers discussing a matter involving Lottor hearing a strange singing emanating coming from the village well. Pondering if there was a quest involving a well, Cayna decides to investigate it. Although Lytt is worried for her, Cayna reassures Lytt that she'll be fine and leaps into the well after casting Aqua Level 2, which grants her a swimsuit and two fish companions. Swimming through the water, the two fish lead Cayna over 100 meters through the tunnels until they reach an underwater cavern. Upon reaching there, Cayna hears a soft moaning coming from the cavern and summons Shye Level 7 to illuminate the area. In the newly lit area, the mermaid Mimily was found hiding behind a stalagmite who begs Cayna not to eat her. Seeing Cayna's Aqua fish, Mimily mistakes them for being guardian deities. The two then introduce themselves to each other and Mimily explains the situation that caused her to end up in the cavern thanks to a magical portal from the ocean that she came from. Uncertain which ocean she originated from, Mimily sings a song from her homeland in a melancholy tone. Cayna then decides to have Mimily stay in the village for the time being until she's able to find her homeland and she takes shelter within the local bathhouse to shelter her in. Once Mimily was all settled, Cayna decides to return to the capital and says her goodbyes to Lytt and the others. She also promises to have Lytt fly with her someday, with permission from her mother of course.

At the capital, Shining Saber and his fellow Felskelio knights head to the coastal fishing village that Cohral mentioned that is currently facing a bandit threat. En route, Saber finds Cayna and after a brief talk with her, she joins their expedition and Saber insists that Cayna rides on his horse with him. Although his intention was a way of thanking her for dealing with the event monster, this flusters Cayna, and when Saber realizes what he's done he becomes flustered as well. Regrouping with the Felskelio knights, they misinterpret Saber carrying Cayna on his horse as them being in an intimate relationship.

That night at camp, Cayna serves the Felskelio knights some soup that is prepared and the Felskelio knights enjoy it and insist on addressing Cayna as "Lady Cayna". Saber also clears up the notion that Cayna is his "Girlfriend", but Cayna believes otherwise. This notion is corroborated when the Felskelio knights talk about Cayna's child being Mai-Mai and Skargo leading the knights to believe what kind of "person" Saber is. Saber then apologizes to Cayna for the lack of discipline from his knights.

Days pass by and Saber informs Cayna that the following day, they'll reach the fishing village by noon. As a token of appreciation, Cayna gives Saber some cooking skills, so the Felskelio knights don't have to suffer eating bland foods. The next day, Cayna goes her separate way from Saber and the Felskelio knights. Heading to the fishing village, Cayna notes how eerily quiet it is and upon reaching the village, Cayna sees that it is covered in a dense fog. Taking precautions, Cayna summons Centaur: Heigl, arms herself with the Eternal Flame blade, and Kee strengthens her barrier. Fully prepared, the two enter the village and Cayna is unable to cast a survey spell because the dense fog blocks her from using it. It's then that Cayna notices that Heigl has about 1/3 of his HP left and becomes alert when a zombie tackles Heigl to the ground. Unable to continue, Heigl disappears, and figuring that the zombie is a high-level one as it was capable of dealing with Heigl, Cayna deduces that a player created the zombie. Casting Dewl, Cayna purifies the Zombie and prepares herself to investigate the village.

Characters

 * Cayna
 * Lytt
 * Marelle
 * Li'l Fairy
 * Kee
 * Lottor
 * Mimily
 * Luine
 * Shining Saber
 * Mai-Mai (Mentioned)
 * Skargo (Mentioned)
 * Heigl

Adaptation Notes

 * Light Novel Volume 1
 * Chapter 5. A Son, a Journey, a Mermaid, and Bandits
 * Light Novel Volume 3
 * Chapter 1: The System, Knights, a Misunderstanding, and a Fog

Trivia

 * Cayna's spells allow her to swim; she can't normally.