There is a murder in the lower floors!

Episode 7 starts a new adventure for Bell’s party, and one that promises to be a bloodier affair. And the culprit? It’s none other than the Gale Wind herself, Ryu Lion.

Signs of Evil Portent

The episode starts off immediately with a chilling vision from Cassandra, giving a glimpse of the fate that awaits Bell and his friends in the future. The images are far from pretty, and there’s a hint that most of his friends are actually dead.

But what is this new threat? Cassandra is not even sure herself, and the only clue is the fact that Bell is fighting inside the Dungeon, as well as an enigmatic vision of Ryu and a prophecy.

Unfortunately, it seems that this terrifying future is not far off as news of a murder soon reaches Hestia familia.

A Corpse, A Suspect, and A Plan

The bulk of the episode focuses on a hunt for Ryu, the main suspect of a crime that sees an Adventurer dead from grievous injuries.

Ever since we are introduced to Ryu, we knew that she is someone who is hiding a darker past. And indeed, after revealing some of her backstory to Bell, it is obvious that she hides a terrifying persona behind her stoic and serious demeanor. Thus, the way she apparently killed the Adventurer is no surprise.

And yet, even Aisha could guess that Ryu might not be the murderer, though the injuries were certainly her handiwork. And Bell believed that too, especially after all the help she gave him.

But is Ryu really innocent? The signs are conflicting, especially when we briefly switch to Asfi, though if you are a light novel reader, you must already know the answer. Regardless, most of the Adventurers think she is not, urged even more by promises of a large sum of reward.

Of course, Bell would not just sit idly by. And here Lili’s ingenuity shines again as a plan is formed to help solve the case and clean up Ryu’s name.

The Oracle No One Believes

While Bell and the hunt for Ryu is the focus of this episode, one of the main highlights here is none other than Cassandra herself.

Ever since her introduction, Cassandra’s foretelling has been always ignored even though it is a powerful ability. In most cases, some of Bell’s victories have been foretold by her, which came true, while every disaster that would have befallen him or his friends were averted, especially during the battle against the Moss Huge.

And perhaps it would be the same here. However, Cassandra’s vision this time is so harrowing that she has decided to actively steer her friends away from such a terrible fate. Funny enough, her methods are extreme, even going so far as to embarrass Haruhime just to prevent it.

If there’s one thing that her meddling have done good, it is to provide Bell with a useful equipment courtesy of Welf: a Goliath scarf. In Cassandra’s dream, Bell isn’t shown to be wearing this, and judging by the hints, this item may very well save his life.

Especially now that the Gale Wind is on the hunt.

Conclusion

Episode 7 tones down the fight scenes, but the serious and brutal atmosphere remains. Cassandra takes some of the spotlight here, which is a nice change of pace considering how much focus Hestia familia has already gotten. Overall, it continues to set up yet another epic moment, one that might see Bell fighting one of his closest friends.

Episode score: 7.5/10