Episode 6

Libricide
Episode 7 Extra Episode 01: Bibliocaust
Japanese Name	焚書官
Romanized Name	Funsho-kan
Airdate	August 20, 2011
Adapted from	Chapter 5 (light novel 1)
Manga counterpart	N/A

"Libricide" is the 6th episode of The Mystic Archives of Dantalian anime and the seventh story shown in the adaptation. It's also known as Extra Episode 01: Bibliocaust. The episode is unique for not showing the main characters Hugh and Dalian.

Hal and Flamberge are looking for a young girl accompanied by a man. During their search, they find a strange town where outsiders disappear.

Summary

A man examines a map. A woman in a straitjacket asks if he’s lost. She’s sit in the sidecar of a motorcycle. Attached to the vehicle, there is a strange golden staff. They talk to each other in a rude way. The man starts riding again.

They reach a small town where they are stopped by police officer Mabel Nash. She was informed about a strange duo wandering around. The woman’s extravagant clothes makes the officer blush. Hal explains that she likes to dress like that. Flamberge affirms that she's only suiting his tastes. They harass each other again.

Hal and Flamberge are looking for a young girl with a lock and a strange book, accompanied by a man. When Mabel notices his staff, Hal introduces himself as a Book Burning Officer. He wants to refuel his motorcycle. However, fuel will only be available the next day, with the arrival of traveling merchants. Hal plans to find an inn or camp out. Mabel offers them a place to stay. After all, there are no decent inns in town and, furthermore, the officer will be able to keep a watch on the suspicious couple.

Mabel stops Hal and Flamberge.

Hal and Flamberge are looking for a girl with a lock.

Hal and Flamberge observe Mabel through a window. Inside a pub, Mabel appears to be very popular and loved among the townsfolk. The officer buys their dinner. The three discuss about the town. The place has many brothels. This kind of business grew because of the military factories that used to be active during the war. Rumors say that, during the two years following the end of the war, there were many disappearances in town involving non-locals such as travelers and merchants. As a police officer, Mabel denies the fact. Hal and Flamberge want to investigate if the people they are looking for are involved in the rumors.

At Mabel’s place, the officer introduces Hal and Flamberge to her grandparents. Her younger sister Patricia also shows up, but greets the visitors with hostility. Hal points out that at least the little girl demonstrated some kind of emotion. Hal leaves the place during the evening. Flamberge stays in bed. She maliciously smiles when Patricia appears at the door. Hal finds an ominous barricade in the woods nearby. He keeps walking through the same route, finally finding a part of the town which was ruined by fire. A prostitute seems to be interested in him. When he questions her, she becomes nervous, with a bizarre attitude. The woman attacks him, scratching his neck. She resembles a doll made of wood. The creature keeps charging towards Hal even after he applies martial arts to break her arm. The woman only stops when her head is destroyed.

• Hal finds a barricaded route.
• Hal discovers a ruined part of the town.
• Hal exposes the unknown woman as a wooden doll.
• Hal is attacked by a doll.
• Hal defeats the doll.

1/5

Flamberge tames Patricia.

The next day, Hal is greeted by Mabel’s grandparents as if he's the police officer. Flamberge is in bed with Patricia. The former had tamed the little girl. Patricia is surprised in seeing Hal again. Usually, outsiders who stay over never return. Hal had only a superficial wound. He grabs his staff and leaves the place with Flamberge. They investigate an active factory, where gunpowder and bombs used to be manufactured. However, after the war, the factory has another purpose. Hal kicks some crates nearby, revealing many dolls. Some of them are moving to produce more dolls to replace the dead people in town. Mabel shows up, exposed as the responsible for the unusual factory. Hal noticed something strange since the first time they met. Hal and Flamberge were trying to stand out to find the Biblioprincess. However, the reaction of the townsfolk was not normal.

Mabel receives a Phantom Book.

Mabel met the Biblioprincess before. During a flashback, Mabel is shown carrying Patricia, looking for safety. Mabel puts Patricia down before seeing the town destroyed by an airstrike. She’s crying in despair until she hears an unknown couple. The little girl wonders why humans are always in a cycle of destruction and renewal. The tall man tells Mabel not to worry. She could always rebuild one more time. Mabel receives the Rahōto Reihō Kaigen from the little girl.

The police officer had followed the instructions in the Phantom Book to create obedient dolls to replace those who died during the bombings which aimed for the military factory. The survivors, representing only 20% of the local population, were glad to have their loved ones back. Mabel even moved a road and created a barricade to hide the ruined part of the town. However, according to Hal, she's being weak, unable to accept changes, protecting only an illusion. The dolls are only following orders. They don’t know how to act while interacting with something different. They panic and become hostile, explaining why outsiders disappear.

• Hal and Flamberge discover countless dolls inside the military factory.
• The dolls are producing more dolls.
• Mabel orders her dolls to attack Hal and Flamberge.
• Hal and Flamberge are surrounded by Mabel's dolls.

1/4

Mabel decides to keep protecting her town. The dolls attack Hal and Flamberge. The duo fight back, but they are surrounded. Hal removes his left glove, revealing a silver key on his hand. Using the key to unlock the seal on Flamberge’s chest, he opens the Long Lost Library. She suffers when Hal removes a Phantom Book from the void on her abdomen. Instead of reading it, he fits the Phantom Book in his staff to use it as fuel. The dolls are consumed by the flames released from the staff. Mabel warns Hal that he will eventually be engulfed by those flames. The latter accepts his destiny as a Book Burning Officer. Mabel is also affected by the power released from the staff.

• Hal grabs a silver key to open the Long Lost Library.
• Hal opens the Long Lost Library.
• Hal removes a Phantom Book from the void on Flamberge's abdomen.
• The Staff of Disaster of the Fire Giant Surtr is feed with a Phantom Book.

1/4

Many inanimate dolls are shown in town. Only the manager of the pub is seen alive. Even Mabel’s grandparents had lost their lives during the bombings. They also turned into lifeless wooden dolls. In the late afternoon, Patricia opens the door for Hal. He’s carrying an unconscious Mabel. As a Book Burning Officer, Hal needs to destroy Phantom Books and everything related to them. Hal erased the police officer's memories. She won't remember anything after meeting with the Biblioprincess. Patricia thanks Hal and Flamberge for releasing the living from the dream built by Mabel. Hal drives off with Flamberge. She provokes him since he tried to hide a smile.

Mabel loses her power of controlling the dolls.

Light novel-anime main differences

Light novel	Anime
The chapter starts with the Professor and Rasiel giving the Rahōto Reihō Kaigen to Mabel.	The episode starts with Hal and Flamberge reaching their destination. The flashback of Mabel receiving the Rahōto Reihō Kaigen is shown during the climax.
Hal, Flamberge and Mabel walk through the town.	Hal, Flamberge and Mabel walk through the town. Mabel stops at a pub. She seems very popular among the townsfolk.
Flamberge notices that Mabel lives in a large house. Flamberge wonders if Mabel is a corrupt cop.	Flamberge notices that Mabel lives in a large house.
The townsfolk seem more unnatural in the original.	-
-	Patricia watches Flamberge as soon as Hal leaves the house. It's an anime-only scene.
Hal walks through the factory, carrying Flamberge on his shoulder.	Hal and Flamberge walk through the factory.
Hal opens the Long Lost Library as soon as the wooden dolls wake up.	Hal and Flamberge fight the wooden dolls before opening the Long Lost Library.

Trivia

• The shopkeeper, voiced by Kunpei Sakamoto, is the only resident seen alive after the destruction of the Rahōto Reihō Kaigen besides Patricia and Mabel.
  • The men at the pub are voiced by Tatsuya Kuramochi and Kosuke Goto. The prostitute is voiced by Kyouko Yamaguchi.
• There is a poster on the pub's wall advertising Samuel Clarke's fairy lamps. The English designer of lightning devices patented a glass candle lamp which became very popular during the Victorian era. The name comes from a fairy embossed into the bottom of the lamp. The model shown in the poster is based on Queen Victoria's crown, in honor of her golden jubilee.
  • The poster next to it advertises different types of Pelaw Polishes used for many applications, manufactured by the Cooperative Wholesale Society (CWS) at Pelaw, a district in north-east England. The factories built by the CWS transformed the area starting in 1844. The local shoe polish was particularly popular world-wide.
  • The Spring Song is also seen on the same wall. It's a painting by German artist Simon Glücklich, made around the beginning of the 20th century.