Episode 5: The Troll's Son

Askeladd's crew sails on, drinking and pressing their captain over when they will collect payment for Thors's death. Hidden aboard the stolen ship, Thorfinn has grown frail from hunger and thirst and weeps in despair. When the band beaches near the Humber to rest, the weakened boy follows them into the forest, only to slip down a slope and knock himself out. Waking after dark, he finds a pond to drink from and a flicker of hope, though hunger still gnaws at him.

That hope curdles as flames rise in the distance: the pirates are sacking a nearby village, with Ear's keen hearing guiding archers to anyone who tries to flee. Horrified by the slaughter, Thorfinn later creeps into the settlement, steals a blade, and stands over the sleeping Askeladd. He cannot force himself to kill a defenseless enemy and slips away, unaware the captain was awake the entire time.

The next morning, as the crew clears bodies and cooks, Bjorn notices his captain looks tired. Askeladd blames a noisy little fly in his room, meaning the boy. Thorfinn then strides up and challenges him to a duel to avenge Thors. Askeladd accepts reluctantly and remarks that Thorfinn should have simply killed him while he slept, but the boy insists that as his father's son he would never stoop so low.

Told to attack, Thorfinn charges clumsily and thrusts, only for Askeladd to sidestep with ease. His sword lodges in wood, and as he strains to free it the whole crew laughs. Askeladd warns him not to let the blade swing him about, kicks the exhausted boy aside, and ends the bout in moments.

Airing August 4, 2019 as the fifth episode, this WIT Studio installment is almost entirely anime-original outside the brief Ylva scenes, drawing loosely on the bonus story Ylva at Work. Ear also makes his animated debut here, earlier than his appearance in the manga. Tomoko Hiramuki and Youji Satou directed, with Atsushi Kobayashi on storyboard.