Queen’s Blade Utsukushiki Toushi-tachi OVA 4

Dragging themselves through the scorching hot desert which even causes the shapeshifter’s feet to literally melt, Melona and Airi finally arrive at the city where Menace resides.

Ordered by the swamp witch to bring the Egyptian lord back into the fold, the girls wander through the city wondering how Menace was able to build up an empire so fast, even with her brainwashing skills.

Spotting Ymir, Melona and Airi soon hear the dwarf princess explains she’d heard the city here was prospering so she hoped to strike gold by selling her weapons here.

Unsuccessful, Ymir packs up shop and shows the shapeshifter and ghostly maid where they can find passage to Menace’s palace. Seeing the swamp witch’s minions off, Ymir heads back to Gainos where Clodette is looking for new recruits for her army.

Ferried to the palace by boat, Melona and Airi are in awe at the huge gateway pillars depicting Setra before the large ornate riverbank palace appears before them. Meeting them before they disembark, Setra flies back to announce the arrival of these rather troublesome visitors to Menace.

Impressed at what Menace has accomplished, Melona and Airi are shocked to hear all of her servants are actually willing vassals and not brainwashed minions, for Menace is genuinely loved by the locals.

Being the dutiful maid she is, Airi explains they’ve been ordered to bring Melona back into the swamp witch’s servitude. Hearing Menace refuse, Melona bluntly tells Airi that she too will stay for this leisurely life seems much more interesting than serving the swamp witch’s every whim.

Dragged along into Menace’s pace of copious meals, oil massages and drinking contests, Melona has a great time while Airi’s exasperation is alternated by drunken stupor followed by killer hangover.

When Menace and Melona hold a sparring session, has them a wager on the match, if Melona should win Menace would have to return to the swamp witch, if not, she would be free to stay. However the battle ends in a draw, which infuriates Airi.

With the swamp witch’s deadline near, Melona sees little choice but to get serious too when Airi attacks Menace in earnest, and the two girls face off against the Egyptian ruler in an all out battle.

By dawn, the entire place is turned to rubble, revealing it to have a cheap wooden skeleton with stone panel coverings, Menace having been unable to afford a genuine stone palace.

The exhausted shapeshifter and ghostly maid realize Menace was able to hold her ground, leaving them little choice but to let the ruler be, and they walk off as the city’s people rush to their beloved ruler’s aid to rebuild the palace.

Thoughts on this episode~

Another OVA episode that continues on the same story direction and execution style as the previous ones, though must say I had the impression it contained more explicit imagery as it left no chance unused to showcase Menace, Melona or Airi’s bare bodies.

While this is business as usual for “Queen’s Blade”, still do lament the series focuses so heavily on that type on fanservice for increased focus on the action scenes and overall plot could turn it into a nice medieval/magic genre action show in its own right.

Being all about Menace, we saw plenty of her in this episode, yet Melona and Airi were easily featured just as much.

Quite liked the explanation of Menace’s wealth coming from sales of scaled figures representing her and the other characters, definitely since the figures shown were actually based on the real “Queen’s Blade” figures made by Megahouse.

Next episode we’ll see an evil Nanael!?