Daresokare wa…… Tasogare no eiyū

Appears He...The Hero in Twilight (誰そ彼は……黄昏の英雄, Daresokare wa…… Tasogare no eiyū) is the first episode of the The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel: Northern War anime series.

Summary

The Northern Jaegers, the strongest Jaeger corps in all of Zemuria are just returning home to North Ambria completing their shipment escort mission, 850 selge South east of Haliask, the state capital. They engage and defeat several groups of monsters on their way home, including cryon bits, plant monsters and golems. Ivano and Tack bemoan the presence of newbie Lavian Winslet who has joined their unit despite only having 6 months of experience. They compare her to the prodigy Purple Lightning. Ivano attempts to pelt her with snowballs but her reaction is too quick and she evades them all. They engage in a snowball fight but Ivano and Tack fail to notice a golem which Lavian quickly dispatches.

Lavian notices a drome trail and discovers a village being attacked by dromes. Ivano and Tack set off a flare and the corps rush into save the village. The unit slays most of them, and the surviving dromes retreat. The unit gives medical attention to the village and starts to help rebuild its defences. The drome venom is too much for the village to treat so an injured couple must be taken to Haliask. The grandmother and granddaughter will need to accompany the corp.

They are suddenly aware the dromes must have been fleeing from something and they hear a loud roar. A sasquatch attacks the village next but it is impervious to the jaeger's rounds. Commander Dren is injured saving one of his men and the order is given to retreat to the church. Lavian ignores this and engages the sasquatch. Ivano and Tack join her. The guns remain ineffective and Lavian is knocked aside, with Ivano and Tack running out of ammunition. Lavian picks up a discarded great sword and slashes the sasquatches foot before running up its back and stabbing it in the head, slaying it.

In the capital. Lavian, Ivano and Tack submit forms apologising for disobeying orders and receive a 3-month pay cut. Lavian also submits a form requesting relief for the village that was attacked. They meet Commander Dren at the entrance to the legislative palace who is alright but has an injured arm. Ivano and Tack take Lavian to buy them some Northern Borsch as repayment for dragging them into it. Two officials hurriedly pass them by.

In the Liberation Square, now an arcade and full of market stalls, Lavian Ivano and Tack visit several stores and sit down to eat Northern Borsch. Passing civilians converse about wanting the Northern jaegers to do more to help the populace of the country. The grandmother and grandchild spot Lavi and they all go to the memorial.

At the memorial, which commemorates the heroes of the revolution 27 years prior, the girl, Miju gives Lavi a doll of a jaeger as a thank you. The grandmother says the injured couple will be alright and states how Liberation Square has changed a lot since the revolution. She was present when the Salt Pale first occurred and fled when the subsequent salinisation and riots occurred. In that time, the ruling family fled and the heroes of the revolution organised the country again, and in doing so, formed the Northern Jaegers.

Rogan Mugart one of the corps' radical leaders, arrives at the memorial just as nightfalls, bringing his Phenomenon squad. Rogan is a war monger and has a strong influence of the corps. He knows of Lavi and her grandfather Vlad Windlset who was a hero of the revolution, but left North Ambria afterwards. He makes the declaration that Calvard has lost to Erebonia due to the actions of a single Panzer Soldat and hero, and that Crossbell has been annexed by the Empire. He calls for a new revolution because the heroes of the old one are all dead.