Episode 4

## Bloody Maria

**Bloody Maria** (血塗られたマリア, *Chinurareta Maria*) is the fourth episode of the Ultramarine Magmell anime.

## Synopsis

A woman heralded as a saint for her philanthropic work goes missing inside Magmell. The townspeople ask Inyo to rescue her, but he refuses.

## Summary

Inyo and Zero walk down the market and Zero notices some food from a stall that she wants. Being stingy, Inyo doesn't give her enough money, but she manages to convince the seller to sell it for less and charge the next customer more, which happens to be Inyo. They hear some commotion and Belena Stralia shows up, a miracle worker who went eight times to Magmell and miraculously came back all eight times. She announces her ninth trip, but Inyo tells Zero that she isn't a miracle worker, but a Bloody Maria.

Wondering why would Inyo say that, Zero starts her own investigation and reads online articles about Belena, which makes her out as a saint. She then uses her drone to spy on Belena's orphanage, but doesn't find anything unusual expect Belena noticing her drone.

Seeing a article on Belena on his computer, Inyo recalls how he met Belena. Years ago, he was with his master Shuin and they heard a scream from a girl. Shuin goes and easily defeats the monster, explaining this wasn't a place for a young woman, but Belena tells him she has something that she needs to do. During the night, charmed by her looks, Inyo sneaks out looking for her, but is shocked from what he sees.

On the next day, a group of people request that Inyo go to Magmell and save Belena, but he refuses. He wonders that if they cared for her that much, why did they let her leave in the first place, and they explain there were other people with her, but they lost contact with them too. Inyo comments that it wasn't advertised that other people were going with her and that she is a crook. The group of people reveal that the others volunteered to go with her to Magmell due to her status as a saint. Zero comments that she thinks Belena is a good person and that the children need her. Inyo still refuses, but Zero tells the people that she accepts the request.

Zero heads out to Magmell and manages to find Belena and save her from a monster that had killed her squad. Meanwhile, Inyo also decides to go to Magmell and ends up fighting the same specifies of monster that Shuin beat when they met Belena. He manages to injure the monster, but as it runs, he goes looking for it. Zero and Inyo then see Belena had found the monster and had ripped it open, taking its heart. Covered in blood and with an evil smile, she comments she can sell its heart for a high price and save more children. As more monsters surround them, Belena gets excited of how many organs she would be able to sell and runs off and hides. Seeing Belena's true side and not caring for the people that died for her, Zero stops Inyo from saving Belena and they leave.

On the next day, news of Belena death spreads, but the people refuse to accept it and say that she is now a god. Walking in the market, Zero comments its hard to say what's good and what's evil, and how easily people cling and get manipulated by things. They reach the same seller with the fruits that Zero likes and Inyo decides to buy two, leaving his change to the seller. Zero is surprised on what happened, but Inyo assures her this was the first and last time that he was ever going to do this.

## Characters

* Inyo
* Zero
* Belena Stralia
* Shuin