Toaru Majutsu no Index III Episode 12

Mercenary (傭兵) is the twelfth episode of the third season of the Toaru Majutsu no Index anime series. It was broadcast on December 22nd 2018, and was directed by Nogami Yoshiyuki, was storyboarded by Ochi Kojin, and the script written by.

Synopsis
''An invasion by the knights? The chaos brought about by this fighting will be slashed by one man's sword. His name, William Orwell.''

Adapted From

 * Chapter 4 & Chapter 5 Parts 1 - 7

Major Events

 * Empowered by the Curtana Original in the hands of Carissa, the Knights of England commence a coup d'état and seize key locations and persons across the United Kingdom.
 * Acqua of the Back (aka William Orwell) returns and saves Princess Villian from execution before facing his old friend, the Knight Leader.

Characters
By order of appearance:
 * Carissa
 * Agnese Sanctis
 * Lucia
 * Agata
 * Agnese Forces
 * Laura Stuart
 * Elizard
 * Index Librorum Prohibitorum
 * Knight Leader
 * Kamijou Touma
 * Oriana Thomson
 * Sherry Cromwell
 * Kanzaki Kaori
 * Villian
 * William Orwell
 * Floris

New Characters

 * Smartvery

Abilities

 * Lotus Wand - Agnese Sanctis
 * Golem Ellis - Sherry Cromwell
 * Imagine Breaker - Kamijou Touma

New Abilities

 * Ascalon - Acqua of the Back
 * Bayard - Acqua of the Back
 * Hrunting - Knight Leader
 * Hair Magic - Laura Stuart

Locations

 * United Kingdom
 * England
 * London
 * St. George's Cathedral
 * Folkestone
 * Scotland
 * Edinburgh

New Locations

 * United Kingdom
 * England
 * London
 * Palace of Westminster
 * Windsor Castle
 * Canterbury Cathedral
 * Folkestone
 * Scotland
 * Eurotunnel
 * Eurotunnel

Trivia

 * The voice actress of the unnamed sister is Hirose Yuuki.
 * The voice actors of the unnamed knights are Maeda Hiroki, Muro Genki, and Satou Ken.
 * Their appearance in the movie notwithstanding,  this marks the debut of witches in the anime.

Referbacks

 * The previous discussed possibility of magic having been used in the Eurotunnel bombing is confirmed, specifically a spell based on the House of Loreto.

Cultural References

 * The , the seat of the United Kingdom's Parliament, including the clock tower, is seen briefly as one of the places the knights had taken over, as is Canterbury Cathedral.
 * During the establishment shot of London (specifically the financial district known as the ) during the Knights' attack, several prominent skyscrapers can be seen, including the, the , and the.
 * The train which Touma was riding to Folkestone appears to be a, bearing the traditional color scheme associated with them since the 's opening in 1994, as opposed to the more recent , which were delivered in 2014.

Differences in Adaptation

 * In the novel, when the Agnese Forces fought the knights at the yacht harbor in Edinburgh, it is said that Agnese's group was composed of 250 people and they were facing 700 knights, but there were much fewer people shown in the anime.
 * This episode doesn't adapt the first part of the conversation between Laura Stuart and Elizard, which leaves a hint concerning Laura's age, because it is said in the novel that she and Elizard have known each other for a very long time.
 * Villian, rather than being held by knights when she faced Carissa in the anime, was immobilized by fear in the novel.

Animation Trivia

 * Unlike in the novels, where Ascalon shines with different colors depending on the function of the blade which is being used, the sword's glow instead remains blue.

Quotes

 * Villian: "You're late. You're late, you has-been mercenary scoundrel!" -said to William Orwell after he saved her.

Preview

 * "An invasion by the knights? The chaos brought about by this fighting will be slashed by one man's sword. His name, William Orwell."