Griffith and Guts continue to have success in battle and Griffith is made a count. The king's brother, General Julius, is furious about this as he and Minister Foss plot Griffith's murder with a poison arrow during an upcoming hunt.

Guts assassinates Julius, but is emotionally scarred when forced to kill Julius' son Adonis to conceal the deed. Later, he hears Griffith tell Charlotte that he would consider a true friend to be his equal, someone with his own dreams and who follows his own path. Guts realises that although he is close to Griffith, he is not his friend.