The following contains spoilers for The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody Episode 4, "Duel," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
In Episode 4 of The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody, the secretive group of demons that were first revealed in “The Demon Lord’s Play” show themselves once more. Hidden in the audience of the Laville National Academy of Magic tournament, they suddenly present themselves and attack members of the public to distract the group of sorcerers from their true goal.
Ard, Ireena and Ginny -- along with their parents and professors -- jump into the fight to defend the town’s citizens, but things don’t go according to plan. Ginny and Ireena are overwhelmed by the appearance of a crystallized being that towers above them. In an effort to defend his daughter and her companion, Sir Olhyde jumps into the battle to take down the monster. He is successful, but is suddenly attacked from behind and lies motionless on the ground. Is Sir Olhyde really dead? Why didn’t Ginny and Ireena attempt to revive him, and who attacked this powerful sorcerer?
Who Attacked Sir Olhyde?
Just as Sir Olhyde manages to take down the powerful crystal creature, he is stabbed in the back by the hand (quite literally) of Professor Jessica, a teacher at the Laville National Academy of Magic. However, all is not as it seems as Jessica reveals that this is not her true identity. She is actually Elzard, the Frenzied King of Dragons, and demonstrates that she is in fact not (entirely) human but a demon just like the rest of the cloaked figures attacking the tournament's attendees.
Unsurprisingly, the name will not mean a great deal to The Greatest Demon Lord viewers at this point in time. However, recalling the previous episode will provide more context to this sudden revelation. At the end of Episode 3, the group of cloaked demons that attacked Ard, Ireena and Ginny discuss that their leader is a woman who wishes to end the world. It appears that Elzard, formerly Professor Jessica, is this character.
Is Sir Olhyde Truly Dead?
In short, it’s hard to tell. Ultimately, The Greatest Demon Lord is still rather new and the full capabilities of its cast of characters or the magical powers they wield are not yet known. Realistically, Sir Olhyde should be dead as the full hand of Elzard penetrated his chest, which would have almost certainly killed him.
However, it has been made clear that like Ard’s parents, Olhyde is a well-respected and powerful sorcerer. Therefore, it’s possible that he managed to sustain himself through an ability that might be unknown to viewers right now. Furthermore, even if Olhyde himself is unable to heal his wounds, he might be strong enough to receive assistance at a later date.
Why Didn’t Ginny or Ireena Attempt to Help Sir Olhyde?
While both Ginny and Ireena were naturally shocked by the incident, many have questioned why they didn’t do more to help Sir Olhyde. Although it is still unclear how healing powers work in this series, it seems likely that either Ginny or Ireena could have used certain spells to assist him. However, they may have recognized that he was beyond saving and consequently focused their efforts on their opponent.
Sadly, Sir Olhyde's death was rather underwhelming as the story hasn't really had enough time to build up his character. His demise, if confirmed, would have likely been better placed further down the line so viewers had the opportunity to become more emotionally attached.
Instead, his assassination has come as a rather cheap shot that has been used in an effort to highlight the strength of Elzard and position her as the series' primary villain. Hopefully the pace of The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody will slow down enough so the world it has created can be fleshed out -- along with its characters.
