Intrigue

When the crown prince, Chagum, is born with an ancient water spirit inside him, the emperor sends assassins to dispatch the child - but Balsa, a warrior hired by the empress to protect her son, won't let them murder Chagum without a fight.

On the precipice of a cataclysmic drought, the Star Readers of the Shin Yogo Empire must devise a plan to avoid widespread famine. It is written in ancient myths that the first emperor, along with eight warriors, slew a water demon to avoid a great drought and save the land that was to become Shin Yogo. If a water demon was to appear once more, its death could bring salvation. However, the water demon manifests itself within the body of the emperor's son, Prince Chagum-by the emperor's order, Chagum is to be sacrificed to save the empire. Meanwhile, a mysterious spear-wielding mercenary named Balsa arrives in Shin Yogo on business. After saving Chagum from a thinly veiled assassination attempt, she is tasked by Chagum's mother to protect him from the emperor and his hunters. Bound by a sacred vow she once made, Balsa accepts. Seirei no Moribito follows Balsa as she embarks on her journey to protect Chagum, exploring the beauty of life, nature, family, and the bonds that form between strangers.—MAL Rewrite

When a prophesied water spirit is reborn in the body of the emperor's son, Chagum, imperial assassins are sent to dispatch the boy by any means necessary. Acting in secret, the Second Empress recruits the spear-wielding wanderer Balsa to protect the prince and flee with him into the night. On the run from the Emperor's fierce agents, Balsa and Chagum must uncover the prince's enigmatic ties to the ancient water spirit as the mysteries of Balsa's past gradually emerge.—Sentai Filmworks

Balsa's prowess in battle is legendary, but the weight of death bears heavily on the spear-wielding mercenary's soul. To atone, she has sworn to save 8 lives, no matter what the cost, and now only one life remains. Prince Chagum has been blessed with the power to stave off the droughts that threaten to starve and destroy his father's empire, but he has been accused of being possessed by evil spirits, and court officials have set his own father against him. Condemned to death, he is saved by Balsa's intervention and now, together, the two must unravel the secret of Chagum's powers and the spirit behind them... before the armies sent to murder them can succeed. The best-selling novels from internationally acclaimed fantasy master Nahoko Uehashi are unleashed in the epic animated masterpiece MORIBITO: GUARDIAN OF THE SPIRIT.—Sentai Filmworks