Episode 29

The One Who Sells Souls - Part 1 (魂を売る者·前編, Tamashii o Uru Mono - Zenpen) is the 29th episode of the D.Gray-man anime. It is loosely based on the light novel The Travelling Clergyman.

Short Summary
Allen and Lenalee arrive in Liverpool to meet an old friend called Mother to see if she can help them find General Cross. Over dinner, she informs them that although she used to be Cross' sponsor, she doesn't know where he is. Mother then get's a visitor named Riza, a nurse, looking for Mother to console her, as her husband is dying. Allen tells Lenalee that all of the villagers come to Mother with their troubles, and Mother helps them in order to prevent them from turning into Akuma.

The next day, another nurse, Sarah, loses her husband suddenly in an accident. The following day, Sarah turns into an Akuma, leaving Lenalee and Allen confused, as they had been keeping an eye on her in order to prevent this. Back at the hospital, Lenny passes away.

Long Summary
Allen and Lenalee go to Liverpool to visit Mother in hopes she knows where General Cross. On the way to her house Allen remarks how the town has changed a lot since he’s last been there 3 years prior and they meet Richard. Lenalee then notices a large building and remarks that the town had a quite large hospital.

As they continue their way to Mother’s they pass by a funeral and Allen’s left eye activates at the proximity of an Akuma. More emerge, and after destroying them Lenalee wonders why there were so many. Allen fears that the Akuma may have come for Mother, a supporter of the Order so they hurry to make sure she is safe. At Mother’s place they are greeted by Barba who escorts them to Mother and they dine all together.

They inform her about the death of General Yeegar then ask where Cross may be but she doesn’t know. They are disheartened but then Allen remembers the fight they had that day.. Allen mentions that on their way there they came across a lot of Akuma, believing they targeted Mother. Mother calmed them that no Akuma came for her, however she took notice that in the past 6 months the number of Akuma increased in the area. Before they could further discuss, Mother ushers them to another room and asks them to listen as Riza arrives. Riza breaks down into tears as she recounts that the Doctor told her Lenny had little time left and she despairs at the thought of his impending death. Barba escorts Riza home, Allen and Lenalee emerge from hiding. Worried that Riza may end up an Akuma, Mother asks for their help.

The next day Allen and Lenalee leave with a bouquet made by Barba and come across Richard and his wife, a nurse, Sara parting ways. In the hospital they come across Robert who is angered by the perceived charity of his colleague and rudely shoves at Allen as he passes by the hallway. Sara says he is only interested in money and all the nurses hate him while the Director is a very kind man.

The camera cuts to the Director (AKA the Doctor) administering a dark gray liquid with purple shimmer to Lenny who afterwards immediately starts coughing. He then calls Riza out to the corridor where Allen, Lenalee and Sara overhear him say that Lenny has one or two days left. He encourages her to spend her time with Lenny to the end and as he leaves he advises Sara and the two Exorcists to leave her alone for a while. Allen requests Sara to hand over the flowers a later time and not knowing what to tell Riza they leave, on their way back Lenalee lamenting their powerlessness.

Hearing a carriage approach Allen quickly pushes Lenalee out of the way but the carriage runs over Richard. He is taken to the hospital, passing by Sara as he is taken to the operating room. The Director emerges from the operating room and apologizes to her, implying that he was unable to save Richard’s life. He then calls Sara to talk with him in private, wanting to help her. Seeing Sara’s strength taking the bad news Riza starts crying, her fear of losing Lenny rekindled. Lenalee and Allen comfort her while the Doctor, reassuring her that she has them too. The next morning they leave to attend to Richard’s funeral and upon looking up to see Sara, Allen realises in horror that Sara had been turned into an Akuma. Allen destroys the Akuma made from Sara and Richard’s soul, apologizing for their inability to prevent them from becoming an Akuma and he swears he won’t let anything like this happen again. Allen and Lenalee decide to return to the hospital to find out what is happening just as Lenny and Riza bid each other farewell and Lenny passes away. A mysterious figure in a doctor’s coat eavesdrops on her cries from the cracked door, then promptly leaves, hinting that Lenny did not pass from natural causes.

Characters

 * Allen Walker
 * Lenalee Lee
 * Mother
 * Barba
 * Riza
 * Lenny
 * Sarah
 * Richard
 * Doctor/Director (used interchangably in English depending on the context, in the text and dub solely referred to as Inchou-sensei)
 * Doctor Robert

Episode Notes

 * The episode is loosely based on the light novel The Travelling Clergyman.
 * The novel’s title from The Travelling Clergyman was changed to The One Who Sells Souls
 * Unlike the novel, that takes place before Allen joins the Order, in this version Allen is already a member of the Order.
 * In the novel Allen goes to Mother before joining the Order to ask her for directions to Headquarters, in the anime he goes to ask her where his teacher might be.
 * In the novel Mother only agrees to give him that information if Allen helps her out with Riza’s case.
 * In the novel Allen meets Riza the first time in the cemetery, not in Mother's house.
 * In the anime Lenny, Sarah and Richard start out all alive, in the novel all three are already dead when the story starts.