Episode 17

Episode 17 is the fifth episode of season 2 of The Promised Neverland anime. It aired on Febuary 5. 2021.

Synopsis
After the shelter attack, the group settles in an abandoned temple a short ways from a demon town. However, they are faced with three dilemmas: Food, resources, and the fear of being hunted down.

Plot
after the attack on the shelter, a group of demons make way into a nearby town under guise of business. They discover that most of the populace are bitter and poor due to the nobility taking almost all shares of human meat, thus making them a luxury. In an abandoned temple not far from town, the kids live in temporary residence struggling to make ends meet while Emma and Ray figure out what to do after the attack. Later that night, Emma goes into a self-loathing depression after all that's happened and figures that her goal was impossible to begin with. Ray overhears this and whispers to himself that she was the reason why he's still here today.

The next day, Thoma and Lannion reveal their demon costumes to the group and beg Emma to take them with her into town. Emma objects initially, but gives in when Don decides to take them anyway. Suddenly, a bell rings and everyone freezes. An old demon emerges from the shadows, not able to recognize the children due to blindness, and believes they are demonic children who are passing through. Warning them not to stay in the temple too long due to bad omens, he begins to prepare an offering to his demon goddess, but drops both apples and cane in the process. Against Gilda's warnings, Emma helps the demon out at risk of being mauled herself, but the demon thanks her for her help, breaking her cold sweat. He begins to pray for his kind and wishes for everything to turn out better for them. Through the prayer, the kids learn that the demon town is suffering because of the lack of meat and the stockpiling of the remaining supply for the nobility. He fears that it's in danger of becoming "wild" again. Wishing for the town to prosper again, he leaves.

In the town's slums, two demons look at their relatives' deteriorating conditions and worry they won't survive the next couple of days. One of them believes that the kids that escaped from Grace Field are still at large and might possibly be in town, and if they catch them and feed them alive, their relatives will survive and be cured of their sickness.

Back in the forest, Thoma and Lannion show their slingshot method of catching the Goowee fish to the group, which they're amazed by and proceed to catch the fish this way. Once they're done, they decide to trick Emma to go into town to get some seasoning there, which she does. However, once in the market, the two bump into the same demons who were searching for them by accident. At first apologizing for this encounter, the demons start to smell human meat and believe that they were carrying some, but find fish instead. As the two were walking away, they still smell human meat. In a panic, the two run and the demons give chase all across town. Emma and Ray watch from the rooftops before they were chased by another group of demons.

As soon as both groups lost their pursuers, they jump back down and try to navigate back to the temple, only for the original two demons to find them, and then another group of demons hold Emma and Ray at sword-point. While the former group tries to dissuade the latter to not kill their quarry, they did not notice another demon appearing behind them and sliced them in half, surprising Emma and Ray. However, they are pushed to their leader holding a cane; while expecting their deaths, he say's Emma's name and declares that he found them, and they discover to their shock and horror that the demon behind the mask is Norman.