01x21 - Yuusha no Kyouji

[bunniefuu]

That was foolish of me.

I would've been better off waiting
for a rescue from my comrades.

Instead, I hastily
attempted to free myself.

How embarrassing!

I'm glad I got the chance
to redeem myself.

Considering how little help
I was before...

Master, I knew you would come for me!

In fact, I never doubted it for a moment!

Shut up already.

So, looks like you guys and Half
Dragon are pretty tight after all.

Guess you were playing dumb before.

I have no idea what
happened to the Musician.

Wasn't he a deviant serial k*ller?

But he was trying to learn about E4.

Our alliance with them
is strictly superficial.

You're still working together.

You've been working with them
since before the party.

Which means you should know...

Who k*lled Ishino?

Ido and the other mercs got
their orders from someone.

Was it Half Dragon's boss?

Or the Coffin Count of Storms?

Or was it you?

Last month, six Half Dragon-affiliated
Dark Lords were k*lled by someone.

Three of them were minions of
the Coffin Count of Storms...

So, I put together a squad
to look into what happened.

Levi and her people were personnel that
Half Dragon provided for the group.

They requested their people join
the hunt for the Brave responsible.

But my boss had no intention
of k*lling the Musician.

It's been her policy to
recruit anyone with skill

in preparation for breaking
things off with Half Dragon.

And they didn't know who it
was until they k*lled him.

There's a good chance Levi and her
people knew but kept it a secret.

If we had known he was your friend...

You think it matters?

Because at the end of the day,

you guys still k*ll anyone
who doesn't side with you.

Gotta say, you're sticking up
for your master pretty hard.

You really care that much
about the nouveau riche b*tch?

That's right.

There's only one Dark Lord who
can stand up to Half Dragon...

And that's the Coffin Count of Storms!

It's their business that has caused
so many Dark Lords to rise.

Would we even have had to
become Braves without them?

Don't you think it's ridiculous?

I am sick and tired of having
my people at their disposal!

All the Dark Lords who've
bowed to Half Dragon

should be disposed of
by the Coffin of Storms!

What do I care?

I'm not here for a sociology lesson.

None of this matters to me.

I see! And I understand your
concern for your comrades.

But your course of action was wrong!

You should atone for your crimes

and seek a legitimate way
to contribute to society!

What is your deal?

Jogamine...

Could you move aside for sec?

I've gotta k*ll him.

Ow!

You little...

What the hell was that?!

The world would be better off
with him dead!

What is this?! My master
would never say that!

This is totally different from
what you said at the park!

You just said that k*lling Dark
Lords wouldn't make crime go away!

k*lling him would serve no point!

Not a single one!

You little twerp. Who the
hell do you think you are?

It's your stupidity that
nearly got me and Sara k*lled!

Why'd you save me back then?

Because I knew that's what
you would've done!

I would never...

You would have!

That was the case with
the Count of Amber Thorns!

You may be the kind of scum that only
cares about his immediate desires,

like beer, pizza, and card games, Master,

but you are still a true Brave!

Shut up.

I will not.

And while I'm at it—

So, Pincers went down too? Not bad!

So, Teach, how many points
is the Reaper worth?

You k*ll him...

And it'd be worth more than a hundred.

Then get that bonus ready! In cash!

You heard 'em.

I guess I'll save the lecture for later.

Hey! The Coffin Count of Storms
is apparently gonna betray you.

Wouldn't the smarter move be k*lling her?

We would never do that.

We put a premium on trust.

Levi's just sending her g*ons.

I guess she wants to see how I react?

Okay. You three versus those three.

Keep the battles one-on-one.

This'll make for a perfect midterm exam.

Are you serious?

Indo, Drit's yours.

Come up with a way to beat him.

Sara...

You tend to freeze up
when you're intimidated.

These three are trash compared
to me and King Arthur.

Just fight normal, you hear me?

Master, what about me?

Please, give me some advice too!

Jogamine...

You...

Yeah, I got nothing.

Master?! What does that mean?!

Should I interpret that as
having learned all there is?!

Hmmm...

His name Drit apparently means "third."

So, is he the third test subject?

Maybe an indicator that he's got
a higher level of E4 compatibility?

He doesn't seem to have
full human consciousness,

but he's not as dumb as
the Nephilim, either.

Add to that those superhuman reflexes...

If those are the result
of ether perception,

then he might have a straightforward
power-up ability, like the priest.

I'd approach this more carefully.

Either wait for a chance to
wear him down with counters...

Or, if I had access to Indo's power,

I could chuck grenades
at him from a distance.

Because without enough firepower to
overwhelm his regeneration and reflexes,

there's no beating him.

But can Indo come up with
a way to manage that?

I recognize that.

I know that one, too.

There's no reason to fear
attacks that I know.

But he knows about my gaps, too.

A new trick...

Oh, how about this?

Yeah. I thought I'd have
to close in to k*ll him...

But, no. This is easier.

Indo...

If you could do that,
why didn't you sooner?!

Does it carry some kind of unique risk?

What happens if someone
grabs her on the other side?

But, nah, the benefits are still too huge!

Why didn't she do this before?

No way of knowing.

Could it be that she just never
thought it up before now?

It's possible.

This is Indo Yukine, after all.

I won.

Yeah...

Great work. You figured
out how to use your head.

You can call yourself
Nine Fingers from now on.

Oh, this sucks.

Tomoe! Hurry and finish
up so you can help me!

I hate this.

Quit trying to run!

Why wouldn't I?

You're pretty strong.

And aren't you King Arthur's daughter?

What's it to you?!

Nothing in particular.

I am wondering why you bother
with this line of work, though.

Shut your trap!

Seki's stairs are pretty bad news.

The way the human body is built,

upwards slashing attacks
can be easily stopped.

So, what will Sara do?

Falling for that taunt is an option.

The important thing is that
she controls her fear.

That can't be done with desperation.
It takes real courage.

A few years after he became King Arthur...

My dad took some time out of his busy
schedule to teach me how to use a sword.

I chose a Japanese sword
in the beginning.

Using the same weapon
as him made me proud.

When you fall, get up as soon as possible.

Yes, sir!

Do you want to be a Brave, Sara?

Yeah.

I want to be a strong Brave, like you!

We're going to train using E3 today.

Don't tell your mother.

My dad had saved tens
of thousands of people.

He's a Brave, the Devil Slayer,

a true hero...

Unacceptable.
What kind of father does that?

This is literally abuse, you realize?!

If you remember, I was against teaching
her self-defense in the first place!

And that's your excuse for
breaking her arm?

So totally stupid! You complete dumbass!

What are you trying to do with Sara?!

Apparently injuries you get when in
shock don't heal instantly, even on E3.

It must've been so scary.

Does Daddy not want me to be a Brave?

That's true.

Neither him or I want you to be a Brave.

It's an important job
but a really hard one.

Anyway, you're not allowed
to train with him anymore.

But...

No! Mom's orders.

Sara, what do you want to do?

You're headed to a practical exercise?

Don't assume what you learned for
competitions will be applicable.

If you've got a problem,
then force me to quit!

That wouldn't work unless
you were convinced.

So, I'm supposed to live
in the lap of safety,

protected by the Round Table?!

That's right.

Don't ruin your life over
some idiotic notion of pride.

Braves are nothing more than murderers.

That includes King Arthur.

There's not much that I can protect.

It pisses me off, but they
keep seeing through me.

Am I Brave for the sake
of my family? My friends?

It's nothing fancy like that.

For me, it comes down to one thing...

one simple thing that I
can't seem to let go of...

Nobody...

screws with me!

You're not going anywhere!

No!

When you said "fight normal,"

you meant "get him to
underestimate you," right?

Yeah. You could've played
even dirtier, though.

"Do you know what my old man will do
to you if I'm hurt?" That kinda thing.

Still, good work.

Remember this. You're strong.

You can do that kind of thing, easily.

I agree with him about not knowing why
you picked this gig for scumbags, though.

Being a Brave doesn't
guarantee you're a scumbag.

So, I'll be the kind of Brave that isn't.

Is that right?

Maybe you can pull that off.

Considering you're King Arthur's daughter.

What the hell?

Are you making fun of me?

Nah. Just saying, having a
big shot dad's gotta be rough.

Don't screw with me...

That Levi chick is up to
something again...

Oh, well. I'm not gonna help,
so relax and fight, Jogamine.

Yes, sir!

Next time, Episode 22:

"A Brave's Ideal."