EPISODE 8: THE SECRET OF THE CROW
Goriki Ryoga? What are you doing here?!
Long time no see, Ogawara.
I'm not here to start anything. I'm only taking him back.
With our relics all busted up, we couldn't fight anyway.
Don't make me laugh!
If that's how you're gonna be, I guess I have no choice.
The bodyguards about to attack us
shall suffer the agony of death.
And the source of the pain is once again...
their crown jewels.
What? You tricked me!
How am I supposed to restore all these in three days?!
Do you ever stop whining?
They look like they'll fall apart if you so much as
look at them wrong!
Quit complaining and get started!
And watch your tone. I'm your boss.
I mean... restorations aren't that easy, okay?
This amount will easily take me several months.
Don't exaggerate.
Is this your restoration relic?
The Japanese Ukiyo-e Painter Brush.
Try it yourself, and you'll see whether I'm exaggerating or not.
You sure?
See? It's not like anyone can do it just because they have the brush.
I'll bet a year's salary that you could never...
Th-That can't be right!
How'd you do that so easily?! And so quickly, too!
Well, looks like I won the bet. What're you gonna do now?
Why do you even need me, then?
Just do it all yourself!
I'm not the right guy. See?
What is this rampant dominance? Begone! Get away from me!
See? Only someone with high affinity can use these things properly.
S-Still, I can't do it at that kind of speed.
You picked the wrong guy.
C'mon.
No arguing. Just get started.
My investment is in your future self.
So give it your all. You'll get better soon enough.
He's so simple-minded.
Now get to work.
[INSPIRED RESTORATION EXPERT] YOU HAVE GAINED A NEW TITLE AND UNLOCKED A NEW SKILL.
What is all this?
"TOMB RESTORATION" (RANK F) HAS BEEN UNLOCKED.
"Tomb Restoration"?
When a tomb falls apart after I take its relic, I can restore it?
Hello?
When am I gonna use that?
Um, Boss?
OLD MAN EDWARD
Hello, Edward.
Oh? You know who I am?
This is getting more and more interesting.
What? You two know each other?!
Of course. Edward will later become the "King of Riches."
He's a British investor and a major player in the relic market.
Right now, he's probably working as a broker between relic users.
His insider information is valuable,
but it has lured many people to their ruin.
I've heard about you, and I might have a job for you.
I heard you got one over on Chairman Ogawara.
Well, what an honor. What's the job?
You're just as sharp as they say.
Recently, the Republic of Bent put a bounty on a tomb.
Anyone who joins the excavation team will receive
a handsome reward for any relics they find.
In return, however, all recovered relics become the property of the Republic.
Apply for the job,
find the relic I'm looking for, and smuggle it out.
I'll pay you any amount you name.
Who are you working for?
Wh-What?
You'd never pick a fight with the Republic of Bent over one relic.
So who's really trying to hire me for a messy job like this?
You really are extraordinary.
All right, I'll tell you.
The request comes from General Kiera Clark.
What?!
General Kiera Clark, the "Queen of War." She's a woman to be feared.
Now do you understand the situation, Goriki Ryoga?
I do. And I'm in.
What's going on?! You're handing me over to the Holtons?!
Er, I-Irene-san...
I'm very sorry! Please forgive me!
L-Look, I... I deeply regret selling your brother that forgery!
Please don't tell him!
Of course.
I'm very glad to see you again, Mr. Swindler.
We can put his transgressions aside for now.
Despite how he looks, he can help you.
He and I are going to teach you how to use relics.
What?
Since we can't separate the Relic of Misfortune from you,
I think it's best that you learn to control it.
You'll learn dominance from me, and affinity from him.
A relic that strong probably can't be fully controlled,
but the two of us together can help you.
All right.
Strange...
More than two thirds of Bent has become a tomb.
Could that be the entrance?
Since the bridge has been destroyed, we can only get there by boat.
Could this relic possibly have something to do with boats?
What's wrong?
The brush is gone!
Y-You idiot! Where were you keeping it?!
My wallet's gone! Where is it?!
Huh?
Gone... It's gone!
Are you kidding me?!
Impressive. Three things were stolen from me, too.
Rope, find the thief and tie them up.
Oh? We're playing? I really get to play?
Here I go!
Did you find something, Boss?
Unless they can teleport, the thief won't get away.
Let's see who we've caught.
Uh, okay...
Here, Master! She's right here!
Oho? Who do we have here?
A-A child? Do you know this girl?
An American agent. She uses Medusa's relic.
From America?
No, wait! Did you say "Medusa"?!
Untie me at once!
Now, now. Behave yourself.
Before her curse, Medusa was said to possess tremendous beauty.
You're too young for this relic.
That said, I won't show mercy to any relic user, even a child.
Don't try anything funny, got it?
Why does it look like we're the bad guys?
Rope, put her down.
Aw, I wanna play some more! Let's keep playing!
You're definitely not alone.
That's right! There are tons of us!
A whole class's worth! So get this rope off me right now!
Oh, yeah? So around twenty, then.
An excavation team must have come here.
But the general hired Edward for this job,
and Edward passed the job on to us.
They've covered their bases twice.
No matter which side succeeds, the US comes out on top.
Given how obsessed Kiera is with this relic,
it must be pretty useful.
It'll be worth it to snatch it for ourselves.
What? "Snatch"?!
We're not handing the relic over to the general?
We've giving her a forgery.
You want to scam a major power?!
I'm not doing it! Forget it! I won't—
Contract, page one, clause five:
The Contractor shall do as the Client orders without objection.
Past me, don't you dare sign that damn contract!
Hey, kid. You've heard of the relic Hammurabi's Code, right?
H-Hammurabi's Code?
No! No!
Let me go already, you creep!
We... really are the bad guys.
I mean it! You wanna get in big trouble?!
What?!
You lost all the relics?!
What's wrong with you?!
Calm down, Thomas.
How am I supposed to calm down?!
This is exactly why we never should've brought a child onto the team!
She never does anything useful and only causes trouble!
I didn't lose them! They were stolen!
Listen carefully.
If you tell anyone about us, unbearable agony awaits you.
Do you understand?
Stolen? By whom?!
I-I don't know...
What?! Is this some kind of joke?!
Argh, I'm going to lose it! This useless little brat!
Please tell us the truth, Vivian. We need to find a way to get them back.
You promised to help us, didn't you?
Okay... It was two men who...
Vivian? Are you all right? Vivian?
That tickles!
Stop it! Enough fooling around!
So the "unbearable agony" was being tickled?!
Please stop!
Is sneaking onto a freighter without a plan really gonna get us on the island?
Now that the CIA is involved, we don't have time to waste.
Getting inside that tomb before them is our priority.
What are you doing? This is an emergency!
Get to your positions!
Man, that spooked me. What happened?
Be quiet. They're coming.
What? Who's coming?
You're finally here! I've been waiting for you, human!
It was waiting for someone?
Well, this doesn't look like it'll be as bad as I thought.
Really?
What's wrong with them?! Something's not right!
Ah, so that's how it is.
One bite from the snake, and it controls them, huh?
Clever.
Such is life on the open sea, human.
Out here, there's no place to run to.
I think you're the one underestimating me, relic.
What?
Being up against humans is actually easier. I just need to use this.
All who let themselves be controlled by a relic
shall regret their stupidity,
slam their heads against the floor in apology to me, and stop moving.
It worked, Boss!
Hmph! Not bad, human.
You truly are the crow's chosen one.
Oh? You seem to know a lot about me.
The rumors about you have already spread far and wide among us relics.
So relics exchange messages with each other?
They're just a bunch of gossips.
A lowly human dares to call us "gossips"?
You certainly talk big.
Are you sure that's wise when all of us relics are out to kill you?
Hey, that's good news. Thanks for sharing it.
Yeah. Saves us time if they're gonna come to us.
You insufferable human...
Enough of that. Let me ask you something.
Who or what is this crow, really?
We haven't forgotten how you, alongside humans,
attacked our kind and stole their powers for yourself!
Ripping you limb from limb would be too lenient!
The Egyptian relics mentioned it, too.
That crow seems to be quite the celebrity among you all.
Why should I answer your question?
What's wrong? Don't you know?
I was a fool to expect anything from you.
What?! You dare insult me?!
That wretched crow...
He was an impressive God Grade relic that, through its power of predation,
absorbed the powers of its prey.
But then that relic made a contract with a human
and betrayed us all for that human's sake.
As a result, countless relics became his prey
or slaves to his contractor.
Well, even so, we ultimately managed to imprison him.
So the tomb I was in before returning to the past was the crow's prison?
How did you manage to lock away that fearsome crow?
It wasn't easy.
We drew his partner over to our side.
That disloyal human tossed him aside like an old shoe.
That allowed us to seal the crow and destroy that scum along with him.
Well? What do you think of our brilliant strategy, lowly human?
I don't know if I'd call it brilliant, but thanks for the information.
What?!
Sounds to me like the crow might not be so bad after all.
If you side with the crow,
you make all of us your enemies!
So what? I never planned to befriend you relics anyway.
Is that so? Then we will show no mercy.
Now go, beastmen!
What the hell are those?!
Guess it's on to round two.
Get away! Stay away from me!
These eyeballs are mine!
That's enough already!
There are too many!
Just a few more!
B-Boss!
Damn it! That relic completely shattered!
That was our last combat relic. Run before they show up!
W-Wait for me!
Find us a lifeboat that's still in decent shape.
We'll use that to escape from here.
Th-There they are! Those are the thieves!
Get in closer!
You mean those two?
Yes, it was definitely them!
If the little girl is with them, then they must be the American team.
I see how it is.
I'll take that guy. You go find a boat, quickly.
O-Okay!
What's with this guy's muscles?!
Give us back our relics.
Hah! Very funny.
Looks to me like you've got a pretty nice relic there.
Should I take that from you, too?
You little worm.
Here, I'll stick it right through your gut.
For his build, he's surprisingly quick.
Guess it's time for me to get serious!
You little—
On the outside, it looks like a steel pipe,
but its true form is definitely a sword.
If he lands one clean hit on me with that, I'm done.
Then I guess I have no choice.
Oh? Even with a weapon, you don't stand a chance.
You think so? Well, let's find out.
Die!
Bring it!