Security Cameras Make for a Safer Town
Shibuya City
Partway through the 21st century,
the medical procedure for gaining magic power, ether augmentation,
transformed a mafiosi underworld into a kingdom of darkness.
And the bounty hunters who would slay these Dark Lords?
They are known as...
the heroic Braves!
You sure didn't make this easy.
But it's time you gave up, you little twerp.
You villainous fiends are the ones who should surrender!
I was both the most diligent and most beautiful student at the academy!
I see no way I could lose to you!
Booyah.
Ouch!
Scum of the Brave
Meeting of the Braves
Hey, are you alive or what?
Where the hell you at, Yashiro?
I'm already in Shibuya.
Should be there in ten minutes.
Is that right? You sure you didn't chicken out at the thought of facing my deck?
I'll wipe the floor with you soon enough.
Brace yourself for an ass-kicking, loser.
You little—
Joe
I'm dead broke.
Current Cash: 3,500 yen
Yashiro
Dammit.
I shouldn't have let my curiosity get the better of me.
Should I withdraw some more?
Nah, I don't like that idea either.
And then there's rent... and food...
Transportation...
Taxes...
It'd be sweet if I stumbled on some kind of get-rich-quick job.
What the hell?! She's so fast!
Look out—
She fell!
Down there! After her!
Give me a break here.
Wait... maybe she's dead already.
That's right.
And I'm not the kind of scum who'd ditch someone in pain so he could go screw around...
So, please, be dead already!
An injection site?
So she's... a Brave?
That's right.
Now, get away from the runt.
Man, we both have some crappy luck, huh?
I got dragged into whatever this is, and you saw my face.
I know!
How about we both agree neither of us saw anything,
and go our separate ways?
Shut it.
Move aside, and I'll kill you after her.
And if I don't move?
Then I'll make it hurt real bad before killing you.
Pick your poison.
From what I can tell...
He's a minion of the Dark Lord in charge around here.
If I agitate him, it could lead to real problems.
Do I run?
Run...
Run. Quickly.
I'll deal with him...
As much as I would like to run...
I may as well ask...
Hey, lapdog, which Dark Lord do you serve?
Who's your master? I wanna know.
Because funnily enough, I happen to serve a Dark Lord of my own.
And if we butt heads without our bosses's approval...
I'm sure you see the trouble that might cause.
However, none of that was true.
You're a Brave?!
Wait!
That's enough.
He's already beaten.
You should...
You're right.
I should finish him while I've got the chance.
That oughta do it.
Begging your pardon.
I'm grateful that you helped me...
But you didn't need to kill him.
This guy slaughtered my entire family.
I've lived for revenge all this time...
For the day I'd get a chance to kill him.
You're lying, aren't you?
Yep. But what's it matter?
If it was true, would that make it justified?
You gonna punish me or something?
If you can't do anything, then you may as well keep quiet.
One other thing...
You're still young! So quit the Brave thing while you've got a chance, scum!
Only the worst of the worst become Braves.
If she's got a chance at a new life, she oughta take it.
You're gonna wanna hit the hospital.
Seeya.
Please, wait!
Aren't you...
Aki!
Who are you? A servant of Thorns's?
No, he's not. He's a Brave.
He saved me.
You're a Brave?
Who the hell knows?
Please, wait! I haven't properly thanked you yet!
Kids like that, ending up as Braves...
Well, guess it doesn't matter.
I'm gonna knock back some beers with my friends
over some delicious pizza while we enjoy our games.
Who could ask for anything more?
Yashiro.
Why are only deadbeats visiting my bar tonight?
Well, hello to you too, Ed.
I haven't come by in a while. Would it kill you to act happy to see me?
I am a customer.
Not while you're eating and drinking on a tab, you're not.
That also goes for people who don't order anything.
I get the picture!
Gimme a beer.
What the hell kept you, Yashiro?
So damn late. You wanna die?
Unlike you, I've got stuff to do.
Quit lying, Salt Joe!
I can't imagine a loser like you having a full schedule.
Say that again...
Let's leave it at that, gentlemen.
Can't we all just get along?
Well, it's hard to warm up to a murdering loser goon like him.
Take it back, Yashiro. I'm not a loser.
That's quite enough. Come on.
See, Joe? You made Ed mad!
You're the one who started it!
Now, now...
Why don't you settle things with a game?
Good point. We oughta settle up.
Joe, Ishino!
Very well...
Is what I'd like to say,
but are those two girls friends of yours, Yashiro-san?
Or maybe clients?
Hey, I only serve Braves during these hours.
No regular customers allowed.
We are Braves! Second-years in the special course at the academy.
My name is Jogamine Aki!
Thank you for saving my life earlier!
Master Yashiro, I ask you to become our master
and guide us in our quest to free a comrade that a Dark Lord has imprisoned!
Tonight! As soon as possible!
Scum of the Brave
The academy...
Established by the Round Table Foundation six years ago
to deal with the uptick in Dark Lord crime.
A school for training Braves.
Centered around female students, since they tend to have more ether than men...
There's a couple hundred students enrolled.
Bottom line is that they're a program for producing assassins.
The school's motto?
"Justice. Defense. Honor."
What a load of crap.
Buzz off. And "Master," seriously?
If you need help saving your friend, talk to the academy.
No, sir!
We are certain that you are a Brave
with the lofty aspirations and talents we're looking for!
Please, allow me to explain the specifics.
I ask again that you lend us your aid, Master!
What a bunch of garbage...
Listen, I only got involved earlier because that guy came after me.
I don't do charity. So, beat it.
I understand! But you are the only person we can turn to, Master!
We need to slay a certain Dark Lord before the night is over.
Enough. I already said no.
"Practical exercises assigned by the academy are carried out in three-person parties.
"Much like professional Braves,
we formulate a plan and then eliminate the Dark Lord."
But we were defeated tonight due to our inexperience.
And one of our party was kidnapped...
We must take her back, no matter what the cost!
We are earnest in our cause
and cannot afford to waste any time!
I see.
And you think if you roll out the details, you'll be able to convince me to help?
Yes, sir!
Aid from the academy would come no earlier than tomorrow morning.
Please, Master!
Go away!
Well done, Master! An expertly executed shoulder throw!
Well, I'm impressed with how thickskulled you are!
Aki.
Let's just go. He seems useless.
You hear what she said?
Such a sharp tongue.
Who the hell are you?
Say that again!
Apologies for not introducing her sooner!
This is Indo Yukine.
And, Indo, who were you saying seems useless?
It couldn't be a first-rate Brave like me, could it?
Can he really save Sara?
Listen up.
It's not a matter of whether I can or can't...
I'm telling you that I won't.
Because you're scared?
Nobody can beat me.
Even if it means facing the Count of the Amber Thorns?
Amber Thorn?
A third-rate Dark Lord.
His operation is centered around drugs and human trafficking;
he's no different from run-of-the-mill yakuza.
This kidnapped friend of yours...
He might have her doped up to the point that she's entertaining him by now.
Poor thing.
Aki. I'm going. Now.
We're wasting time turning to this loser.
But, Yukine...
She vanished?
How'd she do that?
Well...
Yukine can perceive gaps in space in close proximity to her ether.
And by jumping through those gaps,
she can cover certain distances instantaneously.
Don't you need to go after her?
It's all right. I need to secure your help first, Master.
You really think you've got that kinda time?
I just said your friend is probably...
You were lying.
What do you actually think has become of her?
I would appreciate accurate insight.
What is her deal?
I can't tell if she's dense or razor-sharp.
Well, I'd say...
Since she's an academy student, he's not going to do anything that'd ruin her value.
He'll probably demand a ransom in exchange for keeping her kidnapping quiet,
in addition to her safety.
I see!
Then we still have time.
And all the more reason to save her!
Please, Master! I beg of you!
Hey, Ed...
What do you think, Joe?
I'm betting 20k on Yashiro ending up in the hospital.
Dammit, quit gambling on me!
Your tab's about as high as I'm gonna let it go.
How about you earn some real money?
Are you freaking kidding me?!
Now, now, we don't intend to force the issue.
I mean, this did crop up so suddenly...
And no matter how weak the target it is,
that's asking a lot of someone as... cautious as you are, Yashiro-san.
Right?
Being a Brave is a job for the lowest kind of scum...
But I don't intend on becoming the kind of scum who won't live up to his own big talk.
Twenty mill.
The ransom they'd ask for...
a fifth of that would still be twenty mill.
I don't come cheap.
Twenty million. Can you pay that?
Yes, sir! I won't be able to secure it right away,
but I promise to pay you!
You said your name was Jogamine?
Yes, sir!
I won't be your master or whatever, but I'll do something a bit out of character.
Let's roll.
Yes, sir!
Thank you for your guidance!
You are so loud... and did you even hear what I said?
Yes, sir!
I'd like to bet 30k on Yashiro-san dying.
Don't touch anything!
Yes, sir!
So this is a Brave's garage?!
It's magnificent! I'm impressed!
So, what exactly is the plan here?
The Amber Thorns's fortress is gonna be crawling with minions for security.
Depends on how we end up approaching it.
Considering we know someone's gonna be running in ahead of us...
Go ahead and get your hopes up.
Because as long as I have this, I'm unbeatable.
A bastard sword!
With a long hilt relative to the blade, it's functional
as both a single- and two-handed sword!
Such a versatile weapon!
But I've also heard that the balance is distinct
in a way that makes it hard to use for most people!
Do we really need all that exposition?
They had better not be wrecking my bar...
M-Master?!
Forget about it. And stop calling me that!
More importantly, you fought the Amber Thorn before, right?
Notice anything about his ether sense?
Oh, right.
The Count of Amber Thorns seemed to be doing... something with his hand...
Was it like this? Or maybe...
You can spare me the nitty-gritty.
What actually happened as a result?
Well, when he did...
Intense pain shot through my entire body,
robbing me of my mobility.
Yeah? And what did you think caused it?
Some kind of paralysis, maybe?
That cinches it.
We can kill him.
Ether sense like that should be no problem with a little prep time.
What the...?
Some of Thorns's minions?
Yeah. Now, how about you get a move on?
These guys ruined our game. Dammit.
We can start over when I get back.
Ed, keep those beers cold.
Come on, Jogamine.
I'll show you how a pro does this job.
Yes, sir!
Translation: Timing: Editing: Quality Control: Final Quality Control:
Lee Francis Henry Lin Gabriella Alabanza Riley Dalton Sho Stifler
Next Time
Next time on Scum of the Brave...
We break into the Dark Lord's fortress as a master and apprentice duo!
Let's do it, Master! I'll work hard, Master!
Isn't this exciting, Master?!
Pipe down already!
Next time on Episode 2: "A Brave's Magic."
A Brave's Magic