03x06 - Invitation to Death

[bunniefuu]

[STUDENTS gasp]

[STUDENTS gasp]

[FLUDER]

Death Knight.

Summon Undead Sixth.

[FLUDER]

Submit to me.

[FLUDER] Still, the

monster will not yield.

If I could control this fiend.

I would surpass even

Rigrit Bers Caurau,

and become the most accomplished

magic caster in this world.

I believe you've surpassed

the power of the

Thirteen Heroes, sir.

Anything to report?

Nothing as of yet, sir. Sorry.

That's a shame.

We are still unable to simulate

a natural transformation.

Correct.

We're currently testing

to see whether proximity

to the undead is enough to

turn a corpse into a zombie.

[FLUDER grunts]

[EMPIRE KNIGHT A]

My Lord Fluder. I have news.

A pair of Adamantite

class adventurers

wish to meet with you.

[FLUDER] Are they from

Silver Thread Bird?

Or if not, perhaps they're

members of Eight Ripples.

[EMPIRE KNIGHT A]

No, sir.

They're a team that calls

themselves "Darkness."

[FLUDER]

Hm.

[AINS] These are happy

times for the Empire.

[NARBERAL]

Oh? And why do you say that?

[AINS] The eyes of those

walking past are bright.

They're the eyes of

a people that believe

the future holds

promise for them.

I've quite enjoyed

the view so far.

[AINS]

Emperor El Nix rules here.

Though, by all accounts,

he earned his title

as the Bloody Emperor,

his reforms have

greatly improved

the people's lives.

According to Fluder,

he removed all incapable

nobles from power

and chose their replacements

based on merit alone.

The country is avidly

researching magic

and improving their m*llitary.

[AINS]

Take a look at those knights.

[HORSE whinnies]

[AINS] These professional

soldiers are the backbone

of the Empire's m*llitary.

[EMPIRE KNIGHT B]

Hey, look.

[EMPIRE KNIGHT C]

Adamantite adventurers?

[NARBERAL] I must say,

they still seem rather weak.

[AINS]

Indeed they are, to our eyes.

But they're far stronger

than any force comprised

of peasant levies and

self-equipped nobility.

[AINS]

Now, then.

We came all this way,

so we may as well

visit the local

Adventurer's Guild.

I'd like to do a simple

job to get my name out.

Though I hear the guild

is less active here.

I heard the same.

The second-rate sell-swords

common around here

are known as "Workers."

[AINS] They're not

necessarily inferior.

They just take quests

outside of the guild.

They aren't protected

by the guild,

but nor are they bound

by its rules.

I imagine there's some merit

in making such a choice.

[MOMONGA sighs]

Man, this is gonna be a hassle.

[DEMIURGE] This plan will

allow us to declare

the Great Tomb of Nazarick

a sovereign nation.

And to spread word of

the great and mighty

Ains Ooal Gown

throughout this world.

[AINS]

Yes.

I believe this will help

achieve our noble purpose.

You honor me.

My lord, with your blessing,

I'd like to begin at once.

[AINS]

Mm.

[MOMONGA]

Demiurge really did come up

with a kickass plan.

I'd be hard-pressed to come

up with something better.

And, regardless...

[AINS]

The die has already been cast.

[LOUNE] The "incident"

in the Re-Estize Kingdom

caused significant damage

and casualties there.

Our reports indicate

the demon Jaldabaoth

was eventually defeated

by an Adamantite class

adventurer known as

Momon of Darkness.

I see. And Momon

slayed this demon?

[LOUNE]

No, it escaped him.

The kingdom has

tightened security

and is searching for it.

But, despite their efforts,

there've been no sightings of

the demon in the days since.

Then the Re-Estize

Kingdom is already

in a state of exhaustion.

If so, then there may be

no need for us to wage

our annual w*r this year.

Through their

incompetent nobles,

we've learned key information.

The great Baharuth Empire

will never follow

in the footsteps of

that kingdom of fools.

I, Emperor Jircniv Rune

Farlord El Nix,

have an order for you.

Imperial Court Wizard

Fluder Paradyne.

Are you prepared to serve me?

[FLUDER]

Yes.

Begin to investigate the demon

Jaldabaoth will all haste.

Yes, Your Majesty.

This Momon of Darkness

piques my interest as well.

So, too, does Ains Ooal Gown,

the man who saved

the king's Chief Warrior.

Some powerful figures

are emerging.

Heroes and demons alike.

Makes me wonder.

It's been years

since the w*r against

the Demon Gods was fought.

Perhaps we're overdue

for another w*r like it.

How do you suppose the

Four Imperial Knights

would perform in such a battle?

I dunno. Could get a bit dicey.

But with all four

of us together,

I bet we could make a

good account of ourselves.

If there's a chance

of victory, I'll fight.

But if defeat is

guaranteed, I'll retreat.

The emperor is here.

Do try to show

a bit more respect.

Worry not. You can

be as you are here.

Listen, old man.

Continue your

investigations both

on Momon of Darkness

and Ains Ooal Gown.

In regards to one, at least,

I have some news that

you may find interesting.

Do you?

[ZANAC] Unfortunately,

it will be some time before

the streets and buildings

are fully repaired.

Jaldabaoth did quite

a bit of damage.

[RENNER]

Tell me, brother.

Do we have any idea what

happened to the people

the demons took as prisoners?

We're looking into the matter.

All we're certain of now

is that almost , people

were somehow taken

without a trace.

How terrible.

Father. Do not be discouraged.

Across the land, the people

are praising your leadership,

and working hard

on the restoration.

All thanks to the plans created

and implemented

by you and Renner.

Jaldabaoth was overheard saying

that he was after

a magical item.

The magician's guild

is looking into this.

Finding what he wants

may help us find him.

[MAID A]

Please wait!

Huh?

Father, it's good to see you!

Prince Barbro.

Though you're his son,

you cannot enter

the king's presence unannounced.

Be silent, you upstart commoner.

Cheeky peasant.

I ought to have you

thrown in the dungeon.

You'll do no such thing.

Sir Gazef is my Chief Warrior

and trusted bodyguard.

He spoke only as his

duty requires of him.

Only nobles may become

knights of this kingdom.

It's dangerous to

keep a lowborn man

like him at your side.

What business do you have here?

We've come to ask why you've

left E-Rantel undefended!

That's because the Empire

is not attacking us, brother.

All we know is that

the Empire doesn't plan

to att*ck us around harvest

as they have in the past.

They must be shifting

the time of their att*ck

so as to catch us off guard.

Right!

Send me to crush the Empire

and the demon

Jaldabaoth after that.

Put your faith in me.

My younger brother can

scarcely swing a sword.

[RAMPOSA sighs]

--[BRAIN, GAZEF grunting]

--[clanging]

[yells]

[grunts]

You've come a long way, Brain.

That sounds a little

patronizing from down here.

[CLIMB]

Brain. Are you hurt?

C'mon, I'm not that fragile.

Well fought. That was amazing.

It was an honor just

to see that match!

It's closer every time.

[CLIMB]

I have duties to attend to.

So I'll excuse myself.

Until next time.

What about you, Brain?

I've got the day off actually.

This job has its perks.

I'm glad Princess Renner

hired you, but I'm surprised

you agreed.

Yeah, I surprised myself

with that one, too.

Whelp. I'm headed out as well.

Take care.

[GAZEF] I feel like he's

bound to disappear again.

It'd be great if he'd

replace me when I retire.

But something tells me

that won't happen.

[HEKKERAN]

It's the truth, Rober!

He was in full-plate armor,

black as night,

and he had two greatswords.

This guy was the real deal,

I'm tellin' ya.

Think he was a mercenary?

Either that, or he's

a foreign adventurer.

I know all the famous ones

that work in the Empire,

but I've never heard

of someone like him.

So he's not a worker?

[HEKKERAN sighs]

No way.

He had a completely

different air to him.

Oh, yeah!

Did I mention he had a

beautiful dame by his side?

She had gorgeous black hair,

and don't even get me

started on her eyes.

So that's what you

wanted to talk about.

Surely you don't think

she's as good looking

as Ms. Imina.

Well, to be honest,

she was even more beautiful.

And to think,

it was only yesterday

that you were swearing you

had eyes for no one else.

Please don't tell

her I said that.

I'll buy you a drink, okay?

Hey, old man, can you

get this guy a--

Water.

Come on. He went out

shopping, didn't he?

Ugh.

Oh, hello, Imina.

What's up?

[HEKKERAN] Nothin', you're

just a little early is all.

Huh?

--[ARCHE grunts]

--Oh, excuse me, Arche.

It's fine.

[HEKKERAN]

Well, members of Foresight,

it's time to talk business.

This job'll take us to

the Re-Estize Kingdom.

They're looking for people

to explore an ancient tomb.

In short,

the job is to sneak

into another country

and rob an ancient gravesite.

That's right.

It's a dirty job, which makes

it suited for us Workers.

Tell me, Arche.

You manage to get any

details on our client?

I did. The client's well known.

Name's Count Femel.

He's a noble who's said

to be losing favor

with the Bloody Emperor.

However, he's yet

to have any privileges

stripped from him,

so he's still wealthy.

So we know he can pay, then.

He's offering gold

up front and after.

[ROBERDYCK, IMINA gasp]

It's one of those

contracts that pays high

up front and on completion.

These don't come up too often.

And on top of that,

we get bonus pay

depending on what we find.

Word is, we're not the

only team he's hiring.

Here's the really exciting part.

This ruin's never been

explored before.

Well, that's

certainly a surprise.

I didn't think such a

place could still exist.

And can your source be trusted?

[ARCHE] It's true that there's

no evidence of a ruin there

on any maps of the area.

Nor could I find any

historical references

to a tomb or city.

There's a village

fairly close to it.

We can ask there.

I wish.

I'm sure the client wants us

to be as discreet as possible.

Of course. If we do

something careless,

that's it. We'll surely invoke

the wrath of the kingdom.

So it's a dirty kinda job,

like I said before.

All right.

So do we take the money

or turn it down?

Roberdyck?

I'm willing to try it.

Well, vice leader?

Sure, let's do it.

We haven't had a proper job

like this in a while.

At least it's not hunting undead

in the Katze Plains. Arche?

If you're doing

all this to help me,

I'd like you to stop.

We can turn this job down.

I'll be okay.

It's not for you.

It's for all of us.

We get gold even if

nothing's down there.

S'good. Right, Rober?

My thoughts exactly.

Though an untouched tomb's

bound to have treasure.

Don't you think, Hekkeran?

Whaddaya say, Arche?

Thank you all.

You know, it is too bad.

But I doubt even this

reward'll be enough

to pay off your parents' debt.

[ARCHE]

That's all right.

As long as I can pay some of it,

the creditors will wait.

Lemme know if you want me

to talk with your father.

I would be happy to offer

the word of God to him.

Although, he'll need to

learn God's anger first.

We might have to poke

a few holes in his ears

before he can hear us.

Uh--

This isn't right.

It's their debt.

They should pay it themselves.

I'll just take my sisters.

[bell rings]

If Ms. Arche takes

in her sisters,

she won't be able to do

dangerous work anymore.

She'll most likely

have to retire.

Then what'll she do for cash?

She oughtta be just fine.

I mean she's a

third tier magic caster.

There's plenty'a

work in the city

for somebody at her level.

That's a good point.

We're the ones who're

outta luck here.

[ROBERDYCK] True. Third tier

magic casters are rare enough.

I doubt we'll ever find another

with that special

talent of hers.

It's a valuable skill.

Just by observing

another magic caster,

she's able to tell exactly what

tier of spell they can cast.

I hear Fluder Paradyne

has that particular

gift as well.

[sighs]

I guess we could always recruit

a second tier magic caster

and train 'em up.

That sounds like it should

be our last resort.

Yeah, but workin' as a team

of three would be risky.

Unless you two wanna

rejoin the guild.

I fight to save life.

And that goal is ill-aligned

with the rules of the temple.

If it comes to that point,

I expect I would retire myself.

[HEKKERAN]

Retire to do what?

[ROBERDYCK]

Oh, I'd be fine with any job

that involved helping people.

I could work the fields

in new villages,

and spread the word

of God to them.

Huh, I wonder what I should do.

Should you really be making

that decision on your own?

Ah-- Hey, watch yourself.

[ROBERDYCK chuckles]

Aw, there's no need

to be jealous

of what we've got goin' on.

I'm sure you'll find

love eventually, too.

How the hell did you get

through all those bottles?

It's okay! Just tell

us how you feel.

Or I'll bite'cha.

[door opens]

[ARCHE'S FATHER]

Arche. Welcome home.

[ARCHE'S MOTHER]

Welcome home, dear.

[ARCHE]

What's that?

This fine lamp was created

by the artist Jean Sharlu.

[ARCHE]

We didn't own that before.

So how did it get here?

That's simple.

I purchased it from his

gallery this very morning.

[gasps]

[ARCHE'S FATHER] And would you

believe it was only gold!

Ha!

Why did you buy it?

[ARCHE'S FATHER]

We're nobles.

We're supposed to spend

money on such thi--

We aren't nobles anymore!

No!

Once that wretched Emperor dies,

our prestigious family shall

retake our rightful place!

We are not yet vanquished!

As long as we

continue to demonstrate

our power and nobility,

those fools who doubt us

will know that our proud

house has not given up!

As I've told you many times,

we can't waste any money.

We should only be buying things

that are necessary for survival.

[ARCHE'S FATHER]

This is necessary!

I won't waste more

money on this house!

My sisters and I are leaving!

Where's your sense of gratitude

for the years of care that your

mother and I provided you?

[ARCHE]

I've paid my debt.

[ARCHE'S FATHER growls]

[sighs]

[UREIRIKA giggles]

You're back!

Where's Kuude?

[UREIRIKA]

Our room.

I see.

I want to sit down with

you two and have a talk.

Shall we go?

[UREIRIKA]

Sure!

I've never felt hands

as hard as yours, sis.

But, I love them.

Why, thank you.

[HEKKERAN]

Well...

This may be Foresight's

final adventure.

[HEKKERAN]

I'll be damned.

Never seen this

many famous Workers

in the same place at once.

This client really does

have deep pockets.

Stop running your mouth.

The leaders are all

gathering, so get in there.

Fine, I'm on it.

I was expecting your group

to make an appearance here.

'Course we did.

Nice to meet you guys in person.

[ERYA] I've heard

many interesting things

about Foresight.

[HEKKERAN]

Same, Heavenly Warrior.

I look forward to seeing

the one swordsman

they say can equal

Gazef Stronoff in action.

Your words do me honor.

That said, I doubt

he's my true equal.

Before too long, it'll be him

who's compared

to me, Erya Uzruth.

Those are some bold words.

Are those all the members

of Foresight behind you?

Oh, my. An elf? No, a half elf.

You take it easy.

No hands on my companion.

I wouldn't dream

of such a thing.

A comrade in arms should

be treated with respect.

Now that we've

completed our greetings,

I'll excuse myself.

That one's a bit on

the dangerous side,

if you ask me.

I was thinkin' the same thing.

Do you think he's actually

as skilled as they say?

I saw the man in action

at the colosseum recently.

It's true he's as strong

as the Kingdom's

Chief Warrior was

a few years ago.

[sl*ve A screams]

Heartless bastard.

It looks like swordsmanship

is the only thing

him and Stronoff have in common.

Your attention.

First, please allow me to thank

each and every one of you

for accepting my

count's request.

Please, come this way.

[GUILD ADVENTURER A]

Hey, grab this, will ya?

[HEKKERAN]

Sleipnir?

Even grand nobles rarely

have those steeds.

We've prepared carriages

for your mission.

And we've hired guild

adventurers to protect

the campgrounds

until you return.

I'm willing to entrust

gold-plated adventurers

with the task of carrying

my things for me.

But when it comes to

the protection of them,

I'm a little less confident

in their abilities.

Then I'm pleased to inform you

that we've hired some extra

protection. Mister Momon.

Let me introduce you to

the Adamantite Adventurer

Momon of Darkness.

As well as his

teammate, Miss Nabe.

[WORKER A]

Whoa, I've heard of him.

[WORKER B]

He's the highest rank there is.

I take it you find this

protection sufficient.

[AINS]

I would like to ask something.

Why have you chosen

to go to these ruins?

[ALL]

Huh?

[AINS] For most adventurers,

there's a moral imperative

to accept each job

request they receive.

I'd like to know why

you Workers decided

to take this request.

What drives you?

The amount of money.

[AINS] So it comes down

to that: you've been offered

enough money to put

your lives on the line?

That's correct.

We've been offered

a sum of money

we would risk death to gain.

[AINS] Very well. It's your

right to make that choice.

[AINS] I see now. I asked

a truly worthless question.

Forgive me.

[AINS] The mercenaries invading

the Great Tomb of Nazarick

cannot possibly comprehend

the danger they face.

They shall find the

riches they seek,

but they will have

little use for them...

...in death.

Their eyes blinded

by a few baubles,

they journey deeper into

the bowels of Nazarick.

They are no better than

maggots looking to feed.

Chapter : "Butterfly Entangled

in a Spider's Web."

No trespasser shall

escape my grasp.