01x06 - The Assassin Fights Demons

[bunniefuu]

What frightening power.

Master!

Master

The master's mana use has exceeded

acceptable parameters.

Automatically engaging Shadow Magic.

Recovery mode.

Healing will require the use

of emergency mana stores.

Healing complete.

Disengaging Shadow Magic.

Are you with us now, Master?

Where am I?

Crow's house.

I carried you here while you were down.

How long was I out? Five or six hours?

No, a day and five hours.

What?

It's not surprising.

Your mana was completely depleted.

You could have easily lost your life.

However

What?

Your Shadow Magic activated on its own

and replenished your mana.

It defies all logic, Master.

Just what is that magic?

I don't know either.

We can worry about that later.

We have bigger things on our plate now.

You're up?

Thanks for letting me use a bed.

You can add it to my bill.

Where do you think you're going?

To rescue Amelia.

Do you know where she is?

It's been over a day.

They could be on their way to the

demon realm. Maybe even made it there.

Then I'll just charge into the demon realm.

Calm down.

I am calm!

I'm just in a hurry.

How can you say you're calm when you're

off to fight a demon without your weapons?

Can't take what I don't have.

They're right here.

Being blind to your surroundings

demonstrates your lack of composure.

You split it into two?

Short swords are easier for assassins to use.

I covered the materials and labor costs.

Pay me back as soon as you can.

You have my thanks.

You can also borrow this.

A ring?

They say the second or third hero crafted it.

"I'll lead you everywhere"?

So you really can read it.

It's written in a language from my world.

So, what does it do?

What you just said.

That ring helps its wearer

find what they seek.

That's where the Labyrinth of Brute lies.

It wouldn't point that way if they

were in transit to the demon realm.

I don't know why,

but it appears they're still in the labyrinth.

That's all I need to know.

Thank you.

Let's go, Night!

Master, I am your familiar.

Wherever you go, I shall follow.

Just don't do anything

reckless like that again.

I know. I don't want a repeat

of yesterday either.

If I die, you'll die with me.

That's part of it, but

Never mind. Just don't die.

Gotcha.

Good, good. This is going swimmingly.

We demons have a spell to control monsters.

I've always wondered what using it

on beastfolk, elves, or humans would do.

You helped me solve that mystery.

I can't control you,

but I now know that I can immobilize elves.

An excellent result!

Why?

Wow, you can talk?

Perfect. Now I won't be bored.

Why are we in the labyrinth?

You see, demons need to be second-grade

or better to cast teleportation circles.

I'm third-grade, so I guess

that makes him my boss?

Anyway, I came to this labyrinth using

such magic, but I need a circle to get back.

So basically, I'm currently

waiting for my boss to arrive.

And when will that be?

Beats me.

You're trying to extract information

even when immobilized, huh?

Go ahead. Ask me anything.

I'll reveal all I know.

That assassin might

show up while we're talking.

You can tell him everything,

but he'll never beat me.

Oh, don't worry. You're not dying.

I need to present you

to the Demon Lord alive and well.

Or else I'll be in big trouble.

The ray's still pointing underground.

There's no doubt Lady Amelia is in

the labyrinth, and deep down at that.

Let's hurry, Night.

Understood.

Please wait!

You are Sir Akira Oda, aren't you?

I come to you with a request.

I know you.

Please, take me with you into the labyrinth

where Princess Amelia is—

How do you know where Amelia is?

Answer carefully. Your life depends on it.

I used my Scent Tracker skill.

Lady Amelia's scent disappeared

at the labyrinth entrance.

I also used it to find out that you were

heading down this street to the labyrinth.

Scent Tracker is a skill that

commonly manifests in beastfolk.

She isn't saying anything outlandish.

State your reasons.

I'm Lia Lagoon, first princess

of the beastfolk nation Uruk.

I received information that the Demon Lord

is targeting Princess Amelia.

I was going to warn you.

Why didn't you come to me at once?

I f-figured you wouldn't believe me

without solid proof,

so I kept investigating

until all hell broke loose last night.

I don't want to use this,

but I guess I have to.

Doesn't look like you're lying.

What does your Spirit Barrier skill do?

Huh? How do you know about that?

Answer me.

R-Regular barriers can only be

placed in fixed locations,

but Spirit Barrier can also

be used on moving objects.

Can you apply it to people too?

Y-Yes! I believe I'll prove useful to you.

We can't let him have it

The Demon Lord is after Princess Amelia

for her Resurrection Magic!

Hurry up and get on.

Master, are you sure we can trust her?

Her skill will help keep Amelia safe.

She can make herself useful, like she said.

Please take me!

The Demon Lord wants my Resurrection Magic?

Don't you demons have

practically infinite lifespans?

And you don't die easily.

You're already the most powerful race.

I don't understand it myself.

Sure, it's a rare magic, but it doesn't work

if the subject's been dead too long.

What's more, once you cast it,

you can't use it again for several days.

It's not even that useful.

You know a lot about it.

Well, one thing's for sure.

You won't be resurrecting the assassin

when he dies by my hand shortly.

After all,

you took a lethal blow and used

your magic on yourself earlier.

Man, I can't wait.

How will you weep when the assassin dies?

That reminds me

Your little sister bawled

her eyes out back then!

I expect an even better show from you.

This isn't the first time we've met, is it?

Huh?

What were you doing back in Retice?

My family was abducted by a dark slime.

I was looking for them.

A dark slime, you say?

Yes. I've been adopted by the royal family,

but before that,

I lived in a small, remote village.

One day, a dark slime showed up in town.

This monster that normally

goes down with one blow

consumed my father, mother, little brother,

and all the villagers whole.

Somebody modified that slime

and released it into the wild!

I bet it's the same thing.

The royal family offered to adopt me,

seeking my skills as a protector.

Soon, I became a princess

and used my authority to look into the

incident, then found my way to Retice.

That explains things.

It wasn't just my family and my village.

A large number of beastfolk

and humans went missing.

Elves too, though not as many.

Their lives were consumed

as part of the summoning ritual.

My family and my people

were sacrificed to summon the hero,

so I wanted to get a good look

at him. That's why I was there.

I was summoned to this world as well.

I'm one of the people

you hold a grudge against.

You weren't to blame.

It's the king and princess

who I hold responsible!

I've got my own vendetta with them.

So while we're at it,

I don't believe for one second that they

summoned us to stop the demons.

You don't have to believe it.

It's a bald-faced lie.

The demons haven't attempted any

conquest in the last century, at least.

The other races are simply under the

impression that demons are a despicable evil.

- What the heck?

- There it is.

That's the entrance to the Labyrinth of Brute.

Keep going!

I believe the condition

to activate the stairs down

is to take out a certain number

of monsters per floor.

A rule common to all labyrinths, put in place

by their creator, the first Demon Lord.

There's no way around it.

Shadow Magic will get the job done quick.

Wait! You'll have to fight a demon

when we reach her.

You should avoid exhausting yourself.

What choice do we have?!

Every moment we waste risks Amelia's life!

I'll shapeshift and take care of the peons.

I'll be faster than I am now. However

There is no guarantee that

I'll stay in control in this form.

I may lose my mind and end up hurting you.

I'd like to believe my instincts

will no longer consume me, but

I told you, I'll watch over you.

As long as I'm with you,

you'll be fine!

Master

Night, you're my only hope.

Understood.

As your familiar, I shall do your bidding!

- Here we go!

- Right!

Hang on tight.

You're done for if you fall off.

Right!

Night

Hey, Night! Can you hear me?

Damn it

Heed my voice, Night!

Night!

Master

That's right. I'm here with you.

I'd be grateful if you could

keep calling out to me.

If you do, I think I can stay in control.

That's easy.

Say, Night, why don't we continue

our discussion from before?

Why do people hate the demons so much?

The first Demon Lord

did attack the other races

as payback for being driven

to the barren continent of Volcano.

Their grudge from that era still persists.

"The Demon Lord is the root of all evil.

It will be our hero who defeats him."

So it's all a preconception?

Indeed.

And it has wrought tragedy.

A few generations back, the reigning

Demon Lord's wife was k*lled.

And not by the hero, but by some fool

who wanted to make a name for himself.

He k*lled the queen

while she lay in her sleep.

I hear that Demon Lord was a gentle soul

who loved his family and his people.

What a terrible tale.

But even so, if the current Demon Lord

has ordered Amelia's abduction,

I will make him pay.

That's fine.

Though I want you to keep in mind

that not all demons are the same.

While some are cruel and see other races

as nothing but bugs to be crushed,

there are others who wish

to avoid bloodshed and seek peace.

Got it.

I'll remember that.

Akira!

Amelia!

I'm taking her back.

Lia, a barrier!

Right.

Oh? You got here much sooner than I predicted.

Impressive work from

the Demon Lord's right hand.

I didn't expect you to shift into a cerberus.

Forgive me, Master.

I won't be able to move for a while.

Don't be silly. I wouldn't be here without you.

I'm so sorry, Akira!

I dragged you into this mess!

And what are you talking about?

I'm just doing what I want, like I always do.

What?

I won't let anyone have you.

That's my decision, and it's final.

Akira

Oh?

A dashing declaration, assassin.

You're going down.

I am, am I?

I don't wanna hear it from a dead man walking.

Speak for yourself.

Sir Aurum! Remember the Demon Lord's orders.

We are to lead Oda Akira to his castle!

Really? But the orders I received were

"Bring the elven princess back alive.

The assassin's a problem, so k*ll him."

No! That can't be true!

The Demon Lord must've changed his mind.

Not that it matters.

Trying to blindside me?

How amusing, and very assassin-like.

Did you really think it'd work, though?

You're putting up a good fight for a human.

I didn't think you'd last this long.

How can this be?

I even applied a barrier on Sir Akira.

The demon's spear is buffed

with highly concentrated mana.

If not for your barrier,

a single scratch from it would be lethal.

While impressive you're hanging

in there against a demon,

you've yet to land a single attack on me.

It's time we put an end to this.

Yeah, I was just thinking the same.

Shadow Magic activate!

The shadows are gathering

at Master's bloodstains.

Shadowbeast!

Why, you!

Darn!

Amazing, Akira!

He's outdueling a third-grade demon!

What's that sound?

Too bad for you.

We demons can control

as many monsters as we want.

Damn it!

Now, bye-bye.

I can't reactivate Shadow Magic immediately.

How do I defend?

Inverted Spirit Barrier!

Amelia.

I can move now.

All thanks to you weakening him.

Aww

I guess it's okay. I had some fun, at least.

It's over this time.

Quit wasting time and k*ll me already.

Demons never surrender.

Hurry up or I'll recover.

Wait, or can you not k*ll?

Shut up.

The demon looked no different than

a human being, and I couldn't k*ll him.

If Commander Saran were alive,

he might've told me it was okay.

What are you doing?

Don't tell me you lost to a human.

I would k*ll if that's what it took

to get Amelia back.

I thought I'd steeled myself for that.

You sure took your time,

Mahiro.

Sheesh, what a pain.

A second-grade demon

I guess he was a bad match for you.

Wouldn't you say, Oda Akira?

What was the right move?

At the time, I simply had no idea.

EPISODE 6: THE ASSASSIN FIGHTS A DEMON

TRANSLATION: SRIRAM GURUNATHAN

TIMING: KRZYSZTOF KUNC

EDITING: RILEY DALTON

QUALITY CHECK: WILLIAM HAGGARD

NEXT TIME

EPISODE 7: THE ASSASSIN MAKES A VOW