Scum of the Brave (勇者のクズ)

Partway through the 21st century,

the medical procedure for gaining magic power, ether augmentation,

transformed a mafiosi underworld into a kingdom of darkness.

The Braves who stand against these Dark Lords utilize ether effect enhancers,

commonly known as E3,

which temporarily strengthen the user's ether.

In essence, these modern day Braves are little more than bounty hunters

whose primary interest is getting paid.

Go, go!

Over there!

And that's where the Amber Thorn is holed up.

All the access points have been sealed off!

Looks like your little friend's already kicked things off.

So get off your ass and send reinforcements!

Right. And we should make haste ourselves.

The sooner we reconvene with Yukine, the sooner we can rescue Sara!

If you'd kindly instruct me in our assault!

Hold up!

Are you stupid?

We're not just gonna waltz in there!

Oh, is there some kind of problem?

Too many to name!

If we try the direct approach, it's gonna turn into a disaster!

We were lucky enough to have a distraction.

We've gotta take advantage of that.

I see! In the spirit of avoiding unnecessary combat?

Sure.

Okay, let me show you how it's done.

You follow along, behind me and slightly to the right.

Yes, sir!

The "right" part is important. Do you know your right from your left?

Yes, sir! I also know that you apparently think I'm an imbecile!

Okay, now put this on.

It's classic equipment for a Brave.

Scum of the Brave

A Brave's Magic

Hey! Sorry for the holdup.

Who're you supposed to be?

Me? The reinforcements.

You are? And who's the squirt?

We were on our way back from robbing a bank.

Lord Thorns gets some weird ideas, y'know?

What are you talking about?

You didn't hear about it?

Hey, fill the man in.

What?

Master...

I don't believe that he needed to die.

Yeah?

I'm not gonna make excuses.

Maybe if it was some other amazing Brave, they could've pulled that off.

But this is the best that I can manage.

That wasn't what I was objecting to.

Considering a Brave's duty...

are these kinds of casualties necessary in the course of upholding the peace?

I realize it may be more difficult,

but I would rather not compromise on these kinds of things!

That's a magnificent speech.

You wait here.

No.

I'm going, too.

My friend is awaiting rescue.

Besides...

I'm going to do what I can to prevent you from killing anyone else.

Huh?! What do you mean the first floor is wiped out?!

What the hell were the guards doing?!

Dammit, and you mean to tell me one person did this?

Sawamura-san, I don't like this!

Maybe we should head back to His Lordship.

Your friend Indo seems pretty talented.

She's cut out for the Brave gig.

Unlike you.

Yukine's background is... complicated.

Well, when it comes to whether or not she can take the Count of Amber Thorns,

I have my doubts.

She's definitely gonna lose.

Might I ask why?

The Count of Amber Thorns's ether perception...

is a good counter to someone who is teleporting.

I'm pretty sure trying to strike unseen, from behind, isn't gonna work.

You must be aware of the Dark Lord's ability, right, Master?!

Seriously, cut the "Master" crap.

And yeah, I do, but I ain't sharing.

But I would like to be of use in the battle against the Dark Lord—

Don't do anything.

And I mean anything.

Just keep your mouth shut and don't draw attention to yourself.

Also, your ether perception...

Of course, Master! My ether perception is—

Not really important, actually.

What I was trying to say is that you shouldn't use it, no matter what.

Backup from an amateur is more likely to become a hazard.

Backup!

Could even end up killing me.

But Master, my ether perception could...

Hey, Indo hasn't cleared that way.

We'll go the long way around.

No, Master.

We should not turn our backs this way.

Not when there's an enemy around the corner!

That's why we should avoid it.

Die!

Jogamine's ability... is it some kind of sensory thing?

Well, no matter what it is, it won't be of any help after mine has already kicked in.

My ether perception lets me expand upon how I experience time, subjectively.

From a third party's view, it looks like my reflexes and cognition are sped up.

I can see individual bullets fired from a distance like it's a slow-mo scene in a movie.

Makes it easy to predict their path of flight...

And how to move to dodge them.

Because I have all the time in the world to think about it.

It's a pretty huge advantage.

In battle, the person who watches closely and thinks best wins.

That's what my master taught me.

The problem is...

here.

E3, and the way it augments ether,

causes a huge increase in aggression from the user.

If you're not careful, it's easy to end up as crazy as any of the Dark Lords.

I'm okay. I killed all of them perfectly.

The important thing to envision is returning back to normal life.

Back to beer.

Pizza.

And card games.

Okay.

This floor certainly seems different from the others.

Obviously.

When you're a Dark Lord, the last thing you need is people not taking you seriously.

That must be the Count of Amber Thorns's chamber.

He's made it nice and obvious.

Are you really serious about following me?

Yes, sir!

I guess it's fine.

But, I mean it, don't do anything.

We'll be in for it if you screw up my brilliant strategy.

Don't worry! I fully understand what your plan is, Master!

In that case, quit calling me Master!

I don't know what you think is gonna happen,

but if you—

Indo? She's covered in lacerations.

And is her right leg broken?

No fatal injuries.

She's liable to fall down the stairs at this rate...

Dammit.