Monsters called Nemesis bring disaster.
The only ones who can fight these dangerous foes are the sorcerers.
However, the sorcerers are considered tainted beings and feared by most.
A Paradise of Wisdom and Hope -Artemis-
"A Paradise of Wisdom and Hope."
Hey, you're way too excited about this.
Well, I mean...
Hey, what's that?
It's a magic circle of inspection.
It checks to make sure no one brings in anything illegal or dangerous.
Are all these ships owned by sorcerers?
They sure are.
Aren't they all gorgeous? Not at all like Doc's dinky little boat.
Lay off!
Don't worry, Doc. I like your ship!
Flattery will get you nowhere.
Okay, everyone off.
Right!
What's this place?
A security checkpoint.
You have to go through the entry procedure before you can get into Artemis.
Why me?
Oh...
Is this your first time here?
Yeah!
All right. Are you with someone from Artemis?
Yeah! I'm with Doc!
This sucks. This absolutely sucks.
This gentleman is your guardian, then?
Are you planning to register as a resident?
What do you mean?
To work as a Hunter or accept any of the academy's services,
you have to register as a resident.
I'm just here to find Yaga. I don't really want to be a resident.
A resident?
That's it!
Yes! You should do that!
Yaga won't agree to meet you if you're not a resident!
You should register right now!
O-Okay...
When's the next admission ceremony?
I think it's just about to start.
Well, we can't hang around here!
Let's go! I'll show you the way!
Doc?!
Come on, move it!
Wait for me!
Ah... Wait!
So was Doc actually his guardian?
Oh, well.
A-hup!
Wow! This really is a city of sorcerers!
The only one in the world. People call it the Sorcerers' Paradise.
Does that mean people here never suffer just for being sorcerers?
I could get to like this place!
I'm glad to hear it.
Hey!
You guys are gonna miss the admission ceremony.
It'll be weeks before they have the next one.
You wanna find this "Yaga" fast, don't you?
Oh, right. That's what Alma told me to do.
Seth, the admission ceremony is held above this place, in the castle.
Okay! Well, let's go, Doc!
Huh?! No, I'm not...
You're the only one who needs to go.
C'mon, I'll give you a lift!
I told you, I'm not—
We gotta hurry, or I'll never hear the end of it from Alma!
Wait for me!
Did he say "Alma"?
Artemis Academy Majestic Castle
Well, we managed to get here in time.
Ladies and gentlemen!
Thank you for coming to this welcoming ceremony for our new comrades!
Without further ado, it's time to bring out our awesome leader!
Are you guys ready to scream and clap like never before?!
I give you the founder of this crazy academy!
His name is...
Master...
Lord...
Majesty!
Headmaster of Artemis Academy Master Lord Majesty
Majesty! Majesty! Majesty!
A yellow cat?
People of my academy!
Today, we see the ranks of our comrades grow once again!
They will live with us at the academy
and complete missions with us as fellow sorcerers.
With all of your cooperation,
we can surely eradicate the curse that causes us such suffering!
"Eradicate the curse"?
That's Headmaster Majesty's goal.
Yeah? That cat's pretty incredible.
Now, new members!
Come on up here!
Go on, get moving.
R-Right!
I welcome you, new comrades.
As members of Artemis, you will have access to all the academy's facilities.
And you may attend lots of lectures and speeches by renowned sorcerers!
To do all that, you'll just need to sign this contract.
Here! Here! Here!
But I don't really...
Come on now! It comes with lots of bonuses!
I'll even lend you my own pen to sign it with!
Go on, go on...
Quickly! Quickly!
Okay!
The contract is complete.
A warm round of applause, please, for our new comrades!
What's this?
Promissory note? Pen for signing...
Th-Three thousand dimes?!
And four thousand for the ink?!
Why do we have to repay all this?!
It's all in the contract!
Each of you now owes a massive debt to the academy!
What?!
You will henceforth take part in missions as Artemis Hunters to repay that debt.
What?!
Good luck, newbies!
We've all been there!
What?!
This concludes our 854th admission ceremony!
Bye, now!
He ran off!
Hey! Wait a minute!
Hold it, you jerk!
Don't be mad at me.
The kid's gonna be so busy, he won't know up from down!
That means I won't have to see him anymore!
You are that boy's guardian, Doc, correct?
Huh?
Per academy rules,
the guardian assumes equal responsibility for the debt incurred by the ward.
You've gotta be kidding! Why does this fall on me?!
Now, then, do your best to repay that debt.
Huh? What's the matter, Doc?
D-Doc?
Th-The kid's bad luck.
"Don't trust the yellow cat," huh?
Now I know what Alma meant by that.
This debt... This debt...
Did it happen to you, too, Melie?
Yes...
But I'm not so good with such formalities, so I left it all to Doc,
and then I forgot about it.
Well, I guess it doesn't matter.
It's not as if we have to do what that swindling cat says.
That's true!
No, it's not!
That debt's on me, too, you know!
Sorry, Doc. It was all my fault.
Oh... So you do understand.
As soon as I track down Yaga and find out where Radiant is, I'll leave!
Huh?!
Uh, that would just leave me with all the debt.
All right! Strike while the iron's hot, as they say!
Hey...
You can count on me to help, of course!
Hey! Wait... Wait a...
Thanks, Melie and Boobrie!
Just you wait, Yaga!
This is sort of exciting!
You guys! Wait just a minute!
[Artemis Academy] The sorcerers' paradise, which floats in the sky. It has rows of various facilities to break curses of infected people.
So, where is Yaga, anyway?
With all the intersecting alleyways here,
it's so hard to find our way around.
Well, for starters, I guess we should just walk around.
Right!
Huh? H-Hey!
If you do that in this town...
We'll start over there!
Hey!
The road splits here.
W-We should go this way!
Pay
Free
This way!
Wait up, Seth!
Debt:
Dimes
Wow! We don't even have to walk!
This makes things much easier!
You fools! That costs money!
Huh?
Debt:
Dimes
You're really sweaty, Doc.
Here, use this.
Oh, thanks!
Here, Doc. The nice lady gave it to us.
You'll get charged for that, too!
Debt:
Dimes
When you're looking for information...
Start at the pub!
Wow... This is a grown-up place.
Don't order anything! Just talk to people!
Only talking!
Have you decided what you'd like to order?
Yeah, I'll take some milk!
Debt:
Dimes
What is wrong with you?!
I'm sorry! It slipped!
Excuse me... Could I ask you some questions?
Huh?
Do you know anyone named Yaga?
Shut up! How would I know?
I'm trying to enjoy my booze here.
Go home, kid.
Drink some of your mama's milk.
Whoops, out of booze again.
Hey! Refill!
If you want to drink that badly, I'll give you your fill.
Huh?
Of my magic!
Crazy Melie?!
Whom do you think you're picking a fight with?!
Whoa! Stop it, Melie!
Blow away!
Why'd you blow me away?!
Debt:
Dimes
Papa! Papa!
Where the heck is Yaga?
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Debt... Explosion...
Hey, there's this month's debt king!
Good luck repaying it all.
Thanks!
"Debt king"?
Way to go, Seth!
That title goes to the person with the most debt in all of Artemis!
Really? That sounds rough.
It's rough for me!
Th-This happened to me because you two are so reckless!
Doc, you don't look so good.
And whose fault is that?!
Mommy...
You think Doc's tired?
Doc is always like that.
Oh, okay!
Still, this town...
really is a town of sorcerers, huh?
Yes.
I was surprised at first, but I guess home really is wherever you make it.
Compared to when we lived on the outside, this place is paradise.
I'm glad we came here.
Yeah, you can say that again.
The people here seem really happy.
Hmph. So you've finally noticed that, have you?
Um...
A cauldron?
Got a problem?
The cauldron talked!
Did your curse turn you into a cauldron?!
I'm not a cauldron, for cryin' out loud!
Oh, there's someone in it.
Who might you be, sir?
I'm no one worth knowing by name.
You kids are looking for Yaga, right?
Do you know where he is?
I might be willing to tell you.
But first, I have a question for you.
A question?
What do you think of this academy that Majesty built?
Where's this coming from?
That cat is a creep.
But...
This town doesn't have anyone calling us "infected" or treating us differently.
We can use magic without being given suspicious looks.
Everything costs money,
but the people living here are smiling.
Then do you know why Majesty demands so much money?
Didn't he say it would be used for research into breaking the curse?
That's not all.
Does this have anything to do with where Yaga—
Isn't that...
A-An attack!
Huh? You don't think it's...
It has to be! The Inquisition followed us here!
Perfect timing. You should watch this.
Just see what happens now.
Battle preparations are complete.
Good. All men are to enter the academy at once
and apprehend that brat and his companions.
Vice Captain, l-look!
What...
Message from the homeland!
We are to suspend all tasks immediately and retreat from this airspace!
What... That's madness! Why must we retreat now?
They're trying to put pressure on us, as expected.
Captain Dragunov!
Pressure? Y-You don't mean...
I mean exactly what you're thinking.
We aren't the only ones with any influence in this country.
Master Lord Majesty...
How much money did he throw around to do this?
Besides, members of the 13 Sorcerer Coven are in that town.
Any one of them could take on a thousand of us.
They have military and political might.
Fighting them is the equivalent of going to war with the nation itself.
And you don't want war, do you?
So we retreat.
Back to headquarters, men.
Yes, sir!
You heard him! Retreat at once!
But that boy...
Don't waste time! Move it!
A sorcerer with horns, eh?
I must inform General Torque.
Oh, man!
Between the cost of mobilizing our forces and the diplomatic fees,
times like these are exactly what we amass all that money for.
Who cares?
All we did was shoo away some pesky insects.
Wow! They actually sent those guys packing!
W-We're saved!
We sure are.
Do you get it now, kid?
This is the power of Artemis Academy, and it's Majesty who amasses it all.
It's the last sanctuary for persecuted sorcerers who have nowhere left to go.
He uses any means necessary to protect them.
I guess he's not just some yellow cat after all, huh?
So, what do you plan to do when you meet Yaga?
That's easy! I'm gonna ask him about Radiant, then go destroy it!
Hmph. That's just a pipe dream.
There's a far more realistic way than chasing after something like that.
You mean...
It's this academy.
You saw it yourself.
Discriminating eyes and the Inquisition's hand don't reach this place.
No one even knows if Radiant really exists,
so wouldn't it make more sense to stay here and protect this paradise?
What do you say?
No.
I'm still going to Radiant.
Oh?
Seth...
This place may be safe,
but everyone outside still has to face the dangers of the Nemesis.
If we want to help them, we have to change this world itself.
Hah! You think a runt like you can change the world?
I won't know till I try!
If no one else will do it, I will.
I'll change it!
Hmph. You're just as stubborn as Alma, I see.
Huh?
Very well, then. Come with me.
Are you gonna take me to Yaga?
You still haven't figured it out, you fool?
Huh?
That's me. I'm Yaga.
Member of the 13 Sorcerer Coven Yaga
Huh?
What?!
This is unusual.
It's not often a sorcerer escapes your watchful eye.
Yes, sir.
Even considering the interference from Artemis,
I will accept any punishment for this failure.
No need.
More importantly, are you certain
that the horned sorcerer used magic with only his bare hands?
Yes, sir. I saw it with my own eyes.
Keep an eye on all movement within Artemis.
If you see him, inform me at once.
And keep this matter confidential for the time being.
As you command, sir.
A boy with horns who uses Fantasia with his bare hands, eh?
We are well aware of the danger this sorcerer poses.
We must capture him.
To Be Continued
Next Time
The sorcerer Yaga says he won't accept Seth as a pupil unless he proves his skill.
Melie offers to help Seth train,
but handling magic is not her strong suit, either.
What must Seth do to earn Yaga's approval?
Seth's training quickly gets off to a rocky start.
Next time on Radiant, "Drops of Friendship."
Drops of Friendship -Melie-
Yay! Don't miss next week's episode!
End