Chapter Summaries

Rienta shared his new Domain Magic research with Frieren, and the party celebrated passing the first round of the exam over a meal. The next day, Frieren asked Rienta for help after Fern stopped speaking to her, and they went to fetch Stark, who had just been visited by a mysterious old man.

• Rienta showed Frieren his notes on a new Domain Magic spell, and Frieren praised the spell while noting its high mana cost.
• Rienta suggested celebrating their first-round exam success, and Frieren led the group to a restaurant she remembered from eighty years earlier.
• The party enjoyed their meal, and Rienta decided he could recreate the omelet rice and desserts but probably not the steak's secret recipe.
• Frieren told Rienta that Fern was angry because she had overslept and missed her turn to buy supplies, so he suggested they find Stark.
• Rienta and Frieren found Stark meditating by a cliff after a mysterious old man declared that he had grasped the essence of martial arts and had nothing more to teach him.
• Rienta told Stark that they needed his help.

Rienta helped Stark get Fern to reconcile by suggesting he invite her to buy snacks, then joined the group on their outing. After Wirbel took Stark along on a monster-hunting commission, Rienta felt awkward among the girls and retreated to his room to eat the snacks he had bought.

• On the way back to the inn, Rienta coached Stark to tell Fern that Frieren was reflecting on her actions and suggest buying snacks together.
• Stark invited Fern to shop for snacks, and Fern accepted after realizing Rienta had put him up to it.
• Rienta pretended to discuss magic with Frieren to conceal his coaching when Fern glanced back at them.
• At the snack shop, Lawine and Kanne joined the group, and Wirbel recruited Stark to help hunt a Fresa.
• After returning to the inn, Rienta left the girls to snack together and retreated to his room, where he tried the snacks and decided he still preferred steamed buns.

Sense began the second exam at the Fallen King's Mausoleum, requiring examinees to reach its deepest part by sunset the next day. Frieren, Fern, and Rienta explored together with Sense, while the remaining examinees eventually formed another group to enter the mausoleum.

• Fern received the second-exam notice and learned that Sense was the examiner, who had never had a successful exam before.
• Sense announced that examinees had to reach the deepest part of the Fallen King's Mausoleum, and gave each one an Escape Golem bottle for emergencies.
• Dunkel proposed that the examinees investigate the mausoleum's entrances together, but Dünste rejected cooperation and entered alone.
• Rienta, Fern, and Frieren set out with Sense, and Frieren guided them through the labyrinth while recalling Himmel's love of labyrinths.
• Fern identified a treasure chest as a Mimic, but Frieren still suspected it might contain a grimoire.
• Dunkel's group and the remaining members of the first team agreed to explore the mausoleum together.

Frieren, Fern, and Rienta explored the Fallen King's Mausoleum, where Frieren repeatedly fell for Mimics while the group collected antiques. Elsewhere, Dunkel's party encountered a lethal trap, and the chapter ended with Sense reflecting on Fern and Rienta's unusual abilities.

• Frieren ignored Fern and Rienta's Mimic Detection Magic, opened a Mimic, and had to be freed when Rienta destroyed it.
• Dunkel's party fought Gargoyles, and Reg was trapped among closing spikes until she used Sense's bottle to summon a Golem that rescued her.
• Frieren recognized Gargoyles before they awakened and found a medal in a genuine chest, which inspired Rienta to collect the mausoleum's antiques.
• Frieren led the group into another Mimic, and Rienta destroyed it before they continued underground and admired the treasures they had gathered.
• Sense told Fern that she and Rienta were exceptionally accomplished for their age, noting Rienta's self-created spells and vast mana.

Fern explained that she kept exploring magic because she enjoyed seeing Frieren and Rienta happy, while teams in the Fallen King's Mausoleum faced powerful Clones. Genau explained that the Water Mirror Demon created near-perfect physical copies, and Falsch revealed that Frieren had broken Serie's Barrier during the first exam.

• Fern told Sense that she had continued exploring magic because Frieren and Rienta's joy made her happy, and Sense decided she had chosen the right companions.
• Wirbel, Ehre, and Scharf fought off Clones of themselves after the ambushed Ehre alerted the group to concealed mages.
• Dunkel's group defeated a Clone of Laufen, then entered the Final Room and fled when the Clone of Frieren unleashed a powerful barrage.
• Genau told Falsch that the Water Mirror Demon used entrants' memories to create near-perfect Clones and explained that the mausoleum tested teamwork and self-assessment.
• Falsch asked about the broken Barrier from the first exam, and Genau identified Frieren as the one who had broken Serie's Barrier.

Übel and Lant were trapped by Übel’s Clone in the Fallen King’s Mausoleum, but Rienta’s Clone destroyed it and revealed that he could act independently. Rienta’s Clone spared them in exchange for Lant’s magic and led them toward the mausoleum’s deepest part.

• Übel and Lant reached a dead end while fleeing Übel’s Clone, and Lant explained that the Clone could imitate their abilities but likely could not speak.
• Seeing Lant’s severe injuries, Übel gave him her Escape Golem and went to retrieve his bottle from her Clone.
• Rienta’s Clone annihilated Übel’s Clone with a barrage of longswords, then proved immune to Übel’s Gaze-Binding Magic and attacks.
• An unharmed Lant arrived and recognized that Rienta’s Clone was acting independently and had been holding back against them.
• Rienta’s Clone dismissed the swords blocking their vital points, demanded Lant’s magic in exchange for sparing them, and led Übel and Lant toward the mausoleum’s deepest part.

Frieren and her companions discovered a hidden palace and mural in the King's Tomb, then reached a hall guarded by a perfect copy of Frieren. The group struggled to find a way past the Clone after Methode's Binding and Mind-Control Magic failed against Frieren.

• Frieren found a hidden wall mechanism, and she and her companions entered a secret palace containing a well-preserved mural from the great unified dynasty period.
• The four left the hidden room and found Dunkel and his companions waiting outside a hall where a duplicate of Frieren blocked the way to the deepest part of the dungeon.
• Frieren reasoned that the Clone might share a real mage's weaknesses, while Richter suggested Mind-Control or Binding Magic.
• Methode tried Binding Magic on Frieren, but it failed; Frieren murmured that Methode smelled nice, and Fern pulled her back into her arms.
• Methode also failed to use Mind-Control Magic on Frieren and suggested Aetilu might find a flaw in her defenses, though the group did not know whether the Clone had a mind.

Aetilu, Bli, and Dunst were nearly defeated by the Clone of Sense until Lant and Rienta arrived and offered to guide them deeper into the King's Tomb in exchange for spells. Rienta then unleashed a dangerous sword, leaving the group sheltered behind multiple lotuses as the hall began to shake.

• Aetilu concluded that her group could not defeat the Clone of Sense, but tried to use Mind-Control Magic after Bli and Dunst held it off; the command failed, and the Clone wounded her.
• Lant and Rienta arrived, with Rienta attacking the Clone of Sense while protecting Aetilu, Bli, and Dunst with a pale blue lotus.
• Lant explained that Rienta would guide them to the deepest part of the King's Tomb if each of them shared a spell, and Aetilu, Bli, and Dunst agreed.
• Rienta intensified his barrage of longswords until the hall began to shake, prompting Übel to warn that they could be buried alive.
• Rienta reached through a magic circle and drew out a black sword hilt; its immense mana cracked the lotus, so he formed two more lotuses to shield the group.

"Rienta" defeated the Sense Clone by combining Projection Magic and Shadow-Driving Magic, while the group outside the hall prepared to confront Frieren's Clone. Lawine revealed that the Water Mirror Demon controls the Clones and is hiding in the treasury, but Frieren's life-locked barrier blocks the way.

• "Rienta" reconstructed his spells, covered his longswords in blue light, and overwhelmed the Sense Clone.
• Frieren told the group they might have to fight her Clone, and Fern offered to kill it so they could pass the exam.
• Rienta privately challenged Fern, but accepted her plan after she said she was confident she could defeat Lady Frieren.
• Lawine and Kanne joined the group, and Lawine explained that the Water Mirror Demon controls the Clones and that its fragile true body is in the treasury.
• Dunkel confirmed the demon's mana was behind the hall door, and Frieren explained that her Clone had sealed it with a barrier that used the caster's life as its lock.

Fern revealed that Frieren briefly loses mana detection whenever she casts a spell, and the group planned to use that weakness against her Clone. Before they could set out, a seemingly friendly Clone of Rienta arrived with captured examinees and challenged Rienta’s assumption that he was a Clone.

• Fern demonstrated Frieren’s brief lapse in mana detection while casting, and the group agreed to exploit it against her Clone.
• Frieren, Fern, and Rienta prepared to fight the Clone of Frieren while the others planned to hold off the remaining Clones.
• A second Rienta arrived with Wirbel’s party and explained that he had defeated the examinees and sent Lant to persuade them to join him.
• After the second Rienta signaled that he meant no harm, he defeated the examinees without seriously injuring them and claimed their best magic as payment.
• The second Rienta teased Frieren and Fern, then asked Rienta what made him think he was a Clone.

Rienta spoke with a mysterious version of himself in his Personal Space, where they fought over whether one of them had to disappear. As the other Rienta faded away, he revealed that he carried incomplete memories from another timeline and left Rienta with questions about the Hero’s Sword and Schlacht’s letter.

• The other Rienta entered Rienta’s Personal Space and confirmed that he was another version of Rienta, though he claimed the two of them were about to disappear.
• The other Rienta proposed that one of them leave and attacked Rienta with a projected longsword; Rienta fought back until his sword broke through the other’s lotus defense.
• The other Rienta admitted defeat and explained that the sword was his, but refused to name it, then revealed he had incomplete memories from another timeline.
• The other Rienta began to dissipate, and Rienta’s healing magic only slowed the process.
• Before disappearing, the other Rienta asked why Rienta had drawn the Hero’s Sword and received Schlacht’s letter, and told him to ask the examinees for magic and say goodbye to Fern.

Rienta, Frieren, and Fern fought the Frieren Clone in the hall while the other examinees battled Clones elsewhere in the King's Tomb. After the examinees regrouped, they learned Rienta's Clone had already defeated Sense's Clone, and Übel asked what magic they planned to give Rienta.

• Rienta returned from his Personal Space and said the other Rienta had left, then reminded the examinees to give him the magic they had promised.
• Frieren led Rienta and Fern into the hall to face her Clone, while Dunkel abandoned his plan to have everyone attack together.
• Rienta supported Frieren with Rho Aias, Intangibility, and sword attacks as Frieren and Fern struck at the Clone, but the Clone repeatedly blocked their attacks.
• Frieren formed a stone giant and combined its attack with her Lightning of Destruction, yet the Clone defended against Fern's next surprise spell and Frieren expected a drawn-out battle.
• Methode helped the examinees locate and fight the remaining Clones, and Lant revealed that Rienta's Clone had already dealt with Sense's Clone.
• Übel remarked that Rienta's Clone was unusually strong, and Wirbel asked what magic they had decided to give Rienta.

Frieren, Rienta, and Fern defeated the Clone 'Frieren' and destroyed the Water Mirror Demon in the Fallen King's Mausoleum. Sense declared every examinee who reached the treasury had passed the second round, while Frieren was left stuck inside a Mimic.

• Frieren let the Clone 'Frieren' wound her, creating an opening for Rienta to unleash his longswords and Fern to attack.
• The Clone 'Frieren' survived as an upper body and knocked Fern into a wall, but Frieren struck from behind and destroyed it.
• Frieren, Rienta, and Fern entered the treasury, where Frieren shattered the Water Mirror Demon and Rienta collected most of the treasure before scattering some back.
• The Clones vanished after the Crystal Demon was killed, and the examinees gathered at the treasury.
• Sense declared that all examinees who reached the treasury had passed the second round.
• The examinees found Frieren caught in a Mimic while Fern tried to make it spit her out.

Fern argued with Frieren after Frieren suggested replacing the wand Heiter had given her, so Rienta took Frieren to Richter to see if he could repair it. Richter agreed to try, and as he worked, he apologized for calling the wand trash after noticing how carefully it had been maintained.

• Fern told Stark that she argued with Frieren because Frieren had suggested throwing away Fern’s broken wand, a gift from Heiter.
• Rienta returned from Richter’s shop with grimoires and learned that First-Class Mages could ask Serie for a spell.
• Frieren told Rienta she had made Fern angry, and Rienta offered to take her broken wand to Richter for repair.
• Richter initially refused to repair the wand, but Rienta negotiated a price and Richter agreed to try.
• While Rienta and Frieren browsed grimoires, Richter noticed the wand had been carefully maintained and apologized for calling it trash.

Fern discovered that Frieren had replaced her broken staff, and she let go of her anger as she cared for the sleeping Frieren. The next morning, Serie took over the third exam and revealed that Frieren’s mana suppression had fooled nearly everyone, before lamenting that Lernen might never get to fight her.

• Fern and Stark walked back to the inn, where Stark tried to comfort Fern and Richter revealed that Frieren and Rienta had been at his shop.
• Fern found her staff restored on her bed, remembered Heiter’s words about Frieren, and tucked the blanket around the sleeping Frieren.
• At the Continental Magic Association, Serie criticized the large number of second-test passers and announced she would proctor the third exam.
• Lernen told Serie he had recognized Frieren’s mana suppression, while Falsch said he had not noticed it.
• Serie explained that Frieren had spent her life mastering mana suppression to deceive Demons, then said Lernen might never get to fight Frieren despite having a chance to win.

Serie interviewed the remaining examinees, failing Frieren but passing Fern after recognizing her ability to detect fluctuations in Serie’s mana. A flashback revealed that Himmel had chosen Frieren for his party because she once showed him flower field magic when he was lost as a child.

• Serie failed Kanne, Dunst, Laufen, and other examinees because they could not imagine becoming First-Class Mages.
• Serie failed Frieren after she named flower field magic as her favorite, but Frieren defended her companions and said their shared journey began with the magic Flamme had taught her.
• Serie noticed Fern studying her mana and offered to make her an apprentice; Fern refused and declared that Frieren was her master, so Serie passed her.
• Frieren remembered meeting Himmel by a lake after a mission, where he explained that she had once guided him through the forest and shown him flower field magic.
• Himmel told Frieren that her magic had been the first thing that made him think magic was beautiful.

Serie interviewed the remaining First-Class Mage examinees and passed Dunkel, Übel, Lant, Wirbel, Methode, and Rienta. She questioned Rienta about his magic and the enormous mana eruption in the city, and he answered by asking whether she had ever seen the sun early in the morning.

• Serie passed Dunkel after he admitted that he had briefly considered how to defeat her.
• Serie passed Übel without asking her any questions, then passed Lant after discovering his real body had stayed in his home village.
• Serie passed Wirbel after he explained that he viewed magic only as a tool for killing, and passed Methode after she called Serie cute.
• Serie confronted Rienta about his Clone causing trouble during the exam and about treasure missing from the Fallen King's Mausoleum.
• Serie asked Rienta how he had produced the enormous mana eruption in the city, and Rienta asked whether she had seen the early morning sun.

Rienta passed Serie’s First-Class Mage interview with an elaborate display of flashy magic, while Frieren failed and Fern passed. The group celebrated afterward, then realized they had forgotten to tell Stark about the celebration and decided to bring him food.

• Rienta demonstrated his flashy sword magic for Serie, who declared that he had passed and hurried him out of the interview room.
• Serie apologized to Sense for her earlier conduct and acknowledged that Rienta qualified as a First-Class Mage.
• Wirbel comforted Scharf after he failed, Ehre also reported failing, and Übel continued following Lant as he tried to leave.
• Lawine and Kanne accepted that they had failed and planned to retake the exam in three years.
• Rienta met Frieren and Fern outside the association and learned that Fern had passed while Frieren had failed; Dunkel thanked them before leaving to visit his hometown grave.
• Rienta, Frieren, and Fern went to celebrate at a restaurant, then realized they had forgotten to notify Stark and decided to bring him food.

Fern and Stark shared pastries with Dunkel, who revealed that his wife’s death had shaped his view of magic and that Frieren had reminded him of its joy. Later, Frieren listened as Wirbel explained his reasons for fighting Demons and began recounting the humble stories his hometown told about Himmel.

• Fern and Stark joined Dunkel and Laufen for afternoon tea, where Dunkel told them that his wife had died young and that he treated magic as a tool of political struggle.
• Dunkel asked Fern to pass along his gratitude to Frieren for reminding him how enjoyable magic could be, but Fern encouraged him to tell Frieren himself.
• Frieren saw Wirbel help an old woman pick up her spilled belongings, then sat with him and asked about his actions during the exam.
• Wirbel explained that he wanted First-Class Mage privileges to gain powerful magic for protecting his northern hometown and killing Demons.
• Wirbel recalled how his village told everyday stories about Himmel helping people, then began describing how the hero’s death affected those who had shared the stories.

Wirbel told Frieren how Himmel’s small acts of kindness had sustained his village and urged her to treasure every encounter. Fern persuaded Rienta to develop weight-preventing magic, but at the association’s ceremony they learned Frieren was barred from its facilities and Rienta was forbidden to use magic there.

• Wirbel explained that Himmel’s visits and stories had helped his village survive, then told Frieren to treasure every encounter.
• Frieren remembered Himmel insisting that he could not ignore people in trouble and murmured that the world had changed because of his good deeds.
• Fern asked Rienta to create magic that would keep her from gaining weight no matter how much she ate, and he agreed to try.
• Fern invited Frieren, Stark, and Rienta to the ceremony for First-Class Mages’ privileges at the Continental Magic Association.
• The receptionist announced that Serie had banned Frieren from all association facilities for a thousand years and forbidden Rienta from using magic inside.
• Frieren left to wait outside, and Stark followed her while Fern and Rienta remained with the receptionist.