Recaps

Frieren, Fern, Lowell, and Sein traveled through Bond Forest in a merchant’s carriage before a giant bird monster carried it into the sky. Lowell caught the falling carriage and saved everyone, and the group prepared to continue their journey.

• Frieren and Fern chatted with the merchant about jewelry while Lowell reacted strangely to a mention of a floral accessory.
• A giant bird monster seized the carriage and lifted it into the sky, and Fern apologized for failing to detect its mana.
• Frieren considered ways to get everyone safely back to the ground as Fern said she could not keep the horse aloft for long.
• When the bird dropped the carriage toward a clearing, Fern used Bird-Catching Magic to bind it and force it to release the carriage.
• Lowell caught the falling carriage beneath its chassis and lowered it gently to the ground, where the merchant found only minor damage.

Frieren, Fern, Lowell, and Sein received accessories and folk spells from a merchant before stopping for a meal in town. Frieren’s mistaken reunion with a server ended in embarrassment, and the group continued their journey together.

• Frieren and Fern chose necklaces at the merchant’s shop, and Lowell accepted them as a reward for helping the merchant.
• The merchant gave the group four folk spells, and Frieren eagerly claimed the books while Fern kept the See Through Clothes spell away from her.
• At the Adventurers' Tavern, Frieren mistook a server named Catherine for someone she had met eighty years earlier, then learned she was Catherine’s great-granddaughter.
• Frieren ordered an extra-large meal and said Lowell could finish anything she could not eat.
• The group ate together, and Sein decided their journey seemed pleasant.

Frieren and her companions explored a secret realm, where Fern defeated its guardian and Frieren used Luck Magic to open two rewarding chests. The chapter ended with a Mimic swallowing Frieren after she ignored Fern’s warning about the final chest.

• Fern carried a sleepy Frieren through the frosty forest while Lowell and Sein teased them about their roles and the shared quilt.
• Lowell spotted unusual mana in a misty valley, and the group entered a secret realm hidden behind a waterfall.
• Fern overcame her disgust and defeated the realm’s guardian monster with a concentrated beam of magic.
• Frieren cast Luck Magic and opened the first chest, finding jewelry and an antique magic tool, then found a shaved-ice grimoire in the second.
• Fern warned Frieren that the third chest might be a Mimic, but Frieren opened it and was swallowed up to her torso.

Sein searched for clues about his old friend, the Gorilla Warrior, and learned that the man had stayed with Stubborn Granny in a nearby village. She agreed to share what she knew if the group delivered a letter to a blacksmith, so they set off on the errand.

• Sein showed Frieren and Fern a photo of the Gorilla Warrior and explained that he was searching for his old friend.
• At a village, Sein learned that the Gorilla Warrior had driven off monsters and stayed with Stubborn Granny.
• Stubborn Granny refused to tell them more unless they completed several tasks, beginning with delivering a letter to Gai'er, the blacksmith in the next village.
• Lowell joked that the errand could lead to another request, and the group headed to the next village before nightfall.

Lowell’s group recovered the smith’s hammer by defeating the dragon, then spent days handling the villagers’ follow-up requests while Sein searched for Gorilla Warrior. Lowell explained to Sein that his faith lay in an ideal of never abandoning any territory or person, leaving Sein to consider what such a principle could mean.

• The smith told Lowell’s group that a dragon had stolen his family’s heirloom hammer, and Sein asked them to help retrieve it.
• Sein used Frieren’s luck magic before gambling away his clothes, and Lowell later redeemed them for him.
• Lowell’s group defeated the dragon, recovered the hammer, and completed a string of requests from the villagers.
• Sein apologized for the many tasks, while Frieren urged him to find Gorilla Warrior quickly.
• Sein asked Lowell what he believed in when using Goddess Magic, and Lowell described a place that would provide for even its most remote people.
• Sein recognized that Lowell’s ideal of never abandoning anyone could itself serve as faith, while Lowell left the question unanswered.

Sein and his companions cleaned an ancient statue that depicted Kraft and a forgotten priest, prompting Sein to remember his childhood with Gorilla Warrior. They learned Gorilla Warrior had gone to Tiyua, while their own destination, Oysast, lay in the opposite direction, leaving the group to decide which way to travel.

• The old woman led Frieren, Fern, Sein, and Lowell to the statue and explained that it honored forgotten heroes who had once saved the world.
• Frieren recognized the elf in the statue as Kraft, and Fern noticed that the priest resembled Sein.
• Sein remembered meeting Heiter and Gorilla Warrior at the statue as a child, when Gorilla chose his nickname and Heiter called Sein the Goatee Priest.
• The group cleaned the statue, and the old woman told Sein that Gorilla had hoped they would become heroes remembered in history.
• The old woman revealed that Gorilla Warrior had gone to Tiyua, while the group was traveling toward Oysast, and Sein asked what they should do.

Sein left the group to pursue Gorilla, while Frieren, Fern, and Lowell continued their journey together. After Fern recovered from a fever with their care, the group visited the Ice Pillar Cherry, where Frieren nearly fell while picking one of the mushrooms that had helped treat Fern.

• Sein said goodbye to Lowell, Frieren, and Fern and set off to pursue Gorilla.
• Frieren and Fern teased each other about Fern being grown up, and Lowell joined in by calling her a Puff-shroom.
• Fern fell ill at an inn, and Frieren stayed beside her holding her hand while Lowell went to find medicinal herbs.
• Lowell returned with mushrooms and brewed medicine for Fern, who recovered a few days later.
• The group visited the Ice Pillar Cherry, and Frieren went to pick a mushroom beneath it.
• Frieren lost her balance while pulling up the mushroom, but Lowell caught her before she hit the ground.

Frieren, Fern, and Lowell arrived in Oysast to pursue the First-Class Mage qualification needed to travel north. Lowell considered taking the exam to irritate Serie, but Sense warned that Serie might personally assess the candidates, leaving him reluctant to register.

• Frieren explained that she and Lowell concealed much of their mana to avoid attention, while Fern continued practicing hiding hers.
• The group entered Oysast, where Frieren said anyone in their party could take the First-Class Mage exam and Fern admitted she was not strong enough to pass.
• Lowell considered taking the exam and helping every candidate pass, hoping to provoke Serie.
• Sense recognized Lowell by sight despite his concealed mana and told him registration was open until sunset at the Central Tower.
• Sense warned that Serie might personally assess the candidates, and Lowell immediately reconsidered taking the exam.
• Lowell explained that he avoided fighting Serie because their battles could cause massive destruction and frighten Frieren.

Frieren, Fern, and Lowell went to the Continental Magic Association in Oysast, where Frieren used her Proof of the Holy Staff to qualify for the First-Class Mage exam. With thirteen days until the test, Frieren and Fern began preparing while Lowell sparred with them.

• The receptionist told Frieren, Fern, and Lowell that applicants needed a recognized Fifth-Class Mage certification or higher to take the exam.
• Fern persuaded Frieren to stay and pursue the exam, while Lowell admitted that he also lacked a mage certification.
• An elderly mage recognized Frieren’s Proof of the Holy Staff and helped her register for the exam.
• Frieren explained the ancient badge and learned about the scarcity of high-ranking mages while she and Fern studied at the association library.
• Frieren and Fern spent the next thirteen days studying and training, with Lowell acting as a sparring partner.

Genau began the first examination by assigning the eighty-three examinees to teams of three, and Frieren followed her bracelet’s signal to find her teammates already fighting. Fern reunited with Ubel and met their third teammate, while Lowell watched from a rooftop as the examination began.

• Falsh and Sense discussed the examinees, including Frieren, before Genau announced that examinees would form teams based on their numbered bracelets.
• Frieren received bracelet number two and followed its signal while reflecting that teamwork with strangers might be troublesome.
• Frieren found her teammates: a composed young woman pinning a red-haired girl down and pulling her twin tails; both wore number-two bracelets.
• Ubel greeted Fern and called her “cutie Fern,” while Fern met their teammate Lanto and asked Ubel not to call him “Four-Eyes.”
• Lowell watched the teams form from a rooftop while eating popcorn.

The first exam began in the Grobe Basin, where teams had to catch a live Stille and return with all three members by the following sunset. Frieren tried to organize her argumentative teammates, Rabiñe and Kanne, but they resumed bickering almost immediately.

• Genau explained that each team had to capture at least one live Stille in its birdcage and return together before sunset the next day, or face disqualification.
• Ubel inferred that the exam would center on catching birds, while Fern warned that the Stille population was likely too small for every team to pass without competing.
• Lanto told Ubel his name and said he would watch the exam standing up.
• After Genau officially began the exam, Rabiñe and Kanne resumed fighting over who would carry their birdcage.
• Frieren suggested that they search while introducing themselves and decide who carried the cage with rock-paper-scissors.
• Rabiñe and Kanne introduced themselves as childhood friends and third-class mages, then argued over their skills and academy performance as Frieren despaired.

Frieren, Rabiñe, and Kanne searched the woods for a Stille and found one at a lake. Their coordinated attempt to capture it failed, and they ended the chapter arguing over how to pursue it.

• Rabiñe and Kanne argued over how to search, while Frieren carried the birdcage and found a Stille feather.
• Frieren let Rabiñe scout ahead, and Rabiñe returned after spotting a Stille at a forest lake.
• Kanne trapped the Stille in a whirlpool, and Rabiñe froze the water around it, but the bird shattered the ice and escaped.
• Frieren explained that the Stille was too strong and fast to catch without careful observation.
• Rabiñe and Kanne argued over whether to chase the Stille or search the lake area, while Frieren watched in exasperation.

Frieren rescued Kanne from a giant bird monster during the night, and Kanne explained how Rabiñe’s harsh encouragement had helped her overcome fear. Kanne suspected she had found a clue to catching a Stille, while Fern’s group had already captured one and discussed what to do next.

• Frieren, Rabiñe, and Kanne failed to catch a Stille, and the bird’s wind sent their water-and-ice attack back at them.
• While Kanne kept watch, a giant bird monster wounded and pinned her, but Frieren bound it with golden chains and treated Kanne’s shoulder.
• Kanne recalled how Rabiñe had pushed her to fly during practice and said that Rabiñe helped her face frightening challenges.
• Kanne told Frieren she might have noticed something that could help them catch a Stille, then hurried back with her.
• Fern’s group secured a Stille in a cage, and Ubel joked that they could find Frieren and rely on her instead of fighting.

Frieren explained her Bird-Catching Magic and the difficulty of using it on the Stille, then devised a plan with Rabiñe and Kanne to lure and catch one. The trio agreed to the risky approach and began preparing.

• Frieren, Rabiñe, and Kanne reviewed the Stille’s speed, toughness, and sensitivity to mana, concluding they had no reliable way to catch it yet.
• Frieren revealed that Bird-Catching Magic could restrain the Stille if she got within fifty centimeters, but she could not approach it unnoticed on her own.
• Rabiñe and Kanne described why their Ice-Freeze Magic and water-based magic would alert the Stille before they could trap it.
• Frieren recognized a possible solution and quietly explained her plan to Rabiñe and Kanne.
• Rabiñe agreed to Frieren’s plan after Kanne challenged her, and the three began preparing.

Fern's squad deduced that the basin's central lake had become a danger zone and was ambushed by Wirbel's team before a massive spell froze the lake. The spell disrupted the exam's teams but did not stop the clash, and Fern, Ubel, and Lanto resumed fighting Wirbel, Ehre, and Scharf.

• Fern, Lanto, and Ubel realized the barrier had redirected the basin's water into the central lake, making it a likely gathering place for Stille and ambushes, so they abandoned their plan to go there.
• Wirbel, Ehre, and Scharf attacked Fern's squad, and Wirbel demanded that they surrender their Stille.
• A huge ice pillar rose at the lake as Frieren's team froze its surface, drawing the attention of examinees across the basin.
• Edel tried to melt the lake for drinking water, while Duncan decided to track down Frieren's team and take its Stille.
• Wirbel restarted the fight by attacking Ubel, while Ehre attacked Fern and Scharf and Lanto moved toward a separate battlefield.

Duncan, Lichta, and Laufen investigated Team Two’s mana-contaminated water sources and discovered corpse-luring traps, while Rabiñe, Kanne, and Frieren prepared a hidden ambush at the basin’s only clean water source. The chapter ended with a smaller bird monster drinking from the pond without noticing Frieren, as the group waited for a Stille.

• Duncan explained that Team Two had rendered the lake and nearby water sources unusable to the Stille, and he led Lichta and Laufen away to investigate their plan.
• Duncan identified hanging examinees’ corpses as a Corpse-Luring Birds trap and refused to risk freeing them while monsters circled overhead.
• Duncan and his companions found that the basin’s water sources had been subtly infused with mana, and Laufen realized Team Two was clearing the field to lure the Stille to an uncontaminated source.
• Duncan decided to conserve his team’s strength and wait for Team Two to reveal its position.
• Rabiñe and Kanne reported that they had marked most water sources, while Frieren concealed her mana beside a small pond.
• A smaller bird monster drank from the pond and flew away without recognizing Frieren, leaving the group waiting for a Stille.

Frieren captured a Stille, but Duncan's team tracked the mana fluctuation and confronted her group. Duncan prepared to fight Frieren while Lichta was ordered to subdue Rabiñe and Kanne.

• Frieren captured a Stille with prepared magic, but she warned Rabiñe and Kanne that another team had sensed them.
• Laufen rushed to seize the birdcage, but Frieren caught and bound her to a tree using High-Speed Movement.
• Duncan and Lichta arrived, and Duncan recognized Frieren as the Elven Mage and a member of the three Great Mages remaining in the world.
• Lichta explained the privilege of becoming a First-Class Mage and threatened to kill one of Frieren's teammates, but Duncan ordered him to keep the girls occupied without killing them.
• Duncan removed his robe, gathered mana, and declared that he would defeat Frieren.

Lichta separated Rabiñe and Kanne from Frieren and Duncan, then overpowered the two girls with earth magic while explaining the limits of their defensive spells. He stopped short of defeating them and waited for Duncan’s fight to end, while Duncan prepared to face Frieren.

• Lichta raised a massive earthen wall that split the battlefield and trapped Rabiñe and Kanne on his side.
• Rabiñe attacked with ice arrows, but Lichta blocked them with stone and mocked the girls’ fighting style.
• Lichta struck Rabiñe and Kanne with earth pillars, shattering Kanne’s defensive barrier and knocking them to the ground.
• Rabiñe tried to bluff Lichta with Kanne’s potential water magic, then suggested he had chosen dry terrain because he feared her abilities.
• Lichta stopped attacking and waited for Duncan, while Rabiñe and Kanne warned him they still had a trump card.
• Duncan took a fighting stance before Frieren, who asked if they were going to fight.

Frieren defeated Duncan after enduring his powerful spells with ease, and Duncan revealed that he wanted to become a First-Class Mage to reach his wife in the demon-infested Northern Plateau. As Richter prepared to continue the fight, Rabiñe shielded herself and Kanne inside an ice wall.

• Duncan unleashed a combined wind-and-fire tornado attack, but Frieren blocked it with an all-around defensive barrier.
• Duncan attacked Frieren with Light of Judgment, but she closed the distance and struck him with Ordinary Attack Magic, exhausting his mana.
• Duncan admitted defeat and explained that he needed First-Class Mage status to pass through a checkpoint and save his wife in the Northern Plateau.
• Frieren refused to leave Rabiñe and Kanne, saying they would win, while Duncan confirmed that he was no longer a threat.
• Richter noticed Duncan's defeat and saw that Rabiñe had enclosed herself and Kanne in an ice wall.

Rabiñe and Kanne defeated Lichta with a water-magic ambush, while Frieren broke Serie’s barrier and the rain flooded the examination grounds. With the candidates exhausted and only two hours left, Duncan urged Lichta and Laufen to keep struggling until the end.

• Kanne released a scroll’s Rainstorm Pear Blossom Magic, and Rabiñe froze Lichta’s ankles so Kanne could crush him beneath a massive sphere of water.
• Frieren broke Serie’s barrier with a beam of light, and Sense told Genau that Frieren was Ruby’s master and the third Great Mage.
• Frieren praised Rabiñe and Kanne for winning, then told the exhausted girls to hide before the sunset gathering.
• The barrier’s destruction brought down rain, and the flood swept Lichta away before Duncan caught him; Laufen cut down the tree to free them from Frieren’s mana ropes.
• Duncan asked Lichta and Laufen what a Court Mage would do when cornered, then declared that they would struggle until the very last moment.

Lanto fought Scharf and used hidden clones to outmaneuver him despite being badly wounded. After finally knocking Scharf unconscious, Lanto treated his wound and watched Fern and Ubel's battles while a distant observer commented on his tactics.

• Scharf attacked Lanto with steel petals, wounded him, and demanded that he surrender.
• Lanto revealed that he had prepared a hidden clone, which shocked Scharf from behind, but Scharf's Flower Substitute Magic tricked the clone.
• Lanto used another clone to catch Scharf off guard and electrocute him until he lost consciousness.
• Lanto reflected on Scharf's skill, treated his wound, and turned toward Fern and Ubel's fight.
• A distant observer praised Lanto's sneaky tactics and then looked toward Fern.

Fern defeated Ehre by bombarding her with a dense barrage of basic attack magic until Ehre’s defensive shield collapsed. She then turned to watch Ubel and Wirbel’s fight as it reached a critical moment.

• Ehre attacked Fern with hardened stone projectiles, but Fern dodged and countered with Ordinary Attack Magic.
• Ehre questioned why Fern used only basic spells, and Fern explained that Frieren had forbidden her from using anything else until she passed the First-Class Mage exam.
• Fern controlled seven magic circles at once and launched a simultaneous saturation attack that forced Ehre to raise a spherical shield.
• Fern’s relentless barrage exhausted Ehre’s mana and shattered her shield, leaving Ehre unable to move as the final beams passed by.
• Fern looked toward Ubel and Wirbel’s battle, while someone in the distance remarked that speed was unbeatable and enjoyed a snack.

Ubel fought Wirbel and discovered the limits of his Gaze Restraint Magic before Fern caught him from behind. With Ehre already disqualified and Lanto returning unharmed, the team regrouped after winning their fights.

• Ubel and Wirbel exchanged close-range attacks until Wirbel restrained her with Gaze Restraint Magic and demanded the Stille.
• Ubel deduced that Wirbel's magic required his full field of vision and exploited the opening to wound his nose, but he restrained her again.
• Wirbel explained that his battlefield experiences had shaped his restraint magic and urged Ubel to surrender.
• Fern sneaked up behind Wirbel and revealed that Frieren had destroyed the barrier and that she had thrown Ehre outside the basin, so Wirbel conceded.
• Ubel declined to attack Wirbel as he left, and Fern and Ubel agreed that Lanto had likely already won his fight.
• Lanto emerged unharmed, and Fern confirmed that their fights were finished.

Wirbel rescued Ehre and Scharf, then found a Stille just as the team was about to give up on the exam. Meanwhile, Fern, Ubel, and Lanto sheltered from the rain and discussed their magic and the possibility of facing one another in the next round.

• Wirbel found Ehre exhausted after her fight with Fern, believed her account of Fern's powerful Ordinary Attack Magic, and carried her toward Scharf.
• Wirbel found Scharf paralyzed and carried Ehre on his back while magically floating Scharf behind him as they headed to shelter.
• Ehre recalled Wirbel protecting her village from Demons, and Wirbel said he fought to grow stronger and improve his skills rather than out of kindness.
• Ehre spotted a Stille sheltering on a tree branch, and Wirbel immobilized it and put it in his birdcage.
• Fern, Ubel, and Lanto sheltered in a cave, where they discussed Fern's magic and how their fighting styles might fare against one another in the next round.

Duncan’s party fought two exhausted mages and took their Stille after Duncan decided not to negotiate. With an hour left in the exam, Duncan was wounded but recovering, while the others continued their own pursuits and squabbles.

• Duncan, Lichta and Laufen found two disqualified mages still guarding their Stille, and Duncan decided they would take it by force.
• Duncan and Lichta confronted the pair without mana, while Laufen waited to seize the birdcage; Duncan began the fight with a punch.
• Rabiñe and Kanne grappled over their earlier battle as Frieren watched, and Edel used Mental Suggestion Magic to lure a Stille into her cage.
• In a cave, Ubel teased Fern by pinching her cheeks, while Lanto watched; Wirbel, Ehre and Scharf sat around a campfire elsewhere.
• Duncan’s party won the fight and took the Stille, then Laufen treated Duncan’s injuries as sunlight broke through with about an hour left in the exam.