Recaps

Sein healed Red Hair and used the enemy’s reverse detection magic to locate the priest coordinating their attacks. As Gazella and a distant archer assaulted the cabin, Fern and Frieren prepared to target the priest and disrupt the enemy’s tactical network.

• Sein healed Red Hair, then sensed the enemy’s magic and used Frieren’s map to identify the priest’s location.
• Gazella attacked the cabin and tried to kill Red Hair, who blocked the blow with his battle-axe despite his wound.
• Fern fired at Gazella as a distant archer shot at Red Hair; Red Hair deflected the arrow but collapsed to one knee from the effort.
• Gazella threw knives at Frieren, Fern, and Sein, but Frieren raised a wooden barrier that stopped them.
• Fern recognized that defeating the priest would break the enemy’s coordination, and Frieren confirmed that Fern could hit the priest from their position.

Frieren and Fern used the Imperial Capital’s fireworks to conceal Fern as she searched for Lore, while Wolf and Gazella kept Frieren occupied. Fern located Lore and struck before Lore could disrupt her Flight Magic, leaving the enemy scattered and the festival crowds unaware of the fight.

• Fern suggested using the fireworks to conceal her aerial attack, and Frieren agreed to the plan.
• Lore spotted Fern rising into the sky and warned Wolf, but the fireworks hid Fern from his view.
• Fern sensed Lore’s distinctive mana while Lore fled through the alleys, then tracked her despite the city’s magical noise.
• Lore discarded her silver coin and prepared a Binding Holy Spell to disrupt Fern’s Flight Magic, while Wolf and Gazella continued engaging Frieren and Sein.
• Fern found Lore and fired a concentrated beam of white light down from the sky before Lore could complete her spell.
• Noi watched the fading fireworks and light trail, while Ubel and Lanto noticed Fern’s commotion as they walked through the festival.

After the attack, Frieren’s group regrouped and prepared to study information Linel had gathered about their enemies. Serie arrived at the Imperial Capital, reflecting on how it had changed since Flamme once dreamed of it.

• Kanon ordered Weige to keep Noi waiting and inspect the area damaged by the mana burst.
• Wolf and Gazella retreated with the unconscious Lore after her magic-resistant robe protected her from the attack.
• Sense and Falsh heard Frieren’s report about the suspected Shadow Warriors, and Frieren promised to help complete the mission.
• Fern told Sein that Frieren had not passed the First-Class Mage exam, and Frieren reunited with him.
• Sense received Linel’s information from Ubel and announced that they could finally see the enemy’s true face.
• Serie arrived at the Imperial Capital and remembered Flamme’s childhood dream of the city.

Serie visited a statue of Flamme and reflected on how few people remembered her true appearance, while Frieren and her allies confirmed that the Shadow Warriors were disbanded remnants operating in secret. The chapter ended with the group studying portraits of the Shadow Warriors as Sein silently focused on the portrait of a blond warrior.

• Serie rejected Falsh's offer of an escort but accepted his robe, then recognized the statue as a memorial to Flamme and said that only Frieren and she might remember Flamme's true appearance.
• Frieren, Fern, Sense, Sein, Ubel, and Lanto examined Linel's letter and portraits and concluded that the Shadow Warriors were remnants of an organization officially disbanded sixteen years earlier.
• Kanon learned that rebels were active and might be connected to the Shadow Warriors, ordered tighter security, and despaired when Weite left him responsible for reporting the threat and requesting reinforcements in Captain Fres's absence.
• Falsh joined the group, and Sense explained that Linel was exceptionally capable but might be killed if her identity were exposed in the Empire.
• Frieren and Fern recognized Gazella and Varos in the portraits, while Sein silently studied the portrait of a blond warrior and touched the locket at his neck.

Fern questioned Ubel about her fight with the Magical Special Forces while Frieren and Red Hair discussed their search for the people on the list. Sein searched the streets for Kleis, and the chapter ended with Iris and Lutine refusing Clematis’s request to have Lore return to duty and leaving him to fend for dinner.

• Ubel told Fern that something had felt wrong during her fight with the Magical Special Forces, while Frieren identified Lore as the priest they had encountered and praised Fern for retreating.
• Sein ran through the streets searching for Gorilla Warrior, while Varos told Kleis that the goateed priest was his old friend and that the priest’s name was on the list of targets.
• Kleis continued working at the forge without saying whether he wanted to confront or spare the priest, while Varos reminded Schritt to drink less before the next day’s mission.
• Iris comforted the frightened Lore and told Lutine about the torture she had endured before Clematis sent her back on a mission.
• Iris told Clematis that Lore was unfit for duty and bluntly refused to arrange dinner for him before leaving with Lutine.

Frieren and her companions reviewed their lack of progress tracking the hidden watcher and concluded Serie had deliberately provoked them with her magic sweep over the Imperial Capital. Meanwhile, Fres authorized Kanon’s forces to act freely at the National Day Ball and ordered them to enforce Imperial law against any violence, leaving their loyalties and choices in question.

• Frieren told Sein she would prioritize Fern’s safety but wanted to protect Flamme’s legacy by making the situation turn out better.
• Fern and Frieren discussed their lack of progress and identified the Shadow Warriors’ commander and an unseen watcher as their main threats.
• Frieren recognized Serie’s citywide magic detection as a deliberate provocation aimed at the person monitoring the Imperial Capital.
• Serie unleashed her magic from a rooftop, openly challenging the hidden observer.
• Fres told Kanon that the Magical Special Forces could act freely at the National Day Ball and should eliminate anyone who threatened the event.
• Fres instructed Kanon to stop unlawful violence and impose sanctions on both sides under Imperial law, then urged him to remember where he stood and make the right choice.

On the last day of the national holiday, Sense and the others prepared to attend the palace ball as Lady Serie’s guards and protect her from the Shadow Warriors. As they divided their approach and got dressed, Lanto questioned his pairing with Ubel, while Fern, Frieren, and Serie traded barbed remarks during preparations.

• Sense explained that the group would attend the palace ball to prevent the Shadow Warriors from assassinating Lady Serie, and Serie proposed that everyone enter with her invitation.
• Lanto said he and Ubel would avoid the front entrance because the Magical Special Forces were watching them, and Sense agreed they could provide support from outside.
• Lanto asked Serie why she had paired him with Ubel, and Serie said he would need to get a firm grip on Ubel’s reins to make the most of his cautious nature.
• Sein asked Redhead whether there would be any kind, beautiful older ladies at the ball.
• Sense laced Fern’s dress carefully, while Frieren asked Fern to comb her hair and Serie teased her for needing her disciple’s help.
• Frieren told Serie to drop dead after Serie offered to comb her hair, and Serie looked aggrieved by the reply.

Serie prepared Frieren, Fern, Sense, and the others for the mission to protect her at the Imperial Palace, hinting that she had chosen them to pursue futures beyond her expectations. The group entered the palace ball as the assassination plot began to unfold.

• Serie told Frieren and Fern they could withdraw from the mission, but Frieren questioned why Serie had emphasized the option if there was no danger.
• Serie dressed Sense's hair and recalled the unusual privileges her chosen mages had requested, including Sense's wish to sleep without dreaming after killing someone.
• Serie refused to explain her intentions and led Frieren, Fern, Sense, Falsh, Sein, and Redhead toward the palace banquet hall.
• Ubel and Lanto waited in formal clothes in a shadowed corridor, avoiding the Magical Special Forces monitoring the banquet hall.
• Serie and her companions entered the glittering ball, where hidden schemes and murderous intent surrounded them.

At the imperial state banquet, Frieren, Fern, Serie, and Sense waited for the Shadow Warriors to make a move while the Magical Special Forces monitored the hall. In the command room, Fres learned that the empire had no surviving records of the disbanded organization and kept the security operation focused on Serie.

• Serie sat with Sense at the banquet, while Sense used her hair to bring her wine and pastries.
• Frieren ate cake as Fern watched the guests and questioned why they were waiting instead of striking first; Frieren explained the danger of disrupting the state banquet without proof or provocation.
• Sense noticed the Magical Special Forces officers Glau and Rega watching the hall and made a throat-slitting gesture toward Glau.
• Fres heard Kanon report that the imperial archives held no useful records of the Shadow Warriors and asked whether that affected security.
• Kanon reported that the palace security net was in place and concentrated surveillance around Serie, and Fres ordered the operation to continue.

At the National Day ball, Clematis explained that the factions would fight covertly to preserve the Empire’s appearance of peace. Iris and Lutine went to investigate approaching threats, while Ubel and Lanto crossed paths in the corridor and Ubel hinted that Lanto held her leash.

• Clematis told Gazella and Iris that no faction could openly start a fight at the ball without making the Empire and everyone else its enemy.
• Clematis urged Iris to enjoy the feast, but she rejected the idea and left to scout the perimeter after listening for threats.
• Clematis ordered Lutine to cover Iris, and Lutine followed her into the corridor.
• Iris told Lutine that formidable, combative people were approaching and that they needed to check whether the newcomers would interfere with the mission.
• Ubel and Lanto walked through another part of the corridor, where Lanto asked where her leash was.
• Ubel told Lanto to look for it, suggesting that it might already be in his hand.

Fres reported that preparations for the ball were proceeding smoothly, but the emperor confronted her about excluding Duncan and asked what role she intended him to play. Fres insisted he need not act and left to carry out her plan, while the emperor reflected on the Empire's uncertain future.

• Fres told the emperor that security was ready and Lady Serie had arrived for the ball.
• The emperor questioned Fres about deliberately excluding Duncan and asked what choice her plan required him to make.
• Fres said the matter resulted from her own disobedience and asked the emperor to wait until the night's events were over before judging her.
• The emperor told Fres he understood that she and Duncan were trying to protect the Empire and did not want her to carry its burden alone.
• Fres asked the emperor to continue tacitly permitting her actions and declared that the Empire would endure until everyone could use magic freely.
• After Fres left, the emperor put on his crown and acknowledged that even the thousand-year-old Empire would not remain unchanged forever.

Ubel rejected Lanto’s cautious plans, and their confrontation with Lutine and Iris turned into a fight in the corridor. As Iris attacked Ubel and Lutine went after Lanto, Kanon reported a battle to Captain Fres, who had yet to respond.

• Ubel told Lanto that waiting to counterattack would leave their side vulnerable, but refused to start a fight in the banquet hall.
• Lutine emerged from a side room, and Ubel detected two concealed enemies inside.
• Iris and Lutine prepared to attack, but Lanto and Ubel cut through the door and entered the room.
• Iris seized Ubel from behind and held a needle to her neck while Lutine attacked Lanto.
• Kanon detected the battle and asked Captain Fres for orders, but Fres did not answer.

As the banquet guests concealed the fighting, Ubel and Lanto battled Shadow Warriors Iris and Lutine in a corridor. Fres initially kept her forces on standby, but Clematis ultimately granted permission to engage.

• Fern told Frieren that Kleis, Varos, and Lore were absent, and Frieren said the group should move while the other enemies were out of sight.
• Sense told Frieren and Serie to meet Falsh and follow his instructions, explaining that Ubel and Lanto had an advantage against warriors even at close range.
• Lanto struck Iris’s wrist with electricity as Ubel fought Lutine, and he took three darts through his palm while helping Ubel evade Lutine’s attacks.
• Falsh and Clematis used magic to conceal the battle from nearby guests, while Kanon asked Fres to establish a barrier and capture the Shadow Warriors.
• Lutine asked Clematis for permission to engage, but Fres ordered Kanon to keep monitoring the fight and told her forces to stand by.
• Clematis granted permission to engage while raising his wineglass in the banquet hall.

Lutine and Ubel fought over whether Lutine’s shield could withstand Ubel’s invisible slashes, while Iris uncovered that Lanto was a clone and continued battling him. The fights remained unresolved as Ubel recognized that Lutine relied on her senses rather than mana perception and prepared to exploit her unrestricted field of vision.

• Lutine dodged Ubel’s slashes, took an intact shield and sword from the corridor statues, and used the shield to block Ubel’s magic, though one slash cut her shoulder.
• Lanto attacked Iris with electricity, and Iris deduced that he was a clone before he grabbed her and admitted she had seen through his trick.
• Iris poisoned Lanto with a needle and escaped his grasp, while Lanto pulled the needle from his hand and continued to resist her poison and electric attacks.
• Lutine pressed Ubel with shielded sword strikes, drawing blood and forcing Ubel to reconsider how she could overcome the shield.
• Ubel realized Lutine tracked attacks through sight and sound instead of mana perception, and she began planning to use her unrestricted field of vision.

At a banquet, Serie recalled a Prophetic Dream in which she met the emperor and uncovered a connection between his consciousness and her dream. She agreed to exchange information with him about the assassination plan, hoping to prepare for the future in which she died.

• Sense told Serie that the Magical Special Forces had not made a move, and Serie recalled Sense’s past battle with their captain, Fres.
• Serie said she expected the emperor to attend the ball and recalled meeting him in a Prophetic Dream after killing Fres there.
• The emperor recognized that he was inside Serie’s dream using a magic tool made by Flamme, and Serie explained that the dream showed only one possible future.
• Serie and the emperor realized their consciousnesses were connected, and he revealed that the Empire’s Court Magic defense mechanism was influencing their exchange.
• Serie agreed to work with the emperor after concluding that he believed the assassination plan would fail.
• Serie told the emperor that she had died by decapitation in the future she saw and proposed they cooperate for their mutual benefit.

Serie explained to the emperor that a future-seeing enemy had arranged her death at midnight and was using murdered mages as hostages, then proposed they cooperate. In the present, the emperor arrived at the banquet with eight Magical Special Forces members while Falsh watched Varos and Kleis in a hidden passage beneath the palace.

• Serie told the emperor her Prophetic Dream showed she would be killed at midnight at the ball by a warrior whose attack she could not detect.
• Serie explained that attempts to avoid her death had led to worse outcomes and more Continental Magic Association mages being murdered, and she suspected the enemy could also see the future.
• The emperor said Fres was the only possible person he knew who might predict the future, but Serie doubted she had that ability, and she proposed that they cooperate.
• The emperor entered the banquet hall accompanied by eight members of the Magical Special Forces, and Serie watched him arrive with amusement while Sense surveyed the guards.
• Falsh hid in an abandoned passage beneath the palace as Varos and Kleis stepped into the gloom.

Kleis and Varos traveled through an underground passage while discussing warriors, Levi, and the threat ahead, unaware that Falsh was listening nearby. Varos detected Falsh and severed his arm before he could cast a spell, leaving Falsh at axe-point but still attempting to negotiate.

• Kleis and Varos discussed how an old friend had taught Varos caution and how Levi's strength had unsettled him.
• Falsh hid in the passage and identified the approaching men as dangerous enemies, suspecting Levi was the governor from the north and the killer of Minusi.
• Falsh decided to regroup with Frieren and the others, then began gathering mana to stop the intruders.
• Varos sensed Falsh's breathing and noticed his heartbeat quicken after overhearing their conversation.
• Falsh triggered his spell, but Varos struck first, severing Falsh's right hand and forearm and holding his axe to Falsh's neck.
• Falsh acknowledged the threat and said he was relieved the enemies could be reasoned with.

Ubel escaped Noi with Lanto after pinning him with directional gravity magic and cutting through his debris attack. In a quiet alley, she explained why she healed her wounds before returning: Lowell had reached the Imperial Capital, and his past brutality toward pirates who injured her made her wary of what he might do if he saw her hurt.

• Lanto surrendered to Noi, but Ubel suddenly restrained Noi with directional gravity magic and pulled Lanto toward the ruins' outskirts.
• Noi uprooted walls, floor slabs, and streetlights to block their escape, but Ubel sliced through the metal and rubble before launching herself and Lanto into the sky.
• Weige freed Noi from Ubel's restraint, and Noi ordered him to help clean up the ruined battlefield.
• Ubel and Lanto landed in a distant alley, healed their injuries with potions, and discussed Lowell's arrival in the Imperial Capital.
• Ubel told Lanto that Lowell had once slaughtered the Kid Pirates after they injured her, and said she had healed herself to avoid provoking him.
• Ubel and Lanto set off to report that their mission was complete.

The Shadow Warriors received an assassination target list filled with formidable figures, including Great Mages, heroes, and a former Demon King. Clematis said another organization would handle the main attack, while the Shadow Warriors would provide support, and the group prepared to destroy the list.

• Lutine announced that the mission’s target list had been issued, and Clematis distributed copies to the Shadow Warriors.
• Gazella recognized the names of Serie, Ruby, Himmel, Frieren, and Lowell and protested that the targets were impossibly dangerous.
• Clematis explained that another organization would carry out the main part of the assassination while the Shadow Warriors handled support and distractions.
• Lutine listed more powerful targets, including Lupa, Ubel, Linié, Sense, Falsh, and Brugge, and questioned whether the other organization could succeed.
• Kleis insisted that the Shadow Warriors’ duty was to carry out the mission, and Clematis asked everyone to burn the list.

Lowell and the others gathered with several Shadow Warriors and discovered that nearly all of them had been secretly sent undercover by Arlecchino without knowing one another’s identities. The group discussed the missing Clematis and reviewed intelligence suggesting Lupa and Linié were expected in the Imperial Capital.

• Gazella asked whether the Shadow Warriors in the room were all undercover, and Iris, Schritt, Wolf, Lutine, Lore, and Kleis confirmed they had been sent in by Arlecchino.
• Lutine and Lore noticed Clematis was absent, and Lowell said he might be dead or might truly be one of the Shadow Warriors.
• Iris complained about Clematis’s treatment of her, while Lowell reminded her that she had requested pain-nullifying and recovery magic for the thrill of using them.
• Ruby realized the undercover agents had apparently been operating against Clematis without knowing their fellow agents were on the same side.
• Sense redirected the meeting to intelligence, and Iris said Clematis had described their role as support for an assassination by another organization.
• Frieren and Fern examined a detailed list of intelligence on the group, and Lowell was surprised to see Lupa and Linié included despite their not yet reaching the Imperial Capital.

At the base, Sein reunited with Kleis and the group joked about drinking and affection while Lowell reviewed a list of powerful enemies planning to assassinate them. Liletta stopped Linié and Frieren from littering, and the chapter ended with Lowell hugging Frieren.

• Sein greeted Kleis with a shoulder punch and teased him for taking three years to return; Kleis explained he had stayed to help the woman who saved his life.
• Kleis said Schritt had spent his savings on alcohol, and Schritt proudly called herself his little sister; Sein then asked Lore and Methode to drink with him, but both rejected him.
• Lupa questioned why their enemies were still attempting an assassination, and Lowell urged caution before telling Linié to stop sensing mana because Serie was covering the Imperial Capital with her detection.
• Linié tossed an apple core toward the corner, but Liletta caught it and told her not to litter; Lupa picked Linié up, and Linié admitted her pitiful act worked.
• Frieren copied Linié by throwing an apple core and making a clumsy remorseful face after Liletta told her not to litter, so Lowell invited Frieren into a hug.

Lowell gathered the mages at the hideout after his Future Sight showed Serie dying when they were taken hostage, but Serie rejected the vision’s logic and threw Ruby out the window after Ruby exposed her lie. With Serie lacking usable Future Sight magic, she and Lowell agreed to prepare for danger.

• Serie entered the hideout, where Lowell explained that his Future Sight had shown her submitting to death after the mages were taken hostage.
• Sense confirmed that the gathered mages had seen the same vision, and Ruby tearfully thanked Serie for sacrificing herself for them.
• Serie argued that an enemy who could kill her would not spare her disciples, and she mocked Lowell for believing she would willingly give her life away.
• Ruby claimed she had spotted a tell that showed Serie was lying, so Serie picked her up by the collar and threw her out the window.
• Serie said she had only Prophetic Dream remaining and had given away her other Future Sight magic; Lowell urged them to prepare, and Serie called it boring.

Lowell, Frieren, Fern, and their companions toured the Imperial Capital’s festival night market while keeping watch for the people plotting an attack. They agreed that luring the attackers into the open streets would give their mage-heavy group an advantage, and continued shopping as they waited for the enemy to make a move.

• Frieren carried off another haul of magic books and tools, while Lowell stored them and Fern questioned whether Frieren could ever finish reading her purchases.
• Ruby shared tanghulu with the group, and Lowell explained that he had found a secret passage and notified Duncan to support them from outside.
• Sense agreed that an open area suited their mage-heavy force better than the banquet hall, while Serie dismissed the assassination threat as a joke.
• Frieren led Fern and the others through the lively market to browse more stalls as the group kept watch for their enemies.

Lowell and the others discovered that Clematis’s memories were sealed by an unfamiliar magic system, so they could not read them. Lowell prepared Clematis for Iris to torment and left the basement, where a muffled scream soon sounded.

• Lowell, Serie, and Ruby found that Clematis’s memories were locked in an unfamiliar way that neither mental defenses nor Goddess Magic explained.
• Lowell reassured Gazella that unfamiliar magic did not guarantee the enemy would win.
• Iris asked Lowell to hand Clematis over so she could repay him for the enemy’s earlier treatment of her.
• Lowell escorted Fern and Frieren out of the basement, then cast spells that made Clematis feel pain more intensely and prevented him from losing consciousness.
• Lowell left Iris alone with Clematis, and a shrill, muffled sound came through the closing door.

After the banquet passed without incident, Lowell and the others debated whether an unseen organization still posed a threat to Serie. Serie rejected Lowell’s offer of protection and left with Ruby and Himmel, while the remaining group had no clear plan.

• Serie mocked Lowell for predicting an assassination, and Sense and Fern noted that the Shadow Warriors capable of carrying it out had been neutralized.
• Falsh recalled Clematis’s claim that another organization would perform the assassination, and Frieren proposed that it either abandoned the plan or never existed.
• Lowell urged Serie to stay with the group, but she refused and challenged him to a fight if he insisted on protecting her.
• Ruby followed Serie with Himmel, while Frieren asked Lowell what the group should do next.
• Lupa argued that guarding Serie would be ineffective, Linié agreed, and Sein complained that he had missed a chance to meet elegant older women before Kleis smacked him.