Chapter Summaries

Frieren used Tracking Magic on the silver coins she had given Gazella and explained why she suspected he and the homeless dwarf Ransen were connected to the Shadow Warriors. The trail began as she hoped to follow the coins, but she ended up grieving over the secret savings she had lost.

• Gazella paid Wolf four silver coins and said he wanted to settle his tab before he died, then left the tavern.
• Wolf examined Gazella's coins and put them in the cash cabinet's bottom drawer.
• Frieren returned to the street corner with Fern and the redhead, then revealed she had cast Tracking Magic on the coins she gave Gazella.
• Frieren told Fern that the homeless man calling himself Varos was Ransen, a forgotten hero, and suspected he and the powerful peddler Gazella were connected to the Shadow Warriors.
• Fern noted that Frieren's suspicions lacked solid evidence, while the redhead warned her not to start crying again.
• Frieren admitted that she mainly wanted her secret savings back, and Fern comforted her.

Varos returned to the church soaked after checking the flooded evacuation passage and reported that he could make it through. Clematis discussed using him behind enemy lines, while Varos admitted that Levi had grown stronger than him; the chapter ended with the two drinking tea in silence.

• Varos told Clematis that the evacuation passage was usable despite being pitch-black, freezing, and infested with piranha-like monsters.
• Clematis said Varos was the strongest Shadow Warrior and proposed planning how to send him behind enemy lines.
• Lore refused to fetch tea because she was going out to buy red wine for the ritual.
• Varos told Clematis that Levi was now stronger than him and that he wished he were ten years younger.
• Clematis found the tea after Varos pointed out the cupboard where he had borrowed it before, and the two drank together in silence.

Lore discovered Tracking Magic hidden in the silver coins Gazella had used to repay Wolf, and she ordered Wolf and Gazella to prepare for battle. Elsewhere, Frieren realized that someone had traced them back to the Imperial Capital’s commoners’ district.

• Schritt sat outside the tavern drinking while Lore and Wolf urged her to come inside.
• Lore asked Wolf for red wine for a ritual, and Wolf gave her an ordinary bottle of cheap wine.
• Wolf returned Gazella’s four silver coins, but Lore sensed Tracking Magic hidden in them and warned Wolf and Gazella to get ready for battle.
• Wolf took up his longbow as Gazella stood, and Lore examined the coins.
• Frieren stopped in the street and told Fern that someone had traced them back.

Varos brought Sein to a tavern while Sein searched for his childhood friend, the Gorilla Warrior. Meanwhile, Frieren, Fern, and Redhead were spotted and attacked by Wolf, and the chapter ended with Redhead collapsing from poison.

• Varos carried a wounded white cat to the church, but Clematis said it could not be saved; Sein healed it with the Holy Scripture.
• Sein showed Varos a photograph of his childhood friend and asked about the Gorilla Warrior, so Varos offered to take him to a tavern.
• Frieren realized their pursuers had detected them, and Wolf shot Redhead from a distant spire; the group ducked for cover and fled through the alleys.
• Varos found Schritt blocking Wolf's tavern, while Sein abruptly left after glancing back toward it.
• Wolf asked Lore for the group's location, and Lore directed him toward the central avenue as they planned another attack.
• Redhead suddenly collapsed while fleeing, and Frieren discovered that he had been poisoned.

Frieren and Fern hid with the poisoned Red Hair, but Frieren could not identify or cure the poison. Sein found them and began treating Red Hair, while Frieren confronted Fern about how her distress had made her lose focus.

• Frieren determined that Red Hair had been struck by an unfamiliar poison and rejected Fern's suggestion to seek help at a church because they were being targeted and the church might be connected to their enemies.
• Fern suggested taking an antidote from the archer, but Frieren insisted that they avoid fighting in the Imperial Capital and warned that Fern was too unsettled to act safely.
• Sein entered the hideout, and Frieren stopped Fern from attacking him as he began trying to dissolve the poison with healing magic.
• Frieren explained that she had sensed Sein nearby and deliberately used her mana to guide him to them.
• After Frieren pointed out that Fern had failed to notice Sein close by, Fern admitted she was not calm and apologized.

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.