Recaps

After leaving Orden, Dugu Qing and his companions traveled north and planted a tree marked with recipes, hoping to return to it in a thousand years. They then detoured to a village in the Klar Region to visit Frieren’s long-lived warrior friend Voll.

• Dugu Qing reminded Orden not to reveal that he had impersonated Welt, then departed with Frieren, Stark, Fern, and Sein.
• In an ancient forest, Dugu Qing proposed planting a tree to revisit in a thousand years, and Frieren agreed.
• Dugu Qing and Frieren planted a sapling, carved popular recipes into it, and protected it with a barrier.
• Fern shared her barbecue with Dugu Qing, who said he might remember her cooking a thousand years later.
• The group reached a village in the Klar Region after Frieren explained that her friend Voll had protected it for nearly four hundred years.
• Fern asked how long dwarves usually lived.

Frieren and her companions visited Voll, an old dwarf warrior who had guarded a village for centuries, and Dugu Qing faked his own death to make Voll treat them to a feast. After a week in the village, Frieren said goodbye to Voll and resumed the journey.

• Frieren, Fern, Dugu Qing, Stark, and Sein arrived at Voll’s village, where Voll pretended to be senile before accidentally striking Dugu Qing with his sword.
• Dugu Qing faked a fatal injury, and Sein helped sell the act until Voll agreed to treat everyone to barbecue and drinks.
• The group ate at Voll’s home, while Frieren took a carrot-harvesting job, Voll trained Stark, and Dugu Qing practiced Transformation Magic by a waterfall.
• After seven days of visiting and talking with Voll, Frieren said goodbye to him and set out with her companions.

Sein learned that his childhood friend Gorilla Warrior had gone to Tia, away from the party’s route to Ende, and struggled with whether to pursue him or stay with Dugu Qing and Frieren. As winter arrived, the party rented a cabin, where each member settled into separate pursuits.

• Sein learned from Stubborn Granny that Gorilla Warrior had traveled to Tia, while the party was heading toward Ende.
• The party cleaned a statue of Kraft at Stubborn Granny’s request, then continued on and Sein struggled over whether to seek Gorilla or remain with them.
• A sudden cold wave and heavy snowfall struck, so Frieren rented a cabin and Dugu Qing returned to his room to develop air-conditioning magic.
• Sein spent his days drinking and playing cards at a tavern, Stark exercised, Fern studied magic, and Frieren settled in at a strange old man’s magic shop.

A month after developing Air-Conditioning Magic, Dugu Qing continued traveling with Frieren, Fern, and Stark after Sein left to find Gorilla. When Dugu Qing fell ill with a fever, the others cared for him and Frieren made him bitter medicine, while Fern offered frozen lychees to persuade him to drink it.

• Dugu Qing completed his preliminary research into Air-Conditioning Magic, and Fern found his beauty-focused theory unusual.
• Sein parted from Dugu Qing, Frieren, Fern, and Stark to search for Gorilla and promised to return.
• Dugu Qing healed Fern's fever but collapsed into a deep sleep after she sneezed near him.
• Fern carried Dugu Qing to a rented house while Frieren and Stark gathered medicinal herbs for him.
• Frieren made a bowl of bitter herbal medicine and tried to get Dugu Qing to drink it.
• Fern brought out frozen lychees after Dugu Qing refused the medicine because it was too bitter.

After recovering from his fever, Dugu Qing saved Flower Village from a pack of monsters alongside Frieren, Fern, and Stark. The grateful villagers invited the party to stay, and Dugu Qing accepted their hospitality.

• Fern fed Dugu Qing lychees, and he used the Holy Scripture to cure his fever.
• Jealous of the attention Dugu Qing received, Stark tried to make himself sick, but Dugu Qing cured his cold before Frieren could fuss over him.
• As the party traveled north, they saw Flower Village under attack by wolves, and Dugu Qing flew in and fought the monsters.
• Frieren, Fern, and Stark joined the battle, and together they defeated the monsters threatening the village.
• The villagers invited Dugu Qing and his companions to stay for a few days, and he accepted their offer of a feast.

Dugu Qing, Fern, Frieren, and Stark posed for a statue master in Flower Village, where Fern’s many pose ideas nearly drove him to despair. After the statues were completed, the group accepted the villagers’ thanks and set off for the magic city of Auwest.

• The statue master asked Dugu Qing, Fern, Frieren, and Stark to pose while he studied them for statues in the village square.
• Fern tried dozens of poses, frustrating the statue master, while Stark left for milk tea and Frieren remembered Himmel’s struggles choosing a statue pose.
• Fern finally chose her first pose, and the statue master quickly sketched the group before sending them away.
• Seven days later, the statue master completed lifelike statues of Dugu Qing, Frieren, Fern, and Stark, but the group could not find him.
• The village chief of Flower Village thanked Dugu Qing, Fern, Frieren, and Stark, who said goodbye and departed for the magic city of Auwest.

Dugu Qing and his companions arrived in Rice Fragrance Village during the Goddess's Birthday Festival and joined the crowded celebrations. After shopping for food and ornaments, they continued enjoying the festival, with Stark trailing behind them.

• Frieren remembered that the group had arrived during the Goddess's Birthday Festival, and Fern led Dugu Qing to the village's best hotel.
• The receptionist offered the group rooms after seeing Dugu Qing, and Frieren arranged separate rooms for Stark, Dugu Qing, and herself and Fern.
• Fern and Frieren invited Dugu Qing to celebrate, and he eagerly joined them after learning Rice Fragrance Village would host a grand fireworks show.
• Dugu Qing bought snacks and ornaments, filling Frieren's spacious suitcase with accessories and giving Fern a hairpin and a cherry blossom face sticker.
• Stark followed the group with candied hawthorns, grumbling that Dugu Qing and Fern were being overly affectionate.

Dugu Qing helped Frieren choose a new dress, then he, Frieren, Fern, and Stark shared food on a hillside and watched Rice Fragrance Village’s fireworks festival. They returned to the hotel together after the display ended.

• Dugu Qing picked out a white dress for Frieren, who tried it on and decided to buy it.
• The group shared snacks on a hillside, where Fern peeled prawns for Dugu Qing and he fed her frozen cream sundae.
• Stark watched Dugu Qing and Fern’s affectionate exchange and silently wished they would start dating.
• The fireworks festival began, and Dugu Qing, Frieren, Fern, and Stark watched the colorful display with the crowd.
• After the final firework faded, the group cleaned up, packed their remaining snacks, and returned to the hotel.

Dugu Qing, Frieren, and Fern reached Auwest and decided to take the First-Class Mage Exam so their party could pass through the city. While they waited for the exam, Stark trained with a hidden martial arts master, and Dugu Qing learned that auction houses were selling high-grade magic wands to the gathered mages.

• Dugu Qing and Fern finished shopping and rested with the party before setting out for Auwest.
• At Auwest’s gate, the party learned they needed a Level One Mage to pass through, so Dugu Qing and Fern considered taking the First-Class Mage Exam.
• Dugu Qing agreed to take the exam for Fern’s sake, then persuaded Frieren to join them.
• The group checked into the Moonlight Hotel with more than two months to prepare for the exam.
• Stark began training with an old martial arts master he met outside the hotel, while Dugu Qing heard that auction houses were selling high-grade magic wands to exam candidates.

Dugu Qing took Fern to the Blue Sky Auction House, where he bought four magic staves and gave her an amethyst one. After they returned to Frieren, the three went to register for the upcoming exam and learned applicants needed a mage qualification certificate of grade five or higher.

• Dugu Qing prepared 120 gold coins to buy a high-grade staff, and Fern joined him while Frieren stayed at the hotel.
• Dugu Qing won an amethyst staff for 15 gold coins and gave it to Fern, who accepted it shyly.
• Dugu Qing bought a white staff, a silver staff, and a blue staff, leaving himself with one gold coin.
• Dugu Qing, Fern, and Frieren returned to the hotel with the four staves, and Frieren protested that they would crowd her suitcase.
• Dugu Qing accompanied Fern and Frieren to the Continental Magic Association, where Katherine explained that exam applicants needed a mage qualification certificate of grade five or higher.

Dugu Qing, Fern, and Frieren registered for the first-class mage exam after Laiern recognized Frieren’s Holy Staff Certificate. A month later, Dugu Qing took an overworked Fern out to the mountains, where the scenery helped her relax before the exam.

• Frieren tried to leave rather than take an exam without a certificate, but Laiern accepted her Holy Staff Certificate and approved her participation.
• Dugu Qing and Fern registered for the exam, and Laiern recognized Dugu Qing’s name from rumors that he had drawn the Hero’s Sword.
• The group returned to the hotel, where Fern trained intensely while Frieren and Dugu Qing took it easy; Stark explored town.
• A month later, Dugu Qing visited Fern and invited her to climb a mountain, and she agreed to take a break from studying.
• Dugu Qing flew Fern to the mountains on the Clear Radiance Sword, and she relaxed as she admired the maple leaves.

Dugu Qing and Fern escaped to Maple Mountain, where they shared food, music, dancing, and an overnight camp as Fern tried to gather the courage to express her feelings. Frieren unexpectedly joined them, and the three returned to Auwest the next day.

• Dugu Qing took Fern hiking on Maple Mountain, where they enjoyed snacks and the mountain scenery.
• Dugu Qing played the lyre while Fern danced among the clouds and maple leaves, and he improvised a new piece inspired by Zhuang Zhou's Free and Easy Wandering.
• Fern asked to stay overnight, so Dugu Qing returned to the hotel for camping supplies while Fern prepared a campsite and roasted rabbit.
• Frieren noticed how quiet the hotel felt without Fern and set out to find her after Dugu Qing had left.
• Fern approached Dugu Qing's tent, but Frieren arrived and interrupted her before she could lift the flap.
• Frieren stayed with Fern in a tent, and the next day Dugu Qing, Fern, and Frieren enjoyed Maple Mountain before returning to Auwest.

Dugu Qing cooked a lavish pork feast for Frieren, Fern, and Stark as the Level One Mage exam approached. Meanwhile, Serie confirmed the coming world-destroying calamity and instructed Laiern to prepare quietly rather than spread panic, before heading to the Moonlight Hotel for lunch.

• Dugu Qing bought ingredients and prepared several pork dishes to reward himself and ease Fern's stress before the exam.
• Frieren, Fern, and Stark smelled the food and gathered at Dugu Qing's room to eat.
• Serie confirmed to Laiern that the rumor about someone drawing the Hero's Sword was true and that a world-ending calamity was coming.
• Serie told Laiern to build high walls and stockpile grain, warning that sharing the news would drive rulers to exploit the weak and plunge humanity into chaos.
• Serie returned to the magic tower and dragged the distracted Laiern along to the Moonlight Hotel.
• Dugu Qing served the feast, and Frieren, Fern, Stark, and Dugu Qing toasted before eating their fill.

Serie wanted to taste Dugu Qing’s cooking but was reluctant to visit him while Frieren was there, so she sent Laiern to bring back some food. After enjoying the dishes, Serie became eager to recruit Dugu Qing as Laiern’s junior.

• Serie asked the receptionist for Dugu Qing’s food, but the receptionist refused to retrieve any.
• Laiern offered to visit Dugu Qing under the pretext of informing him about the exam, and Serie agreed.
• Laiern told Dugu Qing that the exam would start at ten in the morning three days later, then joined him, Frieren, Fern, and Stark for lunch.
• After the meal, Laiern asked to take some food for Serie, and Dugu Qing gave him a small portion.
• Serie tasted the food, praised Dugu Qing’s genius, and asked Laiern to find a way to recruit him as his junior.

Lavina and Kanne discussed the First-Class Mage Exam, while Dugu Qing and Fern explored the city and talked about becoming teachers. After Lavina became captivated by Dugu Qing when they crossed paths, they met again at the exam hall three days later.

• Lavina asked Kanne whether she would take the First-Class Mage Exam, and Kanne said she would use it to practice being brave.
• Dugu Qing and Fern walked through the city, agreed to become teachers after their adventure, and discussed what spell Fern wanted to learn from Serie.
• Lavina saw Dugu Qing passing by and became captivated by his appearance, while Kanne excitedly speculated about who he was.
• Three days later, Dugu Qing, Fern, and Frieren arrived at the Continental Magic Association for the exam.
• Lavina approached Dugu Qing and introduced herself and Kanne, while Fern watched her warily.

Dugu Qing, Fern, and Frieren formed separate teams for the first mage exam, which required each team to capture a Meteoric Iron Bird while keeping all three members together. After the test began, Dugu Qing’s team found a bird, but Denken’s attempt to capture it sent it flying away.

• Genau explained the team exam rules and gave the participants silver bracelets to find their teammates.
• Fern teamed up with Ubel, Frieren teamed up with Lavina and Kanne, and Dugu Qing teamed up with Denken and Laufen.
• Genau led the teams to the Grobe Basin and explained that each team had to keep a Meteoric Iron Bird in its cage until sunset the next day without losing a member or leaving the barrier.
• Dugu Qing avoided telling Denken what magic he specialized in and settled on a tree branch while Denken and Laufen waited below.
• A Meteoric Iron Bird landed on Dugu Qing, but Denken tackled him, breaking the branch and sending the bird flying away.

Dugu Qing kept a Meteoric Iron Bird with him while Denken urged him to delay catching it, and Ailu’s attempt to capture the bird ended with her landing on Dugu Qing. The next day, Frieren’s team drove the birds toward a single puddle, drawing the other teams there and setting up a major battle.

• Dugu Qing explained that catching a Meteoric Iron Bird too early would make his team a target, then fed the bird that landed on his shoulder and rested with it.
• Ailu approached the sleeping Meteoric Iron Bird, but it fled when she attacked, and she landed on Dugu Qing instead.
• Denken teased Dugu Qing about Ailu, while Laufen explained that Ailu had been trying to catch the bird.
• The next day, Lavina froze the river and used mana to drive the Meteoric Iron Birds toward the forest’s only mana-free puddle.
• Frieren’s opponents gathered at the puddle, leaving a major battle about to begin.

Dugu Qing’s group captured a Meteoric Iron Bird with little effort, while Frieren’s team also caught one before Richter separated Frieren from Lavina and Kanne. The two girls were overwhelmed by Richter’s teammates and lay injured as the mages prepared to finish them off.

• Dugu Qing’s group captured a Meteoric Iron Bird after it landed on his head, then decided to rest while waiting for sunset.
• Frieren caught a Meteoric Iron Bird at a puddle with Lavina and Kanne.
• Richter split the ground beneath Frieren and the two girls, revealing that his team meant to target Lavina and Kanne.
• Lavina attacked the two black-robed mages with ice magic, but they broke free and dodged her spells.
• Kanne’s defensive magic shattered, and the black-robed mages struck both girls down before raising their staffs to finish them off.

Frieren shattered Serie’s barrier, bringing heavy rain that helped Lavina and Kanne defeat their opponents. Fern captured a Meteoric Iron Bird and drove off Wirbel with Ubel’s help, but Dugu Qing arrived disguised as another bird and Ubel tackled him.

• Frieren defeated Richter, bound Lichita, and broke the barrier, unleashing the rain and shocking the examiners and Serie.
• Lavina and Kanne used the rain to overwhelm and defeat the two black-robed mages, and Frieren praised them.
• Fern captured a Meteoric Iron Bird, but Wirbel restrained her and demanded the bird before she escaped his gaze magic and attacked him.
• Ubel joined Fern in driving Wirbel away, and the two recovered the caged bird.
• Dugu Qing transformed into a Meteoric Iron Bird and flew to Fern, but Ubel mistook him for another prize and knocked him to the ground.

After transforming back into his original form, Dugu Qing escaped Ubel’s overly bold advances and healed the injured Ehre. He rejoined Denken and Laufen, and the group rested before heading to turn in their Meteoric Iron Bird.

• Ubel held Dugu Qing after he transformed back, but Fern intervened and freed him.
• Ubel apologized for grabbing Dugu Qing, then openly expressed interest in getting to know him; Dugu Qing ignored her and asked Fern if she was all right.
• Fern showed Dugu Qing the Meteoric Iron Bird she had caught, and he told her to take care of herself before they parted.
• Dugu Qing found Ehre injured in the woods and used Goddess's Magic to heal her before leaving.
• Dugu Qing reunited with Denken and Laufen, and after they rested, the group set out for the appointed place to turn in the Meteoric Iron Bird.

After passing the first magic exam, Dugu Qing spent time with Fern, Frieren, and Stark before Ubel secretly entered his room and restrained him with Gaze-Binding Magic. The chapter ended with Dugu Qing asking Ubel what she wanted.

• Dugu Qing and the others passed the first exam, celebrated at the hotel, and returned to rest.
• Dugu Qing prayed at the cathedral with Fern, who wished their time together would last forever.
• Frieren invited Dugu Qing, Fern, and Stark to a restaurant she had once visited with Himmel, where she was disappointed that the steak tasted different.
• Ubel followed Dugu Qing back to the hotel, entered his room, and used Gaze-Binding Magic to restrict his movements.
• Dugu Qing chose not to resist and asked Ubel what she had come to do.

After Ubel visited him at night, Dugu Qing tried to clear his mind and settled into a morning of waiting with Fern for Frieren. The group bought bread and met Wirbel, Lavina, and Kanne, leaving Stark to head off on a lion-pig hunt and Fern asking Lavina about her clothes.

• Ubel released Dugu Qing from her binding magic, helped tie his hair, and left after inviting him to take a walk the next day.
• Dugu Qing reflected on the people he had met during the exam, resolved not to dwell on them, and went to sleep.
• Fern waited for Frieren to wake so the four of them could buy bread, while Dugu Qing offered to play Hero Killer with her.
• Frieren woke up, called Stark, and joined Dugu Qing and Fern to buy bread at the bakery.
• Wirbel asked Fern to lend him a teammate for a lion-pig hunt, and Stark went with him after seeing the gathered girls.
• Kanne gave Frieren a basket of pastries in thanks for helping with the first exam, and Fern asked Lavina why she had changed her clothes.

Dugu Qing introduced Lavina and Kanne to Hero Killer, and the group began a five-player game. Fern mistakenly identified Dugu Qing as a rebel and eliminated him, only to discover he had been the loyal minister.

• Dugu Qing suggested playing Hero Killer with Frieren, Fern, Lavina, and Kanne, then explained the roles and rules.
• Fern dealt the identity cards: she was the lord, Dugu Qing the loyal minister, Frieren and Lavina the rebels, and Kanne the traitor.
• The players chose their characters, and Fern used Lian Po’s skill to draw a large hand of cards.
• Dugu Qing stopped Fern from taking one of his cards, so Fern wrongly concluded he was a rebel and attacked him until Bao Si was eliminated.
• Dugu Qing’s revealed identity showed Fern had killed her loyal minister, while Kanne and Lavina celebrated the game and Fern apologized for misjudging him.

Lavina proposed wagering money on their card game, but Frieren and Fern repeatedly outplayed her. After a full day of games, Lavina had lost five gold coins and vowed to study the rules before returning to win them back.

• Lavina suggested that everyone wager one silver coin per game, and they began a new round with her as ruler and Frieren as the loyalist.
• Lavina amassed a large hand and repeatedly targeted Frieren, leaving her nearly defeated before Fern attacked Lavina and Dugu Qing used Beacon Fires and Wolf Smoke to drain Lavina's health.
• Kanne stripped away Lavina's remaining cards, and Frieren revealed herself as the loyalist by attacking Lavina and ending the game.
• The group played throughout the day, with Frieren and Fern earning money while Lavina lost five gold coins and Dugu Qing lost ten.
• Lavina took the game manual and resolved to study it so she could return the next day and win back her money.

After Jian Ze announced that the second exam required examinees to reach the deepest part of the Ruined King's Tomb before sunrise, Dugu Qing, Frieren, and Fern entered the labyrinth. Frieren guided them through its traps as Jian Ze followed, while the other examinees chose their own paths.

• Fern received the notice naming Jian Ze as chief examiner, and Lavina warned the others that none of the examinees had passed Jian Ze’s previous tests.
• Jian Ze told the eighteen examinees to reach the Ruined King’s Tomb’s deepest part before sunrise and gave each of them an escape golem.
• Dugu Qing led Frieren and Fern through the western gate before Denken or the others could ask him to join their party, and Jian Ze followed them.
• Lavina and Kanne entered through the same gate, while Denken and Laufen gathered a smaller group and the other examinees took separate routes.
• Frieren led Dugu Qing and Fern past the labyrinth’s traps, and Fern recorded their route as Frieren recalled exploring labyrinths with Himmel.