Chapter Summaries

Stark learned that Eisen’s extra-large meat patty was a birthday tradition and felt loved as the group celebrated with him. The next day, the party met Sein, who had fallen into a swamp, and Dugu Qing rebuked him while Frieren searched for a spell to rescue him.

• Frieren agreed to let Dugu Qing examine her heartbeat, leaving Stark confused about their intentions.
• Frieren gave Stark an extra-large meat patty for his birthday and explained Eisen’s hometown custom, helping Stark reinterpret memories of his brother and Eisen as signs of love.
• Dugu Qing admitted he did not know his birthday, and Fern told Stark that Dugu Qing’s parents had died when he was young.
• The next day, Frieren found Sein trapped in a swamp while gathering herbs and hesitated to pull him out because he was dirty.
• Dugu Qing arrived, corrected Sein for saying adults were dirty, and demanded that he apologize.

Dugu Qing, Frieren, Fern, and Stark encountered Sein and invited him to join their journey to Aureole, but he refused because he wanted a mature big sister. Frieren tried to change his mind with a blown kiss, leaving him unimpressed.

• Dugu Qing and Frieren made Sein apologize before Frieren rescued him from the swamp, and he fled without saying goodbye.
• Stark was bitten by a venomous creature while picking a wild cherry tomato, and Dugu Qing healed him.
• The group reached Sein's village and found him stripped to his underwear after losing his money at cards.
• Frieren invited Sein to join the party after discovering his skill with healing magic, but he refused because Fern was too young for his taste.
• Frieren claimed she was a mature elf big sister, then blew Sein a kiss, but he only asked what she was doing.

Dugu Qing used Transformation Magic to turn into Tsunade, prompting Sein to join Frieren’s party as they continued their journey to Aureole. On Fern’s birthday, she gave Dugu Qing a blue robe and suggested they celebrate his birthday on the same day.

• Dugu Qing transformed into Tsunade, and Sein enthusiastically asked to join Frieren’s party.
• Frieren accepted Sein, and the group celebrated at a village restaurant while Sein’s older brother watched from outside and left quietly.
• Three days later, Sein set out with Frieren, Dugu Qing, Fern, and Stark toward Aureole.
• In the Ratte Region, Fern took Dugu Qing shopping for her birthday while Sein and Stark looked for a gift.
• Fern gave Dugu Qing a blue robe she had made and proposed that they celebrate his birthday on hers; Dugu Qing agreed.

Fern and Dugu Qing spent a romantic evening at the night market before Dugu Qing revealed his new Sage Immortal Magic on the road. The group accepted a merchant’s offer of a carriage ride in exchange for a Grimoire, and Dugu Qing settled in for a nap.

• Fern and Dugu Qing strolled through the night market, bought matching fox masks, and wrote wishes on sky lanterns.
• Fern worried that Dugu Qing wanted to forget everything, then realized he meant leaving the past behind and relaxed.
• The next day, Frieren, Fern, Stark, Sein, and Dugu Qing left town with fresh supplies.
• Dugu Qing revealed Sage Immortal Magic by floating above the road, while Fern praised him and Frieren cautioned him about wasting mana.
• A merchant invited the group to ride in his carriage and offered a Grimoire as payment, and Dugu Qing boarded and fell asleep.

Frieren remembered Himmel’s Mirror Lotus ring, then lost it when a giant bird carried off the carriage. After Frieren and Dugu Qing saved the group and recovered the ring, they continued north, ending with Fern chasing Sein along the road.

• Frieren found the Mirror Lotus ring Himmel had given her and reconsidered what the gift had meant, but a giant green bird seized the carriage and the ring was thrown into the forest.
• Frieren killed the bird with magic, and Dugu Qing used Overlord's Power to lower the falling carriage safely to the ground.
• The merchant rewarded Frieren with a spell for finding lost accessories, which Frieren used to recover the ring before the group continued their journey.
• Sein suggested that the party needed a mature big sister and asked Dugu Qing to transform into a beautiful woman, so Dugu Qing kicked him into the woods and warned him not to repeat the joke.
• Sein later whispered to Fern that Dugu Qing was beautiful even without transforming, and Fern chased him down the road after he dodged her kick.

Dugu Qing helped Frieren’s group defeat a Chaos Flower Subspecies that had cursed a village, then continued north with them. Outside Friedrich, Orden approached the group and was angered by Dugu Qing’s rude reply, but restrained himself because his son Welt had died a month earlier.

• The group found a village whose residents had been cursed into a deep sleep, and Sein identified the curse’s source as a monster in the forest.
• As the curse put Stark, Fern, and Frieren to sleep, Dugu Qing carried Frieren onward with Sein and protected the sleeping companions with a barrier.
• Dugu Qing split the Chaos Flower Subspecies in two with his sword, ending the curse and freeing the villagers.
• The group returned to the village, received a meal from the grateful residents, and resumed their journey.
• Outside Friedrich, Orden called out to Dugu Qing, who rebuked him for speaking rudely; Orden held back his anger because his son Welt had died a month earlier.

Orden hired Dugu Qing to impersonate his dead son Welt and restore the army’s morale, offering three hundred gold coins and a magic staff. Dugu Qing transformed into Welt at Orden Castle, where Orden broke down and embraced him.

• Orden asked Dugu Qing to impersonate Welt at a ball to reassure the army and the Orden Family.
• Dugu Qing initially refused, but Orden raised his offer to three hundred gold coins and a magic staff.
• Dugu Qing accepted on the condition that Orden would not dictate how he carried out the job, and he demanded payment upfront.
• At Orden Castle, Dugu Qing collected the payment and examined the staff before using Transformation Magic to take Welt’s appearance.
• Orden recognized Welt’s face and tearfully pulled Dugu Qing into a fierce embrace while Frieren watched with amusement.

Dugu Qing stayed at Orden’s manor, where his resemblance to Orden’s dead son Welt stirred painful memories. As Dugu Qing adapted to the noble life and began lessons, Orden asked Fern to study alongside him, but she refused.

• Orden apologized to Dugu Qing after mistaking his resemblance to Welt for a return of his son, then served him and his companions a lavish meal.
• Dugu Qing enjoyed Orden’s wine and wrote down the winemaking process with Fern’s help, then asked Frieren about finding a high-grade staff in Auwest.
• Dugu Qing settled into a luxurious guest room, and the next morning a maid tended to him before he returned to his original appearance.
• The butler encouraged Dugu Qing to learn piano, court dance, noble etiquette, swordsmanship, and strategy, and Dugu Qing chose to begin dance lessons.
• Orden watched Dugu Qing immerse himself in the identity of his son and invited Fern to be his study companion, but Fern refused.

Dugu Qing rediscovered his love of piano and taught Fern to play, bringing them close enough to spark Stark and Sein’s jealousy. The group later gathered for a luxurious meal.

• Dugu Qing played Two Tigers on the piano and recalled his musical life in his previous world.
• Fern praised Dugu Qing’s playing, and he persuaded her to learn with him by guiding her hands on the keys.
• Frieren, Stark, and Sein returned and watched Dugu Qing teach Fern; Stark suspected they were dating, while Frieren declined to learn.
• Dugu Qing played Marriage d'Amour, and Sein said he wanted it played at his wedding.
• Stark and Sein grew jealous when Dugu Qing said he had never dated, then retreated while Fern defended him.
• The butler and maids served a luxurious meal, and Dugu Qing, Fern, Frieren, Stark, and Sein gathered to eat.

Dugu Qing trained in court dancing with Fern and later impersonated Welt to welcome guests at the Orden family’s summer ball, strengthening the family’s standing amid preparations for war. The chapter ended with Dugu Qing and Fern dancing together as Orden looked over the gathering with satisfaction.

• Dugu Qing learned ballroom dancing from the old butler, then chose Fern as his dance partner after she objected to him dancing with someone else.
• Orden asked Dugu Qing to conceal most of his mana so others would not detect his transformation, then went to prepare the troops for battle.
• A month later, Dugu Qing took on Welt’s appearance at Oelden Castle’s summer ball, helping quell rumors of Welt’s death and bolster the Orden family’s prestige.
• Orden arranged an engagement between Mute and the youngest daughter of the Sternberg Family, securing a powerful ally for the fight against the demons.
• Dugu Qing and Fern danced together at the ball while Orden watched the honored guests and felt reassured about the family’s standing.

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.