Fern

Biodata

Background and History

Fern lost her family in a war and was taken in by Heiter, who adopted her and raised her at his secluded cottage. Knowing he would not live forever, Heiter wanted her to gain the strength to survive on her own 21 33 67.

Frieren and Lorenzo met Fern while she was practicing magic near a cliff. Heiter asked Frieren to take Fern as her disciple, but Frieren initially refused because Fern was too young to face the dangers of her travels. Frieren nevertheless agreed to teach her while deciphering Heiter’s grimoire 20 21 22.

After Heiter’s death, Fern set out with Frieren and Lorenzo. Their journey brought them to Eisen and then to Stark, whom Eisen recommended as a warrior for the party 54 55 67 76.

Appearance

Fern has long purple hair and is described as neatly groomed and serious-looking 27 36.

• Mage’s outfit: Heiter commissioned her a long dress with ruffled cuffs and neckline, a short black cape, and deep-purple accents 36 37.
• Mushroom brooch: A translucent purple brooch given to her by Übel 28 35.
• Bracelet: She wears Volumen Hydrargyrum on her left wrist; it adjusts to fit her 34.

Personality

Fern is polite, responsible, and attentive to others. As a child, she looked after Heiter’s needs; later, she managed the party’s travel expenses and supplies and helped Frieren with her morning routine 21 91.

She approaches magic with discipline, practicing daily and recording her mistakes and mana consumption. Her determination was partly driven by anxiety that she would be a burden and disappoint Heiter if she failed to grow stronger 33 38 83.

Fern can also be competitive and sharp-tongued. She objects to Übel’s mushroom nicknames, retaliates by calling her “Scissor Girl,” and keeps her fishing-bait recipes secret from Stark during a competition 28 36 86.

Abilities and Skills

True Magic

Frieren taught Fern mana perception, spell structures, casting principles, and combat mana control. Frieren noted that Fern had good control even when her mana reserves and spell strength were still limited 20 22.

• Ordinary Attack True Magic: A quick-casting, low-mana offensive spell Fern has practiced since childhood 56 58.
• Defensive magic: She can form translucent hexagonal barriers strong enough to block Qual’s Killing True Magic. The barriers consume considerable mana and sacrifice some resistance to physical attacks 57.
• Detection and dungeon skills: She found a concealed dungeon entrance by concentrating her mana perception, then identified and remotely triggered a trapped floor tile 30.
• Utility magic: She uses light magic and has cast Cleaning True Magic on Frieren 30 80.

Volumen Hydrargyrum

Fern uses the liquid-metal magic item given to her by Frieren and Lorenzo for defense, detection, and offense. Over several years, she became adept enough to use it in everyday life 34 39.

• She can shape the metal into barriers, blades, spikes, and restraints 34 50 51 58.
• Against Qual, she sent a thin stream behind him and attacked while he blocked her ordinary spell 58.
• Its mana consumption rises with range, number of separated pieces, and command complexity. At the time she received it, Fern lacked enough mana to use all 140 kilograms of its Silver Flow Ore at once 34.
• The item also assists her calculations when using Magecraft 84 99.

Reinforcement and Close Combat

Lorenzo taught Fern to combine bodily Reinforcement Magecraft with basic close-combat techniques, primarily to survive an enemy closing in and regain enough distance to cast 83.

• She learned to reinforce specific body parts briefly rather than maintain reinforcement over her whole body, conserving mana and reducing strain 83.
• After a month of practice, she passed Lorenzo’s test by dodging, blocking with her staff, and countering 83.
• Tropo’s anti-magic field prevented her external spells, but she could still circulate mana inside her body. She used Reinforcement to fight defensively while Übel escaped, though the strain left her gravely weakened 99.

Equipment and Items

• Staff — Used for casting, mana perception, and close-combat defense 30 57 83.
• Volumen Hydrargyrum bracelet — A protective birthday gift prepared by Lorenzo and Frieren; Frieren chose its appearance 34.
• Purple mushroom brooch — A gift Übel gave Fern at their first meeting. Fern kept it carefully and wore it when they met again, despite disliking the associated nickname 28 35.
• Mage’s dress and cape — A birthday gift Heiter commissioned from Übel’s older sister 36 37.

Relationships

• Heiter — Fern’s adoptive father. He raised her after the war and arranged for Frieren to teach her magic. In his final message, he called Fern an excellent mage and encouraged her to rely on her companions 21 54.
• Frieren — Fern’s teacher and later traveling companion. Frieren initially refused to take her as a disciple but taught her magic and eventually identified Fern as her apprentice 21 22 57.
• Lorenzo — A traveling companion and teacher who helped prepare Fern’s protective bracelet and trained her in Reinforcement and close combat 34 55 83.
• Übel — A close friend who frequently teases Fern. After Fern confided her fear of being a burden, Übel comforted her; the two kept in touch through visits and letters. Übel later carried the wounded Fern away from Tropo 38 39 100.
• Stark — A warrior who joins the party. Fern initially questioned his reliability, later praised his courage against the Red Mirror Dragon, and chose a warrior’s amulet as his birthday gift 76 80 93.

Story Role and Major Arcs

• Training at Heiter’s cottage: Fern studies under Frieren and learns dungeon exploration alongside Frieren and Lorenzo. She also meets Übel at the Saint Lomiu Festival 22 28 30.
• Third-Class exam: After several years of training, Fern travels to the Holy City with Lorenzo and Übel to take the Third-Class True Magic User exam. The provided account does not establish her result 39.
• Attack on Heiter’s home: Fern and Lorenzo defend the cottage against monsters. Breda traps Fern in a dream in which Heiter is healthy and she can travel with Frieren, but the vision shatters 48 50 51.
• Journey after Heiter’s death: Fern leaves with Frieren and Lorenzo, defeats Qual using Volumen Hydrargyrum, and accompanies them to Eisen and Stark 55 58 67 76.
• Aura’s forces: Fern and Übel draw Undead away from the Graf Granat Earl Territory to give Frieren and Lorenzo an opening. Tropo intercepts them; Fern stays behind to let Übel escape, and Übel later carries her toward town for healing 98 99 100.