| “ | ......Because I knew nothing about him, even though we only traveled together for 10 years......, ......Even though I knew humans have short lifespans, why didn't I ever try to get to know him better...... |
” |
| —Frieren, Manga Chapter 1 | ||
Frieren(Japanese:フリーレン) is aKanehito YamadaOriginal Story,Tsukasa AbeIllustrated manga "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" and its derivative works.
The female protagonist of this work, an Elven mage in the Hero's party that defeated the Demon King, and the apprentice of the human Great Mage Flamme. Her main physical features include long silver hair tied in twin tails, green eyes, the pointed ears characteristic of Elves, and fair skin.
She has a calm personality and is passionate about traveling around to collect magic, but she sometimes performs actions that leave her teammates dumbfounded or show a lack of common sense, and she also lovesStaying in bed. Her favorite flower is thewinter-blooming Icicle Cherry. Due to her race's long-lived nature, her sense of time differs from ordinary people; furthermore, her perception of romantic feelings is quiteDensedull, failing to notice the fact that she wasHimmelbeing loved unrequitedly.
Originally, her concept of celebratingBirthdaywas very faint, but after Himmel's passing, she realized the brevity of human life. Despite being dull to human emotions, she still does her best to carefully prepare celebratory gifts during her companions' birthdays. At the same time, influenced by Himmel, she developed the habit of holding a patient's hand while nursing them.
Through the technique of constantly restricting mana taught by her mentor Flamme, she deceives the detection of demons. Even when Himmel invited her to join the party, she caused Heiter to misjudge her mana (at the time, Heiter mistakenly thought Frieren's mana was less than 20% of his own). Once she releases the mana restriction, she exerts immense power. She holds the "Holy Wand Emblem" mage certification. Due to her experience fighting Qual the "Elder of Corruption" during her adventure with Himmel and the others, she made significant contributions to researching and analyzing "Killing Magic" (later called "Offensive Magic" by humans) for humanity. Consequently, she is highly proficient in "Offensive Magic," even extending it into "Demon-Slaying Magic" which causes severe damage to demons, leading her to kill countless demons and be called "Frieren the Slayer" by senior demons. Despite this, Frieren has 11 experiences of losing to opponents with lower mana than her, including 4 losses to demons (including Qual the "Elder of Corruption"), 1 loss to an elf, and the remaining 6 losses to human mages. She has a bad habit, typical of low-level mages, of stopping mana detection at the moment of casting a spell, but because of her own strength, this weakness has almost never been exploited.
She is not good at dealing withMimicMimics; every time she encounters one, even if she has already used "Chest-Appraising Magic" to confirm it is a Mimic, she still cannot resist going forward to check. As a result, she is chewed on by the Mimic with her upper body in its mouth every time, and when caught, she shows a reaction completely different from her usual calm demeanor(Frieren: It's so dark and scary! Let me out!), although she can escape by forcibly casting explosion magic from inside the Mimic, doing so results in her hairstyle becoming messy.
After the death of the Hero Himmel, she began a long journey to find various spells and start understanding humans.
Her name originates fromGerman, meaning "to freeze."
Born in a village inhabited by elves, she was among the clan members with the highest mana at the time. A thousand years ago, Basalt, a general of the Demon King's army, attacked Frieren's hometown, resulting in the massacre of almost all the villagers. Frieren, the sole survivor but heavily injured, released her mana and killed Basalt. At that moment, the great human mage Flamme arrived and decided to take Frieren in as her apprentice. This experience caused Frieren to harbor a deep hatred for demons, and she followed Flamme to train for 50 years.
Under Flamme's guidance, Frieren continued to refine her magic, understanding the racial trait of demons who rank themselves by mana and strength but are poor at suppressing it. She also learned of her mentor's past, having also lost someone important to demons. Flamme taught her to "spend your whole life deceiving demons," "one day you will regret your mistakes and begin to want to understand humans," and "live a low-profile life; the time to leave your name in history is after successfully defeating the Demon King." After Flamme passed away, Frieren followed her last wishes by planting a field of flowers at her grave and continued to train her magic.
Afterwards, Frieren happened to be inthe forestmeeting those who were looking for companions,Himmeland others. Initially, Heiter was puzzled by Himmel's desire to recruit Frieren, whose mana performance was not prominent at the time. However, because Himmel recognized her magical potential, he told her, "I will be the catalyst for your adventure," and formally invited Frieren to join the party. Before the group of four set out, they were at the kingdom'sRoyal Palaceto have an audience with the King. However, because the King was concerned about the many adventurers who had already died trying to defeat the Demon King, he ultimately only provided 10 copper coins to Himmel and his party.
During their adventures, the group of four earned rewards by taking on various requests, actively helping people in need, and engaging in battle with the elites of the Demon King's army several times. On the other hand, although Frieren failed to notice, Himmel had already developed romantic feelings for her during the journey. He not only made a promise to "one day take her back to his hometown to see the unique Blue Moon Weed," but also personally selected a Mirror Lotus ring to give to Frieren after completing a mission, expressing his love in a subtle way[3]。
After a ten-year journey to defeat the Demon King, the party led by Himmel stood out among all the heroes and successfully defeated the Demon King, achieving the feat of bringing peace to the world. Upon returning to the royal capital, the King built statues for them in the capital square, just as the Era Meteors[4]streaked across the sky, marking the beginning of an era of peace. Frieren decided to travel through various countries to collect magic for the next 100 years, and they agreed to meet again in 50 years to watch the next Era Meteors together.
50 years later, the Hero's Party gathered once again. At this time, except for the long-lived elf mage Frieren, the others were no longer young. To reach the star-gazing spot, the Hero's Party embarked on their final journey as a group of four. What they saw at the end of their journey was the most brilliant and spectacularnight of shooting stars。
Not long after, Himmel passed away peacefully due to his lifespan reaching its end. Frieren, at the Royal Capital's GreatCathedralattendedfuneralDuring which she felt regret for not having wanted to understand Himmel more deeply before. Guided by Heiter and Eisen, she expressed to Eisen her decision to continue collecting magic and embark on a journey to understand humans, inviting him to join her. Although Eisen declined the invitation due to his old age and physical weakness making him unable to fight, he still told her, "Life actually lasts surprisingly long even after growing old." After saying goodbye to Eisen, Frieren officially set out on herjourney。
| Period of Traveling Again |
|---|
Frieren traveled to the outskirts of the Holy City Strahl in the Central Lands to visit her former comrade Heiter, where she met Fern, a war orphan from the Southern Lands with magical aptitude who had been adopted by Heiter. Initially, Frieren did not agree to casually take in a child entrusted by a comrade, but since Heiter saw through her thoughts, he used the pretext of assisting in deciphering Sage Ewig'sGrimoireas a reason to let her take the opportunity to teach Fern magic. The three of them lived together for 6 years.
On his deathbed, Heiter entrusted the then 15-year-old Fern to Frieren's care and passed away after fulfilling his wish. Frieren and Fern, who had become a mage after obtaining the Third-Class Mage qualification, set out on a journey together. Commissioned by a herbalist in the Turk region of the Central Lands, they assisted in tidying up the statue established by the residents to thank Himmel for his contributions.statue, but instead unexpectedly found the Blue Moon Weed mentioned by Himmel during his lifetime. She not only planted these Blue Moon Weeds near Himmel's commemorative statue but also used the Blue Moon Weeds to weaveFlower wreatha wreath to place on the head of Himmel's commemorative statue.
While Frieren and Fern were traveling to the trade city of Vallum, she specifically chose an exquisiteHair ornamentring as a 16th birthday gift. The master and apprentice arrived at a village near the Greze Forest to inspect the seal of the demon "Qual the Elder Sage of Corruption," who had fought Himmel's party but was sealed by Frieren due to his overwhelming power. Together, they annihilated Qual, resolving the local long-standing concern, and she even recognized a boy, now middle-aged, who had flipped her skirt during her adventures with Himmel, receiving gratitude from the local residents.
Frieren and Fern assisted local residents at the Glanz Strait in clearing thebeachcluttered with cargo from wrecked ships, obtaining a fake grimoire of her mentor Flamme. By the time the master and apprentice successfully completed the cleanup task, it was nearly time for the local New Year's festival. Although the sleepyhead Frieren was uninterested in the local custom of taking advantage ofdawnto rush to the seaside to watch the sunrise (incidentally, when Frieren traveled here with Himmel and the others in the past, she also missed the sunrise because she overslept), she wanted to see the beautiful ocean scenery during sunrise for herself after hearing about it. Later, because Fern woke Frieren up early, they managed to catch the moment of sunrise in time, and she realized the meaning of what Himmel said when he wanted her to watch the sunrise with them: "I wanted you to have fun." Later, the master and apprentice arrived at Eisen's hometown, the Bredt region, to visit Eisen. They learned that Eisen and Heiter had not only kept in touch through letters over the years but had also researched the location of Flamme's notes to allow Frieren to express her feelings to Himmel in person. Eventually, they found Flamme's residence from a thousand years ago and the large tree she planted herself in the Voh Basin, as well as the notes left by Flamme. Frierenreadthe contents of the notes and discovered records of Flamme reaching the northern end of the continent, a place known to humans as heaven, the "Aureole" (Land Where Souls Rest), where one can communicate with the deceased. Following Eisen's suggestion, she decided to set off for Ende (the Demon King's Castle) at the northern end of the continent.[5]and taking along Eisen's apprentice on the journeyStark, while it was pointed out that the 10 years spent adventuring with Himmel and the others was the "one percent" that changed her[6]。 Frieren and Fern encountered an illusion created by an Einsam in Wille in the Central LandsHeiterand the illusionHimmelThe illusion created by an Einsam appears as the person most cherished by the target, Frieren lamented, "I thought it would still be Master, so that means I've changed a bit, right?" and after the illusion of Himmel said with a smile, "Frieren, shoot," she replied, "You're right, Himmel would definitely say that," and launched a magic attack.[7] The master and apprentice were in the RiegelCanyonmet Stark, who had left after a disagreement with Eisen and settled there for three years after accidentally helping the local residents drive away a Solar Dragon, successfully stimulating Stark's combat potential and inviting him to join the party. However, after the three experienced the liberation of Enge Roadfestival[8], not long after arriving at Count Granat's domain, Frieren accidentally intruded upon a meeting between humans and demons. After Count Granat's failed attempt to mediate, and Frieren pointing out the nature of demons as cunning, deceptive, and unable to communicate with humans, she was imprisoned in the mansion by Lugner, a subordinate of Aura, one of the Seven Sages of Destruction and a Great Demon directly under the Demon King.prison, killing Lugner's subordinate Draht, who was preparing to eliminate her. After Frieren successfully escaped from prison, and Fern and Stark rescued the restrained Count Granat to a certain place to receivetreatment, Aura led her army and engaged in a duel with Frieren. Ultimately, Aura was killed in a reversal after misjudging the situation due to a trap set by Frieren. Fern and Stark also dealt with Lugner and his subordinate Linie, respectively, bringing an end to the long-standing war between Count Granat's territory and Aura. Afterwards, Frieren learned that due to the severe situation in the Northern Plateau, there were travel restrictions requiring a First-Class Mage to accompany travelers[9], and decided to head to Äußerst, where the qualification exam is held, to obtain a mage certification. Frieren, Fern, and Stark encountereda blizzard, and stayed in the area for half a year with the assistance of the elf monk Kraft, who was also taking shelter from the storm in a mountain hut at the time.
The three reached the Village of the Sword in the Schwer Mountains of the Northern Kingdoms amidst a blizzard. To fulfill an old promise, they helped the villagers deal with monsters and revealed the truth that Himmel had never actually pulled out the Hero's Sword. Upon leaving, they promised the 49th village chief to meet again in half a century. While traveling through the Akpede and Rant regions, they celebrated the 18th birthdays of Stark (for whom Frieren specially prepared the jumbohamburger steak) and Fern. In a village near the Alt Forest in the Northern Kingdoms, they invited the priest Sein to join the party. While the four were crossing a forest in the Bande region with the help of an accessory merchant, they were attacked by monsters. To thank Frieren and the others, the merchant gave Frieren the "magic to find lost accessories," which allowed her to recover the Mirror Lotus ring Himmel had given her. They resolved the disaster of the residents of the Raob Hills falling into a deep sleep due to the curse of the Chaos Flower, and completed a request from the Orden family in the Fortified City of Völlysh to pose as their eldest son Wirt at a social gathering. Frieren and the others passed through the Kua region to visit Frieren's old acquaintance, the dwarf warrior Voll. On the Rohr Road, Sein learned news of his missing friend and officially left the party to search for him. Upon arriving in Äußerst for the exam, Frieren was granted an exception to participate without first obtaining a Fifth-Class Mage certification because an experienced member of the Continental Magic Association saw her "Holy Wand Emblem." She and Fern, who was already a Third-Class Mage, participated in theexam。 During the exam, Frieren and Fern each used "magic to capture birds" to catch a Stille, which is sensitive to mana, passing the first stage. They cooperated to defeat the replicas of the examinees, passing the second
Frieren's party of three traveled to the Northern Plateau and, while passing through a village by chance, encountered... who was carrying out a mission to subjugate demons in that village,GenauandMethodemet, and assisted them in defeating the Demon General, the Divine Skill,Revolte. Afterwards, she declined Methode's request to join as a priest, stating that she wanted to keep the priest position open for Sein. When they reached the Weise region, Frieren's party received a personal request fromLernnento assist the barrier administrator of the gold-transformed fortress city of Weise—Denken. Because Macht of El Dorado, who had once defeated her, was still sealed within Weise's barrier, Frieren initially thought of retreating. However, after hearing Denken's memories of his late wife in this hometown, Frieren recalled her own memories with Himmel and decided to help Denken defeat Macht. After obtaining information that Edel and Lernnen had desperately retrieved from Macht, Frieren and the others entered Weise with Denken to negotiate with Macht. During the subsequent conversation, she continuously provoked Macht, actually hoping to observe the moment he cast magic up close to gain more information about the Diagoldze magic; Macht, cautious due to his previous battle with Serie, did not act rashly, and the negotiation ended there. After Denken's party left, Macht reflected on his previous conversation with Schlacht and the question Frieren raised during the negotiation—"Why kill in order to coexist with humans?"—and joyfully invited Frieren to read his memories to her heart's content. About two months later, Solitär broke the great barrier surrounding Weise. Denken, Fern, and Stark, who remained there, engaged in battle with the two powerful demons, Macht and Solitär, and were turned into gold by Macht. However, Frieren also successfully dispelled the Diagoldze magic, undoing Denken's gold transformation. She expressed respect for Macht's ideals but pointed out that Macht was an enemy of humanity, as demons' attempts to coexist with humans would inevitably lead to humanity's destruction. A fierce battle ensued between Solitär and Frieren. Frieren was temporarily at a disadvantage because she needed to analyze the entire golden city of Weise, Solitär kept trying to distract her with talk, and Solitär's mana control was superior to Frieren's. However, after Solitär stepped on Frieren's "landmine," Frieren learned her signature magic and dealt her a heavy blow. Realizing that begging for mercy was useless against Frieren, Solitär remarked that Frieren was more like a demon. Frieren took a final gamble to undo the gold transformation of all of Weise. Solitär was struck in a vital spot by the restored Fern, and Frieren delivered the finishing blow. Meanwhile, Denken also successfully killed Macht, marking the total annihilation of
Frieren's party traveled to the Kyno Pass. Since entering the Empire's territory required a three-month screening period, Frieren decided to visit a nearby Goddess's Monument to resolve a previous regret. While analyzing the monument, Frieren triggered a space-time fluctuation and returned to the timeline approximately seven years after the Hero Himmel's party set out. While pondering how to return, she briefly relived her time with Himmel, Heiter, and Eisen. Meanwhile, Grausam of the Miracles, who sensed the space-time fluctuation,Grausamand other demons also decided to strike first to eliminate the Frieren from the future. Grausam's subordinate, Lore of the Afterimage,Zartwas the first to clash with the party. Zart, who mastered space teleportation magic, was undoubtedly a formidable enemy, but his opponent was Frieren from the future, whose strength was only greater than in the past. Thus, he was killed by Frieren, who no longer hid her power. This also let Himmel and the others know she came from 80 years in the future. Heiter asked Frieren if they defeated the Demon King in the future, while Himmel stated these questions weren't important; regardless of the outcome, they had to continue fighting now. Himmel and the others chivalrously helped the Frieren from the future find a way to return. Frieren relived the experience of adventuring and helping others with Himmel and the group after a long time. After many twists and turns, she finally found a clue to return from the Chapter of the Time Bird. On the way back to the Goddess's Monument, they encountered Grausam, Rivale, and Solitär, who intended to kill Frieren. Frieren and Himmel were caught in Grausam's Paradise-Guiding magic. In the illusion, they achieved a vision that was never completed in reality, and if it had been, they probably wouldn't have given up on it—getting marriedPraise the Miracle Guy!, however, an illusion is still an illusion. Both maintained clear consciousness in the illusion thanks to their strong mental strength. Thus, Himmel was able to manipulate his physical body in reality by intuition to counterattack. After severing Grausam's right hand used for the spell, the Paradise-Guiding magic was dispelled, and Grausam and the other demons retreated. After touching the Goddess's Monument and reciting the corresponding incantation, Frieren returned to her original timeline. From Fern and Stark's perspective, Frieren had only been gone for a short while. After entering the Empire's territory, Frieren's party encountered a retired Shadow Warrior named Radal in a village in the Offgabe Mountains. Since Frieren was once on the Shadow Warriors' assassination list, Radal attacked her. Although Frieren eventually convinced him to abandon his long-forgotten mission, it allowed Frieren and the others to experience the formidable strength of the Shadow Warriors. During the Empire's National Day, the three were stopped at the gates of the Imperial Capital, Eisberg, by First-Class MagesSenseandFalshintercepted them and invited them to participate in the operation to guard Serie—according to information provided by First-Class Mage Linel, the Shadow Warriors intended to assassinate Serie, who was invited to the Empire as a state guest for National Day. Frieren used tracking magic to followthe one who had scammed her out of money,Shadow WarriorGazelle,LoreThey were seen through and counter-tracked, and the three were pursued by the Shadow Warriors in the downtown area. Fortunately, they reunited with Sein here, and with Sein's help, they repelled the Shadow Warriors, and Sein rejoined the party. On the last day of the National Day festival, Frieren and the others wore formal attire and attended the ball in the Imperial Capital as Serie's guards. (To be added) |
Frieren has used or collected the following magic throughout the story: