01x05 - Phantoms of the Dead

[bunniefuu]

Frieren.

You must find Aureole and speak with Himmel.

"On the northernmost end of the continent..."

I arrived at the place the people of this world call heaven:

Aureole, the land where souls rest.

Many souls gather there,

and I spoke with friends who once fought alongside me.

Sorry to ask this of you.

It'll be a long journey.

It took us ten years.

I see.

We'll be following the same path Mr. Himmel's party took to the Demon King's castle.

You're right.

It'll be a mere ten-year adventure.

One one-hundredth, huh?

Frieren, you're not going to stay in the royal capital?

I'm going to keep traveling.

Alone?

It'll be nice and easy.

You're not going to take on an apprentice?

Traveling is better when you have someone to talk to.

It's a waste of time.

Even if I taught them, they'd die in no time.

Frieren, that's not how relationships work.

Yes, it is.

My adventure with you wasn't even one one-hundredth of my life.

I might've said something like that.

It's funny, isn't it?

What is?

That one one-hundredth changed you.

Well, I'll see you later.

See you again.

It's been half my life, you know.

The time I've spent with you.

It's going to be even more than that from now on.

Like a fairy tale

It's a sign the story has reached its end

Like a single passage taken from

A journey that was too long

Of the evil that once cast a shadow

Across this land

And the memories of the short journey

With the hero who defeated it

Beyond Journey's End

The story ends

And the hero goes to sleep

Leaving this land with

Days of peace and quiet

The passage of time heartlessly

Makes people forget

Even the tracks left behind by his life

Begin to rust

Just the same

Your words and wishes and courage

Are still inside of me

And they live on

We chose the same path

That's all it was supposed to be

Why is it that at some point

I wanted to understand the reason for

The tears that fall down my cheeks

Even now

If I retrace the journey we walked together

Even though you're not there

I know I'll be able to find it

Episode : Phantoms of the Dead

Listen to me, Fern.

From now, you must listen carefully to what Frieren tells you and be a good girl,

or else...

Or else what?

I'll haunt you after I'm dead.

Mr. Heiter, do you mean that if I'm a bad girl, you'll come see me after you die?

You've grown into a clever girl. Who taught you to act like that?

I take it back.

If you're a good girl, then I might be willing to visit you sometimes.

We're almost at the village.

I see.

What?

Nothing.

years after the death of Himmel the Hero, in the Wille region, located in the central lands

You're heading to the mountain pass, right?

I wouldn't if I were you.

A bunch of people have gone missing.

Was it monsters?

Taken by ghosts, or so the rumors say.

Some people have seen them with their own eyes.

Could be the undead.

Do you know what the ghosts look like?

I'm afraid not.

But if you're curious, why not ask them yourselves?

To summarize,

people saw the ghosts of dead family and acquaintances as they appeared in life.

Some witnesses claimed the ghosts spoke to them.

This isn't the work of the undead.

It's not?

The undead are corpses controlled by magic,

like zombies or skeletons.

But these ghosts appeared as they did in life.

A reanimated corpse wouldn't look like that.

This is the work of a completely different type of monster.

You seem to have some inkling of what it might be.

It's a nasty one. We'd best be careful to avoid it.

We'll leave first thing in the morning.

Ms. Frieren, the villagers need help.

You sound like Himmel and the others.

Unlike you, I'm a good girl.

If you want to help, then I suppose we can.

We'll be traveling through the mountain pass either way.

This is where the villagers have been disappearing recently.

At least there are plenty of clues.

There are signs of magic use here.

Yes. What kind of magic do you think it was?

Illusion magic.

I read in a book on magical ecology that there's a monster

that uses illusions to lure prey.

The Einsam.

Even among monsters of its type,

it's an especially crafty and greedy monster that consumes only humans.

It shows people phantoms of the dead to lure them in.

Does that really work?

They're illusions of people very dear to them.

But the Einsam's illusions aren't a thr*at to mages.

They're easily dispersed by high-density mana such as offensive magic.

So we just need to sh**t the phantoms of the dead.

Could you?

Of course.

After all, I know they're fake.

I sh*t a phantom of my master begging for her life.

But I was used to hearing her beg for her life,

so I didn't feel particularly guilty about it.

Either way, it doesn't feel good.

What does it mean that you were accustomed to hearing her beg for her life?

It's gotten misty.

We're close.

If you see a phantom, don't hesitate to sh**t it.

Fern.

There it is. A phantom of the dead.

I'm calm.

I can sh**t it.

You've become quite the mage.

I decided to pay you a visit because you've been a good girl.

My memories...

You were right to choose the path of a mage.

You've always loved magic.

It's using my memories against me.

You were so happy when I gave you that staff.

How cruel.

One of my most cherished memories...

You slept with it every night.

Fern.

No, huh?

So it's Himmel this time.

I assumed it'd be my master again.

Does this mean I've changed?

Frieren, sh**t me.

Right. That's what Himmel would say.

Now the mountain pass is safe again.

Ms. Frieren...

That was a phantom of Mr. Heiter.

An impostor.

Yes.

Let's go see the real Heiter now.

After all, we're trying to reach Aureole.

You're right.

years after the death of Himmel the Hero, in Riegel Canyon, located in the central lands

That's a dragon?

I've never seen one before.

Look at its nest.

See that grimoire?

It's one I've been looking for.

You do love your grimoires.

But what's it doing there?

Dragons use objects infused with magic to build their nests.

That's a solar dragon.

It's eaten numerous adventurers.

Either way, we should probably take it out.

Be careful you don't hit the nest.

Got it.

Ms. Frieren, that didn't do anything.

Figures. Dragons really are tough.

We have no choice, then. Let's run.

We finally lost it.

It's a quick flyer, too.

I doubt we can b*at it in an aerial battle.

I... I thought I was going to die.

Let's head back.

If we repeat that process enough times, we'll b*at it eventually.

Of course.

Mages don't play tag with dragons.

I guess we'll just have to take on a companion.

A front-liner?

Yeah. You're searching for someone, aren't you?

There's a warrior named Stark in a village near Riegel Canyon.

Pick him up on your way into the northern lands.

He's my apprentice.

Huh. Is he a good warrior?

It's so peaceful, it's hard to believe there's a dragon nearby.

You're right.

Ms. Frieren, what kind of magic does that grimoire contain?

A spell that lets you see through clothes.

You really do collect a lot of odd spells.

It's my hobby, after all.

But it's practical, too.

Depending on what you consider clothes, it can reveal hidden weapons—

Travelers, may I have a moment of your time?

Mr. Stark would like to meet you.

Well, that saves us having to look for him.

Three years ago, that dragon att*cked the village.

That's when Mr. Stark appeared.

He stood his ground in front of that dragon.

After a long standoff, the dragon left.

Since then, because he's stayed here,

the dragon hasn't att*cked, and we've lived in peace.

Then perhaps we could defeat the dragon with Mr. Stark's help.

I hope you're right.

Do you think I can become a powerful warrior like you?

Sure you can.

But a warrior's job is hardly a noble one.

Grandma!

So you're the ones who messed with the dragon.

Don't get it too worked up. You'll put the village in danger.

Dragons are far more terrifying than you think they are.

I got this scar on my forehead fighting a shadow dragon—

It's not that serious an injury.

Did my master put you up to this?

Who are you?

Frieren the Mage.

Grandma, could you give us some privacy?

It's all right. They're acquaintances of my master.

My master must be furious.

I left him without so much as a word.

Stark, why haven't you defeated the dragon?

You have no reason to remain in this village.

Why don't you tell me what you want first?

If you're here to send me back to my master, then forget it.

We want you to join us as our front-liner,

though before that, we'd appreciate your help in defeating the solar dragon.

I want the grimoire in its nest.

Why?

It's just a hobby. No particular reason.

We're talking about a solar dragon here.

It's not something you fight for no particular reason.

Wow!

You're right.

There was once an idiot who complimented the spells I collected.

Is that enough of a reason for you?

Complimented you, huh?

That's ridiculous.

Right?

I don't mind joining your party.

My master told you to take me with you, didn't he?

But I need the solar dragon dealt with first.

Honestly, I've had trouble defeating it alone.

Frieren, you can defeat it, can't you?

If you can keep it busy for thirty seconds, certainly.

I see. Thirty seconds, huh?

Do I really have to do that?

What is he talking about?

I thought so.

Stark, how much experience do you have fighting monsters?

Zero!

Help me, Frieren!

I confronted the dragon at first.

But I was so scared, I couldn't move a muscle!

It slices through houses like they're vegetables!

A human doesn't stand a chance against it!

I figured it spared me on a whim, but then...

For some reason the dragon stopped attacking the village, and I was treated like a hero.

And the villagers are such nice people!

You're still young. Get plenty to eat.

Stark, show me your new k*ller move!

I couldn't leave if I wanted to.

Ms. Frieren, this one is no good. Let's find someone else.

Please don't abandon me!

No, he can fight the dragon. I know he can.

He'll need more than just encouragement...

Stark, you have until tomorrow morning.

Think carefully.

I know you realize you can't keep this up.

You met Mr. Stark?

He's a nice young man, isn't he?

He seems to really enjoy our cooking.

People really love Mr. Stark.

Well, he seems like a kind person.

Kind?

He only seemed cowardly to me.

I won't deny the cowardly part.

But in your first battle against monsters...

Okay, okay. I'll forget about that.

Honestly, you were so meek and cute when you were little.

By the way, why doesn't the dragon att*ck this village?

Who knows? It could be mere whimsy, or perhaps...

What's that sound?

Stark, probably.

If you're curious, why not check on him?

I'm going to bed.

Huh. Is he a good warrior?

He was the only one who ran when monsters att*cked his hometown. A coward.

He's like me.

So I taught him everything I knew.

Now he's someone who can fight for another.

I see. He's a good warrior, then.

So this fissure was left by your training.

And you alright

Can you hear me

Trailing along deserted train tracks

Crying excessively

Wanting you to smile

I hold on to memories I'd like to keep fresh

There's something I'd like to tell you

With words more precious than a goodbye

Unremarkable yet special

See, things that couldn't have been

Seen if it weren't for these eyes

Why? They begin to overflow

So, if I were to be born again

I would surely choose this place once more

So, if we were to meet again

I'd never let you go, I'd choose the present

Even if no promises were made

Even if I'm lost in days of loneliness

Those tears will be alright, dawn will surely break

I’m whispering our lullaby

for you to come back home

The passage of time is cruel.

An old hag, huh?

Isn't that a bit dangerous?

Don't cause any trouble in this town.

He must've been disappointed in me.

We parted in anger.

Your hands are trembling.

You even tremble the same way.

Episode The Hero of the Village

I'm Stark, the hero of this village.