01x19 - Well-Laid Plans

[bunniefuu]

[GENAU] Attention, please.

The first-class mage exam will begin momentarily.

You will not be tested on your own, but as a party.

The exam-takers

will be split up into groups of three.

[fire crackling]

There, see. I knew you could do it.

[chuckles] Yeah, whatever.

[KANNE] Lawine's rough around the edges,

but she somehow always pulls me along.

[fire crackling]

[HIMMEL] Tomorrow, we're finally going to fight

our first dragon.

You're shaking, Eisen.

Don't tell me you're scared.

-[EISEN] I am. -I see.

In that case...

Huh. You are?

[EISEN] Deeply.

I know how you feel.

I'm scared, too.

-[EISEN] Hm. -How motivational.

[Heiter chuckles]

My plan was to mimic other adventurers

and inspire you with a speech.

I'm sorry.

It doesn't seem to have worked.

[EISEN] Don't say that.

I feel far less nervous.

Be yourself. It's you we've followed, Himmel.

Every party needs something different.

We would choose your voice over a script.

[chuckles]

Guess you're right.

♪

[FRIEREN] Heiter was wise.

Every party really does need something different.

[chirping]

We finally caught a Stille.

Thank goodness.

Now we can take a breath.

[LAND] Why are you so relaxed?

Even birdy knows we're only just getting started, right?

We're a target now.

Our new goal is to keep the other parties

from taking our Stille.

At last. Time to spill blood.

[chuckles]

Right, then.

Let's review everything we've learned

from observing the Stille.

Well, we confirmed what you already told us,

that they fly faster than the speed of sound.

♪

[sonic boom]

[KANNE] There's no way we could ever dream of chasing one down.

Plus, the little things are tough as dragons,

so common att*ck spells have no effect on them all.

Most restraints are useless.

We've seen that they're very sensitive to mana.

Even when we've suppressed our power to approach them,

they feel us and fly away.

♪

[sonic boom]

A problem far bigger than any of those

is that because the Stille have practically no mana themselves,

we don't have anything to try and detect.

All that to say, there's no quick way of knowing

where they are or how many there might be.

Yesterday morning, we saw three.

If there aren't any more than that,

we could be in trouble.

They're probably just being cautious

because so many people are after them.

I just hope they're not cautious enough

to hide forever.

Even if we defy the odds and find one somehow,

we don't have any idea how to catch it.

You can leave that duty to me.

After you went to sleep last night,

I stayed up and experimented with a spell

that might be useful

for getting our hands on a Stille.

Gotcha. So, that's where you went.

What kind of spell is it?

[FRIEREN] You already know, Kanne.

Hm?

It was made for capturing birds.

A tribe of hunters developed it long ago.

The perfect example of a folk spell.

In their era, magic and mages

were far more common than they are today.

[KANNE] Wait, are we talking about the spell

you used to save me?

If it's for capturing birds, why did it work on a monster?

Folk magic is rather loose.

As long as your target resembles a bird,

the spell should cooperate.

If it could restrain that mighty beast,

I think it should work fine on the Stille.

Why didn't you tell us about this before now?

If we had known, we could've caught the one

that we almost had yesterday.

If only it were as simple as that.

-Hm? -Hm?

The spell's range is roughly centimeters.

So we would've needed to be close enough to touch it.

Well, at least we have a clear goal now.

How close have we gotten to one so far?

About three meters was the closest.

The more concerning part is that

we haven't been able to get within

before they picked up on our mana.

We're just one piece away from solving the puzzle.

[LAWINE] That's a disturbingly large piece.

[FRIEREN] Catching a Stille with your magic

might not be possible,

but could either of you devise a way to stop one?

There are a million ways

ice magic could slow down a normal foe,

but ours is sensitive to mana and resistant to freezing.

I fear it would escape

before we could attempt to fix it in place.

If we had access to loads and loads of water,

I'm confident we could stop that bird dead in its tracks.

Thing is, my magic can only control water

that's already there.

Nifty as it would be, I can't create water out of nothing.

My best bet would be to find a lake or stream.

Of course, mana struggles to penetrate

large bodies of water,

but I could infuse it with my mana

well before we're planning our big move.

Then, no matter how much water there is,

even if it's scattered like rain,

I can manipulate it.

Although, I guess instilling the water with mana

would definitely make

the mana-sensitive Stille stay away.

Stay away, huh?

You're right. They would stay away.

-Huh? -Huh?

I have a plan that just might work.

♪

It's not a bad idea,

but we would certainly be taking a risk.

If we do this, we'll be picking a fight

with all the other teams.

Yeah, but I don't think we could catch one otherwise.

Hm.

Lawine. Are you scared?

You're gonna rip 'em outta my head!

Would it k*ll you to show some mercy?

-[groaning] -Hm.

[LAWINE] If you're sure,

let's do it already.

[wind whooshing]

We're so close.

We should lay low and stay hidden until the test is over.

Boo, that's no fun at all.

Mages shouldn't tuck themselves away

'cause they're too scared to fight.

[LAND] They also shouldn't fight

because they're too reckless to wait.

[sighs] Huh.

Before we do anything, we need water.

I believe there was a lake

in the middle of the testing area.

Regardless of what happens next,

I'm glad we caught a Stille so quickly.

If we can remain in the shadows until sunset,

we'll pass the first test.

[chuckles]

What now?

[UBEL] I'm afraid it won't be that easy.

I thought this gravel was a road at first,

but it's actually a dried-up riverbed.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first one

we've come across.

Say, Land?

At the very beginning, they mentioned something

about a barrier, didn't they?

Yes. They're standard for these sorts of tests.

Physical barriers so strong

not a speck of dust could bleed through.

If that's the case, do they block water, too?

Well.

Judging by the dryness,

I'd guess this barrier was erected over a week ago.

[FERN] I see.

Then most of the water will have collected in the lake

in the middle of the basin.

We test-takers need water to stay active.

It's like they're exploiting the fact

we're living creatures.

Fair observation.

But needing water doesn't necessarily mean

gathering around the lake.

[FERN] You're right.

Because we can carry water with us.

But the Stille, which are also living creatures, cannot.

That's a good point.

Surely others have realized this.

It's safe to assume that they're lying in ambush

around the bank as we speak.

-Huh. -Huh.

[LAND] I've made our decision.

We'll give up on finding water.

I haven't had anything to drink in ages.

Do you want your poor teammate to shrivel up and die?

[LAND] We can find a small pond.

Maybe a puddle.

[UBEL] Would that even be sanitary?

[FERN] If we boil it, perhaps.

[gasps]

♪

[gasps]

♪

Huh.

[chuckles]

[chuckles]

♪

Aren't you a thorn in my side.

I was sh**ting to k*ll, lady.

I'm surprised you could react so quickly.

Eh, whatever.

Just leave the cage with the Stille inside.

And what if I tell you no?

Then I guess we don't have any need for words.

[rumbling]

[electricity crackling]

[all gasp]

[FERN] That came from the lake.

Hm?

♪

[expl*si*n]

[creaking]

[shattering]

That girl just froze the entire lake!

What sort of a plan could require that?

A seriously unfunny one!

[WIRBEL] This mana is from a member

of the second party.

What could they be thinking?

These jokers looking to make new enemies?

[sigh]

♪

[grunting]

C'mon, give it all you've got!

If you can't melt it, we're done for!

[RICHTER] Denken. What should we do?

Not what they're doing, I can tell you that much.

Trying to melt it now is useless.

After such a showy display of magic,

the Stille won't come anywhere near this lake again.

At this point, we have no choice but to steal.

And if the second party was bold enough

to pull this stunt, there is no doubt

they will soon have one for the taking.

♪

[leaves rustling]

♪

[FERN] Mistress Frieren,

what could you possibly be doing?

[shatters]

♪

I say we scatter for now.

[fire roaring]

[EDEL] Hurry up! We're running out of time!

How foolish they are.

If the spell the second party used to freeze the lake

didn't scare off the Stille for good,

these paltry efforts to melt it

will certainly get the job done.

-Hm. -[DENKEN] It's safe to say

the Stille won't return.

-Ready to go? -Yeah.

That way!

Those sharp enough to put that together

are busy scanning the terrain for other watering holes.

But their mana detection is inadequate.

They won't be able to handle the airborne threats.

Amateurs.

[MALE MAGE B] Apparently, the second party went crazy

and froze the lake!

Are they trying to sabotage the exam?

Sabotage it? No. Not at all.

This is the second party's well-laid plan.

And until we can figure out what that plan is,

we won't get anywhere.

♪

[DENKEN] This is the work of monsters.

♪

[DENKEN] No helping them now.

Move along.

Come on, sir.

We should at least take their bodies down.

You can see the beasts, can't you?

They're circling above us right now.

Not just one or two of them, either.

They've laid their magic on those corpses.

If we tried to move them, they would know we're here.

That's the way of the Geisel.

They use the remains of one victim

to lure in the next.

This party was so naive as to fall for their trap,

and look where it got them.

This isn't right.

Why hold the test in a place with such awful monsters?

It's like the proctors don't care

if the participants get k*lled.

This is obviously your first time

taking the exam, Laufen.

-Their reason is rather simple. -Hm?

Anyone who is k*lled on a stage like this

is unqualified to be first-class.

The Continental Magic Association

is keen to uphold the standards of that title.

For many of them, the idea of what a mage should be

was cemented long ago by the noble few

who took down the Demon King's army.

I have no patience for that outdated school of thought.

That surprises me, Denken.

I thought of all people,

you would be the one to take their side.

The quality of a mage is irrelevant.

-[LAUFEN] Hm? -It's more important

for first-class mages to be symbols of power

than powerful themselves.

Strength means nothing if a mage can't act

as that symbol.

In the real world, casting spells weighs

much less than winning hearts.

I've seen countless mages far more skilled than myself

fall from grace and be persecuted

by the same people who once celebrated them.

Great power's a thing to be feared.

And rule by fear can only last so long.

Neither magic nor strength should be put on a pedestal.

I see now.

So, someone as weak as you is perfect for the job.

[DENKEN] You would be wise to watch your tongue, whelp.

I could b*at you to a pulp with my hands restrained

and eyes closed.

Hm.

♪

♪

[LAUFEN] Still no luck.

The second party is good.

[RICHTER] Good at concealing their mana, at the very least.

[grunts]

There's been something eerily similar

about every watering hole we've come across.

Huh.

Though it's faint, I can sense

there was mana poured into this pond.

I can't pick up on anything.

Strange. Can you?

Not even a little.

Just what could they be up to?

There's such a small amount of mana here

that I highly doubt even the caster

could successfully detect it.

But the Stille could sense it without difficulty.

They won't be coming near this water again.

The only reason you would want that is...

Of course! There must be an untouched

watering hole somewhere.

And if we can find that,

we will find the second party, as well.

But how can we?

I'm going to rest a bit.

[RICHTER] Denken.

The testing area is enormous.

It would be impossible to find a mage

who truly doesn't want to be found.

Just wait.

They'll have to show us where they are soon enough.

[KANNE] I think I finally did it!

I poured mana into every pond I could find!

I guess there could be other ones

we don't know about, though.

Limiting the watering holes the Stille can use

should be enough for our plan to work.

So all that's left to do now

is wait for one to come and get a drink.

♪

I had no idea that mana was something

a mage could completely turn off.

No, not completely.

Even the slightest movement causes some mana to eke out.

Sense it?

Not at all, actually.

Kanne and I will stand watch.

Hm.

Provided she can handle that.

Oh, shut up.

If it rained, I could take down just about anybody.

[LAWINE] If it rained, the barrier would deflect it.

♪

[galloping]

♪

[bird screeching]

[fluttering]

[thuds]

[water splashes]

♪

♪

[Kanne gasps]

Wow, Frieren! Did you catch it?

This was well worth picking a fight with the other parties.

Now we're gonna pass the first test

with flying colors!

Or not.

[DENKEN] Well, it's about time.

One of their members had to use magic.

No mage, no matter how skilled they might be,

can fully conceal their mana as they wield it.

We need to leave.

Someone's detected us.

♪

Well, you're certainly quick.

So much for getting away from here.

Now, Jubelade.

♪

Doragate.

[thudding]

[FERN] It's like a cannon.

[EHRE] She keeps backing off.

♪

Huh.

[EHRE] Her technique is refined and near seamless,

but it's old-fashioned.

It feels like I'm fighting my grandfather.

Ordinary offensive and defensive magic?

Nothing more than the most basic of spells.

Playing things close to the chest, are we?

I was taught from a very young age

to only use basic spells during combat.

This philosophy's coming from your master, then?

[FERN] Yes. She said the basics are enough

to defeat mages of this era.

Oh, yeah?

[grunts]

[thudding]

♪

[EHRE] Predictable.

It's so simple it feels wrong,

like I'm fighting a mage

who just learned her first spell.

You're going to struggle.

If you try to take on Wirbel with this technique,

you would be dead after the first blow.

[FERN] That doesn't make any sense.

I thought you were the strongest one here.

Or was I wrong?

♪

-[rumbling] -[wind whooshing]

[chuckles]

Wirbel and his men took on the remnants

of the Demon King's army.

He's captain of the Northern Magic Corps.

He has far more experience in battle.

His magic is utterly devoid of character,

designed to win at all costs.

I pity the girl who's up against him now.

She'll surely be k*lled.

Is that so?

[UBEL] What hells have you seen?

[DENKEN] I'll crush her.

[KANNE] This guy is no joke.

[LAWINE] Try me. I dare you. [LAND] How impressive.

[RICHTER] You old fool.

[WIRBEL] I've never run from k*lling

when it was necessary.