01x02 - It Didn't Have to Be Magic...

[bunniefuu]

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

Long-range magic is a combination of three key factors essential to mages.

There's the amount of mana,

the strength with which it's fired, and the level of control the mage has over it.

You know that much, don't you?

Yes.

Earlier, your magic dissipated before it reached its target.

That's a sign that your mana and f*ring strength are lacking.

It's not something you can fix overnight.

Regardless of your talent, it'll take years to master.

However, your level of control over the magic is very high.

That's what most people tend to have trouble with.

But you've got no problems there,

so just be patient with yourself.

Okay.

Is Fern's training coming along smoothly?

In just four years, she's learned more than most people do in ten.

She's studying too hard. It's not a good thing.

She's been spending all her time in the woods lately.

She must really love magic.

But she's still a long way from becoming a proper mage.

I'll finish deciphering the grimoire before she does.

I see.

Say, Heiter.

This grimoire probably...

Heiter?

Don't look at me like that.

If anything, it's a miracle I've been mobile until now.

I'll try to decipher the grimoire quickly.

I'd appreciate that.

Fern, put your training on hold.

Heiter collapsed. I need you to stay with him.

But I still haven't hit the rock.

You'll do it eventually. Right now—

Eventually isn't good enough.

Mr. Heiter will die before then.

He saved my life.

It'd be a waste for you to die now.

A waste?

A long time ago, I lost an old friend.

Unlike me, he was straight as an arrow,

and he never abandoned anyone who was in need.

If he'd survived instead of me, he would've saved a lot of people.

Since I'm not like him, I planned to live out the rest of my days quietly,

but one day, I suddenly realized something.

If I d*ed without doing anything,

all the courage, strength of will, and friendship I learned from him—

even all my precious memories— would vanish from this world.

If you have precious memories inside yourself as well,

then I think it'd be a waste for you to die.

Mr. Heiter has always feared dying and leaving me alone.

He did the right thing.

I don't want him to regret saving me.

I don't care if it's as a mage or whatever else—

learning some kind of skill to support myself is my way of repaying him.

I want him to be glad he saved me and to know I'll be fine.

You remember everything I've taught you, don't you?

Yes.

Then do as you like.

It didn't contain any spells for bringing back the dead or granting immortality.

I see.

Did you know that already?

The fear of death is immeasurable.

If such spells existed, Ewig would've cast them on himself.

Then why?

How is Fern?

She has room for improvement in some areas,

but it wouldn't be wrong to call her a proper mage.

I see. Then she made it in time.

Now she won't get in your way, Frieren.

Will you bring her with you on your travels?

I'm sorry, Heiter. That's the one thing I can't do.

She'd only get in my way.

You tricked me, Heiter.

Your payment for deciphering the grimoire is in the desk drawer.

Please leave this place tonight.

Why?

As you can see, I don't have much longer.

I don't want her to experience losing anyone else.

Frieren, please look after Fern.

Are you trying to put on a brave face again, Heiter?

Fern has been ready to say goodbye to you for some time now.

What you need to do before your death

is give her a proper farewell

and make as many memories as you can.

Frieren, you really are a kind girl.

Why did you save Fern?

It's what Himmel the Hero would've done.

You're right.

Then maybe I'll do the same.

Thank you.

Because of you, I was able to repay my debt to Mr. Heiter.

He just tricked me, is all.

This corrupt priest.

Shall we go, then?

Episode : It Didn't Have to Be Magic...

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

That's enough, Fern.

We're finished.

Thank you for your help.

Here's your reward.

We've been doing such simple work.

That's how adventuring goes.

What were we paid in?

Folk magic. It's a spell that produces warm tea.

We'll try it out later.

The other day we learned a spell for removing rust from bronze statues.

Before that, we learned a spell for turning sweet grapes into sour ones.

How is it?

Sour.

You keep collecting the strangest spells.

It's my hobby, after all.

Ms. Frieren, you really do love magic.

Only somewhat, like you.

I feel like we're a little different.

We're the same.

Will you really do something for me?

Since I'm an herbalist, I don't have any spells to teach you.

That's fine. Just learning about the local flora is helpful enough.

This is it.

It's a statue of Himmel the Hero.

It's in terrible shape, isn't it?

It's too much for one old woman to handle.

And the villagers don't care anymore.

Run!

When the village was att*cked by a monster,

Mr. Himmel fought valiantly to defend us.

It saddens me to see him treated like this.

No, it's what he deserves. It's Himmel's fault for wanting to show off.

When the villagers offered to make a statue of him, he should have just declined.

Is this okay?

This pose isn't too handsome, is it?

Just hurry up and pick something.

He drove the sculptor mad by spending hours choosing a pose.

I'm hungry.

In the end, they settled on a ridiculously plain one.

What a strange story.

Come to think of it, there was an elven mage in the hero's party.

Shall we get this cleaned up?

Thank you.

Magic sure is amazing, isn't it?

There isn't a speck of rust left.

I wish there was a bit more color, though.

Perhaps I'll plant some flowers later.

Ms. Frieren, you have a spell that produces a field of flowers, right?

You're right. I guess I could just conjure something up...

No, blue moon weed flowers would be best.

What kind of flowers are those?

I don't know. I've never seen them.

Then why?

They grow in Himmel's hometown.

But you can't conjure flowers you've never seen before.

Blue moon weed...

Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time.

Long ago, there used to be a field of them in those woods.

They don't grow around here anymore?

They all d*ed out.

It's been decades since they've been spotted in these lands.

I see.

Let's go, Fern.

Okay.

You're hiding something.

I won't be mad, so show me what it is.

They're seed rats. Pests that consume seeds.

I'll release them in the woods.

Fern, shall we go look for blue moon weed?

Are you serious?

There was a field of them in these woods until recently.

That was decades ago.

But they're worth looking for.

If we find and analyze them, we can acquire a spell for conjuring blue moon weed flowers.

For Mr. Himmel?

No...

I'm probably doing this for myself.

Ms. Frieren, we've been searching for blue moon weed for six months now.

You're right. Perhaps we should broaden our search area.

Oh, I don't often see you on your own.

It's been a while since you first came to the village.

Have you found any blue moon weed?

Do you think we'll find any?

Ms. Frieren's obsession with magic is extraordinary.

At this rate, she'll continue searching for years, if not decades.

She's a mage who possesses the power to save many people.

She shouldn't spend her time searching for something that doesn't exist.

You're so young.

Am I wrong?

I don't think so,

but Ms. Frieren must see things differently.

But since she's so much more mature than we are,

I'm sure she'd understand if you honestly conveyed those feelings to her.

These are the seeds of a related species she kept for their medicinal properties.

Could we plant these around Himmel's statue instead?

I get it, Fern.

I made you worry.

I'm not just spending my own time on this.

It's time to go.

I'll end my search soon.

How many years is soon?

Soon.

You don't know when to stop—

Shall we follow it?

Ms. Frieren, why do you collect spells?

It's just a hobby of mine.

I find that hard to believe.

It really is just a hobby.

I used to live much more apathetically.

Gross.

But then I got to know an idiot who complimented the spells I gathered.

That's all.

That's a silly reason.

You're right.

Is that...

It's a petal.

They say seed rats bury their food in safe places away from enemies.

They're clever animals, aren't they?

I wouldn't say that.

Since they bury their food in so many places, they often forget where.

Blue moon weed?

It's a flower that grows in my homeland. It's beautiful.

Not as beautiful as me, though.

Shall we get going?

Frieren.

Someday, I'd like to show them to you.

I see.

If we have the opportunity, perhaps.

I figured they'd be here, but I wasn't expecting so many.

It took longer than I would've liked, Himmel.

I can't believe we really found them.

Now we can create a spell for blue moon weed.

Why are you so passionate about magic?

I don't understand.

But you do.

You never gave up on becoming a mage.

That's different.

I would've been happy to learn any skill that allowed me to support myself.

It didn't have to be magic...

But you chose magic.

You're right.

I never thought I'd see blue moon weed again.

They're beautiful.

Thank you, Ms. Frieren.

Now this statue will never be forgotten.

Oh, I nearly forgot.

There.

How cute.

Shall we go?

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

That's too powerful.

The Elder Sage of Corruption, Qual.

He called you heartless for not checking on him.

Let's put that into practice.

How many years do you think we've traveled together?

Does this journey have a purpose?

Classroom study is important, too.

Episode k*lling Magic

k*lling magic.