Since we have such little information,
we should prepare just in case it doesn't have a mind.
In that case, we'll have to use sheer force.
Is that possible?
I don't know.
Um, in that case...
I might be able to kill Mistress Frieren.
Yeah?
Yes.
Well then, let's draft up a plan.
ORIGINAL STORY BY KANEHITO YAMADA / TSUKASA ABE
First, let's make sure we're on the same page.
In the event that the clone has a mind,
we'll use Edel's hypnosis magic
to break through my mental defense.
-And to have Fern kill me. Is that right? -Yes.
How can you say "yes" so easily?
Dünste.
Where is Edel?
We were attacked by Sense's clone,
and she dropped out of the exam.
I see. And Blei as well?
I was able to run to safety because he bought me time.
I hope he was able to escape safely.
Don't mind me! Go!
But...
Anything's better than having zero participants pass.
I have information.
Will you cooperate with me?
I was willing to do that from the very beginning.
Is there anyone who can heal?
I have Scriptures, so I can perform simple healing magic.
Thank you.
I see.
So the clones don't have minds.
That's right. According to Edel,
they're just imitating the workings of a mind very precisely.
But they don't have a real mind.
Now there is no easy way of defeating it.
We have to draft up a plan with that in mind.
That being said,
there are still too many unknown factors.
The biggest issue to focus on
is the identity of those clones and the caster of the spell.
We can't take action until we understand their nature.
We especially need to find out if they really don't have any weaknesses.
If that clone is really on the same level as Frieren,
some of us may end up dead.
I won't give any answers.
I thought so.
It doesn't have any weaknesses.
The one manipulating the clones
is a monster from mythical times called Spiegel.
Lawine.
How do you know?
My oldest brother was part of the advance party sent by
the Continental Magic Association to raid the Ruins of the King's Tomb.
So you had information?
No wonder you were able to make it this far.
But what you did wasn't very logical.
If you knew, you should have
shared this information and cooperated with us from the beginning.
No one seemed to be in the mood to cooperate.
Plus, Frieren and Fern went in ahead of us before we knew it.
And you, old man,
are the type to abandon your comrades if it's not against the rules.
Why would we cooperate with you?
You really got on their bad side.
I am, indeed, an old man.
But it hurts when you say it to my face.
-You should probably apologize. -Sorry about that, old man.
According to the observations of the advance party,
Spiegel is on the other side of that door,
inside the treasure vault.
Supposedly, the monster itself
is weak and has no means of attack.
If you defeat it, all the clones will disappear.
That matches up with the results from our mana detection.
The monster is beyond that door.
But that door has a powerful binding spell cast on it.
I noticed that too.
My clone must have done that.
The spell that shuts the door of a treasure vault at the risk of your life.
It's one of the most powerful binding spells in all folk magic.
That door will not open unless the caster dies.
We could ignore the door completely and break down the wall,
but it probably has a workaround for that too.
Either way, in order to get to Spiegel,
we have no choice but to defeat that clone.
Then you'd better hurry up.
What do you mean?
Spiegel creates clones of everyone inside the dungeon.
And those clones
instinctively flock to the innermost depths over time.
Aside from my brother's unit,
most of the members of the previous advance party were annihilated.
They were annihilated right here,
just before the innermost depths.
I see.
Excuse me.
The clones imitate the workings of a mind very precisely, right?
That means they have the same behavioral weaknesses
as their originals, right?
Most likely.
In that case, we might have a chance.
What is this "weakness" you're talking about?
Mistress Frieren,
can you please stand by that wall over there?
Sure.
This is...
It can't be...
Unbelievable...
Did you notice?
-Do you get it? -No.
This is, indeed, Frieren's fatal flaw.
Why didn't I notice this when I fought her?
No...
I knew she was skilled, and that preconception prevented me from noticing.
The moment she uses magic,
her mana detection is interrupted for a split second.
Isn't that a common mistake made by apprentice mages?
I've always been bad at that.
If you were aware of it, why didn't you tell us?
Because it's embarrassing.
Now is not the time to be saying that.
But all her other skills are just too exceptional.
Very few mages would be able to actually
take advantage of her flaw.
Anyway, let's just start a strategy meeting.
Even if we get rid of Frieren's clone...
Mistress Frieren, you look like you're having fun.
Yeah.
Sounds like we have a plan.
Eisen, you distract the monster while I attack from the side.
Frieren, you provide covering fire.
What about Heiter?
He has a hangover, so he's useless today.
He's dead.
I just remembered how
we used to have discussions like this when we fought dungeon bosses.
All right.
Let's start our raid.
Can we win?
Don't worry.
There is no such thing as a dungeon that can't be raided.
I'm the mage from the party
that has raided the most dungeons in history.
Are you sure you want to fight Frieren's clone
all by yourselves?
It's easier to predict your opponent's movements when there are fewer people.
Yes.
It's true that we would most likely win if we all fought together,
but most of us would die in the process.
You probably won't even have time to use your evacuation golem.
So you're saying
it is more important
to stop the clones that will come to the innermost depth?
After all, we'd all be wiped out if we got attacked from both sides.
Okay, let's go according to plan.
All right. I wish you good luck.
Go ahead and open it.
Well then...
Let's go around and say who the toughest opponent would be for each of us.
Judradjim.
It's moving exactly how Mistress Frieren predicted.
Vollzanbel.
Its mana detection was interrupted.
My clone will be wary of Fern, who hid during that time.
But it will be too busy fighting me, its evenly matched opponent.
It won't have time to search for Fern.
After all,
nobody knows how dangerous I can be more than I do.
Don't worry.
When you perfectly conceal yourself,
even I can't find you that easily.
But are you sure that Zoltraak is the spell I should
use to attack?
It's the quickest spell to fire.
Plus, Zoltraak is
a relatively newer spell among elves.
It hasn't been around long enough
for our reflexes to automatically defend us.
In order to counter it, we have to think,
so it takes a little longer,
even if it's just a split second.
But not for you, Fern.
For you, Zoltraak is something
that has always existed from the time you were born.
It's fundamental magic that comes naturally to you.
Your Zoltraak would be able to kill me.
Put in all the mana you have.
Frieren,
you don't like me, right?
Why did you come see me?
To tell you the truth, I thought I'd never see you again.
I came to deliver my master's will.
It's been 50 years...
I see. So Flamme died, huh?
You're not sad?
I only raised her on a whim.
It's basically a report.
What did she write?
Apparently, the emperor authorized the research
of magic on a national level.
Up until now, magic was viewed
as the art of demons among human societies,
so studying it indiscreetly was considered taboo.
Flamme was the one who proposed the idea,
and she took part in teaching the newly established Imperial Mages.
She basically wrote to me
to ask me to take over in her place.
How greedy is she?
Just getting the authorization for researching magic was a feat.
But she wants more?
Is this such a big deal?
This means the largest empire on the continent will begin researching
and applying magic for military use.
The nations around it won't be able to ignore that.
In just a few decades,
magic will become widespread throughout the continent.
A day will come when all of mankind will be able to use magic.
In the not too distant future,
mankind will gain the power to fight against the Demon King's army.
I see. That's pretty incredible.
I know.
But
that is not what I want.
Go home, Frieren.
There is no way I am going to agree to this will.
It's extremely annoying.
"A time where anyone can use magic," you say?
Magic should be special.
I don't plan to teach anyone without talent.
To think she would send me this...
Flamme and I could never agree until the very end.
She's just an apprentice I raised on a whim, after all.
Master said,
"Serie will most likely get mad and rip up the will."
But she still wanted to tell you anyway,
that her dream came true.
Don't ask me why.
Well, I'll be off now.
I don't think we'll ever meet again.
Frieren.
Before that, want to take a little walk?
We have all the time in the world, anyway.
It was Flamme's dream to see the day when anyone
could use magic.
At first, it had nothing to do with wanting to save mankind
or fight the Demon King's army.
She didn't care about any of that.
Do you know her favorite spell?
The spell to create a field of flowers.
It's a stupid spell that has no use whatsoever.
She really loved magic.
She sincerely wished for everyone in the world to be able to
cast spells like that.
It gave me the creeps.
It sounded like a little girl's cutesy dream.
But that's exactly what it was.
It was a pipe dream that she shared with me when she was
a little girl who was much shorter than me.
Honestly, I thought
that day wouldn't come for a while
and that she couldn't possibly make it come true.
But in her short lifetime,
which amounts to almost nothing in my eyes,
she was able to become the progenitor of mankind's magic.
Master was always quick to make decisions.
It was as if she was pressed for time.
Humans have a limited lifespan.
They are closer to death than we are.
There are many times
in life when you have to make big decisions,
and humans like her cannot afford to postpone making them.
For us, we could do it 100 or 200 years later.
Even if we put it off for 1,000 years, it wouldn't make any difference.
The time we have is close to an eternity.
Frieren,
a long time has passed since humans first created
what we call civilization.
From here, the generations will come and go rapidly.
In a mere millennium...
In a mere millennium, it will become the era of humans.
Humans will overtake us.
Don't neglect your training, Frieren.
If anyone can kill you,
it will be the Demon King
or a human mage.
How exciting, Serie.
That means I will get to see lots of mages
and all kinds of spells.
Well then.
-Let's get it over with. -Both might die.
-Wow. -I'll leave it to you.
-This won't work either. -Mistress Frieren.
-I expected it. -I have no choice but to do it.
So this is the height of magic?
Subtitle translation by: Kiko Morita