Chapter 16

The Murder of a Guard (し) is the sixteenth chapter of the Sousou no Frieren manga series.

Summary
Right after the events of the previous chapter, Frieren exits the dungeon and finds the sentinel dead. Meanwhile, Fern and Stark are having lunch and decide to go appeal to Graf Granat for Frieren’s release from prison so she can defeat the demons. Meanwhile, Lügner finds out Draht was killed from Linie. Graf Granat confronts Lügner, and when Lügner's excuse falls apart, correctly suspects that Draht killed the sentinel. Now that his plan has failed, Lügner reveals his true colors and kills the guards and injures Graf Granat. He spares Granat's life so he can lift the protective barrier on the town. As Fern and Stark head to the Graf’s estate, Fern spots Frieren stealthily walking in a black cloak. Frieren tells them what happened in the dungeon, and says that she will leave the town, leaving Fern and Stark to deal with the demons in town, despite Stark’s pleas for her to help them. Frieren senses Aura the Guillotine in the distance and decides to quickly finish her off.

Plot Details
Right after the events of the previous chapter, Frieren exits the dungeon and finds the sentinel dead.

Meanwhile, Fern and Stark are having lunch. Fern decides that they should go appeal to Graf Granat for Frieren’s release from prison so they can defeat the demons. Stark agrees, as the demons do not look like enemies they can face alone, especially Lügner, who seemed incredibly powerful. Even surrounded by guards, he set his eyes only on Frieren, showing his confidence that he can eliminate people like Stark and Fern easily. Fern tells Stark the Hero Party would go regardless of whether or not it would end up as a fight, and Stark agrees. Despite this, he is left trembling and weak in the knees from fright.

In Graf Granat’s mansion, Linie tells Lügner that she cannot detect Draht’s mana anymore, and he surmises that Draht must have been killed by Frieren. Granat enters the room and tells them that the mage they apprehended has escaped and beheaded a sentinel. Lügner offers to help in the search, but the Graf refuses and notes how they are missing a member of their envoy. Lügner tries to lie by saying he went to the privy, but the Graf sees through it and asks again where the third demon is. Realizing their plan has failed, Lügner bites his hand to create a stream of blood. He then uses his magic to manipulate his blood to behead all the sentinels that are with Graf Granat, calling Draht an incompetent fool and remarking how he has ruined everything. However, he acquiesces that being in a situation which can only be settled through violence makes him excited, as demons are wild beasts after all. Lügner injures Graf Granat but does not kill him so that the Graf can lift the protective barrier on the town.

Meanwhile, as Fern and Stark head to the Graf’s estate, Fern spots Frieren stealthily walking in a black cloak. Frieren tells them how she killed a demon named Draht and that when demons perish, they turn into particles of mana and disappear. As a result, it would seem like Frieren was the one who killed the sentinel. She thinks that she would suffer capital punishment, and so she has decided to leave town. Fern asks her if she is planning to abandon the town as the remaining demons would reign free. Frieren asks why couldn’t Fern and Stark deal with them, and Stark replies that they don’t seem like enemies they can face. Frieren asks rhetorically if they would not fight an enemy if they were strong, leaving Fern and Stark speechless. She tells them she does not think they are weaker than the demons in the slightest and leaves them, despite Stark’s pleas.

Frieren senses a tremendous magic power a distance away from the town and recognizes it as Aura the Guillotine. Frieren comments how she also despises fighting powerful enemies, and must quickly finish what she dislikes.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Frieren
 * Fern
 * Stark
 * Lügner
 * Linie
 * Graf Granat
 * Aura

Locations

 * Graf Granat's Domain

Battles

 * Lügner vs. Graf Granat & Sentinels

Events

 * Frieren breaks out from prison
 * Peace negotiations break down

Spells

 * Unnamed demon blood magic used by Lügner, allowing him to manipulate his own blood, sharpening and moving it in different ways

Chapter Notes

 * Fern was eating a burger
 * Stark's hand started shaking when he remembered Lügner, causing his drink to fall onto his pants, making it look like he urinated
 * Stark prostrated to Frieren as he begged her to help him and Fern fight the demons
 * The chapter title was localized from "Sentinel Slaughter" to "The Murder of a Guard" by Viz Media