Chapter 23

Victory and Funeral (の) is the twenty-third chapter of Yamada Kanehito & Abe Tsukasa's Sousou no Frieren.

Summary
Right after the events of the previous chapter, Fern, Stark, and Graf Granat reconvene with Frieren. Frieren tells Stark and Fern she is proud of them for defeating Lügner and Linie. Graf Granat inspects the now inanimate bodies of Aura's undead army, and thanks Frieren for minimizing the damage to the bodies and paying respect to the heroes of the Northern Lands. He then commands his subordinates to give the dead a proper burial. The trio then return to the Graf's mansion, where the Graf grants Frieren any reward within reason. Frieren asks for the grimoire of the Great Mage Flamme the Graf supposedly possesses, and though it is a fake, Frieren reveals she knew all along and is happy with it nonetheless. Frieren's Party then rest and relax in the city, joining in on the festivities and helping with rebuilding. Before they depart from the city, they, along with the other citizens of Graf Granat's Domain, pay respects to the fallen heroes of the Northern Lands who have at last been properly buried. After making final preparations to travel north, Frieren's Party head out of the city. Graf Granat sees them off until the gate and informs them that in order to head to Ende, the party will first need to go to Äußerst and receive a first-class mage certification with the Continental Magic Association. However, as soon as they begin their travels north, the party gets lost in the snow.

Plot Details
Right after the events of the previous chapter, as the sun rises post Aura's defeat, Frieren prays in front of the fallen soldiers that have finally been released from Aura's control. Fern and Stark approach her after arriving at the battlefield via carriage, and Fern comments on her victory. Graf Granat arrives as well and is stunned by Aura's defeat at the hands of Frieren. As Frieren tries to escape with Fern and Stark, Granat tells them that they have no need to leave, and Stark tells Frieren that they have been pardoned by the Graf. Granat observes the remains and comments that despite the intensity of the battle, the damage to the bodies of the fallen warriors was limited. He thanks them for their service towards the fallen heroes of the Northern Lands and Frieren in particular for the respect that she has paid them.

Granat and his soldiers continue assessing the fallen soldiers while Frieren, Fern, and Stark watch from the carriage. Frieren reminisces on her previous battle against Aura back when she was part of the Hero Party and recalls the differences, mainly that her first battle against Aura led to a lot more collateral damage. Frieren comments that due to Himmel's anger, she has since changed her ways, and Stark and Fern both comment that Himmel is good at disciplining Frieren. She tells Fern not to refer to it as parenting, but nevertheless agrees with Himmel's actions. She then praises Fern and Stark for defeating Lügner and Linie.

The trio banter over the injuries they received from their respective battles as Granat looks on. He tells his soldiers to give the deceased their proper funerals, and one of them points out a specific solider with the Granat family crest necklace. Granat, realizing that he has finally found his son, profoundly expresses his gratefulness to Frieren.

Back within Graf Granat's Domain, Granat grants the reward Frieren requested: Flamme's grimoire, the heirloom of the Granat family, that details the defensive barrier used in the city. However, he asks Frieren if she was truly alright with just the grimoire to reward her efforts, given that it is, in fact, fake. Frieren reveals that she has been aware of that fact, as the grimoire does not describe the true magic behind the city's great barrier, but collecting grimoires is a hobby of hers. Granat accepts her decision and requests she no longer refer to him with formalities, given that he is likely much younger than her. She notes that this habit is due to the difficult time the Hero Party had on their journey to defeat the Demon King, and Fern pitches in, as Heiter had told her about the Royal Capital's emphasis on treating nobles with respect, to the point of conferring capital punishment on those who failed to be respectful. Frieren thinks back fondly to Himmel and Eisen's near-execution at the Capital for casually speaking to the King. This scares Stark, who feels capital punishment is going too far. He criticizes the Central Lands for their uncivilized methods while mockingly referring to Granat with formalities. Immediately after, a servant of the Graf enters the room wielding an axe, much to Stark's horror.

The man tells Granat that he has cut down the tree in the garden as requested, and Granat thanks him. He admits to the party that he only mentioned punishment when Stark spoke casually to him to get him to escape from the demons, and since no law exists that punishes individuals for speaking informally, they have nothing to worry about. Fern moves to console Stark but notices he has passed out, and Granat advises the party to take it easy, as the townsfolk all hope to thank them for their help after hearing of Aura's defeat.

The trio stay in the town for a while longer to rest and heal, and Fern aids in reparations. They receive lavish gifts from Granat, including a set of new clothes for Northern travel, and enjoy their remaining time with him and the townsfolk. Granat conducts a large funeral for the fallen soldiers, which Frieren, Fern, and Stark attend.

After they complete their shopping and are preparing to leave, Granaf offers to escort them out. He guesses that Frieren is likely heading for Ende, where the Demon King was based, however traveling there means going through the Northern Lands, which has restricted travel and requires accompaniment by a first-class mage. Fern assumes they should be fine given that Frieren is with them, but the elf is unaware of what determines a first-class mage. Fern explains that it is a mage qualification granted by the Continental Magic Association, and she herself obtained a third-class qualification from the Holy City before she left for their journey. Frieren voices her unfamiliarity with modern-day mage qualifications and Fern realizes Frieren may actually be an unqualified black mage, much to the elf's contempt. Frieren points out that qualifications are constantly changing due to changes in the organizations that regulate magic, and she isn't able to obtain every possible qualification, which means that her Holy Wand Emblem may also be useless.

Stark remarks that even he is aware of the Association given that they have existed for at least half a century, but Frieren refutes that half a century is still very new, and the constantly changing regulations are a pain. Granat discloses that he is aware of a town in the Northern Lands, Äußerst, where the first-class exam for mages can be taken, however, traveling there will require a long journey through the Schwer Mountains.

The trio parts ways with Granat, who thanks them again and tells them to have a pleasant journey. They make their way to the mountains, and snow begins to fall. Frieren comments that the winters in this area are dangerous and should be taken seriously, as the Northern Lands' winters were what caused the most people to perish during the battle against the Demon King's Army. As they continue traveling through the mountains, the snowfall picks up into a blizzard and they ultimately get lost. As Stark lies face-down in the snow, the two mages try to figure out their next course of action.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Frieren
 * Fern
 * Stark
 * Graf Granat
 * Aura
 * Flamme (mentioned)
 * Heiter (mentioned)
 * Himmel
 * Eisen
 * The gardener

Locations

 * Graf Granat's Domain

Events

 * A funeral is held for the fallen heroes of the Northern Lands that were defeated by Aura

Spells

 * Unnamed magic that levitates objects
 * Unnamed holy magic that heals wounds

New Tools Used

 * Fake defensive barrier grimoire

Chapter Notes

 * Graf Granat's son wore the same Granat family crest that his father carried with him