Chapter 2

The Priest's Lie is the second chapter of Yamada Kanehito & Abe Tsukasa's Sousou no Frieren.

Summary
Twenty years after Himmel’s passing, Frieren gets lost in a forest in the Holy City of Strahl trying to find Heiter. A young girl finds Frieren and takes her to her house, where she meets Heiter, who is now very elderly. The young girl, named Fern, turns out to be a war orphan from the Southern Provinces adopted by Heiter. Frieren states that she came to repay Heiter before he died. Heiter requests Frieren to adopt Fern as her disciple, but she refuses, saying she will only be a burden. Instead of that, Heiter then asks Frieren to decipher a grimoire that supposedly contains records of lost resurrection and immortality spells. Frieren states that it might take five or six years. Heiter also asks Frieren to teach Fern some magic. Four years pass, in which Frieren deciphers most of the grimoire and trains Fern to a point where it would take an average person ten years to reach. One day, Heiter collapses. Frieren tells Fern, who is training in the forest, to take a break and go stay by his side. But Fern refuses, saying she yet to take down the high rock, which would prove that she is capable of surviving on her own. It is revealed that when Fern was younger, she was about to commit suicide after losing her parents in a war. Heiter stops her, telling her it would be a waste for her to die, as all the beloved memories she made her with parents would disappear from the world as well. Fern is determined to repay him by learning how to survive on her own, and so Frieren lets her be. Some more time passes, and Fern finally manages to strike the high rock. Frieren finishes deciphering the grimoire, finding that neither resurrection nor immortality was recorded within. It is revealed that Heiter was aware of this, and that he only asked Frieren to decipher it to buy enough time for Fern to reach a level where she could be Frieren’s disciple. Frieren asks Heiter why he saved Fern, and he answers that the Hero Himmel would have done the same. In his final days, Heiter makes a few more memories with Fern, before passing away. After his burial, Frieren pours alcohol over Heiter’s grave, and together with Fern, she continues her voyage to acquire more magic.

Plot Details
Twenty years after Himmel’s passing, Frieren is in the central provinces. She gets lost in a forest in the outskirts of the Holy City of Strahl trying to find Heiter. Suddenly, a young girl appears, surprising Frieren. Frieren tells her that she is trying to find the home of Heiter, and the young girl takes Frieren there, saying that she would be a visitor. Heiter, now very elderly, meets Frieren outside the house, where she comments that the corrupt priest is still alive. As they enter, Frieren offers Heiter some alcohol, but he refuses saying that he has already stopped drinking. The young girl, named Fern, turns out to be a war orphan from the Southern Provinces adopted by Heiter, even though she does not look like one. Frieren mentions that Heiter isn’t one to willingly rescue people, unlike Himmel. Heiter asks why she is here, and she replies that she thought she would drop by to meet him, as she was shopping in the Holy City. Frieren also came to repay Heiter before he died, as she owes a lot to him. Heiter request her to take Fern as a disciple, but she refuses, saying she would not want a child a friend left in her care to die, as the death rate of mage apprentices in the battlefield is very high. Instead of that, Heiter then asks Frieren to decipher a grimoire he dug out from Sage Ewig’s gravesite. It supposedly contains records of lost resurrection and immortality spells. Frieren states that it might take five or six years, and she asks why Heiter wants it deciphered. He replies that he is now more afraid of dying than he ever was before, and that he wants just a little more time now. Heiter also asks Frieren to teach Fern some magic in her free time, as he as a priest does not know how to do that. Frieren agrees, and goes out to look for Fern.

She finally finds Fern training on a cliff in the forest, noting how near undetectable she is to mana sensory and wondering how hard she has studied at this young age. Fern tells Frieren that according to Heiter, she will be able to handle herself once she can knock down the high rock on the cliff on the other side. She demonstrates that when she fires magic from her staff, her mana disintegrates before reaching the rock, and asks Frieren how she can train for it. Frieren first asks Fern if she likes magic, to which she replies in the affirmative. Smiling, Frieren then starts to teach her the fundamentals of long-range magic.

Four years pass, in which Frieren deciphers most of the grimoire. One day, when discussing Fern’s training with Heiter, Frieren states that Fern has reached a point where it would take an average person ten years to reach, remarking how she is a little too devoted. Suddenly, Heiter collapses and is carried to his room. Frieren states how she will hurry up with deciphering the grimoire and goes to find Fern.

Fern is training on the same cliff as usual. When told by Frieren to take a break and go stay by Heiter’s side, she refuses, saying she has to knock down the high rock before Heiter passes away, as she was saved by him.

It is revealed that when Fern was younger, she was about to jump off a cliff after losing her parents in a war. Heiter stops her, telling her it would be a waste for her to die. He explains that quite a while back, he lost an old friend of his, who, unlike Heiter, was an upright person who would never leave behind someone in trouble. Heiter states that if his friend lived on instead of him, he would’ve been able to save many people. Heiter considered living quietly for the rest of his life until it dawned upon him. If he were to die like this, then wouldn’t all the beautiful memories he made with his friend disappear from the world as well? Thus it would be a waste for Fern to die with all her beloved memories.

Fern explains that learning how to survive on her own is her repayment of gratitude to Heiter. Frieren, after seeing her determination, lets her do as she wishes.

Some more time passes, and Frieren finishes deciphering the grimoire, finding that neither resurrection nor immortality was recorded within. When asking Heiter if he knew, he replies that if such a thing existed, then Ewig himself would’ve used it. He asks Frieren about Fern’s progress, and she replies that she is no inferior to an adult. Heiter is relieved, as now Fern would no longer be a burden to Frieren, revealing that he calculated this from the start. He asks Frieren to collect her pay and leave with Fern at night, as he doesn’t have much longer and doesn’t want Fern to experience losing anyone else. Frieren rebukes him, telling him that he should give her a proper farewell, and try to make as many memories with her as possible. Tears flow down Frieren’s eyes, and Heiter calls her a kind girl. Before leaving him alone with Fern, she asks why he saved her. He replies that the Hero Himmel would have done the same, to which Frieren agrees. She goes to the cliff Fern used to train on and sees the high rock with a hole through it, revealing that Fern managed to reach it. Frieren decides that she too will be like the Hero Himmel.

After Heiter’s burial, Frieren pours alcohol over his grave. Fern thanks her, as she was able to repay Heiter, and Frieren replies that she was simply outsmarted by the corrupt priest. Together, Frieren and Fern continue their voyage to acquire more magic.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Frieren
 * Fern
 * Heiter

Locations

 * Heiter's House

Events

 * Heiter's death
 * Frieren's new party is formed (with Fern)

Spells and Tools Used

 * Sage Ewig's grimoire
 * Fern's Staff
 * Frieren's Staff
 * Unnamed spells

Chapter Notes

 * Sage Ewig's grimoire contains ciphers that use images
 * Fern already knew the basics of being a mage before Frieren started training her
 * Long-range magic consists of three necessary elements for mages (readers are not told any more than that)
 * Heiter was drinking when he first met Fern