Chapter 24

Elven Wish is the twenty-fourth chapter of Yamada Kanehito & Abe Tsukasa's Sousou no Frieren.

Summary
Twenty-eight years after the Hero Himmel's passing, Frieren's Party is in the Decke Region. Stark has collapsed and there is a heavy snowstorm so they seek shelter in an old cabin. As they enter, they see an elf doing squats, and quickly exit. Fern protests staying there and suggests finding another place, as there is a pervert inside. Before they could leave, the elf opens the door and asks Frieren if she is an elf. They head inside and the elf, who is a monk named Kraft, converses with Frieren about how long it has been since he encountered another elf and how he arrived in the cabin. As Stark rests in the cabin after being warmed up by Kraft, Frieren and Fern help Kraft carry food from his cart. It is revealed that Kraft and Frieren do not know each other at all. Half a year passes as they stay in the cabin due to the dangerous weather. Kraft and Frieren have a discussion on the Goddess of Creation, showing how Kraft believes in her and Heaven as well. Kraft asks Frieren to tell him about herself, so that he can honor her. This causes Frieren to remember how Heiter asked the same of her in the past. Frieren's Party and Kraft part ways as they continue their separate adventures.

Plot Details
Twenty-eight years after Hero Himmel's death, Frieren's Party have traveled to the Decke Region.

While traveling through a heavy snowstorm in the Decke Region, Stark has collapsed. He is unable to be carried by any magic that Frieren or Fern possess, so they resort to carrying him, which Fern is tasked with doing. Fern has to bear with a sleep mumbling Stark for quite a while until they reach a cabin that Frieren remembers was at the foot of the mountains 80 years ago. They reach the cabin and Frieren opens the door to see an elf doing squats. Fern immediately drags Frieren out and tells her that they need to go somewhere else. She then drags both Frieren and Stark, but before they could get away, the elf opens the door and asks if Frieren is an elf.

The Chapter then cuts to Frieren and the elf having a conversation. He says that this is the first time in 300 years that he has encountered another elf, he even wondered if they had already gone extinct. He thanks them for the fire, explaining that he lost his charcoal in the blizzard so he was unable to do it himself, having to resort to doing squats to heat himself. He then introduces himself as Monk Kraft, and Frieren introduces herself afterward, then Fern introduces herself and Stark. Kraft then talks about Frieren's Party traveling to Aureole, saying that their devotion is admirable, but Frieren responds that she is only half devoted. The conversation is cut short because Fern informs them that Stark's temperature is dropping.

After a while, Stark is woken up to see that Kraft is cuddling with him to keep him warm, which alarms Stark and he calls Kraft an old man. Kraft is hurt by this, saying that he warmed him up with his body and this is what he says. Stark then compliments him on his body, saying that it is nice. Fern has the wrong idea and Stark clears up the confusion, saying he was referring to his well-trained body, which means he is very strong. He then asks for Kraft's name and comments that he has not heard of him, but thinks that he is a famous monk.

Kraft then tells Frieren and Fern to help him carry some supplies. They go to Kraft's stranded cart which has frozen food. He tells them to get as much as they like because there is plenty. Frieren looks at the Schwer Mountains and decides to stay a bit longer since going in this blizzard is suicidal. While going back to the cabin, Kraft asks Frieren if she knew who he was, to which she responds with a no. He figures so since he also knows nothing about Frieren. Fern tells that she was the mage in the Hero Party that defeated the demon king. Kraft then asks before, to which Frieren asks what is he implying, which he responds is that they are elves.

The chapter then cuts to a montage of various activities that they do while waiting for the weather to improve. After almost half a year has passed, Frieren and Kraft are in the forest in the Decke Region having a conversation. Kraft thanks Frieren's Party for the help they did, allowing them to survive the harsh winter of the Northern Countries and asks Frieren to give a necklace to Fern, complementing Fern for her strong devotion to the goddess. Frieren asks Kraft why does he believe in the goddess, claiming that, apart from mythical times, the goddess has not shown herself throughout the long history of the world. Kraft then says that Frieren must be young, since he was doubtful like her when he was, but now he believes in the goddess with his whole heart. He then says that he would be troubled if the goddess did not exist, because everyone who knew about his great accomplishments have long passed, so he wants the goddess to honor him. Frieren comments that it is cruel that nobody will remember the things they did in their lives. She then says that the goddess is just a wish that the elves have, Kraft says that heaven is as well. Kraft then changes the subject, asking Frieren to tell things about her, and that if she doesn't believe in the goddess, he will honor her himself.

The chapter then cuts to a flashback. Himmel and Eisen are surrounded by happy children, with Frieren in the background saying that she never expected Himmel to pay for the reconstruction of an orphanage. Heiter tells Frieren that he was also an orphan. he then says that the goddess will honour him for living purely and righteously, Frieren disagrees with this, asking what the corrupt priest is saying while getting drunk. Himmel asks if she has any one to honor her, Frieren asks why, since this is so sudden. Heiter explains that it seems that she does not believe in the goddess and that if she tells something about her, he will honor her in heaven. Frieren says that she has been living leisurely until now, she hasn't done anything worthy of being honored. Heiter says despite that, she constantly limits her mana, which appears to be the fruits of her labour, and it looks like she has dedicated her life to it. Frieren is suprised that Heiter had noticed, saying that it isnt an interesting story. Heiter says that he does not mind, saying that it would be good reference, since his child might become a mage. Frieren questions what Heiter has said, since priests are supposed to be single for life, which makes Heiter laugh.

The chapter then cuts back to Frieren and Kraft's discussion. Frieren says that she will pass on Kraft's offer, since she already has somebody to honor her. Kraft understands this and tells Frieren to treasure them. This makes Frieren pause for a moment, before saying that he is already in heaven. Kraft then says the he may eventually come across him, which Frieren agrees.

Frieren's Party and Kraft say their goodbyes, and they then part ways to continue their separate adventures.

Characters in Order of Appearance
Frieren Fern Stark Kraft Himmel Eisen Heiter

Locations
Decke Region

Spells

 * Unknown floating magic used by Fern, which she used to assist Stark in wood cutting.