Chapter 19

Raid is the nineteenth chapter of Yamada Kanehito & Abe Tsukasa's Sousou no Frieren.

Summary
Right after the events of the previous chapter, Stark and Fern leave Graf Granat at the church and decide to split up, Stark to find Frieren and Fern to evacuate the town's citizens. They are unexpectedly attacked by Lügner and Linie who separate them. After pinning Fern to a wall using blood magic, Lügner questions her about the whereabouts of Frieren whilst commenting that Stark will not receive a pleasant death. Meanwhile, Stark has engaged in a fight with Linie. After the initial surprise attack by Linie, Stark wonders why her technique is so similar to his Master's. While Lügner is distracted, Fern grabs her staff and breaks out of Lügner's hold. Lügner tells Fern she would lose her head first if she attacked, for he has spent the greater part of his life dedicated to honing his magic. Fern remembers Frieren telling her that Fern's strength lies in her casting speed. She tells Lügner that she, too, has spent the greater part of her life dedicated to magic before blasting him with a large scale spell.

Plot Details
Right after the events of the previous chapter, Stark tests the mobility of his newly healed arms. After determining that he has more or less regained motion in his arms, he decides that he and Fern should head out and leave Graf Granat at the church. The priest that previously healed he and the Graf confirms there is a barrier surrounding the church that will keep the Graf safe, but Stark brings up that even if they hide in the church, the demons will not go away. Fern questions Stark's resolve, as last time they fought Lügner and Linie they were largely outclassed and only succeeded in their surprise attack due to luck. Stark is resolute despite this, as somebody must deal with the situation, and Fern accedes, stating that they must do their best. Stark disagrees, saying that Fern must go to the guard post and help evacuate the town. Fern begins to wonder if that means Stark will face Lügner and Linie alone, but before she can get the words out, Stark interjects and states that he plans to get on his knees and beg Frieren to return and deal with the demons. His proclamation leaves Fern and the Graf silent in shock, but they both eventually agree that Stark's plan is more realistic than the alternatives. Shortly after, Stark and Fern stand by the town's walls and prepare to part ways. Stark gives Fern a necklace with a pendant from Graf Granat. The pendant is the Granat family crest, and the Graf has promised the guards will listen to Fern if she shows them the pendant. Stark prepares to leave town post haste, but Fern seems reluctant to let him go. She brings up the condition of his arms, and wonders if he will even be able to make it past the castle gate considering the mess his arms are in. Stark deflects, stating that his condition is normal for a warrior, and calls out Fern's hypocrisy when she herself is also covered in blood. At Stark's observation, Fern realizes that the blood covering both their bodies is suspicious. She flings away her cloak, then grabs Stark's collar and tells him she can detect mana circulating in the blood on their clothing. As she tells him this, she is stabbed through the shoulder and pinned into the wall by Lügner's blood magic. Stark cries out her name in shock and readies his battle axe to help her, but he is caught off guard by Linie behind him, who summons an axe using her magic and sends Stark flying through the wall and into the forest below. Stark braces against the ground but is still blown back significantly. He comes to a stop in a defensive stance, and says that he is unable to believe his eyes because Linie is using his Master's technique.

Meanwhile, back on the ramparts of the town, Lügner approaches Fern and claims that he meant to inflict a fatal would that would not have caused her pain if only she had not moved unnecessarily. Lügner notes that Fern seems surprised, and asks if it is because he is standing in front of her despite the fatal wound she had inflicted on him previously, or if it is because she could not sense his and Linie's approach. He tells her that any demon is capable of concealing their mana just as human mages are, but he does not think that any decent mage would choose to do so in a fight with another mage. Fern at last speaks up to ask whether Lügner is going to finish her off or not. Lügner states that as he has already failed to kill her, he wants to ask her a few things first. Fern remains silent, and when goaded by Lügner, tells him to go ahead and kill her. Instead, Lügner asks Fern whether or not Stark is strong. Fern tells him that he is Eisen the Warrior's best apprentice, but Lügner only appraises him pityingly as he is sure Linie will see that Stark meets a horrible end. Lügner then turns back to Fern and asks her one more question: Frieren's location. Fern tells him that Frieren ran away because one of the demons killed a sentinel guarding her cell, but Lügner does not buy that Frieren, who deeply despises demons and even drilled demon-slaying magic into her apprentice, would run merely out of fear of capital punishment. Stalking away from Fern, he contemplates aloud what Frieren could truly be after. While his back is turned, Fern slowly begins to levitate her staff off the ground and back into her hands. As Lügner concludes that Frieren must be after Lady Aura, Fern grabs her staff, breaks Lügner's hold on her, and while directing the point of her staff at him asks him not to move.

Fern, recognizing that Lügner already has a grasp of Frieren's whereabouts, deduces that his strike, rather than failing to kill her, was intended to get back at her for her earlier surprise attack. His pride and arrogance dictates he does not even see Fern and Stark as threats, but as a result, he has provided her with an opening. Fern threatens that she is capable of blowing out Lügner's heart from such close range, but Lügner calls what he perceives to be her bluff, as he is sure he will decapitate her before she can try. Upon hearing his words, Fern recalls helping Frieren subjugate ox-like beasts in a rocky plain in order to obtain one of their horns. As Frieren inspects their bounty, Fern wonders if she is being of any help at all, as she cannot handle magic as flawlessly as Frieren does. Frieren tells Fern she will never catch up to her in mana and technique due to the difference in their lifespans, but Frieren points out that she often leaves fights against monsters to Fern because Fern is faster at firing off spells.

When Fern does not stand down, Lügner tells her that he has devoted the greater part of his life to the pursuit of magic. Fern tells him that she too has done the same, before blasting him at point blank with a gigantic burst of offensive magic.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Stark
 * Fern
 * Graf Granat
 * A priest
 * Linie
 * Lügner
 * Frieren

Locations

 * Graf Granat's Domain

Battles

 * Lügner & Linie vs. Stark & Fern
 * Linie vs. Stark
 * Lügner vs. Fern

Events

 * Frieren and Fern defeat and obtain a horn from ox-like animals (in a flashback)

Spells

 * Unnamed blood piercing magic
 * Unnamed magic to manifest a battle axe
 * Unnamed magic to levitate a staff
 * Unnamed large scale offensive magic (possibly Zoltraak)

New Tools Used

 * Linie's battleaxe

Chapter Notes

 * The pendant that Graf Granat gives Fern and Stark is the same as one of the pendants worn by one of Aura's undead army, which is presumed to be the Graf's son
 * Lügner's control over blood is extremely precise, as he is able to regenerate the parts of his body blown away by Fern using blood
 * The chapter title was localized from "Ambush" to "Raid" by Viz Media