Chapter 86

Talks (しい) is the eighty-sixth chapter of Yamada Kanehito & Abe Tsukasa's Sousou no Frieren.

Summary
Denken revealed that he had been able to go and leave El Dorado as well as converse with Macht because he is a citizen of the Fortified City of Weise, thereby binding Macht to "serve" him. As a result, Macht presumably could not kill him. When asked why he persisted with meaningless talks, Denken explained it was because he wanted to return El Dorado to normal. Since Macht's magic remains even after he perishes, Denken cannot kill him even if he managed to find a way to do so. Frieren then asked to join the talk, saying she wanted to confirm something by seeing him face-to-face.

The four of them went to see Macht inside the Fortified City of Weise. Frieren tried to instigate a fight with Macht upon meeting him again, but Denken stopped Macht from escalating. Afterwards, Macht served them tea and they had a brief conversation. However, when questioned why he kept killing people even though he wanted to coexist, Macht seemed confused as to the point of the question, which led Frieren to conclude they would never be able to understand each other. As they left, Frieren asked Denken about the relationship between him and Macht. Denken replied that Macht used to be his magic teacher.

Plot Details
Denken revealed that he was a citizen of the Fortified City of Weise, which was not populous. The others then recalled that there were two commands placed on Macht through the Stone Bracelet of Sovereignty, "to serve the people of Weise and their descendants" and "to not commit malicious acts against the people of Weise". Even though as a demon, Macht did not register the meaning of "malice", the first command, "to serve", would still take effect. She concluded that was why Denken could survive going into El Dorado and wondered if that meant Macht would listen to Denken's commands. Frieren however thought it was not such a favorable circumstance, which Denken confirmed. Macht would not pose any harm to him, but he would not accept any forceful command.

Frieren questioned why he would persist with something so pointless as conversation with a demon. Denken explained his wish to recover his homeland, and that Macht's magic, Di Agölze, will persist even after his death, meaning that El Dorado can only be reverted by Macht himself. He said that Macht was aware of the value of his life and would not return El Dorado to normal at any cost, forcing Denken to keep him alive in a stalemate.

When he was about to leave for El Dorado, Frieren asked to join him. Denken told her Macht would not harm her if he introduced her as his friend, but it was not certain. Frieren still insisted on going, saying that it was a better approach than persisting with pointless talks and that she wanted to confirm something. Fern and Stark upon hearing this also volunteered to go, with Stark claiming that he was confident with running away and could rescue both of them should things go South. Before they met Macht, Frieren reassured them they were only going for a conversation, but apologized to them in advance.

The party met Macht in the center of the Fortified City of Weise, where he waited by the gate and welcomed them respectfully. As they enter the mansion, he asked Denken about the newcomers. The latter said they were his friends and commanded him to treat them kindly. Macht obeyed and greeted the three of them politely, introducing himself as "the magic instructor of the Gluck family". Frieren replied that it was not their first meeting, which was 600 years ago when she fought him. When Macht did not show any sign that he remembered the encountered, Frieren escalated, challenging the demon to a battle. However, before Macht could respond, Denken commanded him to stand down.

Afterwards, in a living room, Macht served the humans tea, saying that he kept the tea set intact because Lord Gluck used to be fond of them. He asked Frieren what she wanted to confirm about him, to which she answered that they could not defeat him, and that he was not completely flawless. Surprised to be provoked once again, Macht asked Denken about her identity. When he knew Frieren was the mage of the party which had slain the Demon King, he only commented that long ago, Denken was fond of the Hero Party's adventure stories. Frieren asked him if he intended to avenge the Demon King, to the astonishment of Stark, to which Macht replied that he genuinely did not care about the Demon King Army. He claimed that he was a moderate in the Demon King Army who wanted to achieve coexistence with humans, even before he was equipped with the Stone Bracelet of Sovereignty. When Frieren expressed doubt at the sentiment, Macht agreed with her reasoning that demons always lied, but affirmed his goals and asked for confirmation from Denken, who had read his memories and supported Macht's statement. Upon this information, Frieren became more dismayed, criticizing Macht for refusing to return El Dorado to normal and killing all intruders without mercy. More importantly, she asked him why he had killed so many people and kept killing people even though he wished for coexistence. Macht expressed confusion at this question, which lead Frieren to conclude that they were too different as species and would never come to an understanding.

At Denken's prompt, the party proceeded to leave the encounter unscathed. Frieren asked Denken about his relationship with Macht, stating that they seemed to be close. Denken replied that Macht was a mage of the Gluck family, the feudal lord of Weise, and once served as his magic teacher.

Characters in Order of Appearance
Denken

Frieren

Fern

Stark

Macht

Locations
Northern Plateau, the Weise Region, Fortified City of Weise (El Dorado)