Chapter 7

The Land Where Souls Rest (のる) is the seventh chapter of Yamada Kanehito & Abe Tsukasa's Sousou no Frieren.

Summary
The chapter begins with a flashback of when the Hero's Party visited Eisen’s home. Heiter sees a couple of graves, which are Eisen’s family, and starts praying for them. Eisen believes that people turn to dust after they die, and Heiter states that they go to Heaven. He believes Heaven exists because it would be better that way. The rest of the Hero Party also starts praying for Eisen’s family, including Eisen. Twenty-eight years after the Hero Himmel’s passing, Frieren and Fern are in the Brett Region visiting Eisen’s home. Frieren offers to help Eisen with anything, and he requests she help him search for the Great Mage Flamme’s notes in the Voll Basin, which supposedly contain records of her having conversed with the dead. He wants to find them so Frieren can tell Himmel about how she wanted to get to know him better. They finally find a great tree engulfing some ruins, which are being protected by a powerful barrier. Frieren recalls a memory from a thousand years ago when her master Flamme first grew the plant that would protect the ruins. Flamme tells Frieren that one day she will make a grave mistake and want to get to know people more and to come back to the Voll Basin so that she can guide her. Frieren enters the ruins and finds the real notes of Flamme. They said that Flamme reached Aureole, or Heaven, and spoke with her former comrades there. It is revealed that Aureole is in Ende, where the Demon King’s castle is right now. Frieren and Fern decide to head to Aureole, the land where souls rest.

Plot Details
The chapter begins with a flashback of when the Hero Party visited Eisen’s home. Heiter sees a couple of graves and asks if they are Eisen’s family. He replies that his village was attacked by demons once, and Heiter starts praying for them. Eisen believes that people turn to dust after they die, and Heiter states that they go to Heaven. Frieren states that she too is skeptical about Heaven, as the current magical techniques of mankind cannot visualize the souls of the deceased, so it is impossible to prove its existence. Himmel doesn’t mind either way and Heiter agrees, causing Himmel to call him a Corrupt Priest and ask if that is ok for a priest to say. Heiter states that he thinks Heaven should exist since it is better that way. He says that nobody who tries desperately to live would want to end up as nothing. This causes the rest of the Hero's Party, including Eisen, to also pray for Eisen’s family.

Twenty-eight years after the Hero Himmel’s passing, Frieren and Fern are in the Central Lands, specifically the Brett Region. They have come to visit Eisen, who is praying for his dead family. They meet him outside and enter his house. Frieren asks if there is anything she can help Eisen out with, and he replies that Heiter asked something similar of him as well and that it is not the end of the road for him just yet. Frieren repeats her question, and Eisen takes her and Fern to the Voll Basin.

Frieren starts feeling nostalgic saying she was here once upon a time. Eisen and Fern wonder how long ago that is, with Fern suggesting the Paleolithic age, which Frieren denies. As they walk, Eisen states that he wants to search for the Great Mage Flamme’s notes, saying they are in a place that Heiter discovered by compiling all of the records Flamme left in the Holy City, located somewhere in the Voll Basin, as Frieren would know. Frieren says that they should start by finding a big tree first. Eisen says they have all the time in the world, but Frieren tells him that Fern hates wasting time so they should finish their search quickly. Eisen comments that Frieren has changed, as she was never one to respect another’s time, and Fern replies that Fern will scare one half to death when she gets angry, making Eisen smile.

After searching for a few days, Fern sees a great tree engulfing some ruins to the west, and the trio starts heading there. On the way, Frieren asks Eisen why he is searching for Flamme’s notes, and he replies that he thought it was pitiful for her and Himmel that she was never able to tell Himmel that she wanted to get to know him better. Eisen believes that Frieren should convey those words to Himmel directly. It is revealed that Flamme’s notes supposedly contain records of her having conversed with the dead. Frieren thinks that is just a fairy tale and states that she doesn’t want to meet him anymore. Eisen replies that every magic started off as a fairy tale and besides he wants to know about Himmel. That is why he consulted Heiter. Eisen wanted to help since he was sure Frieren was repenting over Himmel. They finally reach the great tree, and Fern notes that both the tree and the ruins are being protected by a powerful barrier. Frieren thinks of how she is being played like a fiddle by her master even after a thousand years and recalls an old memory.

Flamme uses magic to grow a small plant, saying that this small one will grow and protect this place even after a thousand years. Even if she will be dead by then, she tells Frieren that one day she will make a grave mistake and want to get to know people more and to come back to the ruins so that she can guide her.

Suddenly the barrier is lifted, and the tree roots move away to show the doorway, where the Great Mage Flamme’s notes are floating and already open. The trio enters, and Fern asks if they are real, and Frieren answers in the affirmative. When Fern asks how Frieren knows, Eisen tells her that Frieren was Flamme’s greatest apprentice. He asks Frieren if there are any logs about conversing with the dead, and she replies that that page is generously opening up for her. Frieren wonders if Flamme knew, a thousand years ago, that Frieren would return. Uncomfortable with the idea, Frieren thinks that Flamme was as unpleasant as always.

The notes say that Flamme was at the northernmost end of the continent, and she reached the land where souls rest, Aureole, or Heaven. There, she spoke with her former comrades. Fern then asks if Heaven is real. Frieren is not sure, as Flamme was one to exaggerate. Eisen tells them Heaven does exist since it is better that way. It is revealed that Aureole is in Ende, where the Demon King’s castle is right now, and Fern wonders why it would be in such a place. Eisen tells Frieren to find Aureole and talk to Himmel, as he will be of assistance to him. Frieren notes how Eisen has gotten cunning, and he gives credit to Heiter for that. Frieren accepts Eisen’s request, and immediately feels discouraged as it is insanely cold near the Demon King’s castle.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Eisen
 * Heiter
 * Frieren
 * Himmel
 * Fern
 * Flamme

Locations

 * The Brett Region

Events

 * The Great Mage Flamme's ruins are rediscovered

Spells

 * Unnamed magic that grows plants
 * Unnamed magic that turns sweet grapes sour
 * Unnamed magic that allows one to fly

Chapter Notes

 * It seems time passes similarly for dwarves as it does for elves, as Eisen thought of thirty years as a short period of time
 * Eisen couldn't believe Frieren took on an apprentice
 * Eisen and Heiter used to exchange letters
 * Despite his old age, Eisen is still strong, as he was able to lift up a boulder easily
 * Eisen seems to have similar sleeping habits as Frieren, as they both end up in very odd positions
 * Frieren did not think of the plant Flamme was growing as a reliable guardian