Chapter 17

Frieren the Slayer (のフリーレン) is the seventeenth chapter of Yamada Kanehito & Abe Tsukasa's Sousou no Frieren.

Summary
Right after the events of the previous chapter, Fern and Stark sneak into Graf Granat’s mansion to rescue him. In the meantime, Lügner tries to get Graf Granat to tell him how the barrier magic works, but to no avail. He leaves the Graf to think over it carefully while trying to find a grimoire about it in his mansion. Stark enters the room and tries to free him, but Lügner and Linie return. Stark attacks Lügner but is unable to kill him. However, he gives an opening to Fern who was outside the window to shoot Lügner with magic. Stark and Fern escape with Graf Granat, and Lügner decides they will go after them as soon as he heals.

Plot Details
Right after the events of the previous chapter, Fern and Stark are infiltrating Graf Granat’s mansion to rescue him.

Inside the mansion, in another room upstairs, Lügner is explaining to a tied up Graf Granat what magic means to a demon. They hone their skills on one particular type of magic—like how Qual dedicated his life to his killing magic—making their magic superior to that of a human. He comments that he detests the barrier erected by the Great Mage Flamme because it was erected by a prodigy, which he claims means it lacks the beauty that can only come from enhancement.

Lügner turns around and asks Granat how the magic to control the barrier works, but he stays silent. He gives him time to think over his decision to not reveal the barrier's secrets carefully and leaves the room with Linie, threatening the Graf with further torture if he refuses to tell them. Lügner then tries to find a grimoire that contains information on the barrier in the mansion.

Awhile after the demons have left, Stark enters the room and tries to cut the ropes which bind Granat to a chair. Granat notices him trembling, and calls him brave, saying his deceased son also trembled before he went off to the frontlines. Stark is unable to cut the ropes as magic has been cast upon them.

Graf Granat tells Stark to forget about him and says the townspeople must be evacuated. He tells Stark that if he shows the sentinels the Granat family crest which is on his neck they will abide by anything Stark tells them. He also mentions to Stark that talking back to him is a grievous crime in the town, which he will forgive this once if Stark runs. Stark takes note of this but ultimately refuses to run. He is about to destroy the chair restraining the Graf with his battleaxe, but Lügner and Linie return to the room before he can succeed in his endeavor.

Lügner asks the Graf if Stark is his acquaintance, and the Graf tells him that Stark is one of the adventurers from the morning. He lies that Stark came to negotiate for the release of his imprisoned mage companion without realizing she had already escaped from prison. Lügner lets Stark off, permitting him to leave without so much as sparing a glance in his direction, but Stark stands in his way. He quickly gets behind Lügner and attacks him, managing to cut his shoulder. Lügner is surprised at Stark's speed, but the blood from his wounded shoulder provides him an immediate avenue to counterattack with his blood magic. Lügner aims to wound Stark mortally, but Stark manages to protect his vitals.

Lügner praises his reflexes. Stark smiles as he realizes Lügner and Linie did not notice Fern outside the window. He tells Fern he has given her the opening she requested, and she uses it to blast Lügner, cutting his arm and part of his torso off. Lügner is shocked that a human mage could slip past Linie’s mana detection. Linie is about to face off against Fern, but Lügner stops her and asks Fern what magic she used. Fern replies that it was typical offensive magic, which demons call Zoltraak. Lügner thinks she is being absurd, saying demons conquered Zoltraak over half a century ago. He then asks who she learnt the magic from, but Fern realizes he is stalling for time and aims to finish him off quickly. However, when Linie steps in, spell at hand, Stark suggests they withdraw as the Graf is gravely injured.

Lügner tells Linie they will go after them when his bleeding stops, and that his blood is on them so the demons will not lose track of them. Linie suggests that Lügner doesn’t need to get involved, but he tells her that if she had been hit by Fern’s magic she would be dead. Lügner states that Fern's magic should no longer be called Zoltraak—magic for killing humans— for it has become specialized to kill demons. Fern’s conduct reminds him of someone and he says he was once inflicted with the exact same magic. Suddenly, Lügner remembers a scene from his past. Frieren is looking down on him from the top of a pile of demon corpses. He realizes the mage from the morning was Frieren, a mage that greatly contributed to the humans’ research of Zoltraak, and the mage who sent the most demons to the grave in all of history.

Lügner recalls Frieren's nickname: Frieren the Slayer, the kind of prodigy he despises.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Fern
 * Stark
 * Lügner
 * Graf Granat
 * Linie
 * Frieren
 * Aura

Locations

 * Graf Granat's Domain

Battles

 * Stark & Fern vs. Lügner
 * Frieren vs. Lügner (flashback)
 * Frieren vs. Aura the Guillotine

Spells

 * Unnamed magic that allows one to fly
 * Unnamed demon blood magic used by Lügner, allowing him to manipulate his own blood, sharpening and moving it in different ways
 * Zoltraak

Chapter Notes

 * Stark and Fern snuck into the mansion by going over the premises’ wall and entering a window, and note how silent it is
 * It seems Graf Granat was badly tortured by Lügner, as he is bleeding from many parts of his body
 * Lügner did not even look at Stark when he entered the room
 * After Lügner subdues Stark, he states that whether it be demon or human, the young ones are always imprudent, aimless, and reckless
 * On the last page, the scene cuts to Frieren floating in the air, facing off against Aura and her undead army