Chapter 36

Emotional Support (の) is the thirty-sixth chapter of Yamada Kanehito & Abe Tsukasa's Sousou no Frieren.

Summary
Twenty-nine years after the Hero Himmel’s passing, Frieren's Party are in the Offen Mountain Range. Stark is walking back to their camp, and is surprised to see that Frieren and Fern are still asleep. He prepares their food, and when he tries to wake Fern up, he notices that she has a fever. He wakes up Frieren so she can check on Fern. Frieren deduces that Fern has a fever, so she will use the notes Sein left them about herbs to cure Fern, but she will have to find out what Fern has first. She diagnoses Fern with magic and finds out that it's just a cold. Stark says that they should find shelter before they get the herbs, luckily they find a cabin. They thank the owner of the cabin. Stark comments that Frieren has been holding Fern's hand since they got here, she tells him it calms Fern down, Fern is embarrassed by this and tells Frieren to stop treating her like a child. They then depart to get the herbs. While finding the herbs, Frieren comments on how Fern will soon be an adult. While at an icicle blossom tree, Stark asks Frieren why she held Fern's hand since she never treated Fern like a child to that extent before. She said that she had no intention of treating her as one, she said that it is the only way she knew to ease her pain. Frieren asks Stark what she should have done, and he told that what our hearts tell us to do. It then jumps to a flashback of the Hero Party, where Himmel is holding Frieren's hand like she did to Fern. They get back to the cabin and prepare the cure. Afterwards, Fern's condition improves and they then depart to continue their journey.

Plot Details
Twenty-nine years after the Hero Himmel’s passing, Frieren's Party are in the Northern Lands, specifically the Offen Mountain Range. Stark is walking back to their camp after a walk, when he sees that both Frieren and Fern are still asleep, which is unusual. He comments that they have been walking non-stop, so they must be tired. He then prepares their breakfast. When he attempts to wake up Fern, he notices that she is unwell, so he lets her sleep. He wakes up Frieren so she can check on Fern, but not easily as she wanted to sleep more. Frieren checks Fern and deduces that she has a fever. Frieren gets something from her suitcase, a book from Sein about herbs. She tells Stark that if she diagnoses Fern with magic, she can use these notes to get the herbs to counteract the illness. Stark is unsure if that is possible, since that kind of magic is done with the Goddess' Magic, and you need scriptures that he doesn't think they have. Frieren tells Stark that she has something similar to scriptures, and points to a book she was using as a pot stand. Frieren then successfully does the magic, noting that even she can do basic things like this, without possessing a priest's talent. Fern's ailment is just a cold. Frieren then checks the herbs needed and recalls a place in the Offen Mountain Range where she and the Hero Party once collected herbs.

After this, Stark recommends for them to find shelter, away from the cold. Luckily, they find a cabin in the mountains, where a man lives. Once inside the cabin, Stark thanks the man, while also noting that it was surprising to find someone living deep in the mountains. Frieren comments that the last time she came here, there was a village here. The man tells Frieren that it has been several decades since there was a village here. Frieren then asks if there was an icicle blossom tree in the area. The man tells her that there is one, although it is hard to get to. Frieren tells him that it is fine since she was been here before. Frieren then tells Fern to wait a bit, they'll get the medicinal ingredients needed to cure her. Stark notices that Frieren has been constantly holding Fern's hand since they got here. Frieren tells Stark it's because Fern looks like she is in pain, and holding her hand while she has a cold calms her down. Suddenly, Fern removes her hand from Frieren's and tells Frieren that it is embarrassing. Frieren asks why, and Fern tells her to stop treating her like a child. Frieren understands.

While walking to the icicle blossom tree, Frieren comments that in just 2 years, Fern will become an adult. She says that it still felt like yesterday that Fern was just a small girl, and that she was far taller than her. In her eyes, Fern is still a child to her, and this will likely be the case for a long while. after the monologue, Frieren tells Stark that they will now collect the ingredients. They then collect some of the ingredients, on the way to the icicle blossom tree. Frieren tells Stark that they will soon reach the Icicle blossom tree. Stark assumes that the icicle blossom is the final ingredient in the medicine, but Frieren corrects him and says that it is the mushrooms that grow on the roots of the tree. Once they arrive, Frieren comments on how majestic it is, and that she wishes to show Fern as well. She adds that the icicle blossom tree is her favourite flowering tree that blooms in the winter. While they are looking at the tree, Stark asks Frieren why she held Fern's hand in the cabin, adding that she has never treated her as a child to that extent before. Frieren tells Stark that she had no intention of treating Fern like a child, and she simply did it because she was in pain and it was the only way she knew to ease it. She asks Stark what she should have done. Stark thinks about it, and answers that in that situation, we can only do what our hearts tell us to, or at least that is what his master always told him. He then says that people require emotional support, and there isn't anyone who would feel bad about getting it.

It then cuts to a flashback of the Hero Party. Frieren is sick and just had a nightmare. Frieren is questing Himmel asking why he is holding her hand. Himmel tells her it's because she was having a nightmare. He then tells her that when he was little, his mother would often hold his hand like he was doing right now, and it would calm him down. Frieren objects, saying that it was when he was a kid. Himmel responds by saying that children are not the only ones that require emotional support. Frieren then tells him that this is not so bad. Then Himmel jokes around and tells her that he is pretty handsome when he worries about others. Frieren tells him to be quiet. afterwards, Heiter and Eisen come back with the medicine.

Back to the present, Stark adds that Fern was probably embarrassed because he was around, saying that she wouldn't want anyone to see her being spoiled. Frieren thanks Stark for what he said, and tells him that she will do as her heart says. As a token of her gratitude, she also tells him that she will hold his hand when he is sick. Stark refuses the offer, saying that it would be embarrassing. They then go ahead, picking the mushrooms which are more massive than Stark imagined. Afterwards, Frieren mixes the ingredients in a cauldron, which makes her look like a witch according to Stark. Frieren then gives Fern the medicine, while holding her hand. Fern tells her that she is no longer a child, Frieren says she knows this and continues to hold her hand. After Fern's condition has improved, they depart for their journey. Their next stop is the Magical Town of Äußerst.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Frieren
 * Fern
 * Stark
 * Himmel
 * Heiter
 * Eisen

Locations
The Offen Mountain Range

Events

 * Fern gets a fever
 * They find Shelter
 * Flashback of Frieren getting sick with the Hero Party
 * They collect the herbs
 * they prepare the cure
 * They depart

Spells

 * unnamed spell used to identify sickness