Chapter 11

The Hero of the Village is the eleventh chapter of Yamada Kanehito & Abe Tsukasa's Frieren: Beyond Journey's End.

Summary
Right after the events of the previous chapter, Fern asks why Stark still trains and he replies that it is because he is a hero to the villagers, so he must protect the village, although he feels like he will run away. Fern believes he will not run away and tells him that he only needs to resolve himself. The next day, Stark is able to defeat the Solar Dragon without needing Frieren and Fern’s help, and he joins their party.

Plot Details
Right after the events of the previous chapter, Fern asks why Stark still trains if he does not intend to fight the dragon. He replies that the villagers think of him as a hero so he must protect the village, although he feels like he will run away. Stark reveals that even the scar on his forehead is something he got when he argued with his master over his aversion to fighting monsters, as he was disappointed in him. Ultimately, Stark was never once praised by Eisen. Fern takes a look at his hand and sees how roughed up it is and understands how hard he has trained.

She believes that Stark would not run, even though she does not know a single thing about him, because she recalls a fearful experience of when she fought her first monster.

She had trained much more than necessary up to that day. However, she was seized by fear and ran, chased by the monster. Frieren refused to help her. When she finally resolved herself and turned to face the monster, her body took action on its own, and she successfully defeated the monster. Fern tells Stark that she believes his resolve to protect the village is genuine, and she leaves him for the night.

The next day, Frieren and Fern go to the cliffside but do not find Stark there. As they are about to go “play tag” with the dragon, Stark arrives. He makes Frieren promise that if he were to die in the midst of battle, she will kill the dragon no matter what. Frieren asks why he is going to such lengths for the villagers. Stark thinks it’s a strange question since he has been in the village for three years now. Frieren calls that ephemeral, while Stark replies that it is eternity.

They head towards the dragon and Stark’s hands start shaking, leading him to conclude that what's scary is scary after all. Frieren laughs, saying he is just like Eisen, and recalls a memory from when the Hero Party was about to battle a monster. Frieren asked Eisen if he was scared since his hands were shaking, and he admitted it quickly, saying fear is not a bad thing, as it is that fear which carried him throughout the Hero Party’s journey. Frieren tells Stark that even the way he shakes is the same as Eisen, making Stark smile.

Stark approaches the dragon while Frieren and Fern stand by and watch from afar. Fern notes how the dragon does not attack, and Frieren replies it is because it is being vigilant, and realizes why the village has not been attacked. She explains that dragons are intelligent creatures. They are not foolish enough to antagonize powerful enemies. She reveals that when Eisen hit Stark, it was not because he was weak or because he was a disappointment, and recalls the memory of when she was talking to Eisen back when he travelled with her and Fern.

Eisen tells Frieren that he fought with Stark and broke apart. His body reacted on its own and he hit him because he was scared of Stark. He called Stark amazing and said that his disciple will become an incredible warrior.

Stark manages to deal a fierce blow to the dragon and knock it down. He then shouts to Frieren and Fern to fire at it nonstop, but Frieren stops Fern from doing so. Anxious, Stark screams, asking why they aren’t firing, calling Frieren a “stinking hag” and saying she is no different from his master. Frieren tells him that the dragon is already dead, surprising Stark. Frieren praises him, then proceeds to loot the dragon’s nest. Stark tells her that Eisen once said that the Hero Party’s adventure became a deplorable yet incredibly fun journey all because of Frieren, making her smile and recall an old memory.

Frieren uses magic she just found in a dungeon to create shaved ice for Heiter while Eisen and Himmel converse from the side. Eisen calls it deplorable while Himmel doesn’t think of it as a big deal as the journey has just begun. Eisen states that even the Southern Hero, said to be the most powerful in all of mankind was defeated by the Seven Sages of Destruction who answer directly to the Demon King and that they are not even sure if they can return alive. Himmel asks Eisen if he wants a painful and bitter journey instead then, to which Eisen doesn’t answer. Himmel states that wants to have a fun journey that they can laugh at in retrospect, even if it turned out to be deplorable.

Stark bids his farewells to the villagers and leaves the village with Frieren and Fern. Fern uses the magic they found in the dragon’s nest to see through Frieren’s clothes, but she does not find it particularly interesting. She then looks at Stark and says “it’s small”, which Stark denies snappily. Stark decides to join Frieren and Fern on their voyage, as his master told them to take Stark with them, and also because he would like to experience a deplorable journey as well.

Characters in Order of Appearance

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

Locations

 * Riegel Canyons

Battles

 * Stark vs. Solar Dragon

Events

 * Frieren's party gains a new member (Stark)

Spells

 * Unnamed magic that shoots a high concentration of mana (possibly Zoltraak) (used by Fern in a flashback)
 * Unnamed magic that allows one to fly
 * Unnamed magic that conjures shaved ice
 * Unnamed magic that makes clothes transparent

Chapter Notes

 * Stark thought that ultimately he was never once praised by his master
 * Fern was still scared of "playing tag" with the dragon
 * Frieren felt offended when Stark called her a "stinking hag"
 * Stark was surprised to learn that Eisen also got scared
 * Frieren called the contents of the dragon's nest a mountain of treasure
 * Fern told Frieren to only take up to three items from the dragon's nest
 * When Heiter asked for syrup with his shaved ice, Frieren told him that she does not have any magic that conjures syrup