Boshaft—The Emperor's Spirit ｢
Summary[]
Twenty-nine years after the passing of Himmel the Hero, Frieren's Party arrives at a town in the Bier Region. They overhear that a Dwarf named Fass, who has been seeking the alcoholic drink Boshaft—said to be the finest spirit in the world—is close to finding it after searching for two centuries. Fass asks for Frieren's assistance, as he has found the ruins Boshaft is stored in based on a stone tablet in Ancient Elvish and needs help breaking the barrier spell over the door.
Frieren ends up deciphering the barrier after three months, but she is unhappy as she knows the truth behind the alcohol, which the elf Milliarde, despondent after spending her whole life pursuing something worthless, had hid for no reason. Frieren worries the same fate will befall Fass, but upon finally trying Boshaft, Fass laughs in delight and makes the whole town try it. Fass tells them that although the drink was disappointing, he is glad that they were there, as he has never had such a fun night.
Plot Details[]
Twenty-nine years after the passing of Himmel the Hero, Frieren's Party arrives in the Bier Region. They walk through a town, with Stark remarking that he did not know there was a town in the Northern Plateau. Frieren explains that the area contains the only granary in the Northern Plateau, so brewing has been a particularly prosperous activity for a long time. While the party eats a meal, Stark overhears two other tavern guests talking about a man named Fass, who is allegedly close to finding Boshaft. One of the men casts doubt over the claim, as he has heard about the endeavor since he was a child. Stark asks what Boshaft is, and Fern explains that she learned from Heiter that it is said to be the finest spirit in the world that was given out by a great emperor of the continent a long time ago. Fern adds that Heiter blamed Frieren for not having the chance to drink the spirit.
As the party leaves the bar, a dwarf recognizes Frieren and approaches her while stating that he has not seen her for a century. Frieren identifies the dwarf as Fass and reminds him that it has only been eighty years. Fass notes that being so precise over time is uncharacteristic of Frieren. Fass asks about Heiter, and Frieren explains that he passed away peacefully, prompting Fass to reflect that he was too late. Fass reveals to Frieren that he has finally found where Boshaft is, and he requests for her to help him with her magic. When Frieren asks why magic is relevant, he urges her to follow him.
Fass leads Frieren's party to the Boshaft ruins.
Fass leads the party into the mine, claiming that he had dug it all himself. He adds that although people typically associate dwarves with mining, he grew up in a town and had to teach himself mining for the sake of finding the finest spirit in the world. Stark asks Frieren for an explanation, and Frieren clarifies that Fass has an unmatched love for alcohol, going to the extent of searching for Boshaft for over two centuries. Frieren explains that the Hero Party had to refuse his request during their journey to defeat the Demon King, much to Heiter's anguish. Fern asks Fass why he had to dig a mine for his search, and he explains that a legend states that Boshaft was buried in the vicinity, and he chose to believe in the legend upon finding a stone monument two centuries ago. As Fass shows them the monument, Fern recognizes the writings on the monument as Ancient Elvish and states that it praises Boshaft as the finest spirit in the world, written by Milliarde. Fass is surprised that Fern can read the language at such a young age, and she explains that she was forced to learn the language by Frieren when she was younger since half of the world's grimoires are written in Ancient Elvish.
Fass shows the stone door guarding Boshaft to Frieren's party.
Frieren stares at the stone monument and reflects that it really was Milliarde's doing. Fass explains that his dedication began with the stone monument and now he was just a stone's throw away from Boshaft. Frieren asks if he has finally found the ruins, and Fass affirms that he has, leading them to a door with a powerful barrier spell. Fass expresses hope that Frieren will be able to break through the spell. Frieren analyzes the spell before stating that it is impossible, which Fass doubts. Frieren explains that it would take too long and that both Fern and Stark hate waiting. Fass declares that she would be compensated with 20 Reich gold coins for the task, but Frieren instantly rejects his offer, and Fass continues to beg for her help, exclaiming that it has been his life's work for over two centuries. After Frieren rejects the dwarf once more, Fern and Stark try to reason with Frieren, and she states that this is uncharacteristic of both of them. Fern and Stark assert that the reward of 20 gold coins is too good to pass up, as it could cover their traveling expenses and food for a long while. Frieren reasons that it would take at least three months to dispel the barrier, but both Fern and Stark claim that that amount of time is nothing. Stark formally accepts Fass's request, and Frieren cautions that she warned them.
Over the next few months, Frieren analyzes and studies the barrier. On the day before the barrier is dispelled. Fern remarks that Frieren does not seem happy, and Frieren affirms her observation. Frieren reveals to Fern that Boshaft does not taste good, and it is not something worth dedicating a lifetime towards. Fern brings up the inscription on the monument, but Frieren explains that among elves, there are some who would do unimaginable things to relieve boredom and kill time.
Frieren speaks with Milliarde.
Frieren recalls a time when she was younger, where she had a conversation with Milliarde, a fellow elf. Frieren approached Milliarde while the latter was drinking and asked her if all her time was really spent spacing out. Milliarde explained that elves tend to spend their entire lives in pursuit of something in order to avoid becoming someone like herself. She continued by asking Frieren if she knew what it was like to pursue something for one's whole life before realizing that the pursuit would end up being worthless. Frieren responded that she did not, and she asked what Milliarde meant. As she took a sip from her bottle, Milliarde declared that she was talking about herself and what had happened to her before commenting on the awful taste of her drink. Frieren identified the drink as Boshaft, a spirit that was used during a coronation ceremony despite being the worst kind of cheap alcohol. Milliarde added that before she arrived at the village, she carved an inscription proclaiming the greatness of Boshaft. Frieren asked her what the point of doing such a thing was, and Milliarde responded that there was no point whatsoever.
Fass enters Milliarde's Boshaft stash.
Frieren finishes dispelling the barrier cast on the door and it opens, revealing a room full of bottles of Boshaft. Fass observes that the bottles are preserved in good condition and exclaims his disbelief that the day has finally come. Fass hands Frieren, Fern, and Stark a bottle each and asks for a toast. Fass then takes a sip of the bottle before expressing surprise.
As Frieren tries her bottle of Boshaft, she thinks back to the Hero Party's previous visit to the town. After turning down Fass's request, Himmel asked Frieren why she refused to look for Boshaft, and Frieren responded by asking Heiter if he liked alcohol. Heiter instantly agreed, much to Himmel's disbelief. Frieren asked Heiter what he would do if a drink he spent his entire life looking for ended up being disgusting. Heiter thought over his response before declaring that he would laugh it off and enjoy it with everyone.
Fass shares Boshaft with the townspeople.
In the present, Fass struggles to describe Boshaft before Frieren swiftly declares that it is awful and that it tastes worse than any other alcohol she has tried before. Frieren notices that Stark has not taken a sip in response to her and Fass's reactions and forces him to take a sip. Stark cries out at the awful taste of the drink before sharing a laugh with the rest of the party. Fass reflects once more on the taste of the drink before laughing, claiming that there is enough Boshaft to share with the entire village. Later, Fass and the party enjoy the drink once more with the rest of the village. Fass declares that although the outcome was disappointing, he was able to experience such a fun evening. As the party prepares to depart from town, Fass asserts that if one was going to have drink, they might as well enjoy it to the fullest.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Locations[]
Battles and Events[]
Events[]
Objects of Interest[]
Spells[]
- Unnamed barrier spell
Objects[]
- Boshaft, the Emperor's Spirit
- Reich gold coins