Winter in the Northern Lands ｢
Synopsis[]
Frieren and her companions continue their journey through the northern lands, but obstacles both natural and manmade still stand in their way.[1]
Plot[]
Frieren prays in front of the fallen soldiers.
As the sun rises post Aura's defeat, Frieren walks past Aura's Scales of Obedience on the ground. She prays in front of the fallen soldiers, who have finally been released from Aura's control. Fern and Stark approach her after arriving at the battlefield via carriage. Fern comments on her victory and joins her prayer. Graf Granat arrives as well and is stunned by Aura's defeat at the hands of Frieren. Upon noticing the Graf, Frieren tries to escape with Fern and Stark under the presumption that she is still the primary suspect for the death of the jail guard. The Graf tells them that they have no need to leave, and Stark tells Frieren that they have been pardoned by the Graf. Graf Granat observes the remains and comments that despite the intensity of the battle, the damage to the fallen warriors was limited. He thanks them for their service towards the fallen heroes of the Northern Lands and Frieren in particular for the respect that she has paid them.
The Graf and his soldiers continue assessing the fallen soldiers while Frieren, Fern, and Stark watch from the carriage. Frieren reminisces on her previous battle against Aura back when she was part of the Hero Party and recalls the differences, mainly that her first battle against Aura led to a lot more collateral damage. Frieren comments that due to Himmel's anger, she has since changed her ways, and Stark and Fern both comment that Himmel is good at disciplining Frieren. She tells Fern not to refer to it as parenting but nevertheless agrees with Himmel's actions. She then praises Fern and Stark for defeating Lügner and Linie. The trio banter over their injuries, though Stark, as beaten up as he is, states it is normal for a warrior. Graf Granat tells his soldiers to give the deceased their proper funerals, and one of them points out a specific soldier with a necklace of the Granat family crest. Graf Granat, realizing that he has finally found his son, profoundly expresses his gratitude to Frieren.
Frieren's party has an audience with Graf Granat after the defeat of Aura.
Back within Graf Granat's Domain, the town is busy and Graf Granat grants Frieren a requested grimoire of Flamme as a reward. He asks Frieren if she is satisfied with just the grimoire of the protective barrier magic for her efforts, given that it is not about Flamme's protective barrier. Frieren states that she is aware of it being a fake and claims that collecting grimoires is her hobby. The Graf accepts her decision and requests that she no longer refer to him with formal speech, given that he is likely much younger than her. She notes that this habit is due to the difficult time the Hero Party had on their journey to defeat the Demon King, and Fern pitches in, as Heiter had told her about the Royal Capital's emphasis on treating nobles with respect, to the point of conferring capital punishment on those who failed to be respectful. Frieren thinks back fondly to Himmel and Eisen's near-execution in the Royal Capital for casually speaking to the King. This scares Stark, who feels capital punishment is going too far since he remembers speaking rather casually with the Graf when he tried to free him back in the mansion. He criticizes the Central Lands for their uncivilized methods while mockingly referring to the Graf with formalities. Immediately after, the Graf's gardner enters the room wielding an axe, much to Stark's horror.
The Graf's gardener disrupts the meeting by reporting the completion of his task.
The gardener informs Graf Granat that he has cut down a tree as requested, and the Graf thanks him. The regent admits to the party that he only mentioned punishment when Stark spoke casually to him to get him to escape from the demons, and since no law exists that punishes individuals for speaking informally in the domain, they have nothing to worry about. Fern moves to console Stark but notices he has passed out from shock. Fern uses floating magic to carry Stark and, before they leave the room, Graf Granat advises the party to take it easy, and the townsfolk all hope to thank them for their help after hearing of Aura's defeat.
Frieren's party celebrates after Aura's defeat.
The trio reside in the town for some time to take part in a celebration of Aura's defeat. They get their wounds from the battle treated, and Fern aids around the town with her magic. Stark becomes acquainted with the townsfolk's kids and has another scare in a chance encounter with the Graf's gardener. They receive lavish gifts from Graf Granat, including a set of new winter outfits for northern travel. A large funeral for the fallen soldiers is held, which Frieren's Party attends.
Frieren shows her Holy Emblem as proof of her status as a mage.
In preparation to depart and travel further north, the trio meets after completing their shopping. The Graf offers to escort them out. He explains that he heard Frieren is likely heading for Ende, where the Demon King's Castle is, and he informs the party that traveling in the Northern Plateau is restricted due to rough conditions. He reveals that even adventurers require accompaniment by a first-class mage. Fern assumes they should be fine given that Frieren is with them, but her master is unaware of what determines a first-class mage. Fern explains that it is a mage qualification granted by the Continental Magic Association, and she herself obtained a third-class qualification at the Holy City before she left for their journey. Frieren voices her unfamiliarity with modern-day mage qualifications and Fern realizes Frieren may actually be an unqualified black mage, much to the elf's contempt. Frieren points out that qualifications are constantly changing due to changes in the organizations that regulate magic, and she is not able to obtain every possible qualification, which means that her Holy Emblem may also be useless.
Stark remarks that even he is aware of the Continental Magic Association given that they have existed for at least half a century. Frieren refutes the statement and thinks half a century is still very new, and the constantly changing regulations are a pain. Fern brings up that there should be a place in the Northern Lands where mages could take the first-class exam. Graf Granat affirms this and says that an exam is being held in the city of Äußerst, the largest magical city in the Northern Lands. However, traveling there will require a long journey through the Schwer Mountains. With a new destination in sight, the Graf wishes Frieren and her party safe travels as they depart Graf Granat's domain.
Frieren, Fern and Stark bid farewell to Graf Granat at the gate.
On their way to the mountains, snow begins to fall as winter arrives. Frieren explains that winters in the north can get bitter, so they should be careful, as most deaths during the war against the Demon King's forces were attributed to the northern winters.
Frieren's party navigates through the blizzard.
Twenty-eight years after Himmel's passing, Frieren's party reaches the Decke Region. Despite not even setting foot in the Schwer Mountains, the trio experience a severe snowstorm. While Frieren comments that they are lost, Stark collapses. Due to wind gusts, the mages are unable to carry him with magic, so they resort to carrying him conventionally, which Fern takes up. Fern bears with a mumbling, half-conscious Stark until they reach a cabin that Frieren remembers was at the foot of the mountains eighty years ago. Upon arriving, Frieren opens the door to see a tall man with pointy ears doing squats. Fern immediately drags Frieren out, apologizes for the intrusion, closes the door, and tells Frieren that they need to go somewhere else, as there is a pervert inside. Before they can get away, the man opens the door and asks if Frieren is also an elf.
Kraft does squats when Frieren is about to enter the cabin.
Everyone heads inside the cabin and they start a conversation. The elf tells Frieren that this is the first time in three-hundred years that he has encountered another elf, and he even wondered if their species had already gone extinct. He thanks Fern for the fire she started with her magic, as he had lost his coals in the blizzard and was unable to light a fire himself. As a result, he had to resort to doing squats to warm himself up. He introduces himself as Kraft the monk, and Frieren and Fern proceed to introduce themselves and Stark. When Kraft learns that Frieren's party is traveling to Aureole, he says that their devotion is admirable, but Frieren responds that she is only half devoted. The conversation is cut short because Fern informs them that Stark's temperature is dropping.
Stark wakes up next to Kraft.
Stark has a feverish dream, where he sees Eisen alongside a huge jumbo-berry special sundae. After a while, Stark wakes up to see that he is sleeping next to Kraft, who is keeping him warm, which alarms Stark. He nervously asks who the guy he is sleeping next to is, and Kraft takes his comment in stride and tells Stark that he should be thanking him for warming him up. Stark then compliments Kraft's body, saying that it is nice. Fern gets the wrong idea and Stark clears up the confusion, saying he was referring to his well-trained body, and he deduces that the elf is very strong. He then asks for Kraft's name and comments that he has not heard of him, but believes that he is a famous monk. Kraft then tells Stark to rest and asks Frieren and Fern to help him carry some food from his cart, which is located nearby.
They reach Kraft's stranded cart which has frozen food, and he tells them to take as much as they wish because there is plenty. Frieren looks at the Schwer Mountains and decides they should stay in the cabin a bit longer since hiking in the blizzard would be suicidal. While returning to the cabin with the supplies, Kraft asks Frieren if she knows who he is, which she negates. He figures as such, since he also knows nothing about Frieren. Fern tells him that Frieren was the mage of the Hero Party and Kraft asks what she was before. Frieren asks what he is implying, and he answers that they are elves.
Frieren joins the prayer before meals during the six-month stay.
Half a year passes, with Frieren's party and Kraft spending their days in the cabin and passing the time with chores and training while waiting for the weather to improve. They have meals together, where Fern and Kraft, in devoted habit, pray before eating. Soon, Stark also joins the prayer, and finally, Frieren joins in as well. Signs of warmer weather eventually show.
Kraft talks to Frieren while he carves a pendant symbolizing the Goddess of Creation.
One day, Frieren and Kraft are in the forest having a conversation while Kraft whittles away at a wood carving for a necklace. Kraft thanks Frieren and her party for helping him survive and asks Frieren to give the handmade necklace to Fern, complimenting her for her strong devotion to the Goddess. He thinks her piousness stems from the fact that she was raised by a priest. Frieren asks Kraft why he believes in the Goddess, claiming that apart from mythical times, she has never shown herself throughout the long history of the world. Kraft then states that Frieren must be young, since he was doubtful like her in the past, but now he truly believes in the Goddess. He says that he would be troubled if the Goddess did not exist, or rather, he needs the Goddess to exist. Since everyone who knew about his great accomplishments has long passed. He imagines that the Goddess would honor him by giving him praise for his life well lived. Kraft says that it is cruel that nobody will remember the tracks they left in their lives. Frieren then says that being remembered is just a wish that elves have, and Kraft rhetorically asks if that isn't Heaven as well. Kraft then changes the subject, asking Frieren to tell him about her, as if she does not believe in the Goddess, he will honor her himself. This causes Frieren to recall a memory of when she was traveling with the Hero Party.
Heiter talks with Frieren about piousness and praise.
In the flashback, Himmel and Eisen were surrounded by happy children while Frieren sat at a table talking to Heiter. Frieren said she never imagined Heiter would donate towards the reconstruction of an orphanage, so the fact he did surprised her. Heiter told Frieren that he was also an orphan, and he believed that the Goddess would honor him for living purely and righteously. Frieren disagreed with this and asked what the corrupt priest is saying while getting drunk. Heiter suddenly asked her if she had anyone to honor her, and she asked why. Heiter explained that it seemed that she does not believe in the Goddess and that if she told him about herself, he will honor her in the Goddess's place. Frieren said that she has been living leisurely until now, so she has not done anything worthy of being honored. Heiter stated that despite this, she had dedicated her life to constantly limiting her mana. Frieren was surprised that Heiter noticed, but she remarked that her story was not an interesting one. Heiter said that he does not mind and her story would be good for future reference, since his child might become a mage. Frieren questioned Heiter about his statement, since priests are supposed to be single for life, which made Heiter laugh.
Back in the present, Frieren wonders why so many strange people believe in the Goddess as she watches Stark and Fern clear the cabin's roof of snow. She says to Kraft that she will pass on his offer, since she already has somebody to praise her. Kraft thinks that she has good friends and tells Frieren to treasure them. This makes Frieren pause for a moment before she explains that her friend is already in Heaven. Kraft says that means Frieren will see him again one day, to which Frieren agrees.
Frieren's party and Kraft bid farewell.
Later, once warmer weather has set in, Frieren's party and Kraft part ways and continue their separate adventures. Kraft tells Frieren that he does not consider this their final farewell before they split up, and that he will see her again, however many centuries later.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Locations in Order of Appearance[]
- Graf Granat's Domain
- Royal Capital (flashback)
- Decke Region
Episode Notes[]
- The anime shows a closeup of Aura's Scales of Obedience lying on the ground, the only thing remaining of the demon. This closeup is not included in the manga.
- When showcasing the return to normalcy within Graf Granat's Domain, the anime shows a boy petting a cat before the meeting between Frieren's Party and Graf Granat. Although this has no corresponding panel in the manga, a cat is part of a panel during the montage depicting the moments Frieren's party spends while celebrating Aura's defeat with the townsfolk. The scene of the boy petting the cat was also used in Episode 8, when Stark and Fern have a meal and plan to get Frieren out of the prison.
- As with other flashbacks of this scene, the anime represents the flashback of Himmel and Eisen facing capital punishment through an executioner swinging a sword, but in the manga, Himmel and Eisen are depicted with their heads fixated in a guillotine.
- During the montage after Frieren's party's audience with Graf Granat, the anime has an original frame showing the Graf being in thought while in his son's room with the sword.
- In the manga, a map of the northern continent is in the background when the Graf sees Frieren's party off to the gates and tells them that travel in the north is restricted. The anime does not adapt it to this part of the conversation, but it is shown later when the Graf informs the mages about Äußerst. The manga also has a part of the map shown in this scene.
Fern's certificate in the blu-ray release of the anime.
- When Fern shows Frieren her third-class mage certificate granted by the Continental Magic Association, the text on the certificate on the initial aired version of the episode says "Certificate of Third-Rank Magician." This was changed in the final blu-ray version of the episode to be "Certificate of Third-Class Mage" instead.
- In the manga, Frieren has already taken a step into the cabin before getting yanked out by Fern, while she just apologizes in the anime for the interruption.
- The anime scene of Stark's dream while being warmed up is extended compared to the manga by adding the illusion of Eisen and a jumbo-berry special. In the manga, Stark only mentions the dream while he is unconscious and being dragged through the snow by Fern.
- The manga panels shows Kraft, Frieren, and Fern carrying the supplies from Kraft's cart through a snowstorm, however, the anime has the mages use a spell that makes things float to transfer the items once better weather conditions arrive.
- The iconography of the Goddess of Creation on the mantelpiece of the chimney in the cabin is anime original. However, in the manga, Kraft and Fern engage in discussion of the Holy Scripture, which is not part of the montage in the anime. Additionally, the manga does not show Stark and Frieren joining the prayer in succession before the meal.
- The anime includes an original scene at the end of the flashback to Frieren's conversation with Heiter, which consists of Stark catching Fern when she slips on the cabin roof while clearing the roof of snow with him.
- Stark and Fern shout out to Kraft in the distance after they part ways, and this is not included in the manga.
References[]
- ↑ Crunchyroll: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Episode 11.
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| Season 1 | ||
| Episodes | 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 | |
| Blu-ray&DVD | Volume 1 • Volume 2 • Volume 3 • Volume 4 • Volume 5 • Volume 6 • Volume 7 | |
| Music | The Brave • Sunny • Anytime Anywhere • bliss • Original Soundtrack | |
| Spin-offs | Mini Anime | |