Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (葬送のフリーレン)

Well, shall we be off, then?

BEYOND JOURNEY'S END

It's unusually warm today.

It is. I'll take the bonus warmth.

But I would prefer some cold, hard cash,

if you know what I mean.

Four measly coins.

We'll have to look for work in the next town.

We haven't even gotten there yet

and you're thinking about work?

I'd like to survive,

wouldn't you?

Unless we stay two steps ahead,

our journey will come to a premature end.

I suppose that is true.

So work it is.

I hope we find something suitable.

Funny.

This feels familiar.

Thank you very much for the ride, sir.

Don't mention it!

It's not every day I have a first-class mage in my cart.

I could breathe easy, thanks to you.

Goodness. You'll be on the road to Ende for a while.

Most folks would never dare venture so far from home.

To all of us in that camp,

a journey like yours sounds unimaginably long.

Maybe it will be.

BEYOND JOURNEY'S END

29 YEARS AFTER THE DEATH OF HIMMEL THE HERO,

IN THE SAUM MARSHES, LOCATED IN THE NORTHERN LANDS

Uh?

It's not much, but I caught one.

I'll add it to our breakfast.

Don't say anything. I already know.

- - Um...

How odd.

It should be around here somewhere.

She's up?

Isn't it too early for her?

She woke up curious about something.

And curiosity knows no clock.

Hmm.

You praised her, didn't you?

Well, of course.

Found it.

I had a feeling it was a big one.

That's a pretty stone.

But what makes it so special?

Here.

Uh...

Hold on.

I can't conjure fire.

It's called a magic-nullifying crystal.

It's a mineral that neutralizes magical effects.

Hmm.

A specimen of this purity

has an effective radius of three meters.

Stark, step over there for me, will you?

Huh? Okay.

Uh? Here goes.

This is an extremely rare find.

Even if it were pebble-sized,

it would be worth several pieces of gold.

A crystal this large could buy us a mansion.

Sign me up.

That's great, but it blocks our magic.

Travelling with it would render us completely useless.

Keep it and we're dead men walking.

'Tis the burden we bear.

I don't bear it. Please get rid of the rock.

If a monster attacked right now, we'd all be wiped out.

Fine. But it would be a shame

to leave it without sharing its flashiest property.

It's truly a terrific show.

When you imbue these stones with a large amount of mana...

...they glow with an impressive light.

It's blinding me.

Just throw that thing away.

It's still glowing.

Keep up our pace,

and we'll reach the next village today.

That's good, right?

We're finally getting close to the Northern Plateau.

The plateau is very far away.

We still must venture through a vast forest

and volcanic area.

A volcanic area?

Sounds like we're in for some real danger.

I wouldn't say that.

There hasn't been an eruption in centuries.

These days, it's a relatively safe hot spring region.

A hot spring sounds nice.

It feels like it's been a lifetime

since I had a warm bath.

We're long overdue for some rest and relaxation.

Strange. Stop for a moment.

The earth here is exceptionally thin.

- -

Just as I thought.

It seems we've stumbled upon an underground cave.

The ground of a marshland can never be trusted.

Hey. Mistress Frieren?

Oh...

-Land rump first. - Wait, what?

No wonder we found that magic-nullifying crystal

on the surface.

I've never seen a deposit this large before.

Please get off me.

This cave is practically filled to the brim with them.

If we brought it all back with us,

we'd be rich as kings.

I'm afraid we're not up to the task.

Oh.

Magic-nullifying crystal

is one of the hardest materials in existence.

That, and unlike most stones I've encountered,

it can neither be cut nor processed using magic.

Hmm.

Hm?

Some treasures of nature

are simply out of humanity's reach.

In any case, we're not climbing our way out of here.

Let's look for another exit.

Hey, why the face?

We're counting on you now, Stark.

Don't fail.

Since we can't use magic to defend ourselves, down here,

we're helpless young ladies.

Young ladies?

Careful.

I still haven't forgiven your "old hag" quip

from the dragon duel.

Okay, I'm sorry.

Expert grudge-holding.

When I imagined our journey,

I never pictured camping

-in a place like this. -

This cave complex is immense.

Unbelievably so.

And I'm not fond of the number of animal bones we've found.

According to Mistress Frieren,

this might be the den of a giant monster.

I'm amazed she can sleep so soundly.

Not a care in the world.

Even down here,

she still seems to be having fun.

I'm far too afraid to join in.

I can't even detect mana.

I feel so isolated and helpless.

It's like I've been plunged into total darkness.

I'm here.

- -

A monster!

Frieren? Wake up! Now!

A venomous apex dragon.

Venomous?

It's a terrible matchup for you.

You'll die from poison again.

I didn't die the first time.

And it doesn't matter. I've got to fight it, don't I?

I can't believe you were drooling like a baby.

-How could you sleep so-- -I could sleep so soundly

because I trust you with my life, Stark.

Hmm.

That feeling solidified within me

the very moment I recruited you to be our warrior.

A party can't function properly

without complete and utter trust.

Why would you trust someone

whose only skill is running away?

If I had a choice, I would run right now.

Is that so?

Shall we run away together then?

Stark, Fern, please close your eyes.

Himmel.

If you truly trust me with your life,

I question your sanity.

Hm?

Your faith should not be so easily won.

I abandoned my village and fled.

Is that so?

Fine. If you want to run, we can run away together.

Hmm.

We're a party. We'll follow where you lead.

Running sounds like a good plan.

Scoundrel! You took the pebble

and left the priest with the boulder!

Because the pebble will complain you stink of liquor!