01x20 - Necessary k*lling

[bunniefuu]

[thudding]

[thudding]

[chuckles]

♪

-[thuds] -[slashing]

[thuds]

[WIRBEL] Aren't you scary?

A spell that slashes through physical objects.

[thudding]

[WIRBEL] It's nothing impressive or complex.

But I can't see its trajectory.

-[slashes] -[blood splatters]

Well, you can't block them all, can you?

What's this?

I'm ready! Put me out of my misery.

I might've gone on a bit of a rampage.

[WIRBEL] You think?

The range of that spell you're using

is about five meters, yes?

Aren't you sharp.

So? What happens now?

Death by a thousand cuts for me, or you?

Nah.

I've got a better idea.

[EHRE] His magic is utterly devoid of character,

designed to win at all costs.

I pity the girl who's up against him now.

She'll surely be k*lled.

♪

Right.

♪

[crackling]

[EHRE] A saturation att*ck?

[gasps]

How can she control so many offensive spells at once?

[crackling]

Where is your dignity, mage?

Resorting to brute force like this is downright barbaric!

I can't...

can't handle them all!

[expl*si*n]

Sorganeil.

♪

-Hm. -[clattering]

♪

I can hardly move at all.

[UBEL] And I can't control my mana, either.

It's a powerful binding spell.

If he has this up his sleeve,

why didn't he use it to catch a Stille himself?

I guess restraining one is only helpful

if you can find one first.

If I can see you,

my binding spell can tie you down

right where I want you.

As long as I never let my eyes wander away,

you are my prisoner.

And a prisoner in the perfect position

for execution, by the looks of it.

[UBEL] Yet he hasn't k*lled me.

And he didn't k*ll me then.

If he'd truly intended to take me out,

he would've bound me during his initial ambush.

This is your final chance.

Leave the Stille on the ground and get lost.

[UBEL] Too bad.

He's no fun.

And here I thought I'd finally found a fight to the death.

He was always going to thr*aten me

into handing over our prize.

Hm?

Hold on.

I don't understand why you ordered me

to put down our birdy.

It would've made more sense for you to take it from me

while I was tied up.

♪

[clatters]

♪

[slashing]

[gasps]

[chirping]

So, to keep me bound,

you need to have my entire body in view.

That's why you can't use this against multiple targets.

[WIRBEL] You were aiming for my eyes.

The logical choice, don't you agree?

[WIRBEL] Oh, no.

If I were you, I would've gone for the k*ll

and aimed for my neck.

Put an end to this once and for all.

You should've been able to stomach that.

Would be easy for some of the folks I've met

on the b*ttlefield.

Guided by bloodlust and boredom,

they k*lled anything that breathed for a thrill.

Times like these, I wish I could take a page

out of their book.

Ever been made to k*ll women and children before?

Think there's a chance I haven't?

Oh, my.

What hells have you seen in your life?

Trying to buy more time?

So be it.

I'll play along.

♪

[WIRBEL] The Northern Magic Corps are mercenaries

who specialize in fighting demons.

But when necessary,

we're mobilized to fight in wars between nations.

People know exactly what makes their fellow man weak.

The fiendish act of sending women and children to w*r

wasn't uncommon.

Where we were in the far north,

it wasn't hell.

♪

It was just another day.

Lovely.

I've heard enough.

♪

[leaves rustling]

[UBEL] You're not going to k*ll me, then?

No surprise.

I believe the kind of magic a mage specializes in

is strongly related to the life they've led

and the type of person they are.

A spell that binds foes

is a way of putting off their slaughter.

That tells me all I need to know about your true nature.

I bought time.

Your distaste for m*rder explains why you let me.

How interesting.

Your hands are as drenched in blood as they could be,

yet at the end of the day, you want to remain human.

♪

You nailed me.

I use this time to prepare myself to k*ll.

But you should know. [chuckles]

Though I may hesitate before finishing the job,

I always k*ll when it's necessary.

♪

Well, miss? See ya.

♪

You can stop right there.

This has gotta be a joke.

You expect me to believe you b*at Ehre?

[WIRBEL] I didn't sense her coming at all.

Now that's a talent.

You can completely conceal your mana?

You must be the one who captured the Stille.

I would call it a lucky break.

She'd learned a spell that catches birds from her master,

and we just so happened to stumble

upon a Stille's roost early in the exam.

Though, I guess you have a binding spell, too.

Luck can't be on all of our sides, can she?

Well, apparently, not.

Look at me now.

You were fighting Ehre, correct?

What happened to her?

I k*lled her.

[WIRBEL] There were two conditions

for passing the first test.

Possess a Stille by sunset tonight,

and have all your party members there to present it

when that time finally arrives.

If she's dead, we lost.

My time to go home.

Did you forget you were going to k*ll me?

I've already failed the test.

k*lling you would be unnecessary.

Later.

[clanking]

[WIRBEL] You can att*ck me from behind if you want,

but you'll only be turning your k*lling

back into a necessary one.

Please, Miss Ubel.

I know, I know.

You're quite the liar, aren't you?

We need to hurry.

We can still assist Mister Land.

Four-eyes will be fine.

Not to play down your skills,

but he's an even better liar than you.

♪

[crackling]

♪

This battle is over.

[LAND] How impressive.

♪

You transformed flower petals into metallic shards.

Quite the feat.

They slipped through my defenses.

This is a homemade trick, yes?

[chuckles] It's very flashy.

But spells like that often neglect fundamentals.

My strategy is to watch and wait,

especially when fighting an opponent

I'm not familiar with.

Now I know precisely what your weaknesses are.

Therefore, I will win.

That's big talk, but you're an arm down.

Victory is mine.

♪

If you don't quiet down and surrender,

your head will be my next target.

Like I said,

I'm still observing you before our battle begins.

Turns out, you're not good at sensing mana.

[gasps]

♪

Illusion magic.

My copy has substance,

making it much more akin to a clone.

How long have you-- [gasps]

[thuds]

Much longer than you'd think.

Since this test first began, actually.

I'm not foolish enough to trust anyone.

[WIRBEL] Ugh.

Doesn't look dead to me.

k*lled her, huh?

That bitch lied like it was nothing.

Naptime's over, Ehre.

[groaning]

I guess graduating top of your class

doesn't mean much.

You're out of mana after one fight?

I was completely overwhelmed

by her ordinary offensive magic.

There was no chance I could block it all.

You don't believe me, do you?

[WIRBEL] No, I do.

I didn't pin you for the type of idiot that att*cks head-on.

If you would've kept your guard up,

then you might've had a decent sh*t.

[WIRBEL] But if that girl could pull off this stunt

with ordinary offensive magic alone,

she must be even more of a monster than we realized.

-Come on. -[EHRE] Hm.

Let's meet up with Scharf.

Hey, wait a moment. I can't walk yet.

Need a lift, do you?

Stop it! You can't float me like an object!

Just carry me!

[groans]

Why do I have to play your horsey?

Do you sense Scharf anywhere nearby?

He's just around those bushes there.

Over here, Scharf!

I need you to help me carry... Huh.

Wirbel, please carry me.

My whole body feels numb.

[groans]

Damn it.

Just when you think it couldn't get worse.

[rain splattering]

Hear that sound? What could it be?

It's probably rain.

Sounds strange bouncing off the barrier.

Gloomy outside and in.

I'd say we've got two, maybe three more hours of daylight,

then the first test will end.

With two of our men down,

there's no chance we nab another party's Stille.

And there's no question we're going to fail.

Perhaps not, but you're still helping us along anyway.

You're a kind man.

That makes me want to throw both of you in a ditch.

Please don't, sir.

Act like a man, flower boy!

Kindness can be hard to hide.

I wonder if yours is the reason you fight demons.

♪

I certainly thought it was kind when you saved my village.

-Are you dumb? -[gasps]

I didn't do it out of the goodness of my heart.

We've all got our own desires and agendas to fulfill.

My big ulterior motive

was winning over the girl I loved back home.

It's been exactly years

since demon activity in the north caused life there

to take a turn for the worse.

She and her family opted to flee to the central lands.

I did what any stupid kid would do

and decided to show off for her.

[WIRBEL] When I grow up big and strong,

none of those shitty demons stand a chance!

Once I k*ll 'em all, you better come back here, okay?

[chuckles]

♪

[WIRBEL] I couldn't have been more than

four or five years old.

Her name and face are lost to me.

[chuckles]

[EHRE] What an idiot.

[WIRBEL] Yeah.

You got that right.

♪

Do we really have to sail all the way back home again?

I get seasick every time.

Maybe I could introduce you to my grandfather.

He's a first-class mage, so we could travel by...

Hey, Wirbel.

What?

-Up there. [speaks softly] -Hm.

[bird chirps]

♪

You've gotta be kidding me.

So, all that effort was for nothing?

Took long enough for luck to choose the right side.

[chirping]

♪

Frieren. Is there a reason she's not doing anything, or...

♪

[DENKEN] An elf, huh?

She's a skilled mage, indeed.

Now that she's seen it, I highly doubt

Laufen's magic would work on her a second time.

But just once was enough.

We're not trying to k*ll each other.

♪

-[gasps] -Where'd she go?

Huh. Frieren!

The Stille.

Seems she took it.

♪

Ah.

That's an interesting spell.

[birds chirping]

-[chirps] -[sips]

[fluttering]

Hm. I appreciate what the barrier does

for the weather.

That could be something to consider

as you prepare to proctor the second test.

Right, Sense?

To no one's surprise, it looks like you've k*lled

a few promising test-takers, Genau. Again.

[chuckles] Don't make me laugh.

[groans] No one considered promising would die in here.

Those who d*ed have been weeded out.

They were unfit for first-class.

I shouldn't have to explain that to you.

Regardless of how I feel about it,

choosing a target immune to mana detection

for a mage test wasn't nice of you.

Catching one is based on luck and not skill.

Your exam's a battle masquerading as a competition.

I argue that luck is a skill.

What's more, some test-takers

have captured a Stille without any help from fate.

The sun will set in three hours.

From here on out,

things will only intensify.

Who do you suppose will survive it?

I would wager that about a third will remain.

And I am quite certain that Denken will be among them.

His skills are comparable

to many of our most respected first-class mages.

He's an old man interested in wealth and political power.

Why is he getting certified now?

Do you think he's after the privilege?

[GENAU] Who can say?

But he is getting up there in years.

I'm sure he has something on his mind.

So, that spell your teammate used was Jilwer, yes?

I've heard of it before.

It's a folk spell used by a mountain tribe

in the southern lands, isn't it?

Indeed, very astute.

What does Jilwer do?

It allows you to move at high speed.

She successfully ex*cuted the spell,

so why didn't you two remain in hiding?

She could've taken the Stille and been on her way.

Laufen lacks precious experience.

She left too many traces of mana behind.

There's no doubt that you could hunt her down

in a heartbeat, Frieren.

It's apparent that our presence has undermined

your well-laid plan.

Well, yes.

You've known who I was this whole time?

There isn't a mage of my generation

who doesn't know that name.

It's my first time seeing you with my own eyes,

but I recognized you immediately.

You're the mage from the legendary party

of heroes. The great Frieren.

Is she famous?

Famous would be an understatement.

I knew that there might be a chance,

but I guess it's true that elves never age.

I'm shocked that you're challenging me so openly.

I know you've been sniffing around us this entire time.

I was expecting something more underhanded.

Good thing, because that's what you'll get.

Fighting Denken will require your full attention.

And while your gaze is diverted,

I'll k*ll a kid.

Interesting.

If we aren't able to pass the exam

because we're lacking a party member,

we'd have no reason to go after our Stille.

Try me, then. I dare you.

Lawine. He's no joke.

I see that.

Calm yourself, Richter.

All we need to do is keep their hands and minds busy.

This is ours to win.

Look at you.

I thought your work would've shaped you

into a far more merciless man, Denken.

You're an imperial mage, aren't you?

I'm sure you've k*lled your fair share

of political enemies.

♪

[DENKEN] I simply don't believe becoming a first-class mage

is something to spill blood over.

Then it seems we have common ground.

First-class mage is nothing greater than a title.

It has no real value, if you ask me.

Oh, you can't be serious.

You came here without knowing the privilege

that title grants?

[FRIEREN] Privilege?

Yes.

More than years ago,

the Continental Magic Association was founded.

The mage responsible created it with one goal in mind,

to rule and govern mankind's magic.

That was Serie's grand design.

[RICHTER] The long w*r against the Demon King

refined a new breed of mages.

She searches for them to this day.

To encourage applicants,

she swore to grant a special privilege

to anyone who achieved the rank of first-class mage.

She will grant them any one spell they desire.

Serie is a living grimoire

who knows nearly every spell in humanity's history.

Of all the creatures in our world,

she is the closest we have

to the all-knowing and all-powerful Goddess.

With her privilege, one could acquire massive wealth,

cure the gravest of diseases,

or gain overwhelming power.

To us mages, this promise is equivalent

to having the wish of our wildest dreams granted.

People are simple.

Driven by greed, modern first-class mages

forfeit their humanity for this prize.

The privilege is that valuable.

[FRIEREN] I see.

What utter nonsense.

♪

Denken, people like you who don't care

about the privilege are the minority.

Let us begin.

One minute. That's all I need, old man.

Plenty of time to k*ll both of them.

[DENKEN] Don't make me say it again, Richter.

Those girls are children.

We're going to put them down for a three-hour nap.

You can handle babysitting.

What a joke.

I shall keep their caretaker occupied.

That should satisfy you.

You old fool.

Now, Bargland.

-[rumbling] -[gasps]

[crackling]

-[thudding] -[both gasp]

[thudding]

-[rumbling] -[birds chirping]

♪

I find the young to be far too hot-blooded.

♪

[DENKEN] You inexperienced fool.

[RICHTER] Give me a break.

[GENAU] That old man doesn't hold back.

[SERIE] In the world of magic,

the whole of creation can be turned upside down.