Chapter 111: Escort Mission

Setting out to guard the merchant, Himmel offers Frieren an apology for the delay, but she shrugs it off, noting that since the Northern Plateau teems with monsters, someone has to take such work. Her unexpected charity startles the group until she undercuts it by adding that she herself would never bother. Heiter remarks that she has not changed a bit and asks whether she still travels in her own era.

When she confirms it, Eisen wonders aloud about her purpose and whether she keeps company on the road, though she declines to say, unsure how such knowledge might bend the future. She does tell Heiter and Eisen that they served well, and when Himmel fishes for his own praise she admits he gave her courage. Delighted, he jokes that all his commissioned statues were worth it, drawing groans about how long those took to carve, yet he refuses to stop, insisting his looks deserve preserving for those who come after.

Frieren's mana sense soon picks up a swarm of attackers, and Himmel knocks aside an arrow loosed by wolflike humanoids. The creatures advance in disciplined ranks, archers to the rear and shield-and-sword fighters leading, while the merchant takes cover in his wagon. Heiter explains that the region's monsters are so dangerous because they copy the tactics they observe from human fighters.

As Himmel directs the defense, a second group flanks them from behind with spears, but Eisen throws himself in front of Heiter and the points simply shatter on his skin. Without a mark on him, he claims the rear for himself, and the party finishes off the pack and delivers the merchant safely. Watching Heiter fret over Eisen's absurd toughness once more, Frieren admits she missed all of this, and she quietly thanks Himmel, recognizing that he and the others first taught her the art of fighting as a unit.

This 111th installment appeared on September 6, 2023 in Issue 41 and runs eighteen pages within the twelfth volume, continuing the Goddess's Monument arc. The route winds through Kino Pass toward a small village. Mana detection, the Goddess's defensive magic, and Vollzanbel all see use, and the cover lines up Frieren, Himmel, Heiter, and Eisen, with Fern and Stark glimpsed in flashback.