Chapter 124: Shadow Warrior

Thirty-one years on from Himmel's death, Frieren, Fern, and Stark cross a mountain pass and descend to a secluded village within the Aufgabe Federation. Travelers rarely stop there anymore, the party learns, ever since a major highway to the Imperial Capital was completed three decades back. The village's aged and well-loved mayor, a man named Radaal, welcomes the trio and invites them to share tales of their journeys with the locals. When Frieren clasps his hand in greeting, though, unease creeps over her: his grip is that of a fighter still very much in practice.

As the party entertains the villagers with stories, Radaal busies himself with small chores around town. Later he settles in with his wife, who chides him for missing the adventurers' accounts, and the two drift through fond memories of their shared life. When Radaal offers an unusually tender remark, his wife asks what is troubling him; he deflects, saying only that one last task remains for him to finish.

That night Frieren posts Stark on the first watch outside their lodging and explains what keeps gnawing at her about Radaal, despite all the warm words the villagers have for him. The old man's secret then comes into focus: in his youth he was handed a covert assignment to kill every name on a list before any of them could reach the Imperial Capital, a charge that ends only once all the targets are dead. Frieren is the final name. Radaal makes his way to the party's cabin and meets Stark outside. Stark tries to reason with him, but a single strike fells the young warrior, and Radaal turns toward the door to carry out the killing of Frieren.

This chapter introduces Radaal and, in flashback, the commanding officer of the Shadow Warriors along with the figures Eleven and Radaal's brother. The encounter pits Stark against Radaal in a lopsided clash that leaves Frieren the assassin's intended final victim.