Chapter 139

As the first-class mages wait, Übel amuses herself dressing Sense in cat ears until Fern interrupts to hear, in Übel's own words, how the clash with the Magic Special Forces unfolded. Übel recalls the buzzing of Neu's sense-dulling spell and warns that understanding the unit will not make it any less lethal. Nearby, Frieren and Stark pore over the roster of Shadow Warriors, and though Stark frets that vast Eiseberg leaves them too little time before the next day's ball, Frieren counters that acting now beats idleness, even as she expects the true confrontation to come at the event itself.

At his forge, the blacksmith Kreis tells Wehrlos he cannot simply shut down, griping that Schritt's drinking forces him to keep earning through the mission. Wehrlos mentions the goatee priest asking after him, a man convinced Kreis is the 'Gorilla Warrior' of his past, and Kreis affirms he was right to bury so absurd a name. In flashback, Sein had explained that his lost friend craved a memorable identity, yet Sein himself has forgotten the real name, and he dubbed himself 'Goatee Priest' for Wehrlos to pass along. When Wehrlos reveals the priest belongs to Frieren's party, and thus stands among their enemies, Kreis bluntly asks whether the dwarf expects him to beg for the man's life.

Visiting the shaken Lore, Iris recalls her own torture under Clematis, who once healed her only to order her straight back into battle, and she praises Lore for withdrawing rather than letting him spend her like a pawn. Iris later reports to Clematis, mid-chess with Löwe, that Lore cannot fight, and Clematis accepts leaving her behind, unwilling to drag along anyone who might falter. Pressed on his motives, Löwe dismisses his governor-general title as hollow and at last confesses his true aim: to wipe magic from the world entirely.

On the streets, Sein asks to join the infiltration of the ball, and Frieren agrees while warning that she will kill any foe and always shield Fern and Stark first, admitting she stays only to preserve the Empire her master left behind. She soon senses an unfamiliar presence, naming two grave dangers: the warriors' commander and an unknown watcher trailing them, a layer of mana detection she caught only because Serie swept the capital with her own. Reporting to Fräse, Kanone learns the Magic Special Forces may now move freely against any Shadow Warrior who threatens the ball, that supposed symbol of peace. The cover features Kreis, who makes his proper debut.