Chapter 16

Stepping out of the dungeon after killing Draht, Frieren finds the slain gate guard and grasps how the death will be read. Over lunch, Fern and Stark decide to petition Graf Granat for her release, reasoning that only she can put down Aura's executioners. Inside the mansion, Linie's sudden loss of Draht's mana tips Lügner off to his death, and when the lord presses him about the missing third envoy, his excuses fall apart.

With the ruse exposed, Lügner sheds all pretense, opening a wound on his hand and turning his blood manipulation loose on the assembled guards, cutting them down and gravely wounding Granat, whom he spares only so the lord can lower the town's barrier. On the road toward the estate, Fern catches sight of Frieren wrapped in a black cloak. The mage explains that a dying demon scatters into motes of mana, leaving her framed for the guard's death, and declares she will abandon the town rather than face execution. When Stark insists the demons are beyond them, she retorts that strength is no reason to refuse a fight, then leaves, having already sensed Aura's enormous power closing in.

The chapter, titled Eiheigoroshi, marks both Frieren's break from confinement and the collapse of the sham peace talks. Lügner's signature technique, named Blood Manipulation: Balterie, is shown in full. The installment was adapted as part of the eighth anime episode.