Sousou no Frieren › Season 1

Chapter 21 — Episode 21

The episode opens with a flashback to the past, where Macht — Flamme's master — meets a young Frieren for the first time. He offers to bestow any spell she desires upon her, but Frieren declines, echoing his own philosophy that the search for magic is the most rewarding part. Flamme defends Frieren, telling Macht that she will one day defeat the Demon King and usher in an era of peace, something Macht — a mage who pursues combat — could never achieve. Then, in the present, Macht engages Kanne and Lawine during the first-stage exam, easily overpowering them and exposing the weaknesses in their fighting styles. Meanwhile, a separate confrontation unfolds as Denken is defeated by a powerful female mage who uses only basic combat magic, leaving him exhausted and out of mana. She then threatens to harm Denken to lure Laufen out of hiding, but Denken warns Laufen to stay concealed, and Macht intervenes to prevent Laufen from falling into the trap. Later, Macht reveals his personal motivation for seeking first-class mage status: his hometown in the Northern Plateau is now accessible only to first-class mages due to demon activity, and he simply wants to visit the cemetery there. Finally, with mana depleted on both sides, Macht challenges a defeated opposing party to a fistfight to claim their Stille. The first stage of the exam concludes with 18 candidates across 6 parties passing, and the second stage is announced for three days later.