The episode starts with Frieren, Fern, and Stark in a city in the Bier region, enjoying a meal in a tavern. While in the tavern, Stark overhears two men talking about someone named Fass and how he’s almost found Boshaft. Stark asks what Boshaft is, and Fern says that she heard about it from Heiter. Long ago, when the continent was ruled by a single great empire, Boshaft was an exquisite liquor offered to the emperor. Heiter also lamened that he never got to drink it because of Frieren. Frieren explains there was a reason for that, but she doesn’t elaborate further.
Later, as they’re leaving he tavern, Frieren comments that she doesn’t want to stay in the city for long. Just as she’s about to lay out her plans, she is interrupted by someone calling out her name. When they approach, they comment that they haven’t seen Frieren in a century. We learn from Frieren that the person who approached them is a dwarf named Fass. Yes, this is the Fass who was referenced in the conversation that Stark overheard in the tavern. Fass notices that Frieren has different traveling companions and asks about the young guy who liked to drink. When Frieren informs him that Heiter has passed away, Fass comments that he was too late. Fass explains that he’s located Boshaft and asks is Frieren will help him because he needs some magic help. When Frieren asks what magic has to do with Boshaft, he tells her to come with him so she can see.
Fass leads the group to a mine, and we learn that he’s been looking for Boshaft for over 200 years. He had asked the hero’s party for help the last time Frieren met him, but they had a Demon King to defeat, so they passed. We do get a brief flashback to that time, where we see Himmel holding Heiter back at the mine entrance that Frieren and the others entered a short while earlier. We also learn that according to legend, Boshaft is stored in underground ruins in the area where the mine is. Fass leads the group to a stone monument, which has a carving written in ancient elvish. Fern is able to interpret what it says, which declares that Boshaft is the finest liquor, and translates a word that likely refers to the author (“Milliarde”). We get two revelations here: Frieren drilled anicent elvish into Fern when she was kid because most grimoires are written in ancient elvish, and that the name “Milliarde” means something to Frieren.
We then learn that Fass has found the ruins but is unable to get to them because the doors leading to them have a powerful barrier erected on them to preserve the liquor. Fass asks for Frieren’s help, but when she determines it’s going to take three months to take down the barrier, she turns Fass down. But when Fass offers a monetary reward, Fern and Stark insist on taking the job because the money he’s offering would be useful for them on their journey.
The rest of this section of the episode shows a montage sequence covering the three months spent removing the barrier. We’re also given a revelation by Frieren right before they completely take down the barrier that has to do with Milliarde, the elf who etched the transcription on the monument. This leads to a twist ending for the first half of the episode, but I ultimately liked the message that this twist was able to provide for the story.
The second half of the story sees Frieren, Fern, and Stark traveling in Norm Company territory on the Northern Plateau. They’re having a meal at their campsite, and we learn that they’re eating rock hard bread. In fact, they’ve been eating rock hard bread for a whole week. We learn from Frieren that the Northern Plateau is barren outside of the grain-producing Bier region and that goods aren’t circulating now. After walking half a day, they make it to a fortress city, which is the Norm Company’s estate. We learn a little bit about the Norm Company, and as the group approaches, Frieren warns them not to make any waves while in the city.
Thanks to Fern’s first class mage title, they can get into the city. However, the employee checking her paperwork notices Frieren and thinks she looks famiiar. The audience gets to see a piece of paper under his desk that shows Frieren’s picture, which almost looks like some kind of wanted poster. The party is told to wait one minute while the employee heads off somewhere.
The party is taken to the office of the head of the Norm Corporation, and Frieren is told that she has to pay off the debt that she’s owed for 80 years in full. Frieren says that she was told back then by the current president’s grandfather (the president of the company at that time) that she could pay it back anytime. The company president insists that’s not what the documents say and that verbal agreements are no good. When Frieren gives him the money she has, the president says it isn’t enough to satisfy the debt. So Frieren is told that she has to work in the mine for 300 years, and she’s dragged off by some burly men. When Fern and Stark try to help Frieren, they’re told by the president that there’s nothing they can do.
But, seeing as how this is Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, it turns out there’s more going on here than what we see on the surface. This is as far as I’m willing to go here, because saying anything more would be providing a major spoiler for this story.
While it may feel like not much happens here, I think the purpose of this episode was to provide more background and information for the Northern Plateau, as I suspect we’re going to be spending a bit of time in this area going forward in the series. Which, at least to me, isn’t a bad thing.
From something that I saw on Crunchyroll’s news page, it looks like we’re getting an important arc for this series starting on February 27, 2026. It looks like there won’t be a new episode next week, hence why the next arc will be starting in two weeks.
With this episode, we have now officially made it halfway through the second season of Frieren: Beyond . Journey’s End. It’s going to be interesting to see how the season continues the story during its second half.