Frieren continues to battle the powerful demon just outside the city, while Fern, her apprentice, and Stark take care of the two henchmen still in the city. Between the two battles, Fern and Frieren manage to fool their demon enemies by using a “dishonest” trick Frieren’s master taught her, which had kept her alive in the face of many demon battles. The group then travels to the north, where Frieren learns she will need to test for a mage's certification before she’ll be allowed to travel any farther north.
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Vol 3: Lionhearted, illustrated by Drew Zucker, colored by Vittorio Astone
The big battle is coming, and all inhabitants of the Unnamed World will be swept up by it. Canto and Aualar* set out to find the Vikus, the former slavers of Canto’s race, to hopefully win then to their side before The Shrouded Man can, but it’s an unpopular decision amongst Canto’s friends. Several of them set out to the Emerald Tower to try and take on The Shrouded Man in a surprise attack, but this ends poorly for them. Canto is forced to choose between saving his friends or protecting his people, but hopefully some of his new allies can be counted on. 
Matty has proven to be one of, if not the, strongest student at the Second Academy. The teachers ask him to lead a class on wordless magic casting, and his condition is being able to train with the two sisters, Lurie and Alma, in the dungeon below the school. He teaches them more wordless magic, but also fighting and weapon styles that compliment their crests. The headmaster enters the three into a battle with First Academy, something they haven't won in years, but with Matty's special skills and the sisters' extra training, they trounce the First Academy. But, Matty also discovers one of the Magical Chosen Ones, special extra strong sages, is actually a demon in disguise. He theorizes that the reason magic and knowledge has been derailed in this time period, is from demons messing with human society. Now, he has a few months to get everything ready for a potential demon onslaught.
Book 2: The Secret of the Wings, illustrated by Michael Dialynas
Wynd and his friends have escaped Pipetown, but what they've found outside the walls is a world unlike what they were told. The King of Pipetown makes an unexpected alliance with the Vamps, specifically the sister of his dear hunter, the Bandaged Man. He wants her to scare his son, but bring him back to Pipetown alive. General Zedra of the Vamps seizes on the opportunity to sew more chaos into the world and potentially settle some very old scores between her people and some of the other inhabitants of Esseriel. After the Vamps decimate the Duke's small fleet of ships, Wynd, Yorik, Oakley, and a gravely injured Thorn find themselves in the Faery city of Escalon. But, they aren't safe there for long either. 
Arslan and a trusted general, Daryun, have found the hide out of the former royal strategist-turned-hermit, Narsus, and they try to get Narsus to join up with Arslan even though the king grew to despise Narsus. According to Daryun, there is no better war strategist, and Narsus does live up to his reputation several times while they are in his home. While Arslan is trying to remount a force to protect the capital city of Ecbatana, the Lusitanian forces descend on the city and try all manner of dirty tricks to get the sturdy walls to fall. They try torturing prisoners of war in front of the other soldiers to demoralize them; they appeal to the slaves inside to revolt against the solders; and they send assassins through secret water passageways to try to kill or capture the queen, who is the lone royal family member left in the capital to help keep everything together.
Illustrated by Liver Jam & POPO (Friendly Land)
Mathias is “cursed” with the lowest crest, fourth of four, and he’s learned as much as he can within his limitations. He’s decided that if he reincarnates himself, he might get the strongest crest, or he’ll keep reincarnating until he gets it. As luck would have it, he’s successful on the first try! He has no idea how many hundreds of years into the future he’s gone, but he’s reincarnated into a young boy’s body, and everything is very different. His crest is thought of as the worst, while his “brother,” who has Mathias’ old crest, is considered the best. Combat skills have also declined, so Mathias, with all his knowledge of magic and fighting from his previous life, defies all expectations as a strong magic-wielder and swordsman. 
Silver Eve is coming, and the Atelier has been asked to help out. With his grandfather still in the hospital, Tartah, Coco’s friend and masterless apprentice, needs help running their booth in a prime location for the festival. Tartah and Coco also spend a significant amount of energy trying to make the world easier to navigate for their friend Custas, who has lost the use of his legs. They create an ingenious flying cape for him. As they muse philosophically about magic not going more directly to the people who could benefit from it most, bandits attack Custas and his master in hopes of getting his cape. Help comes from a witch, but probably not through methods The Order would teach or condone.
Grace’s entire village is plagued by a fast-spreading infection of Dark-bark, an evilness that grows from dark magic of the worst kind. Infected people (and animals) slowly grow bark over their skin, sprout little trees, and eventually, can’t resist the urge to recede into the forest and follow the candles of the evil witch. In another town, Ava and Idris struggle to survive as they are kicked out of town after town for being spell-casters. While trying to find shelter for the night in the forest, Idris and Ava discover the dark bark infection, and Idris becomes infected. They race to find the source of the magic so they can reverse everything. Grace, meanwhile, is tired of waiting and watching everyone in her village leave as infected folk. They barely keep her mother from venturing into the forest, and that’s when she becomes completely fed up. She decides to take matters into her own hands and confront the witch in the forest, or possibly even find a spell that can stop all of this for good.
Draconia is on the brink of war with Nadasha, all in the name of the Priestess Princess, which is annoying little Asahi. Ruri decides she has to go talk to Asahi, regrettably, to maybe stave off a war that will get people killed. The talk doesn’t go well - Asahi does some pretty impressive mental gymnastics to get out of seeing Ruri’s points, so Ruri leaves, dejected. Meanwhile, her abrupt trip has sent the Dragon King into an absolute frenzy. He wants to go after Ruri, send search parties, appeal to the fairies - anything but run the kingdom. Ruri’s return stops the kingdom-wide panic, and the Dragon King finally gets back to some of the paperwork that’s been piling up. But soon, the news of war reaches them, and the Dragon Army must start preparing for what’s to come.
In continuing the theme that every powerful person who meets Freya’s falls in love with her, we somehow run into the Sigurdian prince on a ship where Freya is bound for the kingdom of Nacht to secure the first of many alliances against Sigurd. Prince Dimitri decides to entertain himself by trying to get Freya to go to bed with him, but she skillfully avoids his advances. Once they land in Nacht, Freya and her hand-picked band of retainers learn that the Queen, who was a Sigurdian princess, sends her servants to the town to select young, beautiful men to be her evening’s entertainment. Of course, Julius stands out among the rest, and they all get an invitation to the castle. They discover that there’s more to her request than companionship and a dinner guest. The queen has actually been seeking a brave soul to save her kingdom from a vengeful person, and she begs Julius to be that soul.
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