Stark & Fern have a really nice conversation at the start of the episode. As Stark continues to train, it’s mainly because the town looks at him as a hero. Granted, he hasn’t done anything, and he admits that if the dragon attacks, he might run away. As we see with Fern, she encountered a similar situation where fear took over, but when push came to shove, she was able to defend herself. We see that when he tries to buy time for Frieren. In reality, Stark defeats the dragon on his own. It is clear that Stark’s main weakness is more so confidence in himself.
As Eisen points out in the flashback, his fear brought him as far as it did on its journey. Fear is natural and part of life. But how do you handle that fear? Eisen retains his fear to keep focus on what he needs to do. Eisen & Star are truly very much the same, as Frieren mentions. Still interesting, Eisen mentions he was afraid of Stark. It more so encompasses how high the potential Stark’s ceiling is, and the only one who can get in Stark’s way from reaching that potential is Stark himself.
It is very interesting hearing Stark learn about the heroes party journey through Eisen. In the flashback we get to see what Eisen was before joining the party, and he seemed very goal-oriented and focused on his priorities. It’s clear through Himmel and the others that Eisen changed and came to enjoy the adventure rather than focusing on the destination. So now Stark begins his own journey and is curious how it will affect him.
This episode adapted chapters 11 & 12. Interestingly, instead of the panel that shows Stark’s aura like it was in the manga, it should show the aftermath of Eisen punching Stark. The Dragon fight goes above and beyond what was drawn in the manga.