As Lügner is defeated by Fern, he remains confident Aura will beat Frieren. After all, she would have more mana. Though it hits him, why did he lose to Fern? His words are interesting in that he calls what Fern is doing a disgrace to all mages. This episode does a fantastic job at showing what he means by this.
As the flashback shows, Flamme found Frieren after her village was attacked by Basalt. Frieren states as Flamme walks by that she is far stronger than her, which catches Flamme’s interest. As we see stronger demons approach them, this is where Flamme’s true strength is. Her mana alone makes her strong, but how she deceives them is the key. The astonishing mana she possesses is jaw-dropping. Though the weakness of Demons comes in their arrogance, which has been on display. Flamme essentially would be a matchup nightmare to them, and we see her pass onto Frieren about suppressing her mana for the rest of her life.
The show does an outstanding job at illustrating mana is to demons what wealth and status are to humans. It gives a clear difference we can attach to. As for Demons, the strongest reign on top. As mentioned, they are overly proud of their mana. Despite Frieren never being in touch with her emotions, in terms of the world of magic, Flamme’s influence is undeniable. As it was, encountering you could say raised the chance of her meeting up with Himmel and defeating the Demon King. Though with Frieren’s huge lifespan, the potential of Flamme’s teaching to always carry over presents itself and not be easily lost throughout history.
Simply put, Frieren beats Aura using the lesson Flamme taught her in that of deceiving them. It’s ironic that demons who live by deceiving humanity are defeated by deception as well. The episode truly shows how cruel Frieren can be at times. Granted, demons do deserve it.
This episode adapted chapters 21 and 22. It’s simply well adapted, and the flashback is extended a bit more than it was in the manga.