Chapter 31: Chaos Flower

In the Laub Hills, Sein gripes that the group lacks a refined older woman, a complaint brushed aside as they reach a settlement where every resident lies sleeping. Examining the villagers, he and Frieren identify a curse, an affliction ordinary magic cannot lift; only a priest channeling the Goddess's power can break it. The fastest cure, Sein decides, is to destroy the creature casting it.

Before they can leave, the drowsiness claims Stark, and soon Fern too. The remaining pair press on alone, floating Stark along and then sheltering both sleepers behind a barrier. Closing on the source, Frieren warns Sein to rouse her the instant it appears, then drifts off mid-sentence with a promise that she will finish the monster.

The culprit proves to be a subspecies of Chaos Flower, a bloom that lulls victims to sleep, drains their mana, and feeds on them. Its petals gleam like glass, and Sein's Three Spears of the Goddess simply ricochet off them, threatening the very village he means to save. He nearly wakes Frieren, then hesitates, doubting he can trust a half-asleep elf to land a precise strike in five short seconds.

A memory of his mentor Heiter steadies him: companions need not communicate flawlessly, only believe in one another's word. Sein casts his rousing spell, and without a syllable exchanged Frieren obliterates the flower's core. The reawakened villagers offer their thanks, and the elf praises her partner, admitting she had recognized the reflecting foe the moment her eyes opened.

Among the four, the priest Sein shrugs off curses most easily, with Frieren ranking just behind him, Fern after her, and Stark left the most vulnerable. Those who wield conventional magic cannot perceive a curse whatsoever, which is why the affliction blindsided the others.

Undoing such a hex demands ritual rather than brute force, leaving the Goddess's scripture-based magic as the party's only dependable countermeasure.