Chaos Flower Subspecies

Amid their horseplay, the group arrived at a remote village.

The residents lay sprawled across the ground, their eyes shut and their breathing faint. An unsettling stillness had fallen over the entire village.

"More trouble."

Most of Dugu Qing's brainpower was occupied with thinking of ways to deal with the apocalyptic catastrophe.

Now that they had run into another danger, all he wanted was to drag out the monster causing trouble and give it a couple of solid punches.

That'll teach you to cause trouble. That'll teach you...

"Why don't we leave?"

Frieren looked serene. She didn't want to get involved.

She had run into far too much trouble over the past thousand-plus years. One look was enough to tell that something was wrong with this village, and it would be a real nuisance. Running away was shameful, but it really did work.

Fern looked at Frieren seriously, like a prosecutor who strictly observed the rules. "Miss Frieren, I'm going to get angry."

"Just kidding."

Given that the residents might actually die if they kept sleeping on the ground, Frieren had no choice but to deal seriously with the sudden trouble.

Sein examined the villagers and found that they had been afflicted by some kind of curse.

A curse was a spell used by monsters or demons that humans had yet to decipher.

The simplest, most direct way to break a curse was to find and kill the one who cast it. That would lift the curse entirely.

Sein bent down and examined several villagers, investigating the type and source of the curse.

Frieren activated her magic and faintly sensed that she was under attack. Her mental strength was steadily weakening.

She tilted her head and looked at Dugu Qing teasingly.

"The curse is attacking me. I might fall asleep in a little while. Dugu Qing, like the priest, you've received the Goddess's blessing and are naturally immune to curses. We'll be counting on you later."

Dugu Qing nodded firmly.

"Does that mean we're all being cursed? That's terrifying!"

Stark was alarmed. He shut his eyes and wailed reluctantly.

Sein used priestly magic and identified the type and source of the curse.

The group discussed it and decided to go to the monster's location, kill it, and save the villagers.

Just then, Stark, who was leaning against a wall, succumbed to the curse and fell into a deep sleep.

Sein carried Stark on his back as they headed for the source of the curse's magic.

At eight in the evening, the night air was cool as water.

The group pressed onward, enduring the monster's curse as their consciousness gradually grew hazy.

At last, Fern could no longer withstand it. Her consciousness faded, and she too fell into a deep sleep.

Frieren cast Barrier Magic, left the two of them in the forest, and continued onward.

They drew closer and closer to the monster's location.

Frieren, too, gradually succumbed to the curse. She lost consciousness, closed her eyes, and sank into a deep sleep.

Dugu Qing reached out and naturally gathered Frieren into his arms.

"Now there are only two of us left. Can we beat the monster?"

In Sein's mind, Frieren was renowned far and wide, the team's absolute mainstay, the ace of aces, the peak above all peaks.

With Frieren out of action, Sein felt especially uneasy.

Dugu Qing chuckled without answering and continued forward with Frieren in his arms.

Deep in the forest, a Chaos Flower Subspecies thirty feet tall loomed overhead.

Its vines were emerald green, its petals a deep purple. At the center of its flower was a large eye, and it resembled a man-eating plant. The flower gave off magic that induced sleep.

"That's the one! All the power of the curse is coming from it!"

Sein pointed at the giant flower and roared in anger.

This Chaos Flower Subspecies had grown so tall and robust that there was no telling how many human lives it had devoured. Its sins were grave; it deserved to die.

Hearing his voice, the Chaos Flower Subspecies swung its branches and leaves at Sein, striking as swiftly as thunder and leaving several deep pits in the ground.

Sein hurriedly dodged.

Dugu Qing put Frieren on the ground and cast a barrier.

"Attack already, Dugu Qing!"

Sein was busy dodging the monster's attacks and had no time to strike back, so he could only call on Dugu Qing for help.

Dugu Qing's gaze turned cold. He drew his sword without hesitation and darted forward, arriving directly above the Chaos Flower Subspecies' flower.

He flicked his wrist, and tremendous force burst forth.

A fierce torrent of sword qi cleaved straight down through the center of the flower, splitting the Chaos Flower Subspecies in two.

The wind stopped, and peace returned to the world.

Sein stared at Dugu Qing in surprise. He discreetly examined Dugu Qing's magic and was so shocked that he nearly bit off his tongue.

So this guy has even more magic than Frieren? That's amazing!

Frieren had always concealed her magic, displaying only a tenth of it or less.

Dugu Qing's magic, however, had reached the level of someone two hundred years old. The strength he displayed startled Sein at once.

Sein had always thought Frieren was the team's mainstay, but now it seemed Dugu Qing was the hidden expert!

Clang!

With the monster slain, the eerie power of the curse lingering in the air gradually faded.

Frieren, Fern, and Stark woke up one after another.

The villagers were freed from the curse as well.

The group returned to the village, where the villagers welcomed them warmly and treated them to a great variety of wild mountain delicacies.

When the meal ended, hosts and guests alike were happy, and the group set out on their journey once more.

Year 29 of the Xinshi Era, outside the fortress city of Friedrich in the Northern Countries.

After Dugu Qing, Frieren, Stark, Fern, and Sein had a simple meal in the forest,

Dugu Qing sat cross-legged on the ground and used Transformation Magic to turn into a tiger, an elephant, and a mammoth.

He wrapped his trunk around Fern's small hand to pass the time.

"Why does this guy keep turning into such strange things?"

Sein sat on the grass with a blade of grass between his lips, still unable to stop thinking about Tsunade.

"Let's restock in Friedrich this afternoon. Farther north, the land is vast and sparsely populated. There won't be anywhere to buy things even if we want to."

"Okay."

The group settled on their next course of action in just a few words.

Dugu Qing dispelled his Transformation Magic and returned to his normal form.

"Hey! You over there!"

Suddenly, a luxurious noble's carriage approached from behind, and two people stepped out.

The nobleman in the lead wore an eyepatch and formal noble attire. He had red hair and sharply chiseled features, and he looked at Dugu Qing with a burning gaze.

"Hey, it's a noble's carriage!"

Stark blinked in surprise.

Orden looked at Stark, surprised by how much he resembled his son, but that was all it was—a resemblance.

In the details, such as their eyebrows, eyes, build, and bearing, there were still many subtle differences.

"Are you talking to me? Didn't your dad teach you to be polite when speaking to people?"

Dugu Qing looked around, confirmed that Orden was addressing him, and immediately grew angry.

No one had ever called out "hey" to him so rudely before!

It was outrageous.

"You!"

Dugu Qing's retort caught Orden off guard. He clenched his fists, ready to lose his temper.

But he thought of a month ago, when his son, Welt—the heir to one of the three great knightly families of the north and commander of Friedrich's army—had died a heroic death.

He held it in.