Chapter 40

Bird Capturing Magic (をまえる) is the fortieth chapter of Yamada Kanehito & Abe Tsukasa's Sousou no Frieren.

Summary
Right after the events of the previous chapter, the Thirteenth Party, which consists of Denken, Richter, and Laufen, moves to dismantle the Second Party's elaborate plan. The Thirteenth Party notes how inexperienced many of the examinees are. Richter states the exam is so dangerous because the Continental Magic Association wants to foster strong first-class mages, but Denken disagrees with this ideology as he values authority over strength. The different teams are shown all attempting to obtain a Stille in their own ways. Denken notes that every body of water they come across has faint traces of mana circulating through it. He deduces that there is one body of water the Second Party has not tampered with, and their whereabouts must be nearby it. Meanwhile, Frieren completely suppresses her mana and sits in wait for a Stille. Finally, after significant time has passed, a Stille lands on her shoulder, and Frieren uses her bird-capturing magic. This reveals her position to the Thirteenth Party, and Laufen quickly uses her magic to intercept the Second Party before they can escape.

Plot Details
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Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Denken
 * Richter
 * Laufen
 * Genau
 * Edel
 * Blei
 * Dunst
 * Methode
 * Länge
 * Töne
 * Lawine
 * Kanne
 * Frieren
 * Fern
 * Ehre
 * Übel
 * Wirbel

New Tools Used

 * Methode's staff
 * Länge's staff
 * Laufen's staff

Locations

 * Grube Basin

Battles

 * Fern, Übel, & Land vs. Wirbel, Ehre, and Scharf (continues)
 * Frieren, Kanne, & Lawine vs. Laufen

Events

 * The members of the Thirteenth Party are introduced as Denken, Richter, and Laufen
 * Various parties are killed by Geishel
 * The Thirteenth Party figure out the Second Party's Stille-capturing strategy
 * Frieren catches a Stille
 * The Thirteenth Party detects Frieren
 * Laufen intercepts the Second Party with her magic

Spells

 * Flight magic
 * Unnamed magic that is cast on corpses for detection
 * Unnamed magic used to melt a frozen lake
 * Unnamed magic used to attack (may be Zoltraak)
 * Unnamed magic that circulates mana in water
 * Bird-capturing magic
 * Unnamed magic that allows the user to move faster than perception

Chapter Notes

 * One of the parties that Denken comments on being inexperienced is the same party that he and his team find slaughtered by Geishels.
 * Laufen wishes to lay to rest the deceased party she comes across despite the traces of mana cast on their bodies, indicating she may be more inexperienced as compared to the rest of her party.
 * Genau, the first exam proctor, is having tea within the boundaries of the exam. A Stille is perched on his teapot, meaning he has completely repressed his mana.
 * Denken is shown to have had his monocle from a young age in flashbacks.
 * While Frieren is suppressing her mana, a Geishel flies down to have a drink. This implies Geishels only attack mages that are actively revealing their mana.