[V4C31] What Each Person Can Do
Translated by Jodas 4: Flying Through the Sky“Okay, now that we’ve got Roswi’s cooperation, let’s reconsider our strategies for the magic battle.”
Ella hesitantly got the group back on track, and Wren dutifully touched on the next topic.
“With our methods of attack secured, we can now move on to the next step. That is: how do we get our attacks to connect?”
Wren glanced at Sevil. He probably wanted input from the person who had the most battle experience here.
Sevil thought for a second, then spoke up.
“At the moment, I can think of two ways. One: simply increase our vectors of offense. Two: corner our target such that our attacks will hit with certainty.”
“Piroro…” Tia groaned as she tried to decipher the meaning of Sevil’s words.
The former plan, to increase their vectors of offense, probably meant that at least one of them would have to learn a new method of attack. However, it was doubtful how much they’d be able to accomplish in the few remaining days.
Gerald, who had been listening silently, seemed to be thinking the same thing as Tia.
“Realistically speaking, the latter sounds more plausible. That sounds like something that even those of us who don’t have a means of attack can do.”
“Piyopp! I think so too!”
“Indeed. I agree as well.”
When Tia and Oliver gave their agreement to Gerald’s statement, Wren lifted up his glasses and spoke with the face of a cool-headed pretty boy.
“Nope, we’re going to be greedy and do both.”
With that line, Wren jumped out into the hallway, and returned carrying a large box in his arms.
When Tia walked into the room, there weren’t any boxes in the hallway. Wren was the last one to arrive at the meeting room, so he was probably late because he was carrying that box.
Inside the box, paper and ink were neatly sorted and tightly packed. Tia recognized those things. Those were the things they used when they practiced writing magical formulas and pouring mana into them earlier.
“First, we’ll use the easiest way to increase our attack options!”
Wren picked up a sheet of paper and scribbled a magical formula onto it. He was fast. His pen showed no hesitation, as Wren’s words took shape one after another.
“There we… go!”
Wren placed his finger on the page and furrowed his brow. Once he did that, the magical formula started to glow, and a dim light started to flicker above the paper.
“Kuku,” Julius chuckled.
“I see, inscription magic, huh? However, will that be of any use in a real battle?”
“If you write something a little more complicated, you can increase the power a bit. It’s not enough to work as our main weapon, but I think we can use it to pin down and corner our opponent.”
“But for something more complex than this, you wouldn’t have time to write it down in the middle of a magic battle, would you? Inscription magic won’t activate unless you write it properly.”
“That’s why we’ll do this.”
Wren shifted his eyes towards Ella. Ella’s pen had already started moving. She was writing a slightly longer magical formula than the one Wren had just wrote.
Ella, who had difficulties emitting mana, wouldn’t be able to pour mana into a formula even if she did manage to write it correctly.
How would she cover for that part? Would she use mana conducting ink?
Tia stared as Wren took the paper with Ella’s finished formula and handed it to Sophie.
“Sophie, try pouring your mana into this.”
“Oh, I see~! ……There!”
When Sophie poured her mana into it, a fist-sized ball of lightning emerged above the page, then disappeared in a hail of sparkles.
While it was hard to call this a powerful spell, it would make you feel a little numb if you touched it.
Wren smirked, and spun his pen around in his hand.
“While you have to activate inscription magic as soon as you write it down, there’s no rule saying the guy who wrote it has to be the one to pour mana into it. Basically, we can divide jobs between guys who are good at writing, and guys who do the mana bit.”
Ella set her pen down and smiled.
“In addition, inscription magic is not heavily influenced by your elemental affinity. Even though I wrote a lighting-attribute spell, it activated just fine… Wren’s done an amazing job researching this.”
Out of the twelve of them, the only ones who had options for attack were three people: Julius, Roswitha, and Sevil.
However, with Wren’s plan, the remaining nine could participate in the battle… but when that thought ran through her mind, Tia realized something.
“Pefuvuvuvu… Wren, I’m sorry… I can’t write or pour mana very well…”
Tia, as a Harpy, would pour a massive amount of mana at any time, so the paper would always just fall to shreds.
While Ella also had issues emitting mana, Ella was great at writing magical formulas, so she could take on that responsibility.
For Tia, the most she could do was pick up the pen and write some awkward, ugly letters.
At this rate, she would be the only one who couldn’t do anything.
Tia slumped over, to which Wren clicked his tongue.
“Tsktsktsk. Tia, you have another very important job.”
“Piyo? Job? Can I cheer you on by singing?”
“No, not that! I did a ton of research into inscription magic, but for the most part, spells that fly towards the enemy have really long formulas. That’s why I’ve decided we’ll just cut out the part that makes the spells fly.”
At that point, Sevil interjected, looking like she realized something.
“How about wrapping the paper with the formula on it around a rock, then throwing it just before it activates? That should be able to reach the enemy even at range, no?”
“I thought about that as well. But it just won’t work. If you get too many creases in the paper, inscription magic won’t activate the right way. But, if you roll it into a tube, it’ll be fine.”
Tia was honestly impressed.
Wren really did dig thoroughly into every detail of inscription magic.
Wren flapped the paper in his hands and waved it around for everyone to see.
“Then, how do you think we’re gonna get this flimsy sheet of paper to the enemy without putting a crease in it?”
“Piyopp! I know! I’ll fly, and Oliver will throw them!”
“Correct! You win a pretty boy wink!”
While receiving her award, Tia tried to envision it.
Oliver takes a paper with a magical formula from Wren and Ella on the ground, then they fly high into the sky where he activates it. There was a lot to consider in terms of wind direction and activation timing, but this definitely would expand their strategic options.
“How ‘bout that? Isn’t that the perfect job for you, Tia?”
Wren gave her a toothy grin. Unlike his usual sparkling pretty boy smile, this was a different, more mischievous smile.
At the same time, Roswitha looked at Ella and spoke.
“Are you okay with that, Ella?”
Ella’s shoulders jumped up.
Roswitha stood up and looked at Ella with her hand on her hip.
“Didn’t you come all the way to the Wedge Tower because you wanted to use cool magecraft?”
“Roswi…”
Ella grasped her robe over her chest, and her lips wavered for a moment.
Her brows twisted a bit, and Ella spoke slowly, chewing on her words.
“It’s frustrating. Of course I want to fight with cool magecraft like you do, Roswi.”
Just as Tia couldn’t learn flight magic, Ella surely had magic that she wanted to use too.
That ‘cool magecraft’ that Roswitha mentioned.
“…But, no matter how high I hold my head, this is the best I can do as I am now.”
Not much time was left before the magic battle.
In that time, Ella and Wren had thought of a way to lead everyone to victory.
“I will do everything that I can as I am now. I’ll write a lot of cool spells, so…”
Ella’s tense expression slightly warmed. She relaxed her forehead and smiled.
“Roswi, I want you to activate them in as cool a way as you can.”
“……”
Roswitha once again looked like she was trying to swallow the conflicted thoughts brewing inside.
She lifted her chin up, and her orange, fluffy hair swayed.
“Fine. I’ll make it look as flashy as I can, so make sure to write me some astoundingly strong spells, okay?”
After saying that response, Roswitha twirled around and addressed the whole classroom.
“Inscription magic is a form of Classical Magecraft. I’ll help you pick the right formulas. But I’m a strict teacher, so prepare yourself, writing team!”
“Eek… She’s gonna put me through the wringer~”
“You know a lot about magecraft already, Sophie, and you’ve got a lot of mana, so I expect you to work twice as hard!”
Sophie whimpered and shook under the pressure of Roswitha’s statement.
On the other hand, Rukiye was surprisingly positive about the idea.
“I’ve heard inscription magic is connected to magical devices… Alright. I’ll take this opportunity to learn it.”
As everyone else started to get excited, Tia overheard Rose whispering to Oliver.
“Are you okay not using your spear?”
“Yes. I don’t mind. This magic battle is not something I will win by myself; it’s something we’ll all win by working as a team.”
Ella and Wren made eye contact and nodded at each other. Their faces said ‘We did it, right?’, ‘We sure did!’
Rooted in those two’s ideas, the strategy began to take shape.
“Then, let’s consider our deployment and formation with inscription in mind. Everyone on the writing team, come over here!”
Ella gathered everyone who’d be responsible for writing, while Wren spoke to Sevil and Julius.
“Sevil, Julius, there’s something I want you to try out.”
“You’ll be relying on me? Very well! I shall hear out your strategies, pretty boy!”
“You bet, just leave it to this pretty boy! Hey, Julius, can I talk to your contracted spirit Agniol?”
“Kuku… How about you tell me what you’re planning first…”
“It’s okay! I can talk! You want my help, right little one!?”
Looking around the room now teeming with activity, Tia laughed “Pefufu.”
The flock was starting to come together. And this flock was ready for a fight.
Just one week earlier, she never would have thought that they’d ever have an atmosphere like this.
Following the lead of those humans who took a job and thus became something, the group began to coalesce. — She started to get an inkling as to why humans made these kinds of roles for each other.