The Chair Observes Magic

It didn’t take long to reach the edge of the forest where Rufus stopped us, explaining the general formation.

“So, as mentioned, we’re going to take a direct route through the forest to Dragon’s Sigh. Aster’s in the vanguard; Ai’ll hold up the center, protecting Emma and Jack, and I’ll be in the back. Any questions?”

I definitely had a question.

“Why are you in the rear when you’re a brawler?” Rufus was the obvious choice for a vanguard, as his physique would allow him to land strong attacks and tank hits when necessary. Ai could be a vanguard with her vines, but with her range, the middle worked better. Aster did have a sword on her hip, but judging by the handle, it was barely maintained. She had calluses on her fingertips, so she probably threw projectiles instead, making her a better rearguard. Given all this, Rufus seemed like the worst choice.

“Oh? How’d you figure I’m a brawler?” Huh? Was it not obvious? I pointed to the two knuckles hanging off his belt.

“Why else would you have bronze knuckles? You’re not carrying any other weapons, and those seem like the type that are easy to equip.”

Rufus broke into a grin. “Ha ha! I didn’t expect you to be so quick on the uptake.” I chose to ignore his obliviousness in this situation.

“Well, that still doesn’t explain why you’re in the rear.” Taking a second glance at the knuckles, there were some holes big enough to let air pass through. “Does it have to do with wind magic?”

“Wow, spot on again. It’s a bit hard to explain, so it’ll be easier to just show you.” Rufus threw his hands down his sides, slipping his fingers into the knuckles’ guards. The clip holding the knuckles to his belt detached smoothly. Then, twisting his feet, he threw a fast left hook into the forest, releasing mana into the holes.

Tiss… BOOOOOOOM!

An explosion of green air shot from his fist, flinging the surrounding debris, dirt, and grass. Some branches on nearby trees broke off and flew away. The one directly in front of Rufus took the brunt of the attack, splintered and ripped away from its trunk, as if a mini tornado had touched down for a few seconds before disappearing. With this level of destruction, his wind magic was likely at D-rank. Emma looked visibly shaken by it all.

Also, why was the magic light green? Wind was supposed to be colorless. All the color did was make it easier to see and dodge. Other magic users also had this issue, though I chose not to mention it.

“So, it works for both offense and defense? The wind destroys anything behind you, clearing a path to escape.”

“Yep! That’s why I’m in the back.”

Well, since we’re already on the subject, it made sense to see what the others could do.

“What skills do you have, Aster?”

“...”

“Are you going to ignore me?”

“...”

“Could you at least show me then?” I sighed.

Well, she at least shrugged her shoulders, which I interpreted as agreement. She walked over to a tree that hadn’t been blown down and unsheathed her sword. It was just as I thought – the blade was warped and chipped in several places. There was a thin layer of rust on top, likely making the sword brittle. I expected it would fall apart after two or three more slashes.

“[Slash].” Her sword gracefully flew through the air, almost like a dance. The tree fell soon after.

The cut was completely clean, something impossible for a sword in that state. Even weirder, her sword didn’t look any worse for wear. Her swordsmanship must’ve been at E-rank, but her form was at least B-rank. A strange disparity, but one that could be easily resolved with the right question. There were only a few situations where your weapon skills and form had such a major difference.

“What about your throwing skill?” The air tightened as soon as those words left my mouth. A silent pressure emanated from Aster, further confirming my theory. She was probably the disciple of a weapon user who either kicked her out, or she left of her own accord. Most likely, throwing was her primary skill; however, it probably had a similar gap between form versus mana. So, that meant her talents lied in a different form of mana usage…

I tried masking my mana even further by decompressing it. Her facial expression ever so slightly changed, likely wondering what happened to my presence. Her C-rank skill was mana sense then, meaning she already had a pretty good idea of my strength. My disguise became more pointless by the minute.

I didn’t bother to ask anything else – she could keep her secrets.

“Hey, hey. What about me?” Ai was in a bad mood.

“I already saw your skill in our mock battle,” I replied.

“Yeah, but I can do more!”

“Like protect us from any beasts who get too close, right? That’s already what you’re doing.”

“Y-yeah.”

“Don’t worry, I already know you’re plenty capable.”

Ai harrumphed in response, sticking out her bountiful chest. You know, her weird inflections were starting to grow on me. Emma was still jumpy, however.