It was my first time diving with another party, and I was painfully aware of how inexperienced I was.
Nachtlibelle's teamwork is on another level. Extremely organized, efficient, proactive.
Everything revolves around advanced communication magic that can handle over fifty people at once. Every member understands it deeply and uses it perfectly.
Unexpected situations are already accounted for in their manual.
What I did in Dragon's Wings was basically a pale imitation. I researched what I could, heard bits from others, then tried to apply it in real life and shape it into something.
No one else really cared about strategy, so it became my job to think about that stuff.
And now I'm thinking.
Wow… I was such a nuisance.
I wonder what kind of narrow, half-baked tactics I was forcing on my old teammates.
Seeing this smooth, flawless progression makes it crystal clear.
A real strategy only works when it's built on years of field experience, refined over time, and everyone agrees to practice it thoroughly.
"I'd like to ask for your support in combat."
While I was lost in those thoughts, a personal message came from Camilla.
…Yeah, I guess I was in the way from the back after all.
I thought I was making up for the disruption, but it probably backfired. Of course it did.
To move forward without hesitation, I quickly circled around the group and caught up with her.
"Oh, young Wim."
"Yes, um, I'm here."
Camilla didn't stop walking, just kept striding forward briskly.
Shield bearers on both sides filled in blind spots and lit the path ahead.
"Just as you predicted, Simon's search caught a D-type wyvern. Evasion is impossible, so we're entering combat now."
"Yes."
"I'll lead the formation. I want you to join the shield troops and provide support. Can you do that?"
…Yes, as expected from Camilla. It's a reasonable position. If I were combat-oriented, they'd throw me straight into the fight, but as support, this makes sense. Placing me with the shields minimizes stray hits and maximizes defensive buffs. It's smart.
"Understood. Um, where should I go?"
"Abel, this is the one I mentioned. He's over there, join his unit."
"This is Simon. Direct detection on the wyvern. Distance thirty meters. It's noticed us. Hostility confirmed. Still in the threat display phase, but it'll attack at twenty… no, twenty-two meters."
"This is Camilla. Understood. Formation at three meters from here, as planned."
Camilla's voice rang out across the entire group.
"Y-You're welcome."
"Nice to meet you again. I'm Abel."
Mr. Abel.
A fearless-looking young man around my age, with a bit of a rough vibe.
But his tone is polite, gentle even.
"…Um."
Ah…
This is impossible.
I can't start a conversation with someone I just met.
"Ah… well, ah…"
"Are you okay? Hyperventilating?"
"No! I-I'm fine!"
He said it completely straight-faced. It hurts. I want to die.
"No need to be so nervous."
Ah, how kind. I'm happy.
"This time it's a wyvern, so the key is whether the shield unit can block its breath. Could you cast some buffs?"
"Yes, of course."
It's so much easier when they talk like this. Straight to business, like a commander should.
"So, what should I put on? …Um, well, Dragon's Wings was a small party, so I never really thought about buffing shield troops before."
"The commander asked for defensive ones. Primary goal is blocking breath attacks, so probably heat resistance and diffusion, but I'm not an expert on enchantments. I'll leave it to you."
Yeah, that makes sense.
Everyone chooses their own job after awakening to magic.
Once chosen, you can't change it.
Since you have to survive on your own, there's no real benefit to becoming an enchanter who only buffs others.
That's why enchanters are rare to begin with, and knowledgeable ones are even rarer.
"Um, then."
I glanced around at the shield squad. Five people, all similar size. Easy to group them.
"I'll set defensive buffs. Now, I'll declare approval."
"Wait a moment, Mr. Wim."
A middle-aged man cut in. I think his name was Marc.
"Could you explain a bit first? I don't really like the feeling. It's different from usual. At least tell us exactly what's getting strengthened. Enchantments can pile on all kinds of attributes."
"…Huh?"
Someone actually wants to know?
"Well, I can only use basic-level enchantments. No special attributes or anything. I just combine a lot of different, kind of complicated effects. I can adjust the senses too, so if you tell me, I can tweak it to fit."
"Mr. Wim, do you think I'm an amateur? I have some knowledge. Please explain in detail."
"Um, is that okay? You don't have to worry, your senses will stay the same, and it should just feel like your defense goes up a little."
"Huh? No, what do you mean senses stay the same? Is that even possible?"
"Can I explain?"
"O-Okay…?"
It was the first time anyone ever asked me to explain.
Back then, I was always told not to nitpick small details.
I was happy.
"Yes, this time I'm using a combination of seven defensive enchantments and twenty-five sensory ones. Everyone's build fits one group, so same settings for all. The defensive ones split into two categories. 'Joint Strengthening,' 'Friction Reduction,' and 'Friction Increase' are always on at baseline for every body part. Then 'Heat Resistance,' 'Shock Resistance,' 'Hardening,' and 'Dispersion' shift proportions based on the situation. If I layered everything at full strength, my mana wouldn't last, so it was a desperate idea I came up with, haha… but it actually has an advantage. The weird sensory fluctuations from layering get reduced. It ends up pretty close to natural feeling. But that alone isn't enough to match reality perfectly, so the twenty-five sensory enchantments are key. First, touch: 'Skin Touch' and 'Visceral Touch'—"
"Got it! Got it!"
Before I knew it, Marc stopped me.
Oops. I messed up.
I spoke too fast and went on way too long. I mean he already knows this stuff
I'm such a dolt.
"I'm surprised. So you can grant dozens at the same time?"
"…Sorry, no, no, it's not like that. Pathetic story, but yes simultaneous, but I break it into tiny pieces. Since I don't have much mana, I adjust it this way. Sorry, I talked too much."
Before I realized, the whole shield squad had gone quiet.
Yeah, I messed up.
"Just to confirm, does it feel the same as usual?"
"Um, yes. Actually feels really good!"
After saying that, Marc touched his beard and thought silently for a while.
"Got it. Please make the declaration. Declaration of approval. I, Marc, approve the granting from Sorcerer Wim."
"Likewise, Abel. I approve."
The other three followed.
…I hope they're not disappointed.
But when they tested it and moved around a bit, they seemed genuinely surprised at how comfortable it felt.
"Wow… that's pretty impressive. I almost forget it's there. Come on, Abel! Let's go!"
The response was better than I expected. What a relief.