The Prowess Beyond Magic
(Adapted from the chapter Eini Antia Luukkanen of the manga series Witches of Aurora by Kyougoku Shin)
Peaceful days didn't last long. After being inactive for a time, the Neuroi forces made an onslaught on Southwestern Suomus again. In response, the Air Force 24th Squadron put on brand new equipment, ready to fight back.
"Alright! We have new Strikers and brand new weapons too!" said Nipa excitedly as she looked at the Karsland-made BF-109 she was wearing. This might be the Strikers imported from Karlsland which Aurora had mentioned before. Its slim body was much easier on the eye than the barrel-like Buffalo.
"Try not to break them now, Nipa," Eila teased her friend. In fact, she had adopted BF-109 for some time. She was the first one who got the best equipment as she was an ace, and the same went for Hasse. It was Hasse's BF-109 that Nipa used to continue fighting after Hasse got shot down back then.
"Oh course! I know that already!"
Here came the commander in Strikers, "I haven't seen her crash much lately, so I'm not going to worry."
"Are you coming with us too, Commander?"
The commander nodded, "If I stay away from the frontline too long, my limbs will get rusty. Also, I need to release some built-up tension."
The commander not only wanted to join them, but also offered to give out commands, much to Eila and Nipa's surprise.
"It has been a long time since I was assigned here, but I don't think I've seen the commander fly with us before."
"I've heard from Aurora that she was very good at commanding, but I haven't seen it in person."
"That's true! She's very strong. Don't worry," Hasse cut in suddenly, looking so proud as if she were talking about herself.
Before Nipa and Eila could respond, a surprisingly great number of enemies appeared.
"There're so many of them!"
"Cut the chatter, everyone! Don't be overwhelmed! We are different now. We are much stronger than before."
Indeed, Hasse had rejoined them and their equipment was updated.
"Damn it! I didn't hit any of them. There really are too many...!" Eila gritted her teeth as she looked at the escapees. Although she was known for avoidance rather than shooting, it didn't mean her shooting ability was not up to much. The ranking of witches, after all, was decided by the number of kills. The reason why she was the "number one" ace was because she was the highest-scoring witch in Suomus. That being said, the fact that Hasse was the "number two" ace didn't imply she was worse than Eila; it only indicated that she didn't shoot down as many enemy crafts as Eila did. Even among witches all over the world, Eila only ranked lower than three Karslandish super aces, but it could be totally attributed to the fronts. Most believed that if Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen was born in Karsland, where the heaviest fighting was going on, Karsland would have one more nut reaching the score 200. However, even an ace was only human, it would also be hard for her to deal with so many enemies at one time.
"Calm down, Illu. I already have this sorted out." As soon as the commander finished speaking, Eila sighted a line of bullets out of nowhere hit each of the Neuroi evenhandedly. Eila looked up and saw Hasse hovering up there with a gun in her hand.
"Hasse! What are you doing over there?!"
"Just as I had instructed," the commander answered on the radio and continued giving orders, "Lapra, turn to your six-o-clock!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Nipa, cover Lapra's back when they come up on her!"
"Y-yes, ma'am!"
Nipa followed suit and saw the enemies really came up on Laura.
"Wow...they really followed her?"
Time after time, the commander perfectly predicted every single action of the enemy and methodically commanded every member of the squadron.
Eila and Nipa were held in awe.
"How does Commander see all of this? I don't even know who's who anymore!"
"Maybe she has some kind of magic eyes!"
"Never heard that story before..."
"Then how can she give such precise instructions in this situation?"
"I don't know… Maybe she has some special dimensional awareness ability?"
"Wrong!" Above their head came a voice. Again, it was Hasse.
"She has no specific magic! She doesn't have any strange senses either."
Hasse's words made Eila's and Nipa's jaws drop.
"Do you know how many times she has been on a sortie? More than 400! She's climbed her way to the top. She gives orders based on experience and intuition alone. No magic! Her ability is a fusion of learned skill and pure instinct. So when I say she has no sense, I'm not saying she does not have talent. This is the 24th squadron's most powerful weapon! Commander Eini Antia Luukkanen! This ability is more valuable than any sort of magic! And she is such a rare example!"
Eila and Nipa were completely dumbfounded, especially Eila. No magic. Skills that purely came from blood and sweat... All the time, with the Foresight magic she was born with, Eila effortlessly killed enemies while humming, possessing the title Always Unscathed Scorer. Gradually, she placed more and more reliance on her magic, believing magic could solve any problem. She felt a sense of shame and developed more respect for her commander, Luukkanen.
"It's just like Illu's Foresight ability!" Nipa's words draw Eila back to reality.
"Illu's Foresight is very powerful indeed, but it works best in small groups, not an entire battlefield," Hasse commented as she watched the commander fighting. "Knowing the sky of Suomus well. And knowing your comrades well. Those two conditions might be met for this ability to occur. But she's strong enough on her own."
Eventually the commander finished off most of the enemy crafts on her own. The rest of the group had little to no fighting to do.
"Our commander really is something… No wonder Hasse admires her so much," said Eila as she was sitting and looking up at the drops falling down the wall of the sauna.
"If she's so good, why doesn't she go with us every time?"
Speak of the devil, the door was opened with a creak and a certain tall figure with short black hair walked in. She was not wearing her black glasses, a rare scene.
"The supply work will build up if I spend time on the front," said the commander, whose voice startled the two of her subordinates. They didn't notice her presence until her voice was heard.
To Eila and Nipa's confusion, the commander looked around, seemingly disoriented, and asked, "Is there any one here?"
Puzzled, Eila and Nipa replied, "Here, Commander, we're over here!"
We could see you while you couldn't see us? What was going on? A supernatural event?
"Oh, sorry, it's so steamy here. Plus, I left my glasses outside. Without them I could barely see anything."
"..."
It turned out that their commander had serious myopia.
Eila and Nipa looked at their commander as she sat next to them enjoyed the bath of steam with her eyes closed.
"'Spare no effort while you are young.'"
"?"
"'Hardships in your youth will benefit your future self'. It's an old proverb from Fuso."
The commander opened her eyes, "That's the answer. And today I have intervened. But that's no way to enjoy your youth, is it? Trust yourself and make your own decisions. I want you, who carry Suomus on your backs, to develop this great power."
Again, the commander closed her eyes, her face taking on a delighted expression, "Nipa, Illu, Lapra, Hasse... It's really my pleasure to see you all growing together. Thanks to all your unique abilities and personalities, we're able to fight together like we did today."
At this moment, the commander was just like a teacher consoling her young students. Seeing her like that, Eila was carried back to the night from a long time ago when Aurora told her that her wish to touch the Northern lights was a wonderful thing. Her elder sister's smile back then was just like the one the commander was wearing now. A heartwarming smile.
"Is this a silver birch broom?" asked the Commander as she picked up a mop which was originally propped up against the wall.
"No! It's just a plain mop, Commander! Just how bad is your vision?"