A few minutes after leaving the city⸺

「Is this long staff with a tiny book on top Otis-san's weapon? And Rinne-chan is a magician yet she's using dual swords with embedded magic stones⸺you both use strange weapons.」

「Is that so? I think it's because we specialize in using these kind of magic weapons.」[1]

「Spirit Magicians usually make contracts with spirits that in turn moves for us, so I myself don't have any weapons. It's only this pouch I'm carrying.」

「Ah, right… Spirit Magicians don't use weapon that much.」

「Indeed, and Rinne-chan is more like an adventurer with close-combat job cla.s.s than a magician that's why I thought that you guys are armed with interesting weapons.」

「I see…」

While talking about our equipments, we've arrived at the location of the quest⸺we stood at the road adjoining the farmlands and the forest.

「So that's the tornado.」

We immediately found our objective and the tornado is indeed colored green.

「It's a really big one that it fully blocks the road.」

「But I think it's too big to call it a tornado.」

She's right, although the scout reported it as a tornado, this one is really big⸺a green whirlwind with several meters in radious and beyond the normal margin is towering and blocking the road. We could feel the wind pressure even from the distance⸺this one will surely move across the road to the woods. With the sands around it, getting close to the tornado would be dangerous.

「The guild's scout said that a figure of a spirit was seen at the center of the tornado, Dominic.」

「I see, but this one is quite big we'll have to walk some distance to get close to it. I'll take the lead and open a path for you two.」

While saying so, a blue sphere emerged from his pouch⸺it was his contracted spirit. He then chanted⸺

【Spirit Magic: Small Defense Barrier • Little Veil】[2]

As he chanted, the sphere of light became a wall of blue light and began covering him. He then later made it bigger for a few meters.

「This will s.h.i.+eld us from the strong winds. If you follow behind me, this barrier　 will also protect you. In the mean time, please reserve your magic power and we'll see first if we can communicate with the spirit at the center of this tornado.」[3]

「Okay, but before that⸺」

【Oh Spirit of Earth, lend me your voice.】

「What? Did you set up some kind of protective magic?」

「Yeah, something like that. Let's move on, Dominic.」

「Oh, then let's go.」

With Dominic's blue spirit hovering above us, we followed him as we moved towards the green tornado. There were no resistance as the barrier enters the towering tornado. It was horrible inside with all the sand but the barrier Dominic erected perfectly guarded us against it with only the strong wind seeping in.

「Wah, this spirit's barrier is pretty convenient. The sand isn't entering at all.」

「Thank you, Otis-san. Filtering the sand is the limit of the barrier, it can't prevent things that are too delicate or sharp and heavy so please be careful.」

Dominic mused that the barrier is too weak, and it certainly feels like it would break if I touch it with force. Just when he said that his barrier lacks endurance⸺

「⸺Dominic, quickly crouch down.」

「Eh, why?」

Dominic asked but he followed suit what I said and crouched down, then I immediately answered him.

「Because there's so many stakes flying around right above us.」

「Huh?! What did you say?!」

The moment I said so, a large stake flew right to where Dominic was standing at earlier⸺this large stake descended horizontally meters away from Dominic.

「I-Isn't this⸺? 」

Dominic fell on his knees and gasped loudly after seeing the stake on the ground.

「Ha… Ha… I could have been skewered by this stake if you haven't told me…」

He wiped the sweats that drenched his face and turned to me.

「Was that a prediction of future? How did you know this would happen?」

「Eh? That wasn't a prediction, I heard it from the spirits around me, that's how I learned about the incoming danger.」

I have been listening to the words of the spirit of earth and that's why I was able to see things despite the dusts around us. The same thing with how the tornado. It's easy to predict what would happen if you ask the spirit of earth because their information is pretty accurate. By listening to their words, I was able to predict the trajectory of the stake perfectly.

「In all this noise⸺　you sure have great concentration, Otis-san.」

「Well, it's quite easy once you got used to it.」

Information is always coming in, so you just have to move your mind and keep thinking. You don't need to concentrate that much if you're listening to it properly. If I made up my mind then all I can hear are those information.

「That sounds difficult that I can't believe you're a newcomer…」

Dominic smiled while looking around then, after a few seconds looked back to me and asked.

「Err, is it fine to stand up now, Otis-san?」

「Yeah, it's fine now.」

「Ah, I'm sorry for relying on you but I'm really grateful you saved me there.」

Dominic said as he stood up and we began to move again. From there on, we breezed through for a few seconds and then⸺

「⸺there it is.」

Dominic pointed somewhere few steps ahead from us⸺an egg shaped object floating in the air.

「So that's the spirit causing this tornado.」

Hearing my words, Dominic turned to me⸺

「Yeah, but I can't tell if it's a lesser or a mid spirit. What does it say, Otis-san?」

「I don't know, it makes weird sounds.」

「I understand. Well then, lets take a closer look.」

「Okay.」

Hearing my words, Dominic took a few steps forward. When the distance between Dominic and the egg-shaped spirit is about 10 meters⸺

「Well, if we go a little further and observe it, we'll at least see what kind of spirit⸺eh?」

While Dominic was speaking to us, the spirit moved, or should I say, it's form is changing? The egg-shaped spirit suddenly broke into open and took a different shape⸺

A humanoid form of a girl.

「WWait a minute⸺?! If this spirit have the magic power to a.s.sume a complex form, then this is⸺?!」

Dominic stood up trembling.

「I-It's a higher spirit!」

While backing off a few steps, he screamed out of his witts.

「We don't have a Rank B here⸺this is bad!!」

1. Magic weapons – it's written as a catalyst but it doesn't make sense to others (unless you play games like Dark Souls)

2. 【精霊術：小規模防禦膜】(リトルベール) read as Seirei-jutsu: Shoukibo Bougyo Maku (Ritorubeeru) – Little Bell here is written in katakana

3. Barrier – although it's written as defensive barrier, I shortened it to just ‘barrier' since it looks redundant.