I Will Be Unrivaled With The Skill [Sewing]! They Said It Was A Bad Skill, But With Effort, I will Make It A Hit~ - Chapter 24

Episode 24: Protest and Visit

For a month, Seneca and Maior repeatedly visited the guild to speak with Trulia.

Initially, Trulia suggested that the notification was merely delayed. However, after two weeks, even she admitted something seemed amiss.

The Baetica branch had no doubts about the duo’s abilities. Their skills were sufficient to qualify them as Copper-ranked even without level progression, so their promotion was seen as merely skipping a step.

Reports of their main activities were sent to headquarters, and Baetica believed a review would confirm there were no issues.

However, recent discussions hinted at two peculiarities in their records.

One was Maior’s rapid improvement, and the other was Seneca’s skill.

Maior had been stagnating for about a year, but suddenly began handling high-difficulty requests and leveling up after meeting Seneca. While not impossible, this raised some eyebrows.

Worsening the situation was Seneca’s skill.

Her skill, 【Sewing】   didn’t seem useful for adventuring. Even if she leveled up, her sewing prowess didn’t necessarily reflect her potential as an adventurer. It wasn’t surprising that some were skeptical.

Given their joint application, Trulia began to suspect this might be causing the delay.

Since neither could focus on requests, they decided to study until the situation calmed.

The guild had a library suitable for studying, so they immersed themselves in it while awaiting news.

The guild’s library housed materials on animals, monsters, and plants, along with basic history and arithmetic books. Adventurers often regretted not learning these earlier, so many picked them up at the guild.

Seneca, taught by her parents, could read, write, and do calculations. However, she struggled with history and maps.

Considering their future, Maior enthusiastically decided to impart her knowledge to Seneca.

As Silver-ranked adventurers often met nobles, Seneca’s parents had taught her basic manners. Her refined behavior, surprising for someone from an orphanage, gave her a unique charm.

Two more weeks passed.

The duo continued studying at the guild. Trulia mentioned that Baetica had repeatedly pressed headquarters and lodged protests about the delayed decision.

One day, a man arrived at the guild.

“I am Attalos, sent as an investigator from the guild’s headquarters. I have a request regarding the adventurers of this branch. Is the branch manager available?”

Trulia responded. Seeing his official letter bearing the capital’s seal, she immediately contacted the branch manager.

That evening, Seneca and Maior were suddenly summoned by Trulia and led to a private room in the guild.

A slim man stood there. Though his demeanor seemed light-hearted, his stance and muscular build revealed no weaknesses.

He scrutinized the two as they entered and spoke.

“So, you two are from ‘Moonlit Vow’? I’m Attalos. I’ve been sent by the Adventurers’ Guild headquarters and the Royal Adventurers School to investigate you. Which one is Seneca?”

“That would be me.”

Seneca continued to observe the man as she spoke.

“I see. You’re Seneca, and you’re Maior. Both of you have guts, sizing up an unfamiliar man like this.”

Suddenly, Attalos exuded an intense pressure, making them break into a sweat. Maior prepared to activate a skill but was stopped by Seneca’s gaze.

“Haha! The girl understands. If you sense a fight, I’ll respond. It’s best not to act rashly here, even with a detection skill.”

The pressure lifted, and Attalos’s demeanor became cheerful.

“Sorry for testing you! But it’s clear now. Anyone who can withstand my intimidation can’t be involved in any fraud. Though I came to investigate your abilities, my concerns are now gone.”

Their faces lit up with relief. Maior seemed on the verge of leaping with joy.

“However, understand that proving your worth is still necessary. There are strong doubts about your abilities, especially Seneca’s.”

Their excitement quickly subsided.

“Haha! You’re easy to read. While I appreciate your openness, sometimes it’s better not to show your emotions.”

“Attalos-sama, that’s enough joking,” Trulia gently reprimanded.

“Come on, they need to get used to this kind of interaction. It’ll help them at the Adventurers School.”

Attalos stood up and continued.

“From now on, you will be having a mock battle with me. I’ll reassess your abilities, and if I find them satisfactory, you’ll join me in the investigation request I received. If your performance then is without issue, you’ll officially achieve Copper rank. At the same time, you’ll also earn a ticket to the Royal Adventurers’ Academy as special students.”

“Understood.”

Maior responded, and Seneca nodded, looking Attalos straight in the eye.

“Hahaha! Good determination in your eyes. No need to be anxious. Just show your true strength.”

Gripping his sword firmly, Attalos left the room.

The four of them arrived at the mock battlefield. It was a convenient time, as no one else was there.

Standing in the center of the battlefield, Attalos declared, “You can both come at me. Start whenever you’re ready—”

Before he could finish, Seneca unleashed a surge of magical energy and shot a 【Mana Needle】at Attalos’ leg. Simultaneously, Maior activated 【Detection】.

Attalos gathered magic into his fist and smashed the Mana Needle, shattering it.

“—Interesting!”

Seneca had already leaped toward Attalos. A magical thread extended from her waist, visible only to Maior.

Seneca aimed to pierce Attalos’ leg with her blade, intending to sew him down. She hesitated briefly about using her full strength on a first meeting, but felt she had to.

As expected, Attalos twisted at incredible speed and appeared behind her.

As Attalos prepared to attack, an arrow from Maior’s direction forced his attention away for a split second. In that moment, Seneca altered her charge and redirected herself toward him.

“Tch!”

Attalos drew his sword, deflecting Maior’s arrow and narrowly avoiding Seneca’s attack. As they passed each other, he kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying.

“Gyah!”

Seneca flipped mid-air and landed safely.

Attalos quickly closed in on Maior, who had come to back up Seneca, and struck her wrist with the flat of his sword, making her drop her weapon.

Realizing no need to hold back, Seneca concentrated all her magic and unleashed 【Sewing】  at close range.

Boom!

The sound of her attack echoed through the arena.

“What immense magic.”

Maior activated her skill with full force, watching as magic condensed rapidly around Attalos’ leg.

Attalos leaped toward Seneca.

In the next instant, Seneca was on the ground with a sword at her throat, and a thrown knife was embedded at Maior’s feet.

Both Seneca and Maior were left bewildered by their defeat at the hands of Attalos.

The mock battle concluded.

Tullia scolded Attalos for going too far, then left to fetch the guild healer. Seneca had fractured ribs, and Maior’s wrist was swollen and red.

After Tullia left, Attalos sighed deeply and spoke.

“Both of you have passed. No, ‘passed’ doesn’t quite capture it. When I read the report about you two defeating a highly enhanced variant of a Rampage ape, I thought you were just lucky. But it seems it was truly your skill.”

Attalos chuckled, laughter bubbling up as he spoke.

“You both have abilities comparable to mid-tier Copper rank parties. Seneca’s combat prowess and Maior’s strategic judgment make for an interesting team.”

Seneca tried to laugh along but winced from the pain in her ribs.

“You are worthy of being special students. If you complete this request successfully, I’ll make sure to give you a glowing report.”

Despite Attalos’ praise, Seneca and Maior were overwhelmed by a sense of defeat. They hadn’t stood a chance, and Attalos hadn’t even seemed to use any skills. They were simply overwhelmed by sheer combat strength.

“Hahaha! Are you frustrated? Good. It’s refreshing to see Copper rank rookies regret losing to me. You two will become much stronger.”

Attalos ruffled their hair vigorously, an act they found annoying but couldn’t bring themselves to resist.

Tullia returned with the guild healer, followed by Naeus.

Upon hearing of Seneca’s injury, Naeus rushed over, filled with anger. He wore an unusually stern expression.

Entering the arena, Naeus saw Seneca clutching her chest, grimacing in pain. She was struggling to suppress laughter from Attalos’ antics, but Naeus misunderstood her condition.

Fury welled up in Naeus as he sought out the culprit.

“Hey! If it isn’t little Naeus! How’ve you been?”

The familiar voice belonged to none other than Attalos.

“M-master…!”

Attalos laughed heartily again, clapping Naeus on the shoulder and celebrating their reunion.