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 3

Episode 3: Farewel

Night had fallen.

As the soft sound of everyone’s breathing filled the room, Seneca slipped outside.

Sometimes, even with a promise in place, she might have fallen asleep. But tonight, she was wide awake.

When she entered the attic and stepped onto the roof as usual, Lucius was already there.

Seneca sat down beside him, gazing blankly at the moon.

That night, the moon was enormous, wrapped in a mystical glow.

“Why did you decide to go?”

The words slipped out naturally.

Even if it couldn’t be changed, resistance should have been possible.

And yet, Lucius had accepted it so easily. Seneca didn’t like that.

“I’ve always thought about it—how things can’t stay like this.”

Both of them continued looking at the moon.

“I intended to gain a skill and become an adventurer. I didn’t know what kind of skill, but I was set on becoming one in this town.”

“I felt the same way.”

“But did you know? There are only four silver-ranked adventurers in this town. They trained relentlessly here to reach that level.”

Seneca nodded.

“You know our fathers were also silver-ranked adventurers, right? I don’t know how much talent I really have, but I want to become even stronger.”

“Why?”

“Because silver isn’t enough. To protect those who matter and to survive ourselves, we need to be much stronger. Otherwise, we can’t hold our heads high in this world.”

Lucius’s jade-green eyes sparkled as he spoke.

“I want to surpass our fathers!”

Seneca couldn’t come up with a good rebuttal, as she felt the same way.

“I need to become strong. Not necessarily the kind of strength that lets me defeat enemies with incredible magic or unparalleled swordsmanship. I want the kind of strength that lets me survive no matter what kind of enemy appears. That’s why I have to hone my skills, no matter what.”

“So that’s what you were thinking back then.”

Lucius wanted to become someone who could protect Seneca no matter what.

This girl was strong. Left alone, she would surely grow into something remarkable.

But it still didn’t feel enough.

What would happen when strong enemies appeared as they grew older?

What if Seneca, unable to ignore the weak, threw herself into danger?

Lucius didn’t want Seneca to change.

He wanted her to dive in when she felt like it.

That’s why he wished to become strong enough to protect her no matter what.

But Seneca also wanted to protect Lucius.

The timid boy who once swung his sword nervously now had fierce determination in his eyes.

She wanted to shield Lucius from such a harsh world.

That was why Seneca strove desperately to grow stronger.

Looking at the moon, faintly veiled by clouds, Seneca spoke.

“Lucius, our fathers are our heroes, aren’t they? No matter how strong we become, that will never change.”

“Yeah, that’s right. They risked their lives to face overwhelming foes to protect us. Being strong alone doesn’t make you a hero.”

“Don’t forget that, Lucius. Sometimes, I think retreating is also a form of strength.”

Seneca turned to face Lucius.

Lucius met her gaze, looking into her eyes.

“Yeah. I understand. When I become a hero, I want to fight alongside you, Seneca.”

“My skill is [Sewing], you know?”

“Even so, I’m sure it’ll be fine. If it’s you, Seneca.”

At the orphanage, Seneca hated being told, “It’ll be fine because it’s you.”

But when Lucius said it, it made her happy somehow.

“Hey, Seneca…”

Lucius’s expression stiffened as he tried to express his feelings.

But just then, the moon emerged from behind the clouds, glowing a pale greenish-white.

An overwhelming amount of magical energy poured down on them, only for the moon to return to normal in an instant.

“Hey, Lucius, what was that just now?”

“It glowed, right? Like… all whoosh. I wasn’t imagining it, was I?”

“No, I saw it too. And the magic—it kind of surged. Have you ever heard of anything like that happening?”

“No, not at all. Do you think anyone else saw it?”

“Hmm, maybe someone in town saw it, but everyone here is probably asleep.”

“And it’s not like we can just ask the townsfolk.”

Seneca was deeply curious, but since there wasn’t much they could do about it, she decided to let it go for now.

“By the way, Lucius, didn’t you start to say something earlier?”

“Oh, uh, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Really? It sounded pretty serious, though.”

“Yeah. It’s fine. Really.”

“Huh. Well, if you say so. Weird, though.”

Seneca couldn’t help but laugh, feeling strangely happy.

The two returned to watching the moon.

“Maybe it just wasn’t the right time…”

Lucius murmured softly to himself.

Afterwards, he shifted slightly closer to Seneca.

Bathed in the moonlight, Seneca appeared more radiant than he had ever seen her, and Lucius found himself blushing.

The next day, Lucius left, escorted by everyone’s goodbyes.

As she watched the carriage take Lucius away, Seneca shed tears.

The tears stopped quickly, but the droplets that fell down her cheeks caught the sunlight, sparkling like jewels.

The sky was clear, without a single cloud—perfect weather for a farewell.

Seneca realized that, deep down, she had always known this moment would come.

With his remarkable talent for the sword, no matter what skill he acquired, Lucius was bound to outpace her. She had felt it in her heart.

But the moment still came suddenly.

Far too quickly, and with no warning.

It left her flustered.

But she had to keep moving forward.

Resolute in that belief, Seneca slowly began to steel herself.

A new daily routine began without Lucius.

Since coming to Baetica, Seneca had spent most of her time with him.

Without Lucius, she found herself unsure of how to go about her days.

Yesterday, her mind had been so occupied with Lucius that she hadn’t even had a chance to try out her skill.

She decided to borrow some tools from Emily, an older girl at the orphanage who possessed the skill [Sewing].

Emily had recently started apprenticing at a tailor shop. Soon, she would leave the orphanage to live and work there.

When Seneca asked to borrow her tools, Emily, happy to see someone with a similar skill, welcomed her. She even offered to introduce Seneca to her workplace if she was interested.

Everyone at the orphanage was curious about Seneca.

Despite her delicate appearance, she aspired to wield a sword and declared her intent to become an adventurer.

Her magical capacity was unmatched even among the adults at the orphanage, so everyone had expected her to acquire a magical skill.

Even when it turned out she had gained [Sewing], a skill seemingly ill-suited for adventuring, no one doubted that Seneca would press on with her dream of becoming an adventurer.

That was why they were anxious, worried about what reckless plans she might dive into next.

In Emily’s room, armed with fabric, a needle, and thread, Seneca began sewing.

Her hands moved faster than ever before.

She had a general sense of what to do next and felt as though her dexterity had improved.

Though she couldn’t match Sister Mina, who excelled at sewing, her results were impressive for someone with so little experience.

“So this is what a skill feels like…”

Seneca was awed by its power.

She kept examining her work, amazed that she had sewn so neatly—something she could hardly believe she had done herself.

From talking to Emily, Seneca learned several things.

First, her proficiency extended only to sewing.

With the skill [Sewing], one could also receive assistance with cutting fabric, knitting, and creating patterns, but Seneca didn’t have such support.

However, her progress in sewing was remarkably fast.

It was said that skills accelerated growth.

While early talent didn’t necessarily equate to greatness, it was widely believed that people were granted skills that matched their potential.

Seeing her skill firsthand made Seneca think deeply about many things.

But one thing remained certain: she was determined to become an adventurer.

To stop herself from overthinking, she resolved to register as an adventurer right away.

It was her way of escaping reality.