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 42

Episode 42: “The Purpose of a Journey Is Not to Arrive”

Gaia is steeped in feelings of inferiority.

She has done everything she could to live as an adventurer.
When she realized her skill could only be used outdoors, she spent days camping out, enduring hunger while continuing to practice her skill.

Considering the power of her skill, she was inevitably forced to work in sparsely populated areas with poor rewards. There were times she nearly froze to death from underestimating the cold, and times she collapsed from cutting back on food to save money.

She had plenty of free time. So, she researched various texts, thinking of ways to make the most of her magic.

If I grow like this, I can use it that way.
In this kind of situation, maybe this skill will be useful.
She built up countless such scenarios in her mind.

She studied hard too. You never know what knowledge might come in handy. Even if her skill didn’t grow, she thought that academic prowess might get her into the Royal Adventurer Academy. She continued studying, preparing for the worst-case scenario where her magic wouldn’t blossom—only to find herself facing exactly that situation.

For her skill to grow, it’s important to use it repeatedly. However, due to her limited mana, she can only use Artillery Magic once a day.

To accumulate higher proficiency, she needs to defeat strong enemies—meaning enemies strong enough to match the power of her skill.

Gaia continued to hunt the unpopular Bronze Ducks in an equally unpopular hunting ground. Bronze Ducks have low attack power but abnormal defensive strength—so tough that even adventurers with Swordsmanship Level 2 can’t scratch them.

However, with Artillery Magic, she could take them down in one shot, leaving nothing but fragments where the spell hit. The materials from Bronze Ducks fetch a decent price, so the money was good, but the battles required no creativity. All she had to do was find the enemy and blast them with magic.

According to veteran adventurers, this kind of fighting wouldn’t help her build higher proficiency. Her Artillery Magic was too strong, making it feel like she was just fighting weaklings.

Gaia hunted various other monsters too, but most were either too weak to be worthwhile or too dangerous to continue fighting.

So she kept stubbornly hunting Bronze Ducks.

She thought, Why do I have to go through this?—more times than she could count.

But Gaia had no intention of giving up.

Gaia’s grandmother was a Gold-Rank adventurer known as “Blazing Flame.”

Her skill was Fire Magic—a very basic magical ability, but she honed it to perfection and rose to prominence in the adventurer world.

Gaia admired her grandmother.
It was her dream to gain a magical skill like her grandmother’s and travel the world.

“The purpose of a journey isn’t to arrive. It’s to keep moving forward with hope every day.”

That was her grandmother’s favorite saying.
So Gaia tried to live every day with hope.

But somehow, things just weren’t going well.

Her destination felt too far away for her to confidently move forward.

Unable to reconcile those feelings, she entered the Royal Adventurer Academy as the top scorer in the written exam for Class B—a dishonorable result that marked her as lacking in practical skills.

The first day was decent enough.

She even managed to make some friends. But everyone seemed a little too careful around her.

In reality, they were simply intimidated by Gaia’s striking beauty and poised demeanor. But Gaia believed it was because she was all theory and no practical skill—that’s why they kept their distance.

She couldn’t help but see everyone around her as extraordinary.
Even though it had only been a single day, she felt like she was already falling behind.

It was as if she alone was crawling like a caterpillar while everyone else had already spread their wings and flown away. She could almost see that future unfolding before her eyes.

She now felt a miserable sense of inadequacy—something she’d never experienced when she first obtained her magic skill.

“I have to do something.”

Clutching her head, Gaia desperately tried to think.

While Gaia was deep in thought, Seneca returned to the room.

Her face was unusually tense.
She’d been smiling all day yesterday, so this expression caught Gaia by surprise

“Welcome back.”

“I’m back.”

“Did something happen?”

Gaia asked casually.

“Well, I felt like I’d gotten stronger recently, but I realized it was just my imagination.”

“What happened on the first day?”

“My homeroom teacher turned out to be someone named Attalos-san, and, well, I got scolded a bit…”

“Attalos? You mean ‘Meteor’? The Gold-Rank Adventurer, Attalos Pergamon!?”

“That’s right, that’s right. Gaia-chan, you sure know your stuff. Attalos-san told me that my basics were weak, so now I’m wondering what to do.”

“That’s pretty harsh right off the bat.”

“Since Attalos-san was the one evaluating the special scholarship students, I had some interactions with him. He kindly gave me advice, but no matter how I think about it, it’s because I wasn’t good enough. So, I’m wondering what to do from here.”

“I see…”

Gaia thought that being in S-Class must come with its own challenges.

“That’s why, starting tomorrow, I’m going to train thoroughly. Together with Maior.”

Seneca’s tone suddenly grew intense, startling Gaia.

There was definitely a fire burning deep within Seneca’s beautiful eyes.
Feeling that fire, Gaia’s chest grew warm.

“Me too.”

“Huh?”

“I want to get stronger too. But I don’t know how.”

Before she realized it, Gaia had spoken those words.

“No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to get stronger. I don’t feel like I’m making any progress.”

Seneca looked straight at Gaia.

“Gaia-chan, why do you want to get stronger?”

“…I don’t know. But I want to go on journeys and adventures. I want to overcome fun things and tough things alike, and when I look back someday, I want to be able to say, ‘That was good.’ Maybe that’s the kind of adventure I’m seeking.”

Seneca felt the passion overflowing from Gaia.

“I don’t expect it’ll always pay off. But ever since I got my skill, I’ve been stuck in the same place… I’m about to lose heart because there’s no progress.”

Gaia gazed upward, as if looking at a world only she could see.

“Seneca, it seems like in this world, there are adventures where the journey itself holds more value than reaching the goal. Can you believe that?

It sounds foolish, but I admire those kinds of adventures.

I’m still so inexperienced, but I’m desperate to go on an adventure like that!

And yet, I can’t move forward at all.

I want to put in the effort, but I can only use magic once a day.

I want to get stronger, but it feels like the means to do so have been taken from me. It’s frustrating.

…I just don’t know what to do anymore.”

After listening to Gaia’s feelings and thinking for a moment, Seneca gently touched Gaia’s hand and said,

“Gaia, let’s turn the battles in our daily lives into the kind of adventure you’re talking about.

You’re already facing your own strength and have started an adventure to seek growth.

It might be an incredibly difficult path, and there’s no guarantee it’ll pay off.

But continuing to fight like that can’t be meaningless.

So let’s adventure together.

I want to experience the kind of adventure you’re talking about! I want to go on a journey!”

With those words, Seneca gripped Gaia’s hand tightly.

Gaia suddenly realized tears were streaming from her eyes.

“Maior, isn’t that okay!?”

When Seneca turned toward the door, there was a click, and teary-eyed Maior and Plautia entered.

“You were listening?”

Gaia asked hoarsely.

“We came to talk about course planning, but then you started talking… Sorry.”

“S-sorry.”

Plautia also apologized softly.

Seneca looked over at Maior, observing her expression.

“I’m fine with it if that’s what Seneca’s decided.”

Seneca and Maior met each other’s gaze and nodded in unison.

“Gaia, let’s form a party with us on weekends. I don’t know if we’ll be a good match, but I want to see your adventure up close.”

“I’m interested in the adventure you’re talking about too. It aligns with our goals as well.”

“I-is that really okay? I’m in B-Class, you know?”

“I know I was the one fixated on being a scholarship student, but that doesn’t matter. Honestly, we might be the ones holding you back.”

“I don’t think that’ll be the case.”

“Anyway, let’s team up on weekends for a while and see how it goes. If it doesn’t work out, we can rethink things.”

“Exactly.”

Seneca and Maior smiled as they invited Gaia.

“Plautia, you’re joining too, right?”

Maior invited Plautia with an expression that assumed she’d say yes.

“H-hawawa. Is that okay?”

“Of course it’s okay. It’s a coincidence we ended up sharing a room, so let’s make the most of it together.”

“Got it. Thank you.”

“Th-thank you very much!”

The four of them laughed together.

“By the way, what are the goals you two mentioned earlier?”

Gaia asked, her face now clear and refreshed.

Seneca and Maior exchanged glances and answered:

“To become Gold-Rank Adventurers as soon as possible—”
“Defeat a dragon—”

“—and become heroes!!”

Gaia and Plautia stared blankly at the two, who said such outrageous things as if it were completely natural.

At that time, the other S-Class students were thinking about how to recruit Seneca and Maior into their parties.

The two of them were so exceptionally skilled that everyone wanted them as weekend adventure companions to build achievements together.

However, because Attalos had called them away, the others hadn’t had the chance to invite them.

If Attalos hadn’t summoned them back then, Gaia and Plautia might never have ended up adventuring alongside Seneca and Maior.

If Gaia hadn’t been struggling with her thoughts…
If she hadn’t spoken her heart out…
If Maior hadn’t been listening behind the door…

Many factors intertwined, leading Gaia to set out on a journey with dependable companions.

On this day, Gaia’s fate truly began to move.