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 50

Episode 50: Lucius Investigation

After the meeting at the café, Seneca and Kito went to the church and requested an audience with an elderly priest named Gradius.

When they mentioned it was to express their gratitude for the skill appraisal he had done for them in Baetica, they were made to wait for a while until he was identified.

It seemed that Gradius was a priest who frequently embarked on pilgrimages, making it difficult to track his whereabouts. However, they were told that he returned to the royal capital periodically.

There was no guarantee that he would respond, but they left a message and arranged for either Kito from the Royal Academy of Magic or Seneca from the Royal Adventurer Academy to be contacted upon his return.

Time passed, and the academy was approaching its long-term break.

With the semester’s coursework and assignments nearing completion, it was time to start planning for the holiday.

It was around that time that Seneca received a letter. The sender was Gradius.

Hurriedly opening it, she found a note confirming his acceptance of their request for a meeting, along with several potential dates.

Rushing to the magic academy, she found that Kito had received the same letter.

Despite the busyness of the end-of-term period, they managed to free up their schedules and arranged to meet Gradius at the earliest possible date.

On the promised day, after being mentally battered by the storms of their final exams, the two of them visited a church located in the eastern part of the royal capital.

This church, compared to others in the city, had a relatively simple construction.

After informing the receptionist that they were here to see Gradius, they were led by a man who introduced himself as a bishop.

The man walked deeper and deeper into the church before stopping in front of a large room and opening the door.

“Gradius-sama, your visitors have arrived.”

“Oh! Varius! You personally brought them here? My apologies for the trouble.”

“No, it’s no trouble at all. Please, take your time.”

After ushering Seneca and Kito inside, the bishop bowed his head and returned the way he had come.

The room, while simple, had a touch of elegance. It was likely a reception room of some status. A subtle yet pleasant fragrance lingered in the air.

Sitting there was the same elderly priest they had met in Baetica—unchanged in any way.

“Oh-ho! I’m glad you came. It’s been a long time since children have sought an audience with me just to express their gratitude… It truly makes me happy. Now, take a seat.”

At his invitation, the two sat down.

Gradius then pointed to his chest.

“You were Seneca and Kito, correct? Could you remind me about your skills? I have appraised many children, you see. My memory tends to fade.”

Despite his words, Gradius did not lower his hand from his chest.

Feeling something was off, they focused on where he was pointing.

Faintly, glowing letters appeared.

“Do not speak of Lucius. We are being eavesdropped on.”

Seeing this, Kito promptly began recounting his skill and background, as if naturally responding to Gradius’s earlier request.

Seneca followed suit, acting as though she had come merely to greet him.

Gradius nodded at appropriate moments, keeping the conversation flowing while discreetly displaying additional glowing text.

“Lucius is not here. You cannot meet him now.”
“In three days, at night, I will be waiting at a place called ‘Spelunca’.”
“Find the place on your own.”
“We will talk there.”
“You may be followed today. Start moving tomorrow.”

Sweat drenched Seneca and Kito’s backs, but outwardly, they continued their casual conversation.

Fortunately, Gradius guided the discussion in a natural manner, allowing them to play along.

Feeling an overwhelming fatigue settle over them, the two slowly made their way out of the church.

The Next Day

Seneca teamed up with Maior to search for the shop called Spelunca.

Kito was tied up with an exam scheduled for the next morning, so Seneca requested Maior’s assistance instead.

They also asked Gaia, who was originally from the royal capital’s outskirts, but he had never heard of a shop by that name.

Seneca had friends from the royal capital in her S-Class, but fearing a potential leak of information, she refrained from asking them. If they still had no leads by the third day, she would have no choice but to take more drastic measures, but for now, they decided to narrow it down themselves.

The royal capital was home to an overwhelming number of shops—finding a single one seemed impossible. However, Gradius had given them this task, meaning he believed they could locate it.

Kito pointed out two key hints: the location had to be suitable for a secret meeting, and it had to be a place that Seneca or Kito could reasonably find.

Gradius had been aware that Seneca was a member of the Royal Adventurer Academy’s S-Class and that Kito was a recommended student at the Royal Academy of Magic. There was a possibility that he had chosen this meeting place based on that knowledge.

Hearing this, Maior felt that both Seneca and Kito were being tested. Perhaps Lucius’s information was only meant for those who had the wisdom to seek it out.

While Seneca focused on investigating the shop, Maior turned her attention to researching Gradius himself.

If they couldn’t discuss things freely at the church, then the meeting place was likely a shop with a strong connection to Gradius.

It was already clear that Gradius held a high enough rank to interact casually with a bishop.

Maior searched through the adventurer guild’s archives, combing through records of past church officials. Eventually, she discovered that a man named Gradius had served as a cardinal until about a decade ago.

She couldn’t confirm if this was the same Gradius, but she dug deeper, gathering indirect evidence until she concluded that Gradius was backed by the church’s magic-oriented faction.

While Maior was absorbed in thought at the guild’s archives, Seneca arrived.

“Seneca, did you find anything?”

“No.”

Seneca shook her head.

“I didn’t find any concrete leads, but something caught my attention, so I decided to look into it.”

“Something caught your attention?”

“Yeah. When we entered the room, there was a distinct scent. It was coming from Gradius, so I thought it might be a clue.”

“A scent?”

“Yeah. It was simple but had a spicy undertone and smelled nice. I think it contained herbs, but there was something else mixed in.”

“It was that distinct? So, you tried tracking its origin?”

“Yeah. I asked a lady at an herbal shop if she had anything similar since I wanted the same thing as someone I knew. She said she had an idea and told me to check back tomorrow.”

“What’s the shop called?”

“Pharma. It’s an old apothecary that’s been around for a long time. Apparently, they sell different kinds of potpourri, and church officials sometimes visit there.”

“That’s interesting. Once this case is settled, I’d like to check it out myself… In the meantime, keep investigating the shop, including this lead on Pharma.”

“Got it.”

After sharing what they had discovered, the two returned to their separate investigations.