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 56

Check the other title that I translate here Trio Idiot

Chapter 56: Nectar

After hearing about Lucius’s whereabouts from Gradius, many things happened.

Seneca, Kito, Maior, and Attalos held a meeting to explain the situation. They also received fundamental training in skills from Attalos.

Maior met with Gradius several times to receive advice about her skill. Since they met outside, Gradius maintained his disguise as Grey.

Seneca and Maior relayed everything they had learned about Lucius to Gaia and Plautia.

The two had different reactions, but they were both astonished to hear such a delicate piece of information—the birth of a new Saint.

They had almost forgotten due to all the events surrounding Gradius, but it was the end-of-term period at school.

Seneca had been dreading the evaluations, but the results weren’t bad. She felt as though her daily efforts had paid off, so the four of them celebrated with a slightly extravagant meal.

And so, school entered its long vacation.

Originally, they had planned an adventure trip to search for Lucius. However, since there was no longer a need to search for him, Moonlit Vow had to reconsider their plans.

They decided to spend a couple of days separately before coming together to discuss things at leisure.

Seneca was walking through the city.

There was a teahouse she had recently grown fond of. It served an astonishingly rich tea, meant to be enjoyed with a generous amount of nectar.

Only a few sips’ worth was served, but its deep flavor and lingering aroma were addictive. Whenever she needed to think, she found herself wandering back there.

After savoring her tea and idling for a while, Seneca set off walking again.

Her thoughts kept returning to Lucius.

Hearing Gradius’s story had strengthened Seneca’s desire to protect Lucius from this world.

Before, she had only indulged in pessimistic fantasies about the future. However, based on Gradius’s tone, it seemed her fears weren’t entirely unfounded.

The thought that Lucius might eventually be cornered made Seneca uneasy.

She constantly battled the fear that when the time came, she wouldn’t be needed—that Lucius wouldn’t want her by his side.

She had never been able to ignore the possibility of being unwanted.

But dwelling on it now was pointless. In the end, it was just speculation, not reality. She could choose to see things optimistically or drown herself in despair. Either way, it was just her own imagination.

So, even if it was a form of escapism, all she could do was focus on what she needed to do now.

Then what was it that she needed to do now?

Seneca had always believed that becoming stronger was the answer.

She knew that strength wasn’t limited to combat skill, so she had worked hard in many different areas.

However, she was beginning to realize that the strength Lucius would need in times of crisis might be far broader than she had imagined.

After all—if the entire world became his enemy, Seneca wanted to be the shield that would protect him.

She understood how unrealistic that sounded, yet the desire to make it happen burned within her.

There were likely no shortcuts to that kind of strength.

Perhaps the only way to attain true strength was by taking what seemed like a roundabout path—gaining skills that could be applied in any situation.

Lost in thought, Seneca suddenly realized she had arrived at the capital’s gates.

She had been visiting the royal forest so frequently that her feet had instinctively carried her there.

Since she was already here, she decided to enter the forest.

As long as she stayed near the outskirts, there were guards and adventurers around, so she didn’t need to be overly cautious.

As she walked toward the forest, a certain phrase surfaced in her mind—comprehensive strength.

“Yes. That’s what I need—comprehensive strength.”

With renewed determination, she pushed off the ground more firmly and stepped forward.

Ever since Attalos mentioned it, Seneca had been thinking over the concept of a new kind of strength.

The more she thought about it, the more elusive the meaning became. She kept turning the words over in her mind.

“New” meant something recently created.

“Strength” meant something unwavering.

So perhaps a new kind of strength could be interpreted as an emerging sense of unwavering resolve.

Or rather—perhaps her strength was still in the process of being created.

Seneca couldn’t help but believe that to be true.

Seneca heard from Attalos that Eus’s strength was something unusual. He had wielded his sword with an entirely new perspective, cutting down countless foes.

Then—what exactly had Eus created? And what had remained unshaken?

“If I knew that, it wouldn’t be such a struggle.”

Seneca muttered to herself, kicking a small stone at her feet.

As she watched the stone roll away, she suddenly recalled something Maior had said to her once.

“I can’t quite put it into words, but I think your strength is also… different in some way, Seneca.”

Maybe it was only the faintest trace of something.

But if she continued refining it, making it truly her own, perhaps one day, it would become something unshakable.

She wasn’t sure what exactly that something was.

But she had the feeling that at the end of this journey of discovery, she would find the strength she sought.

“To hold a perspective that has never existed before—and to refine the strength that is being forged within me now.”

It was still too abstract. But at least she had a direction.

And so, Seneca found herself running toward the forest.

When she arrived, she spotted a girl carrying a massive hammer.

“Nina.”

“…Seneca!”

Nina’s large eyes widened in surprise as she turned to her.

“What’s up, Seneca? It’s rare to see you alone.”

“Same to you. I have a free day today, so I kind of just… ended up here.”

“I see… Wanna hunt together?”

Nina gave a small smile and lifted her hammer with one hand.

“…Let’s hunt.”

Seneca drew her sword and raised it to the sky, mirroring Nina’s gesture.

The two entered the forest, hunting beasts and monsters.

None of their foes were particularly strong, so while they remained alert, they didn’t have to exert themselves too much.

They sparred together whenever they had free time during their weekly training sessions with Attalos.

Perhaps because of that, they could easily sense each other’s intentions, and their teamwork wasn’t bad.

At one point, Nina, having taken a liking to a certain flower, started sucking nectar from its petals.

Seeing this, Seneca asked her a question.

“Nina, what are you doing over the break?”

“Chu… chu… Probably an expedition. A training journey with Fabi-kun… Seneca, wanna come?”

Nina handed her a flower petal. Seneca took it and sucked the nectar—it wasn’t as sweet as she had expected, but it had a fresh, pleasant flavor.

“Chu… chu… That sounds fun. We haven’t decided on our plans yet.”

“…You could join us. We leave in three days—just let me know before then.”

“Hmm… That does sound interesting. But taking on quests as a party is important too. We’ve been in the forest so much lately.”

“I see…”

Nina looked a little disappointed but resumed sucking nectar.

Seneca crouched beside her and, without thinking, focused entirely on enjoying the nectar as well.

Of course, the two had enough sense to stop before they depleted the flowers entirely.

After one final bout of hunting, they parted ways.

(TLN: This whole scene is cute, in my head)

Maior was swinging her sword at the adventurer school’s training grounds, her mind occupied with faint thoughts.

On the way back from meeting Gradius at Spelunka, she had noticed a change in Seneca and Kito.

Their eyes had already taken on a different light.

Gradius had told them to hone themselves, and his words had ignited a fire within them.

With Lucius’s situation now clear, the two had gained a concrete vision of what they wanted to become.

From here on, Seneca and Kito’s growth would only accelerate.

Maior felt genuinely happy for them—and inspired.

But at the same time, she felt an inner conflict.

Was this really okay?

At present, Seneca’s combat ability was far beyond the rest of the party’s.

They planned to catch up, of course, but there was no denying that there was a gap.

If they continued party activities at their current pace, they might end up holding Seneca back.

Lately, Seneca and Maior’s drive had begun to spread—Gaia and Plautia were throwing themselves into their training with renewed enthusiasm.

And because of that, Maior had begun to feel something close to certainty—

This party could grow even stronger.

Maior didn’t want to hold Seneca back, but she also wanted to strengthen the party as a whole.

That was how she truly felt.

As she repeatedly thought it over while practicing her swings, she realized there was no point in brooding over it alone any longer.

“I should talk it over. Yeah, that’s the way to go.”

With that decision made, Maior swung her broadsword with a sharp whoosh.

It felt like a particularly good swing.

Her swordsmanship had improved tremendously since coming to this school.

That evening, Maior called Seneca to a small grove near the dormitory.

“Maior, what did you want to talk about?”

“There’s something I wanted to hear your thoughts on before we discuss it with everyone.”

“About what to do during the break?”

“Yeah. I was wondering what you thought. Right now, it seems like you need to throw yourself into battle without holding back. But at the same time, I think it’s just as important to build up our overall strength as a party.”

“Hmm… Fighting recklessly as a party, then?”

“Huh?”

“Nina told me she’s going on a training journey with Fabius-kun. And, well, I thought that sounded great. So let’s do it too—our own Warrior Duty!”

Seneca’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“The forest near the royal capital was safe, so we never really needed to combine our strengths. But once we leave, we won’t know what to expect. We’ll have to work together. But at the same time, we should find a place where we can ensure some level of safety while honing our teamwork.”

“I see… That way, we can train without unnecessary risks.”

“Exactly!”

Maior crossed her arms and hummed in thought.

“I considered joining Nina’s training journey when she invited me, but… I don’t think it’s the right time. Charging ahead alone might mean neglecting something important. That’s why I won’t leave the party. Let’s grow stronger together!”

“…Alright.”

“And besides—”

Seneca gazed toward the distant sky.

“I have a feeling that strengthening our party will, in the end, make me stronger, too. I don’t know what exactly that means yet, but… when I look back on this, I want to be able to say that valuing the party was the right choice.”

She then pulled out her large Magic Needle and began moving it through the air like a dancer, each motion fluid and precise.

“I am looking out for myself, you know? Keeping up with you, Gaia, and Plautia is already taking everything I have.

That’s exactly why I want to train as a party.

Because I know that before long, all of you are going to get so much stronger.

And I want to be there to see it.”*

Maior knew just how sharp and polished Seneca’s Needle had become.

“I want to get stronger too.”

With that, Maior unsheathed her sword and began practicing her swings alongside her.