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 62

Episode 62: The Swordsman

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Lucius was a saint who possessed the skill of 【Holy Magic】 . However, he was not aware of it.

Perhaps it was because he had spent little time being revered at the church headquarters. Even during his pilgrimage with Gradius, he had kept his status hidden.

Then, what did he think of himself as?

A swordsman.

Lucius considered himself a swordsman.

If that were the case, a new question arose.

What should one call a swordsman who has lost his sword?

Lucius stood in a daze—his greatsword had been broken, and his knife destroyed.

That greatsword had been a keepsake from Seneca’s father.

It was a symbol of his resolve.

And he had lost it because he had miscalculated.

Anger welled up within Lucius.

But his anger was directed at himself.

He was furious at his own inadequacy.

He had lost himself—and in doing so, lost his very symbol, his sword.

Lucius blamed himself over and over again.

In a way, the Metal Liger had also lost itself.

It had let out a cry of triumph after robbing Lucius of his means of attack.

Though it quickly came back to its senses and resumed a cautious stance, the moment of distraction had left an opening.

If Lucius hadn’t been in shock, he might have been able to obliterate it with his full-powered magic. That’s how vulnerable it had been.

With a mind still blank, Lucius looked at the Metal Liger.

As he saw the enemy readying itself for battle, Seneca’s words suddenly came back to him.

“Sometimes, running away is important too.”

“That’s right,” Lucius murmured.

It didn’t matter if he couldn’t win right now.

As long as he survived, there would be a next time.

He hadn’t lost yet. He wasn’t dead.

He had only lost his sword.

Regret could come later.

Suddenly, the fog in his mind cleared.

Right before his eyes, the Metal Liger leaped, claws poised to strike.

Lucius barely managed to dodge the attack.

The Metal Liger swiftly turned, this time lunging at Lucius’s face.

Reacting instinctively, Lucius fell backward to evade and kicked the beast upward with both feet.

Suspended in midair, the Metal Liger flailed its limbs.

Lucius gathered magic into his fist and drove it hard into the creature’s left hind leg.

Crack!

Blood spilled from his hand, his bones fracturing from the impact.

But in return, countless fine cracks appeared on the beast’s leg.

Lucius’s vision suddenly sharpened.

His movements changed—clearer, more decisive.

He had limitless options.

He could punch. He could kick. If he couldn’t win, he could run.

Such a simple truth—yet he had forgotten it.

Somewhere along the way, he had come to believe that enemies were meant to be cut down.

But why shouldn’t he choose another way?

The enemy was stronger. He was the one being cornered.

And yet, only now—only when he was truly pushed to the brink—could he finally mobilize everything he had.

“Seneca was always free. I should be just as free.”

As he spoke the words aloud, the thought sank deep into his core.

Lucius resolved to do everything he could.

By sheer chance, he had managed to wound the enemy’s leg. If he decided to flee, he might just make it out.

Lucius could still heal himself, while the enemy had no means of recovery.

And then, as he recalled Seneca’s boundless freedom, an interesting idea struck him.

“I have a blade, don’t I?”

A faint smile played on Lucius’s lips as he spread his fingers and straightened his hand.

A hand blade. A technique that treated one’s own hand as a sword.

“A swordsman who fights with his bare hands… That sounds interesting!”

He moved in with a flurry of strikes.

The Metal Liger’s movements had slowed just enough that every few attacks would land.

Each time Lucius delivered a hand blade strike, his bones shattered in complex fractures, forcing him to use healing magic.

But little by little, he accumulated wounds on the enemy.

And with that, his body felt lighter.

A draw was fine. He didn’t have to win outright.

Hand blades were fascinating. His own hands had become swords.

He had possessed a blade from the very beginning.

“That’s right. The sword is within me.”

For a moment, he thought he heard someone whisper those words.

Lucius placed a hand over his chest—then clenched it into a fist.

It felt as if he had grasped something truly important.

The tide of battle was clearly in Lucius’s favor.

No matter what Metal Liger attempted, Lucius adapted and countered with ease.

However, it was also true that he had yet to land a decisive blow.

The metallic beast couldn’t understand why it was being pushed back. Victory had once seemed certain, yet now it had no idea what to do.

With no options left, Metal Liger decided to gamble everything.

It seized a brief moment when the distance between them increased and gathered the last remnants of its magical energy.

Focusing it into its injured leg.

Squeeze. Squeeze. Squeeze every last drop.

Then, in an instant, it lunged at Lucius, jaws wide open.

Lucius watched the movement and calmly extended what he had been holding in front of his chest.

In his hand was a “rod” formed from the power of 【Holy Magic】.

“Hey, do you know?”

Lucius asked the approaching Metal Liger.

“There was once a young swordsman called ‘Stick Swinger.’

The first time I fought her, I couldn’t even scratch her.

Since that day, she has always been my goal.”

He thrust the rod into Metal Liger’s open mouth.

The beast panicked for a moment, but something like this—it could just bite through it. It prepared to close its jaws.

“This is a ‘sword.'”

Lucius poured all of his remaining magical energy into his own “sword,” extending it.

Grrrgggll…

A muffled sound rumbled from deep within Metal Liger’s throat.

Then, Lucius’s “sword” pierced through the metallic beast’s body, skewering it completely.

【Level increased to 3. 【Defensive Magic】 is now available. Physical abilities have greatly increased. Magic power has greatly increased. Subskill 【Sword】 acquired.】

Lucius had conquered the Path of Carnage.

After resting in the plaza for a while, he made his way to the shrine.

There, he found a stone engraved with intricate patterns—most likely the proof of overcoming the Path of Asura he had heard about.

He picked it up and began his journey back.

Upon returning to the campsite at the foot of the mountain, he searched for Mof, but there was no sign of him.

After preparing his belongings, Lucius fell asleep without even eating.

The next day, while testing his body’s condition by swinging his sword, Mof finally returned.

When Lucius told him about conquering the Path of Carnage, Mof smiled and congratulated him.

After discussing it, they decided that Lucius would return to Padokia, while Mof would continue training on the Path of Asura a little longer. He felt like he was on the verge of grasping something important.

Lucius returned to Arankna and spent the next few days leisurely sightseeing.

But throughout that time, he couldn’t stop thinking.

According to the Church’s teachings, reaching Level 3 should grant 【Defensive Magic】 and 【Barrier】—individuality was supposed to emerge only at Level 4.

Yet, what Lucius gained upon reaching Level 3 was the subskill 【Sword】.

This ability allowed him to create a sword using magic. While he still intended to carry weapons due to the magical consumption, in essence, Lucius had been freed from the need for weapons altogether.

Up to Level 2, Lucius had followed the Church’s methods.

But after leaving the royal capital, he had stopped using them entirely—he hadn’t even relied on Desert Rose. And yet, he had reached Level 3 surprisingly fast.

During his battle with Metal Liger, Lucius had gained a clear understanding: “This is what my skill is.”

He couldn’t quite put it into words, but the sensation remained deep within him.

The Church’s method for leveling up 【Holy Magic】 involved maintaining a defensive barrier while allowing a superior to continuously attack. It was an impersonal, repetitive process, carried out the same way every single day.

However, according to the feeling Lucius had gained, skills were far more organic. They responded to emotions and feelings, changing and growing accordingly. He couldn’t shake that thought.

History had proven that the Church’s method was efficient. But that was only for reaching Level 3 or 4—there was no guarantee it determined strength within the same level bracket.

It was just a hunch, but perhaps the so-called “Sword God” of the past had been a person who wielded lower-tier skills organically—someone who used emotions and willpower to harness an immense power.

Lucius couldn’t help but think so.

Upon returning to Padokia, Lucius reported his achievements to the headmaster.

Lucius was a hero at the academy.

His accolades earned him admiration—and, with it, envy.

The more he was praised for everything he did, the more he lost interest in most of the people at the school.

Three weeks later, Mof returned. It seemed he had managed to conquer the third layer of the Path of Carnage.

Having acquired skill that led to newfound strength, he was brimming with motivation—something quite rare for him.

There were no students left who could stand against Lucius and Mof.

The Path of Carnage forged strength in the face of nature’s overwhelming threats.

In contrast, the strength of students was defined within the constraints of set rules. Such strength could never give Lucius what he sought.

And so, the two of them suddenly began studying intensely.

They secluded themselves in the library, asking their teachers whenever they had doubts. At times, they even debated among themselves.

Before they knew it, they had mastered the entire curriculum of the school’s three-year program.

Their second year was already coming to an end in the blink of an eye.

But then, an urgent message arrived from Gradius.

Lucius and Mof began preparing to vacate their room.

They decided to sell or give away their furniture to the nearby students.

The message from Gradius read:

“Signs of a Stampede detected near the city of Trias in the Kingdom of Romanus. Return to the kingdom immediately and provide assistance.”

Trias was the first major city one passed through upon entering the Kingdom of Romanus from the Kemenes Empire.

If a Stampede were to break out there, it would cause an immense catastrophe. Naturally, the Kemenez Empire was likely already informed as well.

Gradius’s plan was clear—he wanted Lucius to distinguish himself in battle and use the opportunity to proclaim the emergence of a new Saint to the world.

If Lucius could gain recognition from the people through his achievements, even the factions within the Church would no longer be able to interfere with him. This would grant him far greater freedom compared to his current, restricted existence.

Gradius had also included an apology, expressing his regret for the way things had turned out. It was clear that he carried a deep sense of guilt over the situation.

After discussing it, Lucius and Mof decided to withdraw from the Padokia Magic Academy.

They could have taken a leave of absence, but neither of them felt any desire to return later.

When they informed the headmaster of their decision, he immediately approved their early graduation.

“I’ve heard that you two have already mastered everything this school has to offer. On top of that, there’s no one here who can stand against either of you except for each other. There’s no way I could refuse to let such students graduate.”

With a broad grin, the headmaster swiftly processed the paperwork.

There were a few people in the city they would have liked to meet one last time.

But there was no time.

Instead, the two of them focused on preparing for their return home, chatting idly as they went about their tasks.

“Hey, Lucius. In the end, we never did figure out anything about the Desert Rose, huh?”

“Yeah, that’s true. We looked so hard, too.”

“But you know, I still want to visit the Lizardman settlement again someday.”

“We definitely will. When we’ve grown even stronger and found comrades we can truly trust, we’ll go back.”

With wide smiles on their faces, the two of them set off for Trias at full speed.

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Author Note :

Thank you for reading.

Although this chapter was a bit rushed, this concludes Chapter Six (Interlude): The Desert Boy Arc.

Starting next time, Chapter Seven: The Warrior’s Pilgrimage Arc will begin.

The story will turn back in time, and Seneca’s journey will resume.

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Check the other title that I translate here Trio Idiot