Maiol was born into a middle-css merchant family in the city of Lusitania.

  She had two older brothers, an older sister, and a younger brother.

  Her elder siblings assisted in the family business, each of them having honed skills suited to commerce.

  As a result, there was little room left for Maiol to join the family enterprise. Thus, while she had no guarantees for her future or responsibilities, she was granted freedom.

  From a young age, Maiol had been fascinated by adventure tales that her older brothers cherished.

  She admired heroes and aspired to become one herself. She was a bold and courageous girl.

  Though Maiol was generally well-behaved and did not cause too much trouble, there were incidents where she broke household items while swinging a sword, or hurt herself chasing dogs in pyful pursuit.

  Maiol was skilled at climbing trees.

  She often climbed up and observed the city from above. Their house was located on a hill, offering a slightly better view than most.

  Even as a child, Maiol knew the world was vast.

  For there were dragons, giants, and wicked sorcerers in the world.

  Although Maiol had never heard of anyone encountering such beings in her immediate surroundings, when she asked her mother, she was told, "They're somewhere far away."

  Maiol’s mother, though slightly anxious at times, was a remarkably strong woman.

  She possessed the skill of [Perception], allowing her to sense the needs of others and smooth over matters to ensure the smooth running of the family’s business.

  At the age of ten, Maiol gained the skill [Detection].

  Her father, who doted on her, was opposed to the idea of her becoming an adventurer. However, in the end, he relented and accepted his beloved daughter’s wishes.

  He suggested that she attend the Royal Adventurer Academy, where she could safely gain experience. However, this backfired. Maiol was resolute in her decision to become a copper-ranked adventurer and a special student at the academy.

  Very few students enrol in the Adventurer Academy already at the copper rank. Reaching that rank at such a young age was an extraordinary challenge.

  For Maiol to leave home and train as a warrior to pass through such a narrow gate seemed reckless to her father.

  In the end, however, her father gave in, and Maiol’s departure to Baetica was approved. She ter learned that it was her mother, who had sensed Maiol's determination, who persuaded her father to give in.

  Upon arriving in Baetica, Maiol began searching for companions.

  Baetica was a nd where even lower-tier adventurers could make a living, so aspiring adventurers from nearby areas frequently gathered. Maiol teamed up with these individuals to complete various quests, but things never seemed to go quite right.

  Many of them relied entirely on Maiol's [Detection] skill and quickly grew zy, seeking an easy way out.

  As this began to happen, Maiol distanced herself from them.

  Sometimes, there were individuals with more ambition. However, none of them shared Maiol's burning desire to rise quickly. They preferred to progress steadily through hard work and persistence.

  Maiol thought their approach was the right one. Yet, she couldn’t shake her determination to become a special student at the Royal Adventurer Academy.

  There were students who entered the academy at twelve years old and even achieved copper rank during their studies. However, such students were rarely made special students, even if they were exceptional.

  It was possible to enrol at the age of fifteen, the age limit for admissions, but those who did were looked at with scorn. Maiol knew this but still yearned to become a special student. It was an unusual desire for someone born into a wealthy family.

  Maiol wanted to be special.

  She wanted to be a hero like the ones in the adventure tales.

  Thus, she wished for a powerful skill, not just [Detection].

  She was certain that if she could become a special student, she could come close to becoming something extraordinary.

  If she couldn’t achieve that, she had decided that she would leave adventuring behind and pursue a different career that would allow her to make use of her skills.

  For Maiol, the five years between the age of ten and fifteen were a life-or-death battle.

  A year had passed since leaving home, and now two years were in sight.

  Maiol was honestly feeling anxious, but she reminded herself that if she could find truly reliable companions, the time lost in the previous years could easily be made up. She waited patiently for the right moment to come.

  And then, Maiol encountered "special."

  ...

  Maiol found Seneca to be an improbable figure.

  Seneca struggled fiercely with a skill that was not suited for an adventurer.

  Yet, when it came to swordsmanship, dexterity, tracking, scouting, and gathering, Seneca’s skills were surprisingly refined for her age.

  Maiol had overheard others speaking about Seneca behind her back.

  "With such a skill, there's no point in becoming an adventurer."

  "She'll quit once she gets bored of hunting kobolds."

  "Poor thing. If only she had better skills."

  Maiol suspected that Seneca might have heard these comments herself.

  Still, Seneca never stopped looking forward.

  Even when she failed, she would analyse what went wrong and start again.

  Maiol couldn’t help but admire Seneca’s resilience.

  ...

  After meeting Seneca, Maiol’s progress was swift.

  She pushed herself to catch up with the gaps she had left behind and moved forward at full speed.

  Where she was more skilled, she pushed herself further.

  Where she was weaker, she worked desperately to catch up.

  Day by day, her mind never stopped turning.

  She faced herself and pondered on [Detection].

  She was still trying to figure out how to level it up to level 2.

  Recently, Maiol had been reflecting on something important.

  She felt that now was the crucial time.

  Now was the fork in the road.

  If she missed this moment, she knew the path to becoming "special" would surely be cut off.

  Seneca would soon become a copper-ranked adventurer, and would then sit for the royal exams and head to the capital. Maiol knew she had to reach copper rank before that happened. That was what she told herself.

  One night, Maiol asked Seneca.

  "Seneca, why do you try so hard?"

  "I want to become a hero. I want to be as strong as the hero who risked her life to protect her childhood friend."

  Maiol was stunned.

  She hadn’t imagined that someone besides herself could feel so passionately about becoming a hero.

  "I want to become a copper-ranked adventurer within two years. What about you, Seneca? Do you have any goals?"

  "At the very least, I want to become a gold-ranked adventurer. As quickly as possible."

  "Why?"

  "If I don’t, I’ll be left behind. Both Lucius and Kito will feel the same way, and I have to keep moving forward."

  Seneca was the first person to return Maiol's goal with an even grander one.

  "Maiol," Seneca said, turning to face her.

  "It’ll work out. Your dream will come true. Because our dreams will come true."

  Seneca’s voice trembled.

  It was as if she was convincing herself, or perhaps sending her wishes into the world.

  Just as Maiol thought she should speak her own wish aloud, a sudden chill ran down her spine.

  The thought of speaking those words out loud, of releasing them into the air, was terrifying.

  But Maiol found the courage to speak.

  "I’ll become a hero! And when I fight a dragon, I’ll call on you, so look forward to it!"

  Maiol immediately regretted it, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at Seneca’s reaction.

  Seneca, slowly processing her words, finally smiled and replied.

  "Understood. Once we defeat that dragon, we’ll both be ptinum-ranked adventurers!"

  Seneca’s brilliance, her kindness, her strength—it was all so dazzling to Maiol. She was happy beyond measure.

  That night, for the first time, the two of them talked deep into the night.

  For Maiol, who had always worked alone, Seneca’s presence had become irrepceable, and that night became an unforgettable one.