Two days had passed since then.

  Today was the day of the Tsukuyomi, the moon-watching festival.

  It had been a year since Seneca had gained her skill.

  The number of children acquiring skills had increased again.

  Seneca had left the bustling city behind and made her way to a hill in the nearby forest. From here, she could overlook the city of Baetica.

  She wondered, as she gazed out over the ndscape, whether Lucius was doing well. Not a day had passed in the past year that she hadn’t thought of him.

  From an objective standpoint, Seneca's progress over the past year had been remarkable.

  She had reached level two.

  Once she had gained a little more experience, she pnned to apply for promotion to Copper rank.

  She hadn’t given much thought to what might come next.

  Her skills in herb gathering had improved dramatically.

  Thanks to the detailed feedback from an expert named Yulia, her discerning eye had sharpened, and her reputation at the guild had risen accordingly.

  With Seneca’s success, Maiol too had grown more skilled. Together, they had seen a rise in job requests specifically for the two of them.

  However, with Kito expected to leave in a year, Seneca pnned to scale back her herb gathering work.

  Her sewing skills had also improved.

  In terms of sheer ability, Seneca was likely the best in Baetica when it came to stitching.

  Her precision, speed, and accuracy were all exceptional. Whenever a difficult sewing job arose, Seneca was the one they called on.

  Her specialised sewing skills were proving effective.

  "Well done," Seneca murmured to herself.

  There was a sense of fulfilment, but it was based on the general standards of evaluation.

  Seneca often wondered if Lucius had made more progress than she had. She imagined that he, too, must have been working hard today to become more like a hero.

  She wanted to be strong enough to stand beside him when they next met. She didn’t want to be a hindrance.

  "No, that’s not it," she muttered aloud.

  She wanted to become strong enough to protect Lucius, to shield him from all the malice, the good intentions, the disappointments, and the expectations of the world...

  To do that, she needed more strength.

  "She has to become stronger. Stronger, stronger!" Seneca clenched her fist with determination.

  She had known for some time that Lucius probably didn’t want that kind of protection.

  But, if there were no other options, she had no choice but to choose this path.

  Seneca took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp, clear air of the sky.

  She wasn’t the only one moving forward at incredible speed. Kito, too, was making great strides.

  Seneca visited Yulia once a week. Watching Kito’s progress during those visits made it clear just how fast Kito was growing. Kito was constantly experimenting with new materials and concocting new medicines.

  Since childhood, Kito had excelled at everything she did, and now she was fully committed to studying pharmacy. It was no surprise that she was advancing with such incredible speed, Seneca thought.

  Yet, despite this, Kito still felt that it wasn’t enough.

  Kito's family wasn’t particurly wealthy, so she had only been able to afford the most basic of education. Though she had devoured books at the home of the vilge chief in Cordoba and at the orphanage in Baetica, it seemed that she still couldn’t measure up to those born into noble families who had received elite tutoring.

  But Yulia had bet on Kito’s future.

  Yulia was aiming to have her enter one of the kingdom’s prestigious magic schools as a special schorship student, so expectations were high.

  Seneca didn’t want to be left behind by Kito either.

  Seneca, Lucius, and Kito, each of them was pushing themselves beyond their limits, though no one knew of their shared struggle.

  Seneca also thought of Maiol.

  She was Seneca’s first companion since gaining her skill.

  A partner she could trust her back to.

  Seneca had noticed that Maiol, too, was growing at an astonishing pace.

  Her combat style was becoming more graceful by the day.

  Her detection range was expanding.

  Maiol was fighting in a world Seneca couldn’t yet see.

  And that was immensely reassuring.

  Suddenly, Seneca felt a presence behind her.

  Someone was approaching.

  She drew her sword.

  “It’s me. I knew you’d be here,” came a voice from the bushes.

  Seneca lowered her weapon as Maiol stepped out into the open.

  "Maiol..." Seneca muttered in surprise.

  “Not often I see that look on your face. Surprised, are you?" Maiol teased.

  "Well, of course I’m surprised. What are you doing here?" Seneca asked, still confused.

  "I could ask you the same thing. Last year, we came here on Tsukuyomi day as well. The moon is beautiful," Maiol replied with a smile.

  Seneca, too, gazed at the moon. It was still early evening, yet it was already clear in the sky.

  "I feel the same. I wanted to watch the moon in a quiet pce," Maiol said, slowly walking closer.

  “Seneca...”

  “Hm?”

  “I’m going to take the Royal Adventurer Academy entrance exam this year.”

  “Eh? Really? You said you’d wait until you had a clear pn first...” Seneca said, her voice trailing off. The thought of their impending separation made her feel a little gloomy, almost as if she might cry.

  Maiol noticed the sadness on Seneca’s face.

  “I decided not to wait for things to fall into pce. I’m going to reach Copper rank soon and apply as a special schorship student. If that doesn’t work out, I’ll still enter the adventurers' school, but I’ll have to find another path.”

  Maiol had made her decision with determination.

  She had realised that if she continued to wait indefinitely, she would be left behind by Seneca in no time.

  “I see... But we still have a year left, right?” Seneca said, smiling faintly, though it was tinged with sadness.

  “What are you saying? You’re coming to the Royal Capital with me! We’ll go together!” Maiol excimed.

  “Huh?” Seneca blinked in surprise.

  “You’ll become a Copper adventurer too, and we’ll both become special schorship students!”

  “Huh? Um... I’m not going. I’m staying here in Baetica to get stronger,” Seneca responded, her resolve firm.

  “Why? If you become a Copper adventurer, your tuition fees will be waived!” Maiol pressed.

  Seneca hesitated, her mind racing, before replying.

  “I... I want to follow in my parents’ footsteps. I want to get stronger without going to school, right here, in this pce.”

  Maiol responded without missing a beat.

  “Isn’t your goal to become a gold-ranked adventurer? Seventy percent of gold-ranked adventurers graduate from advanced schools. For your goals, the Royal Adventurers Academy is the fastest way!”

  “Yeah... I know, but...” Seneca trailed off.

  Maiol understood that Seneca occasionally had moments like this.

  “Is there another reason? Kito is working hard to go to the Royal Capital too. You should go with her,” Maiol added.

  Seneca had noticed that Maiol and Kito had met a few times, but she hadn’t realised they had become so close.

  “Well... I know, but if I leave, Kito and Lucius won’t have anywhere to return to...” Seneca said, looking down, her voice tinged with sadness.

  Maiol grinned knowingly.

  “When it comes to that, you suddenly become so reserved. You’re not waiting for your crush, you know! You should go and meet him halfway!”

  Maiol realised she might have pushed too far with that comment, but she pressed on with determination.

  “Lucius isn’t my crush...” Seneca muttered, her face turning bright red.

  Maiol smirked. “So, that’s the part you’re reacting to.”

  Seneca’s face was so red, it was clear she was thinking about her first love.

  “Seneca, let me tell you something good,” Maiol said, her face mischievous.

  “What is it?” Seneca asked, already suspecting something.

  “You know, you often mumble ‘Lucius’ in your sleep,” Maiol teased.

  Seneca gasped, her face turning an even deeper shade of red. She covered her face with her hands, letting out a little “Nyaa” and running off towards the bushes at full speed.

  “Well, that was too much,” Maiol said, a victorious grin on her face as she brushed her hair back.

  ...

  After a while, as Maiol continued to gaze at the moon, Seneca returned.

  It was growing darker, and the sun had set.

  Seneca was clearly sulking, making a cute "muu" sound.

  Maiol thought it was adorable but kept a straight face, not wanting to tease her too much.

  Seneca walked up to Maiol and opened her mouth.

  “I... I’ve thought about it. If you’re going to push me that much, I’ll go to the Adventurers Academy. I’ll go to the Royal Capital with Kito and you, and I’ll meet Lucius there!”

  Maiol jumped for joy.

  “Yes! I knew you’d say that! Kito will be thrilled too! Now, let’s start training again tomorrow!”

  “Yeah! Wait, just a second. Did Kito say something to you?” Seneca asked, her expression suspicious.

  “Oh? Well... maybe,” Maiol replied, avoiding eye contact.

  Seneca thought for a moment before answering.

  “I see... But if that’s the case, then Kito must want to go with us too.”

  Maiol immediately responded.

  “No doubt about it. But she said that if she invited you, you’d decide before you had time to think about it. You two are actually kind of awkward, you know.”

  “That might be true... I don’t want to leave things unsaid. I’ll talk to Kito properly ter,” Seneca said with a sigh.

  “I think that’s a good idea,” Maiol agreed.

  Maiol stood tall in front of Seneca, looking her in the eye and extending her hand.

  “Seneca, I haven’t said this before, but let’s officially form a party. You’re going to become a gold adventurer, right?”

  “Yes!” Seneca answered firmly, taking Maiol’s hand.

  “And you’re going to sy a dragon, right?”

  “Of course!”

  “And...”

  “Become a hero!”

  The two of them exchanged a smile, their shared goal clear.

  As the two girls voiced their wish in unison, the moon in the night sky flickered faintly with a pale green light, but no one noticed.

  At that moment, the adventurer party known as the Moonlit Vow was formed.