The Noble Lady Without Magic Aims to Become an Adventurer! - Chapter 28

Sir Nikolai and I took our positions, wooden swords at the ready.

“I’m not too thrilled about pointing a sword at a lady, but if we cross blades moderately, that should suffice,” he said, exuding confidence.

“My, Sir Nikolai, you seem quite sure of yourself. Let’s make this enjoyable,” I replied with a polite smile.

At the instructor’s signal, the match began.

I’m not particularly fond of sparring with people—I much prefer battling magical beasts. Somehow, Fars seemed to sense my thoughts.

“Lady Marloa, stop daydreaming about magical beasts and focus on the fight,” he teased.

“Ugh! I am not daydreaming!” I snapped back, dodging Sir Nikolai’s swing with ease.

Sir Nikolai, the son of the knight commander, wielded his sword with confidence. His style relied heavily on brute strength, but to me, his movements were riddled with openings. Was he deliberately creating those gaps?

As he swung diagonally for a heavy downward strike, I instinctively swept his legs out from under him. The momentum sent him tumbling to the ground, and I placed my wooden sword gently but firmly at his chest, signaling the end of the match.
Sir Nikolai didn’t seem pleased with the outcome.

I extended a hand to help him up and smiled.

“Really now. Sweeping my legs? How improper,” he grumbled.

“Fufu, but the instructor never said it wasn’t allowed,” I countered.

“Exactly,” the instructor chimed in. “Sir Nikolai, your lower stance was full of openings. You need more practice. As for you, Marloa, your skill is still hard to gauge from this match.”

“Then allow me to be her next opponent,” came a cheerful voice.
His Highness Shelman stepped forward, taking Sir Nikolai’s wooden sword and testing its weight with a few practice swings.

Just from his stance, it was obvious he was far more skilled than Sir Nikolai.

I couldn’t help but wonder if Sir Nikolai was truly suited for the role of a royal aide. Someone from the palace was bound to report on his performance in class, and I suspected he’d be facing some grueling training sessions later.

“All right, Shelman and Marloa, let’s see a good match,” the instructor announced. “Begin!”

His Highness and I kept a measured distance, neither of us making the first move.

“If you won’t come to me, Marloa, I’ll take the initiative,” he said, stepping in smoothly.

He struck from below, aiming to scoop my defense upward, but I deflected his strike by guiding the force outward. Strength-wise, I couldn’t compete with a man, but Reco had always said, “Redirect the force instead, my lady.”

Reco had always seemed like a carefree, delicate man, but as I grew stronger, I came to realize just how much he had taught me.

His Highness continued to press his attacks, each time with increasing speed and precision. I deflected them all, directing the force outward. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

When he thrust toward me, I leapt to the side and tossed a small stone at his feet to disrupt his footing. While he adjusted, I repositioned and planned my next move. Just as I was about to strike, the instructor called an end to the match.

“Well done, both of you,” the instructor praised.

He then began assigning personalized training regimens to each of us. As expected of an S-Class instructor, his guidance was precise and tailored to our needs. Could he have been a former knight commander? The thought left me a little awestruck.

His Highness approached me after the session.

“Marlowa, you and Fars are both remarkably skilled. Have you considered joining my retinue?”

“I’m honored by the offer, Your Highness, but I’m afraid I must decline. I’m not fond of fighting other people. My skills are better suited to battling magical beasts. Fars might be a better candidate—he’s always dreamed of becoming a knight.”

“Thank you, but for now, I serve Lady Marloa,” Fars replied smoothly.

“Not a fan of sparring, Marloa?” His Highness asked with curiosity.

“Her swordsmanship is specialized for slaying magical creatures,” Fars explained.

“Interesting. To achieve this level of skill without magic is remarkable. The rest of us pale in comparison. I had assumed you joined the knight course to become a knight,” His Highness remarked.

“I plan to become an adventurer, while Fars aspires to be a knight commander,” I replied.

Just as we were chatting, the instructor’s voice boomed.

“You lot seem quite relaxed! Since you have time for idle chatter, add 200 push-ups and 200 practice swings to your training!”

“…Yes, sir,” we groaned collectively.

With no room for protest, we completed the additional exercises, working through the instructor’s regimen without breaking a sweat.

The remainder of the day was spent in lecture-based classes.
“Good day, Lady Marloa,” greeted Lady Eleanor and Lady Hanon.

“Good day, Lady Eleanor, Lady Hanon,” I replied politely.

Fars and I, feeling more mentally than physically tired after the day’s events, decided to have a quick meal at the cafeteria before heading back to our rooms.

“Shall we visit the commoners’ cafeteria today?” Fars suggested.
“At this hour, lunch might already be gone. The A lunch specials are probably sold out. Let’s stick to the nobles’ cafeteria,” I replied.

“Fair enough. I could go for some meat. Let’s just hope we don’t run into anyone unpleasant,” Fars muttered.

“Yes… It’s always at times like this, isn’t it?”

We ordered hearty steaks, perfect after physical exertion, and dug in. Partway through our meal, a voice interrupted.
“Mind if I join you?”

The speaker was Arnold, one of our seniors.

“Of course, please do,” I said. “What brings you here, Senior Arnold?”

After ordering the same meal as us, Arnold smiled and answered, “I wanted to ask for your help this weekend.”

“Do you need certain materials?” I inquired.

“Exactly. It seems a spider has nested in the northern forest, and I need both the spider and its web.”

“Couldn’t you recruit help through the guild? Sending a delicate lady like me on a spider hunt seems rather harsh,” I said dramatically.

Fars snickered beside me.

“Fars! I’m being serious!”

“I never said otherwise,” he replied, amused.

“I heard about your entrance exam—you sparred with the knight commander and passed. Hardly delicate,” Arnold commented with a grin.

“So that was the knight commander… No wonder he was so strong,” I muttered.

Arnold nodded knowingly. “This time, it’s a D-Rank spider. Shouldn’t be too hard.”

The “spider” in question was a Yellow Spider. Normally D-Rank, they could occasionally escalate to C-Rank depending on their numbers or abdomen color. Rarely, a “King” could emerge, boasting A-Rank strength.

Feigning hesitation, I glanced at Fars, who was clearly enjoying himself.

“Fine,” I said with a sigh. “We’ll join you this weekend.”

“Thanks, that helps a lot. I’m currently C-Rank, but gathering materials solo has been tough. Few people want to join material-gathering quests.”

As we ate, Arnold shared stories about alchemy, his chosen field, and his aspirations to become a royal alchemist.

After finalizing plans for the weekend, we parted ways. I couldn’t help but feel a little excited—it wasn’t often I worked with anyone other than Fars or my instructors.

The days leading up to the weekend were filled with assignments, reports, and training as I prepared for the upcoming adventure.