The Noble Lady Without Magic Aims to Become an Adventurer! - Chapter 36

The portable food we brought was dry and tasteless, as expected. Higher-ranking adventurers supposedly hunt and cook their meals, using fresh monsters or animals they capture.

I wasn’t at that level yet. As a beginner to outdoor life, portable food would have to suffice.

It was all part of the experience. With practice, I figured I’d be able to navigate life as an adventurer seamlessly after graduating from the academy.

Lost in these thoughts, I kept watch by the fire. When the monster-repellent incense burned out, I replaced it and handed over the shift to Fars. Since we’d decided to switch shifts whenever the incense needed replacing, I went straight into my tent, cast a purification spell, and quickly fell asleep.

I must have been more exhausted than I thought, as I drifted off almost immediately.

The next morning, I woke early to find Senior Arnold doing his morning stretches with plenty of energy. Fars groggily emerged from his tent, and the three of us discussed the day’s plans over breakfast, consisting of more of the bland portable food.

“Senior, are we focusing on gathering materials again today?”

“No, I think we’ll concentrate on completing guild quests. If we finish hunting today, we can return to the nearest village. Oh, by the way, hand over your swords. I’ll sharpen them.”

Arnold pulled out what looked like a whetstone from his backpack. Though a bit hesitant, Fars and I handed him our swords. With a calm expression, Arnold chanted a spell and ran the whetstone once along the blade, from hilt to tip.

To our surprise, the blades gleamed as if they were brand new.

“Senior! How did you do that? My sword even had some chips on the edge!”

“It’s a combination of repair magic and the whetstone’s properties. Fars, you’ve been putting too much strain on your sword. While it’s designed for heavy strikes, you need to be gentler with it. Marloa, your sword shows signs of careful use.

Well done.”

“Senior, please teach me that repair technique! I need to learn it!”

Fars was ecstatic, and I couldn’t blame him. Even I was stunned. Not even Mr. Levine had used such magic. Perhaps repair magic was something upperclassmen learned?

“Repair magic? Most students learn it around their third year. However, repairing swords is tricky because it requires precise control of magic. Only those aiming to become blacksmiths or alchemists usually bother mastering it.”

Hearing this, Fars deflated visibly. Personally, I thought I might be able to manage it, as I was good at controlling magic. Maybe I’d buy a cheap sword later to experiment with. Still, Arnold made it look effortless.

After breakfast, we packed up the tents and set off to hunt the monsters listed in our guild quests.

Though I wasn’t sure how Arnold navigated the forest so confidently, he seemed to know exactly where we were at all times. His handmade map tracked our position with remarkable accuracy.

We hunted monsters like boars, king bears, and black wolves, completing our quests by early afternoon. The number of encounters was higher than expected, but we managed to finish efficiently.

As we made our way back toward the nearest village, we suddenly stumbled upon a Yellow Dragon.

What now?

Tension gripped us instantly.

Dragons varied in strength depending on their color, but all of them were significantly stronger than other monsters. Even the so-called weakest, the Yellow Dragon, required at least two B-rank adventurers to take down.

For us, this would be a tough fight.

“Full retreat!” Arnold shouted.

We tried to flee, but the dragon wasn’t about to let us escape.
It was roughly the size of a big boar but far faster and capable of breathing fire. Its tail, thick and powerful, could deal devastating damage if it hit. The dragon quickly circled around to block our escape.

“Tch. We can’t outrun it. Marloa, Fars! We have no choice but to fight it with everything we’ve got.”

“Understood!”

Fars and I nodded at each other.

Until now, we’d avoided using magic in our fights to conserve energy, but this was a situation where holding back wasn’t an option.

“Senior, can you immobilize it?”

“Got it.”

At Fars’ request, Arnold cast an ice spell to freeze the dragon’s legs. The moment it hesitated, Fars swung his sword, engulfed in flames, aiming to sever its tail.

I activated body-enhancement magic and leapt toward the dragon, targeting its neck. Meanwhile, Arnold enchanted his blade with ice magic and aimed for the dragon’s chest, where its magic stone was located.

The dragon’s tough hide made it hard to inflict decisive damage, but we managed to render its tail useless, blind its right eye, and freeze part of its armored body near the magic stone.
Our combined efforts inflicted significant damage on the Yellow Dragon.

“Marloa, attack from the right! Fars, keep pressing forward!”
“Understood!”

Following Arnold’s commands, Fars and I launched repeated attacks. After two or three more strikes, the dragon finally collapsed. I took the opportunity to sever its head.

“Senior! We did it!”

“Incredible. You two are advancing toward A-rank with ease.”
“It’s my first time fighting a dragon, and the rumors about their strength were true.”

Relieved after the tense battle, we found ourselves chatting more freely.

“Marloa, Fars, do you want any of the dragon’s materials?”
“I don’t need any.”

“Neither do I. But I’ve heard dragon steak is delicious. If this one’s edible, I’d like to try it.”

“Fair enough. This dragon’s meat is reputed to be tasty. I’ll take the materials, though—they’re valuable for alchemy. I’ll trade you something I make with them later.”

Arnold seemed only half-listening to us as he began collecting the dragon’s materials, his mind already focused on his alchemical experiments.