The Noble Lady Without Magic Aims to Become an Adventurer! - Chapter 41

“If I thought there was some commotion at the entrance, it turns out it was you, Marloa. What brings you back home all of a sudden? And in knight’s attire, no less? That’s hardly ladylike.

Were you expelled from the dormitory?”

“Oh, Tera. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? How have you been? I’m just here to pick up some belongings.”

Tera spoke to me as if I were something unpleasant to look at. Truly, I wonder who she takes after. Perhaps she embodies the quintessential noble demeanor.

In aristocratic society, which has long excluded those without magical power, such an attitude isn’t uncommon.

Well, from a familial perspective, it’s unthinkable. But I have never lived a “family-like” life with my relatives, so I suppose it can’t be helped.

As I waited, deflecting Tera’s jabs, Otto soon arrived with Anna, both carrying large boxes likely filled with dresses and accessories, and they brought them to the salon.

“Lady Marloa, I have brought your belongings. The carriage is ready to take you to the academy.”

Otto was instructing a servant to prepare the carriage when—
“Marlowa, what is this? Do you even need dresses at the academy? Surely not, as a knight. And those are ready-made dresses, aren’t they? Where do you think you’re going with such cheap items? Honestly, you’re nothing but a disgrace to the marquisate.”

I decided to keep quiet about the royal request—it wouldn’t do to let Tera know.

“Oh, if you think it’s disgraceful, feel free to tell Father. Well then, I’m busy, so I’ll be going.”

Since neither Tera nor Sara were old enough to attend the ball, I wouldn’t have to see them there anyway. Fars and I quickly boarded the carriage and left the estate.

The carriage changed its destination from the academy to the royal palace. At the palace gates, I handed over the dresses to a waiting attendant. Afterward, the carriage took us to the dormitory.

Both Fars and I were utterly exhausted, so we decided to rest in our rooms for the day.

The next day, after finishing my morning training, I was copying magic circles in Senior Yele’s laboratory as usual when Senior Arnold entered the room holding something mysterious.
“Yele, what do you make of this?”

Senior Arnold presented the strange object. It was squishy, like a slime, but its colors—an unsettling mix of purple and blue—made it clear it wasn’t a typical slime.

The thing pulsed rhythmically, emitting a dark miasma with each pulse. At its center was a grotesque, glaring eyeball.

“Arnold! What is that? This is absolutely forbidden, isn’t it!?”
Even Senior Yele recoiled at the sight. It was undeniably
ominous. Even as someone inexperienced in magic, I could tell it was something terrible. Where on earth did Arnold find this?

“I think this was used for some kind of sorcery. I was out
gathering materials in a nearby forest when I found it placed at the center of a magic circle.”

“A magic circle!? How did you even bring it back!?”

“The magic circle seemed designed to summon something, so I destroyed it immediately. I figured this might be part of the summoning process, so I brought it back. It’s incredible, isn’t it? Though, admittedly, it’s pretty gross.”

For someone who found it gross, Arnold was remarkably unbothered, holding it with his bare hands. Truly, he was a brave soul.

“Anyway, I need you to analyze it.”

“…Fine. But I’m not touching it!”

Sighing, Yele retrieved a copper plate engraved with a specialized magic circle from a storage box at his feet. He placed it on the table, and Arnold carefully set the mysterious object at its center.

Yele began chanting incantations. While we watched closely, Arnold casually cleaned his hands with magic, opened a cupboard, and started preparing tea.

Though he had seemed indifferent, it appeared even Arnold wanted to ensure his hands were clean after touching that grotesque thing. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

“Is it really okay to help yourself to tea?”

“Of course. This analysis will take a while.”

As he poured tea for the three of us, a thought crossed my mind.

“Senior Arnold, will you be attending the upcoming ball?”

“Yes, I plan to attend alone. You’re not participating, are you?”

“Actually, I’ve been asked by the royal family to attend as His Highness’s guard. Fars will also be attending as a royal attendant. Unfortunately, I’ll have to enter the venue on my own.”

“In that case, may I offer to escort you?”

I hesitated briefly before replying.

“Senior Arnold, are you sure? Wouldn’t escorting a powerless lady like me make you a laughingstock?”

“That doesn’t matter. Let people say what they will. Those of us who truly know you, Marloa, know the truth, and that’s all that counts.”

Arnold’s nonchalant response, as he sipped his tea elegantly, eased my heart a little. He was right.

His words made me realize that, deep down, I had been hurt more than I cared to admit.

I had Fars, Reco, Professor Levain, Violetta, and Hubert. Even Seniors Arnold and Yele, despite knowing my circumstances, didn’t turn their backs on me.

My classmates were the same. Though they may tread carefully around me, not everyone disliked me.

“Senior Arnold, may I take you up on your offer to escort me?”
“Of course. I’d be honored.”

We agreed to meet at the venue entrance, where I would arrive after changing into my dress at the royal palace. Yele, being a viscount, would be stationed outside for security duty.

As we continued discussing the ball over tea, we returned to copying magic circles. Senior Yele muttered to himself as he carried on with the analysis, while Senior Arnold helped us refine our techniques and provided clear, insightful explanations. His guidance even sparked an enthusiastic discussion about our future training.

Fars’s role would focus on combining swordsmanship with high-powered magic, while I would emphasize physical enhancement, support magic, and alchemy—an approach that better suited my abilities.

The analysis would take several days, just as our foundational magic circle studies wrapped up. After that, we would move on to individual training.

Even at this foundational level, learning alchemy was exciting.

For the next few days, I shifted to working in Arnold’s laboratory, dedicating myself to cleaning the lab and copying magic circles.