The Villainess Who Was Dumped Got Married into My Family, a Mob Noble from the Frontier, and Turns Out, She's an Amazing Capable Wife? - Chapter 21: Ragna's Magic

Chapter 21: Ragna’s Magic

“I’m home!”

After successfully passing and returning home, Alicia, in her uniform, was there to greet me. 

Alicia, clad in her uniform, was stunningly lovely, to the point where opening the front door made me wonder if I had stepped into heaven. 

She wasn’t bare-legged but wore black tights, which, well, also scored highly in my book.

Perfect score!

“Ragna! Are you okay? Did anyone say something to you?”

“It was all good.”

I reassured her as she rushed over to me, acting like an overprotective mother.

“The students here, including me, suffer a lot from discrimination due to our parents, and many teachers even condone it.”

“That’s true.”

Alicia, who had been at this academy from the start and was made out to be the leader of the discriminators by her followers, was understandably worried.

But, well, it’s inevitable with Alicia. 

It’s just discrimination. 

Within the academy, it’s absurd for a commoner to cozy up to a prince, disregarding the fiancée from a ducal family.

And even I wouldn’t be allowed to marry a commoner adventurer, you know?

Nobles marry nobles to use their privileges, maintain connections with other nobles, and ensure their families last for generations.

Let’s consider the incident with Alicia right after the protagonist’s enrollment as a sad event born from these taken-for-granted norms.

I can somewhat understand why the others overreacted.

And why can’t the prince, the start of this whole issue, understand that overreacting is expected?

Using another girl to break up with his current girlfriend is something a jerk would do, even in modern Japan.

To reassure the worried Alicia, I made sure to tell her,

“I easily passed the practical magic exam. And I was exempted from the theory part.”

“Knowing you, Ragna, that’s believable. But how did you manage it?”

“It seems the examiner really didn’t want to pass me, but after I showed them what I’m made of, the headmaster decided to pass me.”

“…Seriously, what did you do?”

Her expression was puzzled, yet that’s exactly how it happened.

“The headmaster is quite capable, isn’t he?”

“Yes, I might have found him troublesome in the past, but now I can see he’s a person who genuinely puts the students first.”

Without the headmaster, things would have been much more complicated. 

I felt a bit guilty for causing a fuss, so I’m glad everything worked out well for Alicia.

“Actually, I’ve always been curious.”

“Hmm?”

“What exactly is your magic, Ragna?”

“It’s nothing special. I can do all sorts of magic, but barriers are my specialty.”

Even those barriers are a type of magic that can be used easily without specific talent. 

It’s one of the holy attributes.

It creates an invisible wall that can block anything, similar to the dome that covers the capital.

“But being good at barriers alone isn’t enough to get a waiver in the theory exam at the biggest magic school in a country famous for its magic. And tying with a dragon? Honestly, that seems impossible. Are you sure it’s just barriers?”

“Well, it might be different from what everyone imagines as barriers.”

I don’t usually like to brag about my magical skills, but maybe I should show Alicia. 

As I sip the coffee she made for me, I demonstrate by creating a barrier right in front of her.

“When everyone thinks of barriers, they imagine them as walls, right?”

“Yeah. But what’s really surprising is that you can create them without chanting… Anyway, since it’s you, Ragna, I’ll let that slide. Go on.”

Alicia said with a twitching smile, clearly getting quite used to the Brave family’s ways. 

Accepting it just because it’s me feels a bit insulting, but alright.

“Without chanting, I can shape them into not just walls but various forms.”

“Eh?”

Normally, you’d need a lengthy chant like “In the name of the holy goddess, I summon a protective wall,” which would only result in a wall.

But without chanting, you can create barriers in different shapes, not just rectangular walls, but domes, cylinders, and more. 

To prove it, I made a barrier shaped like a cup and poured coffee into it from the cup I was holding.

“Whoa!” 

Alicia was flustered seeing the black liquid floating in mid-air. 

Cute.

“Barriers can do this…?”

“Think about it. The barrier covering the capital is a good example.”

“Oh, right.”

She seemed convinced. That barrier is also a magnificent dome-shaped barrier.

“There are also differences between ordinary barriers and the capital’s barrier, right?”

“…Can it choose what to let through?”

“Exactly.”

She’s sharp, making for a quick understanding. 

“Advanced barriers can not only change shape but also control what they allow in and what they repel.”

The capital’s barrier allows people through but not magic.

It’s cleverly designed to repel magic from outside, while magic from inside can pass through, an absurd yet effective feature.

Covering the entire capital with a barrier requires an immense amount of magical power, and how it’s sustained remains a mystery.

“So, does that mean you can do stuff like the capital’s barrier, Ragna?”

“I can do even more detailed stuff.”

Unlike the massive barrier around the capital, the barriers I use are more cost-effective because I limit their range.

I can specify exactly what to allow through and what not to.

“Like this…”

I scooped up the coffee from the barrier-shaped cup and poured it back into the original cup, making the barrier only permeable to the porcelain cup.

“This would definitely pass the practical exam in one go…”

“If you ask whether it’s versatile, well, it’s pretty close, but there are things it can’t do.” 

For instance, I can’t separate the sugar and milk once they’ve been mixed into coffee.

I can manage with coins mixed in gold, bugs clinging to leaves, but not with things that have completely blended together.

“So, how did you manage a draw with a dragon using this?”

Alicia leaned in closer with curiosity. 

“Well…” 

There are more complex factors involved in that story, but before I could explain, a stomach growled loudly. 

Guuuuh~

And just for the record, that was Alicia’s stomach.

“L-Let’s have dinner! Since I’ve finally gotten the hang of cooking, let me take care of it!”

“Ah, yes, thank you.” 

I watched Alicia, her cheeks flushed, as she hurried off to the kitchen.

That’s when a question popped into my mind. 

Why was she wearing her uniform? 

Classes start tomorrow, and Alicia, who didn’t have an exam like me, didn’t need to wear her uniform today… But, well, it was a pleasant sight, so maybe it doesn’t matter?

She was probably checking the fit and everything else in preparation for tomorrow.