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 33: The Man Who Literally Doesn't Fit In

Chapter 33: The Man Who Literally Doesn’t Fit In

Despite various issues, the dungeon practice session began. 

Somehow, it was decided that we would lead the way. 

“It’s probably my fault.”

I murmured, recalling the examiner’s face, glaring at me with disdain.

Was it to stage an accident, or were we just clearing the path?

“I’m not really bothered though.”

“I’ll protect you, Alicia!”

Standing beside me was a genius girl, educated in the magical arts by this great nation.

And a sage’s progeny, who surpassed her status to be admitted into the academy.

She’s worth a hundred men.

If it’s one of the shallower levels of the dungeon, we could return as if from a little school trip.

“Ragna, this is safer compared to the mountain range in the Brave territory you took me to before, right?”

“Of course.”

That time, it was after a monster subjugation, and with Onyx nearby, no monsters appeared. However, during peak seasons, they swarm.

Unlike the ones in the dungeons, those bloodthirsty monsters mercilessly hunt humans as prey.

“But it’s my first time in a dungeon, so I’m nervous…!”

“Right, let’s stay sharp.”

“Ahh, I’m so excited.”

Dungeons are mysterious, aren’t they? 

Where do the monsters residing in dungeons come from?

The ecosystem is also a complete mystery. 

What was the purpose of creating them in the first place? 

Well, whatever it is, it’s fine. 

“Excited, as if it’s a field trip?”

“But, you know, the dungeons in the Brave territory are even more amazing.”

Technically, you can’t just chat and relax at the entrance of a dungeon. 

There’s no such thing as ensuring safety.

It’s like being pushed inside, with monsters attacking mercilessly.

And once you’re inside, there are even more monsters; it’s practically hopeless.

“I can’t wait to hunt down every single one of them.”

The monsters in the dungeon disappear into mist after dropping something like a core when defeated.

These cores, filled with magical essence, are called mana cores. 

They are quite important resources for countries advanced in magic. 

It’s also a good time to make some money. 

I have no complaints about living frugally with Alicia, but now that I know Mariana’s shop offers a variety of coffees, I want to indulge.

“Hahaha.” 

“Sir Ragna, you’re laughing…?”

“Don’t mind me.”

“So?”

“He might be acting tame like a borrowed cat now, but in Brave territory, he starts doing unexpected things… Maybe he’s just excited to be in a dungeon after a long time?” 

Isn’t that something?

It’s normal there in the Brave territory. 

Anyway, being the first to enter the dungeon is great.

Because we had to find the sacred artifact hidden somewhere in this dungeon. 

The dungeon within the academy is usually guarded by the country’s knights to prevent students from entering. 

Now’s our chance!

After that, I mainly kept killing monsters and making our way through the dungeon.

Slicing and punching the monsters that appeared, moving forward. 

The levels where students are allowed to enter are supposed to be free of deadly traps. 

Or so it was supposed to be…

“Ragna, are you okay? You were hit by a poison arrow.”

“It was a direct hit, right…?”

The poison arrows flying around clearly had the intent to kill. 

Were they aiming for me, Alicia, or Mariana?

Probably all of us.

If I can find out who did it, I’ll kill them.

If they’re trying to kill, they can’t complain if they get killed, right?

“I’m fine.”

My specialty in magic is barriers, and I can freely change their shape. 

I can even create a protective film just a few millimeters around my body.

This barrier film is set to not let any fatal attacks through unconsciously, so I’m safe and secure even from surprise attacks.

Fatal attacks include anything moving at a high speed or any magic with a significant amount of magic power.

“It looked like it hit, but it barely didn’t, like it was stopped by a thin film.”

“That’s an incredible trick as always.”

“It was hard at first, but after doing it for over ten years, this is what I got.”

When I was three, I was seriously injured by a monster, teetering between life and death. 

Out of fear of dying and the idea that if I covered my whole body, attacks wouldn’t matter even if I was suddenly assaulted in the forest, I came up with this barrier. 

Initially, it required a conscious effort and an intense concentration that felt like my brain would burn out. I even passed out from exhaustion of my magical power and nearly died several times.

But after an enormous amount of training and countless bloody battles, I eventually got to the point where I could do it unconsciously.

“Wow, that’s incredibly meticulous and delicate!”

While adjusting her glasses, Mariana touches my body with great interest, breathing heavily. 

“Ahem, Mariana? He’s technically my fiancé, you know? Even if he’s like this.”

“Oh, sorry. I can’t help but be fascinated when it comes to magic.”

What do you mean by ‘even if he’s like this’?

I’ve always been like this.

And I’ll continue to be like this.

“You can’t tell when he’s in uniform, but he surprisingly has good muscles…”

Fighting all the time will do that to you. 

On the other hand, I never did desk work before, so I really struggled with tendinitis. 

That’s why I’m really glad Alicia came along. 

By the way, if I take off my clothes, you’ll see that I’m covered in scars here and there.

“It sounds like you’re all-powerful, but do you have any weaknesses?”

“I do.”

I honestly answer Alicia’s question.

“If I run out of magic power, I can’t use my abilities normally.”

If I’m restrained and subjected to continuous attacks that exceed the amount of magic power I have, it will deplete and break through. 

Also, attacks on a scale beyond what I expect are difficult to deal with unconsciously. 

For example, if Onyx, fully fed, decides to bite me while I’m asleep, I’d be eaten.

I try to prevent such situations as much as possible and have an ace up my sleeve for emergencies, but I’m vulnerable to surprise attacks that exceed my tolerance.

“By the way, is it possible for your magic power to run out?”

“Miss Alicia, what do you think I am…?”

“Ragna.”

“Yes, I’m Ragna.”

That’s not really an answer, right?

I’m really puzzled by what she thinks of me.

“Anyway, since Alicia and Mariana can’t use magic without chanting, how about we use the summer break for some intensive training? With the Brave style of training.”

The magic academy doesn’t teach spellcasting without chanting.

You only learn combat magic after graduating if you choose that path.

Thinking about the future, it’s essential to have some level of power.

Let’s make sure they can at least use magic unconsciously with a Brave-style boot camp.

“Wow! Really? That’s great!”

“Just, please make sure not to kill us…”

Mariana laughs innocently, but Alicia, who knows a bit about the Brave family, looks pale, imagining how tough the training will be.

With future disasters in mind, it’s necessary for them to have some level of self-defense because now I have to protect not just one, but two people.

“Well, I plan to expose you girls to even more dangerous dungeons this summer, so just watching is fine for today.”

I can’t let them walk into traps without any preparation, and it might be frustrating, but I’ll lead today. 

Combat like this is my speciality.

It’s hardly a warm-up for me.

As I was thinking this, Mariana adjusted her glasses and stared at the dungeon wall.

“But really, why were dungeons created? Why do the monsters inside disappear when defeated? Hmm, it’s really a mystery when you think about it again.”

Saying this, Mariana started hitting the wall with a small pickaxe she pulled out from somewhere.

“People say this place was created by an ancient wise man, but if that’s true, could the whole dungeon be made with magic? If the walls are made with earth magic, maybe we could break them and take some pieces home?”

“I haven’t really thought about it much, but it’s not good to be careless.”

Dungeons are full of mysteries and unknowns, and it’s common knowledge that anything can happen inside one. 

But, despite my warning, her curiosity as a former main character shines through. 

“I heard there’s even coffee made from dungeon resources. I’d love to try it someday.”

Clack.

“Clack? What was that sound just now?”

“Down! Look at your feet! Mariana!” 

Following Alicia’s shout, Mariana looked down to see a magic circle glowing at her feet.

Alicia rushed to save Mariana faster than anyone, and I, catching on to the situation, joined them on the magic circle.

I recognized this magic circle.

It was the teleportation magic circle used by Alicia when she was the villainess. 

It’s meant for situations where a character other than Edward is chosen.

I had intended to send the two back to the entrance and return alone, but fate had other plans, truly terrifying in its unpredictability.