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 67: Onyx Goes Swoooo

Chapter 67: Onyx Goes Swoooo

“―Is this girl Mariana Ocean?”

“Yes, she is.” 

On a cliff overlooking the Brave territory from the Ydaina mountains, I had introduced Mariana to Onyx.

I had thought Mariana might faint just like Alicia did when they first met, or foam at the mouth and collapse like she did when meeting a noble.

“Fuwaah, a dragon! I’ve never seen one before!”

She showed her interest in Onyx with her glasses moving up and down rapidly and breathing heavily through her nose.

“…No way, I’m a bit jealous.”

Alicia pouted, looking cutely disappointed by Mariana’s unexpected reaction.

“I had a feeling this might happen.”

Mariana tends to be fearless, except when it comes to nobles. 

In magic class, she’s always the first to raise her hand and answer questions, she’d dig through dungeon walls and soil with a shovel to take home, and while looking at an Orc Lord, she’d discuss the value of its testicles.

So, if you ask whether she’d be terrified of a dragon, there’s a good chance she’d be more intrigued than scared.

“Waa, incredible, is this dragon scale? It seems harder than a Lizardman’s!” 

“…Don’t compare me to such inferior creatures.”

Far from being scared, she was touching him with keen interest.

“Can I have one of these scales?”

“That might be a bit much to ask for; it’s better not to.”

That’s a dangerous thought, so let’s not go there.

It’s like asking someone if you can have a piece of their skin. 

It’s something I’ve seen done during enemy interrogations, but it’s hard to believe that someone with such a natural demeanor used to be the protagonist.

“I guess I can part with one scale…”

“Fuwaah, thank you so much. Sir Ragna, Alicia, look, I got one!”

Mariana exclaimed with joy, leaving both me and Alicia in shock.

“Well, that’s nice, isn’t it…?” 

“For you to give it so easily…”

Perhaps it was a grand gesture because she’s a saint. 

Would Onyx be mad at me later?

I really paired her with an unbelievable woman. 

“Isn’t that why you brought her here, Ragna Vel Brave?”

“Well, yes…” 

But I didn’t mean like this.

“Can Alicia have one too?” 

I jokingly asked, hoping to get a scale for myself to study the dragon’s magic power.

“Let’s keep the jokes to your existence only.” 

“Alright.”

I conceded, feeling the glare directed at me.

Onyx, bringing his large head closer, declared, 

“Didn’t you swear to protect that girl in front of me? If so, she doesn’t need my scale, does she?”

“Ehh! That’s so romantic! Alicia and Sir Ragna, you guys are really something.”

“Well, that’s… yeah…”

Alicia felt a bit embarrassed by Mariana’s words, who genuinely admired the revelation about Onyx without making fun of it. 

Her vague response was understandable since she had fainted and couldn’t remember well.

“Listen carefully, Ragna Vel Brave.”

“Hmm?”

“History has proven that a lowly human can only risk their life to protect one person in their lifetime. So, who will protect this blue-haired girl? Hmph, I’ll lend you my power. Keep it with you at all times.” 

“T-Thank you so much!”

Mariana bowed deeply in gratitude for the dragon’s generous gift.

He seemed overly protective. 

What was going on with Onyx?

“Be grateful that you were brought here, Mariana Ocean. If it hadn’t happened, that creeping shadow would have swallowed you before the end of summer.”

Mariana’s expression changed with these words. 

“Creeping shadow… Can you see it, Sir Dragon?”

“It’s Onyx.” 

“Can Sir Onyx see the shadow behind me?”

“I am a dragon. We see in different dimensions than you humans.”

What was this talk of creeping shadows?

I could see magical creatures with my own eyes, but I hadn’t noticed any bugs on Mariana. 

I thought her saintly magical power would keep such things away. What did Onyx mean by the creeping shadow?

“Onyx, Mariana, I want to know more about this.”

“It’s a curse of substitution. Someone has marked her somewhere, and as a result, as engraved with the curse, her soul becomes diluted, losing sight of her rightful path.”

It sounded like a familiar kind of magic to me.

“Sir Onyx, is it different from bugs? I thought it was just a bigger version of those.”

“It’s similar but different. It transforms into what the person fears the most. But for Onyx, the eater of curses, human magic like this is no trouble at all.”

Before we could delve deeper, Onyx began to explain more.

“Swoooooooo!”

“Wha?”

With a huge breath in, something like a black mist peeled away from Mariana’s body and was sucked into Onyx’s mouth.

“Done!” 

Onyx said, chewing. 

“Now that I’ve eaten the shadow that was following her, she’s safe. See, dealing with such things is easy for me.”

There was a proud look about him, but the conversation moved too quickly for me to dwell on that.

“I thought we’d go through a process, maybe hear more from Mariana.”

“Why dwell on the past when the problem can be solved in an instant? This is why I find you short-lived humans puzzling.”

“Right, got it.”

That makes sense. 

If a dragon, a higher being, says so, I can only agree.

Something had been haunting Mariana, and it was exorcised.

It’s all related to Patricia, but let’s just be happy that we’ve managed to give her a bit of a surprise.

“Now Mariana Ocean will return to her original fate. The curse has afflicted her for a long time, and I don’t know how far back things will go, but as long as my protection is with her, no one will be able to disrupt her path.”

Onyx laughs proudly, saying, “After all, I am a dragon.” 

But now that her fate has returned to its course, I wonder what will happen next…