I'm Not Your Husband, You Evil Dragon!

If she wanted to save her Papa...

She had to become strong.

Even if only for today.

With trembling arms and tear-filled eyes, Elena continued dragging the impossibly heavy bag toward the apartment door, inch by inch, refusing to let go no matter how much her tiny body begged her to stop.

After what felt like forever, she finally reached the entrance of the apartment. Elena immediately let go of the bag before collapsing onto her knees, breathing heavily. Her tiny chest rose and fell rapidly while sweat mixed with the dried tears staining her cheeks. Every muscle in her little body screamed for rest, but the image of Yuuta crying for help refused to leave her mind.

"Papa..."

She whispered between exhausted breaths.

"Wait..."

"Elena is coming."

After resting for only a few seconds, she forced herself back onto her feet. She grabbed the edge of the heavy bag once more and slowly dragged it through the apartment doorway. The rough fabric scraped loudly against the floor before finally crossing into the apartment corridor.

She was only a little girl.

But she had never once thought about giving up.

Eventually, Elena reached the staircase.

She immediately stopped.

Her crimson eyes slowly looked down the long flight of stairs before lowering toward the enormous bag resting beside her feet. For the first time since leaving the apartment, uncertainty appeared across her tiny face.

It was too heavy.

If she lost control now...

The entire bag would tumble down the stairs.

And...

She might fall with it.

Elena nervously bit her lower lip before taking a deep breath.

"I can do it..."

She quietly encouraged herself.

"Papa is waiting."

Carefully, Elena stepped down onto the first stair while keeping both hands tightly wrapped around the bag. She slowly lowered it one step at a time, using every bit of strength inside her tiny body to stop it from sliding freely. The process was painfully slow, but it worked. Every stair became another small victory as she carefully repeated the same movement over and over again.

One step...

Another step...

Then another.

By the time she finally reached the second floor, Elena’s entire body was shaking from exhaustion.

Her small hands had become bright red from continuously pulling against the rough fabric. Tiny blisters had already begun forming across her palms, while her fingers trembled uncontrollably every time she tightened her grip. She hadn’t eaten since earlier that day, her stomach growled painfully with hunger, and the dried tear marks across her cheeks reminded everyone just how long she had been crying.

Yet...

She kept going.

She slowly dragged the bag across the second-floor landing before beginning the same careful descent once again. Every stair stole a little more of her remaining strength, but she refused to loosen her grip even once.

Eventually...

She reached the first floor.

Elena leaned against the wall, breathing so heavily that every breath sounded painful.

She looked toward the ground floor far below before forcing a tiny smile onto her exhausted face.

"Only..."

She struggled to catch another breath.

"...one more floor."

She looked upward as though speaking directly to Yuuta.

"Papa..."

"Elena will save you."

Those simple words gave her just enough strength to stand again.

She grabbed the bag once more before attempting the exact same method that had safely brought her this far. Slowly, she lowered one foot toward the next step while carefully guiding the heavy bag behind her.

For a moment...

Everything seemed fine.

Then...

Elena’s tiny foot slipped from the edge of the stair.

For one horrifying second, everything froze.

Then gravity took over.

"Aahhh!"

Her little body tumbled down the staircase while the enormous bag of Aesthor Stones rolled beside her like a giant boulder. Elena desperately tried to protect herself, curling into a ball exactly as Yuuta had once taught her whenever she fell, but she was simply too small.

Her shoulder struck the railing.

Her back slammed against the steps.

She rolled again.

Then—

Bang!

Her forehead crashed into the wall near the bottom of the staircase.

The impact sent stars dancing across her vision.

The heavy bag followed immediately afterward, smashing against the floor with tremendous force. The fabric tore apart from the impact, and dozens of Aesthor Stones burst out across the corridor.

Clack!

Clack!

Clack!

Sixty-seven darkened Aesthor Stones scattered across the ground, rolling in every direction. Every one of them had already absorbed Yuuta’s corrupted aura during Fiona’s earlier treatment, leaving them pitch black and impossibly heavy.

Only...

Two stones remained different.

Two small crystal-clear Aesthor Stones rolled to the side, untouched by corruption, their gentle glow standing out among the sea of black.

Elena remained lying on the floor.

For several seconds...

She didn’t move.

A single tear slid from the corner of her eye before she slowly reached toward her forehead with trembling fingers. The moment she touched the swollen spot, she flinched from the pain.

"It hurts..."

Her tiny voice cracked.

"Papa..."

"It hurts..."

Fresh tears poured down her cheeks.

"Mama..."

"It hurts..."

She hugged herself as sobs escaped uncontrollably from her tiny chest.

"Mama..."

"Papa..."

"Elena is hurt..."

"Whaaaa..."

Her cries echoed throughout the empty apartment hallway. Her little hands had turned bright red from dragging the bag, her body ached from the terrible fall, and every part of her wanted to stay there and cry until someone came to help.

She was tired.

So...

Very tired.

She wanted to give up.

Just then...

Yuuta’s voice echoed inside her memories.

"Elena is a strong girl."

She froze.

More tears rolled down her face, but this time she slowly lifted both tiny hands and wiped them away.

"Hic..."

"Papa said..."

"Hic..."

"Elena..."

"...is strong."

She sniffled loudly before forcing herself back onto her feet.

"Elena..."

"...won’t cry."

Even though another hiccup escaped her lips, she stubbornly nodded to herself before beginning to gather the scattered stones. She picked up one of the black Aesthor Stones first, only for her tiny arm to immediately sink under its unbelievable weight.

"Huh...?"

She tried lifting it with both hands.

It barely moved.

Elena stared at the dark crystal in confusion before another memory surfaced inside her dragon mind.

She remembered Fiona.

She remembered the stone glowing beautifully like clear crystal.

Not...

Like this.

Elena slowly looked around the scattered stones before finally spotting the only two untouched Aesthor Stones resting several feet away.

"They’re..."

"The same..."

She hurried toward them.

Unlike the others, these two crystals felt almost weightless inside her tiny hands. Elena’s face immediately brightened with hope as she hugged both stones tightly against her little chest.

"Papa..."

"Wait..."

"Elena found them."

Without wasting another second, she turned around and ran as fast as her exhausted little legs could carry her. She ignored the pain in her body, ignored the bruises from the fall, and ignored the tears still running down her cheeks.

All that mattered...

Was Papa.

Moments later, she reached the apartment yard once again.

Yuuta still lay beneath the tree, his body trembling violently while black aura leaked from every part of him. His face had become frighteningly pale, and even while unconscious, tears continued slipping from his tightly closed eyes.

"Papa!"

Elena cried as she hurried to his side.

"Elena is here!"

"You don’t have to be scared anymore."

"I’m going to save you."

She carefully remembered every movement Fiona had performed earlier that day. Although she didn’t fully understand the process, her dragon memory guided her tiny hands with remarkable accuracy.

Very gently...

She placed the first crystal upon Yuuta’s forehead.

Then the second upon his chest.

The reaction was immediate.

The clear Aesthor Stones suddenly began glowing with brilliant white light as streams of black aura erupted from Yuuta’s body and were violently pulled toward the crystals. Like starving creatures, the stones absorbed every strand of corrupted aura they could reach, their crystal-clear surfaces gradually beginning to darken.

Elena’s crimson eyes widened with hope.

The stones...

Were working.

And for the first time since this nightmare had begun...

The little dragon girl finally believed...

She might actually be able to save her Papa.

_____________

Location: Liebcus Agency

Place: Interrogation Room

Erza’s violet gaze remained fixed upon the Salesman Demon as she slowly stepped closer. Her eyes carefully studied every detail of his expression while countless thoughts connected inside her mind. Suddenly, her pupils narrowed ever so slightly, as though she had discovered something that shouldn’t have existed.

"You..."

Her voice remained calm.

"You were captured by the Aesthor Stone..."

"...weren’t you?"

The Salesman Demon froze for a brief moment before reluctantly nodding.

"Y-Yes..."

Erza remained silent.

Then, unexpectedly, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"...Interesting."

She quietly murmured to herself.

"Quite interesting..."

Sara immediately noticed the subtle change in Erza’s expression. Ever since entering the interrogation room, the Dragon Queen had remained completely indifferent, yet now genuine curiosity had appeared in her eyes.

"My Queen..."

Sara spoke respectfully.

"What do you find interesting?"

Erza didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she continued staring at the demon, as though trying to confirm a theory forming inside her mind.

"It is merely a hypothesis..."

"...but it is worth testing."

She slowly turned toward Sara.

"Release your aura."

Sara blinked.

"Pardon...?"

Erza’s violet eyes remained fixed on the demon as her expression gradually turned colder.

"Don’t make me repeat myself." Her voice carried no anger, only icy certainty. "I’ve been carrying this doubt for far longer than I should have."

She narrowed her eyes, recalling the moments she had ignored.

The first time...

...was when she witnessed Yuuta’s childhood memories..

That strange aura had appeared briefly before vanishing again, but Yuuta’s suffering had been so overwhelming that even Erza’s attention had shifted entirely toward his pain. She had dismissed the feeling as nothing more than an oddity.

The second time...

When Yuuta had accidentally fallen into the Nightmare Trial’s Soul Realm.

For a brief instant, she had sensed that same indescribable aura again. It wasn’t overwhelming. It wasn’t majestic. Nor did it possess the oppressive pressure of an ancient being.

It was simply... strange.

Strange enough to leave a lingering doubt in the back of her mind.

And now...

After witnessing what had become of this demon...

That forgotten doubt resurfaced.

Her gaze sharpened.

Something wasn’t right.

According to the demon’s memories, there should have been a reason for his overwhelming reaction.

Yet Erza herself had never felt anything extraordinary from Yuuta.

No overwhelming bloodline.

No divine pressure.

No superiority that should have frightened a higher demon.

Only...

That strange aura.

And that was precisely what disturbed her.

"What exactly..."

"...made this demon react that way?"

She whispered almost to herself.

"There is only one way to confirm my suspicion."

Erza slowly turned toward Sara.

"Release your aura."

Sara immediately lowered her head.

"As you command, My Queen."

Without another word, she released her vampiric aura.

Without another word, the Vampire Queen stopped suppressing her presence.

A crimson aura erupted from her body.

The atmosphere inside the interrogation room instantly became suffocating as waves of ancient vampiric pressure spread in every direction. The walls trembled faintly while the temperature noticeably dropped. Fiona’s breathing became heavier almost immediately, Captain Lily instinctively dropped to one knee, and even the elite agents found themselves struggling beneath the overwhelming pressure radiating from Sara’s bloodline.

For the first time since entering the room, they were reminded why Sara Venom stood above humanity.

She wasn’t merely another captain.

She was a survivor of the Blood Dynasty.

A true vampire.

Erza quietly observed everything without reacting.

Her attention never left the Salesman Demon.

Unlike the humans surrounding him, the demon certainly felt Sara’s aura. His muscles visibly tensed, and small beads of sweat appeared across his forehead. His breathing became slightly uneven, yet...

He remained standing.

He was frightened.

He was uncomfortable.

But he wasn’t collapsing.

Erza’s smile slowly disappeared.

"...As I thought."

She murmured softly.

"This isn’t what I witnessed inside his memories."

She looked toward Sara.

"Enough."

Sara immediately withdrew her aura without asking any questions. The suffocating pressure vanished from the room almost instantly, allowing everyone present to breathe normally again. Fiona and Lily slowly stood back up while the elite agents exchanged confused glances, unable to understand what exactly Erza had been testing.

Sara respectfully stepped several paces backward.

"I leave everything to Your Majesty."

Erza gave a slight nod before turning her full attention back toward the chained demon.

"Then..."

"...let me confirm it myself."

She slowly walked forward until only a few steps separated them.

The Salesman Demon forced a smile onto his face, pretending confidence despite the fear hidden behind his trembling eyes. His instincts screamed at him to flee, but the holy chains left him completely helpless.

Erza looked directly into his eyes.

Then...

Erza released her aura.

The world itself seemed to stop.

Unlike Sara’s vampiric pressure, Erza’s aura wasn’t merely overwhelming—it was absolute. It crashed through the interrogation room like an invisible tsunami, swallowing every living soul inside. The elite agents who had barely managed to remain standing after enduring Sara’s aura were instantly driven to the floor. Their knees didn’t simply buckle; it felt as though an entire mountain had descended upon their bodies, pinning them against the ground without mercy.

Captain Lily collapsed first.

Fiona followed immediately afterward.

Neither woman possessed even the strength to lift her head. Their bodies refused to obey them as instinct screamed only one command.

Submit.

Sara remained the only one barely capable of resisting. Even then, she was forced onto one knee as cold sweat drenched her body. Her breathing became uneven while her vampire instincts desperately warned her not to look directly at the Dragon Queen. For the first time in centuries, Sara understood why the dragons had ruled Nova for thousands of years.

This...

This wasn’t simply power.

This was the pressure of countless lives buried beneath one existence.

She could almost hear them.

Countless screams.

Countless deaths.

It felt as though every soul Erza had ever slain stood silently behind her Queen, watching the room with empty eyes. The sheer weight of that invisible army made Sara’s heart tremble uncontrollably.

Fiona’s situation was even worse.

Until today, she had believed she understood Erza’s strength. She had witnessed fragments of it at the harbor, felt traces of it during previous encounters, and convinced herself that she had experienced the Dragon Queen’s true aura.

She had been horribly mistaken.

This...

This was Erza’s real aura.

The terrifying pressure crushed Fiona flat against the floor as nausea violently surged through her stomach. Her vision blurred, and she had to bite her own tongue to stop herself from vomiting. Every instinct inside her body begged her to flee, yet she couldn’t even move a finger beneath that overwhelming presence.

Meanwhile...

Erza never took her eyes off the Salesman Demon.

This time...

The demon reacted completely differently.

The chair beneath him shattered as the pressure violently slammed him into the wall behind him. The holy chains remained wrapped around his body, yet they could no longer keep him upright. He crashed onto the stone floor in agony while blood burst from his mouth.

Crack...

Crack...

The reinforced interrogation windows began splintering.

Spiderweb-like fractures spread across the stone floor beneath Erza’s feet, while the walls groaned under the immense pressure filling the room.

The Salesman Demon screamed.

Unlike before, there was no composure left.

His entire body convulsed uncontrollably as blood poured from his nose, ears, and mouth. His pupils shook violently while sheer terror consumed every trace of resistance remaining inside him.

His eyes locked onto Erza.

To him...

She no longer resembled a dragon.

She resembled death itself.

Before the demon’s mind could completely collapse beneath the pressure...

Erza withdrew her aura.

Everything returned to normal in an instant.

The invisible mountain disappeared.

Silence reclaimed the interrogation room.

The elite agents remained sprawled across the floor, their bodies refusing to move after experiencing something so utterly beyond their comprehension. Fiona lay breathing heavily, still unable to lift herself, while Captain Lily simply stared blankly at the ceiling.

Only Sara slowly forced herself back onto her feet.

Her legs trembled uncontrollably.

For a brief moment...

She truly believed Erza could erase the entire world if she wished.

Erza ignored everyone around her.

Her attention remained fixed upon the Salesman Demon lying broken across the floor.

"...No."

She quietly muttered.

"That isn’t it."

She narrowed her eyes as she replayed the memories she had seen moments earlier.

"This reaction..."

"...is different."

"The terror I witnessed inside his memories..."

"...wasn’t caused by this."

The Salesman Demon had feared her.

That much was undeniable.

But the fear recorded inside his memories had been something far deeper—far more instinctive—than what Erza had just forced him to experience.

Something still didn’t fit.

Something...

Was missing.

Erza slowly turned her head.

"Sunday."

The AI immediately responded.

"Yes, Indu.....I mean Your Highness."

"Bring me an Aesthor Stone."

To be Contiuned...

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