I'm Not Your Husband, You Evil Dragon!

"...Sister Mary?"

The woman stopped the moment Erza spoke her name. Although Sister Mary had already sensed the overwhelming presence inside the command room long before the doors opened, seeing the Dragon Queen directly before her was still different. Without hesitation, she lowered herself onto one knee and bowed her head respectfully.

"Your Highness, may you live forever. It is a great honor to stand in your presence."

Erza didn’t immediately respond. Her violet eyes remained fixed on the familiar woman kneeling before her, and for once, genuine confusion could be seen across the Dragon Queen’s face. She had expected to see humanity’s mysterious Holy Saint walking through those doors, not the woman who had raised Yuuta.

"Sister Mary..." Erza murmured before suddenly shaking her head. "Wait. Are you telling me that you are the Holy Saint of humanity?"

Sister Mary remained kneeling with her head lowered.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I am the one humans came to call their Holy Saint."

Erza stared at her in disbelief. She had already witnessed pieces of humanity’s history through Sara’s memories and knew that a Holy Saint had played an important role in helping humanity survive against demons. However, the Saint’s identity had never been clear within the memories Erza had searched, and she certainly hadn’t expected that person to be Sister Mary.

"The Holy Saint who helped humanity fight the demons..."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Erza’s eyebrows slowly drew together.

"How?"

Sister Mary remained silent.

More questions immediately followed inside Erza’s mind, but one stood above all the others. The strange part wasn’t simply that Sister Mary possessed enough power to earn such a title. The strange part was that an elf had involved herself so deeply in humanity’s affairs in the first place.

"Why would you do that?" Erza asked. "Why would an elf interfere with what was happening on Earth?"

Sara quietly watched from nearby. Even she could hear the genuine confusion in Erza’s voice.

Erza knew the elves well enough to understand why this made no sense. Elves rarely involved themselves in human conflicts unless there was a compelling reason. They had their own lands, their own people and their own affairs. Even Yuuta was an unusual case because of his connection with the elves, which separated him from an ordinary human in their eyes.

But Sister Mary hadn’t merely protected one human.

She had helped humanity.

Sister Mary’s hands tightened slightly as she remained kneeling.

"Your Highness, please punish me for concealing my identity from you. Whatever punishment you believe appropriate, I will accept it."

Erza’s expression immediately changed.

"No. That’s not what I’m asking."

Sister Mary went quiet.

"I don’t care that you hid your title from me." Erza leaned forward slightly, her violet eyes narrowing. "I’m asking why you interfered."

Her voice became more serious.

"You are an elf, Sister Mary. You know better than I do how your people view human affairs. Elves don’t simply enter another race’s war and decide to protect them, especially not to the point where humans begin calling one of you their Holy Saint."

Sister Mary slowly raised her head, although she remained on one knee.

"Yes, Your Highness. I am aware."

"Then you understand why this makes no sense to me."

"I do."

Erza studied her carefully.

"Then tell me."

The command room became quiet again. Sara’s attention shifted toward Sister Mary as well, curious about an answer even she had never completely understood.

Sister Mary remained silent for several seconds.

Then her expression softened.

"I originally had no intention of becoming involved in humanity’s war, Your Highness. What happened to humans and demons on Earth was not something I believed elves like me had any right to interfere with."

Erza nodded slightly. That was exactly the answer she would have expected from an elf.

"But something changed."

Erza’s eyes narrowed.

"What?"

Sister Mary finally looked directly toward her.

"I became involved because of one person."

Erza remained still.

Sister Mary’s next words immediately erased the confusion from her face and replaced it with something else entirely.

"Yuuta."

Erza’s violet eyes widened.

Sister Mary lowered her gaze once again, her voice becoming quieter as she finished her answer.

"I entered humanity’s war because of Yuuta, Your Highness."

"For Yuuta..." Erza whispered.

For several seconds, she simply stared at Sister Mary. Then something slowly connected inside her mind. If Sister Mary had known enough about Yuuta to involve herself in a war that elves normally wouldn’t even consider their concern, then she must have discovered at least part of what had been happening to him.

"I see..."

Erza’s expression gradually became serious.

"So you figured it out, Sister Mary. You realized Yuuta was suffering because of those nightmares."

A painful silence followed before Sister Mary answered.

"Yes, my Queen."

There was sadness in her voice now. The respectful calmness she had carried upon entering the command room remained, but the moment the conversation turned toward Yuuta, something much more personal began showing beneath it.

"Although I didn’t understand the cause in the beginning. Yuuta was still young when I first noticed how unusual his nightmares were. At first, I believed they were simply the result of something traumatic he couldn’t remember, but as time passed... they became worse."

Sister Mary’s fingers slowly tightened against her robe.

"There were nights when I would hear him screaming from his room. By the time I reached him, his entire body would be trembling beneath the blankets. Sometimes there was blood beneath his eyes, and no matter how many times I woke him, he couldn’t explain what he had seen."

Erza didn’t respond.

Yesterday’s events immediately returned to her mind. Yuuta screaming inside the apartment, his crimson eyes glowing while blood ran from his eyes, ears and nose. She remembered desperately holding him while his own memories tore through his mind, and even now, merely recalling how close she had come to losing him made her fingers tremble slightly.

Sister Mary didn’t notice the change in Erza’s expression and continued.

"I used as much mana as this world allowed me to gather. Earth’s mana was painfully thin compared to what I was accustomed to, but I still created barriers around Yuuta whenever I could. I healed him whenever the nightmares injured him, calmed his mind when he woke terrified, and spent countless nights beside him because I was afraid of what might happen if I left him alone."

Her voice weakened slightly as the memories became more painful.

"But nothing I did actually stopped them."

Sister Mary’s hands tightened further.

"I could heal the damage after it happened. I could reduce the pain and help him sleep again, but I couldn’t understand what was reaching him in the first place. For years, I watched Yuuta suffer without knowing what I was supposed to protect him from."

Erza’s expression softened slightly.

She understood that helplessness far better now than she would have yesterday.

Sister Mary slowly lifted her head.

"Then eventually, I discovered the cause."

Erza already knew the answer.

"...Demonic aura."

"Yes, my Queen."

Sister Mary’s voice changed.

"The demonic aura spreading throughout this world was affecting Yuuta."

The sadness that had filled her expression gradually disappeared, replaced by something colder. Sara, who had remained kneeling nearby and silently listening to the conversation, noticed the change immediately.

"Whenever the concentration of demonic aura increased around him, his nightmares became worse. The stronger that influence became, the more violently his soul reacted to it, and the greater the risk became of disturbing what had been sealed inside him."

Erza’s violet eyes narrowed.

"The Crown Seal."

Sister Mary gave a small nod.

"Yes, Your Highness. I realized that if this continued, those nightmares would eventually push Yuuta far enough to disturb the seal."

Her voice trembled briefly.

"And I couldn’t allow that."

For the first time since entering the command room, Sister Mary’s peaceful aura began changing.

Sara noticed it first.

The gentle presence she had sensed beyond the doors, the warmth that had made Sister Mary feel almost incapable of hostility slowly grew heavier. It still wasn’t demonic or murderous, but there was now something sharp beneath that holy aura.

Sister Mary’s eyes hardened.

"I had already spent years watching my little Yuuta wake up screaming because of creatures he didn’t even know existed. I watched him bleed. I watched him suffer. I watched him become afraid of closing his own eyes because he didn’t know what would be waiting for him when he fell asleep."

Her fingers tightened.

"So once I learned the demons were responsible..."

The holy aura surrounding Sister Mary rose.

Sara’s crimson eyes widened slightly.

She had expected grief from the woman humanity called its Saint.

She hadn’t expected revenge.

Sister Mary looked directly at Erza.

"I made my decision."

Her voice remained calm, yet there was no softness left within it.

"If their presence was what made my little prince suffer, then I would remove that presence from this world."

The pressure surrounding Sister Mary gradually settled, but the cold determination in her eyes remained.

"I didn’t enter humanity’s war because I wanted to become their Saint, Your Highness. I entered it because I wanted to destroy the demons hurting Yuuta."

"I see..." Erza murmured.

She leaned back slightly in her chair and released a quiet sigh. Everywhere she looked, there seemed to be another person who knew something about him while Yuuta himself remained completely unaware.

"No wonder Yuuta feels like everyone is hiding things from him," Erza said, more to herself than anyone else. "Apparently, everyone around that him, has been keeping secrets from him."

Sister Mary’s expression became slightly uncomfortable, but she didn’t argue. Erza was technically correct, and considering what had happened when she attempted to reveal even a small portion of Yuuta’s past long ago, she couldn’t exactly condemn Sister Mary for being careful either.

Erza was about to continue when another thought suddenly entered her mind.

She looked at Sister Mary again.

"Wait."

Sister Mary immediately straightened.

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"If humanity gave you enough influence to become their Holy Saint, then surely they rewarded you as well." Erza’s violet eyes narrowed slightly. "You had money, didn’t you?"

Sister Mary hesitated at the unexpected question.

"Yes, Your Highness. Humanity provided me with a monthly reward, along with other resources."

Erza nodded slowly.

"And what did you do with that money?"

"I didn’t have much personal use for human currency, so most of it was invested into protecting this world. Eventually, I used those resources to help establish this Agency and provide what it needed to fight the demons."

Erza became completely silent.

Sara noticed the change immediately.

Until moments ago, Erza had been listening with genuine interest. Now the Dragon Queen’s face had become strangely expressionless, while her violet eyes remained fixed on Sister Mary.

"I see..."

Something about those two quiet words made Sister Mary suddenly feel uncomfortable.

Erza slowly leaned forward.

"So you had money."

Sister Mary swallowed.

"...Yes, my Queen."

"Enough money to help build an entire Agency."

"Yes."

"Enough to purchase weapons, equipment and whatever else these humans needed to fight demons."

Sister Mary’s hesitation became noticeably longer.

"...Yes, Your Highness."

Erza stared at her.

Then Erza’s eyebrow twitched.

"You..."

Her voice carried the unmistakable frustration of an angry wife rather than the authority of a Dragon Queen.

"If you had enough fucking money to help build an entire Agency, then why the hell did you let Yuuta live in poverty?!"

Sister Mary’s expression stiffened.

Sara’s eyes widened.

Even Sister Mary flinched slightly at the sudden change in Erza’s voice.

The terrifying Dragon Queen who had been discussing ancient demon bloodlines moments earlier had seemingly disappeared. In her place was an extremely irritated wife who had just discovered that someone possessed enough money to help her husband his entire life and had apparently chosen not to.

"I can’t believe this," Erza said, staring at Sister Mary. "You funded this place. You helped them acquire weapons, facilities and whatever other expensive human nonsense they needed, while my Yuuta was struggling for money?"

Sister Mary opened her mouth.

"Your Highness, about that...."

"I can’t believe this!"

Erza cut her off before she could explain.

"My Yuuta spent his life worrying about food and money while you were buying expensive weapons for these people! Do you know how many times that fool probably went without something because he couldn’t afford it?"

Sara quietly lowered her head.

For some reason, she felt this particular argument was far more dangerous to interrupt than the discussion about the Demon King.

Sister Mary remained kneeling while Erza continued staring at her accusingly. The peaceful atmosphere that had surrounded the Holy Saint only minutes earlier had somehow transformed into something far more uncomfortable, and even Sara could sense that Sister Mary was having considerably more difficulty facing Yuuta’s angry wife than she had facing demons.

"Why?"

"My Queen, I had my reasons."

"Reasons?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Sister Mary carefully considered her next words. She hadn’t refused to give Yuuta money because she enjoyed watching him struggle, nor had she ever intended for him to suffer unnecessarily. But explaining that decision to Erza was becoming increasingly difficult, especially when the Dragon Queen was already looking at her as though she had personally forced Yuuta to starve.

"I didn’t refuse to help Yuuta because I wanted him to suffer."

Erza’s expression remained cold.

"Then why?"

Sister Mary took a slow breath.

Inside, however, she was considerably less composed.

Think, Mary. Think carefully.

She was speaking to the Queen of Atlantis about the childhood of the man Erza considered her husband. One poorly chosen explanation could easily turn this conversation into something far more troublesome.

Then Sister Mary found what she believed was the safest answer.

"Morals, my Queen."

The moment those words left her mouth, Sister Mary froze.

There was a brief silence.

Erza’s violet eyes narrowed.

"...Morals?"

Sister Mary immediately realized she might have chosen the worst possible word, but retreating now would only make her explanation look even worse. She forced herself to remain composed and continued.

"Yes, Your Highness. Morals and values."

Erza said nothing, which Sister Mary mistakenly took as permission to explain further.

"I wanted Yuuta to grow up humble. I wanted him to understand the value of money and appreciate whatever he earned through his own efforts. If I had given him everything simply because I possessed the means to do so, there was always a possibility that he would grow dependent upon me."

Sister Mary carefully raised her gaze.

"I wanted him to understand hardship, Your Highness. Not because suffering itself is good, but because I wanted him to value what he had and learn how to survive on his own."

Erza remained strangely calm.

Too calm.

"So..."

Her violet eyes narrowed further.

"...morals."

Sister Mary swallowed.

"Yes, my Queen."

A faint pressure began spreading through the command room.

Sara noticed it immediately and slowly looked toward Erza. Sister Mary noticed it too, and somewhere inside her mind came the uncomfortable realization that she had made a serious mistake.

Erza slowly leaned forward.

"How ironic."

Sister Mary’s expression stiffened.

"I never imagined I would sit here one day and listen to a lecture about morals from you, Sister Mary."

Sara glanced toward the Holy Saint in confusion. Until now, everything she had seen of Sister Mary suggested a peaceful woman whose presence itself carried healing and purity.

Then Erza continued.

"Especially from the elf who destroyed half of the Sylvian Kingdom using my fucking spell."

Sara’s crimson eyes widened.

Her head slowly turned toward Sister Mary.

Sister Mary remained perfectly still.

For the first time, Sara looked at humanity’s peaceful Holy Saint with an entirely different expression.

She did what?

Sister Mary quietly lowered her gaze, clearly having no intention of discussing that particular incident.

Erza, however, was nowhere near finished.

"And now you’re teaching me about humility and morals?" Erza demanded. "What is wrong with you, Sister Mary?"

"My Queen—"

"No!"

Erza’s frustration finally broke through her controlled expression.

"I understand not wanting to spoil him. Fine. I understand wanting him to learn how to survive by himself. But there is a difference between not spoiling someone and standing there while they struggle when you could easily help them!"

Sister Mary remained silent.

Erza remembered too many things about Yuuta now. His careful spending, the way he valued even simple things, and how naturally he accepted struggling because hardship had become an ordinary part of his life.

The thought made her increasingly frustrated.

"You didn’t need to give him a palace. You didn’t need to make him rich. You could have helped him enough that he didn’t have to worry constantly about money while growing up."

Sister Mary couldn’t immediately answer.

Her original reasoning had seemed perfectly sensible to her. Giving young Yuuta unlimited money could have spoiled him, so she had chosen to let him experience ordinary human struggles and learn the value of earning things himself.

But perhaps explaining that philosophy to an ancient Dragon Queen who considered enormous treasure vaults an ordinary household possession had never stood much chance of succeeding.

Sister Mary opened her mouth, intending to try again.

"Your Highness, what I meant was—"

"Never mind."

Erza suddenly leaned back.

Sister Mary stopped.

Erza seemed to think about something for several seconds before her expression became strangely decisive.

"I’ll fix it myself."

Sara frowned.

Sister Mary slowly looked up.

"...Fix what, my Queen?"

Erza turned toward Sara, then looked around the enormous command room as though she were evaluating the building for the first time.

"Once this demon war is over..."

Sara suddenly had a terrible feeling.

Erza calmly crossed her arms.

"...I’m selling the entire Agency."

Silence.

Sara’s eyes widened.

Sister Mary’s head rose immediately.

Erza continued as though she had just announced the most reasonable financial decision imaginable.

"The headquarters, facilities, equipment, weapons everything. I’ll sell all of it and transfer the money directly into Yuuta’s account."

Sara and Sister Mary stared at her.

Neither woman spoke for several seconds.

Then both voices escaped at almost exactly the same time.

"...What?"

Erza’s expression remained completely serious.

To Be Continued...

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