I'm Not Your Husband, You Evil Dragon!

Erza calmly crossed her arms.

"...I’m selling the entire Agency."

The command room fell silent.

Sara’s eyes widened, while Sister Mary’s head immediately rose from her kneeling position. For several seconds, neither woman seemed certain whether they had heard the Dragon Queen correctly.

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

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

Sara stared at her.

Sister Mary stared at her.

Then, almost at exactly the same moment, both of them spoke.

"...What?"

Sara’s mind nearly stopped working.

Who the hell is Yuuta, and why is my Agency being sold because of him?!

She wanted desperately to ask that question, but the moment she saw Erza’s expression, every survival instinct inside her advised against it.

Worse, Erza had already begun looking around the command room.

Her violet eyes moved from the enormous monitoring screens toward the advanced communication systems, then toward the reinforced walls and several pieces of expensive equipment surrounding them. Her gaze carried the unmistakable calculation of someone silently estimating how much everything could be sold for.

Sara’s face gradually lost its color.

This wasn’t a threat.

The Dragon Queen was genuinely calculating the value of her Agency.

Sara subtly leaned toward Sister Mary without taking her eyes away from Erza.

"Saint... help me."

Sister Mary remained kneeling beside her.

"How exactly do you want me to die?"

Sara’s eye twitched.

"But it’s my Agency."

"I know."

"Then do something."

Sister Mary swallowed before carefully looking toward Erza. Directly arguing with the Dragon Queen clearly wasn’t going to work, especially after Sister Mary’s previous attempt to explain morals had almost made the situation worse.

She needed another approach.

Then an idea finally came to her.

"Forgive me, my Queen, but there is one problem with your decision."

Erza’s eyes immediately narrowed.

"Problem?"

The single word made Sister Mary’s back stiffen.

Erza leaned slightly forward.

"What problem? Are you going to stop me again with that moral nonsense?"

"No, my Queen."

Sister Mary answered quickly before that particular argument could return.

"This concerns Yuuta’s safety."

Erza’s expression immediately changed.

"...Safety?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

The irritation in Erza’s eyes remained, but Sister Mary could tell she finally had her attention.

"Explain."

Sister Mary carefully chose her words.

"If we sold the entire Agency, including its land, facilities, technology, weapons and other assets, Yuuta could potentially receive an enormous amount of money. Perhaps close to a hundred billion dollars, depending on what everything is actually worth."

Erza considered it for a moment.

"Hm."

Her expression softened slightly.

"Sounds good."

Sara nearly choked.

Sister Mary quickly continued before Erza could start deciding which facility to sell first.

"That’s exactly the problem, my Queen."

Erza’s eyes narrowed again.

"How is giving my Yuuta money a problem?"

"Because Yuuta is currently an ordinary citizen in the eyes of the human world. If someone like him suddenly received tens of billions of dollars without any reasonable explanation, people would immediately start asking questions."

Erza remained silent.

Sister Mary noticed that and continued more carefully.

"Governments would notice him. Banks would investigate where the money came from. Powerful people would become interested in him, while criminals might see him as a target. Even if we somehow created a believable explanation for the wealth, his life would never remain the same afterward."

Erza’s crossed arms slowly loosened.

Sister Mary pressed further now that she could see the Queen was actually listening.

"Yuuta wouldn’t simply become wealthy, Your Highness. He would become one of the wealthiest humans in the world overnight. His name could become public, people would begin watching him, and suddenly he would need security wherever he went. Every person approaching him could have another motive, and he would have to constantly wonder whether someone wanted him or merely his money."

Erza’s fingers slowly curled.

She had been prepared to argue.

The money belonged with Yuuta as far as she was concerned. If Sister Mary had possessed enough wealth to build something this enormous while Yuuta struggled for basic necessities, then Erza saw no reason why everything couldn’t simply be handed over to him now.

But the more Sister Mary spoke, the harder it became to dismiss her reasoning.

"If Yuuta becomes that wealthy," Sister Mary continued, "he may lose the very freedom you’ve tried to give him here. He wouldn’t be able to live quietly in his apartment anymore. Walking through the city alone could become dangerous. Even something as simple as attending college, shopping for food or taking Elena outside could require protection."

That finally struck Erza.

She imagined Yuuta leaving the apartment and immediately being surrounded by guards. She imagined strangers following him, governments watching him and criminals learning his name. Instead of living freely, he would spend every day surrounded by people protecting him from threats created by wealth he had never asked for.

Erza’s fist tightened.

That wasn’t the life she wanted for him.

She had wanted Yuuta to experience everything he had been denied growing up: a peaceful home, enough food, freedom to choose what he wanted and the ability to live without constantly fearing what tomorrow would bring.

Giving him everything at once could destroy that peace just as easily as poverty had.

Sister Mary watched Erza’s expression carefully.

"My Queen, I’m not saying Yuuta should remain poor."

Erza immediately looked at her.

"He better not."

Sara remained completely silent beside them. She had finally found one topic upon which she had absolutely no desire to contribute.

Sister Mary nodded carefully, relieved that Erza was at least willing to hear her reasoning.

"Of course, Your Highness. What I’m saying is that there is a difference between giving Yuuta enough money to live comfortably..."

She briefly glanced around the command room, taking in the enormous monitors, advanced equipment and countless systems that had taken decades to build.

"...and selling humanity’s entire defense organization so your husband can wake up tomorrow with a hundred billion dollars in his bank account."

Erza didn’t answer immediately. Her violet eyes slowly moved around the command room once more, almost as though she were still calculating how much everything surrounding her could be sold for.

Sara watched those wandering eyes nervously, but then something Sister Mary had said finally registered properly inside her mind.

Her husband?

Sara’s eyes widened slightly as she looked at Erza. She had been so focused on preventing the Agency from being sold that she hadn’t properly processed the conversation until now. The terrifying woman sitting before her wasn’t merely concerned about some random human named Yuuta.

Yuuta was her husband.

Even more absurdly, from everything Sara had heard during the conversation, that husband was human and they apparently had a child together.

What the fuck? This monster has a human husband? And they have a child together?

Sara struggled to keep her expression under control as disbelief filled her mind. She had known Erza as the terrifying ruler of Atlantis, a woman whose mere presence could force monsters like herself onto their knees. The idea that someone had somehow gotten close enough to this woman to become her husband sounded ridiculous enough, but Erza was now prepared to sell an entire organization because she had discovered that he had once suffered from poverty.

Who the hell is this Yuuta?

For the first time, Sara became genuinely curious about him. What kind of human could possibly melt the heart of the Atlantis Queen to this extent? She wanted to ask Sister Mary immediately, but one glance at the tension inside the command room convinced her to keep that curiosity to herself for now.

Sister Mary noticed Erza still examining the Agency and quickly continued before the Queen returned to her original plan.

"But, my Queen, I have another idea."

Erza’s attention finally returned to her. Although her expression remained cold, the determination to immediately sell everything around her had weakened after hearing what such wealth could do to Yuuta’s peaceful life.

"An idea? Explain."

"Yes, Your Highness. There is another way Yuuta could receive enough money to live comfortably without anyone becoming suspicious of him. More importantly, he could remain safe and continue living the same peaceful life he currently has."

Erza’s interest immediately increased.

"Then what is it?"

"There are bounties on demons, my Queen."

Erza’s eyebrows rose slightly in genuine curiosity.

"Bounties?"

Before Sister Mary could explain further, Sara finally pushed her thoughts about Yuuta aside and joined the conversation.

"Yes, Your Majesty. The international anti-demon authorities maintain a bounty list containing demons considered serious threats to humanity. Demons responsible for repeated attacks, massacres or other major incidents are assigned different rewards depending on how dangerous they are."

Erza listened carefully as Sara continued.

"When one of those demons is eliminated and their death can be confirmed, the person or organization responsible receives the bounty. Lower-ranking demons aren’t worth much, but extremely dangerous demons can have enormous rewards placed on them."

Erza’s violet eyes slowly narrowed as she understood where this conversation was heading.

"So if I kill the Demon King and a few other demons, I can earn enough money for Yuuta?"

The casualness of the question made Sara hesitate for a moment. Erza hadn’t asked whether killing the Demon King was possible, nor had she shown the slightest concern about fighting him. Her only question was whether his death would provide enough money for her husband.

Sara eventually nodded.

"Yes, Your Majesty. The Demon King’s bounty alone would be extremely valuable."

Sister Mary immediately continued, sensing that Erza was finally interested in an alternative.

"Exactly, my Queen. And unlike suddenly transferring the value of this entire Agency into Yuuta’s account, the money would have a legitimate origin. The authorities could handle the reward properly, and we could arrange everything so Yuuta wouldn’t suddenly become the center of unwanted attention.

The bounty would legally belong to you, my Queen. Afterward, the Agency could arrange for Yuuta to receive the money gradually through legitimate channels without exposing him publicly."

Erza remained quiet, allowing Sister Mary to explain.

"Yuuta could have enough money to never worry about poverty again while still maintaining his freedom. He could continue attending college, shopping normally, taking Elena wherever he wanted and living without constantly being surrounded by guards or people trying to take advantage of him. Most importantly, the authorities would already understand where the money came from, so there wouldn’t be questions about how he suddenly became wealthy."

This time Erza genuinely considered the suggestion.

She didn’t particularly care about making Yuuta unimaginably rich. What she wanted was simply to make sure he never had to struggle for food, rent or basic necessities again. If killing a few demons could accomplish that without taking away his freedom, then there was no reason to destroy the peaceful life she wanted him to have.

"Interesting. I never knew humans placed bounties on demons."

Erza’s expression became thoughtful before she casually added, "If I had known about this earlier, I would’ve killed the Demon King the moment Fiona mentioned him. I could’ve brought his head here myself and collected the money for Yuuta."

Sara and Sister Mary both froze.

For them, the Demon King wasn’t some ordinary criminal whose bounty could simply be collected. He was a monster whose existence had influenced humanity’s war against demons for centuries, and Sara herself knew from experience how terrifying Allen could be.

Yet Erza had mentioned killing him with the same casual tone someone might use when discussing a trip to the market.

Sara slowly glanced toward Sister Mary, while Sister Mary returned the same uncomfortable look. Neither of them needed to say anything to understand what the other was thinking.

Apparently, after surviving centuries as one of humanity’s greatest enemies, the Demon King had finally encountered the most ridiculous possible reason to die.

Erza wanted spending money for her husband, and she was completely serious about getting it.

An awkward silence remained inside the command room for several seconds. Neither Sara nor Sister Mary seemed willing to comment on Erza’s newly discovered method of earning money, while Erza herself appeared completely unaware of how absurd the situation sounded to them. To her, killing demons and collecting their bounties was simply a much easier solution than selling the Agency.

Eventually, Erza turned her attention back toward Sister Mary.

"Anyway, Sister Mary, what are you doing here?"

Sister Mary straightened slightly when she remembered the actual reason she had come to the Agency.

"Yes, my Queen. I came here because I tried contacting the Agency last night, but I couldn’t reach anyone. There was something important I needed to report, so when communication continued failing, I decided to come here personally."

Erza sighed softly as she immediately understood why Sister Mary’s attempts had failed. Last night, when her emotions had gotten out of control, she had frozen almost the entire command room along with several of its systems.

"I understand. That was my fault. I froze this place last night, so that’s probably why you couldn’t contact them."

Sara’s expression twitched slightly when she heard how casually Erza admitted it, but she wisely kept her complaints to herself. Sister Mary also chose not to comment and simply waited for the Queen to continue.

"Tell me. What did you want to report?"

Sister Mary’s expression became noticeably more serious.

"My Queen, I’ve been sensing demons getting closer to this country. Their presence was still distant when I first noticed them, but they have continued moving closer, which is why I wanted to warn the Agency before they could do anything."

Erza’s eyebrows drew together slightly.

"Demons? That’s strange. I haven’t sensed anything approaching."

She became quiet for a moment before realizing the obvious reason. Erza’s instincts naturally reacted to things powerful enough to threaten her, and if the approaching demons were insignificant compared to her strength, there was little reason for her senses to warn her unless she deliberately searched for them.

"I see. They’re probably too weak for me to notice normally. So that’s why you came here personally."

"Yes, my Queen. I wanted the Agency to know before those demons reached the country."

Sara had remained silent while listening, but her thoughts immediately became serious. Demons approaching Libeus wasn’t something she could ignore, especially after recently discovering that the Salesman Demon they had captured wasn’t even using his true body.

Why are demons approaching now? Are they planning to attack the Agency?

Sara’s fingers tightened slightly as several possibilities passed through her mind. If the demons were coming because the Agency had somehow been exposed, she needed to deal with them before they reached Yuno City. She was already thinking about which captains should be deployed when Erza suddenly rubbed her chin.

"Do I have to join this battle?"

Sara looked toward her.

Erza seemed genuinely uncertain rather than worried. After learning about the bounty system, killing demons had become considerably more interesting to her, but she clearly wasn’t willing to waste her time fighting enemies that offered no challenge whatsoever.

"Maybe I should kill a few if they’re worth anything."

Sara remained silent, although inwardly she immediately became nervous. Having Erza participate would obviously make defeating the demons easier, but Sara also knew enough about the Dragon Queen to understand that inviting her into a battle came with an entirely different set of problems.

Erza enjoyed fighting far too much.

If Her Majesty joins this battle, I’ll have to warn the entire Agency beforehand. We’ll need people protecting the city from whatever aftermath she leaves behind.

Sara didn’t dare say that aloud. Instead, she watched as Erza leaned back slightly in her chair, apparently deciding whether the approaching demons were worth leaving the Agency for.

"Let’s see how powerful they actually are. Then I’ll decide whether I should join or not."

She slowly closed her eyes.

This time, Erza deliberately expanded her senses rather than waiting for her instincts to warn her. Her awareness spread outward from the Agency, passing through Yuno City before continuing farther across the country. Countless presences entered her perception, but she ignored them one after another until something unfamiliar finally caught her attention.

There.

Several demonic presences were approaching from the ocean.

Erza focused on them for several seconds, examining their aura from an enormous distance. The faint interest on her face quickly disappeared.

Weak.

Every one of them was disappointing.

For humans, they might have been dangerous. For the Agency, perhaps they could even become a serious battle. But from Erza’s perspective, there was nothing among those approaching demons worth becoming excited about.

Still, participating in humanity’s war could be entertaining, and if she could collect money for Yuuta at the same time, there was no real disadvantage.

A small smile began forming on her lips.

Perhaps joining this war won’t be so boring after all.

Erza was about to withdraw her senses when something changed.

Her smile disappeared.

Far beyond the weaker demonic presences, somewhere much deeper across the ocean, Erza felt something else.

Her senses immediately sharpened.

She searched again, this time ignoring every insignificant aura between herself and that distant presence. Whatever she had detected was different from the demons approaching the country. It was heavier, older and powerful enough that Erza’s instincts finally reacted without needing to be forced.

Then she found it.

Erza’s violet eyes opened.

Sara immediately noticed the change in her expression. The mild curiosity from moments ago had disappeared, replaced by something far more unsettling.

Excitement.

A genuine smile slowly appeared on Erza’s face.

"I’ve changed my mind."

Sara felt an uncomfortable chill.

"Your Majesty?"

Erza rose from the chair, and for the first time since Sister Mary mentioned the approaching demons, she looked genuinely interested in the coming battle.

"I have to join this war."

Sister Mary looked at her in confusion.

"Did you find something, my Queen?"

Erza’s smile widened slightly.

"Yes."

Her violet eyes turned toward the distant ocean as though she could already see the creature waiting far beyond Yuno City.

"I found something worth killing."

To be contiuned...

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