I'm Not Your Husband, You Evil Dragon!

Isvarn’s violet eyes remained fixed upon Yuuta.

His anger had been real. Even now, some part of him still wanted to grab the human by the collar and force him to understand exactly what he had done to Erza.

After everything that woman had endured, after everything she had sacrificed and even the pride she had swallowed for Yuuta’s sake, Isvarn couldn’t simply look at what happened and pretend it was some ordinary argument between two foolish lovers.

There was still a part of him that wanted to kill Yuuta for it.

Perhaps many who knew the complete truth would have agreed with him.

But then Isvarn truly looked at the human kneeling before him.

Yuuta’s body was trembling beneath the tree, while the Eternal Flower Ring remained trapped inside his Ring finger tightly closed hand. His eyes were swollen and painfully red from crying, his breathing hadn’t completely settled, and there was no anger or stubbornness remaining upon his face.

There was only regret.

Isvarn had seen that expression before.

Long ago, when his own daughter had fallen into her endless slumber, Isvarn had learned what it meant to possess words that could no longer reach the person they were meant for. He had learned how cruel memory could become when someone repeatedly returned to a moment that could never be changed, desperately imagining what they should have said or done differently.

For only an instant, Yuuta’s face reminded Isvarn of his own.

His fury slowly lost its edge.

That didn’t mean Isvarn suddenly pitied him.

Yuuta was suffering, certainly, but he wasn’t the only one who had suffered. Isvarn knew the human had been exhausted long before this happened.

The nightmares, the secrets surrounding his existence and the repeated deaths he experienced inside those strange trials had been slowly wearing him down.

That was precisely why Isvarn had begun making him stronger.

He had given Yuuta a path.

If he wanted answers, he needed enough strength to reach them.

If he wanted to understand the truth surrounding himself, then he first needed enough strength to survive whatever that truth contained.

Isvarn had told him that clearly.

Yet Yuuta had ignored it.

The moment he discovered that Erza possessed the answers he desperately wanted, all that patience disappeared. Instead of continuing along the path Isvarn had given him, he had rushed directly toward Erza and forced open something he wasn’t emotionally prepared to understand.

That was what disappointed Isvarn most.

His aura gradually disappeared.

Yuuta noticed immediately.

The crushing pressure around his body vanished, the trembling beneath the earth stopped, and the branches overhead gradually became still again. Yet Yuuta didn’t feel relieved.

Somehow, the silence that replaced Isvarn’s anger felt worse.

"Human."

Yuuta slowly raised his head.

He had expected rage.

Instead, he found disappointment.

Isvarn stared down at him for several seconds before finally asking the question.

"Do you regret it?"

Yuuta opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

His throat tightened as he tried again, but his voice simply refused to obey him. His trembling lips moved uselessly before his gaze dropped toward the Eternal Flower Ring inside his hand.

Isvarn waited.

Yuuta’s head finally moved in a small nod.

Then another.

His fingers tightened around the ring as fresh tears gathered in his already swollen eyes. He nodded again, more desperately this time, because apparently that simple movement was the only answer his body could still give.

Isvarn understood enough.

"Then remember this feeling."

Yuuta’s eyes slowly rose toward him.

Isvarn offered no smile.

He didn’t approach him.

He didn’t place a comforting hand upon his shoulder.

"Remember what it feels like to finally understand the meaning of your own words after it is already too late to take them back."

Yuuta’s face tightened painfully.

Isvarn remained cold.

"I never told you to stop seeking answers. I told you to become strong enough to survive them."

Yuuta’s eyes slowly lifted.

"Wanting the truth was never your mistake, human."

Isvarn’s violet eyes narrowed.

"Your mistake was allowing your desperation for that truth to become more important than the person standing before you."

Yuuta couldn’t meet his eyes anymore.

"But you didn’t listen."

Isvarn’s voice remained controlled, which somehow made every word heavier.

"You found someone who possessed the answers, and instead of remembering what I taught you, you forced your way toward them. You wanted the truth immediately, and when Erza wouldn’t give it to you..."

His violet eyes narrowed.

"...you allowed your fear and anger to decide how far you were willing to go."

Yuuta’s fist tightened.

The same question began echoing through his mind again.

Why?

Why had he done it?

Was it because of the monster that had killed him again and again inside those nightmares? Had those repeated deaths frightened him so badly that the moment he discovered someone who might possess an answer, he became terrified of letting that opportunity disappear?

Perhaps.

But that explanation didn’t make him feel any better.

He had been afraid.

He had been exhausted.

He had wanted answers.

None of those things changed what he had said to Erza.

And none of them could return him to that night and make him stop.

Isvarn watched the realization moving across Yuuta’s face before continuing.

"The one thing I liked about you was that you faced challenges directly."

Yuuta slowly looked up.

"When you stood before me and declared that you would change your fate, you looked directly into my eyes. You were weak, ignorant and foolish enough that I could hardly believe what I was hearing..."

Isvarn’s expression remained stern.

"...but you didn’t lower your head."

Yuuta remembered that day.

Isvarn did too.

"And then you surprised me again."

Isvarn briefly remembered their training the mysterious nature of Yuuta’s aura, his ridiculous adaptability and, above all, the speed at which he learned. What should have taken considerably longer had somehow been grasped within only two days. The human had fallen, failed and struggled, yet every failure seemed to teach him something.

"I watched you learn in two days what I expected you to struggle with for far longer. It’s true, human. You may very well be the brightest student I’ve ever taught. Far more talented than many dragon warriors who once stood before me."

Isvarn’s eyes narrowed.

"There may never be another student who surprises me quite as often as you do. Every time I thought your foolishness had finally reached its limit, you did something that forced me to reconsider you."

Isvarn paused.

"I almost forgot what you were."

Yuuta’s eyes trembled.

"An immature human who still doesn’t understand where the limits of a bond should be."

There was no hatred in Isvarn’s voice.

That made it worse.

"I knew you were foolish from the beginning. Yet you kept surprising me enough that I began wondering whether perhaps I had judged you too harshly."

Yuuta stared at him.

Then Isvarn gave him the words he had been dreading.

"But today..."

His violet eyes met Yuuta’s directly.

"...you disappointed me."

Yuuta’s head immediately lowered.

His fingers curled tighter around the ring as shame joined everything already crushing his chest. Hurting Erza had already become unbearable, but now he couldn’t even bring himself to look at the person who had trained him.

Isvarn had trusted him enough to teach him.

Yuuta had ignored that guidance.

And now both Erza and Isvarn had been hurt by the same impatience.

Isvarn watched him for another moment before turning away.

Yuuta’s eyes immediately rose.

The ancient dragon began walking toward the enormous tree nearby, and for some reason, watching him leave frightened Yuuta more than seeing him angry.

Yuuta instinctively raised one hand.

His mouth opened.

"G-Grand..."

The word collapsed inside his throat.

Isvarn stopped.

He didn’t turn around.

For several seconds, only the distant laughter of children could be heard between them.

Then Isvarn spoke.

"Don’t ask me what you should do."

Yuuta froze.

Isvarn’s voice remained cold.

"I don’t know how you’ll undo what you’ve done. I don’t know what you’ll say to Erza, whether she’ll listen to you, or whether anything you say will be enough."

Yuuta’s raised hand slowly fell.

"And I won’t give you an answer."

Yuuta stared at his back.

Isvarn didn’t tell him everything would be fine.

He didn’t promise that Erza would forgive him.

He didn’t tell Yuuta where to find her or what words might bring her back.

Because none of those things belonged to Isvarn.

"You created this wound between yourself and Erza."

Isvarn finally glanced slightly over his shoulder.

"You will decide what you’re willing to do about it."

Yuuta’s lips trembled again, but no voice followed.

"You’re no longer a child, human. I gave you a path, and you chose to leave it because you couldn’t wait for the answers you wanted."

Isvarn’s violet eye settled upon him.

"You wanted the truth."

Yuuta’s fingers tightened around the Eternal Flower Ring.

"Now live with its weight."

Isvarn turned away.

Then he continued walking.

Yuuta remained beneath the tree, watching Isvarn disappear.

The park continued around him as though nothing had happened. Children laughed beyond the trees, parents called after them and the afternoon wind moved gently through the branches.

Yuuta heard all of it.

Yet his eyes remained fixed upon the Eternal Flower Ring.

You created this wound between yourself and Erza.

You will decide what you’re willing to do about it.

His fingers slowly curled around the ring.

Should I just give up?

The thought frightened him.

Giving up would be easier. He could return home and never face Erza again. He would never have to discover whether she hated him now or whether there was anything left to save.

But that wasn’t acceptance.

It was running away.

Yuuta’s fist tightened.

"No..."

His voice was weak, almost broken after everything that had happened, but this time a word finally came out.

Memories began returning one after another.

He remembered imagining a future where he and Erza could raise Elena together. He remembered the ordinary meals he wanted them to share, the home he wanted to return to and the ridiculous little arguments that once seemed so troublesome compared to the emptiness he felt now.

Then Elena’s voice returned to him.

Mama said Papa, Mama and Elena will live together.

Yuuta’s eyes closed tightly.

That future hadn’t disappeared yet.

At least, he refused to believe it had.

"No. I can’t give up."

His trembling hand pressed against the ground.

"Just one more time..."

Yuuta slowly forced himself upward.

His legs immediately trembled beneath his weight, and for a moment it seemed as though he might collapse again. Yuuta clenched his teeth and steadied himself against the tree until his body finally remained upright.

"I just need to see Erza one more time."

He looked toward the path ahead.

"If she’s angry, I’ll face it. If she doesn’t want to forgive me..."

His voice faltered briefly, but he forced himself to continue.

"...then I’ll face that too."

Yuuta carefully placed the Eternal Flower Ring away before wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

He couldn’t change what he had said.

He couldn’t return to that night and stop himself.

But he could still find her.

And this time, he wouldn’t run from what came afterward.

"I have to find Erza."

Yuuta pushed himself away from the tree.

His first few steps were unsteady, but they quickly became faster. Within moments, he was running through the park again, searching for the woman he had hurt and desperately hoping he hadn’t realized the weight of his words too late.

Soon, Yuuta disappeared beyond the trees.

The park became quiet again.

High above it, however, someone remained.

Two enormous white wings stretched against the afternoon sky as Isvarn hovered silently above the park. His ancient eyes followed the distant figure of his disciple until Yuuta disappeared completely from sight.

A faint expression of approval appeared upon his face.

"That’s what I expected from you, boy."

If there was one habit of Yuuta’s that Isvarn had come to respect, it was his refusal to remain down.

Isvarn could have helped him.

Finding Erza wouldn’t have been particularly difficult for someone like him. He could have carried Yuuta across the city, told him exactly where to search or even placed the foolish human directly in front of her.

But he wouldn’t.

There were some things Yuuta needed to accomplish without waiting for someone stronger to solve them for him. He had created this problem himself, and if his relationship with Erza truly mattered as much as he claimed, then he needed to be the one willing to chase after her.

Isvarn’s expression gradually became thoughtful.

Then something occurred to him.

Wait.

His wings slowed slightly.

Why am I worried about him?

Isvarn frowned.

This should have been a favorable outcome.

There had been a time when he would have preferred Yuuta and Erza to remain separated. If the two never reconciled, perhaps Erza would eventually return to Atlantis, Yuuta would remain on Earth, and the strange relationship between a Dragon Queen and this troublesome human would finally come to an end.

That should have pleased him.

Yet when Isvarn imagined Yuuta failing to find her, there was no satisfaction.

When he imagined Erza leaving him permanently, something about the thought felt wrong.

Isvarn’s frown deepened.

"When did I start caring whether you two remained together...?"

For several moments, the question genuinely confused him.

Then Isvarn’s expression slowly changed.

A faint smile appeared upon his face as memories of the foolish human began returning one after another.

He remembered their beginning.

"I am disgusted," Isvarn had said coldly, his gaze sharp and unyielding. "To think the Queen of Atlantis, who rules over billions of lives, would choose someone like you as her mate."

He had meant every word.

Back then, Isvarn couldn’t understand what Erza possibly saw in Yuuta. The human was weak, ignorant of the world surrounding him and so far beneath the Queen of Atlantis that calling him an unworthy mate had almost felt generous.

Yet Yuuta had surprised him that very day.

Isvarn remembered the look in the human’s eyes when his killing intent had fallen upon him. Yuuta had been frightened, and his body had understood perfectly well what kind of creature stood before him, yet despite that fear, he had continued staring directly into the eyes of a dragon who could have killed him effortlessly.

Isvarn had seen countless powerful beings throughout his life who didn’t possess the courage to do that.

Yet this weak human had.

Then Yuuta endured his aura.

And instead of accepting Isvarn’s judgment, he declared that he would become someone worthy of standing beside Erza.

Isvarn hadn’t believed him.

But he had remembered those words.

The second change came later.

Yuuta had fought that beast despite being completely overpowerd, and somewhere during that struggle, something extraordinary had emerged from him.

Supreme Aura.

Even now, Isvarn remembered what he had felt when that presence appeared.

"That aura changed everything..."

Perhaps that had been the moment curiosity truly replaced disgust.

For the first time, Isvarn had wondered whether there was more hidden inside this human than even Yuuta himself understood. That curiosity had eventually led him to accept Yuuta as his student.

And from there, the changes had happened so gradually that Isvarn hadn’t noticed them.

His first successful Aura Channeling.

Then Pure Aura.

His growing understanding of the fundamentals.

Then the Aura Sword.

Each accomplishment had been followed by another, and every time Isvarn expected Yuuta to finally reach his limit, the foolish human somehow found another way to surprise him.

Somewhere along the way, Isvarn had stopped waiting for Yuuta to fail.

He had begun waiting to see what he would accomplish next.

His insults remained.

His harsh training remained.

He still called him foolish whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Yet beneath all of it, something had quietly changed.

Pride.

Isvarn’s violet eyes moved toward the distant path where Yuuta had disappeared.

"So that’s when it happened."

Without realizing it, he had stopped thinking of Yuuta as the unworthy human Erza had foolishly chosen.

He had stopped questioning why Erza called him her husband.

Instead, Isvarn had begun thinking about how much stronger Yuuta could become, what he might accomplish after mastering his aura and whether one day he could truly stand beside the Dragon Queen without needing her protection.

At some point, Isvarn had already accepted him.

Not only as his student.

But as Erza’s husband.

And perhaps, although the ancient dragon would have found the admission ridiculous not long ago, as someone considerably closer to family than he had ever intended.

Isvarn released a quiet sigh.

"It has been a long time since someone made me feel this way."

His gaze slowly rose toward the sun.

There had only been one other person who had entered his life so stubbornly that Isvarn hadn’t noticed himself becoming attached until it was already too late.

Elena.

The thought made him chuckle.

First the daughter.

Now her father.

"Like father, like daughter."

Isvarn’s white wings shifted gently behind him as his gaze returned toward the direction Yuuta had gone.

Perhaps that was why he had been so disappointed today.

One could only be truly disappointed in someone when they had expected better from them.

And Isvarn had expected better from Yuuta.

Yet the boy had stood again.

He had chosen not to hide from what he had done, and despite having no idea whether Erza would forgive him, he was still running after her.

That stubbornness hadn’t changed.

A small smile remained upon Isvarn’s face.

"Let’s see what you do now, boy."

Isvarn raised his eyes toward the distant sky.

For the first time, he wouldn’t interfere.

Yuuta had earned Isvarn’s respect through his own actions, little by little, until even the ancient dragon himself hadn’t noticed when disgust had become curiosity, curiosity had become pride, and pride had finally become acceptance.

Now Yuuta had damaged that trust through his own actions as well.

Whether he could repair what he had broken with Erza was something only he could decide.

Isvarn’s wings spread wider against the afternoon sky as his violet eyes followed the path his disciple had taken.

He didn’t know how Yuuta would solve this.

But somewhere deep inside, Isvarn found himself hoping that the foolish human would surprise him one more time.

To be Contiuned...

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