I'm Not Your Husband, You Evil Dragon!

Sister Mary placed a hand lightly against her chest, her expression becoming more thoughtful as that familiar uneasiness refused to disappear.

"But for some reason, I feel as though that boy is hungry."

Her voice trembled slightly at the end, and although she had spoken mostly from instinct rather than certainty, Erza reacted immediately. The fingers resting against her lap twitched before slowly curling inward.

"What does that mean?"

The question came so quickly that Mary turned toward her in surprise. Erza seemed to realize how strange it sounded only after saying it, because she immediately shook her head and tried again.

"No. I mean... are you serious?"

Her fingers tightened further against her palm.

"When Yuuta becomes that upset, he really stops eating?"

Sister Mary noticed the sudden tension spreading through Erza’s body and immediately understood why her words had frightened her.

"Sometimes, yes, but....."

"And drinking?"

"My Queen..."

"And you said he doesn’t sleep either?"

Erza’s heart had already begun beating faster.

Only moments earlier, she had been imagining Yuuta crying because of everything that had happened between them, but Mary’s words gave that fear a shape she hadn’t been prepared for. She could suddenly picture him sitting somewhere inside their apartment with the lights turned off, too upset to eat and too stubborn to admit that he was hungry.

Then her imagination made it worse.

Perhaps he hadn’t slept properly since yesterday. Perhaps he had spent hours searching for her after she left, wandering through Yuno City without caring about himself because he was too busy trying to find her. Knowing Yuuta, he might not even realize how long it had been since he had eaten anything.

Erza abruptly rose from the bench, startling Sister Mary enough that the elf immediately looked up at her.

"My Queen?"

"What if he hasn’t eaten anything?"

The composure Erza had maintained through wars, political conflicts and battles against creatures capable of destroying entire cities had almost completely disappeared. She could stand before thousands of enemies without allowing her expression to change, yet the simple possibility that Yuuta might be sitting somewhere hungry was enough to send her thoughts spiraling in every direction.

"What if he hasn’t drunk anything either?"

Erza turned toward Mary, and the growing fear in her violet eyes made it obvious that she was no longer thinking rationally.

"What if he’s crying? What if he didn’t sleep last night?"

"My Queen, please. I didn’t mean...."

"What if he’s still searching for me?"

That possibility struck Erza harder than all the others.

She remembered how Yuuta had searched for the Eternal Ring after losing it, refusing to stop even when the night passed and sunrise arrived. If he had been willing to spend an entire night searching through a field for something Erza had given him, then the possibility that he might have done the same thing for her suddenly didn’t seem unreasonable at all.

"What if..."

Erza’s voice weakened as another thought came to her, but Sister Mary quickly stood and gently caught her hand before her imagination could carry her any further.

"My Queen, look at me."

Erza’s frightened violet eyes moved toward her.

"It was something he sometimes did when he was younger and truly overwhelmed. I shouldn’t have spoken as though I know that’s happening right now."

"But what if it is?"

Erza answered without hesitation, and the simplicity of those words left Mary silent for a moment.

Her breathing had become noticeably faster, while the hand Mary was holding felt unusually tense. Only minutes ago, Erza had been crying because of what Yuuta had said to her and wondering whether he truly hated her. Yet the moment she heard there was even a possibility that he might be neglecting himself, her own pain had been pushed aside almost instinctively.

Sister Mary’s expression softened as she gently squeezed Erza’s hand.

"Then perhaps we should go and see him."

Erza stared at her.

"We can find Yuuta ourselves, my Queen. You don’t have to sit here imagining what might be happening when we can simply go and check."

Mary gave her hand another reassuring squeeze.

"Then you’ll know whether he’s eaten."

For the briefest moment, Erza felt something inside her chest loosen.

The suggestion sounded so painfully simple that her body almost moved before her thoughts could catch up. She could leave the Sanctuary, return to Yuno City and go home. She could open the apartment door and see Yuuta with her own eyes instead of imagining him alone somewhere.

She could see Elena.

She could see him.

If Yuuta hadn’t eaten, she could make him sit down. If he hadn’t drunk anything, she could put water in his hands and refuse to leave until he finished it. If he hadn’t slept, she could stay there until he finally rested, even if he complained the entire time.

For a few precious seconds, Erza wanted nothing more than to go home.

Then Yuuta’s voice returned to her.

I hate you!

The warmth that had begun spreading through Erza’s chest disappeared almost immediately. Her fingers slowly loosened within Mary’s hand as the memory continued with painful clarity.

You hear me, Erza?!

Erza lowered her head.

She could still remember his face when he shouted those words. She remembered his anger, his desperation and the pain in his voice, but knowing that he hadn’t been thinking clearly didn’t make the final words hurt any less.

I wish you would never come back!

Her silver-white hair slipped forward as she lowered her face further, gradually hiding her violet eyes from Mary. Beneath those strands, the tear that had gathered along her lower eyelid finally escaped and slowly travelled down her cheek.

The thought of Yuuta being hungry still frightened her. The possibility that he was alone, crying or searching for her made every part of Erza want to abandon everything and return to Yuno City immediately.

But now another fear stood in her way.

What if she opened that apartment door and Yuuta looked at her with the same expression he had worn yesterday? What if he asked why she had returned after he had told her not to? Worse, what if he had finally experienced a day without her and realized that his life really was easier that way?

Erza’s fingers curled weakly against her palm as she remained beside Sister Mary, unable to bring herself to take even the first step toward the exit. Only moments ago, she had been terrified by the possibility that Yuuta might still be waiting for her, yet now an entirely different fear had taken its place.

She was terrified that he wasn’t.

Sister Mary quietly watched her.

She could understand what was holding Erza back. Those words Yuuta had shouted were still hurting her far more deeply than she wanted to admit, and no matter how much Erza tried to convince herself that he had spoken out of anger, there would always be a small part of her wondering whether anger had simply allowed him to say what he truly felt.

Mary, however, knew Yuuta differently.

She had raised that boy.

She had watched him become angry, stubborn and unreasonable more times than she could remember. She had seen him shout things he regretted afterward and isolate himself because admitting that he was hurt had always been harder than pretending he didn’t care. Mary wasn’t going to excuse what Yuuta had said to Erza, but believing he genuinely hated her was another matter entirely.

"Are you worried that Yuuta may still hate you, my Queen?"

Erza remained silent.

Her breathing was the only answer Mary received at first. Erza’s gaze stayed lowered toward the stone path beneath them before she finally spoke in a quiet voice.

"Yes."

The admission seemed difficult enough on its own, but after another moment Erza tried to push the subject somewhere safer.

"Although... I don’t think he’s hungry. Or worried."

Sister Mary raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you think that, my Queen?"

"I just feel like he isn’t."

"Really, my Queen?"

Mary gave her a long sideways glance.

Erza noticed it immediately.

She slowly turned toward Sister Mary, only to find the elf looking at her with an expression that made it painfully obvious she wasn’t convinced in the slightest. Erza maintained eye contact for several seconds before finally looking away.

"I don’t know."

Sister Mary watched Erza for a moment before finally letting out a quiet sigh.

"To be honest, my Queen, Yuuta may be an idiot sometimes, but I don’t believe he could ever hate you."

Erza’s eyes shifted toward her.

"What makes you so certain?"

Her voice became quieter as she looked down at herself.

"I’m not even human."

Sister Mary blinked once before answering with a small smile.

"Neither am I."

Erza looked toward her again.

Mary lightly gestured toward herself.

"I’m an elf, my Queen. Yuuta and I aren’t even the same species, yet that has never stopped us from loving or caring about one another."

Erza’s expression tightened.

"But Yuuta is human."

Her fingers slowly curled against her palm.

"And he sees me as an animal."

Mary’s smile faded slightly.

"If that were truly how he saw you, then he probably wouldn’t have fallen in love with you in the first place."

Erza stared at her.

"What do you mean?"

Sister Mary was about to answer immediately, but she paused when she noticed the genuine confusion in Erza’s eyes. It took her only a moment to realize that Erza had apparently never considered something that seemed obvious to Mary after spending so many years among humans.

Erza knew she was a dragon.

She knew Yuuta was human.

Yet somewhere inside her heart, she seemed to believe that this difference alone could eventually make Yuuta look at her as nothing more than a beast.

Sister Mary smiled gently.

"My Queen, sometimes our imagination can do far more damage to a perfectly healthy relationship than reality ever could."

Erza remained quiet, listening carefully.

"You hear one terrible sentence, then your mind begins building ten more around it. Before long, you’re frightened of things the other person may never have thought about at all."

Mary’s expression softened.

"Reality is often much simpler than what we imagine."

Erza paused.

For several seconds she said nothing, but Mary’s words had clearly reached somewhere deeper than Erza wanted to admit. Her eyes lowered toward the ground as the fear she had been carrying since leaving Yuuta slowly began fighting against everything she remembered about him.

Eventually, another worry escaped her.

"What if he isn’t happy when he sees me?"

Sister Mary raised an eyebrow.

Erza looked away almost immediately.

"What if I go back and he doesn’t want me there?"

Mary stared at her for a moment before responding with complete seriousness.

"If that happens, I’ll discipline him personally."

Erza slowly looked back toward her.

Mary nodded as though she had already made the decision.

"I’ll make sure he understands his mistake, and afterward I’ll turn him into your loyal servant until he learns how to properly treat his wife."

Erza’s lips twitched.

Despite everything, a small laugh escaped her.

"So that’s what you meant by a long conversation?"

Sister Mary’s smile immediately widened.

"Yes, my Queen."

She nodded solemnly.

"A very long conversation."

Erza laughed again, quieter this time, while Mary joined her. The laughter didn’t erase everything that had happened between Yuuta and Erza, but for those few seconds the heaviness surrounding them became easier to breathe beneath.

Once their laughter gradually faded, Sister Mary looked toward Erza again.

"So..."

She stepped slightly closer and extended one hand toward her.

"Shall we depart, my Queen?"

Erza’s smile slowly disappeared.

Her eyes lowered toward Mary’s open hand.

All she had to do was take it.

They could leave the Sanctuary together, return to Yuno City and find Yuuta. She could see whether he had eaten, whether he had slept and whether he had truly spent all this time suffering because of her.

Her heartbeat began rising again.

Can I really go back?

The thought appeared immediately.

Another followed just as quickly.

Do I even have the right to?

Erza stared at Mary’s hand while the fear inside her returned. Perhaps staying away would be better. She was going to leave Yuuta eventually anyway, and if that separation was inevitable, maybe returning now would only make everything harder for both of them.

Perhaps this was where she should stop.

Perhaps she should allow him to live without her.

Erza’s expression became more conflicted as she continued staring downward.

Yet while her mind kept searching for reasons to remain where she was, something else had already made its decision.

Her hand moved.

Erza noticed it only after her fingers had already begun rising from her side.

She froze for a moment, staring at her own hand in surprise, but it didn’t retreat. Her arm continued extending toward Sister Mary almost instinctively, as though some part of her refused to listen to every excuse her mind was creating.

Her heart knew what she wanted.

She wanted to go home.

She wanted to see Yuuta.

And if he really was hungry, crying or suffering somewhere because of everything that had happened, then she couldn’t remain here simply because she was afraid of what he might say.

Erza’s fingers slowly moved closer to Sister Mary’s waiting hand.

There was barely any distance left between them now.

Her fingertips were just about to touch Sister Mary’s palm when an impossible sound reached them.

"RRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR—!!!"

The entire Green Sanctuary shook.

Erza’s hand stopped in midair as the ground beneath their feet suddenly trembled with enough force to send cracks racing through the stone path. Sister Mary’s eyes widened, but before either woman could react, the roar grew even louder.

The reinforced glass surrounding the Sanctuary began vibrating.

For a fraction of a second, countless cracks appeared across its surface.

Then everything shattered.

Thousands of fragments exploded inward at once as Sister Mary instinctively threw both hands over her ears and lowered herself toward the ground. The pressure passing through the Sanctuary was so powerful that she could feel it vibrating through her chest and bones, making it difficult to tell whether the ground itself was shaking or whether her own body was trembling.

The roar didn’t stop.

"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR—!!!"

Trees throughout the Sanctuary bent violently beneath the sudden wind pouring through the destroyed glass. Branches snapped from their trunks and disappeared into the air, flowers were torn from the ground, and one of the larger trees finally gave way beneath the pressure before crashing across the stone path.

The peaceful pond erupted into chaos as waves repeatedly struck its edges. Benches overturned, decorative stones rolled across the ground and broken glass continued raining through the Sanctuary while the wind above them became increasingly violent.

Through the shattered ceiling, Sister Mary could see the night sky almost disappearing behind an enormous swirling cloud of dust and debris. The air above the Agency twisted violently beneath the pressure of the distant roar, carrying leaves, shattered glass and loose objects high into the darkness until the entire scene resembled the beginning of a tornado.

The Agency itself wasn’t spared.

Walls trembled throughout the underground facility while lights flickered repeatedly overhead. Equipment fell from tables, doors shook within their frames and personnel preparing for battle were forced to grab nearby walls as the enormous structure shuddered beneath them like it had been struck by an earthquake.

Sister Mary remained crouched upon the ground with her hands pressed against her ears.

.

Fear appeared in her eyes.

She knew this feeling.

It wasn’t merely fear created by a loud noise. It was the instinctive terror that came from sensing something so overwhelmingly powerful that the body reacted before the mind could properly understand it.

She had experienced that feeling before.

Nova was home to creatures whose mere presence could awaken instincts older than reason, beings powerful enough to make even experienced warriors understand when they were standing before something they should never provoke.

And now, after all these years, that same warning had awakened inside her again.

Yet when Mary forced herself to look toward Erza, she found something completely different.

The Queen of Atlantis hadn’t moved.

Erza remained standing exactly where she had been when the roar first struck, her silver-white hair whipping violently around her while fragments of glass and leaves flew past her body. Her violet eyes had narrowed slightly, but there wasn’t even the smallest trace of fear within them.

She was listening.

The roar continued for what felt like an eternity, rolling across Liebus without weakening as the distant creature poured its voice over the country. Every few seconds another vibration passed through the Sanctuary, shaking loose whatever fragments of glass had somehow survived the initial impact.

After what felt like several minutes, the overwhelming pressure finally weakened.

The roar did not disappear completely, but what remained had become distant enough for Sister Mary to lower her hands from her ears.

Sister Mary slowly lowered her hands from her ears while breathing heavily, her eyes moving across what remained of the Green Sanctuary. The beautiful garden they had been sitting within only moments earlier was almost unrecognizable. Broken branches covered the stone paths, several trees had fallen, glass was scattered everywhere and cold night air now poured freely through the destroyed sections above them.

For several seconds, neither woman spoke.

Then the Agency alarms screamed to life.

WEEEOOOO!

WEEEOOOO!

WEEEOOOO!

A mechanical voice immediately echoed throughout the damaged facility.

"WARNING!

WARNING!

CALAMITY-LEVEL THREAT DETECTED!"

Red emergency lights began flashing throughout the Sanctuary.

"WARNING!

WARNING!

CALAMITY-LEVEL THREAT DETECTED!"

Sister Mary slowly pushed herself upright, still staring toward the shattered ceiling as another alarm joined the first. Whatever had produced that roar was somewhere beyond Liebus, and the destruction surrounding her had been caused by nothing more than its voice.

She turned toward Erza.

"My Queen..."

Erza was already looking toward the Atlantic.

The frightened wife who had been hesitating over whether she should return home only moments earlier was nowhere to be seen. Her posture had straightened, her expression had become calm and the familiar authority of the Queen of Atlantis had returned to her violet eyes.

Then Erza smiled.

"The war has begun."

To Be Continued...

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