(Yuuta POV)
We were waiting for Fiona to pick us up, and honestly… it was more complicated than it seemed. First, I discovered that my crush wasn't just some ordinary girl—she was the captain of a secret agency. The Phoenix of the Libeus Agency, no less. Then came the surprise about Sister Mary's hometown. And to top it all off, my wife was secretly working for the same agency. How do they manage to lie so convincingly?
At this point, I wouldn't have been shocked if my next-door neighbor turned out to be part of some terrorist organization or shady gang. I was… slowly getting used to the fact that normal life apparently didn't exist for me.
I let out a long, weary sigh—like an old man forced to watch the world go completely mad. Beside me, Erza waited for Fiona.
Erza wasn't usually the type to get flustered or take things too seriously. She was, after all, the strongest being here. But today, something felt different. From the moment she heard that a demon had been captured, her expression changed.
She was biting her nails—a rare sign that she was deep in thought. I could practically see the gears turning in her mind: how to defeat the demon, or perhaps even kill it. It was strange… almost unbelievable. Erza, the mightiest dragon in existence, taking extra precautions for just one demon.
I couldn't help but think… this demon must be seriously dangerous. Maybe even the strongest one I'd ever heard of.
"Erza," I muttered, trying to keep my voice low, careful not to draw attention.
Her head tilted slightly, Sliver hair catching the dim light, eyes sliding toward me. "What is it?" she asked, voice calm, but sharp as a blade.
I hesitated like How do I even start? "That demon… it's really that strong, isn't it?" I asked cautiously, as though saying the words aloud might summon it.
Her brow arched, a flicker of confusion crossing her face. "Demon? What are you talking about?"
"The one Fiona mentioned," I whispered, leaning a little closer, my voice almost trembling. "The one they caught."
Realization flickered across her eyes before she scoffed, a sound half-amused, half-annoyed. "Oh, you mean that ant? Why would I waste a single thought on such an insect?" Her words dripped with that familiar arrogance—classic Erza.
I frowned, unconvinced. "Then… what were you thinking about so deeply earlier? You looked… like you were planning a whole battle strategy or something."
Her gaze sharpened instantly, locking onto me like a hawk spotting its prey. "How much of my confession did you hear while you were pretending to sleep?"
Confession? My chest skipped a beat. That… that's what was on her mind?
"W–wait, what?" My laugh came out shaky, uneven. "You mean… that?"
Her eyes didn't waver, calm and piercing. "Don't play dumb, Yuuta. Tell me—how much?"
So that's it. She wasn't worried about the demon at all. She was worried about me overhearing her.
I rubbed the back of my neck, swallowing hard. "Uh… well… just the part where you said you wrote poems about me, and… um… that you… loved me and made a painting."
Her face turned crimson instantly, as if someone had set fire to her cheeks. Before I could even blink, she grabbed me by the collar and yanked me toward her.
"Forget it," she snapped, voice trembling somewhere between fury and embarrassment.
"W–wait, why would I forget that?!" I croaked, half-choking in her grip.
Her fingers tightened as if she could strangle the memory right out of me. "Because I told you to!"
I froze, caught between amusement, shock, and an undeniable warmth that spread across my chest. Her eyes, usually so sharp and commanding, now shimmered with something entirely different—something vulnerable.
I sighed, then gently reached for her hand — the same hand that had been gripping my collar. Her fingers were tense, trembling just slightly beneath that fierce scale of hers.
"Erza," I said quietly, "I don't know who you're trying to lie to — me, or yourself. But… it's not a crime to accept what you feel."
She didn't answer. Her eyes flickered, voliet irises shifting like dying embers, but her expression stayed unreadable.
I smiled faintly, my voice softening. "Honestly, I'm just glad. Glad that someone like me could be loved by you. It makes me feel like I'm not completely alone."
For a heartbeat, nothing moved. Then her grip eased. Slowly — almost reluctantly — she lowered me back to my feet. When she turned away, her hair swept across her shoulder like a curtain, hiding whatever emotion lingered there.
"Hmph." Her tone was sharp again, almost forced. "Don't talk to me. I need to think about how to defeat that demon."
I couldn't help a quiet chuckle. "Oh, come on, Erza. Are you seriously changing the topic right now?"
Her eyes flicked back to me, sharper this time, as if daring me to push further. "Why would I? I just… well, you know. This demon is different. Special."
I tilted my head. "Special, huh? Yeah, I was wondering that too. Why would Fiona make such a fuss over just one demon? I mean, I was already surprised demons even exist on Earth in the first place."
That struck a chord. Erza's proud composure slipped — not entirely, but enough to reveal the weight behind her silence. She let out a long breath, a sound half sigh and half irritation.
"It's because of human greed," she said at last. Her voice carried a bitterness that didn't belong to her alone, as if she were speaking for centuries of regret, as she saw How human fall into the greed. "That's how demons came into this world."
"Human greed?" I echoed, frowning. "You mean… it wasn't just an accident?"
Her gaze darkened. "No. According to the records I've read in agency, it started generations ago — back when the Mariya Emperor's rule was collapsing. His armies were failing, his empire crumbling, and death was closing in from every side."
She paused, her eyes distant, as though replaying a story she wished weren't true. "And that was when a strange man appeared. He wore ember-green robes and claimed he wasn't of this world. He called himself a being from… Balina."
Balina...???
Before Erza could continue her story, the low growl of engines cut through the air.
I turned toward the sound. Three black vans rolled down the street, their movements smooth and deliberate. The kind of vans you only see in movies — with dark, military-grade glass and tires built to crush anything in their way.
For a second, I honestly thought it was some kind of mafia convoy just passing through.
But then they slowed. And stopped.
Right in front of us.
Erza's eyes narrowed immediately. Her whole expression changed — sharp, calm, and strangely disappointed, like she'd expected this to happen.
The doors opened at the same time.
Four soldiers stepped out, their boots striking the pavement in perfect rhythm. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. The sound echoed across the empty street. Their uniforms were dark, pressed, and impossibly neat — the kind of sharpness that didn't come from a stylist but from strict training.
They didn't look real for a moment — like they'd stepped out of an action film. But the way they moved said otherwise. They were disciplined, focused, dangerous.
Each one carried a weapon. Not normal rifles — these had a faint glow running along their frames, like veins of light alive under the metal. A soft hum followed, low and electric, making the hair on my arms stand on end.
I swallowed hard, suddenly aware of how quiet everything had become.
And then, without a word from anyone, the four soldiers dropped to one knee in unison. Their voices came together, strong and steady:
"Greetings, Special Commander. Reporting to you."
For a second, I thought I'd misheard.
Then I thought maybe they'd mistaken us for someone else.
But no. They weren't looking past us.
They weren't bowing to a stranger.
They were bowing to her.
To Erza.
My Erza — the same one who nagged me about leaving socks under the couch, who argued with Elena about eating vegetables, who rolled her eyes whenever I joked about dragons.
And now, here she was — standing tall, soldiers kneeling before her like she was royalty.
Well… she was royalty, technically. But still — seeing it happen in my world, in broad daylight, was something else entirely.
My finger shot out before I even thought about it. "Wait—hold on. You're a… Special Commander?!"
Erza didn't even glance my way. Her violet eyes stayed fixed on the soldiers, calm and cold.
"Damn it, Sara," she said quietly. "I told you to send Fiona only. Not a full squad."
The front first van's door opened, and Fiona stepped out, her uniform slightly different from the others. She looked pale but steady, her voice crisp and professional.
"Get in. We don't have much time, Special Commander."
Erza exhaled softly, her expression unreadable. "...I know."
The tone of her voice changed — steady, commanding. The kind that didn't ask for permission. It simply expected obedience.
One of the soldiers immediately moved to open the door for her. Erza slid inside without hesitation, every motion smooth, practiced. Like this was a routine she'd done a hundred times before.
I stood there, frozen.
Everything around me felt surreal — the vans, the soldiers, the glowing weapons. People bowing to her. It didn't fit. Not with the girl I knew.
A soldier turned toward me and gestured politely at the open door. For a moment, I just stared.
Honestly, it felt unfair.
I was born in this world — lived here all my life, dealing with bills, deadlines, and broken coffee machines. And Erza? She hadn't even been here a full year and already had a special rank in some secret organization.
Seriously… how was that fair?
A few minutes later.....
we were seated in the van.
I wasn't in the mood for anything. Not the plush leather seats, not the quiet hum of the engine, not even the faint smell of expensive air freshener. My mind kept circling the same thought — how unfair life could be.
I'd been struggling just to survive in my own world, barely getting by. And Erza? She was living her best life in both worlds.
I glanced at her. She sat calmly beside me, arms crossed, her expression composed as ever. Not a single trace of stress. Meanwhile, in this world, no one even looked at me with respect — and here she was, a queen in one world and a Special Commander in mine.
I sighed and stared up at the ceiling of the van. "Damn it… who the hell is writing my script?" I muttered. "Whoever you are, you bastard, I hope your coffee spills on your keyboard."
Erza turned her head slightly. "What are you doing, mortal?"
"Nothing," I said. "Just cursing someone."
She sighed — that long, tired sigh that said she'd given up trying to understand me. "Anyway," she said, brushing off my drama, "where was I in the story?"
I thought for a second. "Hmm… you mentioned some guy from… Balina, right?"
"Ah, yes," she said, nodding. "That's where I left off."
Her tone shifted — calmer, more serious now. "After that unknown man appeared, he advised the Mariya Emperor to perform a ritual. Thousands of innocent women and children were sacrificed on altars to summon a being from another world — a demon."
My chest tightened. "A demon? You mean like… the demon we're talking about?"
She shook her head slightly. "No. This one was far worse. The creature they summoned was an Archdemon — a being with power equivalent to what we call a Tyrant Threat."
I blinked. "Tyrant Threat? What does that even mean?"
Erza leaned back, folding her arms. "In my world, monsters are classified by how dangerous they are. It helps us measure their power and the level of destruction they can cause." She paused, then began listing them in order.
"Vermin Threat.
Predator Threat.
Beast Threat.
Tyrant Threat.
Scourge Threat.
Wraith Threat.
Lord Threat.
Cataclysm Threat.
Abyssal Threat.
Eclipse Threat."
I blinked again. "Wait, wait, hold on. That's… a lot of threats. Are the monsters really that powerful?"
She gave me a small, knowing smile. "Of course. The creatures of Nova are strong enough that even gods intervene once every few thousand years to thin them out. Otherwise, our world would collapse under its own chaos."
I let out a low whistle. "That's insane. So what about you? What's your threat level?"
"Mine?" she said, glancing at me with a hint of pride. "I'm classified as a Lord Threat. Every dragon is, at minimum, a Wraith Threat. The strongest among us reach Lord."
"Damn," I muttered, shaking my head. "That's… actually terrifying."
She smirked faintly. "It should be."
I leaned back, staring out the tinted window as the city lights flickered by. "That threat system sounds complicated. Or maybe it just means your world is way too dangerous. No wonder you never take me there. I'd probably last five minutes — tops."
Erza chuckled softly, almost to herself. "More like one."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, thanks for the vote of confidence."
Still… I couldn't help imagining it — her world, full of creatures so powerful that gods had to step in just to keep balance. Compared to that, I really was just a rabbit standing in a lion's den.
I leaned back in my seat, staring blankly at the passing city lights.
I still couldn't believe how much I didn't know — aura, mana, threat systems, monster classes. It was like trying to understand the rules of a game that had started long before I was even born.
How was I supposed to make sense of her world when I could barely survive in mine?
Erza noticed my expression and let out a small laugh. "Don't look so lost," she said softly. "It's not your fault. My world is… vast. Even I haven't seen a tenth of it. Honestly, even if you had three thousand years to explore, you'd barely scratch the surface."
She said it with the kind of pride only someone truly connected to her world could have — like a queen speaking of her kingdom.
I crossed my arms and muttered, "Yeah, yeah, sounds amazing. Now tell me the demon story already."
Erza gave me a sharp look, then cleared her throat. "Don't interrupt me again, idiot."
I raised my hands in surrender. "Right. My bad."
Her gaze turned distant as she continued. "When that demon appeared in this world, he brought disaster with him. What started as a single act of greed became centuries of bloodshed. Kingdoms fell. Generations lived and died in war. He was the spark that burned everything."
Her voice dropped lower, quieter — the kind of tone that made the air in the van feel heavier.
"He was the reason your world had its great wars," she said.
I blinked. "Wait—what? You mean… World War?"
Erza nodded once. "Yes. He was always there, hiding in the shadows. Manipulating kings, generals, and tyrants. Feeding on human sin. The more humanity strayed from what was right, the stronger he became. He was the true devil — the one who taught men how to enslave, to torture, to destroy."
Her words lingered in the air, cold and sharp.
I felt a chill crawl down my spine. "That's insane," I whispered. "He lasted that long?"
"Two thousand years," Erza said simply. "Ruling from behind the curtain. Thriving on chaos." She looked out the window, her reflection dark and calm. "But that's over now. He's been captured."
"Captured?" I repeated.
She nodded again. "That's who we're dealing with now — the Archdemon, Manstar."
To be continued...
Author's Note
Hello everyone!
I noticed many of you have been asking two big questions: "Why is Yuuta still weak?" and "When will we finally reach the Nova Arc?"
Don't worry—it's all part of the journey. Yuuta's weakness right now is the very thing that will make his eventual rise so much more meaningful. He still needs that one reason, that fire in his heart, before he can step into the path of true strength.
Very soon, he'll begin to uncover the power that has been sleeping inside him all along. That discovery will launch him into the greatest journey of his life, unlocking mysteries far bigger than anything we've seen so far.
So please be patient a little longer—once we enter the Nova Arc, every chapter will feel worth the wait
Thank you for reading and supporting Yuuta's story