(Erza's POV)
What should I do…?
My hands trembled as I stared at Allen—the demon standing before me like he owned the very air we breathed. I couldn't let him stay near Yuuta. Not this kind of creature.
Now that I thought about it, everything began to fall into place. The power radiating from him, the way his presence bent the atmosphere—it wasn't ordinary demon. He was a Nefarion.
The name alone made my blood run cold. A rare and ancient demon lineage, born from corruption itself. Their kind could rival even the lower dragons. And once they found a master, their loyalty was absolute—if that master possessed divinity.
But Yuuta… he's just a human. A mortal. So why does Allen show him that kind of devotion?
My chest tightened. I didn't want to believe it. Nefarions weren't just loyal—they were deceivers. They could twist hearts, taint souls, and drag even the purest being into the abyss.
The thought alone made my stomach churn.
Yuuta, with his soft eyes and foolishly gentle smile… corrupted by this demon's influence? I could almost see it—his warmth fading, replaced by something cold and cruel.
That smile… no longer kind, but mocking.
The image cut through me like a blade.
Before I knew it, my claws had formed, my hand tightening around Allen's throat. His feet dangled above the ground as I lifted him effortlessly. Yet he didn't resist. He didn't even blink. He just smiled—that same infuriating, knowing smile.
That grin only poured oil into my fury.
"You think I'll let you stay near him?" My voice came out low and trembling with rage. "You think I'll let you corrupt him?"
He said nothing. Just kept smiling.
My grip tightened. Magic surged up my arm, scales forming as restraint gave way to raw instinct. With a snarl, I swung my arm and hurled him across the chamber. The crash echoed like thunder.
Allen's body tore through walls—marble crumbling like sand—before finally stopping amid a storm of dust and shattered stone.
The silence that followed was deafening.
I could feel their eyes on me—fear, confusion, disbelief. The air itself seemed afraid to move.
"Sara!" I barked.
Sara flinched but met my gaze. "My Queen—"
"Cover your ears. Now."
She didn't argue. She knew that tone. The others barely had time to react before I raised my hand. The chamber dimmed, blue sigils spiraling along the walls. They pulsed once—then burst into a wave of ethereal light.
"Somnus."
A sleeping spell—ancient, high-tier, absolute.
In an instant, silence fell. One by one, bodies slumped gently to the ground, their breaths deep and steady.
Only I and Sara remained standing.
The air was cold now, thick with dust and magic residue. My hands wouldn't stop shaking as I stared toward the crater where Allen lay.
If this continued… Yuuta would be devoured.
Not by darkness—
…but by loyalty twisted into chains.
"Sara," I said firmly.
She immediately bowed, her head low. "Yes, my Queen."
"Do you know any way to save Yuuta and break this contract without harming him?" My voice was steady, but the tremor beneath it betrayed my unease.
Sara hesitated, lips pressed tightly together. "I don't, my Queen. There are only two methods I know of. The first… is to kill the contractor. Doing so will sever the pact and send the demon back to its realm. The second…" She glanced up, meeting my eyes for a brief, fearful moment. "…is to kill the demon. But when that happens, the seal shatters violently. The mortal bound by it suffers terribly—bones crushed, organs ruptured—as the fragments of the broken seal tear through their body."
I exhaled slowly. "I know those methods. But this demon isn't ordinary, Sara. You know that as well as I do. He's a Nefarion. And when a Nefarion swears loyalty, it's not through a simple contract. It's through their soul. Killing him would bring ruin upon Yuuta."
Sara's eyes widened. "You're right, my Queen. I only recently discovered his true identity. He's not just a Nefarion… he holds a title among them."
My hand clenched. "A titled Nefarion…"
The air seemed to grow heavier. "There are barely twenty—maybe twenty-five—of their kind left in existence. For centuries, they've acted as Arch Demons hiding in shadow, they are walking calamities. To encounter one is rare enough… but to have one bound to a mortal—"
I stopped, grinding my teeth.
Sara said nothing. She didn't have to. The fear in her eyes mirrored the dread twisting inside me.
"When a Nefarion finds its master," I continued, "it stop running. It doesn't hide. It devotes itself completely—body, mind, and soul. Even if it must wait in darkness for centuries, it will wait for that one true Master."
The thought made my stomach knot.
My claws pressed deeper into my palms until I felt warmth—blood seeping between my fingers.
"And that," I whispered, more to myself than to her, "is what terrifies me, Sara."
The light above us flickered, and for a moment, Yuuta's face flashed in my mind—his soft smile, his human warmth, his foolish bravery.
"Because now," I said, my voice breaking into a trembling whisper, "that enternal master… is Yuuta."
For a long moment, I just stood there, staring at Sara—waiting for an answer that never came. The silence between us was suffocating. I could see it in her eyes, that burning desire to kill Allen… but she couldn't. Not without risking Yuuta's life.
And I understood that feeling all too well. The same helplessness clawed inside my chest—the urge to end Allen's existence, yet the fear of harming Yuuta held me back. In that moment, I realized… we were the same. Bound by different reasons, but trapped by the same heart.
If this were my kingdom—if I were standing within the halls of Atlantis surrounded by my scholars, my guards, my archives of ancient spells—I might have found a way to save Yuuta already. But here, on this human earth, I was blind. Powerless. I had no scholars to consult, no personal guards to send searching through the forgotten corners of the world.
I pressed a hand against my forehead, trying to think, but my thoughts only spiraled deeper. The World Organization had been searching for Allen for centuries, branding him as a threat to humanity. But even they couldn't understand what he truly was—a Nefarion bound by soul.
I couldn't kill him. Not this kind of demon. Not one whose loyalty was carved into the very core of its being. If I tried, Allen would die… but his soul would not rest. It would wander the afterlife, waiting for Yuuta beyond the gates of heaven and hell alike—an eternal guardian, punished by his own devotion.
And Yuuta… he would suffer.
The moment the bond broke, every fragment of Allen's power and every trace of his sin would flood into Yuuta. His body would crumble under the weight of it.
Originally, I could have saved him—erased the fragments of his pain, sealed away those memories. But Yuuta's mind… it's already at its limit. Layers of seals hold his consciousness together like fragile threads. From the memories of his own creation, to the hidden truths of the Eleven Kingdoms—everything inside him is barely holding.
Even now, I've cast a spell to bury the truth of Yuri Kounari deep within him. But how long can a man live inside a lie?
If even one of those seals were to shatter, it would be like breaking a dam. All of it—every hidden memory, every repressed truth—would come flooding out at once. The surge would tear through his mind, sending him into unbearable agony until his brain simply… stopped.
That's why I can't kill this demon.
Not because I lack the strength—
…but because Yuuta wouldn't survive the truth that follows.
Allen lay half-buried beneath a ruin of marble and dust. He didn't struggle. He didn't even blink. It was as if he had already accepted whatever verdict I chose to pass. The thought should have made me feel powerful. Instead it made my stomach hollow.
I stood there, hands clenched, listening to the settling silence. The danger was no longer a rumor at the edges of my mind; it was stark and immediate, painted in the breathless quiet of the chamber.
I turned my head and looked at Yuuta. He was still—encased in the ice cocoon, chest rising and falling with slow, even breaths. His face was peaceful, as if some distant shore had swallowed the world's storms. He looked so helpless and so whole at once that the urge to shield him tightened something inside me.
A memory drifted up like smoke: the promise I made to Grandpa before I left. Three wishes, he had said, spoken with the weight of an old man who had seen too many regrets. I had vowed to grant them for Yuuta's sake—so that he might live a life spared of needless want or needless pain.
The first wish was almost done. Yuuta had always struggled with bills and rent—small things that nagged at his days until they felt like a chain. I decided I would break that chain. I worked so he would never have to beg or bow to anyone for money;
The second… the second was supposed to be safety. That had been the reason I walked into the Agency: to keep threats from ever reaching his door. I had thought I understood what "safety" meant. I had thought it was a shield to be forged with steel and law.
Now safety looked different. It tasted like hard choices and bitter iron. It meant deciding whether to let a demon keep breathing beside the one I loved.
A thin, almost involuntary smile touched my lips. It was not a smile of joy. It was the small, cold smile of someone who has finally mapped out the next step on a road full of traps.
"I understand now," I said, my voice low but steady.
Sara lifted her head from where she knelt, eyes bright with worry. "What is it, my Queen?"
I watched the dust settle above Allen's chest, watched the faint twitch of a muscle. The answer felt simple and terrible at once. "My second gift for Yuuta," I told her. "It will work perfectly."
I lifted my hand, and the air itself trembled. The ancient power within me stirred, swirling like a storm called from sleep.
"Son of Verionca," I said, my voice carrying through the ruined chamber, resonating off the fractured walls. "Answer me now."
For a heartbeat, silence ruled the air. Then the rubble before me shifted. Cracks spread through the stone like veins of light, and from the wreckage, Allen rose. Dust clung to his cloak, his expression calm—resigned. He bowed deeply, one knee pressed to the ground.
"Yes, my Mistress," he said softly. "Your servant has heard your call."
I studied him without a word. His tone, his posture—no trace of rebellion. Only devotion. It was strange, how this creature of chaos could kneel so willingly before anyone.
Finally, I spoke. "Tell me, Allen… will you accept it if I place restrictions upon you—on behalf of your master?"
There wasn't a flicker of hesitation. "My Mistress," he said, his voice unwavering, "I serve both you and my Eternal Master equally. In my eyes, you are one and the same. Do what you believe is right."
Something in his words made my chest ache. For a fleeting moment, I saw no demon—only a soul bound by choice.
"…Very well," I whispered.
I raised my hand higher. Zani particles gathered around me, shimmering threads of light winding up my arm like living fire. The authority of a Queen—my birthright—answered my will.
"You will continue to protect my husband," I said, my tone calm but edged with command. "But you shall never lead him into darkness. Yuuta was born pure—his heart, his soul. You will guide him with wisdom, not shadow."
The golden light brightened, pulsing in rhythm with my words.
"From this moment onward, I seal away your destructive power. The world has no need for another tyrant. What remains of you will exist only to guard him."
The final syllable left my lips, and the chamber erupted in a quiet brilliance.
Particles of light—like golden snow—drifted through the air, swirling gently around Allen. They circled him once, twice, before sinking into his body. The sound was soft and fleeting—like the closing of a door that would never reopen.
Allen didn't resist. His eyes widened slightly, more in awe than fear. The once-roaring aura around him dimmed, fading into silence.
I let my arm fall back to my side, the last Zani particles fading from my fingertips. "It is done," I said softly.
Now, what remained of his strength would be just enough—no longer the wrath of a demon, but the resolve of a guardian. Balanced. Controlled. Bound not by fear, but by purpose.
And for the first time, the air between us felt… calm And My second Wish is now Complete leaving only one left.
I turned my gaze toward the ice cocoon where Yuuta lay. The faint glow reflected softly against his face, calm and unaware, like he was simply lost in a peaceful dream.
A quiet ache spread through my chest. I took a slow breath, forcing the words out even though they trembled at the edge of my lips.
"Yuuta…" I whispered, stepping closer. "It seems… we're going to be separated sooner than I thought."
My hand reached out, fingers brushing lightly against the frozen surface of the cocoon. "My lovely husband," I said softly, a small, sad smile forming. "Even if you can't hear me right now… I'll keep my promise. Every one of them."
To be continue...
Financial freedom.✓
Safety.✓
Bond.?