(Erza's POV)
The hum of the engine filled the silence between us.
I sat still in the passenger seat, my gaze locked on the passing blur of the Lebius skyline—towers of chrome and glass flickering beneath digital billboards. Outside, the city shimmered under the afternoon sun, but inside the car, the air was calm, cool… almost too quiet.
No Yuuta beside me, leaning half-asleep against the window.
No soft, annoying humming from him trying to guess songs on the radio.
No sudden hands grabbing the steering wheel in pretend panic.
Just me.
And Fiona.
Her fingers drummed lightly on the steering wheel. The way she drove—casual but sharp—made it clear she'd done this a thousand times. She looked… comfortable. Which made me mildly uncomfortable.
"You're too quiet," she said, eyes still on the road.
I turned away from the window. "I'm used to traveling with Yuuta. This feels… strange."
She smiled. "Yeah. You usually look like you're ready to either stab someone or scold him."
"…Both are situational," I muttered.
She laughed. I didn't.
She made a turn so smooth it felt like gliding, then said, "It's a good thing you're here, you know. You've been in this world for a while now, but today's different. You're going to see how the real power works."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means," she said, eyes sharp, "you've always been next to Yuuta. Always beside him. But if you want to protect him—you'll need to move ahead."
That made me pause.
I looked at her. Really looked. She wasn't teasing me. Not this time.
"…I want him to be free financial," I said quietly. "From burden. From danger. From… me, if that's what it takes."
She glanced sideways. "Then this is your first step."
The car slowed as we approached a massive mirrored tower.
The Central Bank of Lebius.
It rose like a monolith—cold, pristine, almost too perfect. Like a fortress built by people who had never feared anything. Giant tinted windows reflected the clouds, while security cameras followed us from above like silent watchers.
I narrowed my eyes. "This is it? You brought me… to a bank?"
Fiona smirked, still focused on the parking. "What else? We're here to rob it."
I didn't even blink.
In a split second, ice magic surged through my veins. A shimmering, frost-edged blade formed in my hand and was pressed cold and sharp against her neck.
Fiona froze. "Okay—okay! Whoa! I was joking!" she squeaked, hands raised slightly. "It was a joke! A very funny, clearly misunderstood joke!"
My eyes narrowed. "I don't do jokes about crime. Especially when Yuuta is involved."
"I know, I know! My bad!" she said quickly. "No robbing, I swear. We're just visiting. Official business. Totally legal. Promise."
I let the blade melt into mist.
"Be precise with your words next time," I said, voice calm but firm.
Fiona exhaled like she'd been holding her breath. "Remind me never to prank you before noon."
She pulled the car into a private driveway and shut off the engine. "Okay. Real talk now. This isn't just a bank. It's where money meets mana. Identity. Secrets. Leverage. The real world. You want to help Yuuta? You need to understand this world—not just swords and kingdoms."
I stepped out, senses prickling. The building radiated layered enchantments—wards, barriers, arcane locks buried under clean design.
We enter in Bank.
There was magic here. Heavy, layered, hidden under corporate polish. My senses flared—wards, barriers, arcane tripwires. All buried beneath expensive glass and smiling receptionists.
Fiona reached into her coat and pulled out a check.
I blinked. "That's it?"
"Just wait," she said, walking ahead like she owned the place.
At the front desk, the receptionist's plastic smile barely lasted a second. The moment she saw the check in Fiona's hand, she straightened—eyes wide, posture rigid.
Then, a soft click under her desk.
Two men in dark suits appeared a heartbeat later, silent and sharp.
"These are high-priority clients," the receptionist said. "Escort them to the executive floor."
I said nothing as we followed the suited men down a long, polished hallway.
My hand hovered near my hip. There were too many enchantments in the air. Too many eyes.
I leaned closer to Fiona. "You really trust this place?"
She smirked but didn't look back. "No one's stupid enough to start trouble here not even a dragon."
"…Are you sure?"
She hesitated.
Then let out a short, nervous laugh.
"…No. Not really. But let's pretend I am."
Then they escort us to elevator we enter in as soon as we entry elevator moved basement floor.
The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime—and I froze.
This wasn't just a bank basement.
It was an entire world.
A massive underground complex stretched out before me, glowing with pale blue lights and the soft hum of machines. Walkways spiraled along glass structures. Drones floated overhead in perfect, silent formation. Mana-powered tech blinked from behind translucent walls. The air itself felt… different. Charged. Like the tension before a storm.
I stepped out, slowly, as if one wrong move would shatter the illusion.
Everything felt unreal.
I remembered something suddenly—Yuuta's voice, a moment long past.
"Erza, you wouldn't believe how different this world is. The cities, the machines—they don't run on magic, they run on advance logical technology. They hide whole universes in their systems."
At the time, I'd brushed it off. Told him not to bore me with fantasies.
Now…
Now I was walking through one.
My boots clicked softly against the polished floor. I turned my head, taking in every impossible detail.
The city beneath the bank pulsed like a living thing.
"…You're quiet," Fiona said beside me, a knowing look in her eyes.
I nodded slowly. "Yuuta… tried to tell me about places like this. He called it a 'city within the city.' I didn't believe him."
"Most people don't," she replied, leading me past a glowing terminal. "That's why this place exists. Right under their noses."
I followed her into a main corridor where guards moved with military precision, their suits enhanced with mana circuits and HUD lenses. Scientists passed by carrying glowing devices. A pair of soldiers ran combat simulations behind a clear barrier—blades clashing, sparks flying.
I couldn't stop staring.
"How do civilians not know about this?" I asked.
Fiona didn't look surprised. She handed me a slim black device—a phone, but more advanced than anything I'd seen.
"They do. They see glimpses. A winged beast here, a magic clash there. But our organization—and others—have made sure they forget."
"Forget?" I frowned.
"More like… doubt," she said. "We pay AI companies and CGI artists to flood the world with fake videos. Monsters, portals, spells—millions of fakes online. So when someone posts a real one?"
"No one believes them," I finished quietly.
Fiona smiled, not cruelly, but with the tired expression of someone who's lived too long in the shadow of secrets.
"Exactly."
I turned away, scanning the massive facility again. "So this… is the world behind the curtain."
"There are two worlds now," Fiona said. "One for those who see beyond the veil. And one for everyone else."
I didn't answer.
I couldn't.
Because somewhere in the center of it all, I saw something that chilled me—a towering structure wrapped in runes and cables. A control tower? A data center? I didn't know. But its presence was enough to silence the awe in my chest.
Fiona touched my arm.
"This is where you come in."
I looked at her.
She pulled out a pair of black gloves and placed them in my hands.
"Your recruitment test. You'll find the trial zone by following the map on that device. Just follow the arrow."
"What about you?" I asked.
"I'll be watching. Squad Captain privilege."
I narrowed my eyes. "You're enjoying this a little too much."
She gave a half-smile. "Maybe. But remember, you're here for a reason. And you wanted to support Yuuta, right?"
"I did. I do," I said quietly. "But I'm not staying. Once I earn what I need—money, knowledge—I'm gone."
"Fair enough," she said. "Just one more thing. Don't use your raw magic. Those gloves will make it seem like all your power comes from advanced tech. It's how we keep the higher-ups from asking the wrong questions."
I sighed, slipping them on. They hummed faintly—unfamiliar, but not uncomfortable.
"So… I fight, but I hide my real self," I muttered. "Great."
Fiona shrugged. "Welcome to the human world."
I gave her one last glance. Then, without another word, I turned and walked down the corridor toward the training zone.
Yuuta had told me once this world was built on secrets.
He was right.
But he never told me how lonely it feels… walking into it without him.
I followed the glowing arrow on the device Fiona gave me. After several turns and a descent into yet another elevator—this one going much deeper—I stepped out into a space that made me pause.
A fake sky stretched above, painted in soft blues and drifting clouds. The ground beneath was a wide field—half combat terrain, half simulation zone. It was hard to believe this was underground. Massive, pristine, advanced. Like a hidden world designed just for war.
But I wasn't alone.
Six others stood scattered across the field. Trainees, like me. One of them caught my attention immediately—a tall, broad-shouldered man with brown skin, confident posture, and far too much swagger in his eyes. Two girls stood nearby, one with long black hair, the other blonde and clearly athletic. The rest wore hooded jackets, keeping their faces hidden.
I was already annoyed. I thought this would be a solo test.
The tall man approached me with a grin that oozed arrogance.
"You know who I am?" he asked, voice dripping with false charm.
I gave him a flat look. "No. Didn't your mother tell you who you are?"
The girls behind him burst out laughing. Even a few others chuckled.
His smirk twitched, eyes narrowing for a fraction of a second. "Good one, lady. I'm impressed. Didn't know pretty faces could carry sharp tongues."
"I wasn't joking," I said flatly. "I just told the truth."
He was smiling again, but it was tight—forced. "You're fiery. I like that. Must be why you've already captured my heart."
He stepped closer, bold enough to reach out and tilt my chin with two fingers. "Let's skip the boring test. Sleep with me tonight, and I'll make you forget your name."
I blinked.
Then I laughed—cold and sharp. "How bold humans have become… You approach me so fearlessly, and yet you don't even sense the storm right in front of you."
I let a flicker of aura escape. Just enough to shift the air and make the ground beneath us hum faintly.
"You punk," I hissed, slapping his hand away. "I'm married. Can't you see the ring on my finger? How dare you speak such filth in front of me?"
He blinked, startled. "Wait… married?"
Someone behind him muttered, "Dude, she's taken. Abort mission."
But he didn't back off.
"Oh come on, sweetheart," he said, still grinning. "Don't tell me that weakling husband of yours compares to me. One night with me and you'll never want to go back. Hell, keep acting like a loyal wife in public, I don't care. Just give me the real thing in private—"
Crack.
My fist connected with his jaw before he could finish. He flew back like a cannonball, crashing through two concrete barriers before slamming into a wall and sliding to the ground.
I stood firm, eyes burning. "My heart belongs to my husband. I love him. If you ever speak of him like that again, I'll end your life—every single time you're reborn."
Silence.
Everyone around me froze. Even the hooded trainees stepped back.
Then the man groaned—bloodied, dazed—but he rose. Slowly. Painfully.
I narrowed my eyes. He actually stood up? Even after I held back 95% of my strength?
He wiped blood from his mouth, face twisted in rage. "Mark my words, bitch. I'll kill your husband and make you a widow. Then you'll beg me to take you—crawl to me."
Something snapped.
I let loose little amount of my aura. Just 3%.
The temperature dropped. The field shook. A swirling wind erupted around me, carrying a faint glow—an illusion of a massive shadow behind me. A horned figure. A goddess of death. Only he could see it.
I walked toward him, slow and unblinking. "Try it," I said. "You're nothing but a flicker in the presence of someone I swore to protect. As long as I breathe, no one will touch him. Not you. Not any beast. Not even God."
He stumbled back, choking on his breath.
Then—suddenly—the sirens blared.
"Alert. Alert. Unknown magical entity detected. Monster-level mana signature approaching. Evacuate field immediately."
Tch.
"What a shitty day," I muttered, rolling my shoulders.
(Meanwhile… Yuuta's POV)
I paused mid-sentence as I handed Elena a glass of water.
A chill ran down my spine.
"…Why do I feel like someone just made an oath to kill me?"
Elena blinked, confused. "Papa?"
I forced a smile. "Never mind, sweetie. Just a weird feeling."
But I knew better.
Somewhere, something had shifted.
And Erza… Erza was definitely involved.
To be continued…
"Hey guys this is your author and, I noticed some of you dropped off and I really want to improve! Was it pacing? A recent chapter? Something confusing or missing? Let me know!