Erza jumped in without hesitation, landing right in front of me.
Dust scattered from her boots as she stood firm between me and the lions. I was still clutching my arm, blood dripping through my fingers—I couldn't stop the bleeding, and the pain was starting to get to me.
Erza's sharp eyes snapped to my bleeding hand.
"You idiot mortal," she said, cold as ice. "You should've known a dragon's child wouldn't be killed by weak beasts like these."
I froze.
…What?
Was she seriously saying that now?
"You can't be serious." My voice trembled—half with rage, half disbelief. "You're telling me I shouldn't have jumped in when Elena was surrounded? When she was crying for help?!"
She huffed, clearly annoyed. "I told you. Just leave these things to me. You're weak. Elena is my Daughter she can't be hurt by those beast jaw,
her scale skin was tough to torn.
But you—" her eyes flared, "—you can't even handle these flea-bitten mutts, and you still jumped from that height like a reckless fool!"
That did it.
My blood boiled.
My whole body trembled—not from pain, but from the storm inside.
"She's. My. Daughter." I growled, chest heaving. "I won't just stand there while my family is in danger. I don't care how weak I am!"
The words poured out before I could stop them. My voice cracked.
"You and Elena… you're all I have. You're my whole damn world. Do you think I'd ever abandon you two just because I'm not strong enough?!"
I bit down hard, trying to hold it in—but the tears slipped anyway, hot and helpless.
"I know I'm not like you… I know I'm just a weak, pathetic human. But if you think I'll ever let my daughter cry alone in a cage while I stand by like a coward—you really don't know me at all."
Her eyes widened. Just for a second.
And in that heartbeat… I saw it.
A flicker.
A softening.
Her eyes, always cold and untouchable, wavered—just a little.
And… she blushed.
Not out of embarrassment.
But something deeper. Something vulnerable.
But before I could speak again—
A low growl echoed behind us.
The lion still wasn't done.
And the look in Erza's eyes…?
That softness?
It vanished.
Replaced by something terrifying.
And deadly.
The moment her killing aura flared, the lionesses froze. In the next breath, they bolted—yelping and stumbling as they rushed away like they'd just stared death in the face.
From outside the enclosure, I heard gasps.
"Did you see that?"
"The lions... they ran?"
"That woman… what is she!?"
Crying.
Tears streamed down Elena's cheeks as she clung to me.
"Papa, are you okay? I'm sorry… Papa got hurt because of me…"
"No, no, it's not because of you, my cutie pie." I held her tightly, ignoring the sting in my arm. "Didn't I tell you? Daddy's strong. I'll protect you—always."
But just as I tried to soothe her, the male lion let out a deafening roar, a growl full of fury and dominance that shook the air.
The crowd watching from behind the barriers screamed and staggered back. Panic spread like wildfire.
And yet—Erza stood there, unfazed.
Arms crossed. Chin raised.
She didn't flinch, didn't blink. She just stared the beast down like she was judging an insect.
"Erza," I said quickly, "Don't kill the lion. If something happens, the zoo staff will interrogate us."
"I know, idiot mortal," she snapped. "You don't need to tell me."
And then—she started walking.
Slowly.
Step by step.
Each one making the earth feel heavier.
The lion backed away. His primal instincts kicked in—this was no ordinary woman.
With a sudden stomp, she struck the ground with her heel—and the air cracked.
A suffocating aura surged from her body, dark violet energy curling around her like smoke. The shadows behind her twisted and warped, shaping themselves into something monstrous.
A massive dragon's face emerged behind her—a black silhouette with glowing violet eyes. Its ethereal roar echoed inside the lion's mind.
The tourists gasped, frozen in place, they didn't understand anything Since Aura was visible to lion pride.
The male lion's legs trembled. He stood his ground out of sheer pride… then collapsed.
Still standing. But… unconscious. His eyes had rolled back. Out cold.
Zoo officials finally snapped out of their daze and rushed over, and presicely shoot try on lion pride make them Unconscious and then
they throwing ropes and nets down into the enclosure.
Erza turned and walked back toward me like nothing happened.
Then—she knelt, grabbed my wounded arm, and spat on it.
"Wh-What the hell are you doing?!" I yelped, blushing furiously.
"Dragon spit can heal minor wounds," she said bluntly. "Be grateful, mortal."
Seriously?!
This is your way of showing concern?!
My face was beet red. This lizard queen…
But deep down… I felt warm. Not from the healing. But from her.
She really came for me.
For us.
The zookeeper's voice echoed through the loudspeaker above the cage, his tone urgent.
"Rope is coming down! Please climb quickly before the lion wakes up!"
A thick rope dropped into the enclosure, swinging just a few feet from where we stood.
I was still holding my bleeding arm, Elena clinging to my shirt with wide, tear-streaked eyes.
Before I could say anything, Erza clicked her tongue.
"Tch. Hopeless mortal."
She grabbed me by the back of my shirt with one hand and scooped up Elena with the other like she weighed nothing.
"Wait—Erza, my arm—!"
She didn't even glance at me. Just took three sharp steps forward—
One. Two. Three.
—then leapt.
Using the rope only once to push herself higher, she soared upward, muscles tense but fluid, a blur of strength and grace.
With just four steps, we were out of the cage.
She landed smoothly on the walkway above, setting Elena down gently beside me before finally letting go of my shirt. I nearly collapsed.
The tourists around us were frozen for a second.
Then—
applause.
A wave of clapping and murmurs rose.
"She—she carried both of them up?!"
"That woman's a Ninja or something… no, a goddess!"
"Did you see that lion freeze? What the hell was that !?"
I looked at Erza.
She stood tall, arms crossed, chin lifted high, like nothing had happened.
I couldn't help but smile through the pain.
I knelt beside Elena, still holding my bleeding arm.
"Elena… why?" I asked gently. "Why did you go down there? Why did you climb into the cage window?"
Her little shoulders trembled, and she wiped her tears.
"Papa… someone pushed Elena…"
My eyes widened. "What?"
Erza, too, went still beside me. Her brows furrowed, eyes narrowing with sharp tension.
Elena sniffled and pointed with her tiny finger. "I climbed the glass to see the lions better… and then… someone pushed me. He was wearing black clothes…"
Black clothes?
My heart thudded. I turned around, scanning the crowd—and then I saw them.
Aaron Muru and his secretary. Laughing. Whispering. Relaxed.
Rage exploded inside me.
I dashed toward them like a bullet, and before anyone could stop me, I grabbed both Aaron and his secretary by the collar—lifting them slightly off the ground.
"WHY?!" I roared, voice breaking with fury. "Why did you push my daughter?!"
The crowd went silent.
Whispers broke out like sparks in dry grass.
"Did he say Aaron Muru pushed the child?"
"No way… that celebrity?"
"Unbelievable…"
"That's disgusting!"
Aaron's smirk twitched. "Woah, woah, hothead—calm down.
I didn't know you," he said with a crooked grin. "Blame my secretary, not me."
I grabbed Araron by the collar—him and his lapdog secretary both—and slammed my fist straight into his face. He hit the ground hard.
But even as blood trickled from his lip, the bastard stayed calm. He stood up slowly, brushing dust from his expensive coat like it was nothing.
I shoved the secretary aside, sending him stumbling.
He clenched his fist and moved like he was about to swing at me—
But then she stepped in.
Erza stepped forward—cold, elegant, lethal.
She stood in front of Aaron, her presence suffocating. "So… this was your plan," she whispered.
"Distract me. Isolate my husband. Endanger my daughter."
Gasps erupted from the tourists. Cameras clicked. Phones were out.
Aaron tried to charm his way out. "Hey, hottie, you've got it all wrong—" I didn't even know you, you were married.
But Erza leaned in close to his ear, her voice lower than the wind.
"I'm placing a curse on you," she whispered.
"If you ever show your face to me again… your heart will stop.
Instantly."
Aaron's smirk vanished.
He looked into her eyes—and what he saw wasn't just a woman. It was something ancient. Something terrifying.
His lips went pale. His secretary had already collapsed to the ground, shaking.
Erza didn't look back. She walked to me and Elena silently, as if nothing had happened.
Aaron ran off like a mad chicken through the zoo, flailing and screaming nonsense. Tourists parted to avoid him, staring like they'd just witnessed a ghost lose its mind.
I turned to Erza, narrowing my eyes. "What… exactly did you do to him?"
She leaned in close, a smug little smirk on her lips.
"I explained it to him… nicely."
Yeah, I'm sure that wasn't anything close to "nice."
I sighed and looked down. Elena stood quietly in front of us, her head lowered.
"I'm sorry, Papa… sorry, Mama," she said, her voice trembling.
My heart melted on the spot. She was so cute it actually hurt.
I knelt and hugged her tightly. "You made us worry, cutie pie… but I'm just glad you're okay."
Erza crossed her arms, trying to look stern—but I saw the tiny smile tugging at her lips. "Don't do it again, Elena."
She nodded quickly. "Okay!"
Erza glanced at me. "Well, looks like we still have some time. Want to keep exploring?"
I smiled. "Yeah… let's enjoy our family trip."
Elena threw her arms up. "Yes!!"
My wife… was not someone you crossed
Just as we thought it was finally over,
a guard walked up with the most polite threat ever:
"Excuse me, young couple—we'd like to discuss the lion incident."
I leaned in and whispered to Erza,
"Let's run."
Before she could answer, I already had Elena tossed over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes, grabbed Erza's hand, and booked it.
Elena was just sighing mid-air like, "Not again…"
Erza didn't even blink—she just ran like she'd done this before.
And that's how we spent our Weekend.
Chaotic. Questionable. Possibly banned from the zoo.
[End of chapter]
—To be continued.
[Extra Scene – A Message from the Family]
Yuuta: Hey guys! Quick question—do you all want to see our fan art?
Elena: Fan art? What's that, Papa?
Yuuta: It's when our amazing readers draw us—like a specific scene from our story—to help bring everything to life with even more imagination!
Erza: Hmm… That actually sounds pretty cool.
Elena:Sparkling eyes Where can I see it, Papa? I wanna see what I look like!
Yuuta: If you guys are interested, just drop a comment saying you want it! I'll create a brand-new Reddit and Discord community where we can talk about art, story theories, and everything in between!
Erza: A place where mortals gather to talk about us? I like that.
Yuuta: Haha, exactly. So if you're reading this, and you've ever thought of drawing us, or just want to join the community—let me know in the comments below.
We'll start this together.
Elena: Yay! More fun with everyone!
Yuuta: Alright then, thank you for reading. Can't wait to see you in the next chapter!
All three: Bye-bye!!