Surviving marriage in yandere world

Royal Magic Academy Training Grounds — 6:00 a.m.

Rei's soul was already heavy with despair before the rooster crowed. Mostly because the rooster had been replaced by Drakana's morning battle scream, which rattled the windows and set every student's alarm wards into panic mode.

"RISE AND BURN, MAGGOTS! TRAINING BEGINS NOW!"

Rei crawled out of bed, one sock missing, pajama shirt halfway unbuttoned, muttering, "Why… why does every day here start like a military coup…?"

But today wasn't about him. Today was about Emilia. Poor, sweet Emilia—his only declared "sanity"—who had tragically become the newest target of the collective Wife Faction's homicidal creativity.

And Drakana? Oh, she had taken it personally.

The academy's training yard looked like someone had crossed a military boot camp with a gladiatorial blood arena. Rows of obstacles stretched out: flaming hurdles, spiked wall climbs, boulder lifts enchanted to weigh as much as small castles, and a giant mud pit shaped into a heart with "PROPERTY OF REI ♥" carved into the center.

At the edge of this hellscape stood Drakana—arms crossed, dragon wings spread wide for intimidation points, gym whistle dangling from her lips. She wore what could only be described as "battle PE uniform chic": armored tracksuit, spiked sneakers, and a headband that said COACH 4 LIFE.

Emilia, meanwhile, looked like a sleep-deprived literature major who had accidentally walked into a war movie. She held a water bottle like it was a holy relic.

Drakana smirked. "Today's program is simple. I'm going to train you so hard you'll collapse, cry, and beg for mercy. And then you'll quit. And then—finally—you'll stay the hell away from my mate."

Rei, sitting on a bench with a survival blanket around his shoulders, whispered, "Emilia, please just fake a sprained ankle. You don't have to do this."

But Emilia adjusted her glasses, lifted her chin, and said, "No. If this is their test, I'll endure it. I won't back down."

[System Alert: ERROR. Warning: Emilia just unlocked hidden trait — Stubborn Saint Lv. MAX.]

Drakana blew her whistle. "WARM-UP! FIVE HUNDRED PUSH-UPS!"

Emilia blinked. "That's… that's not a warm-up, that's a lawsuit."

"BEGIN!"

Somehow, some way, Emilia actually started. Her arms trembled at first, but then—shockingly—they steadied. By push-up twenty she looked like she'd die. By push-up fifty she had a vein pulsing on her forehead. By push-up one hundred she looked at Rei, eyes blazing with determination.

"Rei… this… is for you…"

Rei coughed up his tea. "W-Wait! I never asked for this kind of devotion!"

Drakana growled. "Focus, worm! Drop and give me more!"

By the time Emilia hit two hundred push-ups, the crowd of students that had gathered were chanting her name. By four hundred, even the knights-in-training were blushing with shame at their own lack of stamina. And at five hundred?

Emilia stood. Then she flexed her muscles with sweat glistened. Her glasses shone with divine light.

She whispered, "That was… refreshing."

[System Notification: Achievement Unlocked — Unexpected Amazon. Emilia's Strength Stat has doubled.]

Drakana's jaw dropped. "WHAT."

Next came the obstacle course.

"RUN IT UNTIL YOU CRY BLOOD!" Drakana commanded.

The obstacles were specifically designed to destroy morale:

Flaming rings of fire (sponsored by the Fire Magic Club).

Climbing walls greased with dragon fat.

Pitfalls with illusionary bottomless pits.

And a treadmill enchanted to chase you with holograms of Rei saying, "Good morning, darling~" in increasingly seductive tones.

Rei covered his ears and screamed, "WHO AUTHORIZED THIS?!"

Emilia, however, ran like a woman possessed. She leapt through fire, scaled walls, and even punched a fake Rei hologram in the face, yelling, "Don't distract me!"

By the end of the course, her shirt was torn, her muscles were defined, and she casually carried two knights who had fainted along the way.

Students whispered in awe.

"She's… she's not even human."

"Is she… is she hot now?"

"She was always hot! You just didn't see it!"

Drakana was sweating—not from the sun, but from panic.

Drakana, desperate to break Emilia's spirit, dragged out enchanted boulders. Each one had glowing runes, increasing weight tenfold.

"LIFT UNTIL YOUR BONES SNAP!"

Emilia adjusted her gloves. "Okay."

She squatted and lifted then she roared.

The ground shook as she hoisted a boulder that no human should ever lift.

Rei nearly fainted. "E-Emilia, when did you… when did you get so ripped?!"

[System Analysis: Emilia has awakened "Hidden Passive: Bookworm Gains." Every hour of suppressed nerd energy has converted into raw muscle mass.]

By the end of the session, Emilia was casually benching a carriage while reading a poetry book.

Drakana's left eye twitched. "This… this isn't how it's supposed to go."

Drakana's last weapon was pure suffering: the endurance run.

"Ten laps around the academy! Last one standing WINS!"

Half the students groaned. Even Rei begged, "Don't do it, Emilia! Just drop out, I'll still think you're amazing!"

But Emilia tightened her ponytail, smirked, and whispered, "I'll win this… for you."

She ran fast, graceful and very terrifying.

She overtook knights, priests, mages, even Drakana herself. By lap eight, Drakana was gasping. By lap nine, Emilia was jogging backwards while reciting poetry.

By lap ten, Emilia sprinted across the finish line, threw her arms wide, and declared, "LOVE IS MY ENDURANCE!"

The crowd erupted, students fainted and professors took notes. Then a bard began composing "The Ballad of Buff Emilia."

[System Alert: New Title Acquired — PE Champion of Love. Emilia's Charisma + Strength synergy achieved. Danger Level to Rei's sanity has doubled.]

Drakana collapsed on the ground, wings limp. "Impossible… no human… no woman… should survive my PE program…"

Emilia wiped sweat from her brow, turned to Rei, and smiled—radiant, terrifying. "How did I do?"

Rei stared at her biceps. His brain short-circuited. "I… I don't know whether to be impressed or afraid."

The wives watched from the sidelines, seething.

Lilia hissed, "We cannot allow this power to grow unchecked."

Seraphina muttered, "She's stealing the spotlight."

Rosette quietly released ten drones to record Emilia's reps.

Lucivella smiled with eerie calm. "How… deliciously entertaining."

[System Notification: WARNING. Emilia has survived targeted elimination attempt. Result: Stat Overload. Probability of Yandere Faction Escalation — 100%.]

That night, Rei sat on his bed, clutching a pillow, muttering, "She's too strong now. She's… she's ripped. She's unstoppable. What if she starts princess-carrying me?!"

The System chimed in helpfully:

[Tip: Resistance is futile. Begin stretching regimen immediately, Host. You'll need the flexibility when Emilia inevitably suplexes you into matrimony.]

Rei buried his face in his pillow and screamed.

Outside, Emilia was doing one-handed pull-ups on a lamppost, whispering, "I'll protect you, Rei… forever."

The lamppost cracked but the night wasn't finished yet.

Velvet Academy had a nasty habit: whenever Rei thought things couldn't possibly escalate, the universe treated it like a dare.

Rei peeked out his dormitory window, hoping—praying—Emilia had finally gone to sleep after her display of Amazonian stamina. What he saw instead was Emilia in full workout gear, using the academy's statue of the First Headmaster as a makeshift dumbbell.

She curled the granite bust like it was a water jug.

Rei slapped a hand over his mouth. "No… no way… she's still going?!"

The System answered for him.

[System Notification: Emilia has entered Training Loop Mode. Warning: Subjects in this state may gain EXP at horrifying rates. Suggestion: Relocate Host to bomb shelter.]

Rei muttered, "Why don't I ever get Training Loop Mode?!"

[Answer: Because you skipped leg day 276 days in a row.]

"THAT'S NOT A VALID MECHANIC, IT'S JUST BULLYING!" Rei hissed back.

Down below, a cluster of students watched Emilia's midnight gains with a mixture of awe and religious reverence.

"She's transcended humanity…"

"No, she's what humanity should have been all along."

"Her form is flawless. The gods are weeping tears of creatine."

One bard actually tried to sketch Emilia mid-bicep flex but fainted halfway through from sensory overload.

Meanwhile, in the shadowy corner of the library, the Wife Faction held what could only be described as an emergency council of war.

Lilia slammed her staff on the table. "If this continues, Rei will look at her differently. Differently! He'll see her as… as… some kind of demigoddess!"

Seraphina folded her arms, fuming. "How dare she surpass me in charisma and physique? It is unacceptable. I am literally blessed by the heavens!"

Rosette didn't look up from her screen. "Statistical probability of Emilia bridal-carrying Husband within two weeks: 94%. Countermeasures must be deployed."

Lucivella sipped wine, smiling like a cat watching mice panic. "Oh, but isn't it exciting? Watching prey evolve to survive the predators? I, for one, welcome this new gladiator bride."

Lilia groaned. "You're not helping."

[System Eavesdrop: Alert. Wife Faction plotting counter-training arc. Probability of PE War Arc: 117%.]

Back in his room, Rei curled under his blanket, chanting, "She's still Emilia, she's still Emilia, she's still Emilia…"

But his door creaked open.

Emilia stepped inside, glowing faintly with post-workout divine sweat. She carried three protein shakes in one hand and a book of love poetry in the other.

"Rei," she said gently, her voice terrifyingly serene, "I made you a shake. It'll help you recover from all the stress you've been under."

Rei accepted it with trembling hands. "…This isn't… poisoned with whey powder or something, right?"

She smiled sweetly. "Only love."

The System beeped.

[WARNING: Host is now ingesting Emilia's Protein of Affection. Side Effect: May cause accelerated romantic bonding. Escape chance: 0%.]

Rei gagged on the shake. "OH COME ON—"

Outside, the lamppost Emilia had been using earlier finally gave way and collapsed. She didn't even notice.

And far above, Rosette's drones recorded everything, already compiling Episode 2 of HusbandVision: Buff Rival Arc.

[Viewer Count: 8,223. Suspicious Goat has resubscribed.]

To be continued…

[System Log Update: Emilia has evolved from "Bookworm Sanity" → "Shredded Saint."]

[Danger level now upgraded to: Husband Lifting Hazard.]