Two weeks after Raizel's group returned—
Kurnugi had already blended into the guild perfectly.
The way Kurnugi talked happened to suit Macao and the others' tastes very well, and since they kept praising him until he was delighted, he spent every day bragging together with Macao and Wakaba.
Strictly speaking, though, Kurnugi was not actually bragging.
After all, when he said he had fought his way through Guiltina's Magic Council without meeting an opponent, that was the truth.
As for Selene, she got along better with the female members.
Selene had successfully won over Erza and Kagura.
After learning about Erza's Requip Magic, The Knight, she gave Erza several extremely rare materials that could be used to forge armor.
She also gave Erza and Kagura one sword each.
The swords were named Altron and Astron.
It was said that these two swords had once cut dragons.
In any case, they seemed to have been stained with dragon blood. Selene had obtained them in another world.
Kagura wielded the blue sword, Astron.
Erza wielded the golden sword, Altron.
That was roughly how things went.
Although they already had the Demon Blade Benizakura and the Cursed Blade Archenemy, these two legendary dragon-slaying swords still made Kagura and Erza unwilling to put them down. Kagura now carried one katana and one sword at her waist.
Selene could also guide their training.
Ultear was currently learning spatial Magic from Selene.
Selene's spatial Magic was not only useful for traveling between worlds.
When applied in actual combat, it was also an extremely powerful Magic.
It was just that Selene was more accustomed to using her dragon Magic—Moon—which allowed her to wield the power of the stars.
Her spatial Magic could only be considered one application of her dragon Magic.
Mira used Take Over on demons, and Selene did not have much in her collection related to demons.
So she gave Mira a portable Magic Power source instead.
Selene had obtained it in Elentear, a world overflowing with Magic Power.
According to her, it seemed to have been forged using Spirit Arts, a unique power of Elentear similar to Magic.
Although it was very small, small enough to be strung into a necklace, the Magic Power contained inside was enough to shock Mira.
If fully charged, it could allow Mira to use her fusion form of Satan Soul and Mard Geer's Etherious Form about three times.
To a great extent, it solved Mira's current problem of insufficient Magic Power.
Most importantly, it could automatically absorb Magic Power from the air to replenish itself.
As for Lucy, Selene's roommate who soaked in the bath with her every day, Selene gave her a protective pendant.
It would automatically activate a barrier when Lucy was in danger.
To be honest, though, this was not that useful.
Leaving aside the fact that Natsu could basically be summoned at any time, even when Natsu could not make it in time, Lucy still had a true life-saving divine artifact—
Horologium, the Clock Celestial Spirit!
As for why Selene gave gifts, it was because she had read in a book that appropriate gifts could improve relationships between friends.
Sure enough, Selene could now be said to get along very well with Erza and the others. Erza was even willing to share her sweets with Selene.
The book had also said that if someone was willing to share food with you, they definitely treated you as one of their own.
'Books truly were wonderful things!'
Selene could not help sighing in admiration.
Looking at Selene currently teaching Ultear spatial Magic, a strange expression appeared on Raizel's face.
"How did things develop into this?"
Selene truly paid no attention to Kurnugi at all.
Instead, she was very attentive toward Erza and the others.
There was really no one else like her!
Before Selene met Raizel's group, her understanding of interpersonal relationships had truly been like a blank sheet of paper.
Everything was straightforward.
You hit me, I hit you.
You try to kill me, I kill you back.
After spending time with the guild members, she gradually gained a more human air.
Right now, if one ignored her clothes, the sight of her holding a book and reading it with great interest really gave Raizel the impression of a wealthy noblewoman.
Selene had also asked Raizel if there was anything he wanted, but Raizel had not accepted anything.
Raizel himself had not been training.
Instead, he was researching the Law Dragon Slayer Magic book since the book was extremely interesting.
Raizel finally understood why Elefseria had casually left it on the table.
Even if an ordinary person saw the book, they would not understand its contents.
This Dragon Slayer Magic book clearly looked only five centimeters thick, but when one flipped through it, its number of pages seemed to neither increase nor decrease.
Raizel spent some time before finally figuring out the book.
If it were the complete book of Law Dragon Slayer Magic, then after someone studied Law Dragon Slayer Magic—or understood how to read the book—they only needed to silently think of the question they wanted answered while flipping through it.
The Magic book would then tell them the answer.
Of course, the answers had limits.
The more difficult the question, the vaguer the answer.
Based on this book, or rather this type of Law Dragon Slayer Magic, the Law Dragon Elefseria was undoubtedly the living being with the greatest store of knowledge.
There were many ways to resolve the side effects of Dragon Slayers.
Aside from the method given by Law Dragon Slayer Magic, there was another very simple method.
Through Irene's own Enchantment Magic, combined with Mira's received version of Kyouka's ability to deprive and grant senses, they could find a condemned female prisoner, deprive her of her sense of taste, and then have Irene enchant that sense of taste onto herself.
That would complete the process.
As for the problem of being unable to sleep, the book's answer was that it would recover together with the sense of taste.
The book did not explain the principle behind it, so Raizel did not know either.
This method was somewhat inhuman, but Raizel still planned to tell Irene.
After all, once Irene understood Law Dragon Slayer Magic, she would be able to get that answer herself.
If he withheld it and ended up angering her later, the loss would not be worth it.
With this, Raizel's preparations were complete.
His next target to win over—the Mother of Dragon Slayers, Irene Belserion!
August was already in position.
If he could also pull Irene over, or at least make sure Irene remained neutral, then they could greatly reduce the possibility of war.
There was no other reason.
Zeref was not exactly a battle-focused powerhouse.
He was the scholar type.
In terms of knowledge and research, he stood far above almost everyone else, but when it came to fighting, he really was not that terrifying.
If he could not gain the support of Alvarez's two greatest pillars, then no matter how mad he went, he would still only be one person.
If a fight truly broke out and Natsu activated Fire Dragon King Mode, Zeref might not even be able to get close to the guild.
The relationship between Irene and Zeref was actually closer to a partnership.
Irene had lived in seclusion in the mountains for nearly four hundred years.
With Zeref's Transformation Magic, she had regained a human form.
Although it did not completely solve her problem, since Irene was still fundamentally a dragon, she still remembered Zeref's kindness and helped him because of it.
It was not the kind of superior-subordinate relationship where Zeref had defeated her and she had to obey his every command.
She did not even stay in the capital. Instead, she had always remained in the territory Zeref had granted to her.
Raizel told Erza about his plan.
Erza had long since expected this day would come.
Although she did not know what things would be like when she met Irene, she still prepared to go with him.
The guild truly was like family to her, and everyone in the guild could bring her warmth.
But she had to admit that the blood connection between her and Irene was something that could not be severed.
Sometimes, she also wondered.
If Irene had not abandoned her, what kind of relationship would the two of them have had?
Would they have been in a cold war every day?
Or would they actually have gotten along quite well?
After Selene learned of Irene's existence, she also wanted to meet this queen of the Dragnof Kingdom, the Mother of Dragon Slayers.
She had heard of Irene for a long time, but unfortunately, fate had never given them the chance to meet.
After all, Acnologia's threat back then had been far too great.
Before Irene disappeared, Selene had already gone to the continent of Guiltina.