The next day—
The group passed through the streets and alleys and arrived at the lord's manor.
Before Raizel and Selene could even release their Magic Power, the manor gates opened on their own.
Clearly, Irene already knew they had arrived.
In truth, Irene had already made her decision, but out of courtesy, she still allowed Raizel, Selene, and the others to enter.
Heine and Juliet pushed the doors open from the left and right.
Raizel and Selene walked calmly into the room they were visiting for the second time.
Erza followed closely beside Raizel, and with a single glance, she noticed the woman leaning against the sofa.
The woman wore a strange hat, and her scarlet hair was tied into braids.
After entering the room, Ultear, Mira, and the others were also quietly studying Irene.
"Sit."
Irene's gaze naturally carried a sense of scrutiny.
She looked Erza up and down very carefully for several seconds, her tone extremely flat.
Irene's attitude made Erza unconsciously tense up a little.
Originally, Irene's tone should have been colder and more serious.
Remembering what Raizel had said yesterday, this was already considered a fairly decent tone from her.
Raizel sat down across from Irene.
Watching her pour tea for herself as if no one else mattered, he could not help laughing.
"Your attitude is still just as impolite this time."
Irene looked at Raizel's overly familiar manner and gave a cold laugh.
"Because I discovered that being polite to you does not seem to be very useful."
Selene was even more familiar than him.
She sat directly beside Irene, as though she had already joined Irene's side.
Irene only glanced at Selene strangely, but said nothing.
"Dragon Slayer?"
Irene did not look much at Erza, who sat beside Raizel. Instead, she was more interested in Wendy.
"Yes, hello, I'm Wendy."
Wendy stood up, folded her hands in front of her, and bowed slightly to Irene.
After everyone sat down, Raizel took a sip of black tea and said, "That's true, but your impoliteness is a little different."
"What is different about it?"
"There are many kinds of impoliteness. Some people are impolite because of disgust, while others are impolite because of indifference. But your behavior does not quite match either of those."
Raizel paused.
Facing Irene's narrowed gaze and the puzzled looks from the other girls, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly before he continued,
"Your impoliteness feels more like the kind of casual disregard that appears after someone has grown closer."
Irene's slender eyebrow rose almost imperceptibly, and she asked without revealing anything,
"Your basis?"
"Your words were rather rude, weren't they?"
For some reason, when Raizel was in front of Irene, he found it easy to show a side of himself that he usually did not reveal.
For example, right now, Raizel explained with complete calm,
"First of all, I brought you the Law Dragon Slayer Magic book. Second, I did not make any excessive demands. And finally, there is Erza."
"Based on those reasons, putting aside my strength, even if I were a perfectly ordinary person or Mage, you still should not have said something so rude."
"The only explanation is that you think saying something like that in front of me does not matter."
Everyone, including the slightly uneasy Erza, could not help looking sideways at Raizel.
How was he this bold?
Sitting across from Raizel, Irene folded her arms, her brows tightly furrowed as if she were deeply impatient.
She stared at him for a very long time.
If the other members of the Spriggan 12 were here, they would probably already be trembling with fear.
If Irene felt disgust toward someone, she would not show it openly.
She would simply stare at them expressionlessly until their scalp went numb.
The members of the Spriggan 12 had already experienced that.
On the contrary, if she could express her true emotions in front of someone, then it proved that this person had already gained her trust.
Or, in other words, her favor.
Ultear noticed it.
For some reason, Irene seemed very tolerant toward Raizel. The feeling she gave off was rather like an elder entertaining her junior.
It was just that this elder was not very honest and probably did not feel particularly warm or approachable.
Irene did not respond to what Raizel had said.
Instead, she crossed her other leg and maintained her cold expression.
"The method you mentioned yesterday. I do not intend to accept it."
"Why?"
Before Raizel, Erza, or the others could speak, Selene asked first.
Irene looked at Selene very calmly.
"Because that would also be depriving someone of their rights, would it not? I know that pain. Even if she is a death-row prisoner, I do not wish to do that."
Selene stared intently at Irene, as though trying to see a flower bloom from her face.
Lucy, Mira, and the others could not help looking at Irene with solemn respect, their eyes filled with admiration.
Irene continued immediately, "There is no need to rush into admiring me. It's only because that is not the only method. Otherwise, I would not have made the decision so easily."
"I tried training Law Dragon Slayer Magic last night. At most, within a month, the side effects can be resolved."
Hearing that, Erza's face lit up with joy.
Irene could feel that Erza's happiness was completely sincere.
Irene remained as dignified as usual. She crossed her legs elegantly, placed both hands over her knees, and said, "I accept your condition."
Without waiting for Raizel's answer, Irene turned to look at Erza.
"Did he tell you? About how I once tried to use Enchantment Magic on you in an attempt to take your life?"
Lucy and Mira's eyes widened, but they tactfully covered their mouths.
Although Selene had recounted the conversation between the two sides, she had not mentioned the story between Erza and Irene.
Ultear and the others were all shaken by Irene's words, as well as by the calm expression she wore while saying them.
It was... honestly explosive.
Kagura, in particular, had her dissatisfaction written almost plainly across her face.
She was only one step away from drawing her blade.
Erza shook her head slightly, signaling for Kagura to calm down, then met Irene's gaze.
"He told me."
In Erza's eyes, Irene did not see hatred or fear.
Instead, there was calmness and a trace of indescribable sadness.
"Even so, you still don't hate me?"
Erza asked calmly in return, "Am I not sitting here perfectly fine?"
"I once briefly lost my five senses. Also, as someone who deeply loves food and sweets, I can sincerely understand how painful it must be to lose your sense of taste."
Irene froze.
Her pink-painted lips parted slightly.
There was no other reason.
The two of them were far too similar deep down!
Both of them were very good at putting themselves in another person's place.
Looking at Erza across from her, Irene saw her former self—Irene, queen of the Kingdom of Dragnof.
Irene would empathize with a death-row prisoner because she had lost her own sense of taste.
And Erza would forgive a mistake that, in the eyes of others, should have been unforgivable because she could empathize with Irene.
In fact, Erza was even more outstanding than Irene.
Between the good and the bad, Erza would first see the good side.
Erza certainly felt sadness because Irene had abandoned her.
She also felt hurt because Irene had once tried to use Personality Enchant on her.
But Erza would first be grateful that Irene had protected her with Magic Power in prison.
She would be grateful that Irene had ultimately never gone through with it.
Of course, they should be even more grateful for the current situation.
If Ishgar and Alvarez had already gone to war, perhaps the two of them would not have been able to face each other this calmly.
There was also another important reason.
Raizel Bael.
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