Lucy, who did not know the full situation, really wanted to retort that wasn't Raizel basically giving the enemy advice?
But Raizel merely shrugged with an expression that could almost be called arrogant.
"Of course, it's already too late now. I can say this clearly—even if the Spriggan 12 came, it would be useless."
"Me, Selene, the Sword Saint Dragon Kurnugi, plus Precht and Jellal among the Ten Wizard Saints, as well as everyone sitting here."
Raizel shamelessly included Lucy and Wendy among the combat forces.
And that was not even mentioning Gildarts, or Natsu and Gray, whose strength had risen dramatically.
Kurnugi would only grow stronger and stronger.
In truth, Erza, Mira, and the others were currently still not Kurnugi's match.
Their physical attacks could injure him, but they could not deal fatal damage.
Of course, it was hard to say now that Erza and Kagura had obtained the dragon-slaying swords Altron and Astron.
They had not tested them yet.
Mainly because it would feel rather awkward.
They had just received weapons from Selene, Kurnugi's mother, and then immediately turned around to cut down her son?
That would be a little too ridiculous.
In addition, Raizel had already developed some new ideas regarding Mira, Erza, and the others' weapons.
Once they returned to Ishgar, it would be time to put those ideas into practice.
Of course, that practice would definitely require Irene, so no matter what, Raizel had to bring Irene over.
Irene did not refute Raizel's statement that the Spriggan 12 would be useless even if they came.
At this moment, Irene revealed a smile that she should not have shown. The corner of her mouth curved upward, and she raised a finger.
"You are still the first person to evaluate Zeref that way, and in front of me, no less."
Raizel shrugged and casually said, "One more thing. Are you interested in staying in Magnolia for a while? For you, where you live should not make much difference anyway."
Erza's hands tightened slightly over her blue pleated skirt.
Selene excitedly grabbed Irene's arm, her eyes sparkling.
"Live with me!"
Lucy dared to be angry but did not dare to speak.
But in her heart, she roared, 'But you live with me!!!'
Irene looked strangely at Selene's hand gripping her arm.
After thinking for a moment, she said, "You all should leave first. I will consider it. Wait for my answer."
Most people would have obediently left at this point.
Ultear and the others did exactly that, standing up one after another.
But Raizel was not most people.
Like someone climbing up the pole the moment he was given the chance, he boldly pressed further.
"When, specifically?"
Irene raised her head and looked at him.
Her cold expression was enough to frighten the higher-ups of the Alvarez Empire, yet Raizel calmly met her gaze without changing expression.
A hint of laughter flashed across Irene's face despite herself.
Without even noticing it, her expression softened slightly, and her tone relaxed as she said somewhat irritably,
"Three days."
"That long?"
Raizel sounded as if he were pushing his luck.
Irene glanced at him and chose not to speak this time.
Raizel also knew that acting shameless could only go so far.
However, before leaving, he still said two more things to Irene.
"The reason I said so much is not because I fear the Alvarez Empire that much. I just wanted to know whether you care about Erza's feelings."
The movement of Irene holding her teacup paused almost imperceptibly.
Her sense of taste had recovered slightly.
Only slightly.
But it was enough.
"You don't need to answer that question. In any case, as long as you yourself know the answer, that is enough."
Raizel had just turned around when he suddenly went "Ah," then looked back and said,
"Although this may be somewhat inappropriate, you looked quite beautiful when you smiled just now."
Irene remained in the posture of holding her teacup, silently staring at Raizel.
Raizel met her gaze without changing expression.
"Then tell me. Between Erza and me, who looks prettier when smiling?"
Suddenly, Irene asked a question that, logically speaking, she should absolutely never have asked.
This time, it was Raizel's turn to choke.
He fell silent.
Weakness detected!
One second later—
"Erza."
Raizel very obediently gave his answer, swiftly bid farewell to Irene, then strode away without looking back.
As he ran, he shouted, "I wish you a wonderful day! Farewell!"
He left behind the women standing in place, curiously studying Irene's expression.
At the same time, they suddenly realized that it seemed Raizel had just sold them out!
Irene did not get angry the way Lucy and Wendy had imagined. Instead, she sat on the sofa with one leg crossed, quietly watching them leave.
After a moment, Irene smiled.
"Brat. Who are you trying to play tricks on?"
She was in quite a good mood as she drank her tea.
Then she suddenly remembered Raizel's earlier question.
Did she care about Erza's feelings?
The smile gradually faded.
...
After leaving the lord's manor—
When Raizel turned back to look at the towering building, which resembled a castle from a fairy tale, the great stone hanging in his heart finally fell.
The matter was basically settled.
Barring any accidents, Irene and Erza recognizing each other as mother and daughter was only a matter of time.
Ultear suddenly said, "You were very different today compared to usual. Normally, you would not say things like that."
"Exactly, exactly."
Lucy nodded hard in agreement.
Today, Lucy felt as though she had rediscovered Raizel.
In the past, Raizel's sharp tongue was mostly reflected in his retorts. He had never shown such an almost arrogant, or even frivolous, side.
Raizel raised two fingers with his usual expression.
"Two reasons. First, in a negotiation, you need to show a little confidence. Second, I don't really know why either. It just seemed to develop that way."
...
For the next three days, the group threw off the weight on their shoulders and played around Akilos City to their hearts' content.
The local customs here were even more open than those in Ishgar.
The food, like the residents' enthusiasm, leaned toward the spicy side.
But it was genuinely delicious.
For Raizel, who honestly could not handle spicy food very well, it was both love and hatred. He swallowed the food while drinking milk.
He was not very good with spice.
But he really loved eating spicy food.
Delicious!
It was just too delicious!
Painful!
It was just too painful!
Selene got so excited while eating that she slapped the table hard.
"This is why I want to become human! How could dragons possibly understand or make such delicious food?"
The customers eating in the restaurant curiously looked at Selene.
A beautiful woman saying she wanted to become human.
Mira reacted very quickly.
She hurriedly half-hugged Selene, covered her mouth, and smiled at the customers with narrowed eyes.
"She's drunk. Sorry, sorry. Please don't mind her."
Considering Selene and Mira's beauty, the customers chose not to pursue the matter any further.
Beauty really was that practical!
...
During these three days, Irene had Heine and Juliet gather some information about Fairy Tail in Ishgar.
Of course, the main focus was Erza.
The Grand Magic Games, the Weekly Sorcerer interview, and Erza's crimson-flower-like figure swaying gracefully in Pandemonium—every detail appeared on Irene's desk.
"Titania... Erza, is it?"
Looking at Erza in the materials, Irene inexplicably let out a soft laugh.
She was the Dragon Queen.
And Erza was the Fairy Queen.
Raizel's information was also laid out on her desk.
Irene skipped over all evaluations of Raizel's strength.
She knew very well how strong Raizel was, so there was no need to read that kind of exaggerated praise.
Looking at other people's evaluations of Raizel, Irene gave a cold laugh and murmured.
"Modest and polite? I don't think so. Vengeful is more like it."
On the third day of the agreed time, Raizel, Erza, and the others arrived at the lord's manor as promised.