"No... no matter what, you have now turned back into a human. This counts as a new life, right?!"
"I believe your future will definitely be full of sunshine and hope!"
Looking at Mavis's warm and sunny face, Irene felt a slight stir in her heart.
"...Thank you, you really are a good girl."
That forced smile, which looked more tragic than crying, made Mavis fall silent again.
This big sister's mental state is very unstable!
What reason should she use to make her actively embrace the future?
"Ah, that's right! Your child!"
"My... child?"
Irene was stunned, subconsciously looking down at her abdomen.
It wasn't bulging; there was only a deep, long, ugly scar.
The reason it wasn't bulging like a normal pregnant woman's was because when her body dragonized back then, the child in her womb seemed to stop growing, frozen in that period. Before that, the child was less than three months old.
As for the scar, it was personally cut by her husband—the general of a neighboring country from a political marriage.
Mavis naturally noticed this scar on Irene's stomach as well, but was tactful enough not to mention it.
That was probably left behind when she was being tortured...
After silently aching for Irene for two seconds, Mavis placed the focus of the topic on that new life: "That child should still be in your stomach, right?"
"...Yes, it's still there!"
Irene stroked her stomach: "It's been in there for over 300 years and hasn't been born yet; it's practically a freak!"
How should she handle this child?
Should she just kill it?
After all, this was the seed left by the man who betrayed her.
As long as this child exists, it's equivalent to constantly reminding her of that tragic past of being betrayed by her country, her people, and her husband!
Mavis was such a clever person that she naturally saw the ruthlessness contained in Irene's expression and hurriedly spoke out to stop her thoughts.
"Get rid of that thought!!"
"Even if your country and people betrayed you, they have already paid the price for it!"
"This child is innocent!"
Mavis's voice awakened the little bit of long-lost sanity and maternal instinct left in Irene.
That's right!
This child did nothing wrong!
No matter what, she shouldn't take her anger out on it!
Thinking of this, Irene's expression finally became soft, even fragile.
"Where should I go from here?!"
Having finally turned back into a human and regained her freedom, Irene fell into deeper confusion.
Hatred—she had already taken her revenge back then.
Then, during these three hundred years of loneliness and suffering, what was the thing that supported her and kept her from simply ending her life?
Was it the obsession with turning back into a human?
If so, now that she has turned back into a human, what is she going to use to support her going forward?
This child?
What has she done to deserve that?
Seeing that Irene was moved, Mavis pressed on once more.
"Look!"
"This child, who can barely even be called a life, stopped growing from the day you dragonized."
"Afterward, whether it was those 3 years of torture or those 300 years of loneliness, she has always been in your stomach, silently accompanying you, and has tenaciously survived until now!"
"I believe this phenomenon, which borders on a miracle, must stem from her love for you!"
"Now that you have finally received salvation and been liberated from endless pain, are you going to turn around and be the first to abandon her?!"
This simple questioning was like a divine revelation, completely clearing Irene's internal blockage.
"Yes... yes..."
"You're right!"
"All these years, throughout this miserable time, I have never been alone!"
"It has always been by my side!"
Thinking of this, Irene finally couldn't hold back her emotions and burst into tears on the spot.
"Why? Why did I never notice you before?"
"I actually wanted to discard you just now..."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! My child!"
"As a mother, I am truly incompetent..."
This way, she should be able to live on properly, right?
Mavis breathed a sigh of relief. Like how she usually comforted Zera, she gently stroked Irene's back and said softly: "Just for the sake of this child, pull yourself together and step toward a new life!"
"...Mmm!!!"
Not far away.
Weston remained silent for a long time: "..."
Something feels off!
Shouldn't this kind of 'Talk-no-Jutsu' rhetoric come from him as the Guildmaster?
Why was he upstaged by Mavis?!
Where did this girl practice her eloquence?
Is it natural talent, self-taught?
Or is it his influence?
That line 'Even the unborn child didn't give up on you, stopped growing to stay alive until now, accompanying you through over 300 years' was spoken way too well!!
Even the most cold and heartless person would be moved by such 'love', right?!!
If there was such a life accompanying Acnologia for hundreds of years, then the 'Wings of Despair' would definitely turn into the 'Wings of Peace'!!
Dammit, such wonderful words didn't come from his mouth—is there no justice left in this world?!
An unknown amount of time passed.
By the time Weston finished cooking and returned to the mat, he found that Irene had fallen fast asleep on Mavis's lap.
Mavis put a finger to her lips, signaling Weston to move quietly and speak softly, so as not to wake this big sister.
Weston: "..."
Didn't this woman say in the original work that she couldn't sleep at all after turning back into a human?
What is the situation now?!!
Could it be that the 'Restoration Magic' Elefseria gave him is higher-grade and more complete than the one Zeref used on Irene in the original work?
Uh... it doesn't seem impossible!
Although Zeref is a once-in-a-century magic genius, he is not a Dragon Slayer after all, and hasn't researched this area deeply.
On the other hand, Elefseria reached the 'Dragonification' realm of Dragon Slayer Magic through self-study alone, and after self-restoration, his mind and temperament weren't affected!
As they say, every profession has its specialty; maybe his method really is more perfect than Zeref's!
It wasn't until the next day that Irene slowly woke up.
Walking out of the tent in a daze, she felt as if a lifetime had passed when she saw Weston, Mavis, and Zera gathered around the fire, cooking and playing.
"So... everything that happened yesterday... wasn't a dream...?"
Hearing the movement, Mavis looked up, then stood up with a smile and walked toward her.
"How do you feel?"
"I feel... very much at peace!"
Irene thought seriously and replied: "I haven't felt this much at peace for hundreds of years."
"It's as if a nightmare that lasted a long, long time has finally ended."
"Really..."
"Thank you all!!"
☰