These had been Rain's original plans.
But who could have expected that Irene would appear before him and then take the initiative to teach him herself?
At that point, what was there left to hesitate over?
Naturally, he agreed without a second thought.
"Then… I'll be in your care, Irene-neechan."
Rain spoke earnestly, his tone full of trust.
"Leave it to me."
Seeing his attitude, Irene nodded in satisfaction. For a brief moment, a trace of nostalgia flickered through her eyes.
How familiar…
"Ah—by the way, Irene-neechan," Rain said suddenly, a hint of embarrassment creeping into his expression. "There's something I want to ask."
"You want to know about those three little ones, don't you?"
Just from his face alone, Irene already knew what he was thinking.
"Yes."
Rain nodded.
During the earlier battle, he'd had no room to spare for anything else. But now that he knew Irene wasn't an enemy, it was only natural that he'd be worried about Erza and the others.
"Don't worry," Irene said calmly. "I only teleported them away—just a bit far, that's all. I also left a message so they wouldn't panic."
Rain visibly relaxed at her words.
But then Irene's tone shifted slightly.
"That said… if you want to see them again, you'll need to meet my requirements. Understood?"
At that moment, the gentle dragon mage transformed into a strict instructor.
"Yes, Irene-neechan."
Now that he knew Erza and the others were safe, Rain felt completely at ease. Under Irene's guidance, he quickly focused his attention on studying.
"Rain," Irene said, "the magic you're currently specializing in is Take Over Magic, Command T, and time magic—correct?"
Rain nodded.
"All of them are extremely powerful forms of magic," Irene continued.
"But—"
She deliberately drew out the word, smiling as she looked straight at him.
"Next, you'll also need to learn separation magic and enchantment magic. That's non-negotiable."
"Uh… yes."
Despite the smile on her face, there was unmistakable danger behind it. Rain instantly understood that refusing was not an option. He nodded without hesitation.
"Good."
Irene nodded in satisfaction. How could she allow him not to learn her magic?
"Don't worry," she added, as if sensing his concern. "Separation magic and enchantment magic are both incredibly versatile and powerful."
"I know, Irene-neechan."
Rain gestured for her not to worry.
He was already well aware of how strong enchantment magic was—and had never planned to refuse in the first place. In fact, he'd wanted to learn both for a long time, but without a proper teacher, his progress had been limited.
Now that he had Irene—someone at the absolute pinnacle of these arts—there was no reason not to seize the opportunity.
"Let's start with Take Over Magic," Irene said after a moment's thought.
"As for other forms of Take Over, I'm not familiar with them. But the type you're using, Rain… at its core, it's the takeover of the soul itself."
She paused.
"In other words, it can be classified as soul magic."
"Soul magic…?"
Rain fell into thought.
When she put it that way, it really did make sense. The path he was walking now was, undeniably, the path of true soul magic.
"Taking over the soul, analyzing it, then acquiring the other party's power…"
Irene's voice was calm and precise.
"This is an extremely powerful form of magic. The soul is a fundamental existence, after all. From here on, Rain, you should study more magic and knowledge related to the soul."
"These things are rare," she added, "but I'll help you gather them."
"I understand. Thank you, Irene-neechan."
Rain bowed his head slightly in gratitude.
"As for Command T magic," Irene continued, "there's no need to overthink it. It's a fairly direct and crude form of magic."
"As long as your mana reserves are sufficient, growing larger, smaller, or changing shape entirely is quite easy."
"So in the end… it just comes down to improving my magic power?"
Rain's eyes lit up in realization.
"Exactly."
"Now, time magic…" Irene's expression grew serious. "This is far more complex. For most people, even learning it is difficult—let alone using it properly."
"But you're different, Rain."
She looked at him closely.
"You acquired time magic through Take Over. By analyzing the remnants of the God of Time, you learned it directly."
Irene carefully organized her thoughts, explaining each point in turn.
"Of course, all of this is still theory."
A bright, confident smile appeared on her face.
"What truly matters… is practice."
And that practice was simple enough.
Training in the morning.
Refining techniques in the afternoon.
Accumulating magic power in the evening.
Rain's days quickly became full and structured.
At the same time, through this shared training, the bond between Rain and Irene deepened at a remarkable pace.
...
Meanwhile, far away...
Erza, Brandish, and Dimaria were still making their way forward.
"Damn it," Brandish muttered irritably. "Who was that woman anyway? And where did she dump us?"
Even Brandish, normally laid-back, couldn't hide her frustration.
"If I ever run into her again, she won't get off easy."
"Please accept reality," Erza said calmly, glancing at the panting Brandish. "We're no match for her."
"It's unpleasant to admit, but if she wanted us dead… it would've happened instantly."
"..."
Brandish fell silent.
Of course she knew that.
But knowing didn't make it any less frustrating.
"Can't you at least let me vent a little?" she said weakly.
"Let's focus on regrouping with Rain first," Dimaria said with a sigh, looking equally helpless.
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