Raizel had assumed Irene was definitely still asleep.
It was Irene's room, after all. Without even thinking about it, he knew the soundproofing had to be excellent.
So he did not think too much and opened the door.
Only, the moment he stepped inside, his footsteps immediately stopped.
His gaze landed completely on the figure sitting on the sofa in the living room not far away.
Then he looked at Selene's expression.
Her earlier calm composure was long gone.
Raizel suddenly had the urge to strangle Selene.
'Selene!!!'
Irene was not dressed the way she usually was today.
She wore a black silk slip nightdress, and her four braids had long since been undone.
Her hair was casually pinned up with a hairpin, and even though she had just woken up, she still looked exceptionally dignified and elegant.
But the problem was!
In her hand was a small box of ice cream.
That's right.
A box of ice cream, with a small wooden spoon tucked into it!
Raizel was extremely familiar with that box of ice cream. It was made by the dessert shop he and Erza often visited.
When Raizel and Selene entered, this strongest female Mage, who usually appeared cold, noble, elegant, and dignified, was holding that box of ice cream in one hand like an ordinary little girl, scooping and eating it spoonful by spoonful with the wooden spoon.
The process was not much different either.
She even had to smack her lips a little.
Raizel directly saw the shadow of Erza eating sweets.
Or rather, it should be said that Erza resembled Irene.
The way this mother and daughter ate ice cream was exactly the same!
Her pinned-up scarlet hair also told Raizel something else.
There was still a pair of earphones stuffed in her ears!
Her head was swaying lightly along with the rhythm of the music, and she was even humming softly to herself.
Her brows and eyes carried a smile, and the corners of her mouth were slightly raised. She looked exactly like a youthful young girl.
Of course, all of that existed only before she noticed Raizel and Selene.
The moment Irene casually swept her peripheral vision over the figure at the door, the movement of her hand immediately stopped.
Then she had the exact same feeling as Raizel.
'Selene!!!'
Their gazes met across the room, and the atmosphere instantly became extremely strange.
There was also Selene, who had noticed Irene's murderous gaze and was now hiding behind Raizel, covering her mouth as she secretly laughed.
The atmosphere in the hall was inexplicably bizarre and terribly quiet.
Only the faint music leaking from Irene's earphones and Selene's suppressed laughter remained.
Raizel acted as though nothing had happened at all and pointed one hand toward the door.
"You. Out. What happened today is known only to heaven, earth, you, and me."
He did not need to name anyone.
Selene knew perfectly well that Raizel was talking about her.
"O-okay."
"Close the door behind you." Raizel's tone was extremely cold.
"I know." Selene answered softly.
With a click, Selene closed the door behind her.
The two people who had been staring at each other across the room soon reacted as well.
By the time Raizel sat down, Irene had already very calmly put away her earphones and returned to her usual dignified posture.
In just a few seconds, the two of them seemed to have organized everything, steering the situation back onto the path it was originally supposed to follow.
They tacitly avoided mentioning anything that had just happened.
Just as Raizel had said to Selene earlier—heaven knows, earth knows, you know, and I know.
If Selene leaked it, she would have to bear Irene's thunderous wrath, and she could forget about asking Irene to help seal the Five Dragon Gods.
Raizel nodded toward Irene without the slightest abnormality, as if he had not seen anything that had happened just now.
"Mm... You're here."
Irene's expression also did not change.
She crossed her legs elegantly, placed both hands on her knees, and nodded to Raizel.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Raizel faintly felt that there was something slightly different in Irene's words.
But they were both people who cared about face.
If you did not mention it, I would not mention it either.
He glanced without a trace toward the ice cream in the trash can, of which only a little had been eaten.
'Strongly condemning food waste!'
"I'm sorry for coming in on my own without asking Heine and Juliet to report first."
Irene folded her hands over her knees and nodded.
"I was the one who instructed them to do so. They merely followed orders."
"I apologize for my rudeness just now."
This was the first time Raizel had encountered such an awkward scene.
The only thing he could think to do was lower his posture a little.
"Forget it. You were not this restrained or respectful before."
Irene, on the other hand, seemed more open about it than Raizel.
"In any case, that woman Selene would not dare spread it. I imagine she discovered something about me but did not dare expose it alone, so you became her scapegoat."
After Irene said that, she and Raizel fell into a strange silence while facing each other.
Fortunately, Raizel had not forgotten why he had come.
He went straight to the point.
"It's about Erza's new armor and Mira's new weapon. I would like to ask you to help forge them using Enchantment."
As he spoke, Raizel pushed the drawings Reedus had made of the mecha Lü Bu armor and BlackWarGreymon claws in front of Irene.
Irene rested one hand on the back of the chair and only casually glanced at the drawings.
Then a faint, half-smiling look appeared on her face.
"It is her armor, yet instead of coming to ask me herself, she sent you?"
Seeing Irene finally recover her usual composure, Raizel answered very calmly,
"You still do not give her a very good expression. That is what most people think. As Erza's mother, what do you think about that?"
Hearing Raizel's counter-question, Irene looked at him again.
Her eyes narrowed visibly, bringing with them an indescribable pressure.
"I think nothing of it."
But even while being stared at by her, Raizel still met her gaze calmly.
Faced with this look from Irene, even Selene sitting in Raizel's position might feel some faint pressure inside.
Yet Raizel was the exception.
The reason Irene regarded Raizel highly was because he seemed to have seen through her, and because he was not afraid of her.
She had once been the Dragon Queen who gave orders and commanded armies.
After joining the Alvarez Empire, she had become one of the two pillars of the empire, below only one person and above countless others.
But those two identities seemed to have little effect on Raizel.
Irene looked at Raizel with an amused expression.
"Although I imagine they feel that if they came to ask me, there is a high chance they would not succeed. They might not even be able to see me."
"Then, they thought of the fact that I seem to treat you somewhat differently, so they thought of you."
"But do you really believe that just because you brought this to me, you can make me agree?"
Irene's tone was extremely calm.
"To apply Dragon Slayer Magic and forge armor of this difficulty, I am not exaggerating when I say I believe only I can do it."
"Or perhaps that little Dragon Slayer girl, after receiving my teachings. Her talent is indeed quite good."
"Of course, the fastest method is still for me to do it myself. I believe you understand that very well, yes?"
Facing Irene's gaze, Raizel once again met her eyes without panic.