Chapter 586 - 586: I Don't Need Them Anymore. They're Yours Now.

Hearing the details of Irene's history, August found himself pondering a deeply personal question. He couldn't help but compare her situation to his own life.

He had been born entirely without his parents' knowledge and immediately abandoned by Precht. Neither Zeref nor Mavis had ever known he existed, so they couldn't possibly be blamed for not giving him the love and care of a family. He held no resentment toward them. Now that he had finally reunited with his mother, he was completely satisfied; every day felt like a beautiful dream.

But Irene's situation was entirely different. She was fully aware of Erza's existence. She had carried her for over four centuries.

Why would a mother who clearly loved her child—enough to endure centuries of agony to protect her—ultimately choose to abandon her?

August was profoundly curious, but based on the tense, emotionally charged conversation he had overheard, he knew there was a deeper, tragic reason that Irene was still struggling to process. He decided not to ask directly, opting to quietly observe and understand her reasoning in due time.

"From what you just said, you also have an unusual connection to Fairy Tail?" Irene asked, snapping August out of his thoughts as she looked between him and Mavis.

"Indeed. Allow me to formally introduce you," August smiled warmly, gesturing gracefully toward the young woman beside him. "This is my mother. She is the First Guild Master and one of the founding members of Fairy Tail."

"Hello. I am August's mother, Mavis Vermillion. It is a pleasure to meet you," Mavis smiled brightly, offering a polite bow.

"Hello... I am Irene Belserion. A pleasure to meet you as well," Irene replied, returning the bow slightly stiffly.

She stared openly at the impossibly young, vibrant girl, and then at the massive, eighty-eight-year-old man standing beside her. Her curiosity was completely undisguised.

An elderly man calling a teenage girl his mother was undeniably bizarre. But judging by the genuine, unconditional warmth radiating from August, and knowing his terrifying strength, it was obvious he wasn't being coerced or manipulated.

Clearly, some incredibly bizarre, tragic circumstances occurred between those two as well, Irene thought to herself. Well, considering my own biological nightmare, I hardly have the right to judge anyone else's family dynamics. As long as they aren't enemies, that's all that matters.

"Irene is currently dealing with a very specific, highly complex biological condition. I plan to enlist your help in researching it and developing a cure," Noah explained, turning to August and Mavis.

"Of course. We would be happy to assist," Mavis agreed immediately.

August nodded in agreement. He had long suspected that there was something fundamentally... off about Irene's biology, but since she had never spoken of it to anyone other than Zeref, he had respected her privacy and never probed.

Now that Noah had facilitated an open dialogue and explicitly asked for their help, August was more than willing to lend his unparalleled magical expertise to cure his fellow shield.

"Thank you. Both of you," Irene said softly, a genuine, profound smile breaking across her face.

For the past twenty-one years, she had continued her independent research, but deep down, she had completely given up hope. She had spent four hundred years failing to cure herself, and even a genius like Zeref had only managed a cosmetic illusion. The sheer impossibility of the task had crushed her spirit. Her continued research was nothing more than a hollow, desperate habit.

Because she believed it was hopeless, she had never asked August for help.

But now, everything was different. Noah had provided the perfect biological materials, a flawless theoretical pathway, and the unwavering confidence that a cure was possible. With the addition of the Magic King's unparalleled arcane intellect and Mavis's legendary tactical genius, her hollow hope had ignited into a blazing inferno of certainty.

"We can discuss the exact theoretical parameters and clinical procedures later," Noah said, clapping his hands. "For now, we need to handle the political fallout of our fight. The citizens in your city are undoubtedly terrified. You need to return and issue an official statement."

"Yes, that is true," Irene nodded, her administrative mindset taking over. "I will inform Heine and Juliet that you suffered grievous injuries by my hand and were forced to flee.

"While I do that, the three of you should head to my castle. I'll arrange for a proper meal so we can rest and recover. Once I've finished pacifying the city, I'll join you, and we can finalize our plans for Ishgar."

Irene looked at Noah. She perfectly understood the necessity of keeping his presence and their alliance an absolute secret from the rest of the Empire.

"Sounds like a plan," Noah agreed. Being the 'defeated intruder' was a perfectly acceptable cover story.

With the plan finalized and the devastated landscape fully repaired, August raised his staff. He tapped the ground, casting his high-tier perception-filtering ward over himself, Mavis, and Noah. In an instant, the three of them vanished completely.

Knowing their identities and their need for secrecy, Irene took the lead, walking back toward the city. Noah, Mavis, and August followed a few dozen yards behind her, completely invisible but easily trackable by Irene's draconic senses.

As soon as Irene passed through the city gates, Juliet, who had been anxiously waiting near the entrance, immediately spotted her.

"Lady Irene has returned!" Juliet cheered loudly, waving her arms.

Hearing the shout, Heine quickly rushed over from the central plaza, bowing deeply as she approached.

"Lady Irene. Has the situation been resolved?" Heine asked respectfully.

"Did you completely obliterate the intruder, Lady Irene? The explosions were terrifying! We could feel the tremors all the way here!" Juliet asked, her eyes wide with awe.

"Idiot, of course Lady Irene defeated them. That goes without saying," Heine scolded her partner.

"I did not defeat him," Irene stated calmly, immediately silencing the two women. "He sustained critical injuries during our exchange, but he managed to escape before I could deliver the finishing blow."

"What?!" Heine gasped, completely breaking her professional composure.

Juliet's jaw dropped. "Someone actually managed to escape from you, Lady Irene?! How is that even possible?!"

Neither of them could fathom a mage surviving a direct confrontation with the Scarlet Despair, let alone possessing the strength to flee.

"He is no longer a threat to this territory. You do not need to worry about him," Irene ordered, her tone brokering no further questions. "Continue managing the city's restoration efforts. I am returning to the castle to rest."

"Understood, Lady Irene," Heine and Juliet bowed in unison, knowing better than to press the issue.

Irene nodded and walked briskly toward her massive castle located at the highest point in the city.

Upon entering, she immediately ordered the kitchen staff to prepare a massive, luxurious banquet and deliver it directly to her private dining hall. Once the food was served, she dismissed all the servants, locked the heavy oak doors, and erected a high-tier soundproofing ward over the room.

She turned toward the center of the empty hall.

The air shimmered, and Noah, Mavis, and August seamlessly materialized. They hadn't followed Irene directly through the city streets; they had taken a quick detour to explore the local markets before teleporting directly into the dining hall when Irene signaled them.

"The food smells exquisite," August smiled, taking in the massive spread of roasted meats, exotic fruits, and delicate pastries.

"Naturally. We all expended a significant amount of Ethernano today; we require proper nourishment," Irene smiled warmly, gesturing to the table. "Furthermore, after four hundred years, I finally have a genuine reason to celebrate. Please, eat as much as you like. Do not hold back."

For the first time in twenty-one years, Irene felt genuine, unadulterated happiness.

When Zeref had restored her human appearance, she had wept tears of joy, only for that joy to be brutally ripped away. Today, she hadn't cried, but the profound, quiet relief settling into her soul was infinitely more powerful. The nightmare was finally ending.

"I will gladly partake," August smiled. He pulled out a chair for Mavis, ensuring she was comfortably seated before taking the seat beside her.

"I'm starving. That brawl really took it out of me," Noah grinned, sitting down and immediately grabbing a large piece of roasted meat.

"Please, begin," Irene smiled, taking her own seat.

As they ate, Irene found her gaze constantly drifting toward Noah.

The cold, complex, and slightly hostile look she had initially given him when she learned about his relationship with Erza had entirely vanished. It was replaced by a look of profound, maternal approval.

She had abandoned her daughter. She had accepted that she had completely forfeited her right to be a mother. She had no right to judge whoever Erza chose to spend her life with.

But judging by Noah's actions, Erza had chosen exceptionally well.

He was a man willing to cross an ocean, infiltrate a hostile empire, and risk absolute annihilation at the hands of a Dragon Queen, all to give the woman he loved the closure she deserved. He was powerful, brilliant, and fiercely devoted.

More importantly, he held the key to ending her four-hundred-year curse.

The more Irene looked at him, the more she felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. Her daughter had found an incredible partner.

Noah, naturally, noticed the shift in her gaze. The terrifying, interrogative pressure was gone, replaced by a warm, approving look. He mentally breathed a massive sigh of relief, and the food suddenly tasted significantly better.

Once the banquet was finished, August re-engaged the stealth ward, and the three of them vanished from the dining hall.

Irene unlocked the doors and called the servants to clear the table.

Shortly after, Heine and Juliet returned to the castle to deliver their post-incident report. While the city was stable, they were deeply concerned about the intruder who had managed to escape. If a mage powerful enough to survive Lady Irene returned for revenge, the city guard would be completely defenseless.

"You do not need to worry about him returning," Irene reassured them, waving a hand dismissively. "Given the severity of the injuries I inflicted, he will be bedridden for months. By the time he recovers, he will be far too terrified to ever step foot in Alvarez again. Simply maintain your standard patrols."

Since Noah was returning to Ishgar to dedicate all his time to researching her cure, he obviously wasn't going to be attacking her city anytime soon.

"If you are certain, Lady Irene, then we will not worry," Heine nodded, deeply relieved by her absolute confidence.

"Excellent. I will be in my laboratory," Irene announced, dismissing them and heading deep into the castle.

Heine and Juliet bowed. It was standard protocol; Lady Irene spent almost all her time locked in her lab, and they were strictly forbidden from entering.

Irene walked down the long, winding corridors until she reached the heavy, magically reinforced doors of her private laboratory. She stepped inside, and the moment the doors shut behind her, Noah, Mavis, and August dropped their stealth ward.

"This equipment is truly exceptional," August noted, his eyes scanning the massive, multi-level laboratory. "You have spared no expense, Irene."

Even with her status as the second highest authority, requisitioning this volume of cutting-edge alchemical, biological, and magical engineering equipment would have been a logistical nightmare. The lab contained the absolute pinnacle of Alvarez technology, including several massive, highly complex magical centrifuges and analysis engines that had only been invented a few months prior.

"Unfortunately, despite possessing the greatest tools in the Empire, my personal aptitude for biological research is severely lacking," Irene sighed, shaking her head bitterly. "I spent twenty-one years in this room and achieved absolutely nothing."

Even Zeref, an unparalleled genius, had spent centuries mastering the dark arts to achieve his results. Irene simply didn't possess that specific type of scientific intellect.

"This is incredible..." Noah whispered, his eyes practically sparkling as he darted between the massive analysis engines and the pristine alchemical stations.

While Irene wasn't a scientist, Noah absolutely was.

Seeing the sheer volume of cutting-edge technology—equipment that was leagues beyond anything available in Ishgar—Noah's brilliant mind instantly shifted into overdrive. Countless theoretical pathways and experimental procedures rapidly simulated in his brain. He was practically vibrating with the urge to start dissecting Acnologia's flesh immediately.

Forcing himself to calm down, Noah turned back to Irene, his eyes wide with excitement.

"Are you seriously giving me all of this? You aren't going to need it?" Noah asked.

"I don't need them anymore. They're yours now," Irene waved her hand dismissively, offering a genuine smile. "I've held onto them for two decades, and they've done nothing but gather dust.

"In your hands, they actually have value. And more importantly, the faster you master these tools, the faster you can cure me."

~~~

Get early access to 50+ advanced chapters on Patreon!

https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn