"I see."
Ur listened to Ide's explanation. She first gave Irene a long, searching look, then silently glanced at Ide beside her, and finally looked down at the daughter in her arms.
After several seconds of internal struggle and comparison, she finally let out a relieved smile and said, "As expected, trading a husband for a daughter... it's quite a bargain."
"Bargain my ass!"
"Can you even calculate it like that?"
Ide retorted speechlessly from the side.
This woman Ur really was strict with herself... when it came to being "cucked."
"..."
As for Irene, after helping Ultear seal the excess magic power, she simply stood there with a smile, watching Ide and Ur, waiting for their next move.
"Irene, please give me a minute to explain things to Ur."
Ide looked at Irene, then at Ur. After thinking for a moment, he asked for Irene's permission.
Ideally, he should have explained everything to Ur as soon as she met Irene.
But he had been so anxious about his daughter's condition that he hadn't had time.
"Go ahead."
"Don't worry, I won't eavesdrop~"
Irene said, playfully covering her ears with her hands, putting on a show of ensuring she wouldn't hear their conversation.
"Ur, time is tight."
"I'll make this short."
"First of all, I found the Dragon."
Ide leaned in close to Ur and explained seriously.
In reality, Ide didn't care whether Irene eavesdropped or not.
With the absolute strength Irene had displayed earlier, if she wanted to hear their conversation, there was no way she wouldn't hear it.
"What?"
"Ide, you found the Dragon?"
"But where is it?"
"Wait... the Dragon you're talking about, could it be..."
Ur was a smart woman. After a brief moment of shock, she suddenly turned her head to look at Irene, realization dawning in her eyes.
Actually, Ur had briefly probed Irene when they shook hands earlier.
However, the magic power Ur used to test Irene felt like a drop of dew falling into an endless ocean—it barely caused a ripple. This had shocked Ur and made her suspicious of Irene's true identity from the start.
"Hehe."
Seeming to feel Ur's gaze, Irene turned to meet her eyes and gave what she thought was a very kind smile.
"Yes."
"That Dragon is Irene!"
"Although Irene looks to be around our age!"
"According to her, she is a Dragon Slayer Wizard who has lived from ancient times, four hundred years ago, until the present day. Because of the backlash of Dragon Slayer Magic, she turned into a Dragon."
"Her power is unfathomable, far above ours. She's likely many times stronger than even my mortal enemy, Imu! My full-power attack couldn't even scratch her."
Ide told the truth.
"I understand."
"So Ide, what do you plan to do next?"
Ur nodded firmly, then looked at Ide and asked seriously.
"I promised Irene I would help her solve her physical problem."
Ide thought for a moment, then made his decision. "So let's stick to the original plan and head to Magnolia to seek Senior Makarov's help."
"Makes sense."
"If it's Senior Makarov, he'll surely have a way to help Irene."
Ur seemed to have boundless faith in the famous Makarov.
Makarov: "Me?"
"Hey, hey, hey."
"Are you done discussing yet? I'm getting a little bored."
Irene stood by, urging Ur and Ide with a bored expression.
Just as she promised, she really hadn't eavesdropped on their conversation—although their entire discussion was about how to help her anyway.
"Ur, please give me a minute too."
After discussing with Ur, Ide turned to her again, looking serious.
"Sure."
Ur waved her hand, using Ice-Make Magic to create a pair of earplugs for herself. She trusted Ide implicitly.
"Irene, Ur and I have finished discussing!"
"Next, we've decided to continue to Magnolia."
Having received Ur's permission, Ide walked up to Irene and spoke seriously.
"We can go wherever you want."
"Just remember your promise to me, Ide!"
"You must take responsibility and turn me back into a human until the very end."
"Otherwise, I will completely lose my mind and destroy this world."
Irene winked at Ide playfully, speaking the most terrifying threat in the gentlest tone.
Yes, the reason Irene could still maintain her composure now was precisely because she saw hope of becoming human again through Ide.
If that hope were shattered, Irene would fall completely into darkness and personally destroy the world she had once saved from the Dragons.
"Uhh."
Ide fell silent. His Observation Haki told him Irene wasn't joking. She truly possessed the power to destroy the world.
"Anyway, let's make a pact, Irene."
"I will keep my promise to find the Devil Fruit and help you become human again. And you must keep your promise not to use your power recklessly or harm innocent people."
Ide took a deep breath, extended his hand to Irene, and looked at her earnestly.
"..."
Irene looked at the hand extended toward her. Suddenly, she laughed—a bright, blossoming laugh. Finally, she gripped Ide's hand tightly and nodded. "Agreed."
"Me... being saved by someone else. That's a first."
Irene felt a strange emotion in her heart. She, who had always been the one saving others, seemed to have finally found her own salvation.
The second Ide and Irene formed their pact, his system panel updated.
[Grind to Get Stronger System]
Dimensional Gate: Charging...
Character Panel:
Name: Ide
Age: 29
Partner: Ur Milkovich
Contractor: Irene Belserion
Passive: Dragon Slayer (I think you look like a dragon.)
Haki:
Conqueror's Haki: High-Tier (MAX)
Observation Haki: High-Tier (MAX)
Armament Haki: High-Tier (MAX)
Combat Skills:
Swordsmanship: High-Tier (MAX)
Six Powers (Rokushiki): High-Tier (MAX)
Magic Origin:
First Magic Origin:
Gains 100 MP every 1 second in Deep Meditation.
Gains 10 MP every 1 second while Sleeping/Resting.
Current Total MP: 1 Billion
Magic:
Ice-Make (Dragon Slayer) Magic: LV9 (+)
Yes, a contractor slot appeared on Ide's panel, and his magic changed as well.
Thanks to Irene's Master Enchantment, Ide's Ice-Make Magic gained the "Dragon Slayer" suffix.
"Next."
After contracting Irene, Ide turned his gaze toward distant Magnolia and murmured to himself.
"It's time to head to the Wizard Guild, Fairy Tail."