Mavis and Zera walked over from the tent at this moment.
The two girls looked at Irene, who appeared as if she had received salvation, and their faces couldn't help but show deep sorrow.
Although they didn't yet know the details of what had happened to her, their hearts already ached for this poor woman.
Irene didn't notice the expressions on the two girls' faces, nor did she pay much attention to Weston's reminder.
At this moment, she was completely immersed in the joy of "restoring her human form," and everything else ceased to matter to her.
Fate had indeed been unfair, subjecting her to three hundred years of torture.
But it didn't matter!
As long as she could turn back into a human, those three hundred years of waiting were worth it!
"It's okay!"
"This is enough!!"
"Being able to return to a human appearance... I am already satisfied!!"
"Hahaha... I've finally turned back into a human!!"
Weston was not Zeref.
He didn't carry the 'Curse of Ankhseram' and didn't need to fear contact with others; therefore, he wasn't the type to save Irene and then simply brush her off and leave.
Mavis and Zera were both kindhearted girls. Seeing Irene in such a pitiful state, they naturally didn't want to leave her behind in the middle of these desolate mountains.
So, after Irene finally calmed down, the three of them pulled her over to sit. They found a large coat for her to drape over herself, reheated the leftover stew from lunch, and brought a large pot of it to her.
"You probably haven't eaten human food in a long time, right?"
"If you don't mind it, fill your stomach with this first. It should make you feel a bit better!"
"Th... thank you..."
Irene was moved to tears by Mavis's kindness. She immediately took the steaming iron pot and began to eat without any regard for her image.
"It's delicious, so delicious..."
As she ate, large droplets of tears kept falling into the pot.
Even though this pot of stew might not have been particularly exquisite—and likely tasted of nothing at all to her—in Irene's eyes, it was the most delicious food in the world.
In a short while, she had eaten every bit of food in the pot, leaving not a single scrap behind.
Mavis asked considerately: "Would you like more?"
Irene shook her head in refusal: "No... no need... I already feel much better in my heart!"
Feeling better in your heart means your body isn't satisfied yet, right?
Mavis understood this and turned to look at Weston.
Weston's mouth twitched: "Fine, fine, I'll go make more food. You two stay here and talk for a bit!"
Without a single word being spoken, he already knew what she wanted to say—that was true rapport!
"Can you tell us your story?"
"Of course, if you're unwilling to bring it up, we won't force you."
After Weston left with the bowls and the iron pot, Mavis and Zera sat down on either side of Irene, taking her hands to talk, hoping to comfort her wounded body and soul.
Irene remained silent for a few seconds before nodding: "You are my benefactors; of course I am willing to tell you."
Mavis and Zera immediately perked up their ears and listened intently.
Not far away, Weston also subconsciously softened his movements.
Although he knew Irene's story perfectly well, he still wanted to hear the person involved tell it from the beginning to see if there were any discrepancies with the story in his memory.
"My name is Irene Belserion. I was once the Queen of the Kingdom of Dragnof..."
Just as she started, Mavis couldn't help but let out a startled cry.
"The Kingdom of Dragnof?!"
"I remember that was one of the countries destroyed by dragons over 300 years ago, right?!"
Irene looked at Mavis with some surprise: "You actually know of such an ancient country?"
Mavis felt a bit embarrassed and gave a low chuckle with her head down.
Perhaps infected by Mavis's spirit, Irene's nerves relaxed significantly: "Yes. After I dragonized, I lived in that form for over 300 years!"
Mavis and Zera sucked in a breath of cold air simultaneously.
Over 300 years...
That level of loneliness and suffering was something they completely could not imagine.
"In that era, conflicts between nations were constant, and the flames of war between humans and dragons burned frequently."
"Dragons possessed immense strength and had an absolute advantage over humans. Consequently, most of the Dragons viewed humans as food to be slaughtered at will. However, a portion of the Dragons believed in peaceful coexistence, and thus the two sides split into two factions."
"The Kingdom of Dragnof existed against this backdrop, relying on a dragon who supported peace: Belserion."
"The dragons who held 'opposing' views made up a large proportion of the race. Relying solely on the 'pro-peace' dragons to fight them was a hopeless task."
"In order to allow humans to play a role in the war, and after obtaining the dragons' consent, I attempted to use 'Enchantment Magic' to attach the power of dragons onto humans. Thus, I created the original 'Dragon Slayer Magic' and became the first 'Dragon Slayer' in history."
"After Dragon Slayer Magic was implemented, humans indeed shone brightly in the war against dragons and achieved many victories."
At this point, Irene's tone suddenly took a sharp turn, her voice becoming low and cold.
"However, what I did not anticipate was that the result of overusing Dragon Slayer Magic was the dragonization of the Wizard's body!"
"A week after the war was won, my body underwent a change—dragon scales began to grow all over my skin, my hands and feet turned into dragon claws and toes, and wings grew out of my back..."
"I couldn't stop this transformation. Consequently, I was abandoned by my husband, my country, and my people. I suffered all kinds of torture and mental agony in prison, and the child in my womb could not be born for a long time. This situation lasted for about three years..."
Hearing this, Mavis and Zera both turned pale.
"Three years..."
"That's too cruel!!"
Three whole years of a miserable life—for a pregnant woman, for a Queen abandoned by her people, what a terrifying ordeal that must have been!
"Finally, one day, my body completely dragonized."
"So, I personally destroyed my country and crushed everyone who betrayed me!!"
An icy aura suddenly radiated from Irene.
Zera trembled all over, frightened by this aura, and hurriedly got up to hide behind Mavis, curling herself into a ball.
Mavis gently patted Zera's hand to indicate she shouldn't be afraid, then followed up: "What happened after that?"
"Afterward, I tried many methods, but I could never recover my human appearance. I could only live alone in the deep mountains in that form. I spent three hundred years like that, until I met you today..."
As the story ended, the three fell into silence once more.
Regarding Irene's life experiences, Mavis and Zera naturally felt deep sympathy. But things had already come to this; continuing to blame fate was meaningless. The only thing they could do was move forward.
☰