Irene's Transformation

[1st POV]

"Hm...so this is how a human can transform into a Dragon in this world, Earthland? Through the usage of Dragon Slaying Magic?" Ddraig asked as he was drinking some liquor that he raided from the kitchen while the two of us were in the laundry room where Irene's clothes had been tossed in the dryer after it had been thoroughly washed, the woman in question currently taking a bath and getting cleaned up so that she is freshened up and ready for the operation later today.

I had just finished explaining to Ddraig what I knew about the dragons of Earthland and how they passed down what would be known as Dragon Slaying Magic to humans in the midst of the war that had encompassed Irene's homeland. And that was followed up by how the Dragon Slayers had developed what was known as Dragon Seeds that, given enough time would turn them into dragons themselves, hence what had happened to Irene.

"Yeah. And the irony is that it requires a dragon's soul and power to be inserted into their host Dragon Slayer to prevent their transformation into a dragon, much like an antibody. But since Irene's host dragon, Belserion, had died in the course of the war, she unknowingly lost that cure and was subject to her personal hell. Thankfully, now that a deal has been struck, I've gained the use of my reality warping magic as well as Alchemy to destroy the Seed while simultaneously altering her body and keeping her unborn child safe."

Yes, I had told him that the ability associated with my deals was to warp reality, but only for the purposes of the deal. Why? Well he's a dragon whose lived countless human lifetimes, he's not an idiot. He would have obviously recognized that I had essentially created a body from nothing, and one that was suitable enough to contain his power no less, and guess what? He did.

Stop the fucking presses.

That said, we had fun shaking that tidbit of fact in the dead Biblical God's face since I technically had the powers of creation in my hands, even if it's extremely situational, which was even more entertaining since it was the Devil who gave me this job, not that Ddraig knows this.

Suck it Yahweh!

"I see. So it can't just be any dragon's power, regardless of how powerful they are, and it requires their soul too. For some reason I'm reminded of the Sacred Gears, except that in this case, the dragons do this willingly to protect who are essentially their younglings. If anything, I can respect something like that." Ddraig said with a nod of respect towards his fellow dragons to acknowledge their efforts. Yeah...they're definitely worthy of respect for trying to protect their children.

"So Ddraig, what do you think of Dragon Slaying Magic? It sound like anything that would be of interest to develop and teach?"

"Hm...no, I wouldn't say it is. While I'm sure that you could destroy the Dragon Seeds of future Dragon Slayers, I worry that teaching a form of Dragon Slaying Magic with my power would alter the balance of the world. Not to mention that we don't know if it's even possible since our magic systems differ immensely between worlds." The Red Dragon Emperor answered as he sipped at his drink.

...Oh dear lord, I never thought about that. Mini Ddraigs causing chaos because they share the same magic as the Dragon that taught them. Oh hell no, that would be bad for business! And maybe they wouldn't be able to be defeated by motion sickness!

"You make a very excellent point and we're dropping that topic right away." I firmly declared and then stared at the drying machine as a question popped up in my mind that I voiced aloud to Ddraig.

"You know...I wonder how Irene is doing in the shower? I didn't think about it until just now, but she's from an age that's the equivalent to Earth's medieval times, so bathing back then compared to now must have been far more primitive, water-based magic existing aside. Hopefully she managed to figure out how to work the water."

[3rd POV - Meanwhile with Irene...]

Contrary to Adagium's worries, Irene was able to perfectly work the water without the men's help as she was soaking in the warm water that was being provided to her by the bathtub she was sitting in, a sponge being used to carefully scrub her body clean, making sure not to do something that would accidentally harm her unborn child.

What can one say? She's just a paranoid first time mother.

And finally, after she is done and gets a new change of clothes, she can finally be human again!

"Worry not my child, we're safe now." She whispered aloud as her hand brushed over her stomach, a smile on her face, a sense of hope washing over her for the first time in seemingly forever.

Her nose then picked up a scent from one of the nearby bottles and she reached for it to see what it was.

"Coconut scented body wash...how interesting..."

[1st POV - Back to the boys]

"You know what? I'm sure she's fine. Irene's a pretty smart woman, so I wouldn't be surprised if she was able to figure it out and I did tell her to make sure that she bathes in warm water for the baby, so if she was having trouble, she would have told me or something." I said with a shrug, confident that she's doing alright.

"If you say so." Ddraig said with a shrug, about to take another sip from his glass of liquor before the dryer made a noise to indicate that it was finished drying Irene's clothes.

"Ah, how about that? What perfect timing. I'll go ahead and deliver this to her room and then I'll go ahead and begin her operation." I said to my Heavenly Dragon friend as I popped open the dryer to pull out Irene's clothes and folded them in a neat stack before picking up the stack and walking away with it.

"Feel free to just relax or something while you're waiting for us. Just don't make any unnecessary noises so that I'm not distracted and lose focus for any reason whatsoever."

"I can do that. I would say good luck on your operation, but after what you've done for me, I doubt you need luck to perform another miracle." Ddraig said before hopping off of the washer that he had been sitting on and leaving after me to go to his own room.

After a few seconds of silence, I finally found myself standing outside Irene's door and then knocked on it...

Nothing.

I knocked again...

Nothing.

And so I cracked open the door and stuck my head instead to look around to make sure that the room was empty, and as I had thought, it was empty. She must be in her bathroom then. And so I walked to her bathroom's door and then stood right by it and then raised my hand to knock on the door.

"Irene? It's Adagium. Is everything okay in there?" I asked her from the other side of the door to which she responded.

"Adagium? Yes, everything is fine, thank you for asking me."

"Great to hear that. Listen, I got your clothes right here, washed and dried, so I'll just leave them outside this door for you to change into once you come out, alright? And then I'll be outside your room to begin your operation once you get changed. You need anything else before I start leaving?"

"No, I should be fine. Thank you Adagium, and I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"No need to apologize Irene. It's not an inconvenience to make sure that you're properly washed and clothed." I assured her when she had apologized to me.

"Anyway, I'll step outside, so just grab me when you're done, alright?"

"Alright?"

And with that I left the room so that she could finish bathing.

...

...

...

[Some time later...]

"Okay so lie down right here. Yep, that's right."

After Irene had finished changing, she had brought me into her room where I began my preparation for the operation, where I drew one human transmutation circle that I directed her to lie in. I had some Elixirs on the side just in case something happened, which I highly doubted, and I brought my nerves of steel. Once Irene lied down, I knelt down next to her circle and had the beautiful mother a smile.

"So, how are you feeling, Irene?"

"I have to admit, I'm very nervous...but I'm ready." Irene answered as she turned her head to look at me.

"No need to be nervous, you'll be perfectly fine, and by the time I'm done, you'll be human again. I promise. Now, just stare straight up and take calm deep breaths, alright?"

"Alright." And that was what she did, just stare up and then started taking deep breaths.

"Let's begin."

And with that I put my hands together as if in prayer, my hand glowing before I slammed my hands onto the human transmutation circle, and then the room was engulfed in a bright light.

{???}

"I thought this would be the case..."

I looked around me and rather than seeing just the white of the Gate of Truth, I saw a mix of things. I saw its white 'walls', but I also saw the black 'floor' that was Irene's mindscape as well, a large crimson Dragon Seed taller than me implanted into the 'floor' I was standing on. And finally the 'ceiling or sky' was a blue void bathed in soft light. A familiar sight that I know. This is the world connected to the Crystal of Insomnia, except that's not truly the case. It's my mindscape as well for intruding into what was essentially her soul and body.

"Looks like the Truth isn't here as well. Makes sense since being in another world means being out of his domain and as such he can't take a toll, not that he could from me." I hummed aloud to myself, wanting to just hear myself vocalize my thoughts to hear some noise while I walked over to the Dragon Seed, my right hand being placed on it before I started to squeeze my hand against its walls.

My mind began to envision a dragon that began to break down to leave a human body and soul behind, and from the remains of the dragon, I imagined them all being swept up together into a single mass that began to compress into a small object that will guide itself into my hand.

And in that next moment as if my will had been carried out, I watched as the object I was touching began to crumble away as if it was nothing, breaking down from the opposite side before the process ended where my hand was placed, a fist forming where I had been squeezing, a lump now present in my hand. And when I opened my hand, there it was. A small intact Dragon Seed that was extracted from Irene and is now but an item in my hand. A rare and unique shop ware that I can sell to someone wanting to harness a dragon's power.

On the other hand...

My left hand erupted in a black miasma and I began to reach towards my right hand to touch the seed...I wonder what would happen if I actively tampered with a Dragon Seed with my power...what then?

But then I stopped.

"Maybe I should leave that experiment for later..." I murmured to myself and then pulled my left hand away. And then I turned my head back to where the Seed had been to address the next thing that appeared in its place.

Irene Belserion's body drifting in middle of the collective mindscape. Thank God that she was clothed though. I don't feel like getting smacked if she found out that I had gotten a peek at her, even if it would be worth it.

Hey, romantic feelings or not, I appreciate the female form as much as the next guy.

"Ah, right should check on her body."

I walked over to her and then in an act of curiosity poked her with the small Dragon Seed I extracted.

No reaction.

Interesting. I think I might have also extracted her ability to use Sage Dragon Slaying Magic as well since there's no reaction. I certainly didn't give her an antibody or anything like that. It's a good thing that she never saw me prodding her body with the very thing that turned her into a dragon, but hey, I was a curious guy.

I put the Dragon Seed in my pocket before placing my right hand over her to confirm her status. Needless to say though, I'm pretty sure she's a bonafide human now. Not sure how she'll react to losing her Dragon Slaying Magic, but I'm pretty sure that she'll accept that price.

"Now, as for you- huh. I guess you might just be called Erza Belserion now instead of Erza Scarlet. Holy crap will that take some getting used to."

I spoke to the unborn child that definitely couldn't hear me, my hand moving down to place itself on Irene's stomach. And so I drew upon my mental image what I wanted to happen through my reality warping. A child who was formed from the blood and genes from her mother and father. The mother's side was left intact but the father's side was broken down into nothing while simultaneously being replaced with a new template that belonged to another man's blood and genes: my blood and genes.

While I was telling the truth about wanting to pretty much blood adopt Erza- because who the hell would not want a canon character as their own kid, despite how wacky they can be- I'm also a selfish man and wanted to confirm something.

My body isn't merely some look-a-like of Ardyn Lucis Caelum. It's in fact a copy of it, using the man's body as a template to form my own, albeit purged of a majority of the Starscourge that he had taken into himself in an effort to once help the people. So if that blood was passed down into a child through artificial means, even if the child for all intents and purpose would truly be mine...

Would she be able to use the powers of the Kings of Lucis just like I can? And if she were able to and I was lucky enough to one day gather the Royal Arms, would she be able to use the Armiger as well?

But those are curiosities that won't be solved for several more years.

I pulled my hand away, having completed the procedure while in the midst of my thoughts.

"And with that we're done." I said aloud once more before clapping my hands together, another bright flash of light engulfing me, where I'd find myself back in my store.

[3rd POV - Irene]

{Moment ago...}

"Let's begin." He had said to her before the clap of his hands was heard before he slammed his hands onto the floor, where the next thing she saw was nothing but white.

Honestly, it felt like she had been forcefully put long sleep and was cognizant of the fact, and she felt as if she had been floating in an orb of water, her movements sluggish, if not nonexistent, but throughout it all, she felt a very odd sense of calm that definitely shouldn't be there even with how distorted her very being was feeling. Every impulse she had that told her to struggle and break out of whatever was making her like this was torn away, and all she could feel was just a simple calm. And so she relaxed.

She could swear that during her 'sleep' that she her could Adagium muttering about something, but she was too out of it to properly make out what he was saying.

And then she felt pain. It didn't seem like an agonizing pain though. It felt like the pain yet also relief that one feels once a splinter is removed from their skin. It hurt, in this case, it hurt a lot, but only for that brief instance before she began to feel some relief that she had never felt before.

She felt something also insert into her body. She couldn't see what it was, but she could certainly feel it. It wasn't dangerous though. If anything it felt...

Warm...

A warmth had entered her body and then spread throughout her before it settled down to where she once again felt the nothingness that she was put into.

And then the next moment she was suddenly engulfed by a familiar light that had appeared out of nowhere...

...

...

...

"Irene?"

'Huh...who's calling my name? And will whoever that is stop shaking me?'

"Hey sleepy head, wake up. Stop sleeping on the floor."

'Whose sleeping on the floor? Why would they just not sleep on a bed instead? And why am I being shaken still? Why won't you shake them?'

"Sweet Jesus...hey Irene, wake up already! I let you sleep with some blankets for an hour now, but you'll still freeze if you're sleeping on your floor the whole time!"

"Stop yelling at me to wake up! I'm...not...sleeping..."

Irene's eyes snapped open as she sat up from the floor she had been lying on, her body suddenly running at more than maximum capacity as she looked around her and then remembered where she was at. Her eyes then rested on a young man who was looking down at her with a small grin.

"Welcome back, sleeping beauty. You enjoy that nap of yours?"

"I was sleeping...I was actually sleeping." She murmured and looked down when she felt something soft on her. It was a blanket, and it was...

"I'm warm...I feel warm..." She picked up the blanket and wrapped it around her before her nose picked up something. Something smelled delicious, and when she tried to investigate what it was, her eyes snaped over to see a bowl of stew next to a small loaf of bread that was placed on the table

"Here. I think you'll enjoy this." Adagium said and then knelt down to help bring her to her feet, something she appreciated since she felt physically tired and when he placed her into her chair and forced a spoon into her hand, she hesitantly scooped up some of the stew and then slowly put the meat and vegetable into her mouth before she began chewing...

"....it's delicious..." She whispered, her nose sharply inhaling in a sniffle and her eyes watered before she took another bite of the hot stew. Then another. Then another. Her other hand moved to pick up the loaf of bread that was dipped into the stew before she took a bite. She could taste this too. And with inhibitions that had been worn down, she quickly consumed the meal that was given to her, even as her occasional tears continued to fall into her food, yet she didn't care. She could taste food again.

By the time she was done a glass of water and a wet cloth was placed next to her, courtesy of Adagium, her hand picking up the cloth to clean her mouth before she picked up the glass of water and drained it.

And after a moment of silence with her staring down at the empty dishes with Adagium standing by the door she spoke.

"Adagium...am I really a human again?"

"Well, it's not for me to tell you, is it? But you could sleep again right? You could feel the warmth of the blanket around you? You can finally eat human food? So what do you suppose it is? Think you're human again?" He asked her and a moment of silence passed before her tears were shed even more.

And even as she turned her head, her vision blurry and clouded through her tears, she could still make out the silhouette of the man who helped her and then the dam broke.

"I'm a normal human again...and my child...I can give birth to my child as a normal human." And then she dashed out of her chair to hug him tightly.

"I'm human again! Thank you! Thank you so much Adagium!" She sobbed out as she clung onto him for the second time today, but this time she could feel the warmth of his clothes as he returned the hug while also patting her head.

"No need to thank me Irene. Instead, all you need to do is smile and rejoice. Your wish has come true."

...

...

{Later...}

[1st POV]

After Irene finally calmed down, I went to put her to bed, since she was still in an exhaustive state following her reverting back to a human, so I told her just to get a lot of sleep for the rest of the night and that I'd see her in the morning.

It really was nice to see her smile like that though once she found out she was human again.

Even if I am a selfish person, there is still something satisfactory about the genuine gratitude I get when I help people. Ling when I brought back Greed. I'm sure Ed will show his gratitude one day if I see him again with his leg back. Ddraig when I freed him and gave him a vessel. And then Irene.

Oh, and Issei I guess, but in this case, I'm the more grateful one for the sole fact that he would unknowingly give anything for a pair of boobs.

My feet carried me to the front of the store where I pulled out the Dragon Seed from my pocket, materialized into the outside world, and set it on the counter, watching as the seemingly insignificant object rolled around the surface.

I placed my left hand onto the counter, only a foot away from the Seed and watched as it gave off a black miasma that was making its way towards the small object.

Damn it, I'm so tempted. What should I do with this thing? I could either sell it to someone who can get Dragon Slaying Magic but at the cost of becoming one, unless they're fine with that, or I could experiment on this and see what hell could be unleashed from it being used.

A daemonified Dragon Seed that can inflict its next host with the Starscourge so I can summon and command the poor soul that eventually becomes a dragon from using Dragon Slaying Magic..

But maybe I shouldn't.

As interesting as it would be to see a rampaging daemonified dragon causing destruction and mayhem against its foes, it's best for everyone that this scenario never occurs. I don't feel like accidentally causing a new plague within a completely foreign world courtesy of the Starscourge with no Crystal and no True King to save everyone's asses. While I'm someone all for causing some chaos by throwing in some wrenches here and there, Ddraig and the former Boosted Gear being my greatest accomplishment to date, the Starscourge is less a wrench and more of a nuclear bomb with fallout on the side and that would be way too much chaos for me. Not to mention the important fact that I'll not even have any customers due to the clientele being infected, wiped out, or daemonified on principle.

No thank you. I'm not insane.

And so after cutting off the miasma around my left hand and picking up the Dragon Seed, I walked to the back of the store to grab a square glass container that had a miniature pedestal inside it to put an item on to display it. And after a bit more walking with me returning to the front, I inserted the Dragon Seed into said container and put it into one of my glass display drawers, the store now recognizing it as an item to sell. And after walking to where my manifest was...

"..."

I just stared at the relative price of the Dragon Seed and then shook my head in silence. Great. Another item that's expensive as hell. Apparently the store doesn't recognize the drawback of turning into a dragon as a drawback at all. It apparently sees the Seed as 'you use Sage Dragon Slaying Magic and fun fact, you can pretty much change your race into a Sage Dragon'.

It made me think back on my conversation with Ddraig and how he mentioned what a dragon version of the Evil Piece Set would be like.

"Well I don't have an answer for that Ddraig, but I can tell you that since Evil Pieces are a dime a dozen to reincarnate people into devils, at least those can be purchased with money if I ever sold one. With this Dragon Seed that does something similar, no money can buy this either." I mumbled aloud and then sighed.

Alright, I'm going to take a nap. Today's been tiring. At least a lot of good has happened today though.

{One week later.}

"Good morning Irene. Morning there Ddraig."

"Hello Adagium, and good morning to you Irene Belserion."

"Good morning Adagium, and good morning to you as well Ddraig."

The three of us found ourselves seated at the kitchen table with me making some breakfast for everyone that consisted of bacon, scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast, milk, and a bowl of fruit, another serene morning in the store that we've come to see as a home.

After Irene had gotten some rest and came down from her high via happiness, I showed her around the store as well as the assortment of items that I had in stock here and as a practitioner of magic, she was quite surprised about the potential that laid within the restorative items. And when I showed her the relative price of the Gate of Truth...

Well let's just say that even a queen would be shocked at the price of it.

As my employee, she had the right to know about the Dragon Seed and how I now had it as an item on sale with a warning label about turning into a dragon. While she was saddened to lose the last traces of the dragon that befriended her and helped her to create Dragon Slaying Magic, Irene was willing to accept the loss if that was what she would have to further pay to become human.

It was understandable that she was hesitant about the idea of selling the Dragon Seed, but she finally accepted the course of action after knowing that a high price would have to be paid and that I included the warning of what using a Dragon Seed would entail. Not to mention that I told her that if someone does happen to acquire it from the Rainbow Bridge, their actions and consequences will be on them, and not on her.

And after showing her around the place she'd be living in and having her actually meet and talk to Ddraig, the two of them being fairly civil with one another, not that I expected anything else, a week had passed with me showing her some of the ropes and explaining what her job would be, which really wasn't all that much. She just had to work as a store clerk and perform some other...errands let's just say...but her Enchantment and knowledge of Magic was what I valued the most and those will certainly be an asset to the store as well, providing an even greater set of wares.

But that's for another time.

"Well then..." I looked over to my two friends, both of which were smiling at me, and I had a smile on my face as well. While the shopkeeper in me is happy to have them as employees, I'm happier to simply have them willingly be here happy with their situation and here as my friends. I'm sure that we'll all have an interesting future together with more additions as well.

"Let's eat shall we?"

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Rainbow Bridge Extra Wares

Skill Orb: Gate of Truth - 3x

Skill Orb: Feeling the Dragon's Pulse - 98x*

Sage Dragon Slayer Dragon Seed -1x

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{AN: Read Creator's Thoughts for Post Chapter Notes}

{AN*: I'm sure you can guess what happened}