They stiffened upon my hands coming into contact with their skin but refrained from attacking me as they heard what I said. Maybe they recognized my voice or they felt it to be familiar, but I don't care as long as they don't attack me.

They turned towards me and Irene gave me a smile while Brandish was just looking at me with a blank stare. Hm, guess her expression remains the same from before and the canon. Well, it is cute in its own way. I mean it would be even more adorable when I see her normally blank face express embarra.s.sment or when she blushes when I start full on flirting with her. While I was thinking about Brandish' expression, Irene meanwhile sent her staff directly for my head and me being the dumba.s.s I am while in front of the girls that I like didn't notice it until it hit me with enough force to send me flying.

*Bang*

"Ow, what was that for?" I spoke from my spot next to the wall where I crashed as I looked at Irene who was still smiling while in the posture for a swing of her staff.

"Well, that's for not visiting us for all this time. And don't act like that did any real damage. I know for a fact that you had somehow negated the force of impact. Now, Brandish how about you? Do you want to have a go at him?" Irene replied to me before turning to Brandish who was giving off an uninterested expression to us talking. When she heard what Irene said to her, she turned towards me while her magic power slightly flared. Or more precisely, her eyes turned towards my junior.

As quickly as I could, I teleported behind her and held her for a headlock while lifting her off the ground. There was no force behind it really and all she did in return was flailing her limbs around. It was truly a comical scene if the fact that Irene was chuckling amusedly at us was any sign.

"Are you crazy? Why were you thinking of shrinking what you were going to use in the future yourself, woman?" I screamed at her from behind her as she continued to struggle in my arms before she suddenly stopped and swung her head back. And with a smack, her head-b.u.t.t connected as we were both now on our knees nursing the point of contact. Me rubbing my nose and her rubbing the back of her head.

"You should take your punishment quietly." Brandish muttered to herself as she got up from the ground still rubbing the back of her head.

"Alright, alright I'll let you punish me just don't get too extreme." I just waved her off and agreed to indulge her as I grabbed her hand and led her to where the chairs were and Irene was waiting.

The rest of the day was spent with us just laying around flirting with each other and playing around. Although there were times when we got a bit serious. Namely, when we were talking about Erza and the Heartfilia family.

Irene was both consoled and amused at what I had to say about Erza. She was happy to know that Erza was now fine and happy but also found it amusing to know that I had both mother and daughter in my harem. Honestly, I have never been happier that Irene was a carefree woman when it came to relations.h.i.+ps.

While everything went well with Irene, Brandish was a whole other matter. While she isn't as crazy as she was about the Heartfilia as in the canon, she still doesn't like them. Her hatred mellowed out after the years she and I spent together as I worked in letting her know of what actually happened. Not everything but she knows that there was more to her mother's death than what she had known.

She is only waiting for the right moment to confront Layla to find out what had happened. The fact that Layla was alive was only known to one other person beside me, Anna and Irene. And that was Zeref. He somehow found out what happened between me, Anna and Layla after we came back to this timeline.

And Zeref wanted to take advantage of the mellowed out hatred in Brandish to get her to work for the Alvarez Empire. After accepting his offer and finding out that Irene also knew about the fact that Layla was alive, she confronted her.

*Flashback* 3rd POV

Brandish was standing in front of the room of one of, if not the strongest mage in Alvarez Empire. Irene Belserion. She had heard all the talks about her from the regular folks and soldiers and she had grown to admire the strength which was right now only a rumor to her.

But that is not what she is here for. She was here to find out what happened to Layla Heartfilia. She reached out her hand after taking a deep breath and knocked on the door. It didn't take long to hear a voice telling her to come in and soon she found herself inside the room standing in front of the strongest female mage in history.

"So what can I help you with?" Irene asked as Brandish managed to steel her nerves.

"What happened between you and Layla Heartfilia?" her eyes narrowed as she asked this as she tried to find any deceit in what Irene might say to her. But what Irene said next gave her a slight pause.

"Nothing." One word. Irene said only one word to cut Brandish's detective glare down by half and before she could say anything else, Irene continued.

"I wasn't there when he saved her but I knew he was going to save her since he told me that to my face." Irene continued to lie down on the chair lazily as she said this before Brandish was finally able to ask her a question.

"Who is this person that you speak of?" Her gaze was wavering as she asked this because she had an idea who it might be but wasn't so sure of her guess.

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"The same man who taught you what you knew before you moved here and learned from the teachers here. Ray Cross." Irene said with a smile as leaned further back into her seat.

"How do you know him? Where is he? No, why would he save her?" Brandish asked as her normally monotone voice found a higher pitch as she took a step in Irene's direction.

"Well, I can answer the first question but I don't know the rest. How about you ask him when you see him again. Meanwhile, how about I tell you about how I know him."

*Flashback Ends* MC POV

"So? Are you going to tell me what happened?" Brandish asked me as she gave a steely gaze in my direction.