Ankh's interest was piqued as he picked up a request form, pushing the other miscellaneous tasks aside while muttering under his breath.
"Mission requirements... one male and one female to form a team, reward of 3 million J!"
Thump...
When he saw this line, Ankh felt his heart skip a beat.
For a mission of this level, how could it offer such a reward?
It wasn't that Ankh had never seen 3 million J missions before, but those were all combat related rewards.
What kind of client could be this wealthy?!
Ankh's eyes sparkled—this was the feeling of being smitten!
Although as the kingdom's idol, if he seriously committed to cooperating with weekly magazine reporters, he'd definitely earn quite a bit too, but... He couldn't resist such a lucrative one-time mission!
Ankh slammed the table decisively, raising the request form as he declared.
"This is the one!"
Mirajane curiously leaned over, glanced at it twice, and asked, "Are you taking it just because the pay is good?"
Ankh pushed her head away dismissively and said confidently, "Stop nagging, let's go!"
"Oh, okay..."
And so, the spirited and confident Ankh led Mirajane, brimming with assurance, toward the client's location.
At the guild entrance, Cana, who had just returned, happened to brush past Ankh and Mirajane as they hurried away.
She murmured curiously, "Are those two teaming up?"
Erza walked up to her side, shrugged, and said, "Ankh is mentoring the guild's newcomer, so they formed a team."
Cana was surprised for a moment before nodding.
"Ankh is actually willing to team up with someone... What mission are they doing?"
Erza thought for a moment, frowning as she said, "The difficulty isn't high, but the reward is quite good. I heard it's a full 3 million J."
Hearing this, Cana's face instantly turned pale, her expression crumbling as she exclaimed.
"That mission requiring one man and one woman?!"
Erza was startled by Cana's reaction and asked, "Is there something wrong with this mission?"
A flame of gossip seemed to ignite in Cana's eyes as she lowered her voice and chuckled.
"That request has an additional requirement written in very small print on the paper—it's really hard to notice. That is... the male and female Mages who come should preferably be a Mage couple!"
Hearing this, Erza's expression also shifted strangely.
So that meant... whether Ankh and Mirajane didn't see it, or... were they pretending not to see it?
'Hiss... this thing is worth pondering.'
....
In the center of Magnolia's luxurious main street, two plainly dressed individuals stood before the imposing gate of an extravagant villa, staring wide-eyed at the residence before them.
Even with his two lifetimes of experience, Ankh had never seen such an ostentatious building.
Snow-white painted walls, eaves and door frames adorned with gorgeous golden patterns, a courtyard layout that exuded grandeur—the property's footprint was nearly half the size of their guild!
Ankh had originally thought he'd accumulated decent wealth since arriving in the Fairy Tail world, but today he witnessed firsthand what true wealth looked like.
Just this single house—even if Ankh sold his looks to make money, he'd still be damned if he could afford it!
He was clearly a certified poor soul across two lifetimes!
The joys of the wealthy were simply beyond imagination...
Ankh let out a sigh lamenting life's hardships and gently pressed the doorbell.
He wondered how this world had developed—daily life conveniences seemed completely unchanged from what he knew...
As Ankh's mind wandered, someone approached and opened the courtyard gate.
The man before them sported a stylish mustache, wearing the classic gentleman's trio: suit, tie, and white gloves.
The butler hesitated momentarily upon seeing the two at the gate, then gracefully bowed slightly and asked.
"Might you two be Mages from Fairy Tail?"
Ankh nodded, routinely raising his forearm to display the Guild mark, confirming his identity.
The butler relaxed slightly, though his confusion grew as he said.
"Then... are you certain you meet our commission requirements?"
Ankh paused briefly, exchanging glances with Mirajane.
'What requirements? Wasn't it just needing one male and one female?'
Mirajane couldn't help glancing at Ankh's "nation-toppling" face before blurting out her thoughts.
"Does he think you're a girl—"
Whoosh!
Before she could finish, the keen Mirajane seemed to sense an intense aura of death...!
Along with Ankh's dark, murderous crimson eyes that seemed ready to bury her alive!
Mirajane quickly turned away, whistling innocently as if nothing had happened.
The butler, having received Ankh's confirmation, looked with emotion at the two teenagers before him, thinking worriedly.
'These two kids in their teens are already... that?'
Was he falling behind societal trends, or had contemporary society's romantic education for children become too advanced?
Meanwhile, Ankh—who had completely missed the additional requirements for couple Mages—watched the hesitant butler with suspicion and asked.
"Sir, are you concerned about our capabilities?"
Hearing the slight displeasure in Ankh's tone, the butler immediately understood his character and quickly replied.
"Of course not. Since your guild sent you, we naturally have no doubts."
As a popular rising idol, the butler was well aware of Ankh's reputation and understood his work capabilities thoroughly.
Though just a youth, Ankh's recent mission activity level was no less impressive than his senior Mages.
Ankh's expression improved slightly upon hearing the butler's explanation.
"May we enter now?"
The butler promptly opened the gate wider, respectfully saying, "Of course, please."
Ankh nodded and stepped into the courtyard, with Mirajane carrying their luggage close behind.
Mirajane subtly observed the butler leading the way ahead and whispered to Ankh.
"Why is he so vigilant? And why wouldn't he provide detailed task descriptions in the commission form?"
Ankh kept his gaze fixed ahead and patiently explained.
"According to Erza, commissions like this are mostly infiltration missions—not suitable for public disclosure."
"Infiltration?" Mirajane nodded thoughtfully.
The work of Mages truly encompassed all sorts of strange tasks.
Such infiltration missions, where clients were willing to spend heavily to commission the guild, usually involved private matters that their nation couldn't or shouldn't handle openly.
Matters like court intrigues or rooting out spies in guard units—these were all infiltration missions the guild could undertake.
If Ankh and Mirajane were to disguise themselves as ordinary people to protect political figures or assassinate terror elements, it shouldn't pose much difficulty for the duo.
Ankh couldn't help but smile.
He could almost see the glittering 3 million J waving at him!
The butler led the two lost in thought into the villa.
After passing through the lavishly decorated living room, he brought them to a door, knocked gently, and said softly.
"General, the two Mages are here."