Hearing the butler's words, Ankh froze momentarily.
The person commissioning their guild was a General of the Fiore Kingdom? Someone of such high status and power—did he have no one at his disposal? Needing to commission Mages from another guild?
A voice with remarkably deep resonance sounded from inside the room.
"Enter."
The butler opened the door in response, stepping aside to let Ankh and Mirajane in before exiting and closing the door behind them.
This was clearly a study, with shelves filled with dazzling arrays of books.
Most contained texts so obscure and difficult that Ankh couldn't even comprehend them.
'This General... was quite the scholar...'
After discreetly scanning their surroundings, Ankh finally focused on the man bent over the desk, diligently attending to official matters.
However, this person completely contradicted Ankh's mental image of a general.
Silver-rimmed circular glasses perched on his nose bridge, black hair meticulously combed to one side, eyes completely devoid of ferocity, and skin fair and delicate.
'Could someone like this really a general?'
Ankh narrowed his eyes skeptically.
The man behind the desk didn't look up but seemed to have guessed Ankh's thoughts and speaking up.
"I merely have some understanding of leadership and command principles—I'm not skilled in battlefield combat or sacrificing myself in battle. It's only through His Majesty's gracious favor that I received this officer position."
Hearing this, Ankh paused briefly before quickly responding, "No offense intended."
Mirajane looked at the General with some surprise.
She knew well that Ankh never showed his emotions, his face as expressionless as a rock.
Being able to see through his thoughts indicated some capability.
Mirajane silently assessed in her heart as the man across acknowledged their visit.
"No matter."
The slender man finally looked up from his desk.
His eyes were somewhat sunken, his gaze profound as he studied Ankh, voice tinged with surprise.
"Fairy Tail's new idol, Ankh?"
The most famous Mage of Fairy Tail, rumored to have become the nation's hottest idol in just one month.
His charming and aloof features were beloved by nearly all women in the country.
His fame was so great that even within Fiore's court circles, he'd been heard of.
And he himself was only fifteen years old...
What was even more unexpected was that Ankh, this newly risen star, was already in a relationship!
Indeed, in the entertainment industry, scandals seemed to happen as easily as falling over...
When that exaggerated and chuunibyou-like title came out of his mouth, it inexplicably made Ankh feel somewhat embarrassed.
He coughed twice and quickly said, "It's just an empty reputation... As a Mage, I am quite strong as well."
The man nodded understandingly and began to introduce himself.
"My name is Carteus, a General directly under the Fiore Kingdom Army. You can just call me by my name."
Ankh sat down at Carteus's invitation, and Mirajane also sat somewhat stiffly beside him, looking a bit nervous.
After all, this was her first-ever commission.
No matter how carefree Mirajane usually was, she couldn't simply laugh it off.
Ankh glanced at Mirajane and raised his hand to gently pat her back in a comforting manner, meaning she should relax and not worry.
Although Mirajane didn't quite understand his intention, she felt the warmth of his large hand on her back.
This comforting sensation was particularly reassuring, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her pretty face, making her feel much more at ease.
Carteus sat across from the two of them.
Seeing this scene, he smiled knowingly and picked up the teapot to pour them some black tea.
Ankh raised his teacup and took a slow sip, then asked, "So, General Carteus, what is your commission? Can you tell us now?"
Carteus nodded, interlacing his fingers on the table, and said seriously.
"The reason I've commissioned the two of you from your guild is to ask for your help in stealing something back."
'Steal something?'
Ankh frowned slightly and said, "I'm sorry, but our Master has said that we don't accept commissions involving deception or theft."
Carteus quickly shook his head and sighed.
"This is a last resort. Could you two please hear me out about the whole story behind this matter first?"
Seeing that this General wasn't putting on any airs and seemed to have some difficulties, Ankh, who had been about to stand up and leave, stopped and quietly sat back down.
Mirajane also became interested, and the two of them adopted expressions indicating they were ready to listen carefully.
Carteus remained silent for a moment, his expression growing somewhat grave as he said.
"Actually, what I'm commissioning you two to steal back is a very important blueprint."
"A blueprint?" Ankh looked up in confusion. "What kind of blueprint is important enough for a Kingdom General to commission Mages to steal it back?"
Carteus let out a long sigh and explained, "It's a war-type energy-gathering magic cannon designed with the collective wisdom of all of Fiore's elite talents. Its power is incredibly terror-inducing, making it practically invincible on the battlefield."
Ankh smiled playfully and asked, "Such a powerful weapon of war—what use would our neutral nation of Fiore have for developing it?"
Carteus understood his meaning and said with a bitter smile, "It was the Council's order. They commanded us to manufacture the weapon and hand it over to them, to be used to demonstrate their authority."
So that's how it was.
If it was a weapon commissioned by the Council, then Ankh wasn't surprised anymore.
In the original work, the Magic Council, in Ankh's view, was essentially a rigid and corrupt institution that strictly managed Mages.
Whenever a place was in danger and they couldn't decide what to do, they would directly deploy the Etherion capable of annihilating an entire nation, without making any other efforts.
The ten councilors of the Magic Council were almost all old fossils.
In their pursuit of maintaining stability in the magical world, they stubbornly insisted on resolving matters quietly without drawing attention, followed by entering a farcical voting process.
This led them to issue weak, foolish, and hasty orders that resulted in even greater suffering and devastation.
Although the Magic Council had made other contributions to the management of the magical world, Ankh, having read the original work, still couldn't muster any fondness for them.
Ankh stared expressionlessly at Carteus and then asked, "Who stole the blueprint?"
This question seemed to strike a nerve.
Carteus's face darkened as he explained, "It was due to my negligence. Later investigations revealed that the blueprint was stolen by a mysterious organization from abroad. We haven't managed to identify the organization's name yet..."
'Another mysterious organization.'
If there was one mysterious organization Ankh had heard of since arriving in this world, it was the White Devil Cult, which worshipped demons!
Could it be them again?
As Ankh pondered this while Mirajane finally couldn't hold back and asked.
"So... why do you need a specific pair of Mages, one male and one female?"
A rare smile appeared on Carteus's face as he replied, "They thought I had no safeguards in place. Little did they know that when the blueprint was stolen, a tracking Magic on it would automatically activate silently. The Magic lasts for three days."
"Following the trail, we located the hideout of their organization's members within the Fiore Kingdom."
"The Fireworks Hotel in Hargeon Port—only couples are allowed to stay there. It's a place with a rather bold and subtle atmosphere, a lovers' retreat!"
Hearing this, Mirajane's pretty face immediately flushed red.
Ankh's lips twitched.
'There's a hotel with such a concept here?'
It seemed his knowledge was still lacking...