Ankh couldn't help but be stunned when he heard the butler's voice.
The person who commissioned their guild was a general from the Fiore Kingdom?
Someone so high in power and authority, did he run out of people? Did he still need to commission Mages from other places?
A voice with a remarkably deep inner breath sounded from inside the room: "Come in."
The butler responded by opening the door, stepping aside to usher Ankh and Mirajane in, then walked out again, closing the door behind him.
This was clearly a study, with a dazzling array of books on the surrounding bookshelves. Most of the text in the books was obscure and difficult to understand; Ankh couldn't even make sense of it.
This general is also a scholar... After secretly surveying the surroundings, Ankh finally turned his gaze to the man who was diligently working at the desk.
However, this man did not fit Ankh's imagined image of a general.
He wore silver-rimmed round glasses on his nose, his black hair was meticulously combed to one side, there was no hostility in his eyes, and even his skin was fair and tender.
Could such a person become a general?
Ankh narrowed his eyes suspiciously. The man behind the desk didn't look up, but seemed to have guessed Ankh's thoughts and said:
"I only have a slight understanding of leading and commanding armies; I'm not skilled in fighting on the battlefield or sacrificing myself to kill enemies. It is only through His Majesty's favor that I obtained this general's position."
Ankh was stunned when he heard his words, then, realizing his mistake, quickly said: "No offense."
Mirajane looked at the general with some surprise.
She knew that Ankh always kept his emotions hidden, as expressionless as a madman. To be able to guess his thoughts meant he had some skill.
Mirajane silently assessed him in her heart, and the man opposite also acknowledged their visit.
"No matter." The thin man finally looked up from his desk. His eyes were somewhat sunken, and he looked at Ankh with a faint gaze, his voice showing a hint of surprise:
"Fairy Tail's signature idol, Ankh?"
Fairy Tail's most famous Mage, rumored to have become a highly sought-after idol nationwide in just one month. His charismatic and aloof face was almost the beloved of all women in the country.
His fame was so great that he had even heard of him in the court of Fiore.
And he himself was only fifteen years old... Even more unexpectedly, Ankh, this newly famous star, had already started dating!
Sure enough, in the entertainment industry, scandals collapse as if for fun... This exaggerated and chuunibyou-like title coming from his mouth made Ankh feel inexplicably shy. He coughed twice and quickly said:
"Mere false fame... As a Mage, I am also very strong."
The man nodded understandingly and began to introduce himself: "My name is Karteos. I am a general directly under the Fiore Kingdom Army. You can just call me by my name."
Ankh sat down at Karteos's invitation, and Mirajane also sat beside him, somewhat reserved, looking a little nervous.
After all, it was her first commission in her life. No matter how carefree Mirajane was, she couldn't just brush it off with a smile.
Ankh glanced at Mirajane, then raised his hand and gently patted her back in a comforting gesture, meaning for her to relax.
Although Mirajane didn't understand his intention, the warm feeling of the big hand on her back made her feel exceptionally at ease. A smile couldn't help but appear on her pretty face, and she felt much more settled.
Karteos sat in front of the two, and seeing this scene, he smiled knowingly and raised the teapot in his hand to pour them some black tea.
Ankh picked up his teacup, slowly sipped it, and asked: "So, General Karteos, what is your commission? Can you tell us now?"
Karteos nodded, interlaced his fingers on the table, and said seriously: "This time, I've commissioned the two of you from your guild because I want you to help me steal something back."
Steal something?
Ankh frowned slightly and said: "I'm sorry, our Guild Master has said that we don't accept commissions involving trickery or deception."
Karteos quickly shook his head and sighed: "This is also out of necessity. Could the two of you please listen to me explain the whole story first?"
Seeing that this scholarly general had no airs and seemed to have some difficulties, Ankh's movement to get up and leave stopped, and he silently sat back down.
Mirajane also became interested, and the two of them adopted an eager expression, ready to listen.
Karteos was silent for a moment, then said with a solemn expression: "Actually, what I'm commissioning the two of you to steal back is a very important design blueprint."
"Design blueprint?" Ankh looked up in confusion, "What kind of design blueprint is worth a Kingdom general commissioning Mages to steal back?"
Karteos sighed deeply and explained: "That is a war-type concentrated Etherion cannon, designed with the wisdom of all the elite talents of Fiore. Its power is quite terrifying; it can be said to be invincible on the battlefield."
Ankh smiled somewhat playfully and asked: "Such a powerful weapon, what's the use of our neutral country, Fiore, researching it?"
Karteos understood his meaning and said with a wry smile: "It's the Council's decision. They ordered us to manufacture weapons and hand them over to them to assert their prestige."
So that's it. If it was a weapon ordered by the Council, then Ankh didn't find it strange.
In Ankh's eyes, the Council in the original work was simply a rigid and corrupt organization that managed Mages.
Whenever a place was in danger and they were indecisive, they would directly use Etherion, which could destroy a nation, without making any other efforts.
The ten Council members were almost all old-fashioned, and to maintain the stability of the Magic World, they blindly pursued a stable and quiet solution, then entered a farcical voting process.
This led them to issue weak, foolish, and hasty orders, causing even more widespread suffering.
Although the Council also contributed to the management of the Magic World, Ankh, having read the original work, still couldn't feel any goodwill towards them.
Ankh looked at Karteos expressionlessly, then asked: "So, who stole the design blueprint?"
This question seemed to hit a sore spot for Karteos. He explained with a grim expression: "This was due to my oversight. Later, after investigation, the one who stole the design blueprint was a mysterious organization from a foreign country. We haven't found the organization's name yet..."
Another mysterious organization.
Speaking of mysterious, the only mysterious organization Ankh had heard of since coming to this world was the White Devil Cult, which worshipped demons!
Could it be that they were behind this as well?
While Ankh was thinking, Mirajane finally couldn't help but ask: "So... why do you need a specific Mage combination, one male and one female?"
A rare smile appeared on Karteos's face as he said: "They thought I had no defenses, but little did they know that when the design blueprint was stolen, a positioning magic would automatically and quietly activate on it. The magic would last for three days."
"And we followed the clues and found the hideout of their organization's people within the Fiore Kingdom."
"The Fireworks Hotel in Hargeon Port. Only couples can stay there. It's a rather bold and subtle place for romance!"
Upon hearing this, Mirajane's pretty face flushed red, and Ankh's mouth twitched. There was such a hotel?
He truly was still too inexperienced...