The King on his throne did not dare to be negligent and quickly stood up to return the greeting, saying, "My name is Doma E. Fiore, King of the Fiore Kingdom. I have long heard of the great names of you excellent Mages."
King Doma looked at the young man before him, a subtle look of appreciation appearing in his aged eyes.
In the King's eyes, Ankh and Jellal could be said to be the true young talents of this continent.
Just look at the other Ten Wizard Saints: Fairy Tail Guild Master Makarov is over seventy, and Phantom Lord's Guild Master Jose is merely an old man with a youthful appearance.
Among the top four of the Ten Wizard Saints, the Four Heavenly Kings of Ishgar, the youngest had already entered his thirties, and the oldest… well, he was almost spanning an entire era.
Only these two, at an age of less than twenty, had achieved the same level of accomplishment as these veteran Mages, truly deserving to be called favored children of heaven.
Only such talents being here could deal with those insidious and cunning bastards from the White Devil Cult… Thinking of this, the worry that had lingered on the King's brow finally began to ease slightly.
King Doma granted the three of them seats. Karteos closed the grand doors and loyally stood guard by the King's side.
Ankh did not shy away from this fellow and asked directly, "Your Majesty, this commission, you said it concerns the White Devil. Specifically, what do you need us to do?"
Hearing this question, the King's old face showed a pained expression, then he sighed deeply, took a card from his bosom, and said, "Gentlemen, please take a look for yourselves."
Ankh took the card and softly read aloud, "King of Fiore, your beloved daughter, Princess Hisui, is in our hands. If you are sensible, withdraw the guards watching over the Royal Palace treasury. Otherwise, don't blame us for giving you a corpse!"
At the end of the message was a signature: White Devil.
Ankh's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he said coldly, "They're almost wiped out, yet they still dare to jump around."
Ever since Ankh exposed the White Devil, the cult had suffered unprecedented major blows over the past few years.
First, several major nations raised armies, reclaiming the small countries' territories that had been occupied by the White Devil Cult, turning these villains into homeless vagrants.
Later, Ankh personally hunted down the cult's remnants, his methods becoming even more brutal.
If it weren't for their backing by the mysterious Tartaros and their unpredictable movements, there would be only a few of them left by now.
After Erza read the words on the card, she frowned in confusion and asked, "How was your daughter Hisui captured?"
"Exactly. She's your princess, located deep within the Royal Palace. Don't you even have that much protective capability?" Mirajane asked, leaning back in her seat with her arms crossed, puzzled.
King Doma sighed, saying with worry, "Hisui was very well protected by me, but her disappearance was very sudden, not even alarming the palace guards."
"After Hisui went missing, I received this card. I even dispatched troops to search the capital for a long time, but found nothing."
"Finally, having no other recourse, I troubled the S-Class Mages of the Fairy Tail Guild to intervene."
Erza thoughtfully stroked her chin, analyzing with sharp eyes, "To be able to abduct a princess from a heavily guarded Royal Palace, the White Devil Cult's capabilities are probably not as simple as we imagine."
Mirajane scoffed, giving a cold snort, "Methods? I doubt it. There's probably an insider from the White Devil Cult already mixed into the Royal Palace."
"Otherwise, how could a remnant cult, crippled by Ankh, have the ability to infiltrate the Royal Palace?"
It must be said that while Mirajane's current personality was impulsive and prone to anger, when she calmed down, she still saw things very clearly.
Ankh subtly glanced at Karteos, then asked Doma, "In that case, how do you intend for us to help you?"
"Of course, it's impossible to agree to the demands of these cultists!"
Ankh looked at the King in surprise, only to see a surprising aura of majesty suddenly erupt from Doma's comically short stature.
Doma slammed his hand on the throne, gritting his teeth and saying with hatred, "They dared to kidnap my daughter; I absolutely cannot let them off lightly!"
"They want me to withdraw the guards from the treasury? Not a chance!"
With that, Doma jumped down from the throne and looked at the three, saying, "I want to ask the three of you to assist the army, hidden in the shadows, to capture all these rats in the dark!"
Erza's face was solemn, and she said confidently, "Your Majesty, rest assured, we will catch them and rescue the princess!"
Doma nodded. Karteos then interjected, "Your Majesty, rest assured, with the help of the three Mages, the White Devil Cult is not worth mentioning."
Looking at the highly motivated Erza, Mirajane, who had been silent, couldn't help but roll her eyes… Ankh had taught her before that when undertaking a task with uncertain outcomes, it was best not to make such strong promises, as it could easily disappoint the client.
Besides strength and talent, Erza didn't know where else she resembled her brother… Ankh showed no emotion, instead suddenly saying something puzzling, "May I speak with you alone, Your Majesty?"
Everyone present was stunned. Karteos's expression tightened slightly, feeling as if his heart had been clenched in an instant.
"Did he discover something?"
"Although Ankh had met the real Karteos, that was four years ago, and it was only a few brief encounters!"
"Unless his eyes were blessed by an immortal, it's impossible for him to see through my carefully arranged disguise!"
"Karteos" steadied his mind, not daring to show the slightest flaw.
Doma was slightly taken aback but quickly nodded, ushering everyone out the door, Karteos included.
Erza, having been sent outside, was a little puzzled and muttered, "Brother… did he find something?"
Mirajane laughed without thinking, "Ankh can always discover things we can't see. He must have thought of something important."
Erza nodded, but then wondered, "But why didn't I notice? It seems I've been too lax with myself…"
Listening to her quietly muttering to herself, Mirajane felt quite speechless.
Karteos stood behind the two women, listening to their conversation, feeling a bit disdainful in his heart.
"How many years does it take for a monster like Ankh, a Ten Wizard Saint, to appear?"
"With the strength of just these two little girls, can they be on the same level as Ankh?"
The fake Karteos knew Ankh's strength well and was somewhat disdainful.
Although they were all S-Class Mages, the impressive titles of "Fairy Queen" and "Demon" were clearly not as terrifying as "Fairy Tail's Shinigami"… Erza and Mirajane still had a long and arduous road ahead to make their names.
Karteos dismissed his guard against the two women, his gaze fixed on the door, seemingly trying to see what was happening inside… "It should be fine, right?"