Ankh read through the contract, his eyes widening as he said.
"You mean the two of us co-found it? But I'd be the actual person in control of the company?"
Ankh looked at the contract, raising an eyebrow.
Frey Cureniar nodded, leisurely sipping her black tea.
"Don't worry, I'll also fulfill my duties as your agent and partner. I'll handle the restructuring, take the risks, and deal with the boring paperwork. You'll get the profits and the final say. I won't leave you with a leaking enterprise."
"Wait, I'm a bit confused. Start from the beginning."
Ankh raised his hand to stop her, then asked puzzledly, "Aren't you supposed to use this company to compete with your brother, Savalu? That was your father's test. How will you win if you hand the reins over to me?"
Frey snorted coldly, setting her cup down with a clink. "I'd be a fool to compete with him head-on in the business world."
"Huh?"
"If I follow my father's path, no matter how far I go, it's still his path," Frey explained, her eyes sharpening.
"I'll never be able to defeat my brother, who's already at the finish line with a better starting industry. I need to change the game."
Ankh thought for a moment and said, "So you plan to..."
"Create my own path," Frey stated decisively. "Since Father doesn't support me either, I might as well make him my opponent too."
She leaned forward, dropping her voice.
"You know the New Magic Council has been established, right?"
Ankh nodded. "Of course. Everyone knows that."
Frey looked directly into Ankh's eyes.
"Anselion is your Thought Projection, isn't he?"
Ankh paused.
He shrugged in tacit agreement.
'Well,' Ankh thought, 'I never expected i can fool this shrewd woman forever.'
The many unnatural understandings between Ankh and the Council—specifically Anselion's favorable votes—had been full of loopholes in Frey's eyes, given how frequently she interacted with him on business matters.
She had connected the dots.
"I need Anselion to recommend me for the position of Captain in the Forced Restraint Unit," Frey demanded.
Ankh was momentarily stunned before understanding dawned on him.
"So this is why you handed the company over to me? As a bribe?"
"It's a trade," Frey corrected.
"But how does this help your power-seeking plan? A captain isn't a high rank compared to a Duke's daughter."
Frey sighed and explained, "The Cureniar family lacks nothing except military forces, especially magical troops."
"Under the restrictions of the Fiore Kingdom, noble families like Cureniar aren't permitted to hold private military authority to prevent rebellion. So I plan to start from external sources—specifically, the Council's magical forces."
Ankh stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"I can provide the recommendation through Anselion easily enough. But is a single magical unit enough leverage? After all, these are the Council's troops, not yours. Becoming a council member would be more substantial."
Frey, however, was quite confident. Her eyes gleamed with ambition.
"The Captain of the magical forces can rise to become the Minister of Magical Warfare—a position of real hard power. That's my true goal."
She smirked. "While major decisions require council members' approval, it's the ministers who handle daily operations and take action. I will control the sword."
"Damn... you're planning to effectively rebel against the Council from the inside?" Ankh expressed genuine admiration; he had long wanted to do the same to dismantle the corruption.
Frey pursed her lips. "Not necessarily rebel. Proving my worth to the old folks in the family is sufficient."
This was, after all, a world of Magic.
If someone in the family could control all of Fiore Kingdom's magical forces, even Frey's stubborn father couldn't resist such temptation.
She would outrank her brother instantly.
"So," Frey summarized, "in exchange, you recommend me for the position, and I'll manage this company for you. In the future, whatever industries your company develops, I and the resources I can mobilize will fully support you."
Ankh didn't ponder for long before quickly agreeing.
"Deal!"
The recommendation for captain of the magical forces meant nothing to Ankh—Anselion could sign that paper in his sleep.
And no matter how large the company grew, it wouldn't catch Frey's eye compared to military power.
But the reverse was far more significant for Ankh.
Frey desperately needed this position to open up new opportunities but lacked connections in the magical world.
Ankh had long intended to build a covert force and financial empire but found it difficult to sustain with his own personal finances.
Thus, this arrangement was mutually beneficial.
Ankh had no reason to hesitate.
As the saying goes, this is a world of Magic, where strength is the only truth.
After their goals aligned, Frey brought up Jude Heartfilia again.
"Although my brother drove him to bankruptcy and acquisition, there's no denying that Jude is a business genius. My earlier offer to recruit him has been accepted—he'll start working for our new company soon."
Ankh stood up, smoothing his coat. "I understand. Barring any surprises, I should be meeting him shortly."
Knowing Ankh was about to leave, Frey rose to see him out.
Accompanying him to the door of the pavilion, she handed him a stack of documents.
"Although I'll handle the operations, you should still review these documents yourself. It would be best to visit the actual site."
She pointed to a location on the map.
"The headquarters is at Akane Resort—it's not a long trip."
Ankh accepted the materials. "Understood. I'll go when I have time."
After settling all matters, Ankh turned back and headed towards the guild.
Walking along the road of Magnolia, Ankh still felt a bit dazed.
'Unconsciously, I actually have my own business in this world now.'
'An entertainment company... isn't it just about performances? The guild had plenty of talented people.'
Ankh began to brainstorm.
Mirajane could be signed as a freelance model—she was already famous.
With some training, Erza could be persuaded to become a star (she loved acting, even if she was bad at it).
Levy and Cana had two other distinct styles: intellectual and wild.
Then there were the men.
Natsu, Gray, Laxus, Freed...
One by one, there were so many handsome men and beautiful women in the guild.
Sooner or later, he'd lure them all into the company.
Even if they didn't like filming, they could still make cameo appearances as a favor to Ankh.
With the ready-made movie materials in his mind from his previous life and the help of the young lady from the Cureniar family, Ankh felt this company had quite some potential...
Whistle~
Whistling cheerfully, Ankh walked into the guild in high spirits.
Mirajane was checking yesterday's accounts behind the bar.
Seeing Ankh sit at the counter, her eyes immediately curved into a gentle smile as she softly asked.
"What has made you so happy?"
Drinking the juice she handed him, Ankh happily told Mirajane about the company he had unexpectedly acquired and his grand plans.
With a warm, sunny smile, Mirajane quietly listened to Ankh's delighted chattering.
'Ankh... has become more cheerful than before,' Mirajane thought to herself silently, resting her chin on her hand.
In the past, he was a good elder brother in Natsu's eyes, a promising junior in the eyes of the Guild Master and other seniors, and the "strongest benchmark" of the new generation in the eyes of the outside world.
He was always calculating.
But now, in Mirajane's eyes... he seemed more like a child sharing his toys.
Thinking of this, Mirajane's gentle smile became even more captivating.
Ankh looked at her strangely.
'Why is she looking at me like that?'
He felt that Mira was thinking about something mischievous.
"We're back!!"
"Aye!"
With a loud BANG, the guild doors were kicked open from the outside.
Natsu strode in, accompanied by his little follower Happy's response and a simultaneous "polite" strange shout.
Behind him stood Gajeel with a speechless expression, clearly annoyed by Natsu's noise.
And beside them was Wendy.
The little Sky Dragon Slayer was holding a stack of old paper booklets tightly to her chest, looking utterly blissful.
"Natsu, when did you disappear?" Gray asked.
"Oh! So this young lady is Wendy! Just as cute as Ankh said!"
Everyone already knew that Ankh had brought along an adorable little guest, who was also a Dragon Slayer Mage like Natsu and the others.
They naturally treated Wendy with great enthusiasm.
"Welcome back, Wendy!"
"Did you get the secret arts?"
Wendy also enjoyed everyone's warmth that made her feel like one of them... one of their own.
"Yes! Lady Porlyusica was very kind!" Wendy chirped, cheerfully responding to everyone greeting her.
However, in a place she couldn't see, hidden in the shadows of the rafters...
A pair of large eyes filled with anger had already fixed on Wendy...