"Buy an entire country?!"
Ankh stared at Frey in surprise before frowning. "That's not exactly something you can just do."
"Normally, no. Something like this might not happen even once in a century." Frey's eyes gleamed as she smiled.
"But the situation across Ishgar is very different now."
"The kingdoms on this continent have strict systems governing royal succession and territorial ownership. Under normal circumstances, the best an outsider could hope for would be to render some extraordinary service to a kingdom and perhaps be granted a duchy as a reward."
She paused briefly.
"But ever since the Alvarez Empire launched its large-scale invasion six months ago, being royalty has become a genuinely dangerous profession."
Ankh nodded.
That much was undeniable.
In just the past six months, he had already heard of more than a dozen kingdoms being wiped off the map by Alvarez.
Frey pulled out a sheet of paper covered in complicated curves, figures, and projections.
"Because of that, quite a few members of the nobility have begun quietly putting their territories up for sale through private meetings among the upper classes."
"Selling their own land?"
Ankh gave her a strange look.
"Talk about throwing away the family inheritance."
"It's about profit."
Frey didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
"Kingdoms are one thing, but the smaller independent duchies are in a terrible position. They could be invaded and destroyed by Alvarez at any moment, while the Magic Council has also imposed increasingly strict military controls. A lot of the old ways those rulers used to line their pockets have been cut off."
"And some of those territories weren't especially profitable to begin with. Plenty of pampered little lords have decided they'd rather sell everything, take the money, and spend the rest of their lives somewhere wealthy and safe in Ishgar's interior."
Ankh studied the figures she had compiled.
Then two names caught his attention.
"Stella and the Principality of Veronica?"
Stella needed no explanation. He had only just returned from there.
The Principality of Veronica, on the other hand, had once been Eclair's homeland and the main battlefield of the Phoenix incident.
Ankh had honestly assumed that the country, which had originally been established through conquest and massacre, had already vanished from the map.
"Why those two?" he asked. "Surely there are better territories available."
Both names ranked surprisingly high in Frey's projections.
A calculating light appeared in her eyes.
"Let's start with Veronica. What I like about it is the potential."
"It's fairly close to Fiore, which is effectively one of the major centers of magic on the continent. The transportation routes are good, its location connects several countries, and it would reward long-term development. More importantly, most of Fiore's neighboring states are relatively small."
She tapped the page.
"In the current chaos, that gives Veronica enormous room to expand."
Frey paused before adding, "The downside is that developing it would take time, and we're certainly not the only people who've noticed the value of its location. Competition will be fierce, so there's no guarantee we can acquire the entire territory."
Ankh nodded, then pointed at Stella.
"What about this one? Stella is practically a dead kingdom right now. I can't imagine the Council agreeing to let us simply take it over."
"Actually, it's the exact opposite."
Frey smiled confidently.
"I have plenty of contacts inside the Magic Council. If anything, the Councilors are probably the people most eager to push you into taking control of Stella."
Ankh raised an eyebrow.
"First, even though the kingdom is nearly lifeless right now, the Council believes it can eventually develop a cure for the demonification. That means Stella will be reopened sooner or later."
"And no one wants to abandon its resources. The kingdom possesses excellent mineral deposits and a substantial military-industrial foundation, especially its Stellarium reserves."
She raised a second finger.
"Second, Stella may be far from Magnolia, but geographically it sits about as far from the Western Continent as you can get. Under ordinary circumstances, that should make it one of the safest regions in Ishgar."
"During wartime, land like that should be priceless."
Her expression sharpened.
"Instead, because cult activity has become so rampant, the region has become one of the most dangerous places on the continent."
Frey began counting off the requirements on her fingers.
"You need someone with enough nerve to invest in a country everyone now calls a demon-infested wasteland. Someone wealthy enough to accept a deal that will almost certainly lose money in the short term. Someone strong enough to remain secure if Alvarez attacks again. And someone capable of wiping out the cults that are still active throughout the region."
She smiled.
"When you put all of that together, I'd be surprised if the Magic Council doesn't approach Ram Company shortly after you return to the guild."
Ankh frowned thoughtfully.
He had to admit, the idea was tempting.
Land.
One of those ultimate goals people spent their entire lives dreaming about.
If he genuinely had enough money to afford it, owning a country didn't sound bad at all.
At the very least, whenever Ankh went traveling in the future, he could literally say he was visiting his own property.
The problem was that both options sounded worthwhile.
So Ankh did what any sensible person would do and deferred to the professional.
"Which one do you recommend buying?"
Frey gave a small snort and slowly closed one hand into a fist.
"All of them."
Ankh's eye twitched.
He suddenly became much more concerned about the state of his treasury.
"Does the company actually have that much money?"
"Relax. I've been watching this market for a while."
Frey patted him on the shoulder with a cheerful smile.
"We'll fight as hard as possible for Veronica. As for Stella, don't make the first move. Just wait for the Council to come to us."
"House Qurenier will back you completely."
Of course, Frey wasn't acting entirely out of selflessness.
House Cureniar had already been buying territory for some time and had built up a considerable portfolio.
Unfortunately, Ishgar had no shortage of powerful old families.
Frey had moved early and gained a strong advantage, but once the other great houses realized what she was doing, they quickly began cooperating to suppress her expansion.
So Frey had prepared accordingly.
She wanted Ankh involved because their interests aligned, and she had every intention of using the benefits available to him to break through the resistance she was facing.
Ankh understood that perfectly well.
That was simply the kind of person Frey was.
She never pretended to be selfless.
She would put her own interests openly on the table and tell you exactly what she wanted—then offer something valuable enough that refusing her became difficult.
That straightforwardness was one of the reasons Ankh had always gotten along with her so well.
Frey's business had reached a bottleneck and needed additional muscle.
She, in turn, could handle the planning, acquisition, development, and administration of whatever territory Ankh obtained.
And Ankh certainly didn't mind dealing with a few old noble families who had more pedigree than actual ability.
So he agreed without hesitation.
After discussing the broad outlines for a while, the two made their decision with their usual efficiency.
Ankh handed virtually everything involving the acquisition—and all the administration that would follow—over to Frey.
The workload awaiting her had effectively doubled overnight.
She didn't complain.
If anything, she looked even more confident.
Once the foundations of their long-term plan were settled, the two temporarily parted ways and Ankh finally returned to the guildhall.
Behind the bar, Mirajane was looking down as she worked on something.
Then, almost as though she sensed him, she suddenly raised her head.
The instant she saw Ankh, her eyes lit up.
She rushed across the guildhall and threw herself into his arms.
Ankh caught her around the waist and smiled warmly.
"What are you working on?"
Mirajane buried her face against his chest and rubbed her cheek against him, taking one long, satisfied breath before finally looking up with a bright smile.
"We got three new members."
"Jet and Droy just finished testing them."