Chapter 56: The Mercenary Queen’s Shadow

Chapter 56: The Mercenary Queen’s Shadow

Sage turned his attention to Mina, who stood before him, clutching two Mission Dockets in her small hands.

Raising an eyebrow, Sage smiled. "Looks like you’re eager to win this hidden quest, huh?"

Mina lifted her chin proudly, resembling a peacock. "Of course I want to win! I don’t want to always be second; I want to be ahead of everyone else."

"Oh, is that so?" Sage grinned mischievously. "Even ahead of your elder sister? So you must be stronger than her, right?"

"Ehhh..." Mina was momentarily taken aback but quickly regained her composure. She shook her head with a flushed face. "No, no, no! That doesn’t count; my sister is out of it."

"Whatever," Sage said with a roll of his eyes as he took the Mission Dockets from her and processed them.

Mina snatched the Dockets back and tucked them under her waist. Turning defiantly towards Gregor, she declared, "Look here, green bush, I’m going to be the first Adventurer to advance to Copper Rank!"

With a tiny fist raised in determination, she continued, "Even if petty uncle Sage has already told everyone about this and the pressure is high, I’m going to emerge victorious. Your winning streak ends here!"

Sage’s eyes widened as he watched the little figure standing proudly before him; he couldn’t help but clap his hands. "Go girl! Show him that even though you’re the flatboard princess, you’ll never settle for second place."

Mina shot Sage an eye roll before giving Gregor another defiant glance and striding toward the entrance of the Guild Hall.

Throughout this exchange, Gregor remained silent as he stared at the entrance. He was unsure how to respond; arguing with a little girl seemed ridiculous and he didn’t want to offend her either.

Letting out an exasperated sigh while rubbing his face, he glared at Sage, his smirk was infuriating.

"Now this little monster has taken me as her enemy," Gregor thought inwardly. "I’m not afraid of her; it’s her elder sister I worry about, the psycho might come after me if anything happens to this girl."

"Hey there, green hair!" Sage’s voice broke through his thoughts.

"What?" Gregor snapped back through gritted teeth; he was still fuming at this shameless Guildmaster.

Sage shrugged casually. "It’s nothing really, I just noticed that ever since that flatboard princess walked into the Hall, you’ve been on edge, especially when she mentions her elder sister."

Narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Gregor, Sage asked, "What’s up? Is something wrong with her background or are you just afraid of her sister?"

Gregor stared intently at Sage, his expression a mix of confusion and suspicion.

He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair before speaking. "The thing is, I’m not afraid of her; I’m afraid of her older sister."

"What? Is her older sister really that strong?" Sage asked, taken aback. It was the first time he had seen Gregor so visibly anxious since Greyvale registered him as an Adventurer.

"Yeah, her older sister is strong," Gregor replied, taking a deep breath. "And I don’t just mean strong; I mean really strong. She’s one of the top powerhouses in Greyvale City."

Sage’s eyes widened in astonishment. "Wow! Her older sister is that formidable?"

"Yes," Gregor confirmed with a serious nod. "Apart from the Baron and the other high-ranking noble houses in this city, her sister ranks just below them. In fact, she’s one of the strongest individuals in the entire region, not just Greyvale City."

He paused for a moment before continuing in a grave tone. "This area is known as the Evergreen Region, named for its proximity to the Evergreen Mountain Range. It comprises one major city — Greyvale, and four minor cities, along with fifteen towns and around a hundred villages scattered throughout. The Baron rules this region, supported by several noble houses whose power pales in comparison to his."

Sage’s lazy demeanor shifted as he leaned forward, listening intently to Gregor’s words. Since arriving in this world, he had spent all his time within Greyvale City and hadn’t even explored half of it yet; now that Gregor was sharing valuable information, he knew he needed to pay attention.

Noticing Sage’s serious expression, Gregor raised an eyebrow but pressed on. "Besides the Baron and those noble houses at the top of the hierarchy in Evergreen Region, there are others who hold considerable power and influence just below them."

Taking another deep breath and locking eyes with Sage, he added gravely: "And that little girl’s elder sister is among those powerful individuals."

Sage listened carefully as thoughts raced through his mind while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. After a moment, he looked back at Gregor and asked again, "Is her sister truly that strong?"

Gregor chuckled bitterly before responding. "Let me put it this way so your ignorance doesn’t land you in trouble."

Sage rolled his eyes at Gregor’s remark but muttered under his breath defensively, "What do you mean ignorance? I’m just too lazy to gather information."

Gregory tapped his fingers on the desk as he continued: "Let’s say that aside from the Baron and noble houses, nobody, absolutely nobody, can challenge her elder sister without facing dire consequences. Even if those nobles or even the Baron himself wanted to take action against her... well, they’d be risking heavy casualties."

"Wow!" Sage exclaimed, taken aback by what he had just heard. He was genuinely shocked; he hadn’t expected the flatboard princess’s background to be so impressive.

What surprised him even more was the strength of her elder sister, she was formidable enough that even the arrogant nobles would think twice before crossing her.

"So If the Baron is the king, and the noble houses are his dukes, then her sister is like a legendary wandering knight, unbound by their rules, but with a reputation and personal army that makes even the dukes think twice before offending her." Sage glanced at Gregor and said.

Gregor chuckled softly and nodded. "You can put it that way."

Sage fell silent as various thoughts raced in his mind.Since arriving in this place, Sage had learned that the nobles were the ones in charge, and no one held more power than they did. However, discovering that the flatboard princess’s elder sister was strong enough to challenge them put her in a league of her own.

Taking a deep breath, Sage turned to Gregor and said, "So that’s why you looked like you were sitting on pins and needles when you saw the flatboard princess."

Gregor rubbed his temples. "Of course I was nervous! I don’t want to upset that little girl and risk bringing her crazy elder sister into the mix. If that happens, I’m as good as dead."

Sage chuckled at Gregor’s expression. "I didn’t expect you, Gregor Windsoul, the first Adventurer in history, to be this scared."

"But why do you call the flatboard princess’s elder sister crazy?" Sage asked, puzzled.

Gregor glanced around cautiously before leaning in closer. "She is crazy! Do you know why she’s so strong?"

Sage shook his head and encouraged Gregor to continue.

"The thing is," Gregor explained quietly, "the little girl’s elder sister is a mercenary who leads one of the biggest and strongest all-female mercenary groups in the Evergreen Region. And here’s the kicker, she hates men."

"Hates men? Why?" Sage asked, bewildered.

"Well, nobody really knows for sure. There are countless theories about it, but let’s just say she has an intense loathing, no, not just hate; it’s a bone-chilling hatred to the point where she wishes all men were dead."

"What the hell!" Sage whispered incredulously upon hearing this. "Did I just run into some toxic Internet feminist in another world?" he thought, then mentally facepalmed.

Right. No internet. Just a potentially homicidal super-warrior with a grudge against his entire gender. Great.