The moment Sage stepped into view beneath the staircase, the lounge fell silent.

Gregor was in the middle of a sentence when his words caught in his throat. Mina, who had been lounging back against the armrest with one leg draped over the other, froze as if she had been painted into place.

Pax's easy smile faded, and even the old man seated quietly to the side, who had seemed detached from everything, finally lifted his gaze.

For a brief moment, no one spoke.

Sage stood calmly with one hand resting lightly on the wooden railing. His loose blue robes hung from his thin frame, and his face appeared paler than any of them remembered. Although he wore a faint smile, it didn't quite reach his eyes; they lacked their usual sharpness, as if a veil had been drawn across his spirit.

"Petty Uncle Sage, you're back!" Mina exclaimed as she sprang to her feet, her voice shattering the silence like glass.

She crossed the room in long strides but stopped just short of him, as if afraid that moving closer might make him vanish.

Gregor followed closely behind, slower yet more imposing, his brows furrowed as he scanned Sage from head to toe. Pax rose casually, though concern flickered in his gaze.

Valeria remained seated at the far end of the lounge, arms resting loosely against her chair and one long leg crossed over the other. Her expression was as cold as ever; she looked at Sage steadily but then turned away after a brief moment of scrutiny.

"You look like hell," Mina remarked curiously while scratching her head and eyeing him up and down.

"Isn't this our great Guildmaster? Where have you been these past few days?" Gregor asked with crossed arms.

Sage chuckled softly, a sound that was light yet strained, as he made his way toward the seats.

"Good morning to you too," he replied mildly. "Is that how you greet someone who's been busy?"

"Busy?" Mina echoed incredulously. "You vanished for three days!"

Gregor's expression darkened in agreement with Mina's accusation: "And without a word."

Sage walked forward slowly, each step deliberate as the hem of his robe brushed against the floor. He reached out to rest a hand on the back of a chair without sitting down, merely anchoring himself.

"I had matters to attend to," he said simply. "Personal ones."

"That doesn't explain why you look like you crawled out of a grave," Mina shot back.

Sage smiled at her teasingly. "You're exaggerating."

"I'm not."

"You are."

Gregor stepped closer, looming slightly over Sage with an instinctive air of protectiveness mixed with wariness.

"You didn't just 'handle matters,'" he said sharply. "Something happened."

Sage met Gregor's gaze calmly and smiled slightly. "A lot happens every day."

Gregor held his gaze for several long seconds, as if trying to uncover something hidden behind it. Finally, he exhaled sharply through his nose.

"You're a terrible liar."

Sage's smile deepened just a bit. "And yet, you keep listening."

Before Gregor could respond, hurried footsteps thundered from the front hall.

"B-Boss?!"

Boren came barreling into the lounge like a runaway barrel, nearly tripping over himself as he rushed forward. His cheeks jiggled with every step, eyes wide and face pale with genuine alarm.

"B-Boss, you're here!You...you...disappeared! I asked everyone! I even asked the stall owners you usually visit! I thought maybe you..."

He skidded to a stop in front of Sage, craning his neck up to stare at him, worry shining in his eyes.

"Are you alright? Did someone hurt you? Are you sick? Should I get a healer? My father knows some people, I can..."

"I'm fine," Sage interrupted gently, lifting one hand.

Boren's words tumbled over each other in his panic.

"But you're pale! And thin! And your eyes look…wrong! You look like one of those tragic heroes from bard stories who die in chapter five!"

"That is a very specific concern," Sage replied dryly.

He placed his palm lightly on Boren's shoulder. "I'm alive. That already puts me above most tragic heroes."

Boren stared at him, lips trembling. "…Really?"

Sage chuckled softly and nodded. "Really."

Boren swallowed hard and nodded vigorously, wiping at his face with his sleeve. "T-That's good. That's really good."

Only then did Sage's gaze shift, from Mina to Gregor… then to Pax. Pax met it easily, a small knowing curve touching his lips. They held each other's eyes for a quiet moment; something unspoken passed between them. Sage inclined his head slightly. Pax's smile widened by a fraction as he returned the nod.

Then Sage turned to the old man sitting calmly with hands folded over the head of his cane and sharp eyes beneath heavy lids. Unlike the others, he had not spoken or shown any sign of concern, as if whatever was happening had nothing to do with him.

Sage lingered on him for an extra breath before shifting back to the group.

"I didn't intend to worry anyone," he said evenly. "But I also had no intention of being interrupted."

Gregor crossed his arms defiantly. "You could have left a message."

"I could have," Sage agreed casually. "I chose not to."

Mina frowned and pouted at him. "That's not reassuring at all."

Sage glanced sideways at her and replied, "It wasn't meant to be."

She opened her mouth, then closed it again, pouting her lips like a pufferfish and turning her head away with a snort. It was clear she was dissatisfied.

"What kind of 'personal matters' leave you like this?" she asked more quietly.

Sage exhaled slowly. "Preparations," he replied. "Long overdue ones."

"Preparation for what?" Gregor asked as he sat down, raising an eyebrow.

Sage's expression turned serious as he spoke gravely. "For what's coming."

The atmosphere in the lounge shifted. Gregor's expression hardened, Mina straightened slightly, and even Pax's relaxed posture sharpened at the edges.

"Something is coming?" Mina asked, glancing around with a timid look.

Sage noticed Mina's pitiful expression and felt his lips twitch as he rolled his eyes at her.

"Something is always coming. The only difference is whether we're ready when it arrives," Sage said, shaking his head.

"That doesn't answer the question," Gregor retorted.

Silence fell over the lounge as everyone turned their attention to Sage, the air thick with seriousness.

"Come on, I'm just joking! No need to get so worked up." Sage broke the silence as he flopped onto the couch, a wide grin spreading across his face.

Gregor and the others shot him immediate glares. They had been in a moment of solemnity, thinking something serious was about to unfold, completely unaware that their Guildmaster was merely playing with them.

Boren glanced between them anxiously, unsure if he should speak up.

Mina finally exhaled, running a hand through her hair. "You're impossible, you know that, Uncle Sage?"

Sage smiled faintly. "And yet, here we all are."

Gregor remained silent for a long moment as he studied Sage intently before saying, his brow furrowed, "You seem injured."

Sage leaned back in his chair and waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing serious; don't worry."

"Don't lie," Gregor countered.

"I'm not," Sage replied confidently.

"You're standing like someone who doesn't trust his own bones."

A slight smile tugged at Sage's lips. "You notice peculiar things."

"I notice warriors," Gregor shot back. "And you look like someone who walked away from something they shouldn't have survived."

Mina's eyes widened slightly at this revelation. "What?"

Sage raised a hand to cut off further speculation. "I am alive," he said calmly. "Functional and still your undefeatable and irreplaceable Guildmaster."

He looked at each of them in turn. "That is all you need to know."

His gaze drifted to the far end of the lounge where a woman sat with a stone-cold expression, her piercing eyes locked onto him since he entered.

She hadn't moved an inch since his arrival; her demeanor remained cold and composed. Yet one eyebrow lifted almost imperceptibly when their eyes met.

"Your mana veins are quite large," she remarked quietly.

Sage was taken aback for a moment but then grinned. "Oh, you noticed? I've been training and meditating lately. Unlike knights like you all, mages like me have to constantly bury ourselves under piles of books and meditation."

"Mage? Uncle Sage, you're a Mage?" Mina exclaimed, her golden eyes wide with shock. The surprise was mirrored on Gregor's face along with Pax's and Boren's as they stared at Sage in disbelief.

"Wait… you guys didn't know?" Sage asked with genuine confusion.

Gregor rolled his eyes. "How were we supposed to know? You're always cooped up in this Guild! Besides, you never told us you were a Mage."

Just then, Mina rushed over to grab Sage's hands, her face lit up with excitement. "Uncle Sage! Since you're a Mage now, use your status to protect me! With your power as a Mage, I can really make some waves!"

As she spoke, a conspiratorial glint flashed across her innocent face, leaving Sage momentarily speechless.

He lightly knocked her on the head and scolded her, "What are you talking about? Don't go around using my identity as a Mage to stir up trouble. If you get into a mess you can't handle, even your powerful sister won't be able to save you."

Mina rubbed her head and pouted, looking as though her wicked plans had just been tossed into a cold pond.

"You smell like iron," Valeria's voice chimed in again.

Sage's smile remained steady. "It's nothing, just an occupational hazard."

Valeria searched his face with a sharp gaze, studying him intently for a long moment before closing her eyes, completely ignoring him and everyone else around them.

Mina crossed her arms and muttered under her breath about "insufferable men with secrets."

Boren finally relaxed enough to step back but kept his eyes on Sage as if afraid he might collapse if he blinked.

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