Chapter 277: Miss Me

Morning settled over the Adventurer District, buzzing with a vibrant energy that signaled the Guild had fully come back to life. The rebuilt Guild Hall stood tall and steady in the sunlight, its banners fluttering gently in the breeze as Adventurers flowed through the wide entrance in an unending stream.

Some arrived with dust still clinging to their boots from early morning missions, while others sported fresh weapons at their sides and eyes gleaming with anticipation for the day ahead.

Inside, the hall thrummed with a familiar rhythm: boots striking polished wood, low conversations swirling around the Mission Board, rustling parchment, chairs scraping against the floor, and receptionists calling out names in measured tones.

Adventurers gathered in clusters before the board, scanning rows of pinned Mission Dockets with focused expressions before selecting their targets and heading to the counter.

Behind a long receptionist desk, Guild staff worked tirelessly, accepting missions, recording names, verifying ranks, marking details, dispatching teams into the city, forests, mountain roads, and beyond without hesitation.

The Guild had once been broken but had risen again; its members moved with a confidence born from survival.

In a lounge space reserved for core staff and trusted members, set apart just enough to observe without being overwhelmed, stood Lyana near a table piled high with ledgers and reports.

Her green hair was pulled into a high ponytail, glasses perched low on her nose as she reviewed documents with a calm seriousness that had become second nature over recent weeks. She didn’t need to raise her voice; a simple point at a name or figure was enough for nearby staff to understand what needed correcting or signing.

Beside her sat Valeria, exuding quiet strength. With her crimson red hair catching the morning light and posture straight as an arrow, she seemed unreadable yet alert. Not far away was Vanthrice; her neat short hair framed sharp eyes that missed little of what transpired in the hall.

Lyana adjusted some papers before glancing toward one of the receptionists. “Make sure the second Silver-rank party signing up for the forest sweep gets an updated route map,” she instructed evenly.

When she heard an immediate “Yes, Miss Lyana” in response, she turned back to another ledger but couldn’t shake off an unsettling thought that lingered since Sage’s fall, the staircase at the back of the hall beckoned her gaze almost unconsciously.

Vanthrice caught this subtle shift immediately. “Still checking on those stairs?” she asked lightly not mockingly but rather with genuine honesty forged from shared battles.

Lyana clicked her tongue softly and refocused on her report. “I’m checking everything,” she replied tersely. Vanthrice smiled faintly but chose not to press further; Valeria remained silent yet observant.

The hall buzzed with activity, a constant flow of movement. An Adventurer eagerly tore a Mission Docket from the board and rushed to the counter, flashing a grin as he slid it over.

The receptionist accepted it, checked his badge, recorded his name in the ledger, stamped the docket’s corner, and handed it back. He nodded sharply before hurrying out with two companions in tow.

Near the entrance, another group burst in, animatedly discussing a beast they had slain and debating whether the reward should have been greater. Meanwhile, another pair lingered by the board, weighing their options between two escort missions.

A well-dressed merchant waited patiently with a folded mission request in hand, while a courier from one of the branches quickly dropped off a sealed message before darting away again.

The Guild Hall felt alive, a beating heart where everything moved purposefully in and out. From her vantage point, Lyana could see it all unfold around her. It should have captivated her attention completely; it should have drowned out the restless thoughts that had settled like shadows since Sage’s fall. But then something shifted.

At first, there was only a faint sound, footsteps that were calm and measured. In such a bustling place as the Guild Hall, footsteps usually went unnoticed; people were always moving about.

Yet these footsteps stood apart from the din, they cut through it quietly yet steadily as if the hall itself parted for them without anyone realizing why. Lyana paused over her document mid-sentence. Vanthrice narrowed her eyes slightly while Valeria raised her gaze.

The sound originated from the staircase, not the front one used by staff but rather from further back leading to private rooms above. The receptionist nearest to the counter looked up first but froze so abruptly that an Adventurer standing before her turned instinctively to see what had captured her attention. Others followed suit until recognition spread like wildfire rather than panic throughout the hall.

Silence didn’t descend all at once; instead, it rippled outward slowly, voices swallowed one by one until even boots striking against floorboards seemed too loud.

And then Sage appeared at the top of the staircase.

He wasn’t dressed like someone recovering from illness nor supported by anyone else; he wore simple dark clothes that hung neatly on his frame.

Though some pallor remained on his face after weeks of sleep and recovery, nothing about his stance suggested fragility or weakness. He exuded no overwhelming power nor did he try to make an entrance befitting a dramatic hero returning from death, he simply walked down step by step with steady confidence as if waking after a month-long coma to find himself surrounded by stunned faces was entirely normal.

Behind him, Mina practically glowed with pride, her golden hair bouncing as she hurried after him. She wore the determined expression of someone entrusted with a great secret, one she had kept well. As she glanced around the hall, it was as if she silently dared anyone to challenge her belief that he would wake up.

Lyana’s grip on the report she had been holding loosened before she even realized it, and it slipped from her fingers, scattering across the floor without her noticing. Vanthrice rose from her seat, moving almost instinctively; her short hair shifted slightly as disbelief washed over her face, replacing her usual composure with pure shock.

Valeria remained seated for just a moment longer before standing as well. She didn’t speak or move forward yet, but the stony facade cracked, she looked more like something alive breaking free from stone.

The receptionists at the counter forgot their ledgers. Adventurers near the Mission Board froze mid-action, dockets still in hand. One man who had been speaking suddenly stopped, mouth agape.

As Sage reached the final step and set foot on the main floor of the Guild Hall, an electric stillness filled the air. Unable to contain herself any longer, Mina darted out from behind him and declared brightly to the stunned crowd, “I told you! I told you petty Uncle Sage would wake up!”

That statement shattered something not quite silence but rather the shock that held it together. A whisper emerged from somewhere in the middle of the hall, uncertain and trembling.

“Guildmaster…”

The word was barely louder than a breath but once spoken could not be taken back. Another voice picked it up stronger this time: “Guildmaster.”

Then another joined in, and soon others followed until the title surged through the hall in waves, each repetition carrying more certainty and relief than before: “Guildmaster…” “Guildmaster!” “Guildmaster!”

“The shameless Guildmaster is back…!”

It spread to every corner of the room,the back, to the counter, to the entrance, until everyone seemed to breathe that word at once. Not shouted chaotically or screamed in disorder; instead it was released like something held too tightly for too long.

Sage stood at the center of it all, taking in familiar faces turned toward him, the veterans, new recruits, staff members, receptionists, all those who had persevered through fear and uncertainty while his body lay upstairs unmoving.

He saw disbelief etched on some faces while tears glistened on others; laughter broke through here and there and in that moment he fully grasped what his absence had meant for this place.

Finally finding her voice amidst it all was Lyana; when she spoke again it came out quieter than intended: “You…”

She paused to swallow hard before trying again while keeping her gaze fixed on him as if afraid he might vanish if she blinked.

“You’re standing.” It wasn’t a profound statement but it carried everything they all felt.

Vanthrice let out a quiet laugh that felt shaky, as if she was holding back too much emotion.

“Seems that way,” she murmured, her gaze fixed on him.

Valeria remained silent, but her eyes conveyed more than most people could express in words, relief, anger, reproach, and trust all swirled together in that unspoken moment.

Mina had darted a few steps into the hall before turning back to him, pointing proudly like a herald announcing a victorious king returning from battle.

Sage took in the scene around him, and for the first time since he had awakened, the true significance of his return washed over him not just for himself but for everyone who had kept the Guild moving forward during his absence.

Then, staying true to himself and refusing to let the moment grow too heavy, he broke into that familiar cheeky grin.

He scanned the hall that had shifted from shock to reverence in mere moments and noticed the faces that clearly missed him more than they would ever admit.

With a lighthearted tone that cut through the emotions without diminishing them, he asked playfully, “Miss me?”

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