Chapter 37: Just Out Of Reach

“I’ll take it! I accept this mission right now!”

As soon as Cassian stepped out of the Guild Hall, Mina sprang from her chair, stretching her little hands toward Sage, her golden eyes sparkling with excitement.

Sage was momentarily speechless at her enthusiasm; a grin crept onto his face as he shook his head in amusement. However, a mischievous idea popped into his mind.

Clearing his throat, he adopted a serious expression and said, “Listen, I can’t just hand you the mission like that. There are steps and procedures to follow before you can officially accept it.”

“What procedures?” Mina asked, calming down slightly but still curious.

With a twinkle of mischief in his eyes, Sage pointed toward the Mission Board. “See that over there?”

Mina turned to look at the board and then back at him with confusion. “Yeah, I see it.”

“That big board is called the Mission Board. It’s where all missions are posted. Adventurers go there to tear off a mission and bring it here to officially accept it,” Sage explained, a sly grin briefly flashing across his lips.

Mina blinked in surprise for a moment before rolling her eyes at him. “Can’t you just give it to me here? It’s the same thing,I’ll have to accept it anyway.”

Sage shook his head firmly. “No can do; it’s against the rules of the Adventurer Guild. I have to follow protocol. If I don’t post it there, another adventurer could snatch it up.”

He sighed dramatically, feigning disappointment. “All that money,over a hundred gold coins,is about to slip away. What a shame.”

Mina’s chubby cheeks twitched as she put her hands on her hips and replied casually, “Fine, do whatever you want then. What a stupid rule.”

Sage looked down at her with an even broader grin forming on his face before strolling toward the Mission Board with Mina trailing behind him.

When he reached the board, he could hardly contain himself as he slowly pasted the Docket at the very top while shaking with suppressed laughter.

Putting on an expression of seriousness with great effort, he walked back to the receptionist’s desk without glancing at Mina, trying hard not to burst into laughter.

Mina stood frozen in shock; her wide golden eyes were filled with disbelief as she processed what had just happened. Her mouth hung open so wide that an egg could fit inside, she was overwhelmed by confusion and anger all at once.

“You did this on purpose! How can you be so shameless? How can someone like you be so petty?” Mina finally snapped out of her daze and pointed angrily at Sage, her face flushed red with indignation.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sage replied innocently.

“You know what you did! Such shamelessness! Elder sister was right, men are scum!” Mina roared at Sage, her petite frame trembling with rage. Her little fist was clenched so tightly that the veins in her hand stood out.

Sage swallowed hard as beads of sweat trickled down his cheeks. “What strength!” he thought, but feigned ignorance about what Mina was upset about.

“Fine, you think I can’t reach it? Hmph.” After a moment of composure, she snorted disdainfully at Sage.

Without another word, she marched over to one of the chairs, lifted it effortlessly with one hand, and placed it beneath the board. Climbing onto the chair, she stretched out her arm to grab the Mission Docket.

Determination shone in her innocent eyes as she tiptoed on the chair. Finally, her fingers brushed against the corner of the Mission Docket. Elation lit up her face as she carefully peeled it away from the board.

Sage looked at the little girl and for a fleeting moment, Sage’s smirk softened into something genuine. The sheer stubborn will in her tiny frame was…impressive.

His face changed back into it’s usual lazy expression. “What a determined little girl.”

Suddenly, there was a loud bang that echoed through the empty Guild Hall, causing the ground to tremble slightly. Sage looked up just in time to see Mina landing heavily on the floor, nearly making his heart leap out of his chest.

When he saw no damage had been done to the floor, he let out a sigh of relief but glared at Mina as she swaggered toward him arrogantly.

“Do you want to bring my entire Guild down?” Sage nearly shouted.

“Hmph! You’re lucky there’s no damage,” Mina retorted before slamming the Mission Docket onto the desk with such force that cracks spread wider across its surface and pieces of wood flew everywhere.

Sage’s lips twitched at the sight of the desk’s condition. “Hey! You have to compensate for that damage. The total is 30 Gold Coins, pay up.” He extended his hand with a serious expression.

Mina said nothing but reached into her pouch and tossed thirty gold coins at him. “Now can I go complete my mission?”

Rubbing his head, Sage took out a stamp and pressed it onto the Mission Docket. The bold words “MISSION ACCEPTED” appeared as he handed it back to her.

“You have three to five days to complete this mission,” he advised while stroking his chin thoughtfully. “You can take your time preparing before heading out.”

“I’ll go right now; I don’t need any preparation for those weak beasts,” Mina replied confidently, brimming with arrogance.

Sage’s lips twitched again but he chose not to press further. With her strength, this mission would likely be easy for her, he even believed she might finish before sunset if she found those ingredients quickly enough.

Sage let out a sigh as he handed her the folded paper that Cassian had given him earlier. “Here, this paper has illustrations and brief information of the three ingredients. With it, you should be able to find them quickly.”

Mina accepted the paper, glanced through it briefly, and tucked it into her battle maid armor.

“Alright, petty uncle, I’m off to complete my mission. I’ll be back before you know it!” Mina waved at Sage, strapped her giant shield onto her back once more, and headed toward the entrance.

“Be careful on your way,” Sage called after her, his voice laced with concern. “And don’t talk to strangers, especially in the Greyvale Forest. If you encounter a strong opponent, just run!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know! Stop nagging like my older sister,” Mina replied playfully as she exited the Guild Hall and disappeared into the sunlight.

Sage shook his head with a bittersweet smile at her words. “Who am I to warn her? She’s strong enough to take care of herself.”

He gazed at the entrance and muttered softly under his breath, “I hope everything will be fine.”

[ Ding! ]

[ A new mission has been issued. ]

———–

The sun was already climbing high in the sky. The streets of Greyvale City buzzed with energy; people hurried about their business.

On the wide sidewalk, Mina bounced along with her giant shield bouncing on her back. Her twin ponytails danced in the wind as she made her way toward the northern gate of the city.

Her eyes sparkled with joy and anticipation while sunlight enveloped her petite frame as she weaved through the bustling crowd.

“Greyvale Forest! I’m coming!”

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