Chapter 387: The Two Left Behind

Several weeks had passed since Sage began his so-called dungeon shopping spree across the Evergreen Region, and during that time the Adventurer Guild had continued moving forward without giving him much opportunity to slow down.

New branches were settling into their routines, newly appointed Branch Guildmasters were gradually becoming accustomed to their responsibilities, and reports from cities and towns arrived at Greyvale every day.

The regional expansion that had once occupied almost every waking hour of Sage’s life was reaching the point where it no longer required him to personally interfere with every problem, which was exactly what he had wanted from the beginning.

There was still one major problem remaining, however. Sage intended to leave for the Royal Capital soon, and no matter how well the individual branches operated, the Evergreen Regional Guild still needed someone sitting at the top after he left.

It needed people who could make decisions, coordinate the branches, deal with emergencies and keep the organization moving without waiting for Sage to send instructions from hundreds or thousands of miles away.

That problem was the reason the second-floor conference room had been occupied again that morning.

Unlike the enormous shareholder meeting that had filled almost every seat around the conference table, today’s gathering was much smaller.

Sage sat at the head while Valeria, Vanthrice, Gregor, Brutus, Caelis, Boren, Lyana and Mina occupied the surrounding seats, but two additional faces made the gathering unusual.

Leona sat beside Gregor with her arms loosely crossed while Caelista occupied the chair beside her, the empty sleeve on one side of her clothing carefully secured rather than hanging freely.

Since losing her arm during the Crimson Abyssal Lion mission, Caelista had spent considerably less time in the field, and Leona had remained behind during the Vault expedition largely because she had refused to leave her companion while Caelista was still recovering.

Neither woman had been involved in the recent shareholder discussions, and neither normally attended meetings involving the highest levels of Guild management.

Leona had noticed that immediately. She spent the first few minutes watching Sage arrange several documents in front of himself, occasionally glancing toward Caelista as though silently asking whether she understood why they had been summoned.

Caelista clearly didn’t. Mina seemed perfectly comfortable with the silence, Boren was already helping himself to the refreshments someone had left on the table, and Valeria looked as uninterested in administrative matters as she usually did.

Eventually Leona’s patience ran out. She leaned slightly forward and looked directly at Sage. "Guildmaster, I’m going to ask before Boren finishes everything on that plate and somehow turns this meeting into a discussion about food. Why exactly are Caelista and I here? You don’t normally call either of us into these meetings, and judging by everyone you’ve gathered, I don’t think you invited us because you suddenly missed our company."

Boren paused with something halfway to his mouth and frowned at her. "Why am I being attacked when I haven’t even spoken yet?"

"Because experience has taught us to act early," Gregor replied, earning a quiet laugh from Brutus while Boren muttered something about being unfairly persecuted.

Sage smiled briefly before setting the papers in his hand down.

He had expected Leona to ask eventually, and there was little reason to delay the answer now that everyone was present. "You’re right. I didn’t call you here for an ordinary meeting. I’ve spent the last few weeks thinking about what happens to Evergreen after I leave for the Royal Capital. The branches can manage their own territories, and we already have people responsible for administration, adventurer operations, security and finance, but someone still needs to coordinate the region as a whole. I don’t intend to run Evergreen from the Capital by sending instructions every time someone needs permission to make a decision."

The change around the table was immediate. Boren stopped eating, Gregor leaned back slightly and Vanthrice’s attention settled fully on Sage.

They had discussed this problem before, but Sage had deliberately avoided naming a permanent Regional Guildmaster because he wanted the organization to mature enough for him to understand exactly what the position required.

Leona’s expression became more thoughtful, although she still hadn’t realized why Sage was looking directly at her. Caelista noticed first. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and when Sage shifted the documents across the table, she slowly looked from them back to him.

"I’ve made my decision," Sage continued. "Once I leave Greyvale, the Evergreen Regional Guild needs leadership that isn’t dependent on me being physically present. Leona, I want you to become the Regional Guildmaster of the Evergreen Regional Guild."

For several seconds Leona simply stared at him. Gregor’s eyebrows rose, Brutus turned toward her immediately, and even Valeria shifted her gaze from the table.

Leona looked around once as though checking whether there was another Leona sitting somewhere behind her before pointing toward herself. "Me? You’re asking me to manage the entire Evergreen Regional Guild?"

Sage nodded. "That’s exactly what I’m asking."

Before she could properly respond, he turned toward Caelista. "And I want you to become Vice Regional Guildmaster."

That produced an even longer silence. Caelista didn’t point at herself or ask whether Sage had mistaken her for someone else. She merely stared at him, her expression becoming increasingly difficult to read.

Beside her, Leona looked completely stunned now, while Gregor slowly rubbed his jaw as he processed what Sage had just announced. Brutus and Caelis exchanged looks.

The three men had entered the Vault with Sage, survived it, returned carrying enough treasure to change their lives and subsequently become shareholders in the Guild. Leona and Caelista had remained behind.

Now Sage was placing the regional organization itself into their hands.

Leona recovered first. "I need you to explain that decision, because there are people in this Guild who are stronger than either of us, people who have managed branches already and people who have been involved in the recent expansion far more than I have. I’m not saying I can’t take responsibility, but Regional Guildmaster isn’t a small appointment. You’re talking about every branch in Evergreen answering upward to this office. Why choose me instead of one of the existing Branch Guildmasters?"

"Because being the strongest person available isn’t the qualification I’m looking for," Sage answered. "If raw strength were enough to run the Guild, I could put Valeria behind this desk and leave tomorrow."

Valeria looked at him immediately. "No."

The answer came so quickly that several people laughed, and even Caelista’s serious expression weakened for a moment.

Sage raised both hands. "See? Perfect example. She would probably abandon the office before lunchtime."

"I wouldn’t come to the office in the first place," Valeria corrected calmly.

"An even better example."

The brief laughter helped ease the tension, but Caelista didn’t join it for long.

Her gaze had dropped toward the empty sleeve beside her, and when she finally spoke, there was no humor in her voice. "What about me? Leona might make sense if you’ve been watching her and decided she can handle leadership, but why make me Vice Regional Guildmaster? Is this because of what happened during the Crimson Abyssal Lion mission?"

Nobody interrupted her. Sage understood exactly what she was asking, and judging by the way she looked at him, giving her some pleasant answer would only insult her.