Sage sat there for a few heartbeats longer than he should have, staring at Gregor as if he were seeing the man for the first time.
The green-haired Adventurer stood proudly in front of Aldric Goldfeather, his posture straight, shoulders squared, and a grin stretched so wide across his face that it bordered on arrogance.
His emerald eyes gleamed unnaturally under the soft light of the second-floor lounge not with fear or caution, but with something far more dangerous: unrestrained greed mixed with reckless confidence.
To anyone else, Gregor might have appeared heroic in that moment, a fearless warrior stepping forward to shoulder an impossible burden. But to Sage, who had spent enough time around him to understand his true nature, that smile screamed trouble.
"Mr. Aldric," Gregor said warmly, clapping a firm hand on the merchant lord's shoulder as if they were old friends rather than strangers bound by desperation and gold.
