Mika and Aurelia followed Katherine and Bernard through the bustling streets of Silverfall City. The tall buildings loomed over them, casting long shadows in the bright sunlight. They passed by shops selling exotic spices, weird gadgets, and artifacts she’d never seen before. The smells of cooking food, fresh flowers, and burning incense mingled in the air. Mika was still amazed by the sheer size and complexity of the city, even though she had been walking through it for a few hours now.

Their destination was the Mercenary Guild, one of the kingdom's most prominent and influential organizations. The Guild offered various services, such as hiring mercenaries for escort missions, beast hunting, and exploration of dangerous territories. It was also a hub for adventurers, warriors, mages, Knights, and fighters who sought to hone their skills and test their abilities.

As they entered the Guild, Mika felt a wave of anticipation. This was the place to be as someone who wanted to get stronger above all else. 

Although she was captured and sold by mercenaries, she learned from Katherine and Darius that not all mercenaries are like that. Many want to gain a reputation, earn money, and get stronger, and being a mercenary offers all of that. 

After a few minutes, the four of them appeared in front of a large building with a whole district all to itself. 

“We’re here!” Katherine smiled and pointed at the large building, “Welcome to Silverfall City’s Mercenary Guild headquarters!”

“Wow!” Mika’s mouth gaped as her neck tilted back to look up at the giant structure. Her eyes shined like a kid that just found a new toy to play with.

The Mercenary Guild building loomed tall and imposing, a symbol of both strength and unity. Made of sturdy stone and reinforced with thick metal bars, the building is designed to withstand even the toughest of attacks. The entrance is marked by a large, ornate door that swings open easily at the touch of a hand.

Aurelia, Bernard, and Katherine were already used to seeing the Mercenary Guild building’s might, but they all smiled upon witnessing Mika’s growing excitement.

After allowing a minute to take it all in, Katherine walked up and tapped Mika on the shoulder. 

“I know it’s impressive, but the building’s not going anywhere. Why don’t we go in and take a look around?” Katherine asked with a smile. 

Mika’s expression returned to normal as she tried to contain her excitement, but it didn’t seem to be working as Katherine gave her a knowing look and chuckled. However, as a thick-skinned individual, Mika didn’t blush in shame and instead began walking toward the entrance. 

Katherine stepped in front of her and opened the door to the guild, letting Mika enter first.

“...!”

Mika’s eyes widened as the inside was even grander than the exterior!

The interior of the Guild was spacious and grand, with high ceilings, polished marble floors, and murals depicting heroic battles and legendary monsters. Long wooden tables and benches lined the walls with mercenaries of all shapes and sizes sitting and chatting, exchanging stories, and discussing jobs. 

“Welcome to the Mercenary Guild’s headquarters! My name is Aria. How may I help you today?” A sweet, busty blonde receptionist greeted them with a bright smile, but an expert could tell that her smile was obviously fake.

“Good afternoon, Aria,” Katherine stepped inside and greeted, followed by Aurelia and Bernard, “Do you still remember me?”

Aria’s eyes widened as she immediately recognized the mature woman!

“Ah! Mrs. Emporvas! It’s good to see you again! It’s been a while since your last visit here, hasn’t it?” This time, Aria gave a genuine smile as she gave the mature woman a light bow.

Katherine chuckled, “I suppose it has been a while. How’s the Ethereal Flatlands Ruin exploration going?”

“It’s going fine. Though, because of the dangers, not many people want to join, so we could use more people.”

“Mmhm, that sounds about right,” Katherine nodded, “Anyways, how’s your training going? Did you manage to break through into the Red Core Realm?”

“Yes, I have! Thank you for asking!” Aria smiled proudly, her large breasts jiggling as she moved.

“Amazing!” Katherine clapped, “I’m proud of you, Aria! You’ve worked hard.”

Aria nodded again, but as a receptionist at the Mercenary Guild headquarters, she still had a job to do. So, returning to a more professional attitude, she moved the conversation along.

“Are you here to see Master Orien like last time?” Aria asked, remembering their last encounter perfectly, then turned to say hi to Aurelia, “It’s good to see you again, Aurelia.”

Aurelia nodded politely, “A pleasure to see you again, Aria.”

Katherine thought for a moment before nodding, “If he’s in, then I guess it wouldn’t hurt to see the old man. Plus, I brought a little girl, Mika, with me that might catch his interest.” She said, giving Mika a few pats on the head. 

“Hmm?” Aria turned to look at Mika and was immediately attracted by her cuteness. However, before she could squeal like a little girl, she noticed Mika had the same aura around her as many experienced mercenaries. 

She couldn’t sense any mana coming from Mika, nor much strength, but the way she stood there with her back straight, eyeing her surroundings, and with her knees as if she was preparing for battle was similar to how people who had gone through life and death looked.

Aria was a bit surprised that such a young kid had gone through such a thing, but it wasn’t as uncommon as one might think in this world. In fact, she’d seen numerous young teens enter the Mercenary Guild, signing up to become a mercenary and make some money.

“If you say she’s special, then she must be so, Mrs. Emporvas.” Aria said, tactfully moving the conversation along, “Anyway, Master Orien is in his office, free right now. I’ll tell him that you’re here. I’m sure he’ll be delighted to see you again.”

After saying that, she pressed a button on the counter. It buzzed for a few seconds before a deep voice entered Aria’s ears, not allowing Katherine or the others to hear.

“Yes?” 

“Katherine Emporvas and her daughter are here and have asked to see you, Master Orien,” Aria said.

“...”

It was silent on the other end for a second before the man spoke in a slightly lighter tone, “Send them up.”

“Yes, sir!”

Aria nodded and disconnected the connection. 

“Master Orien will see you now, Mrs. Emporvas. Just follow me, and I’ll take you up there.” Aria said, then opened up the counter and turned around, leading them to an elevator.

Katherine and the others followed her, and soon they were in the elevator, heading up.

*Ding!*

It only took a few seconds before they reached their destination.

“And we’re here!” Aria pressed a button and opened the elevator doors, “Just walk down this hallway, and you’ll soon be in front of Master Orien’s door. It’s the only room on this floor, so you can’t miss it.”

Katherine nodded and walked out of the elevator with Mika, Aurelia, and Bernard. 

“Thank you, Aria. I’ll see you later.”

“Goodbye, Mrs. Emporvas!” Aria waved, then pressed a button, and the elevator door closed.

They walked down the hallway, which wasn’t that long, and finally, they reached the Guildmaster's door, which was made of solid oak and adorned with intricate carvings of dragons and knights. Katherine knocked on the door, and a deep voice answered from inside.

"Enter."

They stepped into the office, which was furnished with a large desk, a bookshelf, and a set of weapons and armor displayed on the wall. The Guildmaster, a tall and imposing man with a thick beard and a scar over his left eye, rose from his chair and greeted them with a nod. He radiated a fierce aura, like a tiger on the hunt, even though he was just standing there, not doing anything impressive.

"Katherine, it's good to see you again. How are you doing?"

Katherine gently shook his hand and replied, “I’m doing fine, Orien. Darius and I just got back from a business trip and should be in the Kingdom for a while now that we’ve closed a big deal.”

“Oh?” Orien, the Guildmaster, lifted an eyebrow, “Are you talking about that deal with the Aranthia Kingdom? Did you manage to sell them the Skyjumper Spaceships they wanted?”

Katherine just smiled but didn’t answer. 

Orien clicked his tongue in annoyance but didn’t press the matter anymore. He understood that merchants had to keep information about their clients a secret… unless they were offered the right price, of course. However, Orien didn’t care enough about this subject to pay Katherine for that information.

“Anyways, what are you doing here? If you’re here to try and buy me out and make me your bodyguard, I thought I already told Darius no a long time ago. Bringing two brats and that freak you call a butler won’t change my mind.”

Katherine sat in a chair opposite him and reclined in it with a small smile. 

“I didn’t really need to come to see you. I just figured we’d go and bother you since we were already here.” Katherine chuckled, but Orien rolled his eyes, not believing her. 

So, instead of listening to her nonsense, he glanced at the two kids in the room. 

First, he looked at Aurelia, who smiled shyly and hid behind her mother. Orien’s aura and figure always intimidated her and made her feel uncomfortable. It’s not like she met the man on a daily basis, nor was she ever around bloodthirsty mercenaries to get used to this presence.

Orien nodded, seeing that Aurelia wasn’t that different compared to the last time he’d seen her. Though, he did notice she seemed a bit more obedient and less arrogant. Curious, his eyes bore into her, and with his sharp, hawk-like eyes, he noticed faint definition in her arms and legs. It wasn’t much, maybe 1% more than the last time he’d seen her, but that was more than enough for him to notice. 

‘Did she start running in the mornings or something?’ He wondered but put it to the back of his mind, not caring enough to commit any more brainpower toward it.

Then, he turned to Mika, and his eyes involuntarily narrowed. Since he was used to the bloodthirsty and murderous aura that surrounded most mercenaries, he hadn’t paid too much attention to the one that entered along with Katherine, but now that he spent a bit more attention to his guests, he could sense that Mika was abnormal. 

No, abnormal was putting it lightly.

Gone was the 10-year-old child. In his eyes was a sword forged with the highest quality of steel, tempered in hellfire, and quenched in blood! This sword threatened to rip him to shreds should he show a moment of weakness, causing his instincts to flare. 

Although he could instinctively feel that Mika wasn’t a threat to him, that sword was…

‘Dangerous! This little girl is dangerous!’

While that should alarm him, all it did was put a massive grin on his face. Talent was always welcome at the Mercenary Guild, regardless of background, age, or gender! What was better was that she was a little girl!

‘I can’t wait to see the look on those idiots’ faces when they get pummeled by a girl half their age! Hahaha!’ Orien chuckled in amusement, already picturing his F-Rank Mercenaries getting punched in the face by Mika.

Mika’s body unconsciously trembled under his gaze, as she felt like a massive lion was staring at her like she was dinner, but she stood her ground and didn’t back down. 

‘I’m not going to let this old man intimidate me!’ Mika thought while secretly clenching her fists, resisting the urge to take out her sword and charge at the man. She could feel that this man was strong, stronger than anyone she’d ever met before. If others were in her position, they might feel scared or intimidated, but she, more than anything, just wanted to cross swords with him.

“It seems your visit won’t be a complete waste of time,” Orien said with a grin.

"This is my daughter’s temporary personal trainer, Mika. She's new to the Kingdom, so I thought I’d show her the Mercenary Guild while we were out shopping."

The Guildmaster raised an eyebrow while gazing at Mika.

"Mika, huh? An odd name for an odd girl, but somehow it suits you." Orien nodded but then suddenly froze when Katherine’s words sunk in.

“D-Did you just say this brat is Little Aurelia’s personal trainer?” He gawked at Katherine, who nodded.

“It’s only temporary for now, as Darius and I need to see if she’s the real deal or not, but yes, she’s helping Aurelia train and will also teach her swordsmanship should we feel that she’s worthy of doing so,” Katherine replied. 

Hearing Katherine’s affirmation, Orien’s presence shifted as he turned to Mika, staring at her with judgemental eyes. 

“What does a brat like her know about training someone else?” Orien asked in a deep, intimidating voice as he took a step toward Mika.

Towering over Mika like a hulking mass of densely packed muscle, the man stared at Mika as if he were ready to eat her alive.

“Tell me, child. What sort of qualifications do you have to claim that you can teach another person when you’re still wet behind the ears? While I do admit that you’re an interesting and unique person, I won’t let you scam an acquaintance of mine with your nonsensical claims. If you can’t prove to me that you do, in fact, have what it takes to make those statements, then you can forget about leaving here.” He said firmly, without caring about Katherine or Aurelia’s opinions.

Mika took a deep breath and straightened her posture. While she didn’t feel a need to prove herself to this old man, it seemed she didn’t have much of a choice.

Lifting her head and staring into Orien’s eyes, she replied, “Words are cheap, old man. If you want to know whether I’m qualified or not, then let’s let our blades do the talking.”

“...”

As those words echoed in the room, the air seemed to freeze, and the temperature dropped by multiple degrees. 

Nobody, not Katherine, Aurelia, Bernard, or Orien, was expecting that kind of response from Mika. But soon, fear filled their eyes as they thought that Orien was going to kill this insolent little girl for talking back to him.

However-

“Pfft-HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

-Orien didn’t attack or do anything they thought he might do. Instead, he burst out laughing like he had just heard the funniest thing in the world.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

The Guildmaster continued to roar in laughter, showing no signs of stopping.

“HAHAHA! That’s right!! If we have a problem with one another, then we should let our blades do the talking, not our mouths!” While laughing, Orien gave Mika a few hard pats on the shoulder, nearly causing the girl to collapse on the ground. 

However, the man didn’t seem to notice, and even if he did, he probably wouldn’t care. 

After a few minutes, the man stopped laughing, but a large grin was still evident, showing that he was in a fantastic mood. 

“Very well, child. Since you had the balls to challenge me, then what kind of man would I be if I didn’t accept?! Let’s go to the training area and fight it out like men-err, warriors!”

____________________________________________________________

"Your spirit is admirable, but talk is cheap. Let's see whether you have the goods."

He picked up a sword from the wall and unsheathed it. Mika recognized it as a high-grade weapon, enchanted with Mana crystals and forged by a famous blacksmith.

"Let's have a friendly spar, shall we? I'll limit my strength to around your level, so don't hold back."

Mika nodded and drew her own sword, a simple but sturdy blade that had served her well in the past.

They walked to the training arena, where a small crowd had gathered to watch the battle. Mika felt the eyes of the spectators on her, curious and judgmental. She knew that this was her chance to make an impression and earn their respect.

Mika and Orien stood facing each other, ready to begin their spar. Mika gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, her muscles tense as she prepared to strike. On the other hand, Orien seemed completely at ease, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips.

They circled each other, sizing each other up. Mika knew that she was at a disadvantage - Orien was several Realms stronger than her, and she was still new to using her Mana Core to enhance her physical abilities. But she was determined to give it her all.

Without warning, Orien charged forward, his fist aimed at Mika's head. Mika dodged to the side, her sword flashing out to strike at Orien's side. But he was too quick, dodging away just in time.

The two continued to trade blows, their swords ringing out as they clashed together. Mika was a talented swordswoman, but Orien's experience and strength were proving to be too much for her. Despite her best efforts, she found herself being pushed back, her arms aching from the force of his blows.

But Mika was not one to give up easily. She gritted her teeth, summoning all of her energy into one powerful strike. Her sword glowed with a bright light, and she lunged forward, determined to strike a decisive blow.

Orien saw the attack coming and braced himself, ready to block it. But he was caught off guard by the sheer force of Mika's strike, and his sword shattered under the impact.

For a moment, the two of them stood there, staring at each other in shock. Then Orien burst out laughing.

"Well done," he said, clapping Mika on the shoulder. "You truly are a one-in-a-million-years genius with the sword."

Mika smiled, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment wash over her. Despite being outmatched in terms of strength and experience, she had managed to hold her own against one of the most powerful warriors in the city.