Chapter 23: Mission Friendship

The days of training forged an unbreakable bond between Hermes and me. We became inseparable, uncovering new depths of understanding. There was just one secret I hadn't revealed to him—I was a girl.

With my promise to speak on Hermes' behalf to Sage, I hadn't crossed paths with her lately. Determined to catch her attention, Hermes and I embarked on our stakeout, patiently waiting for her to appear.

Our training was yielding excellent results, as was the progress of our audacious plan to storm Valour's fort. As we waited for Sage on that decisive day, I couldn't contain my excitement, eagerly anticipating my imminent freedom.

"Is she intentionally ignoring him?" I pondered the possibilities and decided it was time for a visit to Sage's residence. I turned to Hermes and proposed the idea.

"Are you kidding me? What would you say? That I sent you?" Hermes' eyes widened in disbelief as he launched into a passionate rant. I patiently waited for him to regain composure. He feared Sage's perc