In the days that followed the tournament announcement, the guild of Vailor changed its mood.
It wasn't immediate, but it was noticeable. Conversations that once revolved around missions and rewards began to include the names of foreign guilds, rare races, and legendary battles from the past. The tournament was not just an event. It was a showcase. And everyone knew it.
Walking through the guild became tiring.
"Do you think the elves are coming at full strength this year?"
"They say the demi-dragons brought two new Rank S."
"If the humans lose again, it will be humiliating."
These phrases repeated themselves in different ways, but with the same weight. Expectation. Fear. Wounded pride. When we passed by, some lowered their voices. Others stared openly, trying to measure something invisible.
"This is starting to annoy me," Elara murmured as we went up the side staircase.
"They're not wrong," I replied. "The tournament defines many things."
Vespera followed a few steps behind us. "It defines reputation. And reputation defines indirect power."
Liriel observed everything with a distant look, as if trying to see beyond the guild's walls.
In the records room, a group of adventurers was speaking in low tones. When we entered, the subject died for a few seconds. One of them, older, cleared his throat.
"Have you heard about her?" he asked, as if trying to start a conversation.
"About who?" Elara replied, already knowing this wasn't just any question.
"Scarlet."
The name fell into the room like something solid. Heavy.
I frowned. "Scarlet?"
"Rank S," he continued. "Human. Maybe the strongest there is."
"Maybe?" I questioned.
He shrugged. "No one has ever seen her fight seriously. But they say that if she wanted to, she could even face generals."
"Then why hasn't she ever?" I asked.
"Because she doesn't care," another adventurer replied. "She only shows up when the payment is worth it."
That bothered me more than I expected.
In the following days, the name kept coming up. Always accompanied by exaggerated stories, but also by a constant detail: she was never present. Missions completed in other kingdoms. Indirect reports. Rumors coming from afar.
"She almost never sets foot in Vailor," the guild master said when I asked directly. "She doesn't like it here."
"Why?" I asked.
"She thinks most adventurers are weak."
Elara snorted. "Pure kindness."
Despite that, something felt wrong. If Scarlet was that powerful, why agree to participate in the tournament now? She had always avoided this kind of event, according to every report. It didn't make sense.
At night, we gathered in the mansion's hall. A map of the arena was open on the table, along with documents about the participating guilds. Scarlet's name appeared in one of them, highlighted in red ink.
"She doesn't appear on the list of confirmed representatives," Liriel observed.
"But everyone talks as if it's obvious she's going to fight," Elara said.
Vespera touched the name on the paper. "That means she hasn't decided yet."
"Or that she already decided and didn't bother to inform anyone," I added.
There was a brief silence.
"Do you think she's coming because of us?" Elara asked.
I thought for a few seconds. "If the rumors about us reached other kingdoms, then yes. It's possible."
"That bothers me," Liriel said. "Being watched by someone like that."
"She doesn't seem like the type who watches in silence," Vespera replied.
The next morning, the confirmation came in an unexpected way.
I was in the guild courtyard, training lightly, when I felt something different in the air. It wasn't mana, exactly. It was presence. A subtle but clear pressure, as if the space had adjusted itself to someone new.
Some people stopped talking. Others instinctively stepped aside.
She entered without hurry.
Red hair, far too intense to be natural. A sharp, direct gaze, with no apparent curiosity. She wore simple clothes for a Rank S adventurer, but every movement carried absolute confidence.
Scarlet.
She walked through the courtyard as if she were bored. She looked around. Made a subtle grimace.
"So this is it," she said out loud. "Vailor."
No one responded.
Her eyes passed over me for just a second. Long enough to evaluate me. There was no surprise. No contempt. Just analysis.
"Hm," she murmured.
And she walked toward the guild master without even looking back.
I let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
"She's worse than I imagined," Elara said behind me.
"She hasn't done anything yet," I replied.
"She has," Vespera corrected. "She measured us."
Liriel watched the scene with quiet attention. "And decided that we're not interesting yet."
That hit me more than it should have.
When Scarlet left the guild master's office minutes later, she finally looked at us again. A brief smile appeared on her lips.
"So you're the group from the rumors," she said. "I expected more."
She turned and left, as if nothing else mattered.
I stood still, feeling a strange mix of irritation and curiosity.
"Looks like we gained a spectator," Elara commented.
"Or a rival," Vespera added.
I watched the door through which Scarlet had left.
"Whatever it is," I thought, "this tournament just became more complicated."
And, for the first time since the announcement, I was certain that we weren't entering just a competition. We were entering the radar of someone who could be as dangerous as any enemy we had ever faced.