The name was still echoing.
Even inside the mansion, even far from the arena, I could feel it lingering in the air like fine dust after an explosion. Takumi. Champion. Human representative. Rank S. The words spread far too quickly for something that, until recently, had barely meant anything.
I woke up later that day. My body felt better than I expected, but my mind felt heavy. It wasn't physical exhaustion. It was the sensation of being watched, even with no one around.
I got up and opened the window. The garden was quiet. Some servants tended the plants, others cleaned the stone path. Everything functioned as if it had always been that way. As if that life were natural to me.
It wasn't.
I put on simple clothes and went downstairs. In the main room, I found Elara sitting on the sofa, flipping through a thick blue-covered book. She looked up when she saw me.
"You took a while," she said.
"I needed to think," I replied.
She slowly closed the book. "About the tournament?"
"About what comes after."
Elara nodded, as if she understood more than I had said.
"There are people outside," she continued. "Messengers. Adventurers. Even nobles."
I sighed. "Again?"
"Yes."
I went to the front door. Two men and a woman were waiting. All well dressed. All smiling too much.
"Takumi," one of them said, slightly bowing his head. "It's an honor."
"Just say what you want," I replied bluntly.
They exchanged glances. Proposals. Invitations. A temporary alliance. A request for future escort. An attempt at political approach.
I calmly refused everything.
When I went back inside, I found Vespera leaning against the wall, arms crossed, crooked smile.
"You're getting famous," she teased.
"I prefer to stay alive," I replied.
She laughed softly. "You don't always get to choose."
Soon after, Rai'kanna appeared. She seemed restless, pacing back and forth across the room.
"Scarlet is still in the city," she said.
"I know."
"She's being talked about too much," she continued. "And you along with her."
I crossed my arms. "Does that bother you?"
Rai'kanna stared at me for a few seconds before answering. "I don't like people getting too close."
Before I could say anything, Liriel entered the room. Her expression calm, but attentive.
"It's not just Scarlet," she said. "It's the world reacting."
I silently agreed.
In the afternoon, I went to the guild. Not to accept missions, but to observe. The place felt different. Curious looks. Some respectful. Others suspicious.
A younger adventurer approached.
"Is it true that you fought one of the demon generals?" he asked.
"It is," I answered.
"And won?"
I thought for a moment. "I survived."
He looked confused, but thanked me and walked away.
On the way back, I ran into Scarlet. She was standing near the city's central fountain, watching the water fall.
"You avoid people," she said, without looking at me.
"They expect too much," I replied.
Scarlet smiled faintly. "Expectation is the price of strength."
"You don't seem to pay that price."
She finally looked at me. "I do. I just don't regret it."
We stood in silence for a few seconds.
"You've changed," she said.
"Maybe," I replied. "Or maybe I'm just starting to understand what I've gotten myself into."
When I returned to the mansion, the sky was already orange. The group gathered for dinner. Light conversations, restrained laughter. A collective attempt at normality.
Afterward, I went up to my room. I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
The tournament had ended, but its effects had not.
My name was circulating. My decisions now carried weight. And, whether I liked it or not, I had become part of something bigger.
I closed my eyes.
Tomorrow, the world would keep waiting.
And I would have to decide how to respond.