The guild hall was alive with firelight and noise. Laughter echoed against the wooden beams, mugs slammed against tables, and roasted meat smoked on platters large enough to feed entire adventuring parties.
At the center of it all sat Haruto, hunched forward, gripping a half-empty mug like a lifeline.
"TO AURELIAN, THE HERO!" shouted a dwarf, his beard dripping ale.
"THE HERO!" the crowd thundered back.
Haruto managed a stiff smile. (Oh god, oh no, I just wanted to hand in my quest sheet, not… THIS!)
---
The Retellings Begin
"Did you SEE it?!" a young adventurer jumped on a table. "The goblins surrounded him—dozens, maybe hundreds—and yet he didn't flinch!"
(I flinched so hard my knees almost gave out!)
"And then," another chimed in, waving a drumstick like a sword, "he spread his arms wide and declared—'You shall not take another step while I draw breath!'"
The hall cheered. A bard in the corner already scribbled furiously onto parchment, humming a melody.
Haruto's face turned pale. (He's writing a SONG?! Oh crap, my anime quote is going to be immortalized as history!!)
"And the best part," a drunk mercenary laughed, "was when he charged into the middle of them, fearless, weapon gleaming like the dawn itself!"
Haruto coughed on his drink. (I tripped and fell down a hill!! That wasn't charging, that was gravity!!)
"Even his fall was strategic!" another adventurer insisted. "He rolled straight through their formation, scattering them like leaves in the wind!"
The crowd banged mugs on tables in approval. "STRATEGIC FALL! STRATEGIC FALL!"
Haruto wanted to crawl under the table and never return.
---
Lyria's Perspective
Through it all, Lyria sat quietly, her expression serene as her eyes followed Haruto.
To her, every awkward twitch of his hand, every nervous glance, was not weakness but proof of depth.
(He hides his true self behind clumsy gestures… but his eyes don't lie. He's a man carrying a weight he won't speak of.)
When Haruto nearly spilled his mug on himself, she smiled faintly. (Even heroes stumble when the world cheers too loudly. That's why he seems so… human.)
---
Haruto's Inner Hell
The feast dragged on, and Haruto could feel his soul leaving his body as the stories grew wilder.
"He summoned a flaming spirit from the sky!"
(That was just my lantern catching fire, damn it!)
"They say his very voice made the goblins quiver in fear!"
(They quivered because a wild boar ran through the bushes and startled them!!)
"I heard he wrestled the goblin chief barehanded!"
(…I fell on it. Literally. I crushed it because it was under me when I landed.)
By now, Haruto's legend had grown so inflated that he was half-expecting them to say he flew on dragon wings.
(If this keeps up, the Demon King's army is going to think I'm some super boss character… and I'll be dead in a week!)
---
At last, he escaped to the balcony for air. The cheers dimmed behind him, replaced by the quiet hum of lantern-lit streets below. His hands tightened on the railing.
"...I can't keep this up," he whispered. "They think I'm someone I'm not. How long until they figure it out?"
A calm voice drifted behind him.
"They won't. Because you're wrong."
He turned, startled. Lyria stood in the doorway, her silver hair catching the moonlight.
"I saw you," she said, stepping closer. "Your hands trembled, your breath shook. And yet you stayed. That is no fraud. That is what it means to be a hero."
Haruto's mouth opened, but no words came. (She… she really believes this? Even after everything?)
Her gaze softened, unshakable. "Even if the world doubts you, I won't. I believe in the hero you are becoming."
Haruto laughed weakly, rubbing his neck. "You… really are strange, you know that?"
"Strange?" she tilted her head.
"Yeah." He turned back to the town. "…But thanks."
---
The Shadow in the Dark
Far below, in the darkness beyond the walls, cloaked figures watched the glow of the guild hall. Red eyes gleamed beneath their hoods.
"The Hero has appeared," one hissed.
"The kingdom already sings his name."
"Our master will be very… interested."
Their whispers vanished into the night, carried away by the wind.
Haruto, unaware of the eyes already tracking him, stood above the town—an unwilling hero whose "legend" was spiraling out of control.