I still couldn't stay on my feet for very long without feeling my body grow heavy.
The guild's mages had done an excellent job, but what happened in the battle against the Fifth General left marks that wouldn't disappear in just a few days. Part of the pain was already gone. The extreme exhaustion too. But the feeling that my body had been pushed to its limit still remained.
I was lying in the bed of my room in the mansion when I heard different footsteps in the hallway.
They weren't Elara's light steps. Nor Vespera's silent walk. Nor Liriel's calm presence. Nor the steady rhythm of Rai'kanna or Lyannis.
They were formal footsteps. Organized. Accompanied.
Elara entered the room first.
"Takumi, the king is here."
I thought I had heard wrong.
"The king?"
She nodded.
"He came personally. The princess is with him."
Before I could say anything, I heard voices outside. Soon after, the door opened.
The king of Bailor entered my room.
The princess came right behind him.
I tried to get up on reflex, but a sharp pain at my side made me stop halfway through the movement.
"Do not strain yourself," the king said. "Stay as you are."
Even so, I tried to adjust myself better in the bed.
Elara stood to my left. Vespera to my right. Liriel a little farther back. Rai'kanna and Lyannis near the door, observing everything.
The room felt smaller than before.
The king looked at me with a different expression. It wasn't the firm and distant posture of a ruler. It was someone who seemed genuinely relieved.
"I was informed of the condition in which you arrived at the guild," he said. "And also of what happened in that battle."
I remained silent.
The princess approached the bed. Closer than I expected.
She stood very near me.
Too near.
Her fingers lightly touched my chest, exactly where the bandages were.
"You really almost died, didn't you?" she asked in a low voice.
I felt the atmosphere in the room shift immediately.
Vespera went still. Elara crossed her arms. Rai'kanna narrowed her eyes. Lyannis watched without blinking. Liriel simply remained silent, but I knew that silence well.
"It was close," I replied.
The king cleared his throat lightly.
"Takumi, I did not come here only to see how you are."
I looked at him.
"I came to thank you personally."
The room fell silent.
"You did not only save villages. You prevented the entire kingdom from collapsing. If that horde had advanced further, we would have suffered losses that would take years to recover."
He took a deep breath.
"And for that reason, I must do something worthy of what you have done."
I had no idea what he was talking about.
"I am granting you the title of Paladin Knight of the kingdom of Bailor."
I was speechless.
Before I could process it, he continued.
"And not only that. I also grant you a title of nobility."
I felt as if I had just heard something completely unreal.
Nobility.
Me.
The king pointed to a map that one of the guards opened beside him.
"The lands to the north, the same ones you and your group protected during the attacks, now belong to you. You will be the lord of those lands."
I couldn't respond.
The princess was still too close.
Her fingers were still touching my chest.
Elara exhaled through her nose. Vespera looked away. Rai'kanna clearly didn't like it. Lyannis's expression turned serious. Liriel simply observed everything in absolute silence.
"Is this… serious?" I asked.
The king nodded.
"It is the least I can do."
I ran a hand over my face, trying to organize my thoughts.
"Your Majesty, I only did what any adventurer would do."
He shook his head.
"No. You did what no one else could."
Silence returned to the room.
I looked around.
At the mansion. At the room. At the people inside it.
And something strange crossed my mind.
Not long ago, I was worried about whether I would have enough money to pay debts. Whether we would have food for the next few days. Whether we would survive another mission.
And now…
I was lying in a huge bed inside a mansion. Being visited by the king. Receiving a noble title. And the title of Paladin.
I almost laughed.
"This feels like a dream," I said without realizing it.
The princess smiled faintly.
"If it is, don't wake up yet."
Elara's gaze grew even more serious. Vespera clearly didn't like it. Rai'kanna crossed her arms. Lyannis looked away. Liriel remained quiet, but the atmosphere in the room had completely changed.
The king seemed not to notice.
"Rest, Takumi. You have already done more than enough for the kingdom. Now it is time to recover."
I simply nodded.
They said their goodbyes shortly after.
The princess was the last to leave.
Before closing the door, she looked at me for a few seconds longer.
And then she left.
The room fell silent.
I rested my head against the pillow.
I looked at the ceiling.
Paladin. Noble. Lord of lands.
Rank S. Mansion. Companions by my side.
I took a deep breath.
Lately, everything had changed too fast.
So fast that it felt unreal.
"Is this really my life now?" I thought.
And with that thought, I closed my eyes, still trying to understand how I had gone so far in such a short time.