[19th June]
The sun stood high above the capital.
Its blazing light poured across the massive city as countless people flooded toward the Royal Stadium once again.
Today was another major day of the finals.
Only sixteen participants remained.
And by the end of the day…
That number would fall to four.
The excitement throughout the capital had reached another level after yesterday's chaos.
Especially after the brutal clash between Rey and Raviel.
The roads surrounding the stadium were already packed with traffic.
Carriages.
Luxury vehicles.
Crowds of citizens.
Nobles.
Reporters.
Everyone wanted to witness the remaining battles firsthand.
Yet amidst the endless stream of people heading toward the stadium—
One black car quietly moved in the opposite direction.
Leaving the battlefield behind.
Inside sat Hosric and Rey.
Hosric occupied the front seat beside the driver, his attention buried in the endless notifications and messages flooding his phone.
Meanwhile, Rey was sprawled across the entire backseat like a patient being transported after surgery.
Which, technically…
Wasn't too far from reality.
It had been Hosric's direct order.
"You're lying down until we reach home."
Rey had argued for nearly five minutes.
Hosric had answered with one glare.
And the argument ended immediately afterwards.
Now Rey could only stare blankly through the tinted car window at the moving sky outside.
At first, he thought the scenery might calm his mood.
But after thirty minutes of watching clouds…
Even that became boring.
A faint ripple appeared beside him.
Aiden materialised casually near the window before glancing outside with visible surprise.
"Hm."
Rey lazily shifted his eyes toward him.
"What happened?"
His voice was low enough to avoid attention.
Still, Hosric subconsciously glanced back through the mirror after hearing him mumble.
Only to find Rey lying motionlessly with his eyes half-open.
"…"
Hosric stared for another second before returning to his work.
Meanwhile, Rey internally sighed in relief.
Thankfully, his uncle still hadn't figured out he was talking to literal spirits.
"Nothing important," Aiden replied while observing the streets outside. "I'm just surprised."
"About what?"
"That nobody's following you."
Rey blinked.
Aiden folded his arms.
"No hostile presence. No surveillance. No hidden spectres. Nothing."
That instantly caught Rey's full attention.
"Huh?"
After what happened yesterday…
That was impossible.
Or at least, it should have been.
"Shouldn't they have doubled security around me after the match?" Rey asked internally.
Especially after exposing his abilities and identity.
Raviel's humiliation alone should have been enough reason for retaliation.
Aiden nodded slightly.
"That's exactly why I'm surprised. If I had to guess, Raviel or the Duke family probably intended to move against you already."
His gaze narrowed faintly.
"But something changed."
Rey quietly listened.
"Whatever happened behind the scenes," Aiden continued, "it stopped them from making a move for now."
Then his expression turned colder.
"Consider yourself lucky, kid. If an Acolyte-ranked assassin truly came after you in your current state…"
His finger lightly tapped Rey's forehead.
"You would've died before even realising it."
Rey clicked his tongue internally.
"Can't you say things more positively once in a while?"
Aiden smirked.
"No."
Then he disappeared again like mist fading into the air.
Rey closed his eyes afterwards.
Meanwhile, Hosric occasionally continued checking the rear mirror.
Seeing Rey finally resting quietly, he relaxed slightly.
Good.
At least the kid had stopped moving around.
Nearly forty minutes later, the car finally reached the Valemont residence after pushing through the heavy traffic around the capital.
The moment the gates opened—
Several servants immediately rushed outside.
Hosric stepped out first while giving quick instructions.
Then came Rey.
Or rather—
Rey trying to walk normally while being treated like a critically injured war veteran.
"I can walk myself."
"No."
"I'm serious."
"And I'm serious too."
Hosric didn't even bother arguing anymore.
One older butler and Hosric practically escorted Rey into the house while ignoring every complaint he made.
The servants inside quickly learned about Rey's condition.
And after hearing how severe his injuries supposedly were—
Everyone began treating him like fragile glass.
"Prepare light meals."
"No unnecessary disturbance."
"Do not let him strain himself."
"If he feels pain, report immediately."
Hosric gave instructions one after another with enough seriousness to make the servants nervous.
Rey almost felt embarrassed listening to it.
By the time everything settled down, nearly another half hour had passed.
Eventually, Hosric finally prepared to leave for the stadium again.
Today's finals demanded his presence.
But before leaving, he turned toward Rey one last time.
"Don't move around unnecessarily."
"I know."
"Rest properly."
"I know."
"And don't try doing anything stupid."
Rey looked offended.
"When have I ever done that?"
Hosric stared at him silently.
"…Fair enough."
Rey coughed awkwardly.
Only after Hosric finally left did the atmosphere inside the house relax.
And almost instantly—
Rey's entire mood flipped.
The moment the front door closed…
He stood up from the sofa immediately.
The young butler nearby nearly panicked.
"Sir!"
He hurried forward.
"Master Hosric instructed that you shouldn't move too much! Please let me help you—"
"I'm fine."
Rey quickly waved him off.
"Uncle's just overreacting."
The butler looked deeply unconvinced.
Considering Rey had nearly died yesterday…
That reaction was understandable.
Rey stretched his sore shoulders lightly before exhaling.
His muscles still ached from overexertion.
Especially after abusing enhancement skills repeatedly during the battle.
But compared to before?
This was nothing.
Honestly, what he needed most right now was food.
And a proper bath.
He could still smell dried blood and sweat lingering on himself despite changing clothes earlier.
"Can you ask the kitchen to prepare my regular meal?" Rey asked.
The young butler blinked.
"…Regular meal?"
"Yes."
"Sir… Master Hosric specifically instructed light food only."
Rey instantly looked horrified.
"No. Absolutely not."
The butler froze.
"I nearly died yesterday. I deserve proper food."
"But—"
"Please."
Rey clasped his hands dramatically.
"That's an earnest request from one suffering patient to another human being."
The young butler stiffened awkwardly.
Rey looked only a few years younger than him, making the pleading even harder to reject.
"…I-I'll inform the kitchen."
"Thank you."
"And let me help you upstairs—"
"I can walk."
"But—"
"I can walk."
The butler hesitated before finally surrendering.
"…Understood, sir."
Only after he left did Rey release a long sigh of victory.
Finally.
Freedom.
Without another second wasted, Rey headed toward the stairs.
His body still felt sore.
Heavy.
Exhausted.
But strangely enough…
For the first time since the tournament ended—
His mind felt calm.
The pressure.
The rage.
The humiliation.
The battle.
Everything had finally settled down.
At least for now.
And honestly?
A warm shower sounded better than thinking about any of it.
Meanwhile, the young butler hurried toward the kitchen and immediately approached the head butler, who was busy arranging utensils and directing the servants.
"Sir… Young Master requested his regular meal. And… he went upstairs without my help." The young butler hesitated slightly. "I tried stopping him twice, but he refused both times."
The head butler paused.
"Master Hosric instructed that he should rest completely and only eat light food for now…"
Only then did the older man slowly turn around.
His calm eyes landed on the nervous young butler, instantly making the latter straighten his posture.
"Hm…" the head butler muttered thoughtfully.
Then, unexpectedly, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"In that case, prepare a proper meal."
"…Sir?"
"He is hungry."
The young butler blinked in confusion.
"But… Master Hosric's instructions—"
"I will handle Master Hosric."
The old butler waved his hand dismissively before continuing in a calm voice.
"You are still new here, so you don't understand Young Master Rey yet."
"He does not behave like other nobles."
"He dislikes being treated like glass."
The young butler listened carefully.
"If you force things onto him repeatedly, he will become annoyed instead. Just act naturally around him."
The older man glanced upstairs briefly before smirking lightly.
"And trust me… if Young Master truly wanted to ignore his injuries, none of us here could stop him anyway."
The young butler finally nodded.
"I understand, sir."
"Good. Now go upstairs once more and ask whether he needs anything. After that, wait downstairs."
"Yes, sir."
The young butler left quickly while the head butler began preparing the meal himself alongside one of the maids.
Unlike the others, he had served Rey long enough to understand his habits.
And right now…
That boy was definitely starving.
—
Upstairs.
Warm steam filled the bathroom.
Rey stood beneath the shower silently as hot water flowed down his body, easing the soreness buried deep within his muscles.
The exhaustion from the battle still lingered.
Not as painful anymore.
But as a heavy fatigue inside his bones.
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed outside the room.
Rey immediately recognised them and sighed helplessly.
A knock came shortly after.
"Sir, the head butler sent me to ask whether you require anything else."
Rey closed his eyes for a second before answering.
"No. I already prepared everything before entering."
Then he added:
"And is the food ready yet?"
"Yes, sir. It will be served once you come downstairs. Head Butler instructed us not to rush you."
"…Good."
The butler wisely left immediately afterwards without trying to insist on helping him again.
That alone improved Rey's mood slightly.
After remaining beneath the hot water for several more minutes, Rey finally stepped out and wrapped a towel around his waist.
His gaze unconsciously fell toward the marks on his body.
Four reddish scars.
One across each shoulder.
Two near his thighs.
The remnants of Raviel's blades.
His expression darkened slightly.
"Victor."
The spirit appeared lazily beside him.
"What?"
"Can these scars heal?"
Victor glanced at the wounds once before snorting.
"You seriously think my abilities are incapable of healing something this minor?"
Rey raised an eyebrow.
Victor crossed his arms.
"I left them intentionally."
"If your body completely regenerated overnight without leaving even scars behind, people would stop treating you like a genius…"
"…and start treating you like a research specimen."
Rey fell silent.
Victor continued calmly now.
"You still don't understand what your regeneration truly is."
"With enough mana and stamina, it can restore far worse injuries than this."
"Right now, you've barely scratched the surface."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"And after merging with your curse… even I don't fully understand where its limit ends anymore."
For the first time in a while, Rey's expression became serious.
Victor flicked his fingers casually.
"Anyway. Since you're worried about appearance so much…"
A faint pulse spread across Rey's body.
Immediately, a stinging sensation erupted from the scarred areas.
Rey's eyes widened slightly, in pain, as the flesh visibly regenerated before his eyes.
The red scars faded.
Then disappeared completely.
Smooth skin remained behind as if the injuries had never existed.
Victor smirked proudly.
"There. Happy now?"
"…That's absurd."
"You'll get used to it."
Victor vanished immediately afterwards.
Rey stared at his reflection in silence for a few moments before finally wearing fresh clothes and heading downstairs.
—
The moment he entered the dining area, the smell of food hit him directly.
And his stomach instantly growled.
A full meal had already been prepared across the table.
Not light food.
Actual food.
Rey almost felt emotional seeing it.
The head butler calmly instructed the servants to serve everything while Rey immediately sat down and began eating.
One plate.
Then another.
Then another.
The servants exchanged strange looks as the food disappeared at terrifying speed.
Yet strangely…
The portions ended almost perfectly.
Not too much.
Not too little.
Exactly enough to satisfy him completely.
The head butler watched quietly from the side with a knowing expression.
Rey finally leaned back slightly after finishing and let out a long breath.
"…That saved my life."
A faint chuckle escaped the older man.
"I'm glad it suited your appetite, Young Master."
Rey nodded sincerely.
"Thanks."
After resting for a short while, he stood back up.
"I'm going upstairs. Don't let anyone disturb me unless something important happens."
"Understood."
The servants naturally assumed he was finally going to rest properly after everything that had happened.
After all…
What else could someone in his condition even do?
But the moment Rey entered his room and closed the door behind him—
His expression changed completely.
Because deep inside the white space…
His spirits were already waiting.
And from the unusually serious atmosphere surrounding them…
Whatever came next—
Was not going to be simple at all.