Eye Opener

It had been two days since the execution of the Black Talon group and its leader. But that event would forever be etched in the history of the Kingdom as the day a noblewoman of the realm had been assassinated in broad daylight before a whole crowd.

It would later be revealed that the slain Baroness Sinis had been the true mastermind behind the atrocities committed by the Black Talon group, had conspired with demons to bring about the destruction of the kingdom and bring about the return of the Demon Lord.

The official statement from the Royal Palace was that they had issued an official order to bring the Baroness to justice, dead or alive. And while the King’s law masters had debated at length on how best to deal with a noblewoman with such power, someone made the bold decision to issue an official bounty for her head. It was the Princess, after seeing all the evidence that had been piled against the Baroness, who gave her signature and seal to allow immediate actions to be taken against the traitorous Sinis.

The rest had happened so fast that most people were coming up with rumors and gossip which led many people to believe that the demons had grown fed up with the Baroness’ arrogance and saw her slain. A few thought that it must’ve been remnants of the Black Talon who decided to take revenge on their former sponsor.

In the end, only a handful of people knew the truth… the Summoned Hero, Richard Wolf was the one who assassinated the Baroness.

On the night of the third day after the incident, Princess Alice was talking with her father about the aftermath of these actions. To her surprise, the King wasn’t at all upset or angered by the actions she had taken. He was actually proud that she had moved decisively against a traitor to the crown and the people of their realm.

“Let this be a lesson, Alice. As royals, most people only see us as figureheads. That our only advantage above the nobles or the commoners was being born from someone of royal blood. We must show, from time to time, that when we take action, it is done without hesitation and without issue. Our power is in the capability we have to move things and make things happen where others cannot.”

She was still learning such harsh lessons. It was too much for her young mind to keep up with all these changing paradigms. There were so many unanswered questions and every one of them led her to one person: the World Traveller, Richard Wolf.

After she had her dinner with her father, she retired for the evening to try and rest. After her maids had helped her change into her night gown and was now alone in her room, she slipped into her bed and sighed heavily.

There were still so many things she didn’t understand… so many things she needed to look into. The Guild Master and the receptionist Alana had informed her that the bounty she’d signed had been completed but the reward wasn’t collected. Which meant that the Outlander had left the realm as soon as he had finished his job of slaying the Baroness.

She questioned if she had made the right choice in summoning him…

While she was pondering this, she suddenly caught the smell of cigarette smoke. Sitting up in her bed, she looked around and saw that there was someone sitting alone in the shadows on a chair. The dim light of the cigarette brightening with a puff revealed to her that it was the World Traveller that had entered her chambers!

“There’s no need for fear or calling out for your guards, Child. I’m only here to talk before I leave for good.” The Bounty Hunter leaned forward so that the moonlight revealed his hardened features.

Princess Alice wasn’t so bothered by the potential danger the Outlander posed, but rather the absolute outrageous lack of decorum of invading the royal Princess’ bedroom while she’s going to bed!

“What in the Gods’ name are you doing here!? Did you not have enough fun when you ridiculed me after the summons or our meeting? Or the fact that you USED me to make it legal for you to kill Baroness Sinis?!”

The World Traveler stood up, picked up the chair he was using and walked closer to the Princess. Her fear mounted in her chest seeing her “Summoned Hero” staring down at her without sympathy or remorse in his eyes. He simply put his cigarette away and sat down near her where she could see him.

“You need to get over that quickly, Child. You, of all people, have no right to judge me when I move things in order to do my job. Or, haven’t you forgotten why you summoned me to this world in the first place? You were hoping I would just do what you told me, go and kill the Demon Lord and go home happy. Right? How is that any different from what I did?”

Princess Alice was taken aback by the comment made by the World Traveller. Then it dawned on her what he really meant: She had summoned him so that he could defeat the Demon Lord and restore peace in the land. When she thought about it, she herself had intended to use the Summoned Hero to solve the issue with the Demon Lord. When the realization showed in her face, Richard took off his hat and leaned back on the chair.

“This is a lesson that everyone in a position of power must learn, Child: You will use people and people will try to use you to achieve their goals. Royals use Heroes to slay Demon Lords, Nobles use peasants to increase their power, Adventurers use the Guild to earn fame and glory, and corrupted Baronesses will use adventurers, demons, the other nobles and the people to feed their own sick little appetites to control others and debase themselves. I told you when you summoned me here, that I would do things my way to finish the job and I will use everything at my disposal to do so. Even if people end up hating me for it.”

The more the Summoned Hero spoke, the more his words made Princess Alice realize how naive she still was… In truth, he was right in seeing her as a mere child playing at being a princess in a world where such dark plots and evil schemes were the norm on a daily basis. In truth, if he hadn’t used the Guild Master and the receptionist to get an audience with her, and them using her to make it legal for the Baroness to be hunted down, then the Baroness would have ran free to use others until such time as the Outlander killed her out of spite and be seen as a criminal in the eyes of the Kingdom of Alcainez. If he hadn’t done this, a much worse outcome might’ve occurred…

“What will you do now, Mr. Wolf? The Guild Master told me you did not collect the reward for the Bounty. Are you not going to honor the tenets of the bounty request I was forced to sign myself?” Princess Alice now looked at the Outlander with a mixture of reproach as well as a childish need to prod the person she had summoned herself.

“That money will go towards Grove’s family. He’s the one who sent a request to the Guild to kill the Baroness and supplied us with all the evidence we needed against her. Despite all the wrong things he did and all the people he hurt, he did it all for the sake of his sister and mother in order to keep them out of poverty.”

Princess Alice was surprised by the revelation of the infamous leader of the Black Talon group doing all this for the sake of his family. She could see in the eyes of the Bounty Hunter that he had some conflict with this decision, but he didn’t voice it. She had made many wrong assumptions of the situation.

“Well, as to what I’m gonna do now? I’m gonna leave this country and probably never return to it.” Putting his hat back on and standing up, he stretched his arms and rubbed his shoulder for a moment.

“What? Leaving? But… What will happen to this country without the Summoned Hero? What if the Demon Lord’s minions try to get a foot inside our realm? Will you simply abandon us?” Princess Alice reached out to grab one of his hands and realized how rough the texture was. Almost like granite against the silken touch of her hand.

“You don’t need a Summoned Hero to protect your Kingdom, Princess.” She noticed this was the first time he ever called her Princess. He’d always ridicule her by calling her “missy” or “child”. “What you need to do is strengthen your resolve. Step out of the castle and listen to the people around you. Sponsor more support for the Adventurers Guild and advise the King on what you’re doing. I’ve served a few royals in the past and they all gained valuable experience from doing this, both the good and the bad.”

The World Traveller then crouched so he could see her straight in the eye. For a moment, she caught herself blushing with this action. But she also saw in his eyes a steely gaze of determination. He took her hands in his and spoke softly to her.

“One day, you’re gonna be a Queen. You gotta open your eyes, Princess. The World isn’t all black & white. The sooner you realize this, the wiser you’ll become.”

After he released her hands, she kept watching him as he stepped back into the shadows and lit another cigarette. She noticed him gesturing at something in his ear making his communication magic circle appear.

“Quick Transport: back to camp. One way. See you around, Princess.”

Another man-sized magical circle appeared behind Richard who stepped into it. After he tipped his hat to the Princess, the circle closed and left her completely alone again. She climbed off her bed and went over to where the Outlander had vanished from and didn’t see anything else. Only the scent of his cigarette lingered in the air.

Feeling a certain weight lifting from her chest, the Princess went to her window and looked at the moon for a moment. The World Traveller had told her that she needed to open her eyes and accept things exactly as they were, not how she thought they were. For the first time, she really thought of the prospect of becoming the Queen in the future. As all children do, she believed that her father would live forever and he would always be the King. But that was just a childish fantasy, much like the Summoned Heroes she’d dreamed of when she was little.

“I need to grow up. I need to stop being a child and become the true Crown Princess.” Making a silent vow to herself and to the moon, she promised herself to become the person this country needed. She also mentioned a whispered thank you towards Wolf, who had opened her eyes to the truth. “May you complete your task unharmed, O’ Rude Hero.”

Having said those last words, she giggled to herself like a child, but also held an honest smile for the Summoned Hero.

~~Well well! Seems my Lover Boy finally finished his job in that country!

Good riddance too! That old hag was trying to sink her dirty claws on MY man? Hah! She never saw that bullet coming until it was too late! Serves her right!

The realm of Alcainez will be safer now thanks to you, Lover Boy. That little Princess better make use of your lessons and grow up to be a good Queen! With luck on her side, she might even be the greatest monarch in their history. IF she’s lucky… IF I allow it… hehehe!

Now we’ll have to see where my Lover is heading to! And while I may not like what his next destination is, I’m sure he’ll get something he’s in dire need of.

Just don’t forget about me, Richard!

See you next time! This was your favorite Lady Luck!

Kisses from the Goddess of Fortune!

Buh-bye!~~