23—8—1560 WC
"Just one more cast, Carl," Alberto insisted, his bright eyes gleaming with mischief. He wears a linen shirt and trousers. He stood at the edge of the dock, a fishing pole clutched in his hands.
"Your Highness—" Carl started, his voice laced with concern. The security chief was ever vigilant, his eyes scanning the horizon for potential threats, he adjusted his baseball cap to shield his brow from the sun.
"Just call me Al, for crying out loud!" Alberto said. "Understood"
Alberto was bored with his administrative work. So he came here to spend some time.
Carl sighed, his brow furrowing slightly. "But if anyone recognizes you—"
"Don't worry, Circe used illusion magic on my face so no one will recognize me here. "
"But still, Your Highness," Carl muttered under his breath, but a hint of a smile crept onto his face. He had known Alberto long enough to understand that once the emperor got an idea in his head, it was nearly impossible to dissuade him.
"See? I caught something!" Alberto exclaimed, tugging at the line with excitement. As he pulled up the hook, a small, silver fish flopped helplessly against the wooden dock. "Look at this beauty!"
"More like a minnow," Carl said, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "You might catch big ones with that."
"Huh! Let's do it" Alberto grinned, feeling a surge of joy as he opened the cooler and pulled out a sandwich. The sea breeze brushed against his face, and he took a deep breath, savoring the moment. "Carl,
Do you want to talk about something while we wait for the big one?"
"Hmm. What do you want to talk about?"
"Well I don't know what we should talk about either. But I've always had a question in my mind."
"What is it, Your Highness?"
"Carl," Alberto said, his voice laced with curiosity, "Where were you before I summoned you? Do you have any memories of your origin?"
"Eh... Umm... I have no idea about this," Carl admitted, his voice a bit sheepish. "My memories before you summoned me are hazy, like a dream fading. I don't pay attention to this. All I know is that my job is to serve you."
He looked up at Alberto, his expression earnest. "I exist to serve you, to help you achieve your goals. That's what matters."
Then They hear a loud shout. "Hey! You there!" A burly fisherman, sunburned and broad-shouldered, pointed at Alberto. "You think you can just show up in our town and catch all the fish?"
Alberto exchanged a glance with Carl, who was already shifting into protective mode. "Uh-oh," Alberto whispered, barely suppressing a grin. "Looks like I've ruffled some feathers."
Alberto asks the system to show him the status of this Man
A screen appeared in front of him.
—★—
Name: Alastor
Age: 45
Height: 5"6 (185.4 cm)
Weight: 180.8 lbs (82 kg)
Karma: 300
Occupation: Fisherman
Loyalty: 100%
Personal Attributes
Intelligence: D
Strength: E
Fishing Expertise : C
Navigator: E
Seafaring: D
Survival: D
—★—
"Hmm.... Not Bad. Also, his karma is 300. That means he is a good person," Alberto thought. He liked that despite his gruff exterior, the man seemed to be a decent person.
Carl was about to step forward, But Alberto raised a hand, a playful glint in his eye. "Relax, Carl. Let's see how this plays out." He turned back to the fisherman, tilting his head curiously. "What's got you all worked up, my friend?"
The fisherman crossed his arms, his expression a mix of annoyance and curiosity. "Ha! Who are you? And where did you get permission to fish here?"
Alberto feigned shock. "You mean we need a permit to fish here?!"
The man snorted. "Of course. Have you not seen that signage?"
They both looked in the direction the man pointed. They see a sign that says "Fishing is prohibited here without a license."
Alberto looked at Carl with an awkward smile "You should have noticed this?"
"But you're the one who came here," Carl retorted, a slight edge in his voice. "I told you there should be no fishing here. But you said this place is a good place for fishing."
Alberto scratched his head, feeling a flush of embarrassment creep up his neck. "Well, I wasn't really paying attention to the details. I just saw the sea and thought..."
The fisherman cut him off, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Thought you could just waltz in here and take our fish?"
"No, no! We're just tourists," Alberto hastily said, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "We're from the Capital and we've never seen the sea like this before. We just wanted to see it up close."
The fisherman eyed them skeptically, his arms still crossed. "Huh! See the sea? But you were stealing our fish!"
Alberto began to feel very embarrassed. He was the emperor of this country but here he is accused of stealing fishing.
Then he gets a message from the system
[Host, you don't need to be so embarrassed. Everyone in this country is your Summons. You can command this fisherman, and he will do it without hesitation. Because of the Hero Circe spell on you so he doesn't recognize you. But you can command him. Because you are the master. They cannot disobey your orders.]
'Hmm, that's right,' Alberto thought, a flicker of amusement crossing his face. 'Also, as the ruler of this country, everything in this country is mine. But I don't want to abuse my power.'
But his thoughts are interrupted by Carl.
"Sir, we are not thieves. We came from the capital to this place to gain new experience. We found it an interesting way to get a glimpse of fishermen's life. We actually have no intention of fishing. Also, We did not notice this signage. We apologize for that. Also, we will release the fish we caught back into the water if you wish."
The fisherman looked at their bucket, noting the small and big fish they had caught. "Hmm. Okay. I didn't call the police. I hope you will look at the signage before fishing anywhere again."
Alberto and Carl let out a relieved sigh. They had escaped the wrath of the vigilant fisherman, albeit with a few bruised egos. "Thank you, sir," Alberto said, bowing slightly. "We appreciate your understanding."
Alberto looks at Carl after the man walks away
"Well, that was a close call," Alberto chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm glad we didn't have to use our 'true identity' to get out of this situation."
Carl, with a slight smile, responded, "Indeed. Sometimes, a simple apology and a bit of honesty can go a long way."
Just then Alberto gets another message from the system
[Host, I hope you had a lot of fun. Now there is a new mission for you]
[Mission 45: Conquer the entire island]
"Conquer," he muttered, the word feeling strange on his tongue. History was filled with conquerors, men driven by ambition and greed. However, Alberto had only ever fought to survive, to protect.