"So I guess introductions are in order. My name is Lucas. What about yours?"
Zara's eyes began to tremble at the mention of his name.
Lucas couldn't be sure if it was because he had the name of a former hero, or if it was something else entirely.
"L-Lucas... as in the Legendary Hunter, Lucas Walker?"
Her voice shook with nerves, and that told Lucas everything he needed to know, this meeting wasn't a coincidence.
"Huh? Am I still famous? Even after all these years? How long has it been? Ten years? Maybe a bit longer?"
He wasn't exactly sure how much time had passed. He never kept track.
Days and nights blurred together while he was out hunting.
"Eighteen years and a handful of months since your disappearance…"
Her response surprised him. Either he had a holiday dedicated to his vanishing, or Zara had been keeping track.
"So… your name?"
"Uhm! Yes! I am Zara. I'm so happy to meet you!"
She realized she hadn't answered his question and corrected herself quickly with an honest answer.
"Oh? I don't think I'm such a great person that I deserve such an enthusiastic response."
She seemed a little shy at his reply but gathered herself swiftly. She adjusted her posture, took a deep breath in and out, and seemed to compose herself.
'Seems she's been educated in royal etiquette'
Even while sitting, her posture remained proper and formal. Her expression shifted from nervous and shy to neutral and composed but it had no effect on her undeniable beauty.
"If I may, I have a question. Actually, I have two questions currently and a few more after." she said, her tone now firm and formal.
"Legendary Hunter Lucas Walker—"
"Lucas is fine. No need for titles and stuff."
"Of course, Sir Lucas. Why exactly are you here? I don't mean your home, but rather—why are you living here?"
It seemed Zara had figured out this place was his home, but she didn't know why he had chosen it.
"Oh? No reason. I just find this place peaceful. It's also an amazing hunting ground. Plus, the landscape is beautiful."
"Peaceful… beautiful… hunting ground?"
Why had Lucas settled here, exactly? Even he wasn't sure. Maybe it was the silence. Maybe it was convenient. Or maybe… he simply felt like he belonged here.
"I see… then on to my second question. Sir Lucas, why did you leave the hero's party?"
"Oh, that? I thought you'd ask something more interesting. Why I left… That's because I had nothing else to do. Nothing left for me there."
His answer left Zara quiet. She had no idea how to respond.
"I did my job. I helped Noah. I killed the Demon King. I made sure everyone got home, and I made sure everyone had a home to go to."
He glanced at her, locking eyes.
"But in the end, I guess I was the only one without a home to go to. So that's why I left. I did my job and had nothing else to accomplish."
Zara remained silent for a while before softly muttering something.
"Do you… regret it?"
A smile bloomed on Lucas's face. Ignoring her question, he spoke.
"My turn! I get to ask two questions now, right?"
His sudden shift caught her off guard. She broke her formal posture slightly but recovered quickly.
"Of course. I will answer to the best of my abilities."
"Great! Now, first question! Miss Zara, why did you shoot at me?"
Again, she lost and then recomposed her posture.
"Uhm, yes. I apologize for that. I assumed you were either a monster, most likely a skin-walker or demon. I didn't recognize that you were the Legendary Hunter."
"Oh? And why's that?"
"My mother warned me about humanoid monsters before. Plus, this is the Frontier. And… your appearance…"
"Oh? Do I look like an ugly monster?"
"No! I meant… you look amazing and young. Perfect, to be exact. And the Legendary Hunter is a human who should age quickly, so I thought you would have… aged. I apologize for the rudeness."
Lucas smiled. He understood her clearly.
In the Frontier, where monsters of all types roamed, seeing a perfect-looking man standing alone in the forest would certainly raise alarms.
Honestly, if he had been in her shoes, he would have shot first too.
But Lucas had caught her in a small slip of information.
Currently, Zara was using illusion magic to mask her true appearance.
To the average person, even to most elite mages, she appeared as a human with red hair and dark eyes.
But to Lucas, whose perception wasn't fooled by illusions, he could clearly see through it.
The thing was, she didn't know that.
And she'd said "humans age fast," something a normal human wouldn't say.
"Oh? Human? Are you not human yourself?"
She froze. Clearly, he had caught her.
"Well, doesn't matter. It links to my second question. Why is the princess of the elven people here?"
Her expression twisted into shock. She could only mutter two words.
"Since… when?"
"Oh? Illusions don't work on me. The moment you took off your mask, I noticed your elven lineage."
With a quiet sigh of resignation, she deactivated her illusion magic. No more hiding.
This time, with no tricks or pretense, she greeted him with her true appearance and her true voice.
"I see… then let me properly introduce myself. I am Princess Zara Von Silver Wildflower."
"Then I, Legendary Hunter and Archer of the Hero's Party, greet Princess Zara Von Silver Wildflower."
Lucas didn't bow or kneel. His title of Hero placed him politically above even most royalty.
"No need to be formal or polite speech… in fact, I should be the respectful one here."
"Nah, no need," Lucas replied casually.
"So? What's the princess doing out here?"
"I came to meet you."
"I could guess that. Why exactly did you want to find me?"
Lucas already knew the answer, of course.
But where's the fun in spoiling it?
"I'm searching for my father… No. I'm not searching anymore." Her voice trembled.
"You, Lucas Walker, are my father."
The words hung in the air for a long moment, suspended like leaves caught mid-fall.
Lucas didn't move.
Didn't blink.
She'd said it.
And for the first time in a very, very long while, he felt something stir in his chest that wasn't silence, temper, or battle-readiness.
It was something closer to… awe.
Lucas had thought Zara would beat around the bushes and make a few excuses. He hadn't expected the direct approach.
Zara looked unsure, her cheeks slightly flushed, clearly anxious from her confession.
But her voice held conviction, certainty, and a quiet strength that came from years of waiting and preparing for this exact moment.
Ever since she found out who her father was in her mid teens, she had tried to prepare for this moment. She had imagine meeting him.
So many scenarios played for years within her head. How her father would look at his age. How he would react. How she would react.
What she didn't expect was that her father looked more handsome than the sculpture of him. She even felt a little dull looking around him.
Lucas, the Legendary Hunter, the Archer of the Hero's Party, the man who had fought countless monsters and survived for close to two decades in the Frontier alone… had no words.
At least, not yet.
So instead, he just gave her a slow, thoughtful smile.
Zara looking as she was holding back a dam of tears. Lucas finally spoke.
"...I see, let's hear your story."