Unknown Forest
2047 Hours

Anthony was carrying a torch in his hand, illuminating a bit of their surroundings. Behind him were the two girls he rescued, which he soon learned to live in the Kingdom of Gavaria.

The blonde-haired girl was the princess of the said kingdom - Princess Angelica Rousseau.

The female knight - Charlotte Eléonore, was the Princess' personal bodyguard and a friend of her's.

Behind the group was the carriage from the bandits, which they stole to escape their place and to avoid unnecessary encounters.

Charlotte was still a bit suspicious about Anthony who had rescued them from the bandits' grasp. She observed his equipment, eying him suspicously.

'His gear looked like it was simply made out of padded cloths, and not even a piece of metal armor was present anywhere in his body...' Charlotte thought to herself.

What catched the female knight's interest further is the metal thing he used to kill the bandits earlier without touching them. It was very effective, but it was producing a loud sound which can give away his position.

Angelica, on the other hand, was looking at the patch on his left arm. Although vague, she could still make out the details of the patch; a small rectangle with various colors - blue on the top, red on the bottom, a white triangle on the side, three stars, and a sun on the center.

The princess really wanted to ask some questions, but given the expression present on Anthony's face, she decided to ask him later if they managed to settle a camp.

"This place is fine." Anthony started, breaking the tense silence. "We can make a camp here."

Anthony gathered some branches and placed it onto a spot. He tossed the torch into the branches, causing it to light up quickly.

"You girls hungry?" He asked the two.

On cue, he heard a faint growl coming from the two, indicating that they really are hungry. The two girls flushed red and looked away from him.

Anthony placed down his bag and rifle to the ground. He then open his backpack and pulled out four bars of MREs. "Here."

Anthony gave the MREs to them. The girls accepted the foods, though they looked at MREs with great confusion, wondering on what it was and why was it placed around on a strange wrapping.

"What is this?" Charlortte asked.

"MREs." Anthony replied.

The two tilted their heads. "MR... What?"

Anthony sighed. "MRE stands for 'meal ready to eat'. I carry certain amounts of them. Don't worry, they're safe to eat and can give you lots of nutrition."

Charlotte and Angelica peeled off the wrapper and observed the MRE's texture with great interest. It was strange to them, though they didn't payed much attention to it and began on eating it.

"Mmm~" The girls moaned in satisfaction upon tasting the MREs.

"This is good..." Angelica remarked.

"Some MREs taste like shit, but you can't complain in a warzone." Anthony said, checking his rifle for any defects.

"Warzone? What do you mean?" Angelica inquired.

A flash of memory during his battle in Marawi suddenly came into his mind, causing him to froze in place. He snapped out of it and sighed. "...It's nothing. Carry on."

Charlotte, however, became more suspicious yet interested about the Ranger and his origins. She finished her food before asking him a question. "Who are you really, Anthony? Where did you came from?"

Charlotte's question caught Anthony off guard. He couldn't just blurt out that he died in his world and was mysteriously reincarnated here. It could or would spark more problems.

He has no choice but to lie.

"I came from a really far place." Anthony answered. "My place is riddled with problems, corruption, wars, and some were fighting over ideology. Who's on the good side or who's on the bad side, it will be the same - blood on both sides will be spilled. War never changes."

Charlotte and Angelica listened closely to him. They felt pain, sadness, regret, and anger in his words. They soon noticed that he was gripping his rifle very tightly, slightly trembling.

Anthony took a deep breath, allowing himself to calm down and continue. "Now that I've tell you my history, tell me yours."

"I grew up from a family of blacksmiths." Charlotte started. "I wanted to become a knight to serve my country, and to protect Princess Angelica. I soom became a captain after years of battling against many other knights."

"I see." Anthony said. "What about your kingdom?"

"We're actually at war with our neighbouring kingdom, the Kingdom of Nordevak." Angelica explained.

"Who started it?" Anthony questioned.

"Them." Charlotte said. "They wanted to conquer our territory. They began their assault a few days ago, but they were pushed back after a bloody battle."

"Still, don't be too overconfident and underestimate them." Anthony warned.

"Are you going to join us?" Angelica proposed.

"...I don't know." Anthony responded with a sigh. He picked up his rifle and stood up. "You two get some sleep. I'm gonna guard you two for the night."

"A-Are you sure?" Angelica asked in concern.

Anthony nodded. "Yeah. I can stay away awake for the night. Get some rest, Princess. I'm gonna get you girls home tomorrow."

====================

Unknown Forest
0820 Hours

Angelica yawned and stretched her arms. She rubbed her eyes for a bit and glanced to the side, only to find a half-naked Anthony doing push-ups on the side.

Charlotte was already awake, her face flushing bright red at the sight of his body. Although she was embarrased, she couldn't take her eyes off him.

The princess also flushed red, her eyes locked onto the fine specimen in front of her.

"99... 100..." Anthony mumbled between grunts. He stood up and exhaled, feeling the sweat run down to his arms and torso. "Alright, I'm ready."

"S-Sir Anthony... Did you sleep last night?" Angelica querried, her eyes still glued to his muscular back.

"I did sleep in midnight after making sure no one tries to sneak in while you two were asleep." Anthony reassured. "Let's go. Wouldn't want to keep your parents waiting."

====================

Anthony was riding on the horse, wearing a brown cloak he found in the carriage. It was helpful to cover half of his body and conceal his equipment, though his face could still be seen since the hood part of the cloack is not big enough for him.

Charlotte and Angelica were inside the carriage, both finally relieved to be back home. The princess and the female knight were talking something about marriage and family, but Anthony couldn't make it out due to the bumpiness of the road, which caused noises on the wagon.

After a few moments, the three had finally arrived in front of a gate. The knights who were guarding the castle immediately went on alert, but they didn't drew their swords yet.

They're cautious. Anthony understood the gesture, since they were at war with the opposing kingdom.

"Who are you? What is your business in here?" One of the knights called out.

"It's us!" Angelica replied. "Open the gates so we may come in."

The two knights who were guarding the gate gasped in surprise upon hearing the voice of their princess.

"C-Call the other knights! Inform the King and Queen! The Princess is here!" The second knight shouted in disbelief.

The wooden gate soon opened with a loud creak, allowing for the carriage to enter the inside of the fortress.

As the carriage continued its slow pace on the road, the civilians slowly came out of their houses to witness the return of their Princess. Angelica peeked out of the carriage and waved at the civilians, causing them to cheer, all happy to see her back.

Anthony stopped the carriage in front of the palace entrance and jumped off from the horse, landing against the ground with a thud. He then walked to the back of the carriage and escorted the Princess back to the entrance.

As soon as Angelica and Anthony got back to the front of the castle, the door suddenly bursted open, startling him and the Princess.

"Angelica!" A woman in a white dress called out and ran to Angelica.

"Mother!" Angelica called back.

The two then hugged each other in joy. Anthony watched the scene with a sad smile smile, remembering his family back in Manila as the images of his mother, father, and his older sister flashed in his mind.

Angelica broke the hug with the woman. "I'm back, mother."

"I'm so glad you're safe, Angelica." A voice belonging to a male said.

Angelica gasped. "Father!"

Angelica ran towards the male wearing a crown and royal outfit and hugged him. The two soon broke the hug as the male glanced at Anthony.

"Who is he?" The male asked.

Angelica giggled. "That man over there is Sir Anthony. He's the one who saved us from the bandits."

"Bandits? You were not captured by the enemy soldiers?" The woman asked in confusion.

"No." Angelica shook her head.

"I see." The woman nodded and looked at Anthony. "I am Avryll, the queen of this kingdom."

"And I am Arthur, the king of this kingdom." The male introduced himself. "I thank you for saving my daughter, Anthony."

Anthony nodded. "I only did the right thing."

"May I invite you inside, Anthony?" Avryll offered.

Anthony nodded again. "It'll be my pleasure."