Kingdom of Gavaria
Royal Palace
0856 Hours

"Uhh..." Anthony mumbled. 'I'm starting to regret accepting the invitation...'

To say the least, the atmosphere around the dining table is very familiar to the Ranger, but it's on a much larger scale. The royal maids, butlers, and chefs prepared food in celebration of the return of the princess. The foods are enough to feed an entire battalion, he said in his mind. He felt out of place compared to the celebrations back in Fort Bonifacio.

What's making this worse is that he had already gathered lots and lots of attention because of the speech the king made earlier before the party started, which of course mentioned him and his deeds, on how he saved the Princess with his "magical weapon". Of course, the others were skeptical about this, but when the princess and Charlotte stated the truth, they all recognized him as the kingdom's savior, a nickname that he didn't like the slightest.

"Hey, you! Come on! Have a booze!" A villager called out to Anthony while raising his wooden cup.

"He's right, you know!" Another villager cuts in. "Come join us!"

"Sorry, but I have to be alert at all times!" He respectfully declined.

The villager laughed. "Spoken like a true soldier!"

He did manage to slip away from the crowd after a while. Now, he found himself wondering around the marketplace. It's your generic medieval marketplace — there's lots of fruits, vegetables, meat, and other stuff being sold on wooden shacks. There's also people with carriages and wheelbarrows roaming around. Come think of it, he doesn't how how currency works here. As far as he knows, they paid for either bronze, silver, or gold coins. Sure, he brought money with him, but he mostly have five peso and one peso coins along with a bunch of fifty and one hundred peso bills. As much as he hates to admit it, the bills are gonna be useless here.

'Thankfully my coat is long enough to conceal my weapon...' Anthony thought. He can't afford to show his rifle to others just yet, since he's still on guard. 'I need to get out of here as soon as possible.'

Charlotte approached him shortly after. "Hey, Anthony!"

The Ranger sighed. 'Ah, great.'

"Why are you all alone?" The female knight asked.

"I'd prefer not to be an attention magnet." He bluntly replied.

"What? You sav-" She was cut off when Anthony covered her mouth and puts a finger on his lips, gesturing her to keep quiet. She nods in understanding and lowers her voice. "You saved the princess and me! Why aren't you celebrating?"

"It's not the first time I saved someone, so it's nothing new to me."

"Huh... so you're a shy type!"

"Not really. I really just don't like being praised for something I do often."

"Hey, Anthony. How long have you been a soldier?" Charlotte asked. A common question by civilians.

"Five years." He said.

The female knight hummed and nodded. "No wonder. Say, can you fight without your weapon? As in like hand-to-hand combat?"

"I can." Anthony stated. "But, I usually don't engage that way. However, my fighting style is integrating both my weapon and hand-to-hand combat techniques to kill someone."

"Brutal." Charlotte commented.

Just then, he noticed a figure on the window, watching the people on the party. No, it's watching him. 'Who the fuck...'

He grips the handle of his rifle and switched it to semi-auto. Although the unknown individual didn't see his rifle in his coat, it felt that he noticed its presence and decides to leave.

"So you noticed her, huh?" Charlotte queried.

"Her?" Anthony echoed. So that potential attacker was a girl. "It's hard to ignore the feeling that you're being watched. I even grew eyes at the back of my head."

Charlotte looked at the back of his head. "I don't see any."

Anthony sighed. "I don't mean literally. When you've been in a battlefield for a long time, you need to be aware of your surroundings."

A knight soon approached the two. "Sir Anthony, madame Charlotte, King Arthur requests your presence at the war room."

"Got it. I'll guide him there. Thank you." Charlotte said. The knight bows, then left the two.

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

"Who was that girl?" Anthony brought up while he and Charlotte made their way to the war room, which was on the east side of the palace. The hallway they were walking in was your average medieval hallway, with a long red carpet on the middle and lamps on the walls as well as on the ceiling.

"Amara Galadriel, also known as 'Scarlet Saber'. She's the captain of the Imperial Crimson Blades. The Imperial Crimson Blades are elite assassins tasked to protect the members of the royalty, but they also conduct covert operations and recon missions, as well as sabotage, hostage rescue, and infiltration."

"If the Imperial Crimson Blades are tasked to protect the royal family, why was the Princess and you got kidnapped then? How did they bypass them?" Anthony asked Charlotte, pressing each question with more intensity.

"That's because we got ambushed. They used magic to kill the majority of the knights. We got caught off-guard by the sudden assault, so the defense we set up was disorganized and they managed to wipe us out." Charlotte explained. "Hell, even the Crimson Blades that came along with us got killed."

"Ambush really does suck." Anthony remarked. He understood that ambushes are one of the dangerous aspects of combat, especially when the combat takes place in thick jungles. "Wait, magic?"

"Yes. You didn't know that mages existed?" Charlotte asked in confusion.

'Shit.' Anthony mentally cursed. He quickly thought of an excuse and managed to come up with one. "Did you bring mages with you?"

"Yes. However, they were the first ones that got killed. Their necks and hearts got pierced with arrows. In addition, they placed traps in our path which made it hard for us to break through the ambush." Charlotte said. "They reallly did plan the attack very well."

"Or there's a mole in the palace." Anthony added.

The female knight raised her eyebrow. "Mole?"

"A traitor." Anthony said. "You really should keep your guard up, because the possibility of that is now high, especially that you're in a state of war. You never know when someone is going to stab you in the back."

"..." Charlotte remained silent after hearing his warning.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the war room. They both stood there in silence, staring at the darkened wood like statues. After a while, Anthony knocked on the door twice. The door then opened, revealing a knight. The knight greeted them both and lets them enter, then closed the door.

Inside the room, King Arthur, Queen Avryll, and Princess Angelica were waiting for their arrival. The princess quickly ran to her savior and hugged him. The queen giggles at the sight, while the king simply sighed and decides to let it slide for now.

Angelica pulled away, but her hands were still on Anthony's waist, and now wears a sad and confused face. "Why didn't you join the party? I looked for you all around the castle... Was the party not to your liking?"

"No, it's not that... I just don't like catching attention to myself." Anthony explained. "I do appreciate the gesture, Princess."

"Ahem." Arthur cuts in, prompting Anthony to place his hand on his chest and bow. "Take a seat, Sir Anthony, Charlotte."

They did what they were told, and sat on the vacant chairs. Angelica took the seat beside the Ranger. After a few moments, Arthur broke the silence.

"I haven't thanked you properly for saving my daughter, Sir Anthony." Arthur began. "You have done us a great service. And for that, I will reward you greatly."

Arthur snaps his fingers, and a knight carrying a chest immediately approached them and placed the said chest on the table. He then opens it, revealing a rather large amount of gold coins. All of them were glistening, as if they were polished to perfection.

"Wow..." Charlotte muttered.

Astonished, the Ranger asked them, "This much?"

The queen once again giggles at his reaction. "Of course. We can easily afford that much, and that is only a fraction of what we hold. Of course, we use it to improve the situation of our kingdom, that's why you never see someone begging on the streets. All have jobs and enough money to raise families."

'A country without poverty, where everyone is treated equally... Must be nice...' Anthony thought, remembering the situation back in his country.

"In addition to that, we have also decided to give you a house. It has all the necessities you need for a daily living." Angelica added.

"Huh? Isn't that too much?" Anthony questions.

Arthur simply laughed. "You saved our daughter, so we had to repay you accordingly."

Charlotte stood up and whispered in his ear. "It's rude to refuse a reward from a royalty, you know?"

"Do you perhaps want a whole town?" Arthur joked.

"Um... no! This would suffice. Thank you for the rewards, your majesty." Anthony expressed his gratitude as Charlotte went back to her seat.

"I would like to ask you some questions if you don't mind, Sir Anthony." Arthur said.

"If it's about my past, then I'm afraid I can't tell you much." Anthony replied.

"No, no. I won't pry on that." Arthur assured. He then gestures for the knights to leave the room, with them following the order. They left the room in an orderly fashion and closed the door behind them. "It's about how you rescued Angelica and Charlotte. What weapon did you use? My daughter said that it was really loud and instantly killed the bandits."

"I really can't hide it, can I?" Anthony said with a slight smile. No wonder he ordered the knights to leave. He then placed his M16A1 on the table, and all of their attention quickly shifted to the strange weapon in front of them. "This is my weapon."

"It looks strange indeed." Avryll remarked.

"It's my second time seeing this, but I still admire its beauty." Angelica quipped.

Anthony removed the magazine from the rifle and showed them the cartridges inside. "This is a cartridge. It launches these brown tips towards a target, and my weapon ejects the other half."

"How powerful is this?"

"It can easily pierce your armors." Anthony said without hesitation.

"It's true, your majesty. I saw the armored bandits falling down after being pierced in their chests with those 'cartridges', though we couldn't see the bullets themselves. They are too fast to be seen by the naked eye." Charlotte testified his claim.

Arthur nodded. "Can you show us the system of your weapon?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't. For now, at least. I can't afford to show this weapon to everyone else besides you. I'm also afraid of the possibility that there's a mole in your workers." Anthony elaborated.

"I see." Avryll mumbled.

"I understand your decision." Arthur said. "You're free to wonder around the kingdom whenever you'd like."

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

"So this is the place?" Anthony whispered as he looks at the sign of the blacksmith's shop. He hopes that a blacksmith could recreate a bullet, because his gun is his lifeline. He can fight without a gun, sure, but he doesn't know what kind of dangers he could face in this new world. And, his gun is like his wife. He can't leave her alone.

In terms of appearance, the blacksmith's shop is similar to the RPGs he would usually play on his freetime. And it looked pretty nice on the outside. He pushed the door open, and the bell rang half a second later. He enters the shop, removes his hood, and looks around for a bit. There were armors of various looks, swords, axes, daggers, knives, shields, and many more.

An old man soon came out from the door beside the counter. "Welcome, customer! What can I- Oh! You're the one who saved the princess! Sir Anthony, was it?"

Anthony sighed at the mention of his 'solo operation'. "It's nothing special."

The blacksmith laughed. "Come on, don't be so modest! You may have covered half of your face, but I still recognize that chin. I'm Baron, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Baron. Anyways, I have a request." Anthony pulls out a 5.56mm and a .45 ACP and placed them on the table.

Baron takes the cartridges and examines them, having the look of confusion on his face. "What are these?"

"They're called cartridges. I use them to make my weapon work." Anthony elaborated.

Anthony then begins to explain the parts of the bullet, their functions, and how they work in his gun, which of course involved showing off his weapons. And after thirty minutes of back and forth, the blacksmith agreed to take on his request. Next, he requested for a suppressor.

"Suppressor? What's that?" Baron asked in confusion.

"Since my gun is loud, it helps on minimizing the sound." Anthony explained. "Do you have paper?"

"Yep." Baron hands him a piece of crumpled paper, a feather, and a small ink jar.

Anthony then begins to draw the components of the suppressor and writes down the name of the materials and pointed each part with an arrow. It took him quite a while since he wasn't used in drawing or writing using a feather, but he managed.

"So this is a suppressor." Baron muttered, looking at the drawing.

Baron rolled the paper and said that a batch of bullets and the suppressor will be ready in five days. That's quite fast, but he wasn't complaining. Anthony payed the amount Baron requested in advance and leaves the shop, now going to the Guild. Then he realized something.

"I don't have a map." Anthony scolds himself for his carelessness. Map is one of the most important things he must have, yet he has none, and he needs to learn the geography of the new country he was in. He went back to the shop and asked for a map.

"Here." Baron hands him a rolled paper.

"How much?"

"It's on the house. Think of it as a freebie."

"Thank you."

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

Guild
1103 Hours

"Hmm..." Anthony scans the quest board, trying to find a suitable quest for him.

Behind him were adventurers of various classes, ranging from fighters, archers, mages, and berserkers. Typical guild, he thought. From the voices alone, he could tell that some were prideful, but not to the point that they are just acting like assholes. If he would be given a class, he would have a mix of fighter, marksman, and assassin. In his speculation, at least.

"Excuse me. Are you perhaps new here, mister?" A feminine voice came from behind.

The Ranger turns around, and was greeted by the sight of a orange-haired girl with red-colored eyes to match. She is shorter than him, and had a slim build. She wore a dark blue knee-level dress with white sleeves and a red necklace. To top it all off, she wore a simple black heels with ribbons.

"I am." Anthony said, glad that someone doesn't recognize him.

The girl smiled. "I see. Well then, if you're new here, then you first need to register to the guild in order to take on quests."

"I understand. Where's the registration area?"

"This way, sir."

The girl led Anthony to the counter. She went to the other side, then took out a registration paper. Anthony fills it out, and the guild girl then grabs a stamp and pressed it on the paper.

"You're registered!" The guild girl exclaimed. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I apologize. I'm Marigold. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

"You can take the quests now. Pick whatever you like."

Anthony heads to the quest board once again and looks for a suitable quest, until his eyes landed on a wild boar subjugation quest. He grabs the paper, folds it, and puts it on his pocket, before leaving the guild to complete his first quest.