"How is the war going?" A girl in dark crimson armor asked.

Beside her, kneeling in a servile manner was a figure wearing a dark green cloak. The figure rasped, "Princess, currently our armies are slowly pushing the Zorians back and we have already recaptured two cities."

The girl jumped onto a tree branch and swung her legs back and forth. She gritted her teeth and said, "If the only father would let me fight! I could at least take down a few of those Zorian bastards!" Some of her black hair flew in front of her face as a gust of wind blew. She clenched her fist even more and swiped the hair out of her face and said, "Instead... I am left as far back as possible. In fact, I couldn't even be further from the fighting!"

The kneeling figure rasped once more, "Princess Scarlet, the king has already told me that you must be protected. Would you rather become a hostage and be used against your country?"

Scarlet bit her lip, "Trust me, that won't happen; I would die before they could take me hostage. I just don't like sitting on the backlines doing nothing while everyone else is at least helping in some way."

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The kneeling figure looked at Scarlet, revealing a middle-aged man with a face riddled with scars.

He put a rough hand on her shoulder and said, "Well, we can't risk it. I don't like sitting on the backlines either, but protecting you has the same value as being on the battlefield."

The man smiled bitterly, "Scarlet, believe me, I thought that I would never be captured alive too. However, the Zorians have incredible healing abilities. I have heard that their best doctor could cure anyone of anything but death."

Scarlet raised an eyebrow, "So why not just try to kill yourself right before you were captured by them if you didn't want to be interrogated, Dunlas?"

Dunlas sighed, "I tried. Unfortunately, I did not die quick enough. At the time, I had a suicide pill that I ate as soon as I knew I was captured. Before it took effect, one of their soldiers fed me some pill that caused my suicide pill to lose effect." Dunlas stood up and looked out from the hill, revealing a muscular body under his black cloak. He turned back and gave a smile, "That's why I am here to make sure you don't make the same mistake. I already owe the Girid Empire too much."

Scarlet smiled back and jumped off the branch. "Could we at least move a tiny bit closer to the battlefield at least? We would still be on the back lines and I could probably see a lot more than on this tiny hill."

Dunlas opened his mouth to reply but he suddenly took his bow and rapidly shot an arrow towards the sky. Scarlet looked with shock in her eyes as a dead carrier pigeon, pierced with an arrow, landed right onto Dunlas' outstretched hand.