The evening Sun hung low in the air. Augusta and I were walking back to King Casimir Academy. I let out a deep sigh as I gazed out at the horizon. It seemed our talk with Frederic took longer than I thought it did. Though a lot of that was getting to his private room.

  "Sorry, Augusta. It looks like this day was a bit of a wash," I said.

  "It's fine, Dante," she replied, her voice calm.

  Augusta put a hand on my shoulder.

  "I needed today," the girl stated. "I needed it more than I knew. Even if it didn't go well at the end, you still helped me a lot."

  She looked away.

  "Even if I failed to help you," Augusta said.

  Panic flashed through me.

  "Don't worry about it, Augusta! Even if my memories never come back, it might end up being better that way," I assured her.

  She shook her head.

  "I don't think so," Augusta stated. "No matter how painful your memories are, they are yours."

  At that point, I looked away from Augusta. I felt nausea well up.

  "But...what if they changed who I was? What if I'm only the person I am because I don't have my memories? What if I'm a worse person with them?" I asked.

  I felt Augusta pat my head.

  "You have your memories of the time you spent with me and your other friends here. I don't think you'd lose them if you got your old memories back. Wouldn't those help?" she questioned.

  "Maybe. But maybe not," I said. "That might just be wishful thinking. It might even be naive. If the worst happens..."

  A sickening feeling welled up inside of me. There were little hints of it here and there, but I didn't want it to be true.

  "...we might even be enemies if I got my memories back," I stated.

  Augusta grabbed my shoulders. She forced me around until I was facing her. I expected Augusta to be mad, or at least have a stern look on her face. Instead, she was coated with an expression of complete empathy.

  "Dante, I will never be your enemy," Augusta said.

  She pulled me close. I felt her arms wrap around me in a strong hug. If I wanted to get out, I couldn't. And I didn't even want to.

  "If your memories make you a monster, I will pull you back to the light. If you are an enemy of my homeland, I will make peace with you. If you are an enemy of me personally, we're going to spar until you're satisfied. No matter what your memories returning means, Dante, I will help you," Augusta promised.

  I remembered some of Millia's words, ones that she said to me a few weeks ago. Then, I embraced Augusta. A great warmth spread through both of us. My first impressions were right.

  Augusta was the coolest character in the Duke's Duplicity. And she was the coolest person I knew.

  "Thank you, Augusta," I replied. "You're an amazing badass."

  With that, Augusta parted the hug. She looked at me with a confused expression on her face.

  "I'm an amazing...evil donkey?" she asked.

  "It's an expression. I don't remember where I got it from," I waved it off.

  Then, I let a mischievous grin appear on me. A chuckle escaped my mouth.

  "Of course, you did carry me earlier. Donkeys do carry big loads," I said.

  Augusta poked my arm.

  "Dante, you have no body fat. And your muscles are a martial artist's. If you're a big load, you're more like a stallion than a walrus," she replied without emotion.

  I nodded.

  "A stallion, you say? Don't princesses ride horses?"

  With that, I reached down and grabbed Augusta's legs. I picked them up before placing her over my shoulders. She could have easily stopped me if she wanted to or just jumped off. Instead, Augusta crossed her legs over my chest.

  "Onward, my noble steed. Though someday, you shall ride me," Augusta said.

  As I started walking, I chuckled.

  "I already did that, Augusta. You carried me earlier today, remember?" I asked.

  The girl started patting my head as she rode on my shoulders.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  "Yes, I did," Augusta stated in an emotionless voice. "And Dante, how are things going with the game you've been making?"

  Right, that.

  "I've been working a bit on it after class. I haven't gotten to show Millia yet, but with four players, I have a full party," I said.

  "A party like a celebration or a war party?" Augusta questioned.

  That was easy to answer.

  "It's a war party," I replied. "The game isn't like anything this world has seen before. You play it with dice, but you pretend to be another person, someone you aren't. So, it's a bit like a play mixed with a dice rolling game."

  "And the characters are part of a war party?" she asked.

  I resisted nodding out of fear of touching somewhere inappropriate on Augusta.

  "Yes," I answered. "I'm thinking of calling the game, Oubliettes and Ogres. Because you go into oubliettes to fight ogres and other monsters."

  "Dante, I think your memory loss is worse than we thought. Why would you need to fight a monster in an oubliette? Just leave it there to starve. And what's an ogre, anyway?" she said.

  Ah, yes, people of this world actually know what oubliettes and dungeons and similar things are. So, I don't think the concept of going into a prison to fight monsters would make much sense for them.

  "It seems I will need to think about my game more," I started. "And an ogre, think of it as a human-eating monster. Big, fat, and stupid. Sometimes green."

  "They sound disturbing," Augusta said.

  "They kind of are," I agreed.

  At that point, we were getting closer to the campus. I didn't want to embarrass Augusta. So, I put her off my shoulders. She started walking by my side after that.

  "So, Augusta, did you get wilderness gear yet?" I asked.

  The girl tilted her head.

  "Wilderness gear?" she questioned.

  "Yes, for the upcoming school trip," I said.

  Where I will fight the first boss by myself.

  "I didn't know they made gear for the wilderness," Augusta replied.

  My jaw dropped to the ground.

  "Even for a sheltered princess, that's...umm..." I couldn't put my thoughts into words.

  "I'm not sheltered," Augusta said with her cool voice. "My parents sent me alone into the wild many times for training."

  "Did they give you a shelter, a spear to hunt with, anything?" I asked.

  Augusta shook her head.

  "If I wanted a spear, they told me I could make one," she answered.

  Anger started to well up in me.

  "Did they at least tell you how to make a spear?"

  "Why would they?" Augusta questioned.

  I let out a deep groan and placed a hand on my forehead.

  "Augusta, if I ever meet your parents, I'm going to kill them," I said.

  Recalling how Augusta might not understand analogies, I quickly spoke again.

  "Not literally. Just metaphorically."

  "Darn," Augusta stated. "I was getting my hopes up."

  At that point, we'd arrived at the gates to King Casimir Academy. I stepped through and turned my gaze to the boys' dorms. They were on the other side of the campus from the girls' dorms, to prevent any...well, it's obvious what they were trying to prevent. A bunch of teenagers of opposite sexes in the same area, far away from their parents, is a recipe for nighttime interactions. The sort that result in unwanted pregnancies.

  "Well, goodnight, Augusta. I'll see you tomorrow," I said.

  I started to walk away, just to hear her voice.

  "Not just yet," she replied.

  Stopping, I turned to face her.

  "What is it, Augusta?" I asked.

  "There are some other things I want to talk to you about," Augusta stated. "First..."

  She hesitated before speaking again.

  "...you heard about the school tournament before, right?" the girl questioned.

  "I haven't," I replied.

  "It's coming up in a few months, and I'm not entering," Augusta said. "I want you to win it, Dante."

  This was unacceptable.

  "No, no, no, that's not right," I stated. "Don't hold yourself back for my sake. Go in and win the tournament."

  Augusta held up a hand.

  "That's not what I mean, Dante. In the old days, before mercenary companies were the face of warfare, warriors called knights were the champions of their lords," she said.

  "I know that. I don't remember my own past, but I remember history at least a little bit," I replied.

  "Well...did you ever read any...chivalric romances?" Augusta spoke with some hesitation.

  Like King Arthur stories? I recall the contents of some of them, like the time King Arthur threw a hand grenade at a rabbit.

  "I'm aware of the basics," I said.

  A moment of silence passed between us. Augusta's cheeks heated up a bit.

  "Did you want me to enter in secret like some kind of black knight?" I asked.

  "No," Augusta shook her head. "Just never mind. Instead, read the story of Tristopher and Marigold."

  "Okay. I'll read it sometime," I stated. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

  Augusta took a deep breath. She then looked me straight in the eyes.

  "Dante, I love sparring with you. Every moment of it is so fun. Even in the rare times when I lose, I feel proud that you defeated me and happy that I know you," the girl said.

  "I love sparring with you, too," I replied.

  Augusta then held up a hand, raising a single finger.

  "But I don't want to do just that. I want to fight alongside you, not just against you," she stated.

  "You already did, against the Soles," I pointed out.

  Augusta shook her head.

  "You'd already lost that fight when I arrived. We weren't fighting alongside each other, not truly," the girl said. "So, Dante, if you're getting in a fight soon, please tell me. I want to be by your side."

  I tried to lie, to tell her that I wasn't going to fight anything. But I couldn't bring myself to. So, I settled for something else.

  "Augusta, I don't think other people should put themselves in danger for me. It would be better for me to get hurt than for someone else to. Unless that person is a jerk," I said.

  "But if I was involved against most opponents, you wouldn't have to get hurt. I wouldn't either," Augusta replied.

  Letting out a deep breath, I gave her a look of sympathy. She really had come to care for a worthless person, hadn't she? But I couldn't let Augusta take any risks for my sake. I couldn't ask any of my friends, or even Millia, to do that.

  "Augusta, you need to value yourself more. Right now, you're showing me that you think your value is less than zero," I said.

  Then, the girl's expression turned dark.

  "I knew it," she stated.

  "Knew what?" I asked.

  "You're not happy. At least, not deep down," Augusta answered.

  She pointed at my mouth.

  "Your smiles are hiding deep pain," the girl said.

  I scoffed.

  "How could you possibly think that, Augusta?" I questioned.

  "You said that by wanting to protect you, I thought my value was less than zero," Augusta said. "You don't need to think you're less valuable than someone to not want them to get hurt, but you know that. Then, just how worthless do you think you are?"

  Silence overtook the area. The sun had set below the horizon, plunging us into night. I clenched my hands into fists, crushing them so hard they turned white.

  "Augusta, I am not having this conversation with you," I stated.

  "Please, just answer my question," she begged. "Dante, what do you think of yourself?"

  Tears started to leak through Augusta's eyes. I couldn't bear to look at them, so I turned away. Augusta would only hurt herself by going down this path, by caring too much for someone like me.

  I would not let her do it.

  "Goodnight, Augusta. I will see you tomorrow," I said.

  With that, I left for the boys' dorm.

  My Patreon