Up to this point, every bonding event started on a free day. Or, in the terms of my old world, a weekend. Robert's second one was different. Immediately after physical education ended, as I was picking up the bits of the training sword Augusta had shattered, he approached me.

  "Dante," Robert said. "Come with me. I need your help with something."

  I nodded.

  "Okay, Robert," I replied.

  After a moment of hesitation, I followed it up with:

  "Are you alright with Augusta coming too?"

  Robert scoffed. For a moment, I was worried. But then he spoke.

  "Of course, I am. Knowing what you're like, I'd insist on it."

  This gave me the impression that he didn't trust me to not get myself killed. I couldn't blame him, even if I didn't think that Augusta should protect me. But she'd just follow me anyway if I told her to not go.

  Turning to my girlfriend, I spoke.

  "Augusta, are you okay with this?"

  "Yes, Dante," she gave me a single nod.

  And with that, after I finished my cleanup, Robert led us out of the room. We walked down a hallway. The boy kept looking over his shoulder as we moved. When we were in an area no one else was, he spoke.

  "I found a strange symbol," Robert said. "And I was hoping you could help me identify it, Dante."

  With awkwardness, I rubbed the back of my head.

  "I'll see what I can do. But remember, I have amnesia, so I might not be very helpful," I replied.

  "Just do whatever you can," the boy stated. "The symbol's probably nothing anyway."

  After leaving the main school building and going to a smaller structure next to the boys' dorm, Robert opened a side door. Inside was a literal broom closet. A musty smell wafted from it into my nose. Robert pushed some of the brooms out of the way, revealing an image painted into the ground.

  It depicted a circle with a half-circle coming out of it. Lines picturing rays of light came from the half-circle, and a drawing of a woman was between it and the sphere.

  "I don't remember seeing anything like this before," I said.

  The sound of jumping came to my ears. I looked up and saw Augusta slightly above me in the air. Augusta's face was usually emotionless. Now, it had a massive 'oh shit' look on it.

  Less than a second after I heard Augusta land, I felt her hand clench my arm hard. She pulled my boy back, stopping me when I was right next to her chest. Panic flashed through my girlfriend's eyes.

  Seeing just how unsettled Augusta was made me worried about her. It also made me incredibly nervous. This could not be a good sign.

  "Robert, when did you find this?" Augusta asked.

  Her voice radiated dread.

  "This morning. I was looking for a broom to clean my room, and I noticed it," he answered. "No one really uses this building, so I thought someone might be up to something."

  As Robert spoke, he looked at Augusta. I saw his body shiver as if nervousness was infecting him like a disease.

  "Do you know what it is?" the boy questioned.

  "Yes," Augusta entered without hesitation but with fear. "It is the symbol of the worst of all antigods, a true monster who is prophesied to turn the world to ash: Surtr."

  Robert turned pale with fear. He slowly backed away from the symbol

  "Surtr? What the fuck? I thought he was just a legend!" the boy said.

  What? How can something like an anti-god be a legend? That was...

  "Out of all the anti-gods, Surtr is the only one that is thought to be purely theoretical. Many people even think the prophecy is doomed to fail. But Surtr's cult wants to create her more than anything else," Augusta replied. "And to bring an end to the world."

  Well, that wasn't good. To put it mildly.

  "So, there's some sort of doomsday cult in the school?" I asked.

  "The worst doomsday cult. They are very powerful," Augusta cautioned. "In Calavon, they've even infiltrated the highest ranks of nobility, killing anyone who resisted them."

  Fuck.

  Robert looked absolutely disturbed.

  "I don't like nobles, but this...that's just horrible," he shivered. "How many of them were...killed?"

  Augusta kept her gaze away from us. She must have felt a great deal of pain about this, seeing as Calavon was her homeland.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  "Most nobles don't know about this infiltration. Those who found out and tried to fight back are buried in shallow graves. There weren't many, but there were enough," she said.

  "Alright, we have to do something about this," I clapped my hands together. "Before they can hurt anyone."

  Robert stopped shaking. A slight smile crossed his face.

  "That's a monster hunter for you. Not afraid of anything," he said.

  Oh, I was absolutely fucking terrified. But wallowing in fear wouldn't help anyone. And we had to solve this ourselves. I didn't know if any of the teachers were part of this cult or not. Considering how they were capable of infiltrating the nobility of Calavon, at least some of the instructors probably were.

  "There's something I'll need to know before we investigate," I stated. "A crucial piece of information."

  Augusta gazed at me in utter silence. Then, my girlfriend took a deep breath. She gave me a single nod. Determination welled up in her face.

  "Alright, Dante. I will tell you anything you need to know," she said. "Even if it's painful."

  "What's an anti-god?" I asked.

  Augusta and Robert alike went from terrified to dumbstruck.

  "The amnesia took more than I thought," the latter stated.

  "Did it?" now, Augusta looked incredibly concerned. "Do many commoners know what anti-gods are?"

  Robert struggled to contain a look of bafflement.

  "Every church teaches it," he said.

  Grimacing, Robert placed a hand on his chin.

  "Come to think of it, I haven't seen you at church, Dante. You either, Your Highness," the boy spoke.

  Robert shook his head before I could think of an excuse.

  "That's not important right now. Augusta probably has noble church or something," he speculated. "Right, anti-gods. Umm..."

  An awkward expression crossed Robert's face.

  "...you know what anti means, right?"

  "It basically means opposite," I said.

  "That is one definition," Augusta confirmed. "Another is 'in opposition to'."

  "And that should tell you most of what you need to know about the anti-gods," Robert stated.

  This didn't explain as much as Robert thought it did.

  "So, if someone hates the gods, they're an anti-god?" I asked. "Or are they a specific sort of being?"

  Robert grimaced. Augusta's face had turned stoic again.

  "Okay, I guess it didn't tell you enough," Robert admitted.

  "Anti-gods and gods are not fundamentally different creatures, like humans and gods or humans and animals are," Augusta spoke up. "Deities and anti-gods are, in fact, the same race."

  That was pretty disturbing.

  "So, anti-gods are gods?" I asked.

  "No. No. No. They are not gods," Robert shook his head.

  "But they're the same being as gods?"

  "I...they are. But they're not gods. Anti-gods are defined by being enemies of the gods."

  At that point, I think I started to understand it.

  "So, a god isn't something that you are like how a human is," I spoke. "God is more of a title like king or lord?"

  "Not...exactly," Robert let out a deep sigh. "Gods, I wish we had a priest here."

  Augusta spoke up again.

  "Dante, gods and anti-gods are part of the same category of entities. There is no formal name for that category. Some people call them the divine race, but they do not work exactly like humans, huldenfolk, or other races. So, that is not a good name."

  I nodded.

  "Alright, I'm starting to understand," I said.

  "Good," Augusta continued. "Gods protect and guide humans. Anti-gods want to enslave or destroy humanity. Some anti-gods want to destroy the world. That is the difference between them."

  This explained everything. Augusta seemed pretty familiar with gods and anti-gods, too. Considering how she's a princess, she probably had a much better education from royal tutors than Robert. Then again, from what I know of her parents, she might have heard it in a drunken rant.

  Then, a horrifying idea came to me. Maybe Augusta knew this because her parents were part of the Cult of Surtr? That...I didn't want to think about it, and there wasn't anything I could do if they were. So, I pushed that thought to the side for now. Augusta would tell me eventually if they were anyway.

  "Alright, let's stop these cultists," I said.

  I took a step towards the symbol on the ground. Augusta let go of me. Kneeling before the mark, I examined the cult's sign with incredible care. Then, I tapped my hand against it. An echo came from below.

  "Ah! There's a space down here!" I smiled.

  Robert leaned in.

  "Are you sure?" he asked.

  "Yes. It could just be a crawl space," I answered. "But it's worth taking a look just in case there's a trapdoor around here."

  Augusta's voice flowed into my ear.

  "Dante, there's something I need to warn you about," she said.

  I stopped dead in my tracks. Turning to my love, I saw the calm expression on her face. But there was a flicker of worry in her eyes.

  "What is it, Augusta?" I wondered.

  "The cultists are humans," she said.

  So they were.

  "Yeah, but they're trying to end the world," I replied. "That means they're evil and we should kill them, right?"

  Augusta gave me a single nod. The rest of her expression was grim.

  "Yes. The Cult of Surtr should be destroyed down to the last man. They are monsters," the faintest hints of hatred flickered in her voice.

  "Then, what's the problem?" Robert asked.

  Augusta kept her attention on me, even as she addressed Robert's question.

  "Even if the cultists are evil, they are still humans. Dante, have you killed a human before?" she wondered.

  "Not that I remember," I said.

  Augusta reached up and patted my head. It felt comforting.

  "For some people, killing a human is different from killing something that isn't human. Even if the human deserves it, even if it's kill or be killed, even if the human is the worst monster you've ever met...it's different to them," my girlfriend stated. "Dante, I think you're one of those people. The first time you kill a human won't be easy."

  Robert's face was filled with skepticism.

  "Mercenaries kill people all the time. It can't be that hard," he spoke up.

  "For some people, it isn't. For some people, it is," Augusta responded.

  She then pulled me back and stepped forward.

  "Robert, get out of my way."

  He did as commanded so fast that I almost thought he had super speed.

  "What are you doing?" Robert asked.

  "Saving you the trouble of looking for a trap door," Augusta answered.

  She stomped the ground, sending splinters of wood flying up. Then, Augusta reached down and ripped out a large section of the floor. My girlfriend pushed the brooms to the side before pointing down.

  "There are stairs here," she said.

  Robert and I looked. A long staircase descended into blackness below.

  "I am going down first," Augusta declared. "You two stay behind me and make sure no one sneaks up. Robert, do you have your sword?"

  He drew his blade and pulled out a pistol.

  "I've got more than that, Your Highness," he said.

  Augusta gave him a single nod before addressing me.

  "Dante, stay between me and Robert. Do not kill anyone unless you have no choice. Leave the bloodshed to us," she advised.

  "I'm sure Dante will be fine," Robert replied. "He's a badass monster hunter, isn't he? Even if these cultists are humans, they're still monsters, right?"

  "Robert, please don't idolize me," I told him.

  My friend raised an eyebrow.

  "Don't?" he asked.

  "Yes, please don't," I answered. "I'm not some kind of hero. I'm not a role model. I'm just a boy."

  After a moment of silence, Robert nodded.

  "You're definitely a commoner. No noble's that humble," he said.

  "Everyone, get in formation. I'm in the front, Dante's in the middle, and Robert's in the back," Augusta ordered. "Be ready for anything."

  As we started walking down the stairs, determination welled up in me. I was just a boy. But I was also Augusta's boyfriend. I'd go to hell before I let her carry the burden of killing these cultists alone. And I wouldn't let Robert have it by himself either.

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