My eyes flickered open. An array of candles dimly lit the room I found myself in. New clothes were on my body, seeing as the old ones were incinerated. There was an old woman with gray hair in a bun sitting next to me. I was lying on a table. She breathed a sigh of relief when my gaze turned to her.

  "Thank the gods, you're okay," she said. "You were horribly burned in that...incident."

  I recognized her from the game. This was Catherine Fulnore, the school's healer. She was one of the only three, as far as I knew, people at King Casimir Academy who could use magic. Not counting the magic Dante could learn, of course.

  "Thanks for healing me," I stated. "I'm glad King Casimir Academy has a spellcaster like you here."

  With that, I sat up straight. Catherine didn't stop me, shaking her head instead.

  "Young people, always on the move. My magic healed you completely, but you should still take it easy as a matter of principle," she replied.

  I placed an arm across my chest and gave Catherine a deep bow.

  "I'm sorry that I'm going quickly, but I am very busy," I explained. "Could you tell me what time it is?"

  Catherine pulled a watch out of her pocket. It was covered in many intricate mechanisms that did little more than look cool.

  "It's four in the evening. Healing you took a while, and classes ended an hour ago," the old woman said. "And before you ask, it's the same day you were injured. And before you ask how I knew you were going to ask that, it's a common question."

  I nodded.

  "Thank you. Now, I must be off," I said.

  With that, I walked out of the room...just to find Augusta standing in the hallway right outside the door. For a moment, I froze in shock. Then, my gaze turned to her face. She looked stoic now. But I could see tear stains next to her eyes. An awkward silence came over us.

  I looked down the hall. Millia, Robert, and Janek were standing a distance away from us. They were close enough that I could see clear concern on their faces. Then, I returned my gaze to Augusta. With trembling lips, she spoke.

  "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I went too far," Augusta said.

  "Alright," I replied. "I forgive you."

  I heard the people down the hall stumble over. It seems that my words shocked them. Augusta's eyes widened as she looked up at me, a mixture of surprise and relief on her face.

  "You...you do?" she asked.

  "Of course. It was an accident, right?" I questioned.

  "It was," Augusta nodded. "I got too carried away."

  "Then, just don't go too far next time or any time after that, and we'll be fine," I said.

  Next, I gave Augusta a soft smile.

  "After all, I don't think anyone else will spar with you after that incident, so it looks like I have to step up."

  Augusta put a hand on her heart. She looked at me with determination filling her face.

  "I swear to all the gods that I will not go too far again," she promised, her voice stoic. "And..."

  The girl took a deep breath. She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a tight but gentle hug.

  "...thank you. Thank you so much, my friend. I've been waiting for someone who wouldn't let me win my entire life."

  A sense of nervousness flowed through me. Befriending the game's coolest character was perfect. And if I could recruit her into my party before I could in the game, I'd beat the first boss for sure. Hell, from what I've seen of her magic, Augusta could probably solo the first boss.

  But...is this really right? She's a princess, and I'm a commoner. Do I have the right to get her involved in my affairs? And what would people think if a princess was hanging out with a commoner? Being involved with me could cause her trouble.

  "Are...you sure it's alright for us to be friends?" I asked.

  Augusta broke the hug and looked me right in the eyes. I expected her face to be filled with anger or hatred. But instead, it had a look of empathy.

  "Yes. I am sure. If anyone objects, I will make them understand," Augusta answered. "And if I can't do that, I will force them to accept us."

  I did not like the way she worded that, but I nodded.

  "Alright, then, Augusta. I am honored to be considered your friend," I said, taking a slight bow.

  The girl's expression turned stoic as she bowed back.

  "Thank you for being my friend, Dante. I am going to find some training dummies so I can know how much I'll have to hold back against you. Do your best to defeat me tomorrow," Augusta stated.

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  "I will," I replied. "I promise."

  With that, Augusta walked off. Next, I needed to make sure my other friends were okay. Though I wasn't sure if I could call them comrades, since we met today. But they at least came to see me after I was injured. That was something I wouldn't forget. I turned to Millia, Robert, and Janek. The three of them were running right over to me.

  "Are you completely insane?" Robert asked. "And don't answer that. I already know the answer."

  "You're mad that I chose to forgive Augusta, aren't you?" I sighed.

  To my surprise, Robert shook his head.

  "In your position, forgiving her was the smartest thing you could have done. What I'm mad about is that you don't seem to hold any grudge even though she almost killed you!" he said.

  Janek spoke up.

  "I'm a bit perplexed myself. You don't even seem the slightest bit angry," he stated.

  "Even I'm a bit confused," Millia admitted.

  In response, I shrugged.

  "What's the point of me being angry or holding a grudge?" I asked. "What would I get out of it? And it ultimately was an accident, one that Catherine's magic let me make a full recovery from. So, as long as Augusta learns her lesson, I don't see any reason to hold it against her."

  The three before me stood dumbstruck. Robert let out a deep groan and facepalmed. He shook his head.

  "You know, Dante, I'm not sure why you're still aligning yourself with the Bloodbath Princess. And I think you're insane for even trying to do this. But I genuinely hope this goes well for you. I hate nobles, but I hope the horrible rumors about her are just that: rumors. I hope that she is actually less evil than your average nobles, not more," Robert said.

  He grimaced.

  "Even if it's stupid to think that a corrupt murderer turns out to be a slightly less bad murderer, I still hope that this doesn't go horribly for you. As insane as you are, I at least respect that you're trying to get along with everyone."

  "Thank you. I hope the same," I replied before addressing all three of them. "And thank you all for checking on me. I must have really worried you."

  Robert shook his head.

  "Don't blame yourself for what happened. Okay, blame yourself a little bit since you should have let the Bloodbath Princess win, but don't blame yourself too much. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some studying to do," he stated.

  With that, Robert left. Janek stepped over to me next. He looked me up and down before nodding.

  "You really are fine now. Magic is amazing."

  "It really is," I said. "I'm hoping to learn magic someday."

  "Good luck. You will need it," Janek replied.

  "Thanks."

  Then, Janek paused in thought for a moment before speaking

  "Do you intend to use it to spar with Princess Augusta?" he asked.

  "No. Magic is too dangerous for sparring. Today's incident proved that," I answered.

  Janek nodded.

  "I understand," he said. "We don't spar with sharp swords, and magic is more dangerous than any sword. More dangerous than any gun too, and we don't spar with them at all."

  If only airsoft and paintball had been invented. Huh, that's something else I remember from my past life. I remember electricity as well. But I still don't remember who I was. That's...troubling. No, wait, that's how amnesia normally works. Right?

  "Well, maybe we'll find some way to safely spar with things that resemble guns in a few hundred years," I shrugged.

  Janek let out a single chuckle before nodding.

  "Maybe, but who's to say what will exist that far in the future? Guns might be obsolete by then," he said.

  "Maybe, or maybe they'll be good enough that polearms become obsolete," I replied.

  To that, Janek shrugged.

  "On the battlefield, polearms are mostly there to protect musketeers from cavalry. If guns had some way to defend against horsemen, polearms would be less useful," he stated. "So, I think that is reasonable speculation."

  It's more than speculation. For all I knew, the bayonet could be a few decades away from being invented.

  "I guess so," I replied.

  With that, Janek gave me a nod and walked away. He went in the opposite direction that Robert had gone. That left me alone with Millia. She let out a deep sigh and handed me a necklace with a starfish hanging from it.

  "Take this," Millia said.

  I did as commanded.

  "What is it?" I asked. "It looks like one of the magic trinkets you collect in The Duke's Duplicity."

  Millia nodded.

  "That's because it is. The starfish medallion prevents limb loss. Normally, you'd get it in the fourth arc of the Duke's Duplicity. But I reincarnated or arrived or whatever in this world earlier than you did. I got it before the story even started," she said.

  Wow. That was one hell of a gift. I still remember how many times the game's first boss cut my arms off and beat me to death with them. I grinned.

  "Thank you, Millia...or should I call you by your real name?" I asked.

  She waved it off.

  "I reincarnated as Millia. I died in my last life. Millia is my real name now," the girl answered.

  Then, Millia handed me a golden bracelet with emeralds embedded in it.

  "Take this too," she ordered.

  "Are...you sure it's okay for me to have all these..." I started.

  "If you're going to hang out with the Bloodbath Princess, you'll need this more than I do. It makes you take less damage from fire," Millia interrupted me. "And besides, I'm not giving you all of my magic trinkets."

  She shoved the bracelet into my hands, and I put it on.

  "Don't forget that I had 15 years to prepare for the game's story. I have plenty of other magic trinkets," Millia said.

  Then, her brow furrowed.

  "I couldn't get as many as I'd like, but we can always get the rest through the game's story," she stated.

  "Well, thank you for the help," I nodded. "I'll do my best to help you get the other magic trinkets."

  Millia scoffed.

  "I don't need a noob to help me. I'm a lot stronger than Millia was at the game's start, one of the benefits of knowing the hell that's going to be unleashed on this city."

  My heart sank from her words.

  "Is it...really that bad?" I asked.

  "No. It's even worse," Millia answered. "But there's no use worrying you about it too much, especially when I'm still figuring out what I should tell you."

  I really hated the fact that I never made it past the first boss. Millia doesn't trust me, and I can't even blame her. All I could do was awkwardly rub the back of my head.

  "Alright. Just...thank you, for everything," I said.

  Millia scoffed hard. She turned to leave before stopping in her tracks. After a moment of hesitation, the girl spoke.

  "One more thing."

  "What is it?" I asked.

  "It's about the Bloodbath Princess," she answered.

  My heart clenched up.

  "Tell me," I said.

  "I...don't think you're doing the wrong thing," Millia replied. "In the Duke's Deception..."

  She paused a moment. I assumed that Millia was choosing her next words with care.

  "...the Bloodbath Princess is a troubled but sympathetic character. The greatest tragedy of the game is that she would have sided with Dante if he took a few moments to talk with her. And you are doing far more than that. Still, I'm not sure if this is a good idea."

  Millia then faced me and jabbed a finger in my chest.

  "Just be careful. While I think you're doing the right thing, that doesn't mean you're walking down an easy path," she cautioned.

  With that, Millia turned and walked away. I went down my own path, a different one from hers. After all, I needed to get magic. And there was only one way to get it this early in the game.

  I would speak to the Omenthief of Khemer.

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