I walked into the morning classroom with a smile on my face and my camping gear on my back. Augusta was sitting down, so I took a seat next to her.

  "Good morning, Augusta," I said.

  "Good morning, Dante," she replied.

  Relief flowed through me. It seemed that Augusta had forgotten about our talk two nights ago. I was worried she might have remembered it, but this fully confirmed it. Either that, or she was trying to give me time. If it was the latter, I'd have to deal with it later.

  The other students flowed into the classroom. I observed Augusta's clothing as they did. She wore a cuirass over her clothes, and a morion was present on her head. Her breastplate had a dent in it, proof from testing that it could stop a gunshot.

  "You're wearing armor," I stated.

  "Some protection is better than none," Augusta replied. "And infantry armor won't be too restrictive when we're in the woods. I'd wear leather if we were going on long walks through rough terrain or climbing mountains."

  That was...good logic, but a bit strange.

  "And why wear armor at all? Are you worried you'll be in danger?" I questioned.

  Augusta pointed to Robert, who had his billhook leaning against his desk.

  "He has a polearm in case we fight bears or bandits. Neither of those are a threat to me, but I'd rather be safe," she pointed out.

  That was a good point. I looked to see Janek wearing a buff coat and a morion. Millia, to my surprise, wore armor similar to Augusta's. The only people in my 'party' with no protection were myself and Robert.

  I kicked myself for this mistake. In the Duke's Duplicity, you didn't have the option to buy armor at this point in the game. The only reason why I knew you could get armor at all was because of screenshots I saw on ads.

  But this wasn't a game! This was real life! I could have just bought armor from any store that sold it. And Augusta was right, having some protection was better than none! Even a leather buff coat would have...

  A sigh escaped my mouth.

  "Are you alright, Dante?" Augusta asked.

  "I forgot to buy armor," I answered.

  "Don't worry," she patted my head.

  Then, Augusta reached under her desk. She pulled out a suit of mail.

  "I don't have your measurements, so I thought this armor would be best," the girl said.

  Augusta shoved the mail into my arms. I felt the links crinkle in my hand. The suit smelled of metal.

  "Thanks, Augusta," I smiled. "You really didn't have to, though."

  "I did," she replied.

  Augusta poked the mail.

  "This should protect you against animals pretty well. Just be careful if you meet any bandits. There's a reason why almost no one wears this armor anymore: it won't stop a gunshot, and the broken links will scratch the wound," the girl said.

  "I'll be careful," I promised.

  And I knew there were no bandits in the mission.

  The door behind the desk opened. Ouren Lishenski entered the room. There was a smile on his face.

  "Ah, so much youthful energy. I trust you are all excited for your trip to explore the natural world?" he asked.

  Janek raised his hand.

  "Yes, Janek?" Ouren nodded.

  "Will this journey be dangerous?" he questioned.

  "It shouldn't be," the old man said. "But it never hurts to be prepared. Aside from your armaments, we hired several mercenaries to patrol the area. They should remove anything particularly dangerous."

  Then, Ouren stepped to the side.

  "Now, allow me to introduce you to your guide for this journey: Edward Shipwright."

  A tall, gaunt man ambled into the room. He surveyed the students with a skeletal face. Edward ran a hand through his pitch-black hair, mumbling something to himself. His body was clad in humble clothes with soft colors. There was a saber at his side, and his hands were covered with gloves. He came off as a rich guy who grew up in isolation. Or a gothic poet.

  Then, Edward took a deep breath before speaking up. I remembered this guy's introduction scene. It really threw me for a loop.

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  "Yar, me maties! I be Edward Shipwright, former captain of the Seventh Gallion, a privateer ship in service to Her Majesty! Me and me buccaneers fought for gold and treasure in the New World!"

  Robert raised a hand.

  "What is it, young lad?" Edward asked.

  "Are you from Harport?" Robert questioned.

  "Aye, I be!" the former pirate said. "How could you tell?"

  Robert leaned back and folded his arms.

  "Your accent. Pretty much anyone from our homeland could recognize it right away."

  Edward laughed.

  "Har har har! It be true! The Harport accent be iconic!"

  He then stomped one of his feet on the teacher's desk, which was very impressive considering how high it was. Edward drew his sword, brandishing it for all the world to see.

  "Are you lads and lasses ready for a grand adventure?" he asked.

  I practically jumped up, excitement flowing through me.

  "Aye aye, captain!" I shouted.

  Edward laughed.

  "I can't hear you!" he said.

  In response, I shouted even louder.

  "Aye aye, captain!"

  Soon enough, the class was traveling to its destination: a forest some distance from the city. We were on a riverboat, floating gently downstream. We'd take it there and back. Though the trip would be over the course of several days.

  Or at least it would have been if it wasn't interrupted.

  My heart was heavy. Soon, I'd be fighting the first boss of the Duke's Duplicity. I never defeated it before, and that's with a full party in a video game.

  Now, my plan was to 1v1 it in real life.

  I hoped to hell that sparring with Augusta had been enough to prepare me for this fight. Even holding back, she was tougher than any other student in our class. But would it be enough?

  Millia approached me. I was looking out at the river, taking in the air to try to calm down. Some dragonflies flew near me. A faintly boggy stench filled my nose. The sound of small waves crashing against the boat floated into my ears.

  When I looked at Millia's face, I expected to see a harsh expression. Instead, it was filled with sympathy. This was...unusual for her.

  "Have you been talking to Augusta?" I asked.

  "I never talk to her," Millia answered. "Why do you ask?"

  With a shrug, I replied.

  "No particular reason. You just seem calmer than usual."

  Millia turned and gazed at the river.

  "I don't think talking to the Bloodbath Princess could ever calm anyone down," she said.

  "It can calm me down," I stated.

  Millia sighed and shook her head.

  "That's because you're weird," the girl replied. "Now, something more important. You must be nervous as hell."

  She pointed to my hands. They were shaking.

  "I am. We're about to fight the first boss," I nodded.

  "And you've never beaten him before. That's what's worrying you, right?" Millia asked.

  "It is."

  The girl lightly patted my shoulder.

  "Don't worry. First, we still have some time to get ready for the fight. It's not like it starts right after we arrive. And the boss could be at a different location than the one we first go to. Second, you've got me with you. I'm a lot stronger than Millia was at this point in the game."

  She then poked my arm.

  "Third, you're definitely stronger than Dante was. Not much stronger, but you're getting there," Millia said.

  A soft smile crossed my face as I looked at my arms. Millia was probably taking my magic into account. She hadn't seen me use it before, but someone like her probably knew how to get it early.

  "I guess training with a late-game party member is paying off," I told myself, not entirely convinced.

  Millia looked away from me.

  "Speaking of Augusta. I heard you did a bonding event with her," the girl said.

  "Yes, I did," I replied.

  Millia nodded.

  "Good. If we can get Augusta in our party, we're guaranteed to win the first boss fight. It doesn't stand a chance against her," she stated.

  "I guess not," I shrugged.

  In the river, I saw a group of otters playing. A huge fish bit down on one of them. The others came in to help it one at a time, each failing until the final one arrived. That otter beat the shit out of the fish.

  "So, Dante, what did Augusta tell you?" Millia asked.

  "Her backstory," I answered. "The real reason why she's called the Bloodbath Princess."

  The girl's expression turned sad.

  "Ah, that. You normally don't learn about that until the sequel," Millia said.

  "I...didn't know there was a sequel," I replied.

  She shrugged.

  "If you reincarnated, you probably died before it came out," Millia guessed. "But it was pretty painful. Augusta could have saved herself a lot of trouble if she just told everyone the truth. Not everyone would believe her, especially since her parents had a different story, but some people would have. Hell, some people don't even believe her parents."

  The girl then turned her gaze to me. There was a stern look on her face.

  "Dante, I had my doubts at first. But I'm starting to think you might be Augusta's only chance at happiness. Don't let her down," Millia demanded.

  "I won't," I promised.

  She then raised a finger into the air.

  "Also, I think I figured out how Augusta found out about the game talk," Millia said.

  "How?" I asked.

  "That's something for her to tell you when she's ready," the girl answered. "Just know for now that it isn't a problem, and no rumors will spread."

  I rubbed the back of my head.

  "Well, that's good at least," I said.

  Augusta started approaching us. She walked right past Millia and over to me.

  "Dante, how big is your tent?" Augusta asked.

  "It's pretty big," I answered.

  "Big enough for two people?"

  I shrugged.

  "It'd be a tight fit, but I think so. Maybe?"

  Augusta nodded.

  "Captain Shipwright talked about maybe having everyone travel at all times with a partner so they don't get lost," she said.

  Ah, the buddy system. He never fully got a chance to implement that in the game.

  "And you want to be my partner?" I replied.

  Augusta nodded.

  "Sorry to say, but they'll probably want the boys and girls to sleep in different tents," I pointed out. "To keep anything from happening."

  "That's okay. I have a fake mustache," she said.

  I had no idea where Augusta got that.

  "I'm not sure if that would work, but I'll see what I can do," I stated.

  It's not like it would be an issue with the trip's early cancellation.

  "Okay," the girl nodded.

  Then, I turned my gaze towards the river ahead of us. At its end was a mountain with a vast forest coating it. This was where the first boss fight would be.

  In preparation for it, I recalled the battle from the game. The boss could show up at one of several places. This was to keep the players on their toes. And if the players ran, they would retreat to another place where the boss could appear.

  The place it appeared was random. So, no one would be able to predict it. That would give me more time to kill it before the others showed up if they realized what I was doing.

  And Millia was right. The fight wouldn't start right away. We'd have time to prepare. Or, rather, prepare mentally. I recalled that the Duke's Duplicity was a horror game.

  I'd already prepared as much as I was going to. So, I had a different use for that time. If I could sneak away while Millia and the others were getting ready, I could fight the boss before any of them realized I was gone.

  But all that was a distant hope. If I couldn't beat the monster, my whole plan would fail. I would die, and that would be that. However, it was better than letting the others risk injury or death.

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