Augusta and I were in one of the school's outdoor areas. Specifically, the tournament grounds. We stood on a raised platform with a stadium surrounding us, and suits of full plate coated our bodies. Practice swords were in our hands. Sir Andre stood on the edge of the arena with a serious expression.

  "Normally, I would dismiss the idea of a woman being good at fighting at all, but given that Augusta has been rated as the school's best student fighter by her combat instructors...I will concede that she is a special case," he said. "Now, Dante, I heard you spar with Augusta all the time."

  I nodded.

  "That is correct," I stated.

  "Sword fighting is our love language," Augusta added.

  "I wouldn't go that far," I said. "But we both like it."

  Andre shrugged.

  "Good enough for me. I have nothing against masochists, and being with an unnaturally strong woman is ideal for one of your kind," he stated.

  I groaned.

  "First, I'm not a masochist. Second, please let Augusta keep her innocence," I said.

  "Dante, I know what a masochist is," the girl spoke up.

  Shock blasted through me.

  "You do?" I asked.

  "Yes," Augusta answered. "They're people who like playing really hard games."

  "What?"

  Augusta tilted her head.

  "Millia said that's what masochists are," she said.

  If that's the definition of masochism, I unfortunately qualify.

  "Enough talking about this!" Andre shouted. "You two, start sparring. Now!"

  Augusta lunged forward at incredible speed. I was barely able to get my blade up in time to parry her blow. Even then, I felt an incredible force flowing into my arm.

  "Don't worry, Dante. I won't go all out," Augusta assured me.

  She thrust at my leg rapidly. I narrowly danced out of the way of her blows, but one struck the side of my leg.

  "But I will go harder on you than I almost ever have," my girlfriend said.

  I tapped my leg to show that it had been touched. My heart was pounding in my chest. Heat flowed through my body. Sweat trickled down my brow. A wide smile was on my face.

  This was going to be so very, very, very fun.

  "Andre, don't stop us unless we're about to do something dangerous," I said.

  "What are you talking..." he started.

  But I didn't let him finish. I rushed Augusta, catching her off guard. Still, she parried my weapon with ease and riposted with her own practice blade. Leaning my head to the side, the weapon barely missed hitting my helmet.

  I thrust my blade at the same moment. Augusta jumped back just in time to avoid getting hit. She beat my blade down before whacking my arm with her sword.

  Augusta followed it up with an aggressive advance, a flurry of thrusts. I backed away, parrying her hits as I went. Each collision of weapons sent a flash of pain through my arm.

  The girl lunged forward, hitting my body with her blade. I stepped back, and she kept going with her barrage. However, a plan formed in my mind.

  When I reached the edge of the platform, I ducked low and thrust my training rapier. Seeing my move coming, Augusta moved her blade down to parry it.

  Exactly as I planned.

  I twisted my training sword out of the way and flicked it. My weapon hit Augusta's wrist.

  Moving at an even greater speed than before, Augusta rushed in past my blade. She embraced me in a deep hug. My girlfriend pulled off her helmet. There was a slight smile on her face, and her entire being beamed with pride.

  "Dante, I am very proud of you," Augusta's voice was calm. "I didn't think you'd get any hits if I fought at that level, but you did."

  "I'm proud of you too, Augusta. Everyday, you impress me more," I said.

  My love planted a light kiss on my cheek. Then, she released me from her hold and patted my head. I gave Augusta a very warm smile. After that, I turned my face to the tournament organizer. Andre had a dumbfounded look on his face.

  "So, Andre, what do you think?" I asked.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  "I don't know which is more impressive," Andre answered. "Augusta's skill at arms. That a woman like her, even a special case, could be that talented. Or the fact that someone of your age can keep up with her on any level."

  He shook his head, sheer disbelief on his face.

  "If Augusta is the best fighter among the students, you are no doubt the second best, Dante. Training with her had clearly had its effect."

  And yet, it wasn't good enough. I was too weak to protect my friends. I'd need to get stronger, much stronger. Nothing else was acceptable.

  "Unfortunately, you two are too strong," Andre shook his head.

  Augusta reached for her real blade. She seemed on edge all of a sudden. I placed my hand out, and she calmed down.

  "What do you mean by that?" I asked.

  "If you two competed in the tournament, one of you would win for sure," Andre explained. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask you to stay out of the tournament."

  He shook his head.

  "It's one thing to keep a woman from engaging in the manly arts, it's unnatural for them to be involved in them in the first place, but a man? And one of such skill too...I feel horrible," Andre stated.

  Oh. Well, that wasn't too big of an issue. Not his sexism, but staying out of the tournament. I mean, Augusta wasn't going to compete anyway. She wanted me to be her champion.

  Then again, the tournament might be important for the game's story. That could be trouble. However, there wasn't much I could do about this.

  "And don't worry. I will not cheat either of you out of the tournament's prizes. I will have an equivalent to the first-place prize given to both of you," Sir Andre said. "I swear it on my honor as a warrior and former member of the winged cavalry."

  Augusta, to my surprise, nodded.

  "I understand. It would be disrespectful for us to hold back in a tournament, and unfair for us to compete," she stated.

  Andre nodded.

  "Yes, I see you understand," he said.

  Augusta turned to me.

  "Dante, on the day of the tournament, let's do something fun together," she suggested.

  "That sounds like a great idea, Augusta," I replied with a smile.

  While a part of me wanted to consult with Millia first...I couldn't exactly throw away an idea my girlfriend came up with because of something another woman said, now could I? That would be horrible in almost any context. I'd just have to come up with another alternative if the tournament was important.

  Then, an idea formed in my head. A smile crossed my face as I looked between Augusta and Andre.

  "Former winged warrior, Andre, you don't have anything else for us to do, right?" I asked.

  "I do not," he admitted.

  "And this was in place of our usual physical education, right?"

  The knight nodded.

  "Yes, it was..."

  Suspicion flowed through his eyes.

  "What are you implying?" Sir Andre questioned.

  I shrugged.

  "If Augusta and I have finished what you need us to do, that means we're done with classes for the day," I pointed out.

  Andre opened his mouth to object. Then, he closed it again. A grimace crossed his face.

  "As much as I want to object to this...I cannot find a reason to. Especially since you clearly train enough with your level of skill," Andre said. "Consider yourself fortunate, Dante. You and your lover are excused."

  After that, Augusta and I walked out of the arena.

  "Before we buy armor," I started. "We should go to my room in the boys' dorm."

  "Why?" Augusta asked.

  "To grab the suit of mail you gave me. It's broken, but not enough that it can't be repaired," I answered.

  Now, it was Augusta's turn to look shocked. However, her expression of surprise was her eyes being slightly more open than usual.

  "You kept it after it broke?" the girl questioned. "I thought you would have sold it as scrap metal."

  "Of course, I kept it," I said. "You gave it to me, so I had to keep it."

  A slight blush crossed Augusta's face.

  "Oh, okay," she replied, looking away.

  Augusta stayed just outside the dorms while I got the mail. With it slung around my arm, my girlfriend and I left the academy and entered the city that surrounded it.

  "So, Augusta, what armor do you want?" I asked.

  "I don't need any armor," she answered.

  "Right, you're a princess," I nodded. "So, you probably already have multiple sets of armor."

  Augusta gave me a single nod.

  "Yes. My favorite is my suit of plate. It's magical," she explained.

  I placed a finger on my chin.

  "That must be pretty rare," I said.

  "There are only three other known magic armors," Augusta replied. "Mine is extra protective. And it grows with me. It was made when I was a baby, and it still fits me today."

  Wow.

  "Damn. That's an impressive enchantment," I commented.

  "Yes. My parents claim it was made by dark Huldenfolk. I'm not so sure myself."

  "Dark Huldenfolk?" I asked.

  "They allegedly live inside rocks. They're supposedly excellent blacksmiths. I've seen Huldenfolk before, but never a dark Huldenfolk," Augusta answered.

  "I guess not."

  Soon, we arrived at an armorer's place. The shopkeep looked at us. He was a big, gruff, and muscular man.

  "How can I help you young 'uns?" he questioned.

  "I'd like a few suits of armor," I said.

  Augusta swerved over to me.

  "A few?" she asked.

  "Well, yeah, I'm not just getting them for myself," I answered. "If everyone insists on protecting me, they should at least have armor for it."

  I had no intention of letting them protect me, but my party having good armor would still be helpful. Some of them were just armored with buff coats of all things. It wasn't bad armor, but it was nothing compared to a cuirass that can stop a musket shot.

  "Alright. I'm paying for it," Augusta said.

  A sense of awkwardness flowed through me.

  "You don't have to do that, Augusta," I replied. "I've saved up enough money to buy the armor."

  She patted my head.

  "Thank you, Dante, but I will. It makes more sense for me to buy it. Armor is expensive, and I'm a princess," Augusta said.

  The way she spoke made me feel a bit...well, useless. She had already bought me a lot, but I hadn't gotten Augusta anything. I guessed that I'd just have to find something else to give her, something that couldn't be gained with money alone.

  "Alright, Augusta," I nodded. "Now, for the armor..."

  I turned to the blacksmith.

  "What do you have in stock?"

  He looked me up and down.

  "You're gettin' this armor for people your age, right?" the blacksmith asked.

  "I am," I answered.

  He shrugged.

  "I've got some munitions armor, but it's all for older folks. Too big for people as young as you," the armorer explained. "Any armor I make for you should be custom-made, and I need measurements for that."

  "And custom armor is better than munitions armor anyway," Augusta pointed out.

  I nodded. Then, I let out a deep sigh.

  "Well, I guess I'll need to go back and get everyone's measurements," I said.

  "Not yet," Augusta grabbed my hand.

  She pulled me over to the blacksmith.

  "We can at least get your armor started," my girlfriend pointed out.

  "That's a good point," I nodded. "And, armorer, can you fix this?"

  I handed him the suit of mail. He took it, examined the damage, and nodded.

  "Why, yes, I can," the armorer stated. "Won't be cheap since I don't work with mail often, but I can."

  Hearing that he could fix Augusta's first gift for me brought me more joy than knowing that I would get up-to-date armor. However, then Augusta spoke.

  "I can help make the armor."

  She extended her hand and made a small flame appear in it.

  "With my fire powers, it'll go faster and the armor will be stronger."

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