The academy students from various years had begun to leave for their respective exams.

  Meanwhile, in the principal's office.

  "Since all the students and staff teaching in their respective classes have left, the academy is quiet, huh?" said a woman.

  "Yes, you're right. But speaking of which, what are you doing here, sis?" asked Miss Karina.

  The woman currently chatting with Miss Karina in her office turned out to be Her Majesty Queen Kayana.

  "Isn't it permissible for me to visit here? You don't need to worry, the person you're talking to is just a clone," said Queen Kayana.

  "You told me first this time, huh? You didn't tell me you were a clone during our last meeting. But even without you telling me, I already knew you were a clone," said Miss Karina.

  "I see. Forget about being a clone, have you figured out the motive of the person who attacked one of the guards patrolling outside the academy?" asked Queen Kayana.

  "I don't know his true motive, as the attacker hasn't been apprehended, and he hasn't reappeared since. He most likely wanted to infiltrate the academy to assassinate someone, but didn't because he noticed the detection magic surrounding the academy walls. The person he intended to assassinate was most likely Rid, although this isn't certain, as he could have been targeted by someone else."

  "You know that the students at this academy come from diverse backgrounds. Perhaps some of those diverse backgrounds hate each other, like the nobles. This mutual hatred is usually the reason for killing each other," said Miss Karina.

  "You're right, Rid is most likely the target for stealing Irene, who was supposed to be a participant in the ~Matchmaking Battle~, but we shouldn't simply ignore the possibility of other students being targeted," said Queen Kayana.

  "This attack occurred while I wasn't at the academy, which means the attacker was afraid to act if I was near their target. And since the students have now gone to different locations to take the fourth exam, I'm sure the attacker will strike again this time, considering I'm not there to accompany them, especially the target he's targeting," said Miss Karina.

  "Hmm, so that's how it is. You suspected the attacker would strike again during this fourth exam, which is why you requested more soldiers to guard them," said Queen Kayana.

  "Yes, I apologize for requesting more soldiers than before," said Miss Karina.

  "It's okay, after all, this is for the safety of the students," said Queen Kayana.

  "This time I will definitely know more clearly who the attacker is targeting. Since the four-year classes go to different locations, if the attacker is acting where the first-year students are taking their exams, then there's no doubt that his target is Rid," said Miss Karina.

  "It seems you planned well. Oh yes, speaking of the 'Storm Leopard' you mentioned earlier. They said they patrol the San Lucia region every day and always deal with bandits and any criminal activity that occurs there. They were actually surprised to hear your report when you said you were attacked by bandits on your way to San Lucia, as there hadn't been a bandit attack in that area for a long time," said Queen Kayana.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  "When I reported it to their guard post, they were also surprised by the bandit attack," said Miss Karina.

  "Furthermore, when they recovered the bandits' bodies after you killed them, they didn't know their identities, nor did they know where they came from, or if there were any other bandit groups above or below them."

  "So, the conclusion I can draw from that bandit attack is that the bandits are new bandits, or more precisely, they aren't actually bandits but disguised themselves as bandits. They were likely ordered by someone to attack you as bandits," said Queen Kayana.

  "So, you could say that the bandit attack wasn't a coincidence, but rather a planned incident?" asked Miss Karina.

  "Yes, but I don't know what the goal of the people who planned this was. If they wanted to kill you, just sending a large group of bandits wouldn't be enough. It seems they had other intentions."

  "Besides protecting your students from harm, it seems you'll also need to protect yourself in the future, Karina," said Queen Kayana.

  -

  The carriage continued along the streets of San Estella until we finally exited the capital's gates. Because there were so many first-year students, there were so many carriages carrying us. Each carriage held 10 students, so there were 20 carriages carrying the first-year students. That didn't include the carriages carrying the teachers and soldiers escorting us. I was in the first carriage. The carriage I was riding in was filled with students ranked 1st through 10th in the entrance exam, so I was in the same carriage as Irene, Charles, Chloe, Enzo, and Noa.

  Along the way, rather than getting bored waiting until we reached San Minerva, we decided to chat.

  "When you left your village for the academy, you took this road too, Rid?" Noa asked.

  "Yes, but I didn't pass through San Minerva City because it would have been longer. I went through Bibury to get to San Estella," I said.

  "Bibury? That's the town Lillian's father ruled, right? I really want to go there," Noa said.

  "What a shame, Noa. To get to San Minerva City, we don't pass through Bibury because the route we take is different. Besides, Bibury is west of San Minerva City, and to get to San Minerva from the capital, San Estella, we just have to go straight south," Charles said.

  "I see, what a shame," Noa said.

  "As expected of a prince of this kingdom, you know everything there is, Charles," I said.

  "You could say that," Charles said.

  -

  After several hours of travel, we finally arrived at the gates of San Minerva City. We had to queue to enter because the gatekeepers had to conduct a security check. After the check, we all entered San Minerva City. We were captivated by San Minerva City, it was very clean and beautiful. The trees along each side of the road made the city feel cool. In the center of the city was a fairly large fountain surrounded by trees. We noticed that the fountain was also home to many fish. We continued our journey to the Duke's residence, while exploring the city.

  After a while, we arrived at the Duke of San Minerva's residence. It turned out the Duke's residence was located south of San Minerva. We got out of our horse-drawn carriage, which was parked outside the Duke's residence. Mr. ?Alan and the other tutors were chatting with the soldiers guarding the Duke's gate. A few moments later, we were all invited into the Duke's residence.

  From the front gate of the Duke's residence, I could see a large building in the center of the residence, which appeared to be the Duke's residence. While it wasn't as large as Her Majesty's palace, it was still large enough for a commoner to live in. We walked from the Duke's residence gate to the large building in the center. Along the way, we admired the courtyard, which was filled with trees and flowers, making the residence look beautiful.

  After that, we arrived at the building and were invited into the central hall. Upon arriving in the central hall, there were many dining tables and chairs, and a wide array of delicious-looking food was already set on the dining tables. Several students seemed tempted and couldn't resist eating the food.

  Not long after we all arrived in the central hall, a man who appeared to be in his 40s or 50s appeared from behind another door, escorted by several soldiers. The middle-aged man's head was bald, but the back of his head had shoulder-length hair. The man walked majestically without a cane to the front of our crowd.

  "It seems you've all arrived, new students of San Fulgen Akademiya. May I introduce myself, my name is Darwin Randall San Minerva, and I am the current Duke of San Minerva," said Duke Darwin.

  -To be continued