"Let me introduce myself. My name is Darwin Randall San Minerva. I am the current Duke of San Minerva," said Duke Darwin.

  Mr. ?Alan and the four other instructors approached Duke Darwin.

  "Greetings, Lord Duke. We thank you again for welcoming us with such luxury," said Mr. Alan.

  "Oh, relax, Alan. This isn't the first time I've hosted San Fulgen Akademiya students at my residence. How are you? Are you doing well teaching these students?" asked Duke Darwin.

  "I'm fine, Lord," said Mr. Alan.

  "Glad to hear it," said Duke Darwin.

  From their conversation, it seemed Mr. Alan and Duke San Minerva were quite close. Perhaps because Mr. Alan had been a teacher for a long time and had often accompanied students to the Duke's residence during the fourth exam, he had become familiar with Duke San Minerva and possibly the other Dukes as well.

  After shaking hands with Mr. Alan and the other instructors, Duke Darwin looked at us students.

  "Oh, isn't this Prince Charles and Princess Chloe? That's right, I forgot you were also students in the new class of San Fulgen Academy. You're all grown up, huh?" said Duke Darwin as he approached Charles and Chloe.

  "Greetings, Lord Duke. It's been quite a while," said Charles.

  "Greetings, Lord Duke," said Chloe.

  "The last time we met was about two years ago, so it's been quite a while," said Duke Darwin.

  "Yes, it's been quite a while," said Charles.

  "Then, I'd like to take my leave to greet the students I used to know, Prince," said Duke Darwin.

  "Please go ahead, Lord Duke," said Charles.

  Then Duke Darwin left Charles and Chloe to go to the students he knew.

  "Enzo, it's been a while," said Duke Darwin.

  "Greetings, Lord Duke. It feels like it was only a year ago that we met, Lord Duke," said Duke Darwin.

  "A year feels like a long time, Enzo. How is your father?" asked Duke Darwin.

  "I don't know because I didn't meet him at the academy, but I'm sure he's fine," Enzo said.

  "Yes, you are currently a student at San Fulgen Academy. While you are at the academy, you are not allowed to leave the academy grounds to visit your father. May Your Majesty the Archangel grant you protection and good health, Enzo," said Duke Darwin.

  "Thank you, Lord Duke," Enzo said.

  "Your Majesty the Archangel? Mr. Alan previously mentioned that there is a major religion in the Northern world that worships Archangels as their goddess, called the Sancta Lux religion. Hearing Lord Duke San Minerva say that, it seems Lord ?Duke San Minerva is a follower of that religion. But why does he only wish for Enzo's protection, and not Charles and Chloe from before?," I thought.

  Then Duke Darwin continued to look around, checking out the students he might know.

  "Oh, aren't you Princess Irene, the daughter of Lord ?Duke San Lucia? I heard you were also a new student, like the prince and princess. It's nice to see you here," said Duke Darwin.

  "Greetings, Lord Duke," Irene said.

  "Has your father been well since you last saw him?" Duke Darwin asked.

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  "My father is well, Lord," Irene said.

  "I see. It's been a long time since I last saw him. Well, I hope you're comfortable in my residence," Duke Darwin said.

  Duke Darwin then went around to check on the students.

  "From what Irene told me earlier, Lord Duke San Lucia and the other three Dukes are not on good terms. It must be very awkward for Irene to chat with Lord ?Duke San Minerva," I thought.

  Duke Darwin continued to walk around, examining each student one by one. Then Duke Darwin looked at me, his gaze very serious. I simply bowed as a sign of respect. After that, Duke Darwin returned to the center of the room.

  "Forgive me for walking around to check on you all first. You must be tired after your long journey, so please enjoy the food and drinks I have set out on the table," Duke Darwin said.

  Then we all began to eat.

  -

  We finished eating the food on the table. After the meal, Duke Darwin invited us to tour his residence. There was a living room, the Duke's work office, the residence's cooking room, the Duke's soldier's training room, and so on. Afterward, we went to the back of the residence. At the back of the residence, there was a beautiful garden and flower garden. There was also another fairly large building with two stories. We headed towards that building. Inside, there were many chairs lined up facing the front of the room. And in front of the room was a giant statue of a human with wings on its back. It was a statue of an angel, but it had no face. I don't know if it was damaged or intentionally missing a face.

  "This building is a small church I built for the followers of the Sancta Lux religion at my residence. You must know the Sancta Lux religion, right? It's the largest religion in the northern continent. Those of you who follow that religion can pray there. Those of you who don't follow it are free to look around," said Duke Darwin.

  (*Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Therefore, the religions and beliefs expressed in this novel have no connection to real-life religions and beliefs.*)

  We entered the building to explore. We hadn't been there long when we were surprised to see a woman sitting in the front seat. We didn't notice at first, perhaps because we were quite a distance away, as we were at the door at the back of the room, while the woman was in the front seat.

  Perhaps realizing the sudden influx of people, the woman rose from her seat.

  "It seems we have a lot of guests here," the woman said.

  She was very beautiful, with shoulder-length hair. I estimated her age to be around Her Majesty the Queen. Some of us were a little afraid and wary.

  "There's no need to be afraid, she's my wife," said Duke Darwin.

  "I heard that the first class of San Fulgen Academy students would be visiting today. I apologize for not accompanying you from the start. Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Harriet Randall San Minerva. I am the current Duchess of San Minerva," said Duchess Harriet.

  Hearing that, we all immediately bowed to show respect.

  "Would you like to see this church? Please feel free to look around. I've finished praying, so I'll take my leave. I'll be going now, dear," said Duchess Harriet.

  "Yes, dear," said Duke Darwin.

  Duchess Harriet then left the church to return to the main residence. After a while, we also exited the church, having finished touring the interior.

  After that, we went to the back gate of the Duke's residence, which was not far from the garden and church. When we arrived, the gate was open and guarded by several soldiers. We could see the scenery behind the Duke's residence: hills, forests, rivers, and a fairly expansive meadow. After that, we all returned to the Duke's residence.

  "Thank you, Lord, for hosting us and allowing us to tour around. Thank you also for the hospitality," said Mr. Alan.

  "You're welcome, Alan. After this, you and the other students will be heading to the inn, right?" asked Duke Darwin.

  "Yes, sir. And it seems like everyone is eager to explore San Minerva City," said Mr. Alan.

  "Oh, I see. Well, you and the others, please head to the inn. I'll see you tomorrow when the exam begins, Alan," said Duke Darwin.

  "Yes, Lord Duke," said Mr. Alan.

  "Oh yes, I forgot to tell you about this. Tell the ?students to be careful when walking around San Minerva City at night. Although the Silver Peacock squad patrols frequently at night, crime is still common. They target areas where patrols don't pass. So you should inform your students about this," said Duke Darwin.

  "Alright, Lord. Thank you for the information," said Mr. Alan.

  After that, we all left the Duke's residence, escorted by the Duke himself to the front gate. We reboarded our carriage and headed for the inn in San Minerva City. Upon arrival, we all disembarked. The inn we were staying in looked quite large from the outside, but we didn't yet know what it would look like inside.

  "You may explore San Minerva City, but you must first deposit your belongings in your rooms at this inn. The other instructors and I will distribute the keys to our students," said Mr. Alan.

  Mr. Alan and the other teachers began distributing the room keys. Mr. Alan distributed the keys to the students in Class A.

  "Oh yeah, Rid. You and Irene are currently dating, right?" asked Mr. Alan.

  "Yes, sir, what's wrong?" I asked.

  "Here are your room keys," said Mr. Alan, handing me one.

  "Just one room key?" I asked.

  "Yes, that's the room key you two will be sharing at this inn," said Mr. Alan.

  "What?!?!," I said, surprised.

  -To be continued