Peace Hunter

"Duke San Lucia want to speak with me?" I asked.

"Yes, please follow me," said Nadine.

Nadine walked toward the academy lobby, and I followed behind her.

"What Duke San Lucia wants to talk about? Is it about me being Irene's boyfriend? Come to think of it, since I've been Irene's boyfriend, I haven't interacted with any of her family other than her older brother. Since Irene is the daughter of a Duke, it's natural for her father, a Duke, to know firsthand about her current boyfriend. I've been thinking about talking to him for a while, but I was still looking for the right moment. I never thought he'd want to meet me," I thought.

Then we arrived at Duke San Lucia, Irene, and the others. It turned out they had moved from their original spot right in front of the academy lobby to the right side of the front of the academy lobby. They were waiting right at the bend in the road leading to the inn. Irene could now stand, indicating she had fully recovered. I had seen her sitting up when Duke San Lucia approached her after she regained consciousness.

"Lord Duke, I've brought Rid Archie with me," said Senior Nadine.

"How many times have I told you, Nadine, there's no need to be so formal in front of me. Even though I'm a Duke, I'm your uncle," said Duke Louis.

"Even so, I feel uncomfortable speaking normally with you," said Senior Nadine.

"Okay, as you wish," said Duke Louis.

As Senior Nadine and Duke Louis chatted, I noticed that their hair color was the same. I'd already realized that the San Lucia family's hair was snow-white. But when I saw Senior Nadine, Irene, and Duke San Lucia, I realized they were truly from the San Lucia family.

"So you are Rid Archie," said Duke Louis.

"Yes, Lord Duke. It's an honor to meet you," I said.

"No need to be so formal. I called you here simply to get to know you better. After all, you're my daughter's boyfriend now."

"Nadine, Leandra, Lily, and the other knights, could you please leave? I'd like to have a chat with Irene and her boyfriend," said Duke Louis.

"Yes, Lord," said Nadine, Leandra, Lily, and the other knights.

Then they left, leaving the three of us alone.

"Now that it's just the three of us, we can talk casually. First, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Louis Emerald San Lucia, and I'm Irene's father," said Duke Louis.

"Please allow me to apologize, Lord Duke. When Her Majesty the Queen approached me to ask me to escort her to the principal, that was the first time I saw you. I assumed you were Irene's father, and I intended to greet you, but I couldn't find the right moment. Instead, you called me first," I said.

"It's okay, you don't need to apologize. And didn't I tell you earlier that you don't need to be so formal?" asked Duke Louis.

"Excuse me, Mr. Duke," I said.

"'Mr. Duke' is still formal for me," said Duke Louis.

"Then what should I call you, Mr. Duke?" I asked.

"Hmm, how about 'uncle'?" said Duke Louis.

"'Uncle'?" I asked, surprised.

"Or you can also call me 'father' or 'daddy' like Irene. It's up to you whichever name you want to call me," said Duke Louis.

"Eh??," I said, surprised.

I looked at Irene, and she seemed unconcerned by what her father had said.

"What name do you want to call me?" asked Duke Louis.

"Then I'll just call you 'uncle'," I said.

"Too bad, I thought you were going to call me 'father', like Irene," said Duke Louis.

"How could I use that term of address? Irene and I are just dating, after all. Furthermore, our relationship is only a pretense. There's no way I'd call her 'father'," I thought.

"Never mind, the important thing is that you're no longer addressing me formally. By the way, I heard that you won the academy tournament even though you're still a first-year student. Congratulations," said Duke Louis.

"Thank you, Uncle," I said.

"You're quick to call me 'uncle'," said Duke Louis.

"Well, let's just say I'm very good at adapting," I said.

"I see. About the academy tournament, I really wanted to watch you and Irene compete in it, but for some reason, I decided not to come to the academy that time. For now, I decided to come to the academy because I was very worried when I heard the academy was attacked by an unknown group," said Duke Louis.

"You really are a father who cares about his daughter, aren't you, Uncle?" I said.

"Of course. By the way, what about your father and mother? Will they come here because they're worried about you?" asked Duke Louis.

"My father and mother left me when I was a baby, and I don't know where they are now. I lived with my grandfather when I was a baby, and now he's gone. Maybe only the people living in my village will worry about me if they hear about this attack," I said.

"I'm sorry. I asked such a sudden question without first finding out," said Duke Louis.

"It's okay, Uncle," I said.

Then we continued chatting. Duke Louis asked me many questions, from where I came from to my daily life at the academy. I answered each question one by one. We talked about so many things that we didn't even notice how late it was.

"The conversation was so enjoyable that I didn't even notice it was already getting late. It seems it's time for me to return to San Lucia. Maybe I'll come back tomorrow, or maybe Irwin will come here in my place,"

"Rid, I'm entrusting my daughter to you while she's at this academy. Irene may seem cold at times, unlike her former self, but she's still a good girl. Please take care of her," said Duke Louis, stroking Irene's head.

Irene didn't seem fazed by her father's stroking.

"Don't worry, uncle. I'll take care of Irene while she's at this academy. After all, I'm her boyfriend now," I said.

After hearing my words, Irene smiled slightly.

"Hahaha, you're quite bold to say that when I, her father at here. Well, it's okay, after all I approve of you as Irene's boyfriend," said Duke Louis.

After Duke Louis said that, I sensed several people staring this way. I turned to look at them. They seemed to be carrying an Artifact or some kind of magical device for some unknown purpose. Irene, seeing me looking away, asked me.

"What's wrong, Rid?" Irene asked.

"Nothing, I just sensed those people staring this way," I said.

Irene and Duke Louis also turned to look at the people I saw.

"Oh, them. They're from 'Diganta'. 'Diganta,' the largest and only newspaper publisher in the kingdom of San Fulgen. It seems they're here looking for news material to publish. Previously, they were seen hanging around outside the academy gates, but now they seem to have been allowed inside," said Duke Louis.

"Newspapers, huh? When I was still living in the village, I did see several people delivering newspapers to the village where I was. But since I entered this academy, it feels like there aren't any newspapers circulating within the academy," I said.

"Newspapers are still circulating within the academy, but they're only addressed to the adults at the academy, like the staff, teachers, and even the principal. They don't reach us," Irene said.

"Is that so," I said.

"Most of the newspapers circulating so far have been about nobles, crime, monster attacks, or rare natural disasters. But since this time there's been a major incident, the attack on the only academy in the kingdom of San Fulgen, it seems they'll have plenty of fresh news to publish in the next few days. They even brought 'Cameras' to cover this place," said Duke Louis.

"'Camera'?" I asked.

"It's a device they carry to photograph what they see. Not only that, but some cameras also record what they see. But the types of cameras used for photographing and recording are different," Irene said.

"I see," I said.

"It may look like an Artifact or other magical device, but the 'camera' isn't an Artifact. It's just a normal tool that can be used without using Mana. Only the Dwarf race can create this kind of device. This kingdom can obtain 'cameras' because it's imported from the Dwarf Kingdom," said Duke Louis.

"I see," I said.

Then I looked around and saw Miss Karina surrounded by many people. Some of them were carrying devices called 'Cameras.' Queen Kayana and King Albert were also surrounded by these people, but the royal knights tried to block them from getting too close to Queen Kayana and King Albert.

After the people surrounded Miss Karina, some of them left and suddenly approached me. They then questioned me about the attack incident. I didn't know what was happening or why these people were approaching me.

"It seems the principal told them about your contributions in fighting the perpetrators of this attack. So it's no wonder these people came to you," said Duke Louis.

The crowd approaching me began to grow, but fortunately, Duke San Lucia's knights suddenly arrived and held them back. Miss Karina also arrived and ordered the men to leave, as it was already getting late. At first, the men refused to leave, but with some coercion, they finally did.

"*Haaaahhh, I intended to tell the truth, but I didn't expect them to come right at you, Rid. I'm sorry, I should have just lied to them," said Miss Karina.

"It's okay, miss. Thank you for helping me," I said.

"Because I helped fend them off, I was late getting home. Now I'm really going home. Then, see you later, Irene, Rid, and Ms. Principal," said Duke Louis.

"Bye, uncle. Thank you for helping me too," I said.

Duke Louis left the academy with his soldiers.

"Wait a minute, Rid, did you just call Duke San Lucia 'uncle'?" asked Miss Karina.

"Yes, it's a long story, Miss," I said.

"I see. I don't have time to listen to your story right now. Then, if you'll excuse me, I have to explain to the parents or guardians who came here worried about their children's safety," said Miss Karina.

Miss Karina left. After that, we were all told to rest in the dormitory, while the staff, teachers, and guests who were still at the academy were told to rest in the lodging building. Fortunately, the dormitory and lodging building weren't severely damaged and could be quickly restored using the Artifact brought by Queen Kayana. Meanwhile, the academy building, especially the academy lobby, was severely damaged, and repairs will begin tomorrow. Furthermore, the academy forest was also severely damaged, with many trees down.

We were informed that the academy festival was forcibly closed today and canceled tomorrow, even though tomorrow was supposed to be the last day of the festival. But what else could be done? The festival decorations and booths had been destroyed by the attackers. Several areas of the academy were also destroyed. It was impossible to continue the festival under these conditions.

Fortunately, no one died in the attack inside the academy. However, some were seriously injured and were immediately healed with magic to prevent their condition from worsening. However, 33 people died in the attack outside the academy, specifically at the gate and on the road leading to the academy. Because of this, Queen Kayana declared a state of emergency in the kingdom for several days. Every region was asked to be vigilant and search for the attackers, who may still be within the San Fulgen Kingdom.

San Fulgen Academy is currently under tight security, with many knights stationed there. Therefore, we were able to rest a little easier with the many knights remaining on guard throughout the night.

-

The next day.

The newspaper published by 'Diganta' circulated throughout the San Fulgen Kingdom. Those who had not previously heard about the attack on San Fulgen Academy were shocked to see this news. Besides the attack on San Fulgen Academy, there was another piece of news that shocked those who read it even more.

-To be continued