Diego hurried into his seat. Only after settling down a little did he notice that his teacher had changed into the smart clothes he reserved for formal occasions. Usually careless about his appearance, the man looked as solemn and dignified as if he were attending an important evening reception.
The wealthy citizens, intellectuals, fallen nobles, and people from minor noble families in the room also wore expressions of unprecedented seriousness, silently watching the lectern.
The teacher sounded fairly composed, yet a trace of sorrow and regret seemed to linger in his voice. "Everyone, this will be the last Lainer language lesson I teach you. The Governor's Residence has issued an order: from now on, the Lainer Kingdom will be divided into two countries, East and West Lainer, with the Holloway River and Mount Adiro as their borders.
"Under the agreement signed by all parties, East Lainer will remain under the protection of our overlord, Atrelin. West Lainer, also known as Lainer Nur, will establish a new federal state under joint self-government, led by the Duby Family of the Black Dragon Dynasty, the Drow's Shadow Council, and the former rebels of the Red Sand Legion, among others.
"East Lainer will no longer teach the Lainer language. Instead, the Atrelin language courses previously offered on an experimental basis will be introduced across the board, and some supplementary subjects will become core subjects..."
The students seated there were boys and girls of the Lainer Kingdom, teenagers in the bloom of youth.
They were naturally a little surprised, but they did not truly understand what this meant.
They were merely affected by the sorrowful atmosphere created by their teacher and the people around them, feeling an inexplicable sadness.
At the lectern, the teacher began delivering the lesson, faithfully following the Teaching Syllabus.
The subject