In the morning, within a certain area of the core ring of the Resonant Trynium Academy, inside a lavishly luxurious room—or more accurately, a lavishly luxurious disaster—a lazy woman slept soundly upon an oversized bed, stark naked. Even by ordinary standards, her sleeping posture was highly questionable.
The blankets had long since been kicked aside, leaving her sprawled across the bed with her buttocks perked up in a bizarre manner that could only be described as indecently uninhibited.
Despite it already being morning, the chamber remained completely dark. The curtains were tightly drawn, the lights extinguished, and not a single ray of sunlight had been permitted entry. That darkness, however, did not last for long. The door slowly opened, allowing a stream of ambient light to spill into the room.
Azara stepped inside. The mont her eyes landed on the room’s condition, a frown imdiately ford on her face. Then, her gaze shifted toward the sleeping woman.
Morgan’s long, deep violet-black hair was as ssy as ever, tangled into a chaotic nest from her habitual refusal to properly brush it.
Azara’s eyes narrowed.
There were more than enough clues presented before her to deduce what her teacher had been doing before finally falling asleep in her haze. The wetness on her fingers and the suspicious liquid dripping down from the utterly exposed pink innocence were more than enough themselves, to not even need anything else.
"This slothful woman..." Her gaze swept over the room before returning to the utterly shaless figure occupying the bed. "She was at it again, wasn’t she?" A mixture of exasperation and resignation filled her voice. "Just how hopelessly lustful can one person be? Yet she still refuses to find herself a decent man."
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Azara let out a long, weary sigh. So things, it seed, never changed. Azara approached her teacher, who, despite her identity and status, was quite possibly the laziest person she had ever t in her entire life. The mont she reached the bedside, she raised her hand and delivered a sharp slap to the woman’s backside.
"Ow! Who was that?!"
Morgan imdiately jolted awake, her voice filled with irritation as she instinctively rubbed the offended area. Her half-lidded eyes snapped open.
Those toxic serpentine pupils, vertical slits that rarely seed fully focused on anything, imdiately locked onto the audacious soul responsible for disturbing her sleep. However, the mont she recognized Azara, the hostility vanished, promptly replaced by annoyance.
"Now what, Azara?" she hissed unhappily. "Can’t you let sleep in peace for once?"
Completely ignoring the complaint, Azara remained as composed as ever. "Teacher, I need to inform you about sothing serious." She paused briefly. "And I also have a question."
"Ugh..." Morgan collapsed back onto the bed. "I want to sleep."
Despite the dramatic complaint, Azara began her report anyway. The subject was last night’s discovery within Gildemark Ward, located in the eastern region of Varion. According to reports from the Adventurers Guild, a massive section of the district—spanning nearly three thousand ters—had been found completely empty. Not abandoned; empty. There wasn’t a single resident left. No bodies, no survivors, no traces of departure—nothing. Yet despite the complete absence of people, overwhelming evidence suggested that the area had been populated until very recently. Photographs remained, personal paintings remained, household possessions remained, and various records and belongings remained. Everything pointed toward the existence of countless individuals who had once lived there.
The problem was that nobody rembered who those individuals were. Not their nas, not their faces, and not even their existence. Worse still, many of the photographs and paintings had beco strangely distorted. The figures within them appeared blurred, faded, or incomplete, as though reality itself had forgotten the people they depicted. As a result, investigators could only confirm one thing: people had lived there. Beyond that, almost nothing remained.
Even the Adventurers Guild had failed to uncover an explanation. Most concerning of all was the involvent of the Fifth Crown—The Thousand-Eyed Oracle. Yet despite her unparalleled investigative abilities, even she had been unable to discover any aningful answers.
"Azara, you’ve been talking for... what, three minutes now?" Morgan complained lazily from her semi-serpentine slouch. "In that amount of ti, I could’ve taken two naps. Summarize it or leave. And that includes your question too, understand?"
Azara, who had long since grown accustod to her teacher’s personality, didn’t find the interruption rude in the slightest. Rather, she simply nodded and condensed the information as instructed. "Regarding further discussions about the incident now designated as the Unknown Absence by the Unbound Sovereign, an alliance eting has been called. The disappearances and the subsequent discovery are being treated with the utmost seriousness by all major powers within Varion, largely because the phenonon affected everyone equally, including them."
Morgan’s expression remained unchanged. Azara continued, "Additionally, the prodigy of House Rose has been confird dead. Investigations revealed that he traveled to the Auction House of Gilded Shadows shortly before his death, within the sa affected region. However, neither his purpose for being there nor the circumstances surrounding his death are currently known."
For the first ti, Morgan’s eyes opened a little wider.
"The investigation is already underway and is being led directly by House Rose itself. The matter is considered highly sensitive due to the victim’s status as a highblood and a direct mber of the House. They are treating it not rely as a death, but as a personal affront."
Only after finishing her summary did Azara move on to the actual reason she had co. "Anyhow, as for my question..." A faint smile appeared on Azara’s face. "I’ve found a few prospective students that I would like to enroll into the academy. Would that be possible?"
"During the middle of a session?" Morgan blinked.
"Exactly." Azara nodded. "I was wondering about that myself. It’s certainly not sothing that happens often, so I wasn’t sure what your thoughts would be, teacher. Though with your permission, I don’t believe there should be any other obstacles."
Morgan yawned. "Rare, yes. Complicated, no." She shifted slightly on the bed before lazily waving a hand. "If you’re asking whether it’s allowed, then the answer is yes. It’s a simple matter. You have my permission, Azara. Proceed however you see fit."
"Understood." Azara nodded. "Then what about the other matter? Will you be attending the alliance eting, teacher?"
"Of course not." Morgan’s answer arrived instantly. "The fact that those fools even asked you to ask is already irritating." Any trace of seriousness imdiately vanished from her face. "You go do your work. I’ll do mine. And my work happens to involve sleeping peacefully." Morgan pointed lazily toward the door. "Now get out. Shoo, shoo." Her eyes were already closing. "And don’t make repeat myself."
Azara let out a long breath before turning around and leaving the room. The door closed behind her. The mont she stepped into the corridor, the composure on her face shifted ever so slightly. The warmth vanished, the professionalism remained, and beneath it all, a cold smile slowly ford.
How wonderful~
The corners of her lips curled upward.
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