After changing to a more appropriate wear, Lazarus made preparations to leave his quiet room.
Just as one would expect from such a prestigious Academy, there were rows of different clothes already prepared for the student. The clothes also had the right measurements for Lazarus and all of them fit him perfectly.
No doubt, this was all miraculous, but none of it was surprising.
’It’s a good time for a walk...’ Now wearing a dark textured robe, with deep red accents and simple embroidery, Lazarus tied his slightly lengthy hair in a ponytail and nodded at his reflection in the tall standing mirror.
Before long, he was walking out of the tall and grand-looking dormitory.
’As always, the left side belongs to the boys while the right side is for the girls. There is an impassable barrier that exists between the two. Ah, I remember there was a loophole the last time I was here, and it was only known to a few of us...’ Lazarus suppressed a chuckle as he recalled his naughtier days where he would sneak into the female section of the dormitory.
Of course, he wouldn’t dare indulge in such this time around.
’It should have been fixed already, right?’ With a carefree smile, he walked away and began to trek without any idea where he was going.
The evening breeze around him caused his robe to dance while his hair flapped unceasingly.
The sweet scent of the grass and quiet ambiance around him... Lazarus took everything in without any thought in his mind.
It was refreshing.
Such an atmosphere almost made him forget all of his worries.
"Nighttime is always beautiful in the Dark Moon Academy..." When Lazarus said this, there was some meaning in his tone.
After all, he understood that the concept of ’day’ and ’night’ was an artificial concept in this place.
Everything, from the climate, to the clouds, and even the stars, sun, moon, and other seemingly natural phenomena were controlled by the Academy’s mechanisms. This was because the entire Academy Grounds existed within a Fable!
’One can only enter a Fable through its corresponding Gateway, and those who conquer it have full control over it.’ He smiled.
Normally, a Fable would be taken down by Historians after all corresponding resources were siphoned from it. The Gateway would collapse, and no one would have access to it, protecting it from the interference of rogue Historians or the corruption of Nameless Entities.
However, there were certain exceptions.
One of them was, naturally, Dark Moon Academy.
’As a place that nurtures the future generation of Historians, this place will naturally be targeted by the enemies of the Historian Association. Evil organizations and Nameless Entities would love nothing more than to cripple the Academy’s operations. That’s why hiding it in a Fable is the best way to safeguard it.’
A Fable can only ever be accessed through its corresponding Gateway. That meant there was only one entrance and exit in the entire Academy.
As long as the Gateway was protected, enemy assault would never be a thing.
There were also many competent Historians within the Academy Grounds, with patrol officers on constant watch, while the entire landscape was under the control of the appropriate authority. All major security centers were kept under tight watch, making it nigh impenetrable.
The Academy also had layers to it, namely: The Outer, Middle, and Inner Courts.
Naturally, the deeper one went, the more guarded it would be.
’The dormitories are in the Middle Court, but our classes take place in the Inner Court. In addition, the Staff Quarters is also in the Inner Court. All our powerful teachers are only one Court away from us, and they ensure that the Inner Court will never be breached.’ Lazarus held deep confidence in the Dark Moon Academy.
Even though many had tried throughout history, no one had ever made it past the Outer Court.
This had been the case even before his death.
Dark Moon Academy was indeed one of the safest places in the world for a reason.
It was a haven for the students.
’The perfect place for me to develop. I won’t waste this chance!’
Right as he concluded these thoughts, he noticed a small group of students who were gathering a small distance away from him.
This gathering was a mix of students from multiple wings.
A majority of them belonged to the South, West, and East Wings, with only one of them being from the North Wing.
And who else would it be if not Zurbluris.
He was surrounded by all manner of students, at least thirty of them, and all of them showered him with praises. Even though Lazarus was a small distance from the group, he could hear them bootlicking the quiet Zurbluris who calmly basked in the attention.
’The weak suck up to the strong... Nothing unexpected there.’
Lazarus chose to ignore this group and walk past them.
However, he hadn’t stepped three meters away from their gathering point when he heard a voice call out to him.
"Hey, you..." It belonged to Zurbluris, and it contained his usual prideful tone.
However, Lazarus was in no mood to talk to anyone.
He simply wanted to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere while thinking about all kinds of things that would occupy him during his time in the Academy.
As a result, he completely ignored Zurbluris and kept walking.
"Hey! Are you deaf? Didn’t you hear what Zurbluris said?!"
Someone yelled almost as soon as he took another step. This time, it wasn’t Zurbluris, but one of his brownosers. He was also in the East Wing, having a Sub-Integration of 6, one whole number higher than the present Lazarus.
This was what gave him the audacity to speak in such a manner.
The rest only started talking after he had done so, jointly criticizing Lazarus for ignoring Zurbluris who had clearly called for him.
"Oh?" When the noise reached a breaking point, Lazarus finally paused and looked at the agitated crowd a few meters from where he stood. "I didn’t hear my name, so I simply assumed he was referring to one of you."
"This guy..."
"What’s the use of pretending? You intentionally ignored him!"
"Who do you think you are?"
Lazarus heard their childish words and nearly chuckled. He let out a warm, amiable smile and nodded in admittance.
"You are right. I was pretending. I heard him call for me, but so what?"
"So what?!" The first person who had criticized Lazarus quickly stepped forward while pointing at him. "Did your parents never teach you manners? Isn’t it only basic courtesy to respond when someone calls for you? You lack basic respect!"
"Hmm..."
It was clear that these people were trying to get a rise out of him, but Lazarus remained calm.
Instead, he gave them a gentle smile and shrugged.
"Respect is reciprocal, don’t you think?"
"W-what?!"
"When addressing someone, you use their name.... Especially when you aren’t familiar with them." At this point, Lazarus took his gaze away from the group and cast it at the ringleader who chose to remain silent throughout the confrontation.
"Not adhering to the most basic of courtesy shows a lack of manners. I can only wonder if your parents taught you any... Zurbluris."