?
It was late at night.
The blue moon had long since vanished from the sky, and the red moon was sinking toward the horizon, about to disappear beneath it entirely.
In a small bathroom inside the palace on the floating island, Hermione Granger was bathing with her new friend and fellow apprentice, Ireena. She reclined comfortably with her eyes half closed in an ergonomically designed bathing seat crafted by the High Elves.
It was the private bathroom attached to their shared palace room. Special magical devices supplied warm water at just the right temperature and flower petals. The two of them were alone in the splendid, mist-shrouded bathhouse, their young, graceful, smooth, and delicate bodies on full display amid the rising steam.
But no outsider would ever get to see their beauty.
To enter, someone would first have to get into their room and then open two bathroom doors. Outside the room, powerful magic and the Fire Elemental Royal Guards stood watch. Whether an ordinary person or someone extraordinary, no one could even get close, let alone sneak in.
"Hey!"
"Hermione, you're so powerful. Your world's magical civilization must be really advanced, right?"
With her eyes closed, enjoying the soothing warmth of the water as she soaked as much of her skin as possible, Ireena suddenly turned her head and asked curiously.
Not long after they'd met, the two of them had secretly sparred in an open field outside the city. Naturally, the result had been a draw!
That was the main reason they'd recognized something of themselves in each other and quickly become good friends, close confidantes, and fellow apprentices. It wasn't just because they were both geniuses, close in age, and young women in their prime.
"Well..."
"Then you're going to be disappointed!"
"Honestly, magic has fallen