The Rebirth of Evelyn Knox

After fussing over her for a while and making sure that nothing had gone wrong, Bree finally allowed Evelyn to be alone with her newly acquired companion.

The moment that the fox had climbed onto her lap, the pink haired girl became aware of the bond being formed between them. No, it was not 'being formed', it's as if it was something that was already there.

Her little pink fox was barely half the size of a newborn puppy, combined with its soft pink fur and small fluffy tail, it looked fragile and weak in the palm of her hand. And Evelyn noticed that the purple gem on its forehead seemed to be a little lighter in colour after their bonding.

As for the reason her probe skill worked, she wasn't sure if it was because the skill was previously being obstructed by the container, or if the bond had something to do with it becoming usable now. In either case, she was happy to be able to know more about her little fox.

-Lotus Moon Spirit Fox (Ruru): Level 1 [Exp: 1/10]

Special Physique: Spirit Beast

—Physique: 11

—Spirit Power: 231

—Soul Value: 507

—Vitality: 14

-[ Abilities / Enhancements ]

—Lotus Throne's Nirvana

—Lotus Throne's Shackles

When she tried to focus on the skill further to see if she would be able to get any further hints, a short description came to her mind.

-[Lotus Throne's Nirvana]

—Combines the soul value of the host and the beast, carrying out a direct attack through a spirit power channel.

—If the combined spirit power is lower than the combined soul power by more than half, vitality of the spirit fox will be reduced, scaling with the attack duration.

—Depending on the enemy's strength and damage suffered, the channeler may be able to permanently enhance their spirit power to an extent.

Evelyn frowned deeply, looking at her little fox with only fourteen points of vitality, she decided that it was top priority to level up her little fox quickly to boost both its spirit power as well as vitality.

After all, she couldn't possibly allow her little Ruru to die in just fourteen years even if she never used that skill, right? Since the fox's status was so similar to herself, she assumed it would be able to level up quite similarly.

"But how do I level it up quickly? I know I'm quite close to a huge boost in levels once the two yellow missions are completed, but if little Ruru is only able to level up with time then it would be quite pointless. No wait… first let me check the second skill, maybe it might help."

And after focusing on 'Lotus Throne Shackles' for a few moments, a description appeared in her mind as expected.

-[Lotus Throne's Shackles]

—The gentle shackles of the throne bind the beast to its master. If the distance between the beast and the master is too great, the beast shall enter a deep slumber.

—While in physical contact, the energy absorbed by the master resonates with the beast, allowing it to grow along with the master. The master does not lose any energy in the process.

—The efficiency of this resonance can vary between a fifth to half of the energy absorbed by the master. The greater the amount of energy, the lesser the gains through the resonance.

"Ohh… I suppose that does solve some of the problem. If I understand correctly, little Ruru should be able to gain a part of the experience points I get from the missions too, and I won't be losing any either! Of course, I have to make sure to hold it close while completing the missions, or it may not work."

Looking at the pink fox still sleeping in her embrace, Evelyn smiled gently.

"Don't worry, little Ruru, the two of us will live together for a long time to come. I won't let anything happen to you! Of course, I need to get stronger too."

Evelyn sighed as she looked at her own status.

-Evelyn Knox: Level 12 [Exp: 10/120]

Hybrid Physique: Blessed Spirit, Lotus Throne

—Physique: 126

—Spirit Power: 59 [+3]

—Soul Value: 1239

—Vitality: 122

-[ Abilities / Enhancements ]

—Basic Spatial Manipulation

—Basic Probe

—Minor Shield

—Disease Immunity

—Advanced Regeneration

—Calamity

-Equipped: The Untainted [Grade 5], Shiny Bracelet [Grade 1]

Although she had grown a little in the past year, it looked like it was crucial to complete the two yellow missions if she wanted to really make a huge leap forward!

Each of the two yellow missions would give her a thousand points of experience, and she felt giddy just thinking about the tremendous boost to strength and levels that would bring.

Moreover, she could feel that she was extremely close to completing them, as both archery and painting were becoming increasingly easier for her to practice.

"I suppose I might as well test out the new bow and pen soon too, but seeing this little fox sleep so peacefully in my palm is making me want to take a nap… Little Ruru, you won't become a bad influence, right?"

Of course, her sleeping little fox did not answer the question, and continued to doze peacefully.

Evelyn sighed. "Well, there's no harm in relaxing for a few minutes, I guess. The garden looks so beautiful today, the sunlight is gentle, and the air is just right… It would be a shame if I don't lie down on the soft grass for even a minute… Just a minute…"

Convincing herself so, she cleared the fallen leaves off the grass in her garden before laying down on her back. She carefully placed the little fox on her soft belly, and the smell of fresh grass along with her little pet's gentle breathing quickly lulled her to sleep.

"Eve! Eve! We're back!"

Her peaceful bonding time with her pet was rudely interrupted by the cheerful voice of a little girl. Evelyn woke up with a start, and the jolt was enough to even rouse her little fox with a small 'Yip!'.

The slight irritation she felt upon being woken up when she'd just fallen asleep vanished and was replaced by amusement. Even the voice of her little pet was so cute!

Vivian's eyes were shining as she caught her breath after coming close to them. Her parents and Amara were still dozens of meters away.

"Ohhh~ It's so cute! Cute!"

"Isn't she? Do you want to hold her? Little Ruru just woke up."

Vivian's smiling face went stiff with terror. "Uuh."

Remembering the last time she held a cute fluffy thing in her hand, she didn't dare touch Evelyn's little fox at all. What if she ended up cooking it alive?

"Fufu… why do you look so scared? It won't bite."

"Ah… ah… I think I'm fine… I just want to look."

"Okay… I suppose you're not used to her yet, but don't worry. Little Ruru maybe a baby but she's very smart! I think…"

The little fox made a 'Yip!' as if agreeing with her.

She rubbed its chin in amusement, and the expression on little Ruru's face looked almost proud. Evelyn placed the little fox on her shoulder to see if it would work, and she was ready to catch it in the air when it jumped off almost instantly, only to discover it nestling comfortably on top of her head.

"That… I guess it works?"

Her parents and Vivian's older sister had already arrived in the garden by now, and her father left for the mansion with only a brief nod in her direction.

Isabella rolled her eyes at her husband's back. "Don't mind him. He's… busy. Anyway, I see you're with your little fox, but where's my little puppy?"

Evelyn was still trying to make sure her little Ruru won't just fall off her head. "Uh, aunty said she was going to rest for a while. She suddenly looked very tired after the ritual."

Her mother gave her a confused look. "Oh? I guess it might be taxing, though I don't really know much about it myself. I'll go check in on her just in case, you kids can play in the garden."

Evelyn nodded, making sure not to move too quickly. Um, nope, the head won't work. She had to find another home for her little fox later!

"Okay mom! Oh, and she told me that no one is allowed to enter the hall today!"

Now Isabella was even more confused, because even if she didn't know much about it, Bree had clearly told her she only needed the hall until the ritual was over. "Eh? Aren't you already done with the ritual?"

Of course, Evelyn had no idea herself, so she just shrugged. "Yeah, but, that's just what she said."

"Hm… alright I guess, you don't worry about it, I'll go see what's up."

----------

As the capital of the most powerful empire in the continent, Moreen city was absurdly grand. It was said that no single person existed who had knew the entire city's passages and locations perfectly by heart.

What many didn't realize, however, was that deep under the ground below the Moreen city, someone had already built a fortress.

Such a thing was unimaginable for the people of the Lavinian empire. It was not because it was forbidden to build deeper than ten levels under the ground, although many people did believe that, but because the soil grew harder the deeper you tried to dig.

To make an eleventh underground floor, it would cost about as much as the previous ten floors combined. And with the present strength of the construction forces in the empire, it was impossible to dig deeper than fifty meters anyway. It didn't matter how much someone was willing to spend.

So it was no wonder that no one suspected the presence of an underground fortress a hundred meters below their feet.

As for who could accomplish what the best of the best in the Lavinian empire could not? That answer would have to be asked to the leader of the 'Justice Envoys'.

A few years ago, this ragtag group was nothing but a bunch of thugs, but now they had an enormous backing due to the upcoming war. And it was this backing that made it possible for them to have such a stronghold in the Moreen city.

A well built stout man with a mix of white and grey hair sat on a wide backed chair in front in the hearing hall of the castle underground. In his hands was a white cane with a small human skull at its handle.

"Report!"

A cloaked figure knelt down in front of him, and began his report. It was clear from his tone of voice that something wasn't right.

"Leader! The Ventura's heir went out today. We managed to kill four of the protectors of the Ventura family, but couldn't get to the heir. The Knox family also led a group to the market, and we managed to kill one of their guards."

The 'boss' rubbed the skull on his walking stick. "Hmm… doesn't matter. Any losses?"

The man kneeling on the ground gulped, his knees shaking in fright. "None from the first fight. But we weren't in top form when facing the Knox guards later, and both of them were strong."

The voice of the leader was calm. "Answer the question."

The kneeling man felt as if his soul was leaving his body from fright, but he still forcefully squeezed the words form his throat. "W-We lost two, leader."

The leader's voice was still calm, and it would have made the subordinate relax if he didn't know that the person who died was the leader's younger brother.

"Which ones?"

"W-We lost number fourteen, a-and n-number two…"

BANG!

The floor cracked at the point where the white cane had struck, and the man making the report jumped back in terror.

"I see… You go get that annoying brat in the gutters and drag him out for me. I want him to personally go and deal with this mole rat Knox family!"