The Rebirth of Evelyn Knox

When Rufus had first set off for the academy, he had dreamed of days full of glory and adventure. Ever since he had been born, he had often received only praise. Except for the core royalty, he was superior to all other Terrans in terms of talent.

As for those foreigners... how could they even compare to the mighty Terran warriors?

Even if they had equal stats and similar skills, the Terrans would always come out on top in frontal combat. 

After all, they were the only ones who trained their children to fight from the age of three. Even if it was only physical training, it ensured that they had a grasp of combat skills far superior to their foreign peers.

Perhaps it was this overconfidence that had led him to make a grave mistake today. And in one fell swoop, his face had been wiped not only in front of those Lavinian scum, but also his fellow Terrans.

And to make matters worse, that dastardly Prince Craig even came to poke fun of him in front of the commoners while he was serving his 'punishment'.

To say his blood had boiled would be an understatement. However, in front of Prince Craig, what could he even do?

But even as the night fell, Rufus found he could not get rid of his resentment at all, and his heart burned to seek vengeance.

And so he headed for the Lavinian compartment once more. This time, however, his steps were no longer pompous and arrogant, but quiet and meek. 

His eyes darted around from time to time, making sure no one was awake. And it seemed luck was on his side tonight, because everyone he saw was sound asleep, including that bastard prince.

As this was their first night after entering the forest, most students had been tired from all the ups and downs. From the next day onwards, it was likely that the sleep schedule of the students would start varying. After all, they were basically on an extended holiday till they reached the academy. 

There would never be another chance like this. He only had one shot… a single opportunity. How could he let it slip?

Rufus breathed heavily as his gaze landed on the peacefully sleeping pink haired girl. Although she looked completely defenseless, Rufus knew that his chances of being able to hurt her before she awakened weren't great.

Moreover, even if he managed to do it, expulsion would be the least of his worries.

No, although he wanted her to suffer, he wouldn't destroy his future just to hurt her. 

His gaze shifted to the golden puppy that the girl carefully held close to her chest. He had seen how gentle her gaze was when she looked at this thing. He knew she must treasure it greatly.

Rufus had to make sure that she lost something she treasured, just like he lost his reputation today. All he had to do was make sure to be as silent and gentle as possible while taking the puppy from her embrace.

Anyway, even if he ended up killing a pet, what was the worst punishment they could give him? Pay for its cost? He didn't lack that small amount of money.

However, just as the boy was about to reach out, Evelyn's eyes snapped open.

[ Green Mission: Protect Your Puppy! ]

- Source: Worldly Threat

- Clear Condition: Fulfill any < one > of the following conditions…

— Prevent injury or death to 'Bree Devaughn' for the next 24 hours.

— Eliminate the immediate threat 'Rufus Stonehardt'.

- Rewards:

— Experience: 220 points.

— Additional [Yellow Mission] rewards in case the second condition is fulfilled.

— Soul Value +1 points permanently.

Before he could even realize what was going on, Rufus found the world spinning as pain exploded from his back along with a dull thump. The air was pushed out so quickly from his lungs that he couldn't even scream, leaving only a silent wheeze and a whimper as his ribs cracked.

As the world stopped spinning, Rufus realized that the pink haired girl was now straddling his chest, with her hands already wrapped around his neck. 

He wanted to beg her to let go, but realized that not only would the voice not come out of his strangled throat, the girl's eyes were also vacant as if she had lost her mind.

[ Checking Status... ]

- Rufus Stonehardt: Level 14 [ Exp: 70 / 140 ]

-  Special Physique: Blessed Spirit

— Physique: 51

— Spirit Power: 53

— Soul Value: 52

— Vitality: 234

[ Enhancement (available): Iron Claw ]

[ Affection: Unknown ]

[ Unable to view skills, higher level of affection required. ]

However, at this moment Cecilia had already arrived next to her friend, and was whispering calming words into her ears as she rubbed the pink haired girl's back.

"It's alright. You can let him go. He can't do anything. Evelyn… It's okay now…"

Of course, the effect of her words was limited to stopping her friend from snapping the boy's neck. Evelyn did not seem to have any intention of letting him go at all.

Cecilia did not get the chance to console her any further, because by now three more prefects had arrived at the scene.

"Whew, I heard a loud boom and expected to see a fatty falling from the bed, but this scene is quite unexpected."

Evelyn's vacant gaze moved from Rufus and towards the girl who had spoken. She looked a little older than Cecilia, with her seaweed green hair tied in a high ponytail and faded blue eyes. Given that she had arrived from one of the front compartments, she must be from Aquavahn.

[ Checking Status... ]

- Eula Hydrangea: Level 34 [ Exp: 1150 / 7000 ]

-  Special Physique: Blessed Spirit

— Physique: 165

— Spirit Power: 174

— Soul Value: 161

— Vitality: 440

[ Enhancement (available): Floral Whisper ]

[ Affection: Unknown ]

[ Unable to view skills, higher level of affection required. ]

Two boys that looked even older than this girl were also staring at her with a frown, but they had arrived from the opposite direction, meaning they must be… Terrans.

Contrary to her vacant look, Evelyn was very much in complete control of herself. However, her thoughts were moving in a perilous direction.

'The strongest among them seems to be that boy. They seem to be using some artifact to block my probing skill, but it's fine. I can still use Lotus Throne's Nirvana to take him down, and handle the rest myself. But…'

As some time passed, Evelyn found herself calming down.

'… I probably can't survive through this forest alone. Even the academy will have to be abandoned if I do this, and how can I be sure of protecting my friends then? He will have to die later for trying to hurt my Bree, but… I can only let him go for now.'

Rufus felt the grasp on his neck loosen, but he didn't dare squeak out a single word.

He knew that Prince Craig had already arrived, but his previous ridicule was still fresh on the boy's mind. Who is to say he will protect him if this girl decides to kill him?

As for the other prefect he had never seen? She didn't seem to be in a hurry to rescue him, either.

The boy's eyes darted hopelessly from side to side before finally settling on the pink haired girl, but she completely ignored his pleading look.

"What will be his punishment for assaulting us?"

Cecilia was silent. She didn't have a good enough response to her friend's question. The ash blonde knew that she had no say in what happened in the presence of so many senior prefects.

Moreover, the moment that Prince Craig had arrived, Cecilia felt that things could go in a terrible direction at any time.

As a favored student herself, Cecilia knew very well how much favoritism from the staff mattered when interpreting the rules. And Prince Craig was loved hundreds of times more than herself by the academy staff.

In the Ancient Academy, talent reigned supreme, and Prince Craig had shown himself to be the most talented student of the academy in hundreds of years.

Even if he killed her friend right now, he would probably only receive a slap on the wrist… if that.

But contrary to her expectations, Prince Craig did not move an inch. Instead, it was the green haired girl who cleared her throat.

"Well, can the little prefect testify what you saw?"

Cecilia nodded. As long as Prince Craig stayed out of it, it was all good.

"We were all sleeping together, and when I woke up, I saw him very close to our bed before being taken down by Evelyn."

The green haired girl squinted her eyes as she tilted her head from side to side. After a while, she shook her head in disapproval.

"The way you worded that is strange, right? Did you see him before or after your friend was straddling him?"

The ash blonde knew her words had been caught.

'This is why I hate talking to people from Aquavahn!'

They were notoriously good at finding loopholes in words. But directly telling them a lie was even more unlikely to go unnoticed.

Prince Craig finally spoke at this moment, and the green-haired girl immediately backed out with a shrug.

"Little girl, you let the boy go first, then we can talk about punishments."