The Rebirth of Evelyn Knox

Although it would accompany her for many years to come, Evelyn didn't ponder too deeply on the design of her badge.

It wasn't because she couldn't be bothered, but because she felt like she already had a good idea of what she wanted in her mind.

Cecilia expected Evelyn to pick a pink badge of some kind. Maybe a pink bow and arrow badge, since she remembered the girl mentioning archery in her letters a few times.

And it had to be pink because… well, wouldn't it match her well? Not to mention her hair and eye color—which she had no choice in—wasn't her precious grade 5 belt also inlaid with pink gems?

But her actual choice was a little different from Cecilia's expectations. 

"This one, and for the color, please make it purple."

The man took her document and told her to wait as he left the counter to presumably get her badge.

Cecilia couldn't help but voice her doubts. "I thought you would go for pink! Why purple?"

Evelyn chuckled as she patted little Ruru on her shoulder. "Doesn't it match well?"

Although the little fox had grown a bit over the past three years, she was still able to comfortably rest on her shoulder, albeit just barely. 

Perhaps it won't be long before she had to actually follow her around on foot.

Cecilia blinked as she stared at the pink fox. With its purple eyes as well as the gem on its forehead, she had to admit that the combination looked good along with her pink fur. Evelyn was probably going for the same look.

At this point, the man returned and handed over a circular purple badge, and Cecilia was a bit disappointed that Evelyn made the same mistake as her despite all the warnings. It was still the same boring circular shape!

But only Evelyn knew what it meant for her. Perhaps if not for that coin being ignored by everyone else by a fluke during the survival test, she would not be here today despite getting a second chance.

It was not that she was nostalgic about that thing, but she wanted this badge to serve as a reminder to never rely on just luck again. Had that man's step landed even a couple of inches here and there, her trap would have been completely useless, and she would have been mauled to death within minutes if not seconds.

Her gloomy thoughts were cleared as she smiled at how proud little Ruru looked at her choice.

'Master chose purple because of me! This is clear proof that master loves me more than that dumb puppy! Wouldn't she pick green, otherwise? Hmph, I knew it. Master loves me the most!'

"Please take good care of your badge, dear student. In case you end up losing it, issuing a new one will cost ten spirit crystals."

Evelyn blinked. "I think I heard it wrong. Ten spirit stones, right?"

"No, it's ten spirit crystals."

The man didn't seem embarrassed at all, even though to Evelyn it was like someone asking for a thousand dollars for a bottle of water.

One spirit crystal was worth a hundred spirit stones, each of which was worth a hundred gold. And the academy's yearly fee was only a hundred gold.

Evelyn shuddered. 'How can it cost a thousand times of the yearly fee to replace a badge we get for free now? That means there's little difference between losing the badge and being expelled!'

The man ignored her shock at the amount, apparently quite used to it, and handed her a thin purple booklet. 

"These are all the basic rules and regulations you need to follow while at the academy, as well as the functions of your badge. 

"Within three days, you are required to submit your choice of subjects according to the guidelines mentioned within, failing which you will be put into whichever classes have the least students are available.

"In case you have any questions or doubts, you can come here at any time the sun is up and we will clear it."

Evelyn nodded. "Okay, thank you!"

After exiting the building, Cecilia excitedly led her around to show off the various palaces, each with its own unique design.

The one they were facing now was a gloomy looking fortress completely made out of giant black stone slabs. 

Compared to the elaborate designs she had seen previously, this one seemed to be made more for practical purposes, and completely ignored the aesthetics.

"This one is the 'Maker's Mansion'! It looks quite ugly, but actually this is the one building that contains all three of the most sought-after subjects!"

Evelyn felt quite curious. "Oh?"

"Unfortunately, you can only pick one of them according to the rules, and stick with it for the rest of your life. Although there is a way to switch, it's more bad than good."

The pink haired girl gazed at the dark stone walls thoughtfully. "Maker's Mansion huh… I'm guessing from the looks and name that it has something to do with artifact making?"

Cecilia nodded. "Not wrong, but to be precise, it is home to the 'Creation' arts. This means that the subjects of 'Artifact Formation', 'Apothecary', and 'Design' are all taught here. 

"Even the higher-level subjects which require you to have perfect grades in the basic ones first, such as Alchemy and Enchantment, are all taught here."

Evelyn felt a little dissatisfied when she thought about having to make a choice between the subjects she actually wanted. "I can really only pick one? What if I change my mind a few years later?"

Cecilia nodded. "Right, only one. No changing mind. You'll be stuck with it for the next seven to nine years, yeah. No, actually, you'll technically be stuck with it for the rest of your life. This is why you're given three days to make the decision, because it's important."

Evelyn sighed. Although she had been keenly interested in the formation of artifacts for as long as she had known of their existence, there were also many other things in this world she wanted to know and do.

If she could, she would definitely want to pursue both alchemy as well as artifact formation. As for 'Design', she had no idea what it actually entailed, so she could only ask.

After all, although she was sure she would still go with artifact formation, it was better to know what her options were before making the final choice.

"And what exactly is taught in this 'Design' course?"

Cecilia frowned, feeling a little awkward. Although she was a prefect, there was a limit to her knowledge, especially about the subjects she herself wasn't enrolled in.

"It's… ugh, I don't know how to explain it well. Basically, it branches out later to things such as Array Formation, Enchantment, and so on. So, um, like… imbuing things with properties that they should not have. Get it?"

Evelyn nodded. "I think so… and which one of them did you pick, Cecilia?"

The ash blonde chuckled. "What else? Apothecary, obviously!"

Evelyn couldn't help but blink. "Why 'obviously'? Is it so clearly better than the others, or do you just prefer that?"

Cecilia smiled. "Both. After mastering this course, I can later learn alchemy, and become an alchemist! Fufu, not only does it sound good, it gives the highest amount of contribution points!"

The pink haired girl tilted her head curiously. "Didn't you mention in one of your letters that contribution points are based on merit? Why then is it dependent on the subject, then?"

Cecilia cleared her throat. "That's true, but there's more to it than just that! The things you create in the Maker's Mansion are all made using the academy's materials, and naturally belong to the academy. But the effort you put into making them is rewarded with contribution points, and how much you get depend on how valuable the item you made is."

Evelyn nodded. It made some sense for this to be the case, although perhaps she would be reluctant to part with her creation if it was something unique. 

"So… are the most valuable items produced using alchemy? Wouldn't artifact formation be much better?"

After all, Evelyn knew how precious artifacts were.

Cecilia shook her head. "Let me ask you this, Evelyn… do you think some twelve year old can make even a grade one artifact, let alone an eight year old?"

"Um… Vivian made one when she was three years old, you know?"

The ash blonde gave her a blank look. "… What?"

Evelyn tilted her head. "Don't tell me… I never told you?"

But when she thought about it, other than the Gilmore sisters and herself, no one really knew about Vivian's deeds.

No… even Amara might not know that what Vivian made was an artifact! After all, she did not have a probe skill like Evelyn.

Cecilia rolled her eyes. "Would I look so shocked if I already knew? Anyway… you're not joking, are you?"