The Rebirth of Evelyn Knox

Other than Evelyn, none of the others in the room understood why Aurora suddenly started talking about this 'Child of the Blue Moon'.

But although none of them knew why she would bring up such a strange 'story', they could feel that the atmosphere between Aurora and Evelyn wasn't right.

"Of course, this is but a story I heard a long time ago."

Even as Aurora moved on from the 'story' just as casually as she had started telling them about it, Evelyn couldn't put the matter down in her heart at all.

The pink-haired girl was sure that Aurora was at least aware of her status as the 'Lotus Throne', so for her to mention such a story in which one of her supposed enemies was the 'protagonist' raised all kinds of alarm bells in her heart. 'Why does she know this? And what does she mean to imply?'

The 'Child of the Blue Moon' was most certainly another throne, and from what she had heard from the conversation between the ancient fox and the headmistress, someone destined to be her opponent. In fact, based on the conversation between the headmistress and the fox, the two thrones had far deeper enmity for each other than anyone else, but that didn't mean they wouldn't strike her down upon noticing her existence.

And in Aurora's story, this blue moon girl, her 'enemy', was someone who only killed her predecessor due to a misunderstanding.

That could only mean two things.

One, Aurora genuinely believed that what she said was true, which raised a far more concerning question. How could Aurora know what 'that girl' was thinking? After all, if the story came from anyone but the girl herself, they would only know that she had killed another throne, and not her true thoughts.

Or two, this platinum blonde lady wanted her to feel that this 'Child of the Blue Moon' could be a potential ally. This meant that she was clearly steering her in that direction, and Evelyn had no idea why. To lead her into a trap? To make her join 'their side'?

The only comforting thought was that if Aurora had already allied with another throne, wouldn't she have already 'taken care' of her, knowing her true identity?

After all, the difference in their levels wasn't small at all. Evelyn didn't think she could even handle that Professor Dane who had expelled her earlier, even if he wasn't taking her seriously, while Aurora was someone far above even his level. If not for that, how could she so easily throw him out? 

Evelyn felt that Aurora shouldn't be someone she should consider 'hostile', at the very least. In that case, it was better to clear up this 'misunderstanding' as soon as possible. And there was no better time than now. "Miss Aurora, in that story, you mentioned that the girl felt 'regretful' after murdering her companion, but how can you be sure what she felt?"

Aurora didn't seem to think she would ask her such a question, and blinked at her in surprise. "Didn't I say it was just a story? I don't know what really happened, or if any of this happened at all."

The pink-haired girl couldn't help but bite her lip. "Then… do you know the origin of this story?"

Aurora hummed in thought, as if seriously trying to recall an old memory. After a while, however, she shook her head. "I'm not sure."

How could Evelyn believe that?

But although Evelyn was reluctant, she could only drop the matter. She decided to completely ignore the story about the other 'throne'. "Then… about the 'Spirit Lands', is there any easy way to get there?"

Given that the Serenity lake was located in that place, Evelyn certainly had to pay it a visit, and the sooner it happened, the better. After all, that was the source of the 'Serenity Dew Drops' that had helped in Bree's recovery.

The platinum blonde gave her a curious look. "You want to visit the 'Spirit Lands'?"

Evelyn nodded.

Aurora considered it for a moment before nodding. "Okay, I'll take you there, but only after you pass my test."

Evelyn had only wished to ask for directions, but if Aurora could directly take her there, that was of course for the best. After all, if the path was so easy to take just because someone knew about it, the products obtained from there wouldn't be so highly coveted and expensive. 

But she had no idea what this 'test' was supposed to be, unless her 'mentor' was referring to one of the regular assessments of the academy.

Aurora seemed to have guessed some of her thoughts, and shook her head. "I don't mean the academy test. This test is just for you. Understand?"

Evelyn couldn't help but scratch her head in confusion. "What? So, um, what exactly does that entail?"

The platinum blonde smiled. "It's too easy if I tell you. You have to pass it without knowing."

The pink haired girl almost gaped. 'So unreasonable? I guess Cecilia wasn't completely wrong, after all.'

Of course, Evelyn didn't know that this was just Aurora's 'philosophy', as she believed that a student should be proficient enough in the subject to pass an exam without knowing the syllabus.

==========

After ensuring that her student didn't have any accidents while comprehending her cultivation technique, Aurora didn't stay in their room for long, and vanished just as easily as she had entered.

When she had first arrived in the academy, Evelyn had really believed the claim that no one could enter a student's room without their badge, but now she clearly knew that was a lie. Even if not everyone could do just barge in with the resident being none the wiser, at least Aurora could do so.

Even if she was the only 'exception', that was still one too many as far as Evelyn was concerned.

Since she had already put it off for later due to Aurora's presence, Evelyn decided that she might as well take care of her friends first before claiming her own mission rewards in peace.

Unfortunately, it was not as straightforward a process as she would have liked.

"I-I want the lightning one, please!"

Evelyn couldn't help but sigh. "Vivi, with your natural talent with fire, wouldn't it be a huge waste to not learn 'Eternal Ember'? I know you think the lightning technique sounds super cool, but think about it. Isn't playing with fire 'cool' too?"

The little girl seemed to have been convinced, especially after Cecilia helped her out. "Not to mention that Eternal Ember is of a slightly superior quality compared to Thundering Fury."

Vivian's matter was still quite easy, but her sister proved herself to be an even tougher nut to crack. "W-Why would you want me to pick Arcane Archive?"

Although she was extremely grateful to Evelyn for getting her the technique, wouldn't it be much better for her to learn something that seemed more suitable in combat? Amara didn't wish to remain a burden even though there were so many choices.

This way, she could also be of more use to Evelyn. Even if Evelyn didn't wish for the two sisters to share the same technique, wasn't it alright to let her learn the level eight 'Thundering Fury' cultivation technique instead?

Fortunately, Cecilia came to her rescue. "Evelyn is right, actually. Between these two, you should definitely take the Arcane Archive! Not only is it one grade higher, it's not weak at all, even compared to Thundering Fury! And it has a lot more utility that will help us out in the long run. One of the most renowned professors in the Maker's Mansion uses this method, you know? He admitted that he wouldn't be half as good as he is now if not for 'Arcane Archive'!"

Evelyn had a feeling that Cecilia had just inadvertently helped her 'scam' Amara, because 'Arcane Archive' seemed like it was more inclined towards a 'supporting' role.

And if a renowned professor from the Maker's Mansions praised it like that, they were most likely commending its ability to enhance their skills in their craft more than anything else, though Cecilia seemed unaware of it.

Of course, Evelyn didn't tell Amara the real reason she insisted on it anyway, since they had barely managed to convince her as it was.

==========

Back in her tower, Aurora stared out her window at the still serene lake as she wondered what kind of choice Evelyn was going to make after hearing about that 'story'. Would she believe it? Would she try to seek shelter in the arms of the Blue Moon Queen?

Of course, she hadn't lied about any part of the story to her student. And she really 'wasn't sure' where the story came from.

According to what she knew, that woman had actually hoped to lure in whoever ended up inheriting the 'Lotus Throne' by spreading this story. However, after thousands of years without results, she seemed to have already given up.

But this could all just be 'made up nonsense', since all these events happened long before Aurora's time.

In any case, she didn't care if the story was true or not. Regardless of her intentions, it was a fact that the Lotus Throne had been murdered by that woman. This was something that the ancient fox who had accompanied the previous lotus throne confided to her 'mother' personally, and Aurora had no reason to doubt it.

What mattered now, however, was how much faith this student of hers was willing to have in her mentor.