The Rebirth of Evelyn Knox

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Evelyn would naturally try her best to grow as fast as possible, but having a goal in mind was always good. 

One of the things she had always wanted to know ever since she became aware of the existence of thrones was, of course, how strong they were exactly. After all, since she would one day be facing them, how could she rest assured without even knowing the disparity in their strength?

Moreover, beyond the thrones there was another threat that she had to eventually face, which was the origin of her rebirth - the space beast Chronos. Although Evelyn didn't know if it was stronger than the thrones or not, she knew that the threat it possessed was most definitely stronger.

After all, the knowledge it possessed seemed to be on an entirely different level. Even if it was weaker in raw strength, Evelyn felt like it would still be a greater threat. And that's not even considering the fact that it might just be stronger.

However, the time had already come that the threat of the Lord of Bones was looming over her head like a guillotine, but she still had no idea how far she was from him.

Gwendolyn's statement did provide her with some insight, and Evelyn guessed that she would at least need to cross to level hundred, and then the three tiers of awakening, from three to one, to be about as strong as Aurora.

However, there was no way for her to know if that's where the strength of the thrones remained, or if it was even higher.

Simply depending on Gwendolyn and her mysterious 'plan' didn't sit right with Evelyn, so although she didn't have any choice but to cooperate for now, the idea of growing her own strength to their level remained firm in her heart.

After all, only when she had the ability to resist their will would she have any grounds for negotiation, or she would forever remain nothing but a pawn.

Taking a deep breath to settle her emotions, Evelyn stared straight into Gwendolyn's eyes with determination. "Can you tell me roughly how much stronger the Lord of Bones is compared to a tier one awakened?"

The blue-haired throne chuckled, as if she could already guess her thoughts. "Naturally, I'm no mere awakened, and neither is the Lord of Bones. As for the specifics… how about I make it as a reward once we've dealt with the Lord of Bones?"

No matter how she felt in her heart, Evelyn could only reluctantly nod.

Gwendolyn smiled. "I see you're very curious. Let me tell you something else that's interesting, then. Aside from Aurora, you have another awakened by your side, though she won't be any help for our plan."

Evelyn frowned a little in confusion, wondering if Gwendolyn was talking about the other pillars in the academy, but they could hardly be considered her allies. After all, their loyalty lay with the academy, not herself.

Soon, however, she realized what Gwendolyn meant, and her complicated gaze turned to Nadia, who was still contently wagging her fish tail in the water, her eyes closed in Evelyn's embrace.

Gwendolyn nodded. "It was probably born right past the barrier of tier one, or somewhere around that region? I'm not sure. As for how… I have my conjectures, but since I'm not certain, I'll keep it to myself."

The blue haired throne turned to look at the sky suddenly, frowning in thought. "Looks like that bastard is heading over to my place… I can't be absent at that time. Anything else you need to know before I go?"

Although Evelyn was curious about where Gwendolyn's 'place' was and what was going to happen, she could vaguely sense that the blue haired throne didn't want to mention it, and would reject her even if she asked.

The pink haired girl frowned as she nodded, deciding to simply focus on what mattered to her first in that case. "What happens after I become an 'awakened'? Do I seek you out?"

Gwendolyn chuckled. "No need. I'll be keeping an eye on the Lord of Bones, and he'll definitely seek you out. Trust me, the awakening of a throne can't be kept secret."

Evelyn's heart chilled, but she tried her best not to let it show on her face. 'So I guess it will become obvious when it happens. There's no way for me to delay it further and increase my strength to the next level first.'

The blue haired throne smiled. "At that time, you need to hold him up for a while and I'll come to you with Aurora. After that… I'll take care of everything."

Evelyn's expression turned grim as she nodded. She didn't ask Gwendolyn how she could do that when the Lord of Bones was supposedly so much stronger, because she knew even Gwendolyn probably had no answer to that.

She would have to figure it out for herself, and if she failed to do so… it would all come crashing down.

The blue haired throne sighed. "You should realize now that the biggest challenge would be to survive against him until we arrive."

Evelyn nodded.

Gwendolyn smiled. "You must have your own ideas for how to grow, and at first I wanted to let you grow by yourself. It would be both more convenient and consolidate your strength better."

  She paused before flicking a ring in her direction, and Evelyn subconsciously caught it. "I can't wait for long now that the Lord of Bones knows about you, so I'll give you a shortcut. Go to Lumenzarha and take their trial by fire. It won't be easy for someone like you, but as long as you're able to clear it fully, getting past awakening shouldn't be impossible."

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The blue haired throne really didn't stay another moment as she disappeared right in front of her eyes. And as soon as she did, the privacy barrier that she had erected also dissolved.

Aurora walked over, frowning as she ascertained that Gwendolyn was truly gone before she breathed out a sigh of relief. "What did she say?"

Evelyn pursed her lips in thought as she patted Nadia's head before swimming over to Aurora's side to get out of the lake. The primordial Naiad followed her to the edge of the lake before looking at her pitifully, and the pink haired girl couldn't help but smile.

Turning to the platinum blonde, Evelyn sighed. "She wants me to go to Lumenzarha to take part in their trial by fire. Teacher… do you know what that is and what I should do?"

Aurora's expression turned a little strange at her words, as if she couldn't quite figure out what was going on. "Why would she want you to go through Lumenzarha's marriage competition? Did she really say that, or is it your own idea?"

Looking at her teacher's suspicious expression, Evelyn was immediately dumbfounded. "The what? What marriage?"

The platinum blonde frowned as she saw that Evelyn's surprise was really not fake, and she had no idea what the so-called trial by fire really meant.

In the end, she could only sigh and explain it to her student. "Lumenzarha's 'Trial By Fire' is an annual competition organized by the royal family in order to select the most qualified candidate to marry into their royal line. Since it is held each year at the same time, and there are no restrictions on entry, many people from all over the continent, and even some outsiders come over to participate."

She pursed her lips in thought. "After all, even if it is some small princess or prince of the side branch, the treatment of their spouse will definitely be superior to common folk."

Evelyn furrowed her brows in thought. "Does the royal family there have some great secret? A strange ability? I really don't get it. For Lumenzarha's 'Trial By Fire' to be able to boost my strength quickly—"

Aurora's expression turned grim as she shook her head. "No, I think I get it now. Instead of the royal family, I think the secret lies with where their 'Trial By Fire' is actually held."

"Eh?"

The platinum blonde sighed. "From what I know, the trial takes place in a mystic realm that is separated from our world. That is to say, a completely independent space! No one really knows what is and where it is, and every year what the candidates face may be different."

Before the pink haired girl could open her mouth, Aurora bit her lip in worry. "The mystic realm is usually nothing special, and doesn't hold any great opportunities. From what I heard, only those from poorer backgrounds would consider it a lucky chance, but…"

Evelyn's expression turned solemn. "You mean…"

Aurora nodded. "That's right. I believe that this mystic realm must hold some secret that we don't know about, and it might be able to stimulate your growth. But that also means that it contains some danger that we're unaware of, so you must be careful!"

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