The Rebirth of Evelyn Knox

The other two pillars thanked the heavens that Aurora was already too far away to hear the ex-headmaster's words, because they really couldn't imagine how they would be able to fill another vacant spot among the pillars so soon.     

"L-Lord Hyperion, you should be more mindful of your words."     

The dark-haired man clicked his tongue before turning away. "Whatever. I'll go check on Lord Stonehardt to see if he's coping well with his duties, let's meet tomorrow."     

The new headmaster appeared to be a little stiff and uncompromising on the surface, but the two of them had got along fine for the most part. He hadn't yet had the time to talk with him much since his position changed from being the headmaster to a pillar, and Hyperion felt that it would be a pity if he didn't even try cooperating with the man.     

Kaizen and Kaling stared at each other in confusion before the female pillar hesitantly spoke out. "B-But lady Aurora told you to familiarize yourself with the tower's arrays, right?"     

The ex-headmaster snorted. "You don't need to worry about that. Can't I decide what I should be doing in my own free time?"     

Kaizen hurriedly waved his hands. "Not at all, forgive my wife's bluntness, we were just a little confused."     

Kaling nodded. "Right. I was just curious."     

The dark haired man shrugged and walked away, leaving the husband and wife alone.     

Kaling heaved a sigh of relief. "I miss the good old days when everyone just focused on being annoyed with Mantis, and we could just mind our own business. Now it's up to us to make conversations, or these two ice blocks will make every meeting awkward."     

The male pillar chuckled. "Well, on the plus side, we also don't have to get annoyed by Mantis."     

His wife giggled. "Heh, true."     

Kaizen sighed. "Pity that we have to synchronize with the main defensive array again, though."     

Kaling groaned. "Right? What a waste of time. We're never going to use it anyway, since no one can get past the sentinels through the valley, and no one has the guts to go through the thunder array."     

Of course, this was not just a blind belief, but a fact that had been established after having witnessed thousands of years and hundreds of attempts by various 'superpowers'. There was a reason the pillars never put even royalty in their eyes, after all.     

Kaizen sighed. "Yeah, but who's gonna tell that to Aurora?"     

The female pillar couldn't help but shake her head ruefully. "She's always been a little silly. Even if all the powers on the continent united together to attack us, we still wouldn't need to worry. What's she so anxious about? If I didn't know better, I'd think we were about to face some calamity."     

Her husband looked around nervously before nodding. "To be honest, I think she's just trying to divert attention from the fact that she killed Mantis, you know."     

Kaling chuckled. "Makes sense. No wonder Lord Hyperion was so gloomy. In the end, he's the one who lost the most benefits, and also has to work hard to synchronize with the defensive array."     

Kaizen sighed. "Hopefully, he doesn't lose his patience to do something drastic. I don't think we'll be able to stay out of a fight this time, and I really don't feel like we'll be getting out of it unscathed."     

Silence reigned between the two for a while before Kaling sighed. "…We'll cross that bridge when we get there."     

Although neither of the two liked the idea of going against Aurora, given that the odds of injury and death were uncertain, if push came to shove, they knew they couldn't just stay put.     

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Meanwhile, Evelyn finally arrived on top of the white tower in front of the lake. There was a momentary flicker of spirit power when Aurora allowed her feet to touch the ground, presumably from a defensive array.     

This was the first time she was entering Aurora's tower, and Evelyn couldn't help but look around curiously.     

Unlike the gloomy atmosphere in the tower they had just left, what with its dark and sturdy looking giant stone slabs, the construction of Aurora's tower looked more like part of a beautiful palace than a castle.     

The white stone slabs had a bluish tint to them, and were much smaller in individual size compared to the other tower. Moreover, the construction itself seemed to have been done more precisely, with the gap between the stones being much more minimal.     

As they entered the tower, Evelyn couldn't help but be impressed by the giant chandelier of blue crystals above the very top of the spiral staircase, though it seemed like there was no other decoration aside from that.     

The pink haired girl followed her teacher down the staircase, and they soon came in front of an archway that led to a room decorated mostly in shades of blue. Presumably, these must be Aurora's personal quarters.     

Evelyn hesitated a little upon seeing the carpet, and looking at her teacher's pristine, cute little bare feet, she could only stop awkwardly. "L-Let me take off my shoes first."     

Aurora tilted her head curiously as her gaze moved to the pale pink shoes. With a wave of her hand, a wave of spirit power obliterated the impurities on its surface. "See, it's very easy to clean using spirit power, especially for someone proficient in water. I can teach you, too. I had no idea you didn't already know."     

"I… never realized?"     

The platinum blonde blinked. "The first year of the academy that is skipped by the ancient family children covers all of this. Since you're from an ancient family, it is assumed that you already have such basic knowledge."     

Although these things really should have been taught to her student by her parents already, a teacher could also be considered half a parent, and if she didn't teach her now, who will?      

Evelyn frowned. 'How come I never realized this? Strange… no, if I think about it, the elders could have assumed my parents took care of it, while my parents assumed Amara taught me… but Amara was also too young when she lost her family.'     

It was perhaps easy for them to miss, given Evelyn took good care of herself, and never appeared to be dirty.     

The pink haired girl nodded. Anyway, although she could probably figure it out on her own given some time, why would she say no to learning new skills from Aurora? She wasn't so stupid. "Of course. A-And that floating trick, too. Oh, and I also want to learn how you talked to me from the top of the tower."     

Aurora blinked in surprise. "What floating trick?"     

Evelyn rubbed the tip of her nose bashfully. "Well, you're always a little bit off the ground, aren't you?"     

The platinum blonde sighed. "Don't you already know how to use spirit power?"     

"Eh?"     

Aurora smiled. "Just add a layer to the surface that makes contact with the ground. Like wearing a tight cloth. Un. There's nothing to learn."     

Evelyn blinked in shock. It wasn't that she couldn't do it, but whenever spirit power was disrupted by any kind of interaction, there was bound to be some loss. How much, exactly, would depend on the intensity of the interaction.     

For example, if she coated her skin with a layer of spirit power, and then retracted it back, there was unlikely to be any loss. But if she did the same and then fought, each attack from her opponent that made contact with the spirit power coat would cause some loss.      

In a practical situation, all the spirit power covering the area that the attack landed in would be wasted with barely any reduction to the incoming threat. This was why it was essential to weave the spirit power into some defensive technique instead of using it in such a simple way.     

  Evelyn shook her head in confusion. "Teacher… won't that be a waste?"     

Aurora hummed in thought. "A little? If you're fighting, you should definitely not care about such things. Normally, I regenerate more than I use this way, so I don't think it's a waste."     

Of course, Evelyn recalled her teacher's miserable appearance after her fight with Mantis. She hadn't wasted any energy defending her dignity at all, and Evelyn fully approved. What was the point of dying a dignified death, when there was a possibility to emerge victorious after a little disgrace?     

Anyway, even if the opponent saw her look so miserable, it didn't matter now that he was dead, right?     

"I understand. But… a few points of spirit power, huh…" Evelyn tapped her chin in thought. Assuming that Aurora's regeneration rate was about the same as hers, it should be possible for her to fully regenerate her spirit power pool in around ten hours or so.     

Obviously, the bigger someone's spirit power pool was, the faster they would regenerate their lost energy.     

How much spirit power did Aurora have? Now that she was much higher in level, maybe she could—     

Aurora felt a shiver run up her spine as she gave Evelyn a warning look. "Y-You… Don't forget what I told you!"     

Evelyn blinked innocently. "What do you mean?"     

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