The Rebirth of Evelyn Knox

"Do you know him, Bree?"

The golden haired little girl bit her lip and thought about it for a while before shaking her head. "Um, I don't think so?"

Although Bree couldn't remember her life before becoming a puppy, she vaguely felt that she had known Evelyn and her friends longer than that. She could feel that she cared for them deep down. 

It was that strange feeling of 'I should know this' that struck her when she saw that man, but no matter how she tried, she couldn't pinpoint any feeling she had for him. Maybe she really didn't know him before?

Had Bree already recovered her memories, however, she would have recognized where she had seen the man before, and why she didn't feel anything for him. It was because, to her, he was simply too insignificant at that time. Someone she could easily destroy on a whim.

He was the man she had almost killed if not for Elder Floris, back during Evelyn's ceremony. The same one who had later attacked the Knox mansion, but failed to cause any damage due to the 'timely arrival' of the third princess.

And the very same man who had then fled the Lavinian empire, trying to avoid retaliation from the royal family.

Evelyn didn't feel assured at all, but since Bree couldn't recall anything, she could only put the matter aside for now. If the girl didn't recognize his face, at least he shouldn't have much to do with her.

Cecilia also paused her overly enthusiastic introduction to her favorite garment shop in confusion. "If she recognizes him, isn't it better to just go and ask? He couldn't have gone far, right? We can still catch up if we go now…"

Evelyn shook her head. "No way. Whether or not she knew him, we don't know if he was her enemy or friend. And I doubt we're strong enough to handle him if he's not friendly."

Cecilia smirked as she pretended to flex her muscles. "I'm quite strong?"

The pink haired girl smiled, amused. "Yes, yes. You're very strong. But there's still no point in taking that risk when we don't even know his level. So let's get what we're here for first, alright?"

Cecilia scratched her head sheepishly. "Uhh… I guess you're right."

==========

Meanwhile, Blaise was scampering through the streets and alleys swiftly, his eyes darting left and right with vigilance as he silently slid into a dark corner and waited with bated breath.

Only after almost half an hour passed by did he let out a sigh of relief. 'Looks like I managed to lose them.'

"Shit! I wonder who it was… to have managed to chase me all the way here!"

It had already been years since he escaped Moreen city when his plan failed and he entered the crosshairs of the royal family. The closest place he felt was safe enough at that point was deep inside the 'Wonderland of Doom', the so-called 'forbidden zone' of the Ancient Academy.

Despite how foreboding and ominous the name of the place was, it actually wasn't that difficult for him to come here. 

The most difficult part had been bribing the rangers into letting him go along with them in the academy's expedition. Of course, it would be a one way trip to hell if he wanted to come alone, without the expedition.

As the one who managed numerous legal and illegal 'businesses' in Moreen city, Blaise was loaded enough that he could spend his entire life comfortably in any place that accepted spirit stones. 

At first, he had stayed in the southern forbidden city, but decided to move to the more luxurious northern city two years ago.

And he had been able to live in peace ever since. Some part of him even started to enjoy this life away from all the slaughter and scheming he had long been used to, but he couldn't get rid of that little vengeful thought in his heart.

All those years of effort had gone down the drain in a single day, all because of that bastard leader of the Justice Envoys! Although he seemed to be passing his time pointlessly, in reality he was just waiting for the right moment to strike.

From what he heard, those rats were now safely hiding while the city continued to plunge into deeper and deeper turmoil because of the war.

Perhaps everyone really did forget about him by now, and he could safely continue biding his time. Or so he thought.

Just before, he clearly felt something wrong, as if someone he dreaded deep down in his heart was gazing at him from the shadows. But no matter how he looked around, he couldn't find a single trace of anyone like that.

Recalling who it could be to give him such a feeling was impractical, since he had faced death many times in his life, and there were many people he dreaded meeting. The top ranked rangers, the powerhouses of the continent, those secluded cultivators, the old monsters at the academy… how could he know which one it was without any clues?

The only strange thing he noticed was a girl who seemed remarkably similar to the description of the Knox family's genius child. But she could easily be someone else, too.

Even if she really was her, though, Blaise couldn't bring himself to care about her at that moment. His first priority always was and always will be his own life.

So he escaped, and managed to 'lose' his 'pursuer' somehow.

"But even if I got lucky this time, they're bound to find me if I stay here…"

Blaise wracked his brain for a while before gritting his teeth. "Screw it! I might as well risk it in the forest. As long as I silently camp it out for a while, they should finish combing through this area and think that I was either never here or have already escaped, then I can come back."

==========

When Evelyn first saw it, the shop that Cecilia brought her to didn't look as grand and luxurious as she had made it seem.

The words 'Genie's Garish Garments' marked the gate at end of the alleyway, seemingly hidden away from the general public but quite welcoming to those who managed to discover it all the same.

Although the choice of wording eluded her. Why would anyone advertise the clothes they're trying to sell as garish of all things?

Perhaps the one who opened it really didn't want to receive too many 'customers'.

And to make matters worse, the shop's door… was closed.

Cecilia knocked on it twice before an elderly lady's voice finally responded from within.

"Who is it?!"

"It's me, Cecilia! I wanna buy some clothes, granny!"

After almost two minutes of silence, the door finally clicked open, and Evelyn couldn't help but stare.

The elderly lady who had opened the door was probably the shortest 'adult' she had seen in her life. Even if she didn't take her hunched back into consideration, Evelyn didn't think the lady would reach even three feet!

"Ah, Cecilia, I see you have a friend with you, huh?"

As they followed the lady inside the shop, Evelyn was startled to discover that it was even more 'barren' than she expected. And after the closed door and obscure shop location, Evelyn's expectations hadn't exactly been very high.

There were barely two to three dozen articles of clothing on display, and none of them seemed to be small enough to fit Bree. Evelyn couldn't help but be a little disappointed, though she didn't voice her thoughts.

As she continued to curiously look around the shop, Evelyn was quite pleasantly surprised when she discovered that most of the clothes here had special properties when she probed them with her skill.

—Attribute Enhancement: +5 Physique while equipped.

—Special Property: Self-cleaning [Level 1] – Dust and grime will be easier to shake out of the item, while finding it harder to latch onto it at the same time.

—Special Property: Self-repair [Level 1] – When the amount of damage to the item does not exceed one percent, it can slowly mend itself back to perfect condition, provided that no material is missing.

Common enchantments that provided some self-cleaning and self-repair properties were to be expected, however, she didn't think such common looking clothes could even come with attribute enhancements!

Even if it was all less than ten attribute points, since anyone could wear them, wouldn't these clothes technically make regular people much stronger? 

The market for these things was definitely bigger than the supply. It was no wonder that the old lady didn't care if someone managed to find her shop or not.

Cecilia and the old lady were clearly well acquainted with each other, and instead of talking straight about business, the old lady seemed more intent on inquiring about her relationship with the pink haired girl.

"Your best friend?"

Cecilia nodded, puffing out her chest with pride. "That's right, granny, this is my best, no, my bestest friend!"

The old lady appeared to be both shocked and impressed. "I didn't know you had friends, Cecilia. Why else would you always come to bother an old lady like me? Oh… Don't tell me… that pen pal you kept bragging about wasn't a figment of your imagination?!"

The ash blonde sputtered, indignant. "Y-You never believed me?! Why would I even lie?!"

The old lady smiled kindly as she patted Cecilia's hand to placate the agitated girl. "I never said you lied. I just thought you made her up. Anyway, that's her, right?"

Cecilia huffed. "That's right! Her name is Evelyn, and she's definitely a real person!"