Evangeline stood by the window, quietly gazing outside with a distant expression.

Her little adventure had turned out to be far more adventurous than she had expected. She had only intended to roam through the city and enjoy herself before returning without anyone knowing.

But things had turned so intense that her initial plans were completely ruined.

’Well, I did roam through the city, technically.’

The reason wasn’t sightseeing—it was to find a bathhouse to help Flint. Still, at least she fulfilled her initial goals for which she had snuck out.

No, perhaps not all her goals. Not the part about returning without anyone knowing. A servant had somehow found her and forcefully brought her back, after all.

She remembered that he was the same servant she had sent away to clean the tea she had spilled in the guest room.

’But how did he even know that I had sneaked out in the first place—?’

Knock! Knock!

A sudden knock on her door distracted her from her thoughts.

"Um, you can enter."

As she gave her permission, the door opened, and a maid entered, carrying a plate with a lid over it. Evangeline recalled what her mother had said moments ago.

’So that’s my food?’

The maid put a cloth on the table before putting the plate over it. She gave Evangeline a light, minimal bow before leaving the room.

Evangeline glanced at the food before turning back, gazing outside the window.

’Don’t feel like eating it.’

It was probably because she ate a slice of that juicy fruit. Well, she had to admit it tasted good, totally worth the money—

’Ah, crap, I forgot to pay for it!’

She had simply slipped away from that place; she had no memory of paying the fruit seller. Though in her defence, the circumstances back then had been too chaotic for her to remember something as simple as paying money.

She sighed, running a hand through her hair.

’I’ll ask a servant to go pay him tomorrow–Uh-?’

Her hand paused as a frown appeared on her face.

She noticed that her reaction was strange. Normally, she would’ve run to her parents and made a scene in order for them to pay that shopkeeper as soon as possible. She was behaving abnormally dismissively.

Actually, she may have been feeling strange since she came to her room. Her emotions, her senses, her thoughts, all felt somewhat numb. It was easy to notice when she thought deeply.

’But why, though? Am I sick?’

Suddenly, a scene flashed through her mind. The scene of her falling backward as she shouted desperately at the man to stay away. The scene was accompanied by the cold feeling she had experienced back then.

Evangeline looked at her hand; it was trembling.

’Hah...’

She finally understood the reason for her current state. As her mind finally relaxed, the stress and terror she had experienced back then were catching up to her.

’I-I could’ve died.’

She may have lost her life if that man really had the intention to kill them. She would’ve lost this second chance if the situation had been just a little different. And she would’ve had no way to retaliate.

She tightly grasped her trembling hand with the other, trying her best to stop its quivering. Taking a deep breath, she tried her best to calm the anxious thoughts in her mind, though some still lingered.

Closing her eyes, she recalled a familiar feeling. Following her mental command, the mana within her responded and gathered in her palm.

She looked at the distorted sphere of mana condensed in her palm, feeling both relief and frustration.

It wasn’t a secret to her that her potential was abnormally high by this world’s standards. She had overheard others talking about this topic several times.

Still, what good was strength if she couldn’t make use of it when she needed it the most? It was meaningless. This incident had made her realise how important strength was in this world. Becoming stronger was not an option; it was a requirement.

What if someone far stronger than that man came at her with malice? What if that person resorted to violence to get what they wanted? Would she be able to respond and retaliate?

She also knew that her parents were forced to have her engaged because they weren’t strong enough to keep her safe from something.

Things couldn’t go on like this. She needed to change; she needed to learn how to use her own powers.

She needed to... get stronger.

Evangeline clenched her fist, making the mana in her palm dissipate. She mustered every ounce of determination she could, as she swore to herself.

’I’m going to get stronger. I’ll learn how to use my powers so that I’m not helpless when it really matters.’

But the moment she swore that oath, she suddenly felt a change occur within herself, startling her. A change that was both strange and familiar.

’What-?’

The mana within her suddenly came alive, fusing with her body as a profound change started taking place. She felt that her body was changing, transforming into something completely different. It was as if a metamorphosis was taking place.

Evangeline instantly realised what was happening to her. After all, she had experienced it once already, five years ago.

She was ascending to the next Phase.

’Ah–’

She staggered as the euphoria that accompanied the metamorphosis overwhelmed all her senses.

This change felt different from the previous one she had experienced. Both the metamorphosis and the euphoria accompanying it felt far more intense compared to what she had felt five years ago.

She tried her best to fight off the euphoria and remain lucid.

The profound metamorphosis soon died down as the euphoria accompanying it also faded. She sighed in relief.

’Thank god, I felt I’d lose it if that had continued for any longer than this. So scary...’

The pure bliss she experienced was too addictive. So much so that she felt like she was losing her ability to think.

Shaking her head to clear away the lingering sensations, she focused on her body. And indeed, it had changed significantly.

Her muscles were brimming with power, and her whole body felt much lighter.

’I feel like if I punch a wall right now, it’ll probably create deep cracks on its surface.’

Much like the analogy she had previously used, she felt like she could beat up three of herself from before this metamorphosis took place.

As she looked deeper within herself, the change felt even more significant than before. The amount of mana contained within her body had increased, almost twice the previous amount.

More than that, the mana itself felt different. It felt more... active.

Before, the mana simply remained inside her body, completely passive, like stagnant water in a cup. But now, it was circulating through her entire body, albeit slowly.

A smile stretched across her face as she forgot all about the tension and fear that she had experienced moments ago. It was as if the metamorphosis had cleared her mind of all negative thoughts.

’Don’t know why this happened, but more power is always welcome.’

Come to think of it, her powers always awakened in moments like these. She remembered that she had reached Phase One in a similar manner.

Recently, she had awakened her—whatever it’s called—ability during the moment of crisis. And now she reached Phase Two while making an oath to herself.

’I thought it was nonsense when the protagonists awakened their dormant powers in moments like these. But maybe not.’

Feeling refreshed, Evangeline turned her gaze to the window.

But the moment she looked outside, she backed away in shock.

"What the-?"

The scenery before her was the same, but it also appeared completely different. Every person she saw was enveloped in a bluish aura. Be it the maids working outside or the people beyond the mansion’s boundary, everyone possessed this strange aura.

And it wasn’t just people, either. Trees and plants were also covered in a thin layer of that aura. As she looked up, the birds flying in the sky possessed this aura as well. Even bugs had it.

Although the size of the aura greatly varied depending on the individual, it seemed as if all living beings possessed this bluish aura.

The aura looked very similar to the mana she had condensed in her palm moments ago.

’Why couldn’t I see it until now?’

It was as if she were looking at a completely different world. The feeling that she was now in a magical world was stronger than ever.

’Wait, if everybody has this aura, then...’

She dashed toward the large mirror present in her room–the same mirror she had spent hours in front of, admiring herself.

"Waah-!"

Just as she had expected, she could see her own body covered in the same bluish aura as the energy swirled around her. The bluish glow around her figure made her look like the childhood version of a sacred entity.

It was a sight that made her feel awe.

This was the moment Evangeline opened her eyes to a new world.