Chapter 296: Eve, The Necromancer

During the last five years, Nox had fed all his pets with the beast cores he had obtained during the beast tide, bringing every one of them to intermediate tier, and the ant scourge queen to king tier.

Though she didn't spend much time with them because she was busy running the ant colony and managing Nox's private security force that protected both the Cromwell Barony and the Armstrong Duchy.

Yes, the Armstrong family was now one of Nox's top priorities. Nathan was only a duke in name, but he was the one who ruled and handled all the affairs.

Even though the ant queen didn't fight beside him, Nox felt it was a worthwhile investment and had already promised himself to continue supplying the ant queen with resources, eventually turning her into an Elemental Beast.

After all, he was certain that somewhere, sometime in the future, he would call for her help, and when that time arrived, he wanted her to be the best version of herself.

"And now my stock is depleted." Nox felt his heart clench as he saw that there were only a few hundred beast cores left in his inventory. If it had been possible, he would've liked to increase his beasts' ranks further, but to do that, he would have to complete the rest of the evolution requirements before the beasts could consume any more beast cores.

If not for me losing access to the system, I would've set out already to start completing these quests, Nox pondered. After all, he had successfully evolved the beasts for a while now.

Unfortunately, I'll have to put the journey on hold for now because of the upcoming Academy entrance exams.

Yes, the entrance exam was only a few days away, and Nox, along with Nyx and Serena, had to prepare to journey to the eastern region.

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The Next Day

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Nox woke up early and headed towards the deserted parts of the Cromwell Barony. His destination was the gloomy, castle-like mansion that looked as if it belonged to an evil empress.

Of course, there was only one such castle in the whole western region. S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Eve's manor!

Arriving at the door, Nox knocked softly, and a moment later, the door creaked open slightly.

"Tch, Pipsqueak, why are you here?" The one who opened the door was Skully. He was dressed in his usual butler attire, and as expected, his tone was anything but friendly.

"Hi, Skully, I'm here to see Master Eve," Nox said, his voice polite. Even a smile could be spotted on his handsome face, capable of making the hearts of hundreds of maidens flutter and their cheeks go red.

However...

"Eww, why are you acting all nice to me and even smiling? It's disgusting." Skully flinched back, his face filled with repulsion. Usually, this Pipsqueak would always throw subtle jabs and insults at him.

He and that panda! Both of them were evil!

"Why? My smile is very beautiful," Nox said and widened his smile even more. If it would repulse this skeleton, he was all for it.

With an irritated expression, Skully stepped aside and said in a begrudging tone, "Tsk, just get in already."

"Thank you, Skully," Nox said as he stepped in. The familiar sight of skeletons in the hallways greeted him. Nox didn't know if his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he noticed that the gloomy atmosphere suddenly became brighter.

"Seems even the undead like having you around."

Nox suddenly heard a familiar voice. He glanced into the distance and saw Eve approaching. She was dressed in a black gown that hugged her curvaceous build. Those ruby eyes, unlike other times, seemed full of life.

During the past years, Nox had spent more time with Eve, and he had come to realize that the Necromancer was no longer as distant as she had been when he first met her.

It was no longer rare to see a smile on her face or find her rambling, and Nox wholeheartedly appreciated these changes. What he didn't know, however, was that the cold Necromancer only showed this side to a few close people.

To strangers and her enemies, she was still the heartless red-eyed demon who wouldn't bat an eye before plunging a knife into her enemies' chests.

"Good day, Master Eve," Nox smiled warmly. "How have you been?"

"I'm fine," Eve responded with a smile so beautiful that it made it difficult for Nox to look her straight in the eyes. Clearing his throat, he hurriedly said, shattering the awkward silence, "I came because I have something to tell you."

"Hmm, you seem very serious. Why don't we talk this over tea?" Eve suggested.

"Sure." Nox nodded and followed Eve to her study, which was filled with shelves holding hundreds of books. They made their way to the polished mahogany table and sat down.

Soon, Skully staggered in with a tray holding two cups of tea. He served the tea and stood beside Eve.

Nox glanced at the black tea. Seeing his reflection in it, he couldn't help but grimace.

Tsk, this thing is as black as the first time he served me, Nox thought, recalling the first time he had come to this manor roughly ten years ago.

How time flies.

But.

Nox looked from the corner of his eye and saw Skully looking at him with an expectant glint.

It'd be very cruel of me to reject his tea this time too, Nox thought. Closing his eyes, he brought the cup to his mouth, ready to gulp it down.

But just before he emptied the contents into his mouth, he paused.

A black tea such as this should be very bitter. I should gulp it down in one go.

"Do not judge a book by its cover," Nox heard his grandpa's voice in his head at that moment.

Okay, maybe for Master to love it so much, it must be delicious. Nox made up his mind and brought the tea to his lips, sipping it.

And then...

Damn it, this is bad! He nearly spat out the rest of the contents. The tea was so bitter that seeing the triumphant look on Skully's face—like someone who had successfully scammed his target—Nox couldn't help but curse the skeleton's entire lineage.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Eve asked at that moment.

Nox sat up straight and said, "Oh, it's about..."