“The atmosphere in the guild is pretty good today.”
Not long after Yuli left, a burly middle-aged man entered the guild and commented.
He then strode directly to the reception desk. The receptionist, who was sorting through some documents, immediately set them aside and bowed respectfully upon seeing who it was.
“President Koreton, you’re back?”
Koreton nodded slightly. “Yes, I just returned from the Lord’s Mansion. Oh, by the way, is there any news from the squad I sent out this morning to investigate signs of an Abyss Nest in the Withered Leaf Forest west of the city?”
“I’m sorry, President. There’s still nothing for now. Judging by the time, they should’ve just arrived and are currently investigating. It’s possible they might have already encountered abyssal monsters.”
“I see.”
Koreton’s brow furrowed tightly. When he learned of the appearance of an Abyss Nest the day before yesterday, he had been unable to sit still and went straight to the Lord’s Mansion to report the situation.
After a day of discussions, since the Knight Order couldn’t spare extra hands, the only option was to first dispatch a squad of Gold-ranked adventurers to investigate before making a detailed subjugation plan.
If all went as expected, that squad should return to Anvil City with news.
“Oh right, President, that Silver-ranked adventurer who accepted the Silvermoon Wolf King subjugation request—she came back alive.”
“I see.”
At first, Koreton’s tone was still calm. After all, in his view, the Silver-ranked adventurer would have immediately abandoned the mission and returned to the city once she sensed the presence of the Abyss.
So he wasn’t particularly surprised that Yuli returned alive.
But when he saw the Silvermoon Wolf King’s magic core and heard the mission had been completed, the calm expression on his face immediately broke.
“That’s truly surprising. Even Gold-ranked adventurers might not come back unscathed from a situation like that, let alone someone Silver-ranked.”
I really want to meet this Silver-ranked adventurer.
“But according to her report, she didn’t encounter the Abyss Nest at all. When she ran into the Silvermoon wolf pack, the infected wolves had already torn each other apart, leaving only the Wolf King barely clinging to life.”
“So, she basically just delivered the finishing blow from start to finish?”
Hearing this, Koreton’s brows furrowed even tighter.
That shouldn’t be right—even if she were incredibly lucky, things shouldn’t have turned out like this.
Perhaps, for some reason, that Silver-ranked adventurer chose to hide the truth of what happened.
“I understand. We might find some clues when the investigation team returns.”
“Th-this…”
Once inside the changing room, Yuli looked at the lightweight dress in her hands and immediately blushed.
She’d never worn clothes like these before.
Just touching the fabric, its soft texture was nothing like the patched-up, threadbare rags she’d worn for who knew how long.
If this material were worn on the body, it would definitely be comfortable.
For girls, wearing a dress was the most normal thing in the world.
But she’d only just become a girl a few days ago, and now she had to wear a dress? It just felt… kind of strange.
Mmm…
Even when faced with gargoyles she couldn’t handle, Yuli had never panicked for a moment.
But in the face of this light little dress in her hands, her cheeks were burning, and even her breathing grew unsteady.
“It’s just a piece of clothing, just something to wear, not much different from the stuff you wore before.
It’s just a little nicer, the fabric’s a little softer, it floats lightly when you wear it, and it has a girlish feel to it.
Just put it on, it’s no big deal.”
She kept silently repeating these words in her mind, trying to hypnotize herself into accepting the situation.
After all, she was already a girl now. Since she couldn’t turn back, she could only accept it. Since she’d already made up her mind to accept it, she should act more normal—like, for example, accepting the dress in her hands.
Hoo…
After who knew how many pep talks, Yuli finally steeled herself and grabbed the waistband of her trousers. Just as she was about to take them off, the little evil god with white hair and red eyes slipped through the curtain, her face full of impatience.
“Yuli-chan, you’re so slow! It’s been forever, and you’re still just holding it. Are you planning to treat it as a family heirloom?”
“No, I just…”
“Just what? I’ve been waiting outside for ages! Hurry up and take off those filthy rags already!”
“Th-then could you go out? I’m about to get changed.”
Instead of turning around and leaving, the little evil god floated in place as if intent on watching her change right there.
“Illis, I’m going to change clothes now.”
“Okay, then hurry up.”
“How can I change if you’re just standing there staring at me?”
Clutching the dress, Yuli let out a voice equal parts embarrassment and frustration.
This girl was definitely doing it on purpose! She knew how shy Yuli felt, yet she still made a point of floating in to watch—obviously just to see her face turn red.
No, no, no! Absolutely not!
“It’s Yuli-chan’s first time wearing a dress! Of course I have to watch, just in case you don’t know how to put it on—I can teach you.”
Illis said earnestly. If not for their experiences by the river and at the bathhouse, Yuli might’ve believed her. But now, she could only grip the dress tighter, letting out a girlish cry she didn’t expect from herself.
“You… You get out! I can do it myself!”
“Ah, but that won’t do! The shop assistant’s getting impatient.
Besides, if Yuli-chan doesn’t wear it properly, the shop assistant might notice. Yuli-chan, you don’t want anyone to get suspicious, do you?”
“That… uh…”
To be fair, that did make sense.
“Of course, this is even more important—Yuli-chan, you really don’t want this to happen, right?”
As she spoke, Illis snapped her fingers. “If Yuli-chan keeps dawdling, I’ll just take over and change your clothes for you.”
“Wait… I’ll do it, I’ll do it, okay?”
If Illis took over, who knew what she’d make her wear.
Face flushing so red it looked like blood might drip from it, Yuli could only take off her trousers in front of Illis, exposing two white thighs. Next came her upper clothes, and the instant she slipped them off, she quickly used the dress to cover her chest.
“Mm-mmm…”
The little evil god’s eyes wandered all over her, finally stopping at the well-worn, faded underwear on her lower half.
“That too, off with it! Honestly, Yuli-chan, you’re a girl now—how can you wear that? It’s sacrilege! Take it off, take it off, hurry up!”
At Illis’s grumbling, Yuli could only grit her teeth and pull off her underwear as well. Now she was completely naked, fully exposed before her.
Even if she was still mortified inside, all she could do now was hurry and put on the little dress—anything was better than standing here bare.
But staring at the little dress, Yuli hesitated. She really didn’t know how to put it on.
“Yuli-chan, are you an idiot?”
“Eh?”
At that moment, the little evil god’s eyes swept over Yuli’s upper body, settling on the delicate, faintly reddened swell of her chest.
“In all this time, haven’t you ever felt uncomfortable up top from the rubbing?”
“Eh?”
She thought it was about not knowing how to wear a dress, but as for what Illis said, Yuli reflexively wrapped her arms over her chest, her blush deepening.
“It was a little uncomfortable, but still bearable.”
Illis immediately shot her an exasperated look.
“Bearable? You idiot! You never thought to use a cloth to wrap and protect yourself? If I hadn’t noticed, were you planning to just keep going like that forever?”
Ugh…
It didn’t feel great to be scolded, but Illis did seem to have a point.
With her face burning, Yuli tried to defend herself.
“I-I mean, it’s my first time being a girl… how could I know about all that…”
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