Half an hour later.

After thoroughly cleaning her body, Aya quietly climbed out of the bathtub and wrapped a towel around herself. Barefoot, she walked on the cold and slippery floor towards the bathroom door, carefully pushing it open.

Outside was a small compartment, similar to a changing room, with a complete set of... what is this? Gothic Lolita dresses?

Aya felt like her whole body, no, her entire being, had turned into Spartacus. What the hell, has it become common for boys to wear girls' clothes now?

No, no, no, Aya, you must stay calm. This might not be intended for you. Didn't that perverted guy have Viola next to him? Maybe it's hers...

"Miss Aya, please wear the outfit on the hanger by the door~"

Great, just great. Yuan's voice came from outside the door again at this moment.

Who would listen to you, fool! Aya snorted and resolutely abandoned the frilled skirt on the hanger. You want to play tricks on me? There's not even a door! Transforming scales into clothes may not have been done in a while, but that doesn't mean it can't be done!

Amidst the laughter of the white-haired girl(?), it seemed that something was wrong with her nerves due to the strange situation.

Then she casually lifted the towel with force and threw it up. The pure white towel floated in the air for a second or two before gently falling to the ground.

The air grew quiet for a moment.

Huh? Strange, why can't I use the Magic to transform dragon scales anymore?

Aya blinked her wine-red eyes, her expression gradually becoming panicked. Not only can she not use the transformation Magic, but she also can't sense the elements that should have been densely distributed in the air...

It can't be happening again!

That day, Aya recalled the fear of being controlled by the sealed collar and the humiliation of being toyed with by the princess.

She carefully sank her consciousness into the Sea of Spirits, and indeed, she couldn't sense even a trace of magic. Chi was also suppressed to the lowest level. In other words, she has returned to being the low-end version of Aya when she was first captured by Tiran.

Of course, she was captured by them, like a prisoner. How could they allow her to move around freely while still having all her Chi and magic?

In that case, let's deal with it first using the towel. After all, she is a boy, so it doesn't matter.

Thinking so, Aya reached for the towel she had thrown on the ground. However, as she stared at the wet and slightly dirty thing on the ground, she couldn't convince herself to wrap it around her again.

"I hate this version of myself that has lost interest in cross-dressing..."

As tears streamed down her face, Aya skillfully put on her clothes. Now she could confirm one thing: that guy named Yuan is definitely a pervert! He even prepared underwear in the laundry basket! Bastard!

His taste for such things is no less than that of Miss Tiran. Why does she always encounter these strange people!

"Oh, yes! My eyes didn't deceive me! Miss Aya looks great in this outfit!"

Outside the changing room was a spacious living room, with a standard three-piece sofa facing away from the changing room door. In the middle was a soft wool carpet and a large coffee table. Two half-height potted green plants were placed against the wall on both sides.

Unexpectedly ordinary, like the living room of an ordinary family, it completely failed to connect the fact and current situation that Aya was being held captive.

Well, the three people sitting on the sofa are definitely not just an ordinary family. Betrayed Judicator Vira and Angelo, and the boy who currently seems to be the puppet master behind the scenes, self-proclaimed "Yuan." Except for Angelo, Vira and Yuan can be said to be the main culprits behind the entire Milt attack.

Staring at these three people, especially Vira, Aya's expression became subtle. From her appearance and self-claim, it should be true that Vira is Angelica's sister, but why did they separate? And that... according to Angelica's story at that time, the role of the "brother" should be him, but there is too little other relevant information to guess what kind of person he is. I must find out when I have the chance.

The premise is if I really have that opportunity. Feeling pressured by these three people, Aya relies on the power of Dragon and her Dragon Scales for her current battle. Although it is not weak, facing these three people, except for Angelo, even Vira can respond with her ever-changing tactics, not to mention the Holy Rank teenager Yuan, who is called the Shame of the Holy Rank.

A drop of cold sweat slid down the edge of her cheek, and in this situation, how should she handle it? It was Yuan who broke the deadlock first. He smiled calmly at Aya and picked up the freshly brewed hot tea on the coffee table, offering it to her, "A fine tea from East Land, would you like to try it?"

Seeing Aya's still vigilant eyes, Yuan held the tea cup steadily, "Don't be so cautious, Miss Aya. If I intended to harm you, there would be no need for all this trouble."

Aya looked at him deeply, hesitated for a moment, and then walked over, took the cup of tea, and sat down on the sofa in front of Yuan. It's not the best time to resist now, so it's better to see if she can get some information first. That's what Aya thought and took a deep breath. "Stop beating around the bush. What exactly do you want with me? Spit it out."

"Is this an interrogation? Miss Aya, it seems like you haven't figured out the current situation," Yuan said with a smile.

"It's not an interrogation," Aya took a sip of tea, trying to make herself appear more calm, "However, sometimes it's easier if everything is explained clearly."

"Is that so? Well, then, I hope Miss Aya can become my 'companion.' Will that reason do?"

"You captured someone to find a companion?" Aya was speechless for a moment, "And this motivation is too perfunctory."

"Don't they often show it in manga? After defeating the enemy, they use their mouth to sweet talk and manipulate memories to turn them into allies," Yuan said leisurely.

"Putting aside whether it would be successful or not, you are a Holy Rank. Even if I join, it would be meaningless to you."

"No, no, it would definitely be meaningful. At least Aya as a mascot is great! First-class!"

"Can you stop mentioning that?" Aya's eye twitched. Please, I've worked so hard not to pay attention to my clothes anymore!

"And also, Little Vira seems quite interested in you."

"Because I eliminated the dragon in the Mist Swamp. My sister is lucky to have encountered you, Aya."

The girl reclined on the sofa, swinging her legs and raising her hand to say a word when Yuan mentioned her. Listening to their words... they seemed to be very familiar with what happened in the Mist Swamp.

Aya's eyebrows raised, capturing a crucial piece of information. Setting aside everything else, the Dark Swamp's dragon incident was Aya's first encounter with the existence of The Realm's level. Before that, it had all seemed like mere coincidences, but now... things seemed to have been off since then.

"The Witch of the Mist Swamp," the S-rank mission received at the task tower, was just too coincidental.

"What is your ultimate goal?" Aya really wanted to ask, but even a hint of common sense told her that the other party would not easily answer.

So, she settled for a different question.

"Where am I? What is this place?" Aya's mental sea of consciousness was restricted due to the sealing of her magic powers. The proud ability of her spiritual probe was useless, and up until now, she only knew the layout of the bathroom and this living room. She had no clue about what lay beyond the door.

In times like these, gaining even a bit of unknown information was advantageous. It just depended on whether the other party would be willing to answer.

"Well, this place is on the way to East Land," Yuan said, leaving behind the last sentence before setting down his teacup and getting up.

"Let's stop here for today, Miss Aya. Due to limited space, you will have to rest here for the night. There are bedding and blankets in the cabinet... As for escaping, well, I hope you don't have such thoughts. This door is sealed, and with the power you currently possess, breaking it is impossible. So, don't even think about breaking out."

While speaking, Yuan had already opened the door, followed by Vela and Angelo.

"Hehe, Miss Aya's body is great, but I hope to get to know it even more intimately next time..." Vela turned back before leaving, showing Aya an innocent smile that didn't match her words in the slightest.

Is this person some kind of crazed scientist? Getting to know my body...?

Aya inexplicably thought of the long and thick probing device of a certain Arcane Mage in the Gilliast Castle, and she immediately felt a chill run down her spine.