The sun was still blazing. Its heat made Erika feel as if they were in the middle of a sweltering summer.

Her two bare little feet touched the scorching floor, and Erika stumbled as she walked.

Gladys had always carried her before. Now that she was out on her own, she still seemed unfamiliar with this body, and she tottered from side to side.

As she walked, Erika kept looking around at the lively scene.

There were merchants coming and going, shops filled with all kinds of goods, tea stalls set up along the street, and even a few unusual snack shops. Luca Town was bustling, and Erika was starting to like it here.

Liking an exotic atmosphere didn't mean she was fawning over foreign things. Compared to the modern industrial scenery she'd known before, this place felt more comfortable.

Her bare feet padded along the street, and with Erika's lovely, adorable face, she naturally drew plenty of attention from passersby.

But there were lots of soldiers patrolling the streets, and security in Luca Town was quite good, so nobody bothered her.

With her gold coin in hand, she found a tailor's shop that was neither too big nor too small.

“Jingle.”

The bell above the door rang as Erika walked into the shop. The tailor's was quiet that afternoon. Apart from her, there was only a man in his thirties, busy mending clothes.

“Welcome…”

Hearing the bell, the man automatically began to greet her. But when he looked up and saw a little girl, he froze for a moment.

“Little girl, are you here to buy clothes?”

“What else can you buy here besides clothes?”

“Oh… Heh, no, we only sell clothes here. You just caught me by surprise.”

“What surprised you?”

What had surprised him?

The shopkeeper was at a loss. A little girl wearing an oversized dress had walked in without even wearing shoes. How could that not be surprising?

He shook his head with a wry smile, then pointed to a corner of the shop. “The clothes over there should fit you. Go ahead and take a look if you like any of them.

“Oh, and the shoes are over there too. If you don't mind, I've also got some ribbons for tying your hair.”

“Mm, thanks. I can look by myself.”

Not knowing whether the clothes here were expensive, Erika padded over to the spot the shopkeeper had pointed out.

She found that the shop had quite a lot of clothes, though most of them were fairly plain.

Most of the women's clothes were lace-up dresses with fitted bodices and wide skirts, sewn together as one piece. The sleeves were loose and long, and the cut was quite distinctive.

They were the sort of clothes worn by ordinary travelers, and Erika wasn't very fond of them.

It was so hot here. If she wrapped herself up in that much clothing, wouldn't she get sick from the heat?

She remembered seeing people on the street just now, including women wearing loose dresses. Erika knew exactly what she was looking for.

It wasn't that she wanted to wear a dress. It was just that she had a tail behind her, and sometimes a dress was more convenient…

At last, among all the clothes, she found a rack of loose dresses and picked out a white one that looked pretty nice.

“Shopkeeper, how much is this one?”

At the sound of her soft voice, the tailor looked up and answered.

“Thirty silver coins.”

“So expensive…”

After all, she only had one gold coin. She still needed to buy shoes, and most importantly, she wanted to save some money for snacks from the street vendors.

“What about this one?”

“Thirty-five silver coins.”

“And this one?”

“Thirty-eight silver coins.”

After she'd asked over and over, the shopkeeper frowned. “Little girl, there are price tags on the rack. The clothes over there are all between thirty and forty silver coins.”

“Damn, they're expensive.”

She hurried over to another section, picked out a different style of dress, and asked again.

“What about these?”

“That's two ‘damns.’”

“…”

Forget it. She'd just buy the cheapest one…

After carefully comparing everything, Erika finally picked out a relatively cheap, practical dress and a pair of shoes. She padded over to the counter.

Standing on tiptoe, she peered over the counter, her tiny hand reaching up to pass the gold coin to the shopkeeper.

The dress and shoes came to almost eighty silver coins.

Taking her change, Erika blinked and asked, “Where's the fitting room?”

The shopkeeper seemed to be getting a little impatient with her. “You don't need to try them on, little girl. These clothes will fit you just fine.”

“How would I know without trying them on?”

“I've been running this shop for over ten years. I can tell your measurements at a glance, you know?”

“…”

That guy really didn't know how to talk to people.

Pouting, Erika gave him a deadpan look and tugged at her oversized dress. “But I want to change into them now.”

“Over there.”

The shopkeeper pointed toward the fitting room helplessly. It was the first time he'd met such a picky little girl.

He was still sewing, after all, so he couldn't give her much attention. If it had been another girl her age, she probably would've just browsed a little and been done in no time.

…

Inside the fitting room was a mirror. Erika looked at her ridiculous reflection: all four limbs were completely swallowed by white fabric. No wonder so many people had been staring at her…

She quickly slipped off Gladys's dress, revealing her small, rosy-skinned body. She looked so delicate that anyone would want to protect her.

Pressing her lips together, Erika hurriedly pulled on her new clothes.

The shopkeeper had been right. The new clothes and shoes fit her well, and wearing them felt completely different from wearing Gladys's clothes.

There was truth to the saying that clothes make the person and the saddle makes the horse.

Once she had changed into clothes that fit, Erika felt like a completely different person.

It was a fitted, off-the-shoulder dress that showed off her slender waist. The elastic trim at the shoulders revealed her rosy skin, and the overall look wasn't at all tacky.

Beneath her beautiful face, her gray-white hair and bright red eyes, paired with the well-fitting clothes, gave her a completely different air.

How should she put it…

Actually… this body wasn't bad.

Because I was simply too beautiful…

She gazed at herself in the mirror, lost in self-admiration for who knew how long.

Then Erika thought of magic. If this was a fantasy world, surely it had things like magic mirrors, right?

She blinked again and again, her voice turning playful.

“Mirror, mirror~

Tell me right now, who's the most beautiful person in the world?”

…

A while passed, but of course, the mirror didn't say a word…

Only Erika's lips curled into a smug little smile. Her tiny canines showed perfectly, looking sharper and sharper, like dragon fangs.

Her slender waist swayed ever so slightly as her red eyes stared straight at her reflection.

One little hand couldn't help brushing the gray-white hair beside her ear. Her soft, playful voice sounded again.

“Hmph! Just as I thought—it was you!”

…

…

“Knock, knock, knock.”

She'd only just finished entertaining herself when a knock sounded at the fitting-room door.

“Hey, little miss, what are you doing in there? You've been changing for ages. Is something wrong?”

“Ah—no! I'm coming out!”

Erika shook her little head, her face turning red.

Oh no. Had he heard her just now?

It'd be so embarrassing if he had!

She hurriedly tidied up, tossed out everything she didn't want, and opened the door.

The tailor waiting outside stared at the little girl as she stepped out, his face clearly frozen in surprise.

He'd been sewing behind the counter and hadn't paid much attention to her looks. Now that he could see her properly, he couldn't help showing a hint of surprise.

“Little girl, did you come here by yourself to buy clothes?”

“Huh? Didn't I already pay?” Erika frowned. “Is something wrong? Do you charge extra for using the fitting room?”

“No.”

The tailor shook his head with a wry smile. “I just wanted to tell you that if you're here alone, you should head home and find your family. Don't go wandering around.”

“I saw patrol soldiers all over the streets. The town seems pretty safe, so you don't need to worry about me.”

“Do you know why there are so many soldiers?”

“Why?”

“Because there have been a lot of deaths in this city lately. That's why the lord of Luca Town increased the guards.”

“Deaths… Was it a murderer?”

“I don't know. Just make sure you get home before dark. Luca Town isn't as safe as you think.”

“Oh. Got it.”