Chapter One: A New Journey Begins with New Clothes

A month’s time, not too long, yet not too short either.

During the day, I stroll around with my pet, chat over tea with friends, or curl up in the inn reading precious tomes I snagged from Edith, filled with various secrets and obscure tales of the world.

At night, I pop over to visit a certain Queen to mooch off her food and drink, indulge in a luxurious hot bath, listen to her grievances about state affairs, and learn various secrets even the highest echelons of the nation couldn’t know. It’s all quite relaxing, really.

Thus, a rather lazy month went by for the Priestess.

Tomorrow is the day the envoy group officially departs, and Miss Vilyric is over here with Liliya, making the final preparations.

When I say preparations, it’s not like Vilyric has much to prepare. Whatever she needs, she just tosses it into her inventory.

Although the space storage tech in this world has developed quite well, it seems to only slow down the spoilage of food and drink to a certain extent; if it’s stored for too long, it’ll still go bad.

However, Vilyric’s player backpack from the game is different. While it can’t hold living things either, whatever goes in comes out just the same, as if time inside the inventory is frozen.

I don’t get how it works, but it’s undoubtedly very convenient.

After over a month in the City of Courage, Vilyric has stocked up on plenty of supplies she might need on the journey, mainly maps, delicious desserts, various prepared foods and drinks, local specialties, and all sorts of cards and toys to pass the time.

With the addition of two winged sisters, Vilyric’s travel group now has four members, enough to meet the minimum requirement for most regular games.

By the way, Leila and Renée lost their weapons the day the Floating Island shattered, and they’ve been unarmed ever since, which is why they were killed while trying to escape.

Since they’re tagging along with the Priestess, they can’t look shabby. Vilyric provided them with ample funds to order their needed equipment, and as for their main weapon, there’s a ready-to-go purple item left behind by Ban in the [God’s Guardian Ring].

Vilyric’s gear from [Illusory World] is too high in level, so considering certain factors, she hasn’t decided to directly give it to the sisters yet.

In short, everything that could be bought is already bought, especially since there’s funding support from some eager prince, money is totally not an issue.

If I must say there’s still something unprepared, it might just be clothing.

After all, before Vilyric was transported here, her standards for clothes were very low. Two or three sets to rotate through were enough. Now, having acquired the [Feather Garb of Glarya], which is a convenient artifact that stays clean no matter how long you wear it, she naturally doesn’t pay much attention to that.

But…

“No way! I must pick out a few sets. A girl traveling should at least have a few pretty outfits with her!”

In the luxurious fitting room exclusive to the queen, the new ruler of this country, Miss Liliya Meikailande, stands with her hands on her hips, glaring angrily at the innocent-looking black-haired girl in front of her.

Behind her are a dozen young and lovely maid sisters, each holding a long dress, all of them so silent they seem to be holding their breath in front of the furious Queen.

“So I said… it’s pointless, wearing this won’t increase my defense or provide any attributes. It’s fancy but gets dirty easily, what’s the… okay, okay, I know, I understand, let’s just try it, stop wailing already…”

The Priestess, originally wanting to continue refusing, found herself worn down after nearly ten minutes of a standoff with the blue-haired girl, so she had no choice but to relent a little.

Alright, I’ll just try it. Besides, wearing it won’t cost me any flesh.

If worse comes to worst, I can change back once we leave. After all, in this vast world, can Liliya really chase me down from the City of Courage and insist I wear a dress every day?

Seeing the black-haired girl nod, the Queen immediately swapped to a beaming expression, her mood changing faster than flipping a light switch.

“Yay! That’s the spirit! So, Vilyric, which style do you like? These were custom-tailored by renowned craftsmen in the country specifically for your measurements!”

“Measurements? Wait… isn’t there something off here? Whatever…”

Trying hard to ignore certain implications in the Queen’s words, Vilyric turned her gaze to the colorful skirts held by the maids.

Having been in this world for several months, Vilyric feels she’s gained quite a bit of understanding of the local, at least the culture and situation of the United Kingdom.

These skirts, judging by the fabric, are indeed made from very precious materials, with excellent craftsmanship that seems seamless; you can hardly see the weaving traces. They are incredibly beautiful.

Even the skirts that Liliya herself frequently wears don’t all reach such a level of craftsmanship.

But…

It’s a bit of a headache; just thinking about wearing a skirt…

The [Feather Garb of Glarya] is a unisex long robe, suitable for both men and women, so even Vilyric, who is used to wearing shirts and pants, wouldn’t find it jarring.

Although she’s been living as a girl for nearly six months now and wouldn’t really feel out of place anymore, wearing a little skirt… feels like complete defeat…

Oh well, it’s really nothing to sweat over; it’s just clothing. I’ll adapt to my new life one way or another, right?

After a brief look through, Vilyric randomly picked out a relatively simple and neutral white one-piece dress.

“This one, then.”

“Eh… this is nice too, but isn’t it a bit too close to Vilyric’s usual style?”

The Queen stared at the white dress for a moment and then tentatively pointed to a nearby dress that was super complicated in pattern and structure, with a hem that had three layers of ruffles.

“How about this one? It’s my personal favorite. With Vilyric’s relatively petite and delicate figure and your black hair, it gives off a mysterious beauty like a noble princess of the night!”

“No, please allow me to refuse.”

The Priestess crossed her arms, immediately striking a “no” pose without hesitation.

What are you talking about? This dress looks just like the one that Lucy, that vampire princess, wore! Maybe not identical, but definitely six or seven parts similar. It looks adorable on Lucy, but let’s be real, that girl is a legal loli!

And “relatively petite and delicate figure,” what’s that supposed to mean?!

Vilyric has no interest in cosplaying a vampire loli.

The Queen, whose sales pitch flopped, visibly deflated.

But it only lasted a brief moment.

“Alright, alright, since Vilyric doesn’t like it, we can’t help it. Is there anything else that catches your eye?”

“Hmm… I’ve picked a few already, so let’s go with this one, this one, and that one, too.”

After selecting a few skirts that seemed easy to wear and in lighter colors, Liliya instructed the maids to bring them all for the Priestess to try on.

Refusing the maids and the rather forward Queen’s request for a changing service, Vilyric lifted the curtain to an individual dressing room and went in alone.

Locking the door, the black-haired girl looked down at the vibrant white dress in her hands, letting out a soft sigh.

“Sigh… let’s get this over with quickly.”

   

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