Chapter 19

In the past few days, Clyris rarely saw Charlo. The Lord of Ironwood seemed to have forgotten the concept of sleep, let alone rest.

"Phew... it is done."

Clyris finished carefully engraving the final High-Rank rune onto a polished copper plate and let out a gentle sigh of relief, wiping sweat from her brow.

"Finished? How is the effect, Miss Clyris?" Alice asked from the adjacent workbench, her eyes bright behind safety goggles.

"The runes on this plate can maintain a constant temperature field around it. I also added a variable input trigger—the temperature changes depending on the amount of mana supplied," Clyris explained, holding up the plate with tongs.

"Amazing!" Alice clapped her hands happily. "Combined with the Mana Regulator valve we finished earlier, this opens up so many possibilities! Refrigeration, incubation, alloy tempering..."

"Exactly. That's why I prioritized the adjustable function."

"I'll go get a regulator right now to test it!" Alice said, unable to wait, and grabbed a brass dodecahedral device from another table.

After an afternoon of rigorous testing, they confirmed that the runes could maintain a temperature as high as 600 degrees Celsius and as low as minus 10 degrees.

As the sun began to set, signaling the end of the shift, Clyris was about to leave when Alice stopped her.

"Miss Clyris, tomorrow is the Rest Day! I've made plans with Freya and Lord Charlo to go out for a stroll in the city. Why don't you come with us?"

"Tomorrow is... a Rest Day?" Clyris asked, puzzled. "But I've only been working here for a few days. Am I allowed to rest?"

In the Demon Army, there were no rest days. You fought until you died or conquered.

"Of course!" Alice smiled. "It's Lord Charlo's rule. The last day of every week is a mandatory Rest Day. Workers, students, and even us researchers get the day off! So, do you want to come?"

"Is that so..."

Him again. After living here for a few days, Clyris was no longer surprised by Charlo's endless stream of unconventional, oddly humane ideas.

"Then... I will join you." She agreed. After all, she had been here for days but still knew very little about the city beyond her daily commute.

The Next Morning.

Clyris stepped out of her house, once again draped in her shapeless, oversized mage robes, her face veiled, and wearing the wide-brimmed hat that shadowed her eyes.

Arriving at Dawn Avenue in the East District, she found Alice and Freya already waiting by the fountain.

Alice wore a pale yellow midi dress paired with small brown leather boots. Her golden hair was braided neatly behind her back, giving her a gentle, refined air like a sunflower.

Freya wore a frilly pink knee-length dress with white stockings and polished black shoes. Her fiery red hair was let down, cascading freely, and she wore a cute straw sun hat.

"Ah... Miss Clyris?" Alice looked at the bundled-up Demon Lord, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.

"What art thou doing? Today is a Rest Day! Dost thou intend to return to the laboratory dressed like a grim reaper?" Freya puffed out her cheeks, clearly dissatisfied.

"I apologize... I don't have any other clothes," Clyris admitted awkwardly, adjusting her hat.

When she woke up this morning, she realized a critical issue: aside from the robe Charlo had given her upon arrival, she had absolutely nothing else to wear.

The rough linen clothes Knight John’s niece had brought her were too old and tattered, so she had tossed them into the bottom of the wardrobe.

She hadn't thought much of it before. Her life consisted of moving between her house and the lab. In the lab, she wore the robe. At home, she simply... didn't wear it. Since she lived alone, it didn't matter.

But going out socially today... she had frozen up.

In the end, she had no choice but to wear the mage robes.

"I see. Then we will go to a clothing store first! We can't have our Chief Consultant looking like a beggar," Alice said understandingly.

"By the way... where is Charlo?" Clyris looked around but didn't see the Lord anywhere.

"Sorry! I'm late!"

Just as she asked, a man came running from the distance.

"Hah... sorry about that!" Charlo ran up to them, exhaling sharply. "Something came up at the foundry this morning and delayed me. I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I?"

"I just arrived myself. You'll have to ask them," Clyris waved her hand dismissively.

"My Compatriot... thou art too slow! The sun waits for no man!" Freya huffed, crossing her arms.

"It's fine, Lord Charlo. Your business is important! We really didn't wait long!" Alice shook her head with a smile.

"Alright, alright. I apologize for making you wait! How about this—all expenses today are on me?"

Charlo was dressed simply today: a grey tunic tucked into black trousers, topped with a long, fitted black trench coat. Clean, practical, and without a hint of noble pretension.

"Yay! Then let's go buy Miss Clyris some new clothes first!" Alice cheered happily.

The Silver Avenue.

It wasn't far from the West District to the North District. Soon, the group arrived at Silver Avenue, the commercial heart of the city.

Lined with various shops displaying glass windows—another Charlo innovation—the street was vibrant. Alice led them to a store named "The Rose's Wardrobe."

Seeing the pink signboard and peering through the window at the dazzling array of dresses inside, Clyris stopped in her tracks.

She admitted it—she was panicking.

For the four years since becoming the Demon Lord, she had spent the vast majority of her time in steel armor. She hadn't felt that her gender change affected much. But now... did she really have to go in there?

Did she really have to wear a dress?

"Eh? Miss Clyris, why are you standing out there? Come on in!" Alice noticed her hesitation and ran back to grab her hand.

"Eh?! Wait a moment... I..."

Before the Demon Lord could formulate a tactical retreat, she was dragged inside.

"We're in!"

Is it my imagination? Or is this quiet girl unusually aggressive when it comes to shopping?

...

"Ah! How about this one? Freya would look so cute in it! Eh? This one isn't bad either! It would look beautiful on Miss Clyris!"

The Demon Lord's intuition was correct. Once inside, Alice seemed to transform into a different person, her eyes scanning racks like a general surveying a battlefield.

"U-Um, Alice... is this one perhaps..." Miss Demon Lord held the purple long dress Alice had shoved into her hands, unsure what to do with the mass of silk and lace.

"Ehh~ Just go try it on~"

"F-Fine..."

Unable to refuse the girl's enthusiasm, Clyris took the dress into the changing room.

She took off the bulky mage robe and clumsily pulled the dress on.

"It's a bit tight..."

She didn't even need to look in the full-length mirror. The sensation of being tightly wrapped told her the size was wrong. It was constricting everywhere, especially around her back and chest.

She tried to take it off... only to discover she couldn't.

Whenever she reached her arms back to undo the zipper, her chest naturally expanded, jamming the mechanism. She was stuck.

...

What do I do?

If she forced it, the dress would rip. But in this situation...

"Alice... Alice..."

After hesitating for a long time, Miss Demon Lord whispered toward the curtain, her voice trembling.

"Hmm? What is it, Miss Clyris?"

"The dress... is stuck. Can you come in and help me take it off?" Clyris whispered, her face burning hot. She had barely overcome her shyness to try the dress, and now she had to ask for help in such a compromising position...

Her brain was spinning dizzily.

"Okay! Coming in."

Alice announced her entry and swept the curtain aside.

"Ah, the size was too small after all!" Alice looked at Clyris, who was waving her arms futilely like a trapped bird, and gasped in shock. "Here, put your arms down, Miss Clyris. I'll help you!"

After successfully peeling the dress off the Demon Lord, Alice stared at the two bouncing mounds of white flesh now free from confinement. Unconsciously, she reached out...

"Eep!!"

The sensation of cool hands on her skin gave Miss Demon Lord goosebumps instantly. She let out a squeak far cuter than a Demon Lord should ever make.

"I lost..."

Alice withdrew her hand, placing it against her own modest chest to compare, then blinked blankly at the Demon Lord, whose face was red enough to steam.

"Alice!" Miss Demon Lord glared at her, covering herself with her arms. "Don't launch surprise attacks like that!"

"Miss Clyris, how did you grow so big? You're tall, and your chest is developed so well!" Alice lamented with genuine envy.

"I don't know! Those things... those parts..." Miss Demon Lord's brain had short-circuited. Discussing such topics was too stimulating for her. As a human male in her past life, she had never had such intimate contact with girls.

"Um... Miss Clyris, are you not wearing underwear?" Alice asked, glancing at the mage robe hanging on the wall.

"Underwear... what is underwear... I don't know!" Miss Demon Lord's sense of shame would not allow her to think any further.

"Your shy look is really cute, Miss Clyris~" Alice covered her mouth and giggled. "Wait here. I'll go get some proper lingerie for you to try."

Soon, Alice returned with several sets. They were different from what Clyris expected—garments designed to support the chest and thin cotton briefs for the hips.

After trying several with fumbling fingers, she chose a simple, pure white set.

Then Alice went out and exchanged the purple dress for a larger size.

Silver Avenue.

The street was still bustling with people and carriages.

But as the group of four passed, heads turned. Passersby stopped in their tracks, looking on with stunned admiration.

A little girl in a cute pink dress skipped ahead, holding hands with a tall man dressed in a sharp trench coat.

A blonde maiden in a pale yellow dress followed with a serene smile.

And behind them walked a tall, voluptuous woman in a violet gown. She held a wide-brimmed sun hat with one hand and lightly pressed down the side of her skirt with the other against the breeze.

Although her face was veiled in black gauze, the snowy white arm exposed by her raised hand and the curvaceous figure hinted at devastating beauty.

...

"Hey... is this outfit really suitable for me?"

Clyris asked, her voice low, still feeling shy.

"Not at all! It suits you perfectly! Don't doubt yourself, Miss Clyris. When you walked out, even Lord Charlo was stunned! Ask him if you don't believe me!" Alice said firmly.

"Cough, cough!"

Walking in front, Charlo stumbled, nearly face-planting on the pavement.

"Um... w-well... you do look good in it, Miss Clyris."

Charlo spoke somewhat unnaturally, his ears turning red as his gaze darted away guiltily.