I stepped away from The Weaver's Edge, blending back into the bustling crowds of the 6th District. With less than an hour before the laundry shop finished removing the slime residue from our clothes, I had plenty of time to find the magical tailor shop. The newly purchased crimson trench coat was tucked securely under my single right arm, its folded drake-scale fabric resting against my ribs.
As I walked, I began mentally calculating the exact sizing I would need to buy for Evelyn. It was still mind-boggling to think about. Despite technically only being a six-year-old slime core, her human hybrid form had rapidly matured into the physical body of a stunning eighteen-year-old woman. She stood at a petite 5'3" frame with a strikingly slim, defined 25-inch hourglass waist. But her most staggering feature was her bust. While I possessed a fairly standard, athletic C-cup, Evelyn's explosive development had given her an estimated, jaw-dropping F-cup.
My baby sister had genuinely become an incredibly beautiful, fine young woman. Her otherworldly slime genetics had gifted her a flawless, radiant aesthetic that easily surpassed my own heavily scarred, battle-hardened appearance. She was going to be a magnet for male attention in the capital, and I needed to ensure she had proper, elegant human clothes that fit her dramatic proportions comfortably without looking like a messy barracks ration.
I slid my hand into my cloak and opened my leather purse to count my remaining funds. After paying Vladimir his seven gold pieces, I was left with exactly 56 silver coins and 34 bronze coins. It wasn't a fortune, but in this district, it was more than enough to afford a high-quality enchanted resizing for my trench coat, purchase a few nice civilian outfits for Evelyn, and cover our district toll fees for the next few weeks.
A few blocks down the avenue, a vibrant, humming glow caught my single jade-green eye. Hanging above a polished stone storefront was a beautifully crafted sign reading Magic Tailor Shop. Instead of standard wood or paint, the lettering was carved out of a long, custom-shaped mana stone that hummed softly, casting a brilliant, artificial glow across the cobblestones like a modern neon light from my past life on Earth.
I pulled my heavy canvas hood down a bit lower to conceal my face and pushed open the glass-paneled door, ready to get my sister the wardrobe she deserved.
The little brass bell above the door chimed softly as I stepped inside. The air here was warm and carried the faint, sweet scent of lavender and magical starch. I looked toward the counter and froze.
Standing there, organizing a vibrant stack of enchanted silk threads, was a woman I recognized instantly. It was Alice Brook. In our hometown of Town Allure, she had been a dedicated maid and the brilliant manager of the local vineyard. I had absolutely no idea she had moved to the capital to work at a magical boutique in Caria.
Forgetting my circumstances in the rush of seeing a familiar face, I stepped forward and parted my lips to call out her name. But no words came. Instead, a harsh, jagged hiss of air escaped my throat, a reminder of the ruined vocal cords beneath my collar.
Alice tilted her head, her polite customer-service smile faltering into mild confusion.
"Ma'am? What can I do for you?"
She squinted, her sharp eyes tracking past my heavy canvas hood, studying my single exposed jade-green eye, my leather eyepatch, and the deep, battle-hardened tan of my skin. Suddenly, her breath hitched, and the silk threads slipped from her fingers, scattering across the polished countertop.
"R-Roxy...? Is that really you? Gods above... I thought you were dead! I literally visited your funeral service back home! It's like... it's like seeing a ghost right now. Oh my goodness, it is so incredible to see you alive, my friend!"
Hearing her call me Roxy brought a sudden, nostalgic ache to my chest. I offered her a slow, reassuring nod, letting her know that the ghost standing in front of her was very much flesh and blood. To keep the line moving and maintain focus on my mission, I quickly pulled out my notepad and a pen with my right hand.
I didn't just write down the resizing request for the crimson trench coat; I also scribbled down the exact, demanding measurements for my baby sister's new civilian wardrobe:
Need human dresses for my sister. 5'3" frame, slim hourglass, 25-inch waist, F-cup.
Alice picked up the note, her eyes widening to the size of saucers as she read the final measurement. She looked up at me, a playful, bewildered smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.
"An F-cup with a twenty-five-inch waist?! Goddess, your family genetics really are something else, Roxy. Don't worry, seeing an old friend like you back from the dead means I'm going to personally make sure she gets the most beautiful, perfectly fitted outfits in the entire district. Come on, follow me to the back workshop."
Alice led me deeper into the back of the boutique, weaving through racks of shimmering fabrics until we reached a section dedicated to specialized, larger-proportioned cuts. She pointed toward a row of outfits tailored specifically for an ample bust.
There, among the high-end silk and formal gowns, I spotted three incredibly cute dresses. Looking at them, a wave of nostalgia hit me. I didn't want Evelyn dressed in extravagant, flashy noble garments. I wanted my baby sister to experience the simple, grounded life of a commoner… just like our family used to live before the harsh realities of the world forced us to become battle-hardened survivors.
I pointed to the rack and gestured to my order: two charming, durable commoner dresses and one lightweight, breathable linen dress.
Alice shook her head in sheer amazement, still processing the sheer scale of the measurements.
"An F-cup in commoner's linen... she really is going to turn heads out there, Roxy, for the three dresses, that will be exactly fifty silver coins."
I reached into my leather purse with my right hand, counted out the fifty silver pieces, and handed them over. In return, Alice neatly tucked the beautifully folded outfits into a convenient hand basket and handed it to me.
With Evelyn's new wardrobe secured, I still needed to fix my own gear. I pulled out my notepad once more, holding it steady with my single hand, and quickly wrote:
Where can I resize magical clothes?
Alice said, clapping her hands together as she remembered the crimson drake-scale fabric tucked under my arm.
"Oh, the trench coat! Come with me. My boss is a master enchanter and handles all the high-grade magical gear resizing themselves."
Turning on her heel, Alice led me past the standard fitting rooms and down a quiet, carpeted hallway toward a heavy mahogany door at the very end of the shop. She gave it a polite, rhythmic knock, preparing to introduce a resurrected old friend to the master tailor of Caria.
We stepped through the heavy mahogany doorway, and I followed Alice into a spacious, beautifully decorated office.
"This is my boss's room, he's the owner of the entire Magic Tailor Shop."
Sitting behind a polished desk was a strikingly handsome young man with sharp black eyes and perfectly styled blonde hair. He looked up, giving me a smooth, professional smile.
"My name is Olive Oil, It is a true honor to meet you, Eirene."
Hearing his name, a sudden surge of amusement hit me. Olive Oil? I had to bite the inside of my cheek and grip my cloak to keep from laughing out loud at the sheer absurdity of it.
Alice's eyes darted between the two of us in complete confusion.
"Wait, boss... you already know my friend?"
"Of course I do, Alice, she is a legendary S-rank bounty hunter. A feared mercenary who single-handedly collapsed Oksana's drug empire and completely reversed the city's crippling deflation. Everyone in high society is talking about her."
Alice's jaw dropped. She spun around to look at me, utterly shocked to discover that her old dead friend from our hometown was actually the grand hero of Caria.
Before she could overwhelm me with questions, I stepped forward and handed Olive a note I had quickly prepared a few minutes ago. It read:
Please resize my new crimson trench coat to an XL size.
Olive read the note and smiled warmly.
"Well, Miss Eirene, since your heroic actions literally saved my business from bankruptcy during that awful deflation crisis, I absolutely cannot charge you. I will do this alteration completely for free."
A genuine smile tugged at my lips beneath my hood. I reached under my canvas cloak and handed the neatly folded crimson trench coat over to him. Olive took the fabric, running his fingers across the texture, and instantly recognized the material.
"A fire-resistant drake-scale coat, fascinating craftsmanship. Let me guess... did you buy this from Vladimir over at The Weaver's Edge for a hefty price?"
I gave him a silent nod. It made perfect sense now, Olive and Vladimir were clearly close friends and business associates, which was exactly why Vladimir had pointed me directly toward this specific shop.
However, as Olive began inspecting the seams of the coat, his handsome face fell into a frown. He let out a sigh and looked up at me apologetically.
"Ah, I'm terribly sorry, Eirene. I want to help you right now, but we've completely run out of Neospider Silk. It's a highly specialized magical thread, and it's the only material strong enough to repair and resize high-grade magical gear like this without ruining the enchantments."
He leaned against his desk, crossing his arms.
"Knights and adventurers have been desperately hunting for Neospiders lately to replenish the market, but they're reporting that the creatures have completely vanished. They're incredibly rare now. Do you want to know why? Word from the monster tamer guilds and in Town Allure is that a Neospider Queen was killed, disrupting the entire population."
A sudden jolt of memory hit me. My mind flashed back to a event in Town Allure I took a few months ago in Karama Village. I vividly remembered descending into a dark, silk-lined village and ruthlessly slaying a massive, venomous Neospider Queen. I had no idea that my past bounty hunt was the exact reason the entire capital was suffering from a magical thread shortage for the past few months.
Olive, completely unaware that the culprit was standing right in front of him, looked at me with an eager gleam in his black eyes.
"Eirene, you're the top hunter in the region. I think you're the perfect person to go out and gather some Neospider silk for us. They are actually assigning a major collection request at the Capital Knight Bureau Association today. Since you're so close with the Bureau authorities, they will easily hand the investigation over to you. If you can bring me the silk, I'll finish your coat immediately. Do we have a deal?"
Recognizing a perfect opportunity to get my gear fixed while earning a bit of extra coin, I extended my single right hand from beneath my cloak. Olive stepped forward, and we firmly shook hands to seal the contract.
With the deal finalized and Evelyn's three new dresses tucked safely in my hand basket, I gave Alice a parting nod, turned on my heel, and left the building, ready to face the next hunt.