Sunlight filtered through the pale yellow curtains, bathing the entire room in a soft, warm glow.
At that moment, Syl stared somewhat dazedly at Tess in front of her, feeling like the candy in her hand had lost its sweetness.
Tess stood about 171 centimeters tall, with gentle features. Her light brown pupils had taken on a faint yellowish tint from the ambient light.
Her chestnut-short hair was tied into a small ponytail at the back, bobbing slightly with her movements. Her healthy, wheat-toned skin reflected the surrounding light.
As Tess moved, she removed the last piece of clothing meant for modesty, revealing snow-white skin beneath, a stark contrast to the tone of her arms.
Most importantly, while her figure appeared slender and well-proportioned, once her clothes were off, Syl actually saw a six-pack!
Syl had to admit, seeing that made her feel a twinge of envy.
Tess didn't seem inclined to hide herself from Syl, resulting in Syl getting a full view of her body.
Of course, Syl also saw the tip that she had suckled until it was thoroughly reddened.
After changing into the maid outfit right in front of Syl, Tess untied her small ponytail, letting her short hair fall freely, the ends just barely missing her shoulders.
To be honest, this was the first time Syl had seen another girl's naked body—a real girl's, not a character card or her own.
This left Syl feeling flustered. She wanted to be a gentleman and look away. But while she was still wrestling with the thought internally, Tess had already finished changing.
While Tess might not be the prettiest girl Syl had ever seen—that title belonged only to Syl herself—Tess was undoubtedly the girl with the most perfect figure and curves Syl had encountered, brimming with youthful vitality.
Once dressed, Tess smiled and extended her hand to Syl: "Come on, let's go."
Since the sleeves were still a bit too long, when Syl raised her hand, a portion of the sleeve still covered it.
Tess helped Syl roll up the sleeves properly, revealing her small hand, and gently held it.
"Where should I take you... I can't just bring you to my place, can I?" Tess murmured, frowning slightly as soon as they stepped out of the maid's quarters. "My home is quite small."
Recalling the events, Tess began to feel that everything from start to finish was filled with suspicious points.
For instance, at the very beginning, a red-haired individual who looked like a mage used magic to illuminate the path and descended into the cellar.
That was the first time Tess was frightened. She immediately transformed into a shadow to hide, not even daring to make a sound while breathing.
But in the blink of an eye, in the time it took to breathe, that young woman vanished. In her place was a fleshy mass gradually transforming into an egg, along with overwhelming fungal filaments.
Could it be that this "egg" was brought by that red-haired young woman?
Then why did she disappear after placing the egg?
Now that the egg had completely hatched, why was there still no sign of anyone else? Such a startling transformation didn't seem like something that would happen without an underlying scheme.
The main issue was that the creature that hatched... was just too adorable. So much so that Tess hadn't considered any of this earlier; she had simply been fussing over the little girl. Now, holding the little girl's soft hand, Tess began pondering these questions again.
However, before she could think for long, she felt a gentle tug on the hem of her maid's skirt.
"Hmm?"
Looking down, Tess saw the little girl gazing up at her, eyes sparkling, seemingly with some expectation.
"Wah~"
Tess's rational thoughts instantly crumbled, and she let out an uncontrollable, strange cry.
Having taken care of many younger sisters, she naturally understood what that look meant.
It was the expression and look that said, "I want to play."
No, she couldn't hold back. Just one look at this little white-haired sister, and Tess's ability to think completely vanished.
All that remained in her mind was how to feed her, how to play with her, how to spoil her. She completely forgot that today was the first time she had ever met her.
Tess placed her hands under the little girl's waist and lifted her up, spinning her around in the air.
"Wahahaha~"
The little girl seemed to greatly enjoy the feeling of flying through the air, comfortably closing her eyes.
Unaware of this, Tess set the little girl down and then ran towards the living room with a laugh, calling out as she ran, "Come catch me~"
Then, she noticed the little girl standing still in place and realized something was amiss.
The relatively oversized maid outfit on the little girl didn't look awkward at all; instead, it made her appear exceptionally cute and well-behaved.
But now, this maid outfit was slowly being stretched out.
As if something were gestating within the girl's body, strange, bone-like spines pushed against the maid's skirt. Then, as the fabric reached its limit, with a loud *rip—*, the clothes instantly burst open.
A pair of black bone wings adorned with red patterns unfurled from the little girl's back—it seemed the act of gliding through the air moments ago had stirred some instinct within her.
An instinct urging her to begin revealing a more perfect form.
Tess's mind reeled. What worried her most was that the spiritual warning she had sensed back when it was just the fleshy mass now invaded her thoughts once more.
Tess had a premonition: if she let the little girl's form continue to evolve, by the time she saw her again, her mind would surely shatter and dissipate from witnessing something she shouldn't have.
She couldn't bring herself to fight, nor could she win. She couldn't bear to run, nor could she outrun her. Tess felt that the only way to survive now was to try and soothe the other party.
Suppressing the fear in her heart, Tess crouched down and began inching towards the little girl.
The little girl, who had been standing dazedly as if comprehending something, now noticed Tess's movement. She opened her arms and ran towards Tess.
Just as the little girl's hand was about to touch Tess, alarm bells screamed in Tess's mind. Every cell and ounce of her spirituality warned her: contact would mean death!
Tess instantly transformed into a shadow, retreating four or five meters. Pressing her back against the wall, she stared in terror at the little girl who seemed intent on taking her life.
The little girl, meanwhile, was bewildered by Tess's action.
Seeing Tess's fearful expression, she pouted, took another step forward. Tess rose on her tiptoes, practically trying to merge with the wall.
Seeming to sense Tess's rejection, tears welled up in the little girl's eyes. She gave her bone wings a sad little shake and didn't dare approach further.
The Young Dragon didn't understand why this person who had always been so kind to her had suddenly become afraid.
Now's the chance!
In her consciousness, Syl communicated with the card: "Your body is very unstable right now, very dangerous. For a low-ranking Transcendent like her, every inch of your skin is a potent poison."
"Give me control of the body. I won't hurt her—and of course, she'll treat you just as well as before from now on."
Syl's words seemed to convince her simple self. The Young Dragon closed her eyes and directly returned control of the body to Syl.
When the Young Dragon opened her eyes again, the dark red vertical pupil in her left eye had turned gold, while the gold vertical pupil in her right eye had become dark red.
This signified that the one now in control of this body was Syl.