Chapter 36: An even more outrageous truth.

[These clerks’ auras feel off—they don’t seem human.]

As the two brown-haired clerk girls in light blue dresses guided her by the arms, Suna’s close proximity let her sense their heartbeats, pulses, and life force, making her frown.

She also noticed the store manager. Despite his striking white suit, gold-patterned tie, and Golden Branch badge, with even his inner lining and shoes pure white, he had an oddly forgettable presence.

Not that he was unnoticeable, but his average height, build, and face left no lasting impression, as if his only memorable trait was his outfit.

Despite these anomalies, Suna didn’t resort to force. For one, they showed no hostility or malice. For another, this was a temple-affiliated store.

So, as she entered the fitting room, she dropped a subtle hint to the manager.

“Your clerks are quite… extraordinary.”

The manager’s expression froze briefly before he covered his cheek with his right hand, chuckling softly.

“Hahaha… As expected, a saintess of your caliber would easily see through their identities.”

Lowering his hand, he revealed a brighter, more genuine smile than his earlier courteous one.

“Sorry, I got a bit excited. Jenny, Penny, take good care of this saintess.”

“Yes, understood, Manager,” they replied with smiles.

Suna was ushered into the fitting room as several priestly robes floated off the racks and followed.

Perhaps because she’d seen through their facade, the two clerk girls dropped their pretense in the spacious fitting room, magically controlling the floating garments and swiftly helping Suna change.

Noticing the faint glowing dust trailing their movements, Suna confirmed their identities.

[Fairies, huh? Their mimicry is impressive from a transformation perspective. But at this close range, could they see through my true identity? Their vessels are only peak silver-tier… Tch, rejecting contact now would just raise suspicion. I’ll have to rely on my blessing being strong enough.]

As these thoughts raced through her mind, Jenny and Penny worked like magic, dressing Suna in moments.

“Saintess, your appearance and figure are like they’re shrouded in mist! Such a pity for a beautiful girl! Could you lower your magic a bit so we can see your face?” Penny asked.

“Penny, don’t pry into a customer’s secrets. We’re professionals. The saintess must have her reasons or vows,” Jenny chided.

[Wow, their guesses are getting wilder, though the truth is even crazier.]

Inwardly scoffing, Suna stood before the mirror, turning to inspect the new priestly robe.

Compared to her usual orthodox, simple low-tier robes, this one swapped the inner skirt for a gauze version, with lace-trimmed cuffs and long gauze gloves. Her veil was replaced with a sheer headpiece covering her entire head.

“Mysterious vibe?” Suna asked.

“It suits your need to conceal your identity,” Jenny, the steadier of the two, replied.

“Hiding your face while saving people, like a legendary saintess! People might go wild to glimpse your true face,” Penny, the livelier one, added.

“Don’t say such creepy things. Next outfit,” Suna said, dismissing the idea.

Though she hid her face for various reasons, she had no interest in being worshipped.

“Er, got it. Let’s try this one,” Penny said.

“Want to stay low-key while hiding your identity?” Jenny added.

Working in sync, they used magic to change Suna’s outfit seamlessly.

Over time, Suna tried on several different priestly robes, each beautiful and well-crafted but missing the shift in aura she sought.

“Jenny, we’ve met our match,” Penny said.

“Indeed, but the pickier the customer, the more satisfying it is to meet their needs,” Jenny replied.

Together, they declared, “Saintess, we’re bringing out a truly challenging robe next!”

“Challenging?” Suna tilted her head.

Half a minute later, she stared at the sleeveless, backless robe with a tasteful V-neck and slit skirt revealing a layered gauze underskirt covering half her thighs. The hem reached only her knees, leaving her calves bare.

“Hm, this is definitely bold,” Suna remarked.

To the clerks’ surprise, she didn’t react strongly.

For a saintess, such attire wasn’t widely accepted, except by the ritual-specialist faction known for wearing even lighter robes.

“Er, you don’t seem like that faction’s saintess,” Penny muttered.

She didn’t know Suna, in the Demon Lord’s domain, had seen plenty of boldly dressed female demons.

As a mimic beast, Suna had worn all sorts of outfits for infiltration missions.

This robe wasn’t enough to faze her.