"Ah!" Elira screamed as a strange tingling swept across my entire body. I drew in a slow breath and focused, letting the new ability settle into my skin. My wings pulled back into my body until nothing remained. My fangs softened, my long nails shortened, and the air around me felt lighter, almost unfamiliar in this new shape. I was becoming more human by the second.

Let me try something else.

I turned to Elira with a small smile.

"Watch this."

My hair shifted first, the strands rippling like liquid light as they brightened into the same pale color she had. A warmth rushed behind my eyelids, and I knew my eyes were changing too. If everything worked the way I hoped, they should become golden.

Elira gasped, her entire expression lighting up. "You look amazing. How did you do this, Beatrice? Even your hair and eyes changed. Teach me too. I want to change colors whenever I want."

She pouted in excitement, then stepped closer and began running her hands over my shoulders and down my arms. She examined every detail with bright curiosity until her fingers settled around my waist. Her touch lingered warm against my skin, and for a moment, my breath caught before I forced myself to look away. I pretended the heat in my cheeks came from the morning sun rather than her hands.

"Ahem…" I coughed lightly, trying to hide the heat rising in my cheeks. Elira jumped as if I had startled her with a lightning spell, her hands flying away from my waist.

"S-sorry." She turned her head to the side so quickly I heard her hair rustle, pretending absolutely nothing had happened. Her ears were bright red.

"N-no, it's alright. We're friends after all. This much is okay… I guess…"

My voice betrayed me, growing softer with each word until the last bit barely escaped my lips. I kept my eyes on the ground, hoping she couldn't see how embarrassed I was.

Beelzebub watched us from the side, sitting on his butt like a judgmental grandpa while munching on a nut he had dug up earlier. He squinted at me, then shook his tiny head slowly, as if disappointed in my entire existence.

Excuse me?!

I glared at him, but he only raised the nut higher, like he was toasting to my humiliation.

"You come here." I extended my hand, catching him just before he could dart away. "You, my lovely friend, need a makeover as well. What do you say?"

If this skill truly lived up to its name, {Vampire Body Manipulation}, then it should work on him too. He was still part vampire, after all.

I focused, letting the mana course through my veins and slip into Beelzebub's tiny body. The moment the energy touched him, his fur puffed out and his whole frame began to tremble, shaking in my palm like a vibrating berry.

"W-WE—ee—ee—" he squeaked as the change overtook him.

In the next breath, the tiny fangs disappeared entirely. His wings folded in on themselves, retracting smoothly beneath his skin until not even a trace remained.

"There." I exhaled slowly, easing the mana flow. "For now, if we don't need to fly, we'll do just fine without wings."

Beelzebub blinked up at me, now looking even more harmless than before, if that was even possible. He poked at his own cheeks with his paws, utterly confused, then glanced questioningly at Elira as if asking whether this counted as a personal attack.

I set him gently on the ground and watched him wobble for a moment before resuming his nut-munching as if absolutely nothing in his life had changed. Typical Beelzebub.

"I want to get on that caravan," I said, brushing dirt from my palms. "Let's pretend we're village girls leaving home for the first time. They'll look down on us and maybe even pity us. If we win their sympathy, we catch a ride. And if not… well… we can beat them up and steal it. What do you think, Elira?" I laughed.

"Sounds like a plan to me. But if it comes to beating them up, please leave them to me if you want them alive," she answered with a soft giggle, already recovering from her earlier embarrassment.

"Follow behind, Beelzebub." I waved for him to come, and the little guy trotted after us with his short legs tapping rhythmically against the earth.

We headed out from the river and toward the distant road. The caravan was still far ahead, but the path itself stretched clearly beneath the trees: just a worn dirt road shaped by countless travelers passing through the years. It carried a quiet story in every groove.

We reached it quickly and waited. About ten minutes later, the first pair of horses came into view, their hooves thudding steadily against the packed soil.

"Hello?!" I called out, waving both arms and even hopping once to catch attention, doing my best impression of a wide-eyed, innocent village girl. Only after I started jumping did it occur to me that my dress… did not match that role in the slightest. Fine. I'd pretend to be a lost noble's wife instead. Improvisation was still a kind of skill.

"What are you doing?" Elira laughed under her breath.

"Just copy me. And change of plan: you're my servant. Act along," I whispered quickly.

We stepped into the middle of the road just as the caravan slowed. Even Beelzebub stood beside us, tiny paws stretched out as he tried to mimic my pose. The sight almost broke my composure; that little creature really had no idea what subtlety meant.

"Halt."

The driver lifted his hand, bringing the caravan to a slow stop. He was a middle-aged man with black hair tied loosely behind his head, a scar slicing over his left eye. That eye looked dead and cloudy while the right one, sharp and brown, scanned me with an interest that made my stomach tighten.

A smile tugged at his lips. The kind of smile that made me want to grab his face and slam it into the wagon wheel.

"And what are the two beautiful maidens doing out here in the middle of nowhere? Have your husbands abandoned you?" He laughed, and the laughter spread across the wagons behind him. Perfect. Exactly the type I expected.

"We were traveling with our guards, but…" I lowered my gaze and softened my voice with just the right touch of sorrow. "We were attacked by thugs. They killed everyone, and we barely escaped. Great sirs, we need to travel north urgently. Could we ride with you for a while?"

Elira glanced at me with that silent look that said she was judging every word I said.Come on, girl. I had picked up some weird skills in my past life. Let me act.

"But of course," the man answered with an exaggerated flourish. "How could I refuse two beauties… and a hamster?"

His eyes landed on Beelzebub, who stood proudly at my feet like a tiny guardian. The man blinked several times, then let out a startled laugh.

"Everyone is welcome on our caravan, am I right, boys?"

A roar of approval filled the road. Beneath the loud cheers, I caught softer voices muttering crude ideas and disgusting plans they thought they could carry out under cover of darkness.

A quiet smile lifted my lips. Let them try. They would learn very quickly that pretty faces did not mean easy prey.

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