Dalia wiped the sweat on her brow as she checked the parchment in her hand while standing in the middle of the village of Eastcliff.
As one of the most scenic villages in all of the Black Raven Kingdom, it looked out over a vast plain which was mostly untouched by human hands.
Of course, it was part of the Alliance, now, but for the people of such a place which had been closed off for so long…it made no difference.
Odd looks were directed towards her as she stood there, going over the checklist she had been given, as she was different in almost every way from those around her.
She was wearing a casual dress made of a gleaming material that seemed to be shining brilliantly no matter from which direction it was looked at, and the unique shade it was dyed in was something that had never been seen by anyone around her.
It was a mix between purple and crimson, giving people the impression of both the playfulness of the former and the royalty of the latter.
After going through all of the items, she looked up, and throwing back her braid of brown hair, she said, "e here, little girl!"
It should have been funny to hear her say this, as she was a 'little girl' herself, by all accounts, but somehow, the way in which she carried herself made it so that it wasn't so.
She was looking in the direction of a hut nearby behind which a girl dressed in bleached clothes was hiding when she said these words, as she had just seen that girl run over there when she had looked up from the parchment.
Fearfully, the little girl peeked out, eyes filled with caution, but seeing Dalia's kind expression, her face softened, as she could tell that this was someone who was close to her in age.
"Don't be afraid! You were looking at my dress, weren't you? Can you tell me which color it is? Give me the right answer, and I'll give you one exactly like mine! What do you say?"
The little girl's eyes widened as she heard this, as she had indeed been enthralled by the fairy-like appearance of this person who had appeared out of nowhere.
In her mind, it was obvious that desire was battling with the caution that must have been instilled by her parents which was telling her not to talk to strangers, but finally, the sincerity in Dalia's eyes won her over.
Hesitantly, she approached, after first checking whether there was anyone nearby who could drag her away to her house by her ears.
After confirming that the place was mostly empty except for a few people who were minding their own business, she crept forward, almost like a cat, before speaking in a hushed voice.
"It's…red. Or purple. I see both, so…"
Before she could continue, Dalia clapped her hands with a delighted expression on her face and said, "Correct answer, young miss! It's both! A custom shade created by H&D, limited in stock and waiting for only the worthy to obtain it! I think you're worthy! Now, just let me get some measurements…"
The charismatic advertisement which was already famous throughout the continent captivated the little girl, along with the joy that she might actually be able to change the clothes which she had been wearing practically since she had been born.
When she outgrew them, her mother would just stitch them again with a few scraps they had laying around to fit her again, and because the rest of the kids also wore the same thing, she had never asked, even though she had always wished that she could be dressed like those mages and beautiful maidens whom the bards sang about in the village center.
When Dalia reached forward with a measuring tape made of layers of parchment pressed together, she flinched, at first, but calmed herself when she saw that what was happening was similar to what her mother did whenever it was time for the annual restitching.
She expected to be told that it would take a few hours, but her jaw dropped when a large swathe of the same cloth was taken out of a hidden pocket, followed by a pair of scissors and needles that flew in the air.
"M-magic!
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