As promised, Tsilonee let Felix out of his underground prison for the outing. She had brought a girl around fifteen-year-old of age for him to transform into. She had still the air of innocence in her. With dark eyes that harmonized with her hair color and comparatively small nose, she could be said cute.

Currently, he was wearing a long blue garb with simple adornments on its hems. His black hair was braided into a single row, which felt like a tight cap was put on his head. Thankfully, he was in a young woman’s appearance, otherwise, he feared of being forced to wear shoes with high heels like the lady in violet and red attire was walking on beside him. Although they didn’t look that uncomfortable under Tsilonee’s feet, as the women used to put on in his modern world, Felix preferred free movements in accordance with his male concepts.

Accompanied by Tsilonee’s personal bodyguard and two additional guards, they strolled along the shops and the eateries of the Kartan Town. Most of them were two-storey buildings, with rarely three or four floored lodgings and hotels in the line. The people they were passing by were either at work or going and coming from work in most cases. That was a scarce sight to encounter citizens walking leisurely as themselves in streets.

Felix did his best to eavesdrop to any conversation his ears could pick up, as he busied his gaze with the town’s sight. Since more than a thousand words were filled in his dictionary, he was now somehow able to understand the citizens’ babblings. Although he didn’t fully comprehend the locals’ gossips, he could more or less grasp the topics they were talking about. Most of them were centered around hunters and food, sometimes the nobility or the rich was the main subject of the talking.

“How is the town life to your tastes, Sareen?” Tsilonee abruptly asked a question, addressing Felix by the alias she had given.

“Not bad. It is lovely. I feel I’m in… the history in my world,” Felix managed to respond in his new, undertrained tongue.

“What do you think, will this world undergo the same developments your world went through?” she asked in a lower tone, using her soul tongue.

“Of course, not. Magic must affect everything. On Earth, because of the lack of any assisting power, people invented new devices and means to simplify their daily lives out of ordinary stuff. In this world though, people rely on magic too much, utilizing it to solve major issues, to the opposite of what we did. Honestly, I can’t even tell whether magic helps the technology improve or opposite, hinder it.”

Tsilonee’s borrows slightly furrowed as she contemplated silently Felix’s theory in her own way. Felix let her be and continued observing every detail his eyes caught.

They kept walking, lingering from time to time at vendors that merchandised jewelry and flashy garments. The owners almost always would turn up to be acquainted with Tsilonee, which was helpful to lower their purchases onto decent prizes.

The main currency of this country was copper coins, which the locals called 'kons'. They were hollowed in the center in squared shape for the handiness of carrying. There was also ming, silver coins, that mostly the rich tended to use in larger sales. Low class people seldom used this type of money. Gold moldings were named 'tsuney'; the highest currency, apart from rare materials that could be traded. The wealthy amassed their vaults in this convenient currency; the poor folk couldn't afford to even keep a piece of them.

The small group next visited clothing stores. They stopped at shops intended for men’s attire, buying a young man guarding them robes and tunics, a slightly tighter versions of that, since they were actually purchased for Felix himself. The clothes that were bought for him weren’t limited of just male outfits, though. Tsilonee insisted he took some women’s gowns for him to try on, which would be worn in their upcoming night lessons.

After some time of strolling, smells of deliciously fried meat, along with vegetables and herbs started wafting in the air. They have arrived in the district that entirely built for eateries, diners and restaurants.

Felix began hopping from one buffet to another, resembling an excited and starved little village girl. The savory foods making his maiden looking eyes glimmer and salivate his mouth from their exotic smells. They had to buy a few tasty dumplings.

The district was bustling with activity. Because the day was nearing to noontime, food counters were buzzing, cooks’ hands almost blurring with their motions, their assistants running with ingredients and pots; some empty, some full.

There was a cart full of barrels of liquid passing by. Felix, in the form of Sareen, went forward abstractedly by the side of the cart, a few meters ahead of his small group of companies. When he was blocked from the sight of others, a small squeal sounded from her direction. Tsilonee and her guards hurried to her side to know what had happened to their special guest, only to discover a stumbled and apologizing teen girl.

Felix was saying sorry after sorry to an old and slightly plump man who he had just bumped into, and dragged him along to fall with him. Tsilonee and others were relieved to know everything was fine, but kept their cautiousness at any rate.

“I guess my new body isn’t ready for small maneuvers in crowded places,” Felix said to Tsilonee after they distanced themselves from the noisy spot of the district. “Sorry to worrying you.”

“Never mind that. Adjusting to new body, and to another gender at that, must be inconvenient,” Tsilonee comforted him.

“My current height is nearly the same to my own. But it’s thinner and lighter, so it is ruining my balance, I think.”

“I heard soldiers must be fully aware of their body structure and its features to become excellent warriors. Now I see it. Even ordinary walking can become a struggle without knowing this,” she told him in her habitual tutor tone, her gaze directed onward. Felix could only smile wryly after hearing this comment, as if he was just scolded from his master for making a blunder.

They kept strolling the street until they stopped in front of a restaurant. Interior of it was a place where around a dozen round tables scattered meticulously. The small group entered and rose to the second floor of the building, placing themselves farther from a couple of hunters sitting near the stairs. The two extra guards sat separately from the trio of Felix, Tsilonee and he bodyguard, Seron.

“Many traditional dishes are prepared in this place. You said you wanted to enjoy our local food, so now we’ll order as many as you would like to eat,” Tsilonee said to Felix with her usual gentle smile.

It seemed the warmness slightly diminished from her everyday behavior. Felix’s opinion at that was, maybe she came to conclusion that he tried to escape when he caused a scene a while ago. It couldn’t be helped. Clumsiness was in his DNA since he was born, and his new body’s discomfort just added to the weight.

“Thank you for the care. I appreciate that,” he said with a small bow. He had noticed the traces of the eastern tradition in their actions since he started interacting them, so he tried to get used to the customs.

“It’s just the small privilege for the work you are expected to do. After accomplishing that, you can expect anything from me,” Tsilonee stated, causing her bodyguard to stir up uneasily.

“Ah, of course,” Felix said, pondering what the details might be of this ‘work’. “By the way, are there magician cooks here you mentioned? I haven’t seen them in the streets.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“No, there aren’t. Not even in this most prominent restaurant of the town. They usually find job in major cities.”

Well, that was expected, Felix remarked inwardly. Eating a dish that magically prepared was kind of delicacy. Although, the only difference from ordinary meal was that the cook would make it with his or her own fire that generated by mana, it should taste perfect according to Tsilonee’s descriptions she gave him in one of their conversations.

They sat chatting after ordering the meals. Tsilonee explained him further the manners of ladies in this country. Felix had asked her to teach some stuff about women’s demeanor, since her proposition they had agreed when she rescued him was related to changing into other human beings. Supposing that there showed up a situation where he needed to act as a woman, it would be advantageous to perform well.

It was revealed that the sexism wasn’t a thing in this country, or almost in this entire world. Because women with inner mana usage could get as strong as any men, or with the help of outer mana use, the gender abuse wouldn’t occur in this magical realm that often. At war periods, every woman and men equally would be called to battlefields. So keeping a meek attitude in front of men was not appropriate for his maiden appearance. If he was not standing in the presence of a high ranked individual, he could behave freely.

The dinner was served while they were conversing, filling Felix’s nose with otherworldly aroma of delicious looking dishes. Tsilonee resumed her education about etiquette as they began eating the meal, now turning to table manners, which was thankfully quite similar to that of Felix’s own world.

After the meal, the group headed back to the brothel due to the lack of places worthy of sightseeing. During the way back, Felix sensed the guards keeping their vigilance in higher degree. But he ignored this and directed his attention to the positions of important places.

One of them was a post office that its building erected tower-resembling constructions. Obviously for flying creatures inside. Several numbers of circular small facilities stood tall among other buildings, easily noticeable from afar. If he got there and could come into contact with a single bird inside, he would be able to learn changing into a flying creature. His freedom would belong to himself again.

They finally reached the mansion of the brothel. As Felix came here first time, the workers of this place were busy with various activities. Tsilonee and her bodyguard got to their own business after seeing him off to his usual room, locking him up in his erotically decorated prison cell again.

Felix Transformed back into his original form, feeling heavier and fuller again. He then sprawled onto his bed to sort out his thoughts in a comfortable posture.

The trip went as what Felix had expected from it. Listening to townspeople’s conversations on the streets, he ascertained that he lacked in his language skill. He had to study harder. The only practice partner has been Tsilonee so far, therefore, talking to different types of people with different speaking manners would be beneficial to accelerate his progress.

Nevertheless, his most important objective was not about the local tongue. Fortunately for him, the main goal was successfully achieved. He now had to increase the pace of his shapeshifting training as well. Tonight would be a time for another experiment, provided his watchmen had some business to attend to.

There were also another discovery he determined this day. There was a strange thing Felix paid attention closely now; domineering and striving for liberation in his barghest form, sense of control when he was in Tsilonee’s body, feeling like a teenager girl taken to a restaurant by her rich boyfriend for the first time in this Sareen persona. His appearances were affecting his personality.

Will it be harmful in the future for my decision-making? …Highly unlikely. I can just shift back and forth, from one form to another to determine what I choose is true… Yeah, nice idea.

-------------------

“Did you see what he tried to do?” asked Tsilonee, putting both hands on an ornate wooden table she was sitting at.

“No,” Seron answered with his ever-serious demeanor.

“You think he tried to run away?”

“He could blend with other people around and shift into one of them. But he can’t change his clothes fast enough. We would catch him soon.”

“He’s cleverer than he lets out, I can feel it. He might have had a trick in mind to get away from us.” Tsilonee leaned back on her chair, slacking her arms on both sides.

“If you let me, I can discipline him to obey you without a word,” Seron said, touching the scabbard of the sword he was carrying.

Tsilonee looked up at him, staring as if trying to foresee the result of his suggestion. Eventually, she shook her head with a long sigh.

“He’s not someone we have encountered before. He’s different. There needs another approach.”

“What if it’s all a lie about his other world tale?” Seron ventured, in his voice a faint pressure of an attempt to convince her.

“It’s not,” she smiled at him. “His eyes and voice were genuine when he talked about his home world. The things he told me can’t be fabricated that thoroughly.”

Her bodyguard kept silent after that. His expression stoic and fierce, not revealing any clue if he was brewing up another excuse to ‘educate’ their extraordinary guest. Tsilonee broke the quiet atmosphere eventually, looking at the man with her flirty teasing smile.

“Are you feeling jealous again? I didn’t mean it when I promised to give him ‘anything’ back then,” she said, her smile even more widening by her bodyguard’s quiet state. “Be at ease.”

“Should we instruct the guards to be on constant watch on him?” Seron asked, clearly in an attempt to change the topic.

“Yes. Have them pay close attention to the way he behaves from now on,” she ordered.

--------------------

Felix stirred awake in his sensitive feline form and stretched for a good measure, before transforming into a more feral form in his small repertoire; into a barghest. It was past midnight. The time for experimenting his new form had finally arrived after four days since his excursion to the town. Tsilonee had increased her security after his small blunder back then. As Felix surmised, she had suspected he was trying to run away from them at the streets. Therefore, his watchmen kept their steady lookout for four days straight. That was really annoying, considering he was on the verge of progress and opening a new slot in his transformation skills.

There it was, a small, lengthy creature he had been keeping away from every observations of his jailers. He was holding a little snake he had snatched during his outing when he ‘accidentally’ tripped with an old man. Managing to hide it quickly in his clothes before his companions arrived at the scene was not a small feat for him. Luckily, the seller boy was too distracted to spot his theft.

Felix slowly ran his hand from tip of its head to its tail in order to copy its length to his subconsciousness, and to feel its tiny scales. He had no idea how these serpents might behave themselves. The only occasions he touched a living snake were in little circuses. In wilderness, they must be creatures that were not overly active. From what he knew, they must be idle animals; after searching for a tasty pray and swallowing it whole, they could spend weeks in slumber, digesting their food in their tunnel-like stomachs. They must be calm in nature, but aggressive and deadly when confronted with danger.

Keeping these thoughts in mind, Felix began attempting his test to become a new creature. He unhastily drew mana, trying to sip it from its source in condensed manner. A new discovery he had recently made after dozens of shiftings into his cat shape. In order to transform into a minor creature than his current body, he had to compress his magical energy and direct it into his muscles in steady pace, while picturing the intended being in his mind’s eye. As for changing into larger beasts, he could load his body with mana freely.

At last, the transformation began. He was in a lying position, so he would not fall from his length’s height and slam his new body onto the bed. No matter the softness of the blanket, he wanted to avoid alerting anybody who might be passing by near his room.

It was utterly, unimaginably, disgustinglyuncomfortable process. His arms sank into his skin to become one with the body. His two legs joined each other to turn into one single limb. His insides meshed into one another to make a long intestine-tube stomach that caused him to very expect his dinner to come out soon from his mouth.

The changing of the head part was not less repulsive. Felix’s mouth enlargened, as if it was being torn by the edges, the teeth inside submerged into their skin under, but not completely, leaving quite evident two fangs on the front. His tongue forked out. His eyes’ focus got separated due to his eyeballs moved onto two sides of his head.

Felix’s vision turned extremely weird. Hot red and orange colors were swimming on his bed sheet, and his now long torso looked glowing in the dark room. He paid attention to his new form. It was, as expected, not in the size of a tiny snake he had brought. His body looked like a large viper than an oversized worm that was now lying colorlessly on a corner of his bed.

He then focused to move his body into different directions to familiarize himself to his new shape. Moving without using any body parts was quite an experience. He attempted to stir his non-existing limbs to go on the side of the bed. It did not work.

How do the snakes manage to chase their preys if they don’t have movement organs? Felix started wondering.

Eventually, he chose to exploit his torso’s elongated shape to move along the surface of the blanket. Middle part forward, the tail and the head next. And repeat these actions. So slow, but it looked to be effective. Until he didn’t manage to cling to the bed’s sheet when he arrived to the bed’s border this way, and slammed to the floor with his whole body length.

That’s going to take some training.