"Gasp! Oh Cuboid, what have the lesser master done to you? You looked so disgustingly ugly like a human!" a stupid-looking undead exclaimed. Going over his mental list, the one who spoke was Proximal, under Ulna. An undead fox-inherent beastial with maroon hair and two canines poking out of her lips. This must be her first time seeing one of their experiments.

Cuboid smiled, "I am once a human, I'm afraid, does this bother you, Proximal?" Her tone was calm but there is no denying the heavy atmosphere from Cuboid.

"Huh, what? Shiver. O-of course n-not," the fox's ears started to quiver and she backed down. She stepped back only to find the triplets. And the three girls quickly looked away.

"Nee, nee, Capitate, isn't our high mistress, formerly that of man's race?" one of the triplets said.

"Eh? E-eh?" the fox started to shrink further.

"Hn, hn, Lunate, and isn't our majesty, the great demon lord, currently trapped on the same race? Humans do have tendencies to be filth, but ugly? Tsk, tsk, tsk," another answered while brushing an imaginary goatee.

"Ah, Hamate. Indeed, to say an entire race was ugly so blatantly...and my, isn't it the work or the lesser master? Surely no loyal familiar would be wise enough to say so disrespectfully," the third concluded.

Proximal's ears were downcasted and tears were forming on the edge of her eyes as she stuttered an unintelligible apology, which Aiven ignored. He was never interested on the internal going-ons of the familiars as long as it doesn't affect him in any way.

"Come now, stop teasing Proximal, she's just a kit," Simos said, crossing over to Proximal and resting his hand on her head even if the Undead happened to be taller.

"S-suzerain, sob, even when I...I?" Proximal sniffed, eyes closed while clutching her twin daggers to her chest. She started to bow lower so Simos could have a better reach.

"You did a good job out there," Aiven could hear the approval from Simos' voice, while showing off his perfect white teeth. The other Undeads huddled closer to that smile like a beacon.

It was an expression that reminded him of Delica.

Before long, Simos too, was praising the Undeads one by one and patting them in the head. Even Ulna and Radius, who seemed to be the serious-type, were not spared. Despite their tensed awkward stance, they didn't pushed away from Simos. The triplets even crouched to make it easier for the young Suzerain to pat them. The wide smirk of a cat, immediately gave the three undeads a palpable pet-like aura.

When Aiven asked about the Undeads' behavior towards his friend, Simos only explained that it was the familiars' usual response to strength, to yearn for it and submit. The nature of the summoned to seek approval and praises from their masters.

The two really are siblings, Aiven's brows slightly creased.

"I do apologize for my young brethren's crude remarks, lesser master," Cuboid said. Without a fuse, she kneeled infront of Aiven, showing more respect than what he was accustomed to.

Should I also praise Cuboid? Aiven paused at that thought and looked at the familiar carefully.

She did well after being subjected to various trial-and-errors...so, Aiven's thoughts made his decision for him and before she could say anything, he poked her cheek.

"Lesser master..?" Cuboid said, a little perplexed.

Cuboid's features had been ingrained to his memory from all the tedious cosmetic works they had done, but there was nothing to be modify on, much less improved on her face. She had a dainty nose, full-lips and eyes of deep brown, at most, she doesn't deserved to be called 'disgustingly ugly'.

He pressed his finger again against her cheek, more gently this time and said, "the colors suits you."

Cuboid blinked, there was a momentary shock on her eyes before she lowered her lashes and smiled, "thank you, lesser master."

He nodded at her and immediately looked over at the two fallen cart, leaving a stretched out choked surprise over the undead familiars as they gaped after Aiven's back.

When Aiven checked his finger, not a trace of color was smudged to his skin and the layer of paint didn't caked or broke. It was a small improvement, but one he was happy with. The plaintive smile was so rare on Aiven that the undeads became uneasy.

"Oooohhh, it's the first time little Aiven complimented any of my babies," Delica raised a thumbs-up to Cuboid, "well done!" And Cuboid bowed her head again in response. "Anyway, for the next few hours, we'll only need dear Cuboid here...so...please disappear for now, no?"

Delica slashed her staff and most of the familiars were unsummoned back to her staff.

"Lets start. Lets start!" Mieu said excitedly.

The design of the carts were unique. It was four feet, solid box with bars extended to all sides and layered with hay. The typical wagon used by slavers.

There was no sign of dead bodies or horses, but the pools of blood and marks of battle were evident from the trail. Aiven took another quick look from his [detection].

"Have you taken care of the slaves?" Aiven asked to Simos.

Simos sighed and said, "do you really have to check everything every ten minutes?" When Aiven nodded in a hearbeat, Simos added "yeah, they're safe, two of the familiars already transported them at the nearest village."

They have been careful in creating a vigilante image that has been targetting the bandits in the borderlands for the past days. If they started swaying from the robin-hood-reputation they're garnering, the local settlers and nearby villages would start being cautious and might even file a subjugation quest towards Fellen Valley.

A cause for tightening the borderlands was the last thing they need.

"Mieu?" Aiven asked.

"Yes!" Mieu answered with sparkling eyes. The little girl raced towards the fallen wagon while dragging Delica's hand, followed obligingly by Cuboid.

Delica, with an indulgent smile, stepped closer to Mieu and the lich went back to the doll.

The girls, with Simos on the front made the typical image of a passing harmless civillians.

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"Everyone okay?" Simos asked as he tried to readjust his new sword to its sheathe. "Okay then, we should start, Ainee."

"I leave you the clean-up, Remus," Aiven said, and signalled the start of another of their experiment.

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A moment later, a holy light came from the lordling towards a beaten up man on her feet.

They were staring at the unconscious bandit. The healing had long been finished but the man took his time to become conscious.

A forewarned grunt and there was a sudden intake of breathe, as if his lungs suddenly started functioning again, which could likely be the case. It took another gasp of air before the nameless bandit opened his eyes.

He had the normal ragtag gear and rodent-like features of a crook you might find in any alleyway. His eyes, however, widened but still unfocused, likely remembering what happened moments ago. This made his face comical with how his eyes bulge disproportionately to his head.

"What the cocksuc--?" the man blurted out.

Before he could finish, Simos whacked him in the head, the force of it caused the man to blanked out for a while and lose a few of his teeth.

"I suggest you watch your language infront of the ladies."

The man seemed to get over the initial shock and started to look over his surroundings. Even with the ropes, Aiven was still vigilant and never left his guard. A cornered animal was when they are most dangerous.

The bandit spat on the ground, "keep yapping twat," his eyes widened then he sneered, "the fuck is this?"

His gaze moved, sizing each one of them. From Simos who was too close to the bandit, to Aiven who was protectively covering one arm over a woman and a child innocently carrying a doll.

"We were passing by when we saw this," Simos said while looking at the remnants of the battle. "What should we do to him, Ainee?" He called out to Aiven.

Aiven was still expressionless and said, "He seem like a bad person, Remus. We better bring you to the next village to claim your bounty."

"Don't fuck with me! Hah! Wait 'til boss come an' ya'll see!" He laughed.

"I really hate this part," Aiven murmured.

And Cuboid, taking her que, stepped closer to the bandit, "your name?" she asked.

The bandit just leered at Cuboid, who was a beauty comparable to a highborn's harem, "pretty girlie wandering in our land would get her legs spread," his bloodied eyes were watching Mieu, "ay, what you say whore?" he spat, and for all his poor looking physique, he must had a great aim since it landed exactly on Cuboid's cheek. Blood were also present on the spit when she wiped it away with the back of her glove.

There was a dark gleam on her eyes as she stared down at the leering bandit. She looked back at Mieu, and her smile softened, "excuse my actions from now on," then in a whisper, "your highness."

Mieu nodded and placed her hands on her ears, but her eyes solemnly didn't wavered.

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By the time they were finished, Cuboid was obediently sitting infront of Delica. Aiven took his usual place and tried to rehaul the make up. He was holding a scalpel and slowly peeled the skin from her face.

The past months under Delica's tutelage of handling bodies of her undead familiars, made him capable of stomaching this much gore.

Delica then used [Re:Exumes Corpse] which Cuboid's face was back to its normal undead state.

As per usual, he prepared his brush sets and paints for the reapplication of the colors to the undead's face

The bandit was also cleared up, courtesy of Simos.

"Yay, congratulation, Aiven," Delica started clapping, "this time, it's a success! The man didn't even knew what was infront of him. But for the earlier ones, I wonder how did the those people knew my Cuboid was an undead?"

"I apologize for my earlier failure," Cuboid said, she would had bowed her head if not for Aiven holding onto her chin as he painted.

"Eh? No need for that. Aiven's paints were on point and your masking of miasma was better than mine!"

"No, my mistress, it is because your power was overwhelming that compared to suppressing a measly soul gem's miasma of this lowly creature was easier."

"Tsk, stop talking," Aiven clicked his tongue and tapped the brush on her forehead as he scold her to be still. "It's your eyes," he answered staring at her eyes that were grey, "that clouded gaze could only be found on the dead."

"Should I gouge my eyes then, lesser master?"

This time, Aiven stabbed Cuboid's head with the brush.

"Delica, were all your familiars had brains for decoration?" He asked. When Delica was going to retort, he held up his hand to silence her.

Cuboid had not budged from her seat. There might be force behind the brush but it didn't broke her skin so the damage was minimal.

"No, never mind," he heaved a sigh, already engrossed at the painting of Cuboid's face. His face was uncomfortably close to Cuboid but he seemed to not mind the proximity.

Delica also started her impression, "hmm, the eyes then. Well, Simos did say he'll be touring master at the Fellen Town two dawns from now, so we still have time to prepare."

Aiven nodded before they went back to their hidden camp.

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The first hurdle Aiven have encountered as a self-learned tailor, were creating dyes.

"Let's see, so how's your cooking skills going along?" Delica asked, fiddling with a few herbal vials aligned in their outdoor kitchen.

She was on a one-tracked mind in grilling him to perfect his cooking skills, not only because he was, in default, the one making her master's food at the moment, but also because as it happened, creating dyes were as much as cooking as fermenting, boiling and mixing herbs and colorants, for him to make anything passable.

His knowledge on dyes and coloring agents were strictly limited to the most common of paints and his scrollcrafting.

He knew that bloodroot, a secondary medicinal herb used for health potions, gave the red hue on the liquid and therefore could also be used for extracting red dyes. Molteve were used for the blue. And everyone knew that the best of inks were taken from giant kraken. But even if his inks were all personally made by him from his own work station, he was still vastly ignorant on the whole matter of dyeing.

Delica on the other hand had been handling colorants and pigments as an apprentice dark mage, partly as a job for undertaker class. Also, she had been dyeing her hair since she was nine, and once something took her fancy, there was no way for her not to thoroughly get attracted in the ways of acquiring useless information about it, which turned out to be not that useless since he needed all of it.

The process was the same as any paint but simply chopping or grinding the blossoms, or roots, or nuts, was not enough. A color fixative was needed to bind the pigments on the materials for a long time.

Unlike his parchments for his mapmaking or scrollcrafting, where he could use either egg yolk, or different oils (linseed, turpentine, etc.) and mix it with the ground pigments of his choice, the idea of placing it on threads was hurdle.

For his threads and textile dyes, it'll either be a mixture of either water and salt if it was extracted from berries, or vinegar for the ones that came from plants. Fairly easy, then the dye bath. He just need to boil the thread overnight.

Various factors contribute on the vibrancy of the colors. Depending on how long it was soaked, the measurements and quality of raw materials.

Huge amounts of linen cloth and wool cloth were expended simply from all the experiments he needed to invest in trying out the different pulps he had amassed from herbs.

And if he wanted to succeed on his plan on human skin, then there's a lot of venue for him to cover.

To create first grade cosmetics, the road was really tedious and long.

It's also on his credit that somehow, Delica was very interested on his little project.

For the hair, he just need to follow the mixture from Delica and use her formula. It was the foundations and lipsticks he had some problems with. Extracting colors and blending them into earthy healthy colors was really a trial and error on his part.

By then the herbal coloring full body bath would be not far from their reach.

Delica's knowledge on body preservation had been ultimately useful and once they add his talent at drafting and dyeing techniques, then they could make a passable human out of Delica's familiars. Though it was proving to be harder than he had anticipated.

The undead were also growing their immunity on the holy attributes due to Mieu's combat practices. Also, since their whole soul gems had recognized Mieu as their mistress, it's easier to integrate a [Blessing] from the demon lordling on them making their detection as undead almost unnoticeable.

As of now, a mage's only way to be notified of undead's presence was their miasma and their unnatural hatred to the living. Delica once told them during their sessions how once there was an [Dead Detection Spell] that could identify the undead without any hitch, however the spell would be swarmed by notification of not only the undead, but also with corpses and cadavers of man, animals, and other sentient creatures, that it became useless.

So today's [undead detect spells] were enclosed only to those factors. Took those two out, and there would be no way for anyone to know of their existence.

Once the familiars got the blessing, it was up to them to suppress their miasma. Following that, the moment they received their orders not to release any enmity towards man, then they could easily go unnoticed. And with their fanatic zeal towards Mieu, the latter part was not a problem.