11 Assimilation

Everyone was left absolutely speechless as they all stared with their jaws wide open in utter astonishment at the event that just transpired.

Even the noble daughter was staring with eyes of amazement and a blushing face from the carriage window.

None of their brains was able to process what just happened as they continue to stare at the main cause of their flabbergasted state: a little girl with long purple hair in her birthday suit as she calmly and dauntlessly makes her way past the stunned people, disregarding any of them, and towards where a wounded guard was.

Standing in front of the heavily wounded guard, she held out her hand and cast what looks like to everyone are Healing Magic Arts which further surprises everyone watching in the vicinity.

Her healing spell was far more proficient as the guard's grievous wounds were mended at a rapid pace as Viola's healing spell was visualized down at a microscopic level, reconnecting muscle strands, fiber, tissues, and regenerating cells while cleansing any infection. Not even a scar was left behind.

[Skill:『Light Magic』has been successfully obtained.]

[You have earned the title: Copycat]

'Ah, seems that it worked. It's thanks to 『Cosmic Mind』 that I can fully grasp and copy any spells just by seeing them once in action. However, I can only copy magical spells by comprehending their magical structure, flow, and formulas. I don't think I could copy any unique skills or anything "innate" either.'

When she figured this out, she also found that it'll be really convenient if she can start learning more life skills now as all her skills before from the game were mostly destructive in nature and therefore more suited for combat.

'That 『Copycat』 title doesn't sound too commendable though…'

[『Copycat』: A title awarded to those who successfully emulate an unlearned skill at a single glance. Greatly improves mimicry and imitation skills.]

'But that does sound helpful in a way. Whatever. I'll do some experiments on my own later. My learning curve is cut so learning magic should come easily for me. As a gamer, I am really excited about using magic. Who isn't excited about that?' As she fantasizes about her magical experiments, the guard that was in front of her regains consciousness and softly speaks when he sees Viola in front of him.

"I've met a goddess... Am I in heaven?" He dazedly spoke as he stared at the magnificent being in reverence.

Seeing that the guard has successfully recovered, she decided to take advantage of this moment and ask some pertinent questions to the half-conscious guard.

"Hey, you good, buddy? Do you remember who you are and what world you're in?" She asked the dazed guard.

This way, she won't have to ask for the name of this world in a way that will raise more suspicion for herself. No need to also pull the classic Isekai Amnesia card as it'll just be troublesome down the road. She'll simply have them slip out the information in her favor.

The guard looked to her in veneration and stammered when he spoke but answered as quickly as he could when seeing an unrivaled beauty like Viola asking him questions.

"Uh… y-yeah. M-my name is Dray. I-I'm an escort guard a-and… I was supposed to be in Vastrallia. Is this heaven? A-and are you a goddess?"

Viola thinks a bit before placing her hand on the guard's iron shoulder pad and said with a smile that will forever be in his heart... despite the sarcastic yet assertive tone when she replied to him.

"Well good news and bad news, Dray. Good news is I'm not your goddess. Bad news is you're still in Vastrallia." She broke the news to the addled guard.

At that questionable quirky reply, the guard finally came to his senses and sat up, trying to come back to reality.

'And now I know the name of the world I'm in. Vastrallia, huh? Looks like this world isn't Epoch Fantasy Online nor is it Kansas anymore. A name I never heard of before... Vastrallia... Whatever it is, it's my new home now. Let's hope it isn't as bad as the last one.'

Turning around to check on the other people around her, all she saw was the same people still giving her the same stupefy look of absolute awe.

'Yeah, I expected this to happen. I probably look like some kind of hero in their eyes right now. And as much as I dislike the word "hero", I did save their lives. After all, not all heroes wear capes, some wear… uh… nothing...' She looked down and blushed a bit with a coy smile, finally noticing that she was currently buck naked as a tiny little girl in front of thirteen staring people she just met. And the only way to solve that problem is to hope that these people would lend her some clothes.

Her glimmering pink-purplish gemstone eyes scan the remaining stupefied people with an inquiring gaze before boldly speaking.

"Now, would anyone of you be so kind as to offer a generous donation of clothes of my size?" She cutely and politely asked with a captivating smile.

However, her words fell on deaf ears as everyone was still staring at her in a daze. All of them remained motionless as they all still failed to comprehend all the events that have transpired before them and the sight of her absolute beauty in appearance and voice all at the same time.

"Hello? Spare clothes? Anyone? In case everyone hasn't noticed, which I'm sure you have, it's something I could use right now!"

Once again, her words yielded no results as only a couple of them hesitantly looked at each other with an expression of not knowing what to do at all in this kind of baffling situation.

*Sigh* '... I do not have the patience of a liquor store employee for this shit…' She sighed in vexation.

Looking around again, she noticed what looked like a merchant with a merchant-looking wagon and decided to approach him to inquire about clothing befitting her. The merchant in question looked like a young man who barely reached adulthood.

"Hey, kid. Some clothes, please? Or do I have to pay? Well, as you can see…" she gestured at her naked body, "I literally have nothing on me to pay with so maybe if you can put it on a loan or something?"

Seeing the merchant still completely out of it, she began to grow a bit impatient as she felt like she was talking to statues.

"Hey! Snap out of it! Yeah, I know I'm handsome but I'll probably look even more handsome in some clothes, don't you think?" She said with a bit of a snarky attitude.

At that snappy tone, the young merchant who received the full brunt of it was the first to begin to snap out of his stupor.

"Hey! Clothes, please! C'mon, buddy! Snap back to reality! Because me needing clothes is the reality right now!" She called out again, making sure he's fully awake and hears her request this time.

"R-right! Sorry, Miss! P-please, wait for a moment!" With panic, the young merchant finally replied in an urgent and apologetic tone. He scuffled towards his carriage and began rummaging inside it.

Finally hearing a "normal" sounding voice, most of everyone started snapping out of their enthralled state.

'Finally some service! And here I thought cable companies kept me waiting.' Viola sighs.

"Here, Miss. I-I hope it's to your liking." The young merchant said nervously as he handed over some clothing that looked like a good fit for Viola from a glance.

The clothing she received was a beautiful and cute short sleeve dress that not only looks but also feels expensive regardless of standards.

It had an almost gothic Lolita-style look. It was a dark purple color ribbon dress with black frills and ruffles. There were also a pair of black stockings and black boots with a purple ribbon on each of them.

The merchant was also kind enough to give her some undergarments of her size that came along with her dress set.

"Panties, huh?… Well, I'll be darned." She gave a rueful smirk and an inwardly strained chuckle as she stared at the new frilly pair of panties she's holding up to her face.

'Heh, never thought the day would come... If someone were to tell me a year back that I would be a loli wearing panties, I would laugh and tip the bartender a big one. This is one of the things that was definitely not on my bucket list.'

The young merchant and mostly everyone else finally regained enough of their senses and composure to have the courtesy to look away from the little girl until she is fully dressed even though they have already seen everything. All the girls present however continued to stare with an absentminded expression that makes it hard to know what they're thinking of.

•••

'Ah~ that's better. It's quite comfortable for a dress. Well, I still felt breezy down there as it's the first time wearing something with a skirt, but compared to what I had before, it's an improvement.' Viola gave a contented smile.

Everyone blushed once again and stared in amazement at how amazing and cute the dress looks on her as she was doing small final adjustments on her new dress she just put on.

The dress really brings out her sublime hair and face even more than before and also shows off her small delicate looking pristine neck.

"You got any hair ties?" She turns to the young merchant and casually asks him.

"O-oh! Uh... here." Snapping out of his trance once again, he quickly replied while doing everything in his power to not get lost in the eyes of the short and tiny girl which seemed to pull everything in at eye contact as he hands over a pair of violet hair ribbon ties.

Viola then used the ribbon hair ties to tie her hair into twin tails that reached down her thighs on both sides.

'There we go~ Just like my original character's hairstyle. I always used to do my sister's hair all the time so I recalled the experiences. I don't get why she doesn't tie her own hair but always insists on me doing it for her. It's either to tease me or she just likes it when I do it. Either way, I found it tedious and... nostalgic.'

Quickly snapping out of her reverie, she turns to the merchant and asks him.

"Alright~ how much do I owe you?" Viola readily asked the young merchant.

"N-no, Miss. You don't owe me a thing. I can't possibly charge our benefactor. Please keep them as it's the least I can do to repay you. They looked... really good on you." With a red face, the merchant almost chokes on his words as he continues to stare at her new bedazzling appearance.

"Hm? You sure?"

"You saved our lives. I don't even think this is enough to repay you."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I just did it on a whim." Viola said honestly.

"W-well, regardless, we are still grateful nonetheless. Oh! I'm Alden by the way." The young merchant bows as he introduces himself.

"Nn… Viola…" She replied nonchalantly as she was eying the adventurer party with the wounded archer.

"By the way, you're some kind of merchant?" She inquired.

"Huh? Uh y-yes! Though I haven't been one for long." Alden replied after quickly snapping out of his daydream of hearing his beautiful savior's name.

"So how did you manage to get your hands on a nice dress like this?" She curiously asked as she gestured to the dress she's now wearing while keeping her attention on the adventurer party.

"Ah! I'm glad it's to your liking! W-well, it used to be in my father's inventory, but he entrusted it to me. It was a dress only the aristocrat could afford."

"Well, then you could've given me anything else. I wouldn't mind."

"Please pay no mind to it! I can think of no better person than to gift such a dress to a beautiful savior such as yourself! I'm sure my father wouldn't mind." He happily replied with a hint of sheepishness.

"I appreciate the thought…" She said as she began walking towards the adventurer party that she has been quite curious about for a while now.

As she was moving towards them, she noticed the wounded archer that still has his wounds as the healer had discontinued her healing spell. At least the wound had stopped bleeding.

Deciding to help with the job, she moved towards the archer who she recalled hearing those around him call him Jack.

"Here, let me help." She then cast the same healing spell, but with much more proficiency.

This caught everyone's attention as she once again cast the same healing spell with great proficiency. The archer could only watch in astonishment as his shoulder wound quickly vanished without any trace of damage from before. This causes everyone's thoughts to race once again about her incredible use of magic.

Viola's attention was then turned towards the mage of the adventuring party currently being hugged by her sister. The older girl looks to be in her middle teenage years with aqua blue eyes and waist-length azure hair, much like her younger sister.

But what she had noticed looking at the mage was her trembling body and pale face. Viola knows that reaction anywhere. It wasn't just a reaction of fear from experiencing a near-death experience, it was also a reaction to the traumatic feeling of taking a human life for the first time. All human beings have this similar reaction… well besides psychopaths. And with her vampiric ears listening to the rhythm of her heartbeat and shaky breathing only confirms it.

Leaving behind the mesmerized adventurer she just healed, Viola walks up to the mage and her sister and greets her, hoping that the sight of an adorable little girl with a heavenly soothing voice would help ease her.

"Hey, you all right?" Viola asked the older sister in a sweet-sounding tone.

"Y-yes! Thank you for saving us." She quickly composes herself and bows her head before continuing.

"I'm Layla Algorelu and this is my younger sister Lyra Algorelu." The older girl said as she introduced her younger sister standing beside her.

"P-please to meet you and-... thank you very much for saving us." The younger girl beside the older one said with a small smile as she bows her head in bashfulness.

Unlike the older sister who is more of a valiant and valorous type and has a more self-composed look, the younger one has a pure and innocent face and is a more timid and reserved type.

"My name is Viola. But you can call me Vio." She said warmly.

"I-It's an honor to meet you, Vio." They readily bowed.

The older sister Layla looks a bit more cheered up now, but Viola still notices her perturbation so she decides to comfort her.

"You all right? What happened back there must have been hard for you." Viola said with a hint of tenderness in her voice.

"It's… It was the first time I've taken a life…" Layla said dispiritedly.

That's when Viola was determined to speak up with words of encouragement coming from someone who had taken countless lives before.

"Layla, when it comes to it, it doesn't get any better. But it does get easier, especially when knowing that you protected your sister. Because, unlike most killers, you'd know you have protected your loved ones." She said gently with a reassuring and entrancing smile that seems to contain a lot of experience despite her more youthful appearance.

This caused the young girl to blush a bit from the sight which was better than her disheartened expression earlier.

Just as the atmosphere begins to warm up, someone pops into their conversation in a vivacious manner.

"You're a hero, little Miss!" The archer adventurer suddenly shows up beside Viola and starts patting her head.

"G-gah! H-hero? No, I… I just did what I thought was right…" Viola said, feeling a bit bothered about his sudden intrusion but let it slide as he had just recovered from a pretty nasty wound after a pretty rough fight.

"By the way, I'm Jack! Nice to meet my savior!" He gave a bright smile which looks like he's trying too hard to impress her.

"Viola, likewise..." Viola impassively replied.

His amicable attitude is still a little bit much, especially towards someone he just met. Seems like he has already grown a bit comfortable with her even though it's only been ten minutes.

"This here is my party." Jack gestured to his adventurer party, "These two are Layla and Lyra, they're siblings. That newbie adventurer kid over there is Cain. And that rough-looking fellow over there who still looks completely out of it is my good friend Brady."

"Ciao~" Viola cutely waves a greeting which causes everyone's hearts to skip a beat.

"T-thank you for saving us!" The young boy Cain quickly bows towards Viola with a blush. His flushed expression didn't go unnoticed to everyone else though.

"Uh- yeah..." She replied, not knowing what to do about the kid that was awkwardly bowing with utmost gratitude in front of her.

"We were all saved by you. You have my greatest gratitude. I am Duke Helder van Leviafall of the Kingdom of Athalia." The middle-aged noble walked up and spoke to her.

"If you don't mind, Miss, what should I call our savior? Viola was it? I also recalled you shouting "Superloli" earlier. Was that your surname?" Helder queried.

'Gah! Not that cringy name! I was just only in the moment!' She started cringing inside.

"Viola Hellstar," She amiably introduced herself, "But you can just call me Viola. No need to be formal when I wasn't even dressed for the occasion."

"Ehe-... O-of course." He blushed a bit and awkwardly laughed off the joke she made.

Everyone around her also chuckled awkwardly at what she just said while remembering such an unforgettable sight earlier.

*Ahem* "Understood, Miss Viola. We are currently taking some time to rest and recover from the bandit attack. We will be moving again shortly. It would be great if you were to accompany us and I hope it isn't too burdensome for you, Miss Viola." Helder informed her after regaining his composure befitting of a noble.

Though they're quick to trust strangers they just met, especially one with overwhelming strength, she decided to not think too much about it.

"Nn..." Viola just nods in response.

"Once again, you have my utmost gratitude for saving not just my daughter's life but everyone here. If I may, what reward would you like?"

'Since he's apparently a duke, this is a good opportunity to have a connection with such a high-ranking noble in a kingdom. Just have to be careful not to get caught in any troublesome power struggles if I can help it.' Viola assessed.

"Eh? Well, I'm not exactly looking for a reward, but well… as you can see, I'm a little lost. Do you think you can point me to the nearest town with a nice place to drink?"

"Erm, if you lost your way then, why not travel with us? We were all currently on our way to the town of Silvafall. It's only about half a day away from here." Helder informs her.

'They insist on me traveling with them, someone they just met. Perhaps they want to use me as their protection? They are indeed grateful for me saving their lives and are trusting and it's a good opportunity for some reliable protection after such an incident so it makes sense.' She presumed.

"Sounds good." Viola agrees without concern.

By now everyone was gathering around her as they all took great interest towards their savior while curiously asking questions like inquiring reporters.

"Um... You weren't embarrassed at all without any clothes on?" A curious guard builds up the courage to ask.

"Nope." She gave a casual reply.

"Um, Miss Viola? I-If I may ask, what sort of situation were you in that caused you to end up like this?" This time, it was the young adventurer Cain who managed to also build up the courage to speak to her with a curious gleam in his eyes.

"The 'falling out of the sky' kind of situation." She gave a vague answer that was actually the spot-on truth.

"A-are you sure you're not a goddess, Miss Viola?" The guard that Viola healed earlier, whose name is Dray eagerly asked.

"Again, I'm not your fantasy Jesus nor would you want me to be one. Trust me on that." She said while giving him a deadpan look. Dray could only tilt his head in puzzlement.

"You're well versed in healing magic and you're one heck of a fighter. If I may ask, where are you from? And where did you learn to fight?" This time it was the noble Helder who asked.

"Well~ I came from a place far, far away. I did get a little lost in the forest over there. As for where I train, I'm self-taught."

Helder was shocked at what he just heard.

'So not only is she strong enough to survive in The Great Forest of Silvafall, she's been traveling far and wide all by herself? But with her strength, it isn't too surprising. Perhaps it's how she trains, by traveling the world and fighting all kinds of atrocious beasts. That's incredible! Is she an adventurer? If so, why hasn't anyone heard of her before, especially one with her strength?'

"Did you perhaps lose your belongings during your travels?" Helder asks her.

"Something like that. Well, it's more like I left them behind."

"A-All right, I won't pry anymore on that. But I have to ask, are you affiliated with any guild by chance?"

'Guild? Like an Adventurer's Guild?' She ponders with curiosity.

"Nope. I'm a drifter."

"A-all by yourself?!" Helder was shocked to hear that someone of her skills has been traveling around, yet there have never been any words or rumors of a magnificent being such as her possessing extraordinary strength.

"Yup." She nodded without concern.

However, this guild talk does pique her interest. She'll have to remember to inquire more on that later.

"I-If you don't mind me asking, Miss Viola, but what is your current status? I'm sure with your skills, any country would welcome you with open arms." Helder curiously asked.

The moment Helder asked about her status, everyone eagerly listened.

"Like my level? Well, it's pretty high I guess..." Viola gave an insouciant shrug.

At that remark, many around her started frantically whispering to themselves.

"She only said 'pretty high' yet she was able to pull off such a ridiculous show of strength earlier!?"

"It's obviously a lot more than 'pretty high'."

"The strength she showed could even rival the kingdoms' greatest fighters or even the Sword Saint!"

"Her level should be at most 100 considering the Sword Saint's level is near that level." Even Alden joined in the discussion with the group between the guards and adventurers.

Even though they were all whispering, Viola could clearly hear every word.

"It's triple digits..." She casually said it like it's not a big deal.

"'So it is at least 100!!'" Everyone shouted out loud in utter shock and fear.

Helder's eyes widened in surprise.

"She could destroy a country just because she's in a bad mood! Now I'm sure I don't want her as an enemy!"

While everyone was preoccupied with the bombshell that Viola just dropped, she started thinking to herself.

'So it would seem that the people of this world are aware of the system. I guess it isn't just me alone. Maybe it's more like ever since I arrived here, I became a part of this world's system that has its own calibrated stats. But I find it fascinating that it was able to adjust based on my character from the game. Something's telling me that my system is unique from the others considering that I'm pretty damn sure being able to have access to an inventory and a freaking house is unheard of to them. And the fact that they think I'm only level 100. Is that the level cap of this world? I don't know how they would react if they knew my real level. But it doesn't really matter since my current 'Sealed' stats are around a level 100 anyways. Well, I'll figure more out as time goes by.' She surmised.

'I just hope no one can see my stats and find out the truth. Whether they see me as a vampire or as a god because of my stats, both would make things a little complicated if I'm found out too early without more preparation and info on this world.'

While the nonstop questions are going on, Helder was also deep in thought of assessing this mysterious little girl with unparalleled strength and beauty who calls herself Viola Hellstar.

'She's definitely a powerful being of a sort. Despite her delicate appearance that would make anyone take her for a mere child, if you look closely, the way she carries herself, the way she walks, her movements, they're all experienced. And the fact that I could sense that no matter how relaxed she looks right now like any defenseless looking little girl, she has absolutely no openings. And even though she is completely suppressing her mana to the point that I can't even sense any of it, her imposing pressure makes her feel bigger than the largest of giants despite her small stature and childish appearance. Because of all this, I can undoubtedly believe her claim of being level 100 besides her display of strength earlier. Only a small handful of people ever known to have reached such a level and they are all considered legends... besides the Demon Lords, of course.'

The deeper he thinks of this predicament, the more apprehensive he feels.

'Why haven't we heard of someone like her before?! Especially when she released her horrifying bloodlust earlier, it's not so far-fetched if I would even go so far as to accuse her of being one of the Demon Lords herself if it weren't for her going out of her way to save our lives. But her looks are by far the most prominent aspect as I am sure no mortal is capable of possessing such beauty, otherwise, they would have already put tremendous pressure on many kingdoms by now just with her looks alone. Such a terrifying existence that we must tread carefully from here on. But since she apparently claims that she has no home and has no affiliation with any country or backing, that could mean she's not our enemy for now nor is she here to collect information as a spy of any sort.' Helder concluded as he watched the suspected girl getting along with everyone.

Despite her being the shortest person there and the fact that she was not used to chatting this long with others before for a long time now, she showed no signs of it letting it bother her in any way while her assertiveness, sassy and eccentric personality actually makes her sound like the most dominant person present.

"I must say, you're so beautiful and cute! And your skin is so pure and shiny! Do you have a secret?" Layla complimented.

"Yeah! I'm sure not even a princess could compare to you!" Jack said while smiling with a red face.

"Ah~ I see you guys appreciate Art!" Viola said this with a very cute expression on her face while proudly sticking out her flat chest rather than acting embarrassed like most girls usually would in this sort of situation.

'Back in the game, I remembered spending too long trying to get all the customization slider tools in the right place for each and every one of them. The game allows customization for pretty much every part of the body… It was a grueling process but it was worth it as I created what I believed was a masterpiece! So you better appreciate this beauty! Because I'm not happy that you're complimenting my looks, I'm happy because you're complimenting my great MMORPG customization skills!' She smiled in a self-praising and prideful grin at the thought.

It's one of the reasons why she doesn't complain too much about her having her game character as her new body appearance as she has worked way too hard on it before to start complaining about it now.

However, her prideful expression seems to give off the wrong idea to everyone else, thinking that she's happy about being complimented on her beauty and cuteness like a little girl would have.

Helder then decided to speak up again, interrupting everyone's icebreaker session with their cute savior.

"Very well, Miss Viola. Your circumstances are obviously unique so I won't pry any further. We are getting ready to move again. Would you like to ride in the carriage on our way to town?"

"Eh? Will that be all right?" She asked, a bit surprised.

"Of course. If it's all right with you, I would love to have you meet my daughter. I'm sure both of you would get along nicely." Helder said pleasantly.

"Emm... s-sure..." She reluctantly agreed while having a strained expression on her face.

'It's definitely not all right! I'm a grown-ass alcoholic man on the inside! Me trying to get along with a little girl is as bad of an idea as that one time when I decided to play Bennett Foddy's "Getting Over It"!!'

『Status』

Name: Viola Hellstar

Sex: Female

Age: 530

Race: Omega Vampire

Class: Astro Sword God

Level: 265

Rank: EX

State: Sealed

HP: 30,000/30,000

MP: 30,000/30,000

Blood Essence: 94

「Stats」

STR: 1000 (Sealed)

CON: 1000 (Sealed)

AGI: 1000 (Sealed)

DEX: 1000 (Sealed)

INT: 1000 (Sealed)

「Skills」

Skills: [Dark Star Claw: MAX] [Cooking Saint: MAX (NEW)] [Light Magic: 7 (NEW)] [(Sealed)]

Special Skills: [Cosmic Mind] [(Sealed)]

Unique Skills: [(Sealed)]

Title: [Hyperuranion Star] [Copycat (NEW)]